Chapter 47. Instinctively
Saturday. While Lee Hoyeon was on a date with Lumi, hunters affiliated with the association were urgently dispatched to support the gate incident that had erupted in the capital region.
Thanks to the hunters from the association and the emergency-recruited hunters who pushed themselves to the limit, there were no civilian casualties, but many hunters were injured.
As a result, Baek A-Young's ambulance remained constantly busy.
"Saint! Thank you! Thanks to you, I feel like I can fly! Haha!"
"Geez, I told you not to call me that."
"Then, I'll be on my way!"
Bowing.
Seeing off the man who had bowed and left, Baek A-Young returned to the ambulance.
"Phew, it never ends. But I can still handle about ten more."
"Wow, you're really amazing. Since you alone are handling the work of five healers, no wonder everyone calls you a saint."
"Hehe... Thanks."
Kim Ara, Baek A-Young's junior, couldn't help but be amazed every time she saw her. It wasn't just her incredible healing abilities, rumored to bring back the dead, but also her immense stamina and mana.
Recovery magic fundamentally consumes mana, but to heal those with severe injuries, the caster's stamina is also required.
It involves sharing a bit of life force and amplifying it.
That's why most healers feel drained after treating just one or two severely injured people, but Baek A-Young could handle more than ten on her own.
'But to do this every day, until she's on the brink of collapse... is she even human?'
That ability made her the undisputed number one healer in the world.
On top of that, she had a kind personality, a pretty face, and even her actions were adorable.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her the reincarnation of a saint.
Naturally, working with Baek A-Young every day was always a joy for her.
"Wow, you really healed ten more people over there."
"Yeah. But now I'm getting a little tired. You treated three people yourself, right? Good job."
"Whenever I work with you, I end up pushing myself... Treating three people is enough to shorten my lifespan."
"I'm the weird one, so don't overwork yourself."
"Come on, don't say that. Let's just get ready to pack up? Looks like we're done here."
"Shall we?"
Even though she was undoubtedly exhausted, Kim Ara looked at Baek A-Young, who continued to smile as she worked, and felt admiration for her determination.
"Alright! I'll treat you to dinner today..."
At that moment, Kim Ara's words were cut off as emergency personnel arrived.
"Emergency patient! Emergency patient! Open the ambulance, quick!"
"Emergency patient?!"
Thud! A man was carried in on a stretcher.
"S-Senior! His condition is...!"
"...Yeah."
The man's state was gruesome.
His left arm had been completely torn off as if it had been bitten away, and both legs were severed below the ankles.
It was a miracle he hadn't already died from shock.
However, the continuous blood loss meant he would soon die from excessive bleeding.
"Saint...! A hidden monster ambushed him! Please, save him! He just got married!"
A man following the stretcher fell to his knees and pleaded desperately to Baek A-Young.
"I-I'll contact the nearest branch!"
"No, I'll treat him."
"Senior!"
"You know as well as I do. If we don't treat him right now, he'll die."
"..."
Kim Ara knew it too.
This patient wouldn't last even five minutes in this state.
But even for Baek A-Young, could she really pull off this treatment?
The only reason he was still alive was because he was a hunter. In reality, he was as good as dead.
Healing someone this severely injured required the healer to risk internal injuries as well.
And right now, Baek A-Young had been treating people all day and was nearly out of mana.
Overexerting herself might cause irreversible damage to her lifespan or mana circuits.
Even so, she stepped forward without hesitation, and Kim Ara felt nothing but respect for her.
The unwavering will to sacrifice for others without a moment's hesitation.
'Maybe she really is a saint?'
Watching Baek A-Young gather her mana, Kim Ara thought so.
Meanwhile, Baek A-Young had different thoughts.
In her eyes, she saw a dying man.
A man who could die at any moment.
She had seen hundreds, thousands of men like this.
At some point, while healing severely injured men, she began to sense their survival instincts.
The desire to live.
The desire for pleasure.
The desire to reproduce.
The overwhelming energy emanating from them transferred directly to Baek A-Young.
It was an incredibly strange feeling, but it wasn't something she could openly talk about.
If she ever mentioned feeling a man's lust during healing, she'd be labeled a perverted woman.
So Baek A-Young kept those thoughts buried in her heart.
When treating men who were on the brink of death, she often saw their groins swelling.
A man's pheromones became strongest when his life was in danger. His body would stiffen, and his instincts screamed for reproduction.
Was it an innate drive to leave offspring in the world?
The younger and healthier the man, the stronger the desire.
Even now, she could feel it. This man, despite his immense pain, felt lust for her.
Males, in their grotesqueness, felt arousal toward the very woman saving their lives.
At first, she found it disgusting, but she couldn't stop healing them because of it.
The satisfaction and fulfillment of saving lives outweighed the revulsion she felt.
Over time, she became accustomed to the sexual desire men directed at her.
Yet, the more she was exposed to their intense survival instincts and primal urges, the more her own body began to change.
The gaze of a man receiving her treatment drifting toward her chest.
No matter how kind they seemed, all men harbored hidden lust within them.
Beneath the surface, they held a repressed desire to pin her down and force themselves upon her.
True masculinity, she believed, was to dominate a woman and plant one's seed.
At least, that was how Baek A-Young saw it.
A man's reproductive instinct. The twisted masculinity and desire buried deep within men.
The vile nature that only surfaces when nearing death.
"When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you."
Before she knew it, Baek A-Young had fallen into the abyss.
Beep—
In front of Baek A-Young was a patient on the verge of death.
She had treated so many patients today that she had a slight headache, but she instinctively gathered her mana.
Emergency patient treatments weren't opportunities that came often for Baek A-Young.
The warm light flowing from her hands enveloped the patient's body, slowly healing him.
To restore the patient's life force, Baek A-Young's own energy was being drained.
The headache worsened, her vision blurred, and an overwhelming thirst set in.
It felt as though her body was being squeezed from the inside.
Baek A-Young's body was gradually becoming defenseless.
Soon, the patient lying down regained consciousness and took in her appearance.
Deep within him, his buried desire spoke.
- Take her right now and plant your seed!
However, the rational thoughts ingrained in him as a member of society restrained him.
Clench.
Baek A-Young's pussy grew wet.
An instinctual urge to be pinned beneath the man in front of her took hold of her.
If not now, then never.
This moment, when men felt their most primal urges, was crucial.
But, as expected, the man averted his gaze from Baek A-Young.
She couldn't understand these men who were trapped in the constraints of society and denied their instincts.
'Why aren't you taking me? You keep glancing at my chest, so why? You feel desire for me, so why? Why?!'
As the treatment progressed, Baek A-Young's stamina and mana continued to deplete.
"Hnnng…"
A moan slipped out as she struggled to control her body. She could barely keep herself upright anymore.
Yet, the weaker her body became, the more aroused she felt.
'If I were taken now, I wouldn't be able to resist at all. If he irresponsibly came inside me, I wouldn't even be able to fight back and would end up carrying a degenerate's child…'
Baek A-Young's pussy throbbed, but the man only stole glances at her before turning away with a guilty expression.
'Sigh, another failure.'
Eventually, after the treatment ended, the patient and his companion repeatedly bowed in gratitude.
Even as they expressed their thanks, their eyes still drifted toward Baek A-Young's chest—it was an unavoidable instinct of men.
Taking a brief rest to recover, Baek A-Young smiled and accepted their gratitude, pretending not to notice their stares.
'If you were going to act like that, you should've just taken me when I was too weak to resist.'
Baek A-Young grumbled inwardly.
"You worked hard, Senior."
Kim Ara, who had been helping clean up, spoke to her.
"Mmm, thanks. I'm feeling a bit dizzy today, so let's eat later, okay?"
"Yes, yes, of course. You have to visit the orphanage tomorrow too. Get some rest!"
"Mhm. I'll head in first."
*
Last night, she had established a secret friends-with-benefits relationship with Lumi at a motel.
After enjoying the night with Lumi, she briefly stopped by the dormitory on Sunday, spoke with Liliana, and then immediately left.
Her destination: 'Sunlight Orphanage.'
It was a place heroine Baek A-Young frequently visited.
'Come to think of it, it's been a really long time.'
Ever since the last dungeon training, she hadn't visited the orphanage. Baek A-Young had likely been too busy with her helper work as well, so they hadn't had the chance to meet.
"Oh? Hey, aren't you Cadet Hoyeon? It's been a while! We thought you weren't coming back!"
As she entered Sunlight Orphanage and passed through the yard, a familiar childcare worker greeted her.
"Haha… Hello. I've been pretty busy lately. Where's the director?"
"She's probably playing with the kids in the back yard right now! Baek A-Young is here too, so you should go see her!"
"Thank you."
Nice. That was good news.
It just so happened that Baek A-Young was visiting today as well. It was lucky timing.
"Hello!"
Baek A-Young and the director were watching over the children playing.
The gentle-looking director and the saintly-figured Baek A-Young turned toward her and welcomed her.
"Oh, Hoyeon, it's been a while. Baek A-Young also stopped by after a long time—what's the occasion?"
"I'm sorry. I've been really busy lately, so it's been a while since I visited. Hello to you too, Baek A-Young."
Surprised by her greeting, Baek A-Young reached out and held her hand as she spoke.
"Hoyeon! I saw the article about you fighting the demons. Are you okay?"
"D-Demons? What are you talking about?"
Well, since she was active in the field, it made sense that she was quick to get news.
Or maybe the director was just slow with information? Perhaps the academy had worked to suppress the news so it wouldn't become a huge issue among the general public.
"Well, I'm fine. I wasn't seriously injured, and as you can see, I'm right here."
"Phew, that's a relief. When I saw your name in the article, I was really worried."
Baek A-Young exuded the aura of someone inherently kind.
Talking to someone like her made me feel like my own heart was being purified.
---------------------
『A Sub-Quest has been sent.』
[Are You True to Your Instincts?]
Baek A-Young is searching for a man who follows his instincts!
Draw Baek A-Young's interest even slightly!
Clear Condition: Arouse Baek A-Young's Interest 0 / 1
- Reward: Increased Affection from Baek A-Young
----------------------
'…Or not?'
A man who follows his instincts…
I think I have an idea of what to do.
Because of the title of 'saint,' Baek A-Young has been unable to fulfill her lifelong wish of being taken in a defenseless state.
The sacredness associated with the title of 'saint' prevents anyone from leading her into that kind of situation.
"Hyung~!"
The little kid who had been most excited about my juggling show last time ran up to me.
"Long time no see?"
"Hyung! Why'd you take so long to come back? Show me that thing again!"
"Alright, alright. Let's play together."
The kid grabbed my hand and led me toward the group of children.
"Sniff sniff. Hyung, why do you smell like candy?"
"Huh?"
What's he talking about?
*
I entertained the children by performing my special five-tier juggling act.
After a while, the director gathered the children and led them inside for mealtime.
Baek A-Young and I sat on a bench in the yard, chatting.
"You worked hard. You just did juggling again, huh? Heh."
"But I got a lot better than last time, right?"
"Yeah, I could see your skills improving. Plus, the kids seemed to gather around you because you smelled nice… I'm jealous."
"Oh, come on… More kids gathered around you than me, A-Young."
"Fufu. Did they?"
The reward I received after clearing Lumi's quest—'Sweet Body.'
Because of that effect, my body now emitted a sweet scent.
Out of curiosity, I licked my own arm, and even my skin tasted sweet.
This was like being some kind of chocolate human.
"Next week is the dungeon training. Are you preparing well? I heard rumors that this exam will be tough."
Bright smile
Baek A-Young was beaming, probably because she was looking forward to seeing me next week.
She must want to show off her mature, professional side again. She really enjoyed it when I reacted positively last time.
The next dungeon training would be disrupted by a terrorist attack. Instead of dwelling on that, it was better to switch topics.
"Now that I think about it, what do you do when you work as a dungeon helper?"
"Oh… Various things. Sometimes support work, but mostly healing."
"Ah, I heard your healing abilities are incredible. People say you're the reincarnation of a saint."
"Please don't call me that. Honestly, it's embarrassing. 'Saint' and all that."
"But isn't being a healer mentally exhausting? There must be a lot of injured people in dungeons."
Though, of course, that didn't really apply to Baek A-Young. She only got exhausted because she overworked herself every day. If she paced herself, she wouldn't feel drained at all.
"That's true. On days I overwork myself, I end up with full-body aches for the entire day."
"Wow, in that case, you'd be completely defenseless. You should be careful."
I deliberately said something that could be considered slightly inappropriate.
Baek A-Young actually liked comments like that.
"…I suppose so."
"If someone were to take advantage of you in that state, it'd be a real disaster."
She hated how men treated her as a sacred being just because of her 'saint' title.
Getting her interested was easy.
All I had to do was be the usual bad boy Lee Hoyeon.
"Yes… That would be a real disaster… Truly…"
Baek A-Young's gaze changed slightly.