The Unawakened Porter's Divine System

Fifteen Meters.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The laughter continued.

The hunters remained in formation, weapons raised as they remained extremely vigilant.

The lead hunter's grip tightened around his sword.

Something was wrong.

Kobolds were known to hunt in groups.

They were cunning creatures, and their habit of mocking their prey with laughter was well documented.

But this?

Staying hidden while systematically surrounding their enemies?

That was different.

He had encountered Kobolds before.

They usually relied on their numbers, rushing their targets and overwhelming them through sheer aggression.

They could be surprisingly coordinated to a degree, but this level of patience was unusual.

There was only one explanation he could think of.

'An Alpha Kobold.'

His expression darkened.

But this is supposed to be a D-rank dungeon.

Alpha Kobolds only appeared in mutated D-rank dungeons or C-Rank dungeons.

Their presence usually meant the group was dealing with something far more dangerous.

He glanced toward the trees.

'Did the dungeon's rank change?'

If that was the case, they had a serious problem.

They had entered expecting a manageable hunt. Instead, one of their men was bleeding on the ground, and the enemy had them surrounded before they could even get their bearings.

He looked toward the Holy Maiden.

She remained calm.

Too calm.

But he couldn't afford to dwell on that.

They needed a way out.

~ ~ ~ ~

Xavier's thoughts were racing.

'How the hell are we supposed to fight something we can't see?'

He could hear the Kobolds laughing, but that didn't tell him exactly where they were.

The System could vaguely identify their positions, yet even with that information, he couldn't reliably spot them through the dense foliage.

And the longer they remained here, the worse their situation could become.

'Think!'

He glanced at the hunters.

There were two archers and three attack oriented mages among them.

Aside from the injured tracking mage and the healer tending to him, the rest were primarily close combat fighters.

They had enough firepower to hurt the Kobolds.

The problem was landing a hit.

An archer couldn't shoot what he couldn't see.

And the mages couldn't reliably aim their attacks without knowing where their targets were.

"How do we get them?"

[You do not need to see something to hit it.]

Xavier squinted.

'What?'

The System didn't elaborate.

But its words lingered in his mind.

'I don't need to see something to hit it?..'

He looked toward the bushes.

Then the trees.

His eyes widened as one who had received an epiphany.

"I don't need to see them!"

He called out to the lead hunter while keeping his gaze on the forest.

"Listen. I have an idea."

The man glanced towards Xavier for a brief moment.

"What kind of idea?" He asked as his eyes returned to the bushes.

"We need to reduce their numbers." Xavier stated.

The lead hunter frowned.

"You think we don't know that?"

Xavier pointed toward the surrounding forest.

"The Kobolds are keeping their distance. They want us to stay here. But if we remain like this, they'll keep picking us off whenever they get the chance."

He took a breath.

"We need to do something."

The lead hunter remained silent for a while.

"You've still not told me your plan."

Xavier spoke to the mages.

"Mages, can any of you create a barrier around us?"

One of the mages, a stocky man with short brown hair, shook his head.

"I can't exactly create a barrier. I could manipulate the earth to form something of sorts, but this terrain isn't ideal for me."

He gestured toward the thick vegetation.

"The roots, the uneven ground... I won't be able to raise anything particularly large without exhausting myself."

"How high can you make it?" Xavier asked.

The earth mage hesitated.

"Depends on the area."

Xavier considered that.

"It doesn't need to be tall. Just high enough to stop something from running through." Xavier explained.

The mage frowned.

"How large an area are we talking about?"

"Twenty five meters from the center of our formation all around us, I want the kobolds trapped within the barrier with us."

The man's eyes widened.

"Twenty five meters? Are you trying to kill me?"

Xavier grimaced.

"Can you do it or not?"

The earth mage looked toward the lead hunter, then back at the forest.

"I can try. But I can't promise it'll be stable."

"That's fine."

The Holy Maiden stood observing the situation unfold.

Xavier called out the other two mages.

"You're both fire mages, right?"

"Yes we are."

"Once he raises the wall, I want both of you to unleash a continuous flurry of attacks toward the area between us and the wall. The kobolds would be at the edges of the wall. Spread your attacks across the ground. Don't hold back."

One of the fire mages stared at him.

Just then another crude dagger comes flying for his face.

One of the hunters with a shield blocks the attack before it hit the mage.

"Do not take your eyes off the forest!"

The mage swallowed hard as his rapid heart pounded against his chest.

"You want us to burn everything inside the barrier?" The other mage asked.

"Exactly."

"And what if we hit one of our own?"

"You won't. Everyone will remain inside the circle. The Kobolds are outside it."

The lead hunter's expression changed.

He was beginning to understand.

Xavier continued.

"The wall will trap any Kobolds on the ground inside the area. They won't have much room to escape. Once the fire starts, they'll either get hit or try to jump over the wall."

He glanced at the archers.

"That's where you come in. Keep your bows drawn. The moment you see something trying to escape, shoot it down."

The two archers exchanged glances.

Then one nodded.

"That could work."

"It could also fail spectacularly," the other muttered.

Xavier didn't disagree.

He wasn't an experienced hunter. He had no idea whether his plan would work as well as he hoped.

But standing around waiting to be attacked was worse.

The lead hunter looked at the earth mage.

"Can you do it?"

The mage exhaled.

"If the radius is smaller, yes. Fifteen meters would be much more manageable."

Xavier glanced at the surrounding forest.

Fifteen meters.

It would have to be enough.

"Fine. let's hope it works."

The lead hunter was silent for a moment.

Then he looked around at the others.

"Everyone heard him. Prepare yourselves."

Some of the hunters still looked uncertain.

Xavier was younger than most of them, unawakened, and had only just joined the expedition. Now he was telling experienced hunters how to survive.

Under normal circumstances, they would have dismissed him outright.

But their own tracker lay bleeding on the ground.

And nobody else had offered a better plan.

The lead hunter raised his sword.

"We'll follow his instructions. If anyone sees an opening, take it. But do not break formation!"

The hunters nodded.

"Yes Sir!"

Xavier let out a heavy breath.

Now all he could do was hope it worked.

"Now, how do I get them close enough to fifteen meters?"

[Host.]

Xavier's attention snapped back to the System.

[The Kobolds are approaching.]

His heart skipped.

How close?

[Twenty meters.]

Xavier looked toward the earth mage.

"Get ready!"

The mage crouched, placing one hand against the ground, his gaze still fixed on the forest.

The earth beneath his palm trembled faintly.

[Seventeen meters...]