They Wanted a Healer, I Gave Them Trauma-Chapter 72: Min-imum Effort ()

Agus kept attacking, thrust after thrust...

Sweeping strikes.

Quick jabs.

Every move meant to pin Min down or force him into a mistake.

Min?

He dodged.

Lazily.

Sometimes funnily.

"Whoop—" he leaned back, a spear tip grazing his chin.

"Oww—Al~most..." he swayed left, another one missing by inches.

The crowd started reacting.

Agus’ jaw tightened, his face went red.

He pushed harder.

Faster.

Min blocked a few with his new dagger.

Clang. Clang.

Sparks flew.

He wasn’t even trying to counter—just tapping the spear away, swatting it like flies.

"Is this it?" Min grinned. "You piece of shit. Is this really it?"

Agus growled and kept swinging.

This went on.

And on.

And on.

Half an hour of it... Maybe more.

Min dodged and blocked and dodged some more while Agus threw everything he had.

Sweat soaked through both of them.

The crowd roared with every exchange.

The announcer was practically yelling, calling every exchange as the arena heated up.

Agus’s breathing grew heavier.

His grip tightened.

The air around him started to shift—

He was about to use a skill.

Min saw it.

And then—

He suddenly smiled.

Raised both hands.

"I surrender."

"Eh?" The crowd went silent.

Then the murmurs started.

Ahrie froze.

Completely dumbfounded.

"...Huh?"

Min turned his head toward the healer’s side—right where Ahrie was sitting.

Then the bastard smiled.

Gave a lazy thumbs up.

I’m done practicing, his face practically said.

Ahrie’s eyes twitched.

Tapped his forehead a few times.

"Go back! Are you dumb?!" Koko shouted from the crowd, waving her arms like a madman.

Min, still staring at the healer’s section, just kept grinning.

Because, of course—

Because of course he couldn’t hear Koko through all that crowd noise.

Koko and Rocky were both shocked—and seriously pissed.

"Fuck... our money..." Koko muttered, dragging a hand down her face.

The camera zoomed in on her face. For a split second, she caught the readers’ reactions flickering across the feed.

Her eyes lingered there... just for a beat.

Then rolled her eyes so hard it looked painful.

"Hmp!"

She crossed her arms and turned away.

Rocky just blinked, tiny corn bits still stuck to his fur.

The murmurs spread through the coliseum like fire through dry grass.

Min kept walking down the platform, slow and casual, not a care in the world.

Hands in his pockets.

Humming something to himself.

People in the stands started whispering.

"What was that?"

"He just surrendered?"

"After dodging for half an hour?"

Some of them were already starting to question the tournament.

"This tournament’s rigged."

"Something’s off."

"Refunds!"

The energy shifted fast.

Confusion turning to frustration... Frustration turned to anger.

A few people near the front started booing.

Then more joined in.

The murmurs got louder, uglier, spreading through the crowd like a sickness.

The announcer stood in his booth, sweat forming on his forehead.

He needed something. Quick.

Before this turned into a riot.

Then his eyes lit up.

"WHAT AN UNBELIEVABLE THING MIN JUST DID!"

His voice boomed through the coliseum.

The crowd paused.

Heads turned toward the booth.

He leaned into it, voice dripping with hype.

"As you all just witnessed—Agus! One of the top participants in this tournament! The man everyone favored to take the whole damn thing!"

He let that hang for a second.

"BUT!"

The crowd leaned in.

"Min! A relative unknown! A fighter with no reputation, no accolades, no expectations—DODGED AND BLOCKED AGUS’S ATTACKS FOR HALF AN HOUR STRAIGHT!"

Some people blinked, others nodded.

Murmurs stopped.

"What incredible tenacity!" the announcer pressed on.

"Do you understand how hard that is?! Do you understand the kind of stamina, the focus, the sheer willpower that it takes?!"

A few people cheered.

Tentative at first.. Then more joined.

"Even though he fought well, he knew his limits! He knew he couldn’t sustain it any longer! And instead of dragging out a fight he couldn’t win—instead of disappointing you all with a slow, pathetic defeat—he chose to end it on his own terms!"

More cheers now. Louder.

"Min fought with heart and soul tonight! He gave every single one of you a PERFORMANCE! A SHOW! That had you all on the edge of your seats!"

The crowd went wild.

"YEAHH!"

"Now that I think about it, he’s right!"

"You did your best, Min!"

"WHOOOOO!"

The announcer grinned, wiping his forehead when no one was looking.

Cheers echoed through the coliseum as Min kept walking down the platform.

Min glanced around, awkward, and gave a little wave back.

Agus clicked his tongue, clearly pissed, but he backed off without another word.

What could he do? The match was over. Min surrendered. Rules were rules.

He exhaled hard, turned, and walked toward the other exit.

Min kept scanning the crowd.

Looked left.

Looked right.

Turned around and looked behind him.

Then he spotted them.

Koko and Rocky.

in the stands, arms crossed, face like she’d just watched him burn their house down.

Rocky sat on her head, tiny arms also crossed, same exact expression.

Koko caught his eye and made a gesture. Slow... Deliberate... Ran her finger across her throat.

Min blinked. Swallowed.

Uh oh.

Over at the healer’s side, Ahrie’s fist tightened slowly.

He had really been hoping to punch—

—ahem— heal someone today.

...but judging by how things turned out?

Not happening.

Ahrie exhaled through his nose, turned on his heel, and quietly started heading for the exit, right as Min stepped out of the arena.

Koko grabbed Rocky and stormed out of the stands.

Pissed.

Bumping past people without apology.

Rocky held onto his head for dear life.

Down below, Min stepped out of the arena hallway and into the corridor leading outside.

He stared at his dagger, turning it over in his hands. Smiling like an idiot.

"Greatest tank of this era," he muttered to himself. "I—I’ll do it. I’ll be the best."

A staff member nodded at him as he passed. "Thanks for participating."

Min waved them off happily and kept walking. "Yeah, yeah..."

At last—fresh air.

He stepped fully outside, stretching his shoulders—

Then he heard it.

From behind.

Fast.

Approaching.

"You piece of crap—"

WHAP!

Min twisted—barely—and the foot grazed past his ribs instead of catching him clean.

Who could it be?

It was none other than Koko herself.

He stumbled back, arms up, ready—

—but he never saw the follow-up coming

Koko lunged forward and snatched his neck with both hands, squeezing for real this time.

And she squeezed... H-A-R-D.

She started shaking him back and forth like a ragdoll.

"YOU—" shake "—ABSOLUTE—" shake "—SCAM!"

"U-uck—!"

Meanwhile...

Rocky scrambled up Min’s shoulder and onto his head.

Found his balance.

Then started throwing punches downward.

Bap bap bap on Min’s skull.

"I put all my money on you!" Koko yelled, still shaking him. "Every single coin! And you fucking lose!"

Min gagged. "Cough—cough—I—can’t—"

"Pay up! Pay up! Pay up!"

"C—cough—ACK—"

Rocky’s punches matched the rhythm. Bap. Bap. Bap.

People started noticing.

People nearby began slowing down.

Then stopping.

Then fully committing to the free entertainment.

A small crowd started to gather.

And in the middle of it—

Min...

was visibly, desperately, struggling.

"Oho. What’s going on here, my dear friends?"

Ahrie finally slid into the scene.

Min’s eyes went wide. "H-e-lp..." The word barely made it out. Squeezed between Koko’s fingers.

Ahrie gave the situation one quick scan...

...then immediately turned to the crowd.

"I see, I see." Ahrie muttered.

He leaned toward an old man standing nearby. Dropped his voice low.

"Psst. Oii. How long do you think he’ll last?" Ahrie asked an old man beside him.

The old man blinked. "Err... I dunno."

"Wanna bet?" Ahrie’s grin slowly spread. "If you’re right, I’ll quadruple your money."

The old man’s eyes went wide. "Qua-quadruple?!"

A few nearby heads snapped toward them.

Interest: acquired.

"Yeeeees," Ahrie whispered, rubbing his hands together.

The old man scratched his chin. "I... uhhh... I’ll bet 20 he passes out after a minute."

Before Ahrie could respond, an old lady pushed through. "Here. I’ll bet 35 he won’t last a minute."

Ahrie shook his head. "Madam, that’s cheating. You have to give a specific time."

She squinted at him. Thought for a second. "Fine. 45 seconds."

More people gathered around Ahrie now. Coins appeared in hands. Voices overlapped.

"I’ll bet 10!"

"20 here!"

"30 if she stops before 30 seconds!"

Min was still getting choked in the background.

Legs buckling. Eyes watering. Rocky is still throwing punches.

Bap bap bap.

Time passed.

Ahrie finished accommodating every last bet.

"Aight, aight... since all of you placed your bets—"

He raised a finger dramatically.

"—it’s time to start counting how long he’ll last..."

He cleared his throat.

"In 3... 2... 1—"

Blag.

Min’s body went completely limp.

The crowd went silent.

"...Eh?"

Ahrie stared at the body, then covered his face with his palm.

His shoulders started shaking.

...then started laughing.

"Kekeke..."

"Guess none of you wins! HAAAAAAHAAA!"

In one smooth motion, Ahrie scooped up the entire pile of coins and gathered all of them into his bag.

Every last one.

The crowd just stood, stunned, watching their money disappear.

Ahrie slung the bag over his shoulder, grabbed one of Min’s limp arms, and nodded at Koko.

She grabbed the other.

Together they dragged Min’s unconscious body across the ground and stormed off the scene.

The crowd watched them go.