The Unawakened Porter's Divine System

Price For Silence.

~ ~ ~ ~

Xavier wakes up to the feeling of pain.

Not the sharp pain of a wound.

The dull, throbbing kind that seemed to have settled into every part of his body.

His head hurt.

His jaw hurt.

His ribs hurt.

For several seconds, he couldn't remember why.

Then he opened his eyes.

Darkness.

No.

Not complete darkness.

A single light hung directly above him, its pale glow cutting through the dim room.

Xavier tried to move.

His arms wouldn't budge.

He pulled again.

Something dug into his wrists.

Leather.

His breathing stopped for a moment.

He looked down.

His hands were strapped tightly against the arms of a wooden chair.

His legs were bound too.

His heart began to pound.

‘Where am I?’

[ Host Has Been Abducted.]

‘Abducted?’

[Yes...]

He tried to remember.

His apartment.

The unlocked door.

The moment he stepped inside.

Then...

Nothing.

Someone had attacked him from behind.

Xavier swallowed.

Footsteps echoed from somewhere beyond the darkness.

Slow.

Unhurried.

Xavier froze.

Another step.

Then another.

Someone was coming.

His eyes strained against the darkness until a figure finally emerged into the weak light.

Xavier's stomach dropped.

He knew that face.

Then another figure appeared.

And another.

Five people walked into the room.

The hunters.

The same hunters who had abandoned him inside the dungeon.

For a moment, nobody spoke.

Then the man at the front smiled.

It wasn't a friendly smile.

It was the kind of smile someone wore when they had finally found something they had been looking for.

“Well, well, well...”

He stepped closer.

“Look who finally decided to wake up.”

Xavier stared at him.

The hunter crouched slightly until they were eye level.

“Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused us?”

Xavier said nothing.

The hunter suddenly slapped him hard.

Smack!

Xavier's head snapped to the side.

Pain exploded across his cheek.

“I'm speaking to you, you piece of trash.”

“Where the hell have you been?”

The hunter grabbed Xaviers chin and forced his face forward.

“You disappear from the dungeon, and then we're the ones who have to clean up the mess.”

He laughed.

“You know, people seem to forget something about hunters.”

His fingers tightened around Xavier's jaw.

“Our time is valuable.”

Another hunter chuckled behind him.

“We spent hours looking for you.”

“Hours,” the leader repeated.

He released Xavier's face.

“Do you know how much money that costs?”

Xavier lowered his eyes.

“I…”

The hunter slapped him again.

“Don't mumble.”

Xavier's cheek burned.

The leader stood upright and sighed dramatically.

“You're a porter. A useless one at that.”

He paced around the chair.

“We get you treated and somehow you disappear. Then we have to search the entire area wondering whether you ran into another dungeon, got eaten, or decided to report us.”

He stopped behind Xavier.

“So tell me.”

His voice became quieter.

“Where have you been?”

Xavier stared at the floor.

“I was hiding.”

Silence.

The hunter slowly walked back around to face him.

“Hiding?”

Xavier nodded.

“After what happened… I didn't know what else to do.”

The hunter stared at him for several seconds.

Then he struck Xavier across the face.

Xavier's head jerked sideways.

“You expect me to believe that?”

“I’m telling the truth.” Xavier muttered.

The hunter grabbed the front of Xavier's shirt.

“Try again.”

“I was hiding.” Xavier repeated.

A fist slammed into Xavier's stomach.

His body folded as far as the restraints allowed.

Air escaped his lungs.

He coughed.

The hunter waited.

“ Hiding huh? Did you tell anyone?”

Xavier slowly lifted his head.

“No.”

“Guild?”

“No.”

“Church?”

“No.”

“Police?”

“No.”

The hunter narrowed his eyes.

“Then who did you tell?”

“Nobody.”

“Why?”

‘ Why? what kind of stupid question is he asking me?’

Xavier almost laughed.

Not because anything was funny.

Because the question itself felt ridiculous.

“Who would I tell?” Xavier spoke.

The hunter frowned.

Xavier looked at him.

“I don't have anyone.”

His voice was quiet.

“No friends. No family. Nobody who would listen to me.”

He swallowed.

“Who exactly was I supposed to tell?”

For a moment, the room became quiet.

The hunter's expression changed slightly.

Then all of them burst into laughter.

“ Well that is true, you are a sad lonely piece of trash.”

Then he stepped back.

“So you're saying you've kept your mouth shut this entire time?”

“Yes.” Xavier replied.

One of the hunters behind him spoke.

“Boss, I think he's telling the truth.”

The leader glanced at him.

Then back at Xavier.

Xavier lowered his gaze.

Inside his head, another voice spoke.

[The restraints can be broken.]

Xavier didn't move.

He remained silent.

[You possess sufficient physical strength.]

‘I know.’

[Then why are you remaining restrained?]

Xavier glanced at the five hunters.

Because breaking these restraints doesn't mean I can beat them.

The System remained silent.

Xavier continued.

‘ There are five of them. ’

[You defeated a horde of goblins.]

‘ They were goblins.’

[And?]

‘ They're not human.’

Xavier's eyes moved from one hunter to another.

‘They're intelligent. They're trained. They know how to fight, meanwhil, I know nothing about fighting.’

The System didn't respond.

‘Those goblins were E-Rank. These people are E-Rank too, but that doesn't mean they're equal.’

Xavier had learned that much from years of watching hunters.

Ranks weren't absolute.

There were differences within every rank.

A newly awakened E-Rank hunter could barely handle a single monster.

A veteran E-Rank could handle several.

A high E-Rank could potentially overwhelm two or three low E-Ranks.

And these hunters weren't rookies.

They had been hunting for years.

I might be stronger than I was before, Xavier thought, but I don't know how much stronger.

He looked at the sword hanging from the leader's waist.

And I'm not taking chances.

[Your assessment is overly cautious.]

‘ Those cautious assessments have kept me alive so far.’

The System had a strange amount of confidence in him.

He didn't.

Not yet.

The leader suddenly grabbed Xavier's hair and pulled his head back.

“Good.”

Xavier winced.

“Then we have nothing else to discuss.”

He released his hair.

Xavier breathed out slowly.

‘See?’

He thought toward the System.

‘They're just going to scare me a little and let me go.’

[That conclusion is not supported by the available evidence.]

‘I've been through this before.’

Xavier looked down.

‘ They'll threaten me. Beat me a little. Maybe tell me what happens if I talk...’

He almost smiled bitterly.

‘...Then they'll let me go.’

He had experienced this kind of treatment before.

Hunters didn't want trouble with the law.

They could intimidate someone.

They could hurt someone.

But killing an unawakened person was different.

There were consequences.

At least, that was what Xavier believed.

The leader sighed.

“You know…”

He slowly turned back to Xavier.

“...I was actually going to let you go.”

Xavier's shoulders relaxed slightly.

The hunter smiled.

He leaned closer.

“But then I thought about it.”

Xavier's expression changed.

“You've seen what happened in that dungeon.”

The room suddenly felt colder.

“You know we abandoned you.”

Xavier said nothing.

“If you disappear and somebody eventually asks questions, what happens?”

The hunter shrugged.

“We get investigated and then we could get in trouble.”

He clicked his tongue.

“That would be annoying.”

He stood.

“But if you're dead?”

He smiled.

“There will be no leak.”

Xavier's blood ran cold.

The hunter looked at the others.

“So I've decided…”

He drew his sword.

“…I'd rather keep things quiet.”

Xavier stared at the blade.

“You're going to kill me?”

The hunter didn't answer.

“Yo...you can't.”

His voice shook.

“That's against the law.”

The hunter laughed.

“The law?”

He looked genuinely amused.

“You're an unawakened porter.”

He stepped closer.

“Who do you think they're going to believe?”

Xavier's breathing became heavier.

“Please.”

The hunter stopped.

Xavier hated himself for pleading.

But he didn't want to die.

Not now.

Not after everything.

Not when he had only just begun to understand what the System had given him.

“I won't tell anyone.” He promises.

“You already said that.”

“I swear.”

The hunter's smile disappeared.

“Unfortunately, I don't trust you.”

“But...”

The hunter plants his sword into the ground.

“First, let's have some fun.”

The first punch landed.

Then another.

And another.

Xavier's head snapped backward.

His body jerked against the restraints.

Pain spread through his ribs.

A fist struck his stomach.

Then his face.

Blood dripped from his nose.

His vision blurred.

He heard laughter.

Someone grabbed his hair and forced his head upward.

“Still think we're going to let you go?”

Xavier couldn't answer.

Another blow.

His lip split.

Warm blood ran down his chin.

His breathing became ragged.

‘They're actually going to kill me.’

The realization finally settled in.

Not a threat.

Not intimidation.

Not another beating.

Death.

The leader stepped away.

“Hold him.”

Two hunters moved forward.

One grabbed Xavier's shoulder.

Another held the chair steady.

The leader picked up his sword.

He walked towards Xavier with the sword.

He was panting, as if excited to slice Xaviers head off.

Xavier raised his head.

And for the first time, he looked directly at them.

His hair had fallen away from his face.

His eyes were exposed.

Crimson.

Ruby-red.

Filled with anger.

The hunters froze.

For a brief second, nobody moved.

The leader's expression changed.

One of the hunters instinctively stepped back.

“What the…”

Xavier stared at them.

He had spent his entire life hiding those eyes.

Lowering his head.

Covering them with his hair.

Avoiding people's gazes.

Those eyes had been the reason people called him a monster.

A demon.

Something that shouldn't exist.

And now...

Those eyes truly struck fear in their hearts.

Only for a second.

Then the leader scoffed.

“What?”

He pointed at Xavier's eyes.

“You think those ugly things are going to scare us?”

Another hunter laughed nervously.

“He's just an unawakened.”

“Exactly.”

The leader raised his sword.

“Look at him.”

He grinned.

“He's trying to glare at us.”

He brought the blade to Xavier's throat.

“What are you going to do?” The leader questions.

Xavier's pupils narrowed.

“Cry?”

The blade pressed against his skin.

“Beg?”

The sword lifted.

Xavier's heart slammed against his ribs.

‘ System? ’

[Host?]

‘ How many free stat points left?’

[Two]

‘Allocate all to strength.’

[Strength +2]

The changes weren't dramatic.

There was no explosion of power.

No overwhelming sensation.

Just a subtle shift.

His muscles tightened.

His breathing steadied.

The hunter raised his sword once more.

Xavier stared at the blade.

The man swung.

The restraints around Xaviers wrist strained.

Then...

Crack.

The leather snapped.

Xavier moved.

Not fast enough to completely escape.

The sword sliced downward.

Shnk!

Pain tore across his hand.

Blood spilled.

But the blade didn't reach his neck.

Xavier's left hand had moved just in time.

His left palm had redirected the blade away though with a cut.

The hunter's eyes widened.

“What...”

Xavier's right hand was already moving.

He drove his fist forward.

Straight into the hunter's sternum.

BOOM!

The man's body lifted from the ground.

A sickening crack echoed through the room.

He flew backward and crashed onto the floor.

Silence.

Xavier stared at his fist.

Blood dripped from his injured hand.

His chest heaved.

The hunter wasn't moving.

Xavier slowly looked around.

The other four hunters were staring at him.

He stared back.

He hadn't expected that.

He hadn't expected the man to go down in one hit.

For a moment, neither side moved.

Then Xavier looked at the broken restraint hanging from his wrist.

His crimson eyes narrowed.

‘What… just happened?’