The Unawakened Porter's Divine System

First Blood.

The goblin lunged.

Xavier barely moved in time.

The crude blade sliced past his stomach, but not before catching his side.

Pain burned through him.

"Ah..!"

Xavier stumbled backward, one hand flying to his side.

Warm blood seeped between his fingers.

The goblin didn't give him time to think.

It lunged again.

Xavier raised the shield.

CLANG!

The impact nearly tore it from his arm.

He staggered backward.

'I...I blocked it...'

His face a bit surprised.

His arm should have gone numb.

Instead, he was still standing.

Xavier stared at the shield.

The goblin snarled and swung again.

He raised it.

CLANG!

This time, his feet stayed planted.

His arm shook from the impact, but the pain wasn't nearly as bad as it should have been.

Xavier remembered his Status.

Strength.

Agility.

Vitality.

He had increased all three.

'I see...'

The thought barely finished before the goblin attacked again.

It struck upwards.

Xavier moved.

Too late.

The blade scraped against his shield before sliding toward his shoulder.

He twisted away.

The blade missed his neck by inches.

"Shit!"

Xavier finally decided to attack.

He swung.

Too wide.

The goblin ducked underneath it.

'Damn it...'

He wasn't a fighter.

He had carried equipment for hunters.

He had watched them fight hundreds of times.

But watching was different from doing.

The goblin slashed again.

Xavier blocked.

The force pushed him backward.

His heel caught on something.

He stumbled.

The goblin raised its blade.

Xavier's heart jumped.

It slashed down.

His body reacted before his mind could.

He threw himself to the side.

The blade struck the stone where his head had been.

Xavier rolled across the ground.

The goblin turned toward him.

For one terrifying second, their eyes met.

Yellow eyes.

Full of nothing but hostility.

Xavier tightened his grip around the sword.

The goblin bared it's teeth.

It charged.

Xavier raised the shield.

The creature slammed into it.

Xavier's arm buckled.

His shoulder screamed but he held it.

"Get off me!"

He shoved the goblin.

It stumbled backwards.

Not waiting for it to regain its balance, Xavier swung.

His blade struck its shoulder.

The goblin shrieked and withdrew.

Xavier froze.

' I...I hurt it...'

The goblin looked at the wound.

Then back at him.

Its expression changed.

Anger.

It charged again.

Xavier's breathing grew faster.

He raised his shield.

The goblin swung.

He blocked.

It swung again.

He blocked again.

The third strike came from the opposite side.

Xavier wasn't ready.

The blade slipped past the shield.

He twisted his body.

The crude weapon scraped across his shirt instead of burying itself in his chest.

Xavier gritted his teeth.

'I can't keep going like this.'

The goblin raised its weapon again.

Xavier saw the opening.

He stepped forward.

Not backward.

Forward.

The goblin seemed surprised.

So was Xavier.

He drove his shield into the creature's chest.

The goblin stumbled again.

Xavier swung.

This time, he didn't stop himself.

The sword cut through.

The goblin let out a sharp shriek.

It fell.

Silence.

Xavier stood there.

His chest rose and fell rapidly.

The sword remained in his hand.

For several seconds, he couldn't move.

Then the goblin's body twitched.

Xavier flinched.

The creature stopped moving.

His eyes remained fixed on it.

He slowly lowered the sword.

A drop of blood slid from the blade and hit the ground.

Drip.

His fingers loosened.

The sword fell from his hand.

Clang.

Xavier stared at the corpse.

His stomach twisted.

He swallowed.

Nothing.

His throat felt dry.

He looked at his hands.

They were shaking.

"No…"

He took a step backward.

His legs gave out.

Xavier landed heavily on the floor.

He didn't even care.

He just sat there.

Staring at the corpse.

He had killed it.

Not watched someone else kill it.

Not carried a hunter's equipment while they fought.

He had done it.

His breathing became faster.

His chest tightened.

"Fuck…"

He pressed a trembling hand against his mouth.

His second hand against his chest.

The System appeared.

[Host's heart rate is elevated.]

Xavier said nothing.

[Respiration is irregular.]

His shoulders rose and fell.

[Muscle tremors detected.]

The System remained silent for several seconds.

[Cause...]

[...Unknown.]

Xavier's gaze remained fixed on the corpse.

"It was alive."

[Affirmative.]

"Now it's dead."

[Affirmative.]

"Because of me."

A pause.

Xavier swallowed.

Silence.

[The target attempted to kill the Host.]

"I know."

[The Host successfully eliminated the threat.]

"I know."

[Then why is the Host distressed?]

Xavier stared at the screen.

He didn't have an answer.

He looked back at the goblin.

The creature had been trying to kill him.

If he hadn't killed it, he would be dead.

He knew that.

His mind knew that.

But his body didn't seem to care.

"I've never killed anything before."

The System said nothing.

Xavier lowered his gaze.

"Not like this."

The dungeon suddenly felt much quieter.

He could hear every drop of water falling from the ceiling.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

He remembered his life before this.

The porter.

The insults.

The hunters who looked down on him.

The endless days of carrying other people's equipment while dreaming of becoming one of them.

He had wanted power.

He had wanted a better life.

He had wanted the chance to change.

But he had never stopped to think about what that change would actually cost.

Xavier looked at the blood on his sword.

' Is this what it takes?'

Maybe this was part of it.

Maybe there was no clean way to become stronger.

He slowly reached for the sword.

His hand hovered above it.

Then stopped.

He closed his eyes.

'What if I go back now?'

He'd return to being powerless.

He'd spend the rest of his life carrying equipment for people stronger than him.

And the next time someone abandoned him in a dungeon…

He might not survive.

Xavier opened his eyes.

His fingers closed around the sword.

He picked it up.

His hand was still shaking.

But this time, he didn't let go.

"I'll do it."

The System appeared again.

[Clarification required.]

Xavier looked at the screen.

"I'll keep going."

A pause.

"Whatever this is…"

He glanced at the corpse.

"…I'll survive, I'll make a stable life and then uncover whatever you are."

The System remained silent.

Then...

[Understood.]

A faint chime sounded.

[Level Up.]

[Fatigue dropped by 10.]

[All Injuries Healed.]

Xavier felt a refreshing wave go up his body.

[Level: 2.]

[Five Free Stat Points Awarded.]

He stared at the notification.

Five more points.

He should have been excited.

Instead, his eyes drifted back to the dead goblin.

This was the price of getting stronger.

Xavier slowly exhaled.

Before he could decide his next course of action, another notification appeared.

[Emergency Mission.]

Xavier frowned.

"Emergency?"

[Objective: Survive the Goblin Horde.]

[Reward:??]

His expression changed.

"…What?... Horde?"

A sound came from the darkness.

A dragging sound.

Xavier froze.

Another sound.

Rustle.

Then another.

His head slowly turned.

Something moved between the stone pillars farther down the corridor.

Two yellow eyes appeared.

Then four.

Then six.

Xavier's grip tightened around his sword.

More movement came from his sides.

He turned.

Another pair of yellow eyes stared back.

Then another.

Then another.

The darkness around him seemed to move.

Xavier's throat went dry.

"…You have got to be fucking kidding me."

The System appeared one final time.

[Hostiles approaching.]

More goblins stepped out of the darkness.

Not one.

Not two.

Dozens.

Xavier stepped back...