They Wanted a Healer, I Gave Them Trauma

Ahrie and Leo bolted out of the tent.

Two patients were already sprinting off in different directions.

They locked eyes.

They nodded—"You take left." "You take right." That was the plan.

Except… both of them charged the same guy.

They froze mid-run, faces inches apart.

A beat of awkward silence.

Ahrie turned his head slowly toward Leo.

"Seriously?"

"Ouff…" Leo facepalmed.

Ahrie and Leo split up again—Ahrie going right, Leo sprinting left after Patient #3.

It didn't take long for Leo to catch him; the guy's leg injury made it more of a slow limp than an escape.

Leo quickly grabbed him by the shoulders, panting, trying to sound calm.

"H-hey, wait! It's not what you think!" Leo stammered.

Patient #3 glared back, breathing hard.

"You see… uh… the mosquito! Yeah! It landed on Patient #1's face, that's all!" Leo babbled, forcing a shaky smile.

Patient #3 just sighed—exhausted, half-annoyed—and let Leo drag him back toward Tent 24.

Leo kept a nervous grip on his shoulder the whole walk back.

Patient #2 bolted through the narrow streets, tripping over his own feet as he shoved past a fruit stand—fruits scattering everywhere.

"Come back here, quota filler fucker!" Ahrie yelled, hopping over the cart like a damn cat.

"No! Stay away!" Patient #2 shouted, diving between food carts and knocking over stalls.

He cut through narrow alleys, hoping to lose him.

But Ahrie was faster—

sliding under ropes, vaulting crates, kicking off walls like it was nothing.

Little did the poor bastard know…

This healer was built different.

Patient #2 leapt from a cart, grabbed a branch, and swung himself onto the nearest roof. He looked back—no sign of that lunatic healer.

He slowed down, panting hard. "Whew…"

His gaze shifted forward—

"Yooo…"

Ahrie was already there, standing on the rooftop like he teleported, a faint glow wrapping around his fist.

Patient #2 froze. "N-no way…"

"Two out of a hundred… done," Ahrie muttered.

[P.A.I.N.]

CRACK!

Patient #2 spun midair like a ragdoll before slamming onto the roof. Blam!

Ahrie crouched beside the twitching guy, scribbling on his notepad. "Wounds healing… check… breathing… check…"

He slapped a giant ✓ with his signature at the bottom of the page.

"You're all good now."

Then, like nothing happened, he dusted off his hands and hopped off the roof, heading back to the tent.

On the front lines—

Min and the Glimmerfen Seekers broke through the smoke. Explosions flashed across the open field between Embergarde's walls and the southern forest.

Dozens of monsters were surging toward the city—mostly enraged Hoppers, frothing and shrieking.

Seekers from Embergarde fought them off like it was their day to day 9 to 5 jobs.

"Dude, you're missing out…" Min muttered, thinking of Ahrie.

"Don't mind the monsters!" the Glimmerfen leader shouted, raising his blade. "We're heading straight into the forest—the butterfly's our target!"

Min cracked his neck and grinned.

The squad pushed through, only striking the beasts dumb enough to block their path,

Back to the Tent—

Ahrie returned to Tent 24 and slapped his list of names on the table.

Patient #3 sat with Leo on a bench, acting casual.

"Where's the other one?" Leo asked.

"That guy? Done," Ahrie replied, eyes flicking to the waiting man.

Ahrie watched Patient #3 for a beat. He might dodge, Ahrie thought. Then a grin split his face—plan forming.

He hid his fist behind his back and crept forward, slow and silly. He glanced left, right, up.

"Huh… the tent roof's kinda off," Patient #3 said, puzzled.

"Eh?" Leo and the patient looked up, following Ahrie's fake lead—

WHAM!

[P.A.I.N.]

Ahrie's uppercut landed clean. Patient #3 folded and tumbled out cold.

Ahrie shot Leo a look. "Set up something—"

Leo cut him off with a thumbs-up, already moving. "I got a big cloth ready to pile them on."

Ahrie grinned. "Good. Pile 'em up there."

They dragged the bodies of Patient #1 and #3 and stacked them under the cloth.

Ahrie leaned in, low. "Close the tent flap. Don't let anyone see."

Leo hesitated, then nodded—half proud, half creeped out. Is this a healing tent… or a mass-murder pile? he wondered as he latched the flap.

Inside the south forest, Min and the Glimmerfen seekers pressed forward.

"HAALT!" he barked, slapping the map against his palm.

"The sightings—our target, the butterfly—are somewhere between here and that cave."

He jabbed a finger at the rough sketch. "It could be inside."

"Goal's simple," he growled, eyes scanning the trees. "Eradicate them all. If we can't, at least cut their numbers down."

"LET'S GOOOO!" The squad roared back, boots stamping, spears ready.

They tightened formation and marched deeper into the forest, shadows swallowing the path as leaves whispered around them.

Back at Tent 24…

Ahrie was slowly racking up his quota.

Leo stood by the entrance, making sure no one saw what was really happening inside.

"Next patient," Leo called.

Patient #48 stepped in—hesitant.

"Good day, good day~ Welcome, #48!" Ahrie greeted with that unsettling cheerfulness.

The patient's eyes widened when she noticed the pile of unconscious bodies stacked neatly on the side.

"E-Eek…" she gasped, backing up a little.

"Don't worry about that," Leo said, placing his hands firmly on her shoulders.

Patient #48 turned to look at him, her face pale.

Leo's grip tightened just slightly—enough to keep her still.

"You're getting good at distracting patients, Leo," Ahrie said proudly, rolling his wrist as mana began to hum in his hand.

Patient #48's trembling gaze shifted back to him—

WHAAAM!

Ahrie's fist connected.

"Healing… success." He scribbled it down casually.

"What was her injury again? …Eh, forget it."

Leo sighed under his breath. You're not even asking anymore…

He grabbed the limp patient by the arms and dragged her to the growing pile, while

Ahrie gulped down another mana potion, shaking the empty bottle.

"Next."

…

Patient #64 entered the tent…

The moment his eyes landed on the pile of unconscious bodies, he froze.

Then—

"Ohh hell naa cuuh… ain't no way… ain't no way, man…" he muttered, stepping back, hands raised.

"Oii, chill out, man," Ahrie said, voice calm but his grin twitching.

"Why they layin'—dog, they dead!" Patient #64 shouted, taking another step back.

"Them? Nah, they're just takin' a nap, bud…" Ahrie replied, slowly walking closer.

His hand slipped into his pocket.

"I got a gift for you."

Patient #64 blinked. His guard dropped just a little. "What is i—"

PFFF!

Ahrie blew a handful of sparkling dust straight into his face.

"FUUUUUCK—!" the patient screamed, staggering—

WHAAAM!

[P.A.I.N.] Activated.

"KEKEKEKE! HEALING SPREEEEE!" Ahrie cheered, raising both arms like a madman.

…

Hours later—

Patient #100 stepped in. The last one.

Ahrie sat slouched, eyes twitching, surrounded by a mountain of unconscious "healed" bodies.

Leo flipped the sign outside:

AVAILABLE → NOT AVAILABLE.

People in line started shouting, but Leo stood firm, keeping them back.

Inside, Ahrie stared at Patient #100 and forced a tired grin.

"Hi! How's your day?" he said, shaking the man's hand way too happily.

"I'm fine—whoaa—"

Ahrie yanked him forward—

WHAAAM!

"Quota… COMPLETE."

He stood there, chest heaving. Then sighed.

"Tsk… not a single one from Glimmerfen…"

Ahrie cleaned his table, stacking papers, grabbing his notes of names back and half-empty potion bottles to the side.

He grabbed his rapier, slung it over his shoulder, and swept a few more mana potions into his pocket.

Outside, Leo was leaning on a post.

Ahrie tapped his shoulder mid-sip. "Gweaat shooob…" he muttered through the glass bottle, still drinking.

Then he bolted off.

Leo smiled—until he realized.

"Siir! The other way! The other wa—"

"Ops—" Ahrie skidded, turned around, and sprinted toward the south forest instead.

Dust kicked behind him as he ran through the open streets, weaving past carts and shouting vendors.

When he reached the southern gate, the air already smelled of ash and burnt grass.

From a mile out, he saw it—

Seekers clashing with monsters in the open fields, explosions painting the horizon.

Ahrie grinned.

He drew his rapier

"Alright… let's fug them up."

Now… Now… where's everyone…

Ahrie stepped outside the gate, through the open fields.

Smoke and dust everywhere. Seekers clashing with monsters—

Enraged Big-ass Chicken. Enraged Hoppers.

Even a few Tree Imps swinging around like it's a playground.

He dashed into the fray, punching holes through anything that looked even remotely hostile.

He kept looking around for Min and the Glimmerfen Seekers.

"I wonder what new monster we'll face…" he muttered, poking the corpse of a Hopper with his rapier.

Then he remembered.

"Ohhh yeaa… Butterfly or somethin', right?"

He imagined some massive, terrifying creature—glowing wings, nightmare stuff.

But then—

Stomp. Stomp. Stomp…

Heavy footsteps echoed from deep within the forest.

The noise grew louder, closer—until people started bursting out of the treeline.

Ahrie looked up. Seekers from Embergarde froze too, blades drawn.

Figures burst out of the treeline—

Seekers running for their lives, covered in some weird, slippery substance.

"THERE'S TOO MANY OF THEM! RUN!!" one shouted.

Ahrie blinked. "The hell—are they covered in butter?"

He spotted Min sprinting out of the forest, waving.

"MIN!!" Ahrie yelled.

Min pointed behind him with a grin. "Here they come!"

A low buzzing started—soft at first.

Then louder.

Then deafening.

Ahrie squinted into the forest—

And his jaw dropped.

A swarm emerged. Dozens. Maybe hundreds.

Man-sized flies.

Each one glistening yellow under the sunlight… melting as they flew.

"WHAT… in the butter-looking FLY is this?!" Ahrie shouted.

And yeah…

They really were.

Flies.

Made entirely out of butter.

Butter—Fucking—Flies.