They Wanted a Healer, I Gave Them Trauma

"Let me handle it!"

A hot-headed guy stepped right into the path of the incoming butter-fly swarm.

He puffed up his chest, veins bulging, and shouted—

[Infernal Halitosis!]

A wave of flame erupted straight from his mouth.

It tore through the air, hitting several butter-flies midflight.

They sizzled and dripped midair, melting into golden goo.

Then—

COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!

The man doubled over, hacking up smoke.

Ahrie and Min stared at him.

"…Vaping?" Ahrie tilted his head.

Min snorted. "Do some tricks!"

Both of them grinned like they'd been waiting all day for this.

But the laughter died fast.

Because the melted butter-flies started raining down.

Splat.

Splat.

Splat.

The moment the melted goo touched plants—

Hissssss—

The roots shriveled. Trees bent and dissolved

The seekers looked up, panicking—

Then the drops hit them.

"FUCK—AWWW—!"

"ARGHH! MY ARM!"

Seekers dropped to their knees, steam rising off their armor as the golden liquid ate through metal and skin alike.

The air filled with screams, sizzling flesh, and the smell of burnt butter.

The whole crowd broke.

Chaos everywhere.

Ahrie wiped a drop of grease off his sleeve, watching the mess unfold.

"…That's definitely not vegan butter," he muttered.

Min tilted his head, yelling over the chaos, "Are you serious right now, bud? TAKE COVER!"

Ahrie and Min and the rest of the seekers twisted and turned, dodging the rain of molten butter-flies like dancers in a chaotic, deadly ballet.

Min moved especially smoothly—each dodge was almost graceful, limbs flowing, as if the melted goo was part of the choreography.

Others scrambled too—diving behind trees, ducking under low branches, some tripping over roots as the chaos unfolded.

While dodging, Ahrie heard a thunk—something heavy hitting the ground.

He glanced down and saw it—

a circular chunk, glowing faintly, like a core.

Around them, the melted puddles started… moving.

The goo around it writhed, sloshed, then began to regenerate.

One by one, the butter-flies reformed, wings flicking back into place. They flapped their wings, hovered in the air…

Then they did something even more bizarre.

They clasped their little hands—or whatever those were—and rubbed them together,

Ahrie's jaw dropped.

"What in the actual fuck is this?" he muttered.

Min's eyes narrowed, tilting his head.

The sound of hundreds of butter palms rubbing filled the field—

a horrifying squelch-squelch-squelch rising like a chorus.

Ahrie shouted,

"COREE! COREE!"

Min joined in, "There's a core in them!"

The seekers tightened their grips on their weapons.

A man muttered, "A core, huh…" and raised his greatsword.

He charged.

His first swing sliced air—

the butter-fly moved too fast, a blur no normal human eye could follow.

Determined, he charged again, gathering all his strength. He jumped, aiming a powerful

downward slash. "HAAAA!" he shouted.

Pluck!

"Eh…?"

His sword sank into the fly's buttery body—but got stuck.

The half-slashed butter-fly clasped its tiny hands and rubbed them together. Its five eyes are fixed on the man. Sickening.

Before he could react, another butter-fly slammed into him, pinning him down. He struggled, gasping for air, covered in slippery goo.

"Freaking monster!" someone yelled.

Another seeker lifted his staff.

[Aqua Cannon!]

A high-pressure jet of water shot out, aiming at the butter-fly choking the man.

Nothing.

The water bounced off. The user staggered, ears popping painfully from the pressure—temporarily dizzy.

Ahrie and Min flinched, then instinctively ducked.

"Get that guy out of there!" someone muttered, urgency in their voice.

No time to waste. The fire skill was back in action.

"Infernal Halitosis!"

A straight wave of flame erupted from the man's mouth, melting a few butter-flies instantly.

COUUGHH! COUUGHH! COUUGHH! The man coughed out thick smoke, now denser than before.

"Fudge… he might die!" someone muttered in horror.

"Oi! Oi! No smoking!" Min shouted, waving his hands wildly.

Ahrie tapped Min on the shoulder, grinning.

The fire hit the butter-fly that was choking the man…

The butter-fly melted instantly… and with it, the molten butter poured over the man trapped inside.

Uh… the seekers reacted in grief…

"Now you see him… now you don't," Ahrie whispered to Min, grimacing.

Ouff… Min recoiled, shocked.

Ahrie facepalmed. "B-u-t-t-e-r buds… what are you doing…"

Meanwhile, the melted fly's core tumbled to the ground.

Someone quickly slashed at it with a sword.

"I-it's not regenerating!" someone muttered.

The group erupted in cheers. They finally knew how to handle the butter-fly swarms.

"Heh… you're celebrating like it's some brand-new monster or something," an old man muttered, unimpressed.

"Pfft, it's our first time defeating something like this!" someone snapped back, clearly annoyed.

"Yea, don't ruin our fun, old man," another chimed in.

"It's been years since the first sightings of this creature… back then it was easy prey. It couldn't melt people and armors like this," the old man grumbled, but no one was listening.

Ahrie… and Min slowly approached the man who had used the fire-based skill.

"Yooo… bro… can you do it one last time?" Ahrie asked, trying to sound polite.

Eruhh… the man was almost unconscious.

Min crouched down, checking him. "Yep… throat's busted, man," he muttered.

Ahrie rolled up his sleeves. "Should I heal th—"

BAM! A swarm of butter-flies suddenly attacked, cutting him off.

Ahrie and Min dodged like maniacs, barely keeping their balance, both holding the man's foot as they dragged him along.

Bonk… bonk… bonk… the man's head smacked against rocks as they ran.

They grabbed the seekers, struggling to hold them tight, while the rest of the swarm lifted them high into the air.

"AHHHHHH!" screams echoed as other seekers dove to catch the falling comrades, breaking their fall, or used whatever they could to soften the impact.

Ahrie and Min crouched behind a tree, catching their breath.

"We were talking… pain in the ass monsters," both muttered in unison.

"Oii… wake up!" Ahrie slapped the man's face who was still sprawled on the ground, dragged earlier.

Min gave him a light kick. "This one's busted, bud…"

Ahrie sighed, shoulders slumping. "I wish there was someone else with a fire skill or something…"

Suddenly, a shout pierced the chaos:

"AAAAAA!"

From above. Ahrie's eyes shot up, catching the source mid-air.

A girl.

"H-hi… th-thank you so much!" she cried, tears streaking her face.

Ahrie stared, frowning slightly. "You look familiar…"

"Oww… oww…" he muttered under his breath, glancing at Min excitedly.

"Fire skill… I remember her," Ahrie whispered.

He turned back to the girl, voice firm. "I came from the Fog Village… at the same time as you."

"Ohh… hi," she replied softly, still catching her breath.

Ahrie tilted his head. "What's your skill?"

"I can control fire…" she muttered, almost shyly.

"See?" Ahrie said to Min, puffing his chest. "Told you."

Min grinned, impressed.

"The… size of a candle," she added awkwardly

Eh? Min awkwardly smiled.

Ahrie had already started working. He grabbed a stick of dry leaves, rubbing it frantically against a log.

"Faster… faster… HURAAAAAA!" he shouted.

Sparks flew. A small, makeshift fire flickered to life.

"I… I can only maintain the fire for one minute," the girl muttered, eyeing it nervously.

"Yea sure… I'm sure I've had enough fun for one minute," Ahrie muttered to himself.

"Pardon?" she blinked.

"Min… distract them," Ahrie whispered.

"How many?" Min winked, already calculating.

"As many as you can," Ahrie grinned.

"Okiii dokiii!" Min yelled, charging into the chaos, ready to annoy the butter-flies.

Min stood in the open, baiting the swarm. One, two, four… soon dozens of butter-flies targeted him. He dodged with uncanny grace, weaving between them, trash-talking loudly as he moved.

Ahrie, crouched behind a tree, shouted impatiently: "NOW!"

The girl nodded, focusing her power.

[Infernia!]

She controlled the small fire Ahrie had made, transferring it to the tip of his rapier.

Ahrie dashed forward toward Min. Min saw him coming and rushed too, giggling as he eyed the tiny flame dancing at the tip of Ahrie's blade.

"A small candle fire on your rapier? Hah… this is gonna be fun," Min chuckled, adrenaline pumping.

Ahrie and Min's distance closed fast.

"Uppies… I need uppies!" Ahrie grinned.

"A what?" Min shouted, struggling to hear over the buzzing wings.

Without warning, Ahrie leapt at Min. He twisted his body sideways, narrowly avoiding him. Ahrie's foot landed on Min's small shield, using it as a platform to spring again.

"Oii!" Min growled, swiping his shield clean.

Mid-air, Ahrie unleashed a barrage of thrusts on the swarm. The tiny flames at the tip of his rapier allowed him to pierce through the butter-flies' bodies. Cores dropped, their butter-like substance splattering everywhere. Some hit Ahrie.

"Argh! FUCKKK!" he muttered, wiping himself off.

Min slashed the remaining drops with his knife, clearing the area.

Ahrie landed and immediately jumped again, this time performing a precise slash before retreating.

"This agile bastard… are you sure you're a healer?" Min muttered, impressed.

Within a minute, Ahrie had decimated the swarm. The flames on his rapier died down. He picked up Min, grinning.

"I'm done. We're out!" he said, rushing back toward Embergarde.

The other seekers, taking a cue, used freezing skills to immobilize the remaining butter-flies. Butter could be frozen after all, and with that, the swarm was finally neutralized.

And so, after a few moments, it was over. No butter-flies in sight. The seekers cheered and celebrated, catching their breath.

But just as the relief set in, a fresh wave of monsters surged through the south forest—hoppers, ents, and other twisted creatures—resuming their assault on Embergarde.

"OHHH COMEE ON! GIVE US A BREAK, WILL YA!" someone shouted, throwing their hands up in frustration.

From afar, atop a mountain deep within the forest, two humanoid figures observed the chaos below.

"Does the creature you made show great results?" one asked, voice calm but sharp.

"Hmmm… a few adjustments need to be made," the other replied, eyes glinting.

"Okaay…"