The lizard lunged—its claws slicing through the air.

Min raised his small shield by instinct—then froze.

A flash—blood, screams, that same shield drenched in red.

The face of his fallen comrade flickered before him.

"Tch…!" He jerked his arm back, abandoning the block and twisting his body aside instead.

The claws grazed his shoulder, tearing through cloth but missing flesh.

He grit his teeth.

He couldn't bring himself to use it.

Koko sprinted toward Ahrie, skidding to her knees beside him.

"Ahrie! Hang in there!"

Rocky rolled up next, pebbles scattering with each bounce.

"Geez…" Koko muttered, prying open a potion bottle. "You've been beaten pretty badly aren't you… "

Rocky gave a solemn nod of agreement.

Ahrie smirked faintly through the bruises. "Heh… I've had worse days."

"Yeah? You sure look like it," she shot back, tipping the potion to his lips.

He swallowed slow, color creeping faintly back to his face—

but his body still refused to move.

Koko's Ent sat up straight, fixing her glowing headset and grinning at the screen.

"Alright chat, breathe. We did it—Ahrie's alive! Barely. But alive!"

Koko's Ent and the entire chat exploded with relief as Ahrie's HP ticked upward.

Sprout #??? – ???: Let's Goooo!

Sprout #??? – ???: ALIVE IS ENOUGH!

Sprout #??? – ???: Tenacious bastard… still breathing!

Sprout #??? – ???: ngl, Koko's potion throw was tragic tho

Sprout #??? – ???: yeah she bowled that shit

Sprout #??? – ???: GIVE HER A BREAK SHE'S CUTE

Koko's Ent smirked. "First of all, that was a tactical throw. It distracted the enemy."

Sprout #??? – ???: the ground healed for +50

Sprout #??? – ???: Heh… our job's done here… goodbye ;3

Sprout #??? – ???: Thank youuu!

Koko's Ent just sat there, smiling at the chaos on screen. "You guys are ridiculous…"

"Glyph!" Ahrie muttered.

His status window flickered open in front of him—

HP: 15 / 100

MP: 100 / 100

He let out a shaky laugh, eyes narrowing.

"Heh…" A grin crept across his bloodied face.

A dangerous idea sparked in his mind.

Ahrie's hand started to glow—air rippled around him

[P.A.I.N.]

Ahrie clenched his fist… and punched himself in the face.

WHAM!

"Oii—!" Koko and Rocky flinched in unison.

Light burst across Ahrie's skin. His wounds began knitting together.

30/100 Health.

Both of them stared, dumbfounded.

"Again," Ahrie muttered.

"Eh? Again?!" Koko shouted.

[P.A.I.N.]

57/100 Health.

Koko's Ent leaned closer.

"chat chill—look!" she said, zooming in on Ahrie punching himself. "See that? That's what we call 'budget healing.'" Koko's Ent jokingly said.

Sprout #??? – ???: man's playing whack-a-mole with his own organs

Sprout #??? – ???: WHY DOES IT WORK THO

Sprout #??? – ???: Clip that. Clip that now.

"Again!" Ahrie shouted.

"Haven't you had enough bud?" Koko asked, while Rocky tried his best to stop him.

[P.A.I.N.]

He smashed his shoulder this time—harder.

"Ouufff—" He grimaced through the pain.

97/100 Health.

He exhaled, flexing his arms and slapping his ribs. "This'll do…" he grinned, checking every part for lingering pain.

Meanwhile in the Min's Ent's room—chaos, as usual.

Both Min's and Ahrie's Ents were glued to the screen, watching Koko pour a potion into Ahrie's mouth through Min's vision.

"C'mon, drink it, you idiot—yes! There we go!" Ahrie's Ent cheered, throwing both arms in the air.

Then Ahrie punched himself in the face—hard. The room went silent.

Sprout #??? – ???: …did he just attack himself?

Ahrie's Ent froze, jaw dropped. "No, no, that's his healing skill. It's fine! He's fine!"

The sprouts were losing it.

Sprout #??? – ???: …If it works, it works

The sprouts kept spamming emojis and laughing their leaves off.

Min faced the lizard head-on—one man against a wall of muscle and scales.

The ground trembled with every stomp. The lizard swung its claws, slicing the air with a sharp whistle. Min ducked under the first, then rolled sideways as another claw nearly clipped his head.

He slashed back—his knife barely dug into the monster's hide, leaving nothing more than thin red lines across its leg.

The lizard growled, saliva dripping from its jagged teeth.

"Tch… that all you got, overgrown gecko?" he taunted between breaths, smirking.

It lunged again. Min barely sidestepped, the wind from its swing brushing his face.

"Woah—close one! You almost hit me that time," he jeered, voice rising between gasps.

"C'mon, don't slow down now!"

The lizard roared and kicked up dust as it charged. Min rolled under its arm, slashed at its leg again, then jumped back. Another shallow cut.

"Damn, you're sturdy as hell. You eat bricks or somethin'?"

The lizard's tail whipped through the dirt, smashing a rock to pieces. Min stumbled back, barely keeping his balance.

"Okay, okay, chill! I was kidding, big guy!"

But his grin didn't fade. He wanted it angry. Wanted it sloppy. The more pissed it got, the more predictable it became.

"Yeah, that's right," Min muttered under his breath, circling it. "Keep roaring. The louder you get, the dumber you move."

The creature bellowed again, charging full speed—straight at him.

Min spat on the ground, raised his knife, and braced himself.

"Let's dance, lizard."

Hoh… look at that bastard… Ahrie muttered, watching Min toy with the damn lizard.

The creature's patience snapped. Its pupils tightened, muscles coiling—then boom, it shot forward like a bullet.

Min's eyes widened. "—Huh?!"

Before he could react, the lizard's arm swung. It didn't slash—no, it smacked. Min got caught right in the bicep, thrown off like a bug off a windshield.

"Guh—!"

He tumbled across the dirt, rolling through broken stones and dust. His shield flew out of his grasp, landing near the creature's feet with a heavy clang.

When he stopped rolling, his face pressed against the ground. He winced, hand trembling as he pushed himself up. A sharp sting bloomed across his cheek. He touched it—and his fingers came back wet with blood.

He hissed through his teeth. "Ah, damn… that stings…"

Then, as the pain settled in, his voice cracked into a mix of frustration and disbelief.

"NOOO—! AWW FUCKK! That weed just scratched me!?"

Even from a distance, Ahrie groaned.

"There he goes again… drama queen."

"Aren't you supposed to help him?" Koko asked, side-eyeing Ahrie while she started to pour the last drops of tea into her cup.

"Nah… let him be," Ahrie muttered, still watching Min flail around. "That bastard just stood there when I was getting beaten.

He smirked, villain-like, as the glow from his heal spell flickered out. "I'll help him out… when the time's right."

Koko blinked. "Eh? Valid crashout though."

She gave him a casual thumbs-up. Ahrie returned it—with the same petty energy.

Min kept rolling… dramatically—way too many times, honestly—before finally stopping face-first in the dirt.

He blinked. "Huh? … Where's the shield?"

His hands patted his back, his waist, the ground—nothing.

He glanced around. "Shit. Where's my shield!?"

Then—crack.

He froze. Slowly, his eyes followed the sound.

The lizard stood there… foot pressing down.

His small, dented shield—crushed beneath its claws.

"…"

The lizard tilted its head, as if mocking him.

Min's eye twitched. "You did not just step on that…"

Min stared at the shield — dented, bent, barely holding together.

That tiny thing wasn't just metal… It was his friend's. The only thing left.

His hands trembled, knuckles whitening as he clenched his fist.

The lizard pressed its foot again. Crack.

Then again. Crunch.

Min's jaw tightened.

One more step. One more damn—

Crack!

The lizard tilted its head and screeched, taunting him.

On the sidelines, Ahrie popped a kernel of popcorn into his mouth. "Oof. Yeah, he's pissed now."

Koko nodded, eyes glued to the scene. "Think he's gonna cry or kill?"

"Both," Ahrie said, grinning.

Min lowered his stance. His knife flipped — from a standard grip to a reverse one.

The air thickened. The ground beneath him vibrated softly.

Dark particles began to swirl around Min, rising like smoke from a fire that had been waiting too long to burn.

Seeing Min pissed only made the lizard more motivated to crush that damn shield.

It lowered itself, claws digging deep into the dirt, eyes gleaming with malicious intent.

Then—crack.

It grabbed Min's small shield like a toy and began to twist it, metal screaming under its grip.

Sparks flew as it dragged its claws across the surface, tearing through layers.

Min froze for a moment, breath shaking.

Every screech of bending metal clawed at his chest.

The lizard noticed his reaction and grinned wider, almost human in its cruelty.

It wanted him to break before the shield did.

Koko, from a distance, flinched. "Ohhh… yeah that's definitely personal…" she muttered, clutching her tea tighter.

Ahrie whistled low. "That thing's got villain energy."

Rocky nodded in agreement, tail flicking.

The lizard slammed the shield down, snapping the handle clean off.

Min's breath hitched—his hands trembled, his eyes darkened.

Each crunch echoed in his skull, a drumbeat syncing with his anger.

Then silence.

The lizard dropped the mangled shield onto the ground, tilting its head—mocking him to pick it up.

Min clenched his knife tighter.

He steadied his stance, ready to strike—

the dark, gentle glow around him started to stir, then twist out of control, running wild…it finally snapped.

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