Blessed Porter [2]

"You're Kaito, right?"

I raised a brow, then nodded slowly, though my hand instinctively moving closer to my sword hilt.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Name's Derek," he said with a grin. "We've got a job lined up but we're short a porter. Marcus told us about this guy named Kaito who saved his team's ass yesterday and knew how to handle himself."

My echo drifted closer, whispering nervously. "Marcus has been talking about us?"

One of his companions, a woman with short black hair and twin daggers, spoke up. "Said you have very keen instincts."

"Sounds good," I said, shouldering my pack. "Lead the way."

Derek's team moved with practiced efficiency as we left the guild. They'd already divided up the essential gear, but there were still plenty of supplies that needed carrying, rope, extra rations, a medical kit, and various tools I couldn't immediately identify.

As I hefted the pack, I was surprised by how manageable the weight felt. Yesterday, this much gear would have had me struggling within the first mile. The stat increases from leveling up were actually making a noticeable difference.

{STATUS WINDOW}

Name: Kaito Kurokawa
Level: 6
Health: 325/325
Mana: 163/163
Stats:
STR: 16
AGI: 15
VIT: 15
LUK: 15
INT: 15
Free Stat Points: 0
Class: Tethered
Sub-Class: Skirmisher
Abilities:
Active: Dash, Evasion, Quick Strike, Slash
Passive: Death Echo, Mirror Step
Echo 1: Unnamed
Echo Stats:
Level: 1
STR: 8
AGI: 8
VIT: 8
LUK: 8
INT: 8
Energy: 20/20
Available Slots: 6

'STR and VIT boosts are paying off.'

We headed east into the forest, following a well-worn trail that wound between the massive trees. Derek and his party fell into an easy formation, the kind of positioning that came from months of working together. I stayed in the middle with the gear, close enough to be useful but out of the way if things went bad.

About an hour into the hike, I caught my echo staring intently off to our left, deeper into the shadowy woods. Its translucent form had gone completely still, head tilted like it was listening to something I couldn't hear.

"What's wrong?" I asked quietly, slowing my pace slightly.

It didn't respond immediately. Just walked a few steps closer to whatever had caught its attention, then stopped and shook its head.

"It's nothing," it said finally, but there was uncertainty in its voice. "Just thought I heard... never mind."

"Oi, Kaito!" Derek called from ahead, turning to look back at me with raised eyebrows. "Stop talking to yourself and let's keep moving. We don't have whole day."

I felt heat creep up my neck as the rest of the team turned to stare.

"Sorry," I muttered, picking up my pace. "Just... thinking out loud."

But as we continued deeper into the forest, I couldn't shake the feeling away.

The job site turned out to be an old mining camp, abandoned for who knows how long. Wooden structures sat half-collapsed among the trees, their roofs caved in and walls green with moss.

Derek's party had been hired to clear out whatever creatures had taken up residence and salvage any valuable materials left behind.

"Standard sweep and clear," Derek explained as we approached the largest building. "These old camps attract all sorts of nasties. Goblins, giant spiders, sometimes even worse."

The woman with the daggers was already checking the perimeter. "There are fresh tracks here. Definitely something bipedal, but the prints are weird."

As they prepared to enter the first building, my echo suddenly grabbed my arm. The cold sensation made me shiver involuntarily.

"Wait," it whispered urgently, pointing toward a section of collapsed roof. "Look at those support beams. They're not rotted... they're cut. Clean cuts."

I studied the debris more carefully. It was right, the wood showed deliberate tool marks, not natural decay.

"Hold up," I called out to the party members. "Those support beams were cut intentionally. This might be a trap site."

Derek paused, following my gaze. After a moment, his expression grew more serious. "You're right. Someone prepared this place." He turned to his team. "Eyes up, everyone. We're not just dealing with random monsters."

The woman nodded approvingly. "Good catch, porter."

As we moved more cautiously into the camp, my echo continued pointing out details the others missed, disturbed earth that suggested pit traps, scratch marks on trees at unnatural heights, and most concerning of all, what looked like deliberate bait placement near the building entrances.

"Whoever set this up knows how adventurers think," I warned them. "They're counting on us going for the obvious salvage points first."

Derek's team exchanged glances, clearly reassessing their approach to what they'd thought would be a routine job.

"Marcus wasn't kidding about your instincts," Derek muttered. "Glad we brought you along."

I laughed nervously, scratching the back of my neck. "Just trying my best to not die, you know?"

Derek grinned and gestured toward the main building. "Alright, let's see what we're dealing with."

We approached the entrance carefully.

The door hung askew on rusted hinges, revealing nothing but darkness beyond. The woman with daggers, Sera, pulled out a small crystal that began glowing with soft blue light, while the team's mage – a thin guy named Finn, whispered an incantation that made his staff emit a warm golden glow.

The interior was a maze of collapsed support beams and scattered mining equipment. Old pickaxes and shovels lay abandoned where they'd been dropped, covered in years of dust and debris.

But there was something wrong with the scene, it was too organized, too deliberately placed.

"Watch the floor," I warned as we stepped inside. My echo was pointing frantically at spots where the wooden planks looked slightly different. "Some of those boards have been replaced recently."

Derek tested one with his foot, pressing down gently. It gave way immediately, revealing a pit lined with sharpened stakes below.

"Shit," Sera muttered. "How many of these are there?"

We moved deeper into the building, stepping carefully around the trap spots my echo had identified. That's when we heard it, a low chittering sound coming from the back rooms, like dozens of insects communicating.

But those wasn't insects.

A goblin appeared in the doorway at the far end of the room, then another, then three more. Well, I don't think I need to explain about their anatomy, they're same as the ones we have in our games and anime, just a bit shorter.

Each one carried crude weapons, rusty knives, makeshift spears, clubs studded with nails.

"Goblin pack," Derek said calmly, drawing his greatsword. "Standard formation, people."

And what happened next was like watching a completely different level of adventuring than what I'd seen with Marcus's group.

Derek's team moved like clockwork – Sera disappeared into the shadows, flanking around the goblins' left side. Finn began chanting, his staff building up energy for what looked like an area effect spell. The fourth member, a heavily armored woman named Brix, stepped forward with her shield raised, creating a defensive line.

Derek himself charged straight up the middle, his greatsword cutting through the air in precise arcs that forced the goblins to scatter.

CLANG! SLASH!

A goblin went down to Derek's opening strike. Sera materialized behind another, her daggers finding vital points with surgical precision. Finn's spell erupted in a burst of force that sent three goblins flying backward into the walls.

But there were more coming. A lot more.

"They're using the back rooms as a warren," Brix called out, bashing a goblin with her shield. "This is their main nest."

My echo tugged at my attention, pointing toward the ceiling. "Up there! They're coming through the roof!"

I looked up and saw shapes moving in the rafters, more goblins preparing to drop down on us from above.

"Incoming from above!" I shouted, pointing toward the ceiling.

Derek's team reacted instantly. Finn pivoted his next spell upward, catching two goblins mid-drop with a bolt of crackling energy. Sera threw one of her daggers with deadly accuracy, pinning a third goblin to a support beam.

The difference in skill was night and day. Where Marcus's group had been competent but sometimes scattered, Derek's team was like a military unit. Every movement was calculated, every attack coordinated. They didn't just fight the goblins – they controlled the entire battlefield.

Within minutes, the chittering had stopped. Goblin bodies lay scattered around the room, and the team was already checking for survivors and securing the area.

"Clean sweep," Derek announced, wiping his blade on a piece of cloth. "Nice work, everyone."

He turned to me with an approving nod. "And good eyes on those ceiling runners, Kaito. Could've gotten messy if they'd landed their ambush."

I stood there among the aftermath, still processing how smoothly everything had gone. This wasn't just a more experienced party, this was what real adventuring looked like when done by professionals.

'No wonder Marcus's group had struggled with that Alpha rat. They're still learning.'

"Alright," Derek continued, sheathing his sword. "Let's search the back rooms for salvage. Stay alert, there might be stragglers."

We moved deeper into the warren, following a narrow corridor that led to what had once been the mining office. The goblins had turned it into their main living space, crude bedding made from stolen cloth, piles of bones from previous meals, and the overwhelming stench of unwashed bodies.

"Three more back here," Sera called out softly from ahead.

These goblins were caught off guard, still half-asleep in their makeshift nest. The fight was brief but chaotic in the confined space. Derek's greatsword was too unwieldy in the narrow room, so he switched to a backup shortsword with practiced ease.

I found myself face-to-face with one of the smaller goblins as it scrambled toward a back exit. My body moved before my brain caught up, muscle memory from yesterday's skills kicking in.

[Quick Strike!]

THUNK!

My blade found its mark between the creature's ribs. It dropped with a gurgled cry.

[DING!]

A notification flashed in my vision, but I ignored it as another goblin came at me from the side. This time I used Dash to get behind it, then finished it with a regular sword thrust.

[DING!]

[Level up!] [Level up!]

"Nice work," Brix said, stepping over a goblin corpse.

We spent the next hour methodically searching the rest of the complex. Derek's team was thorough, checking every room, every hiding spot, making sure no goblins had escaped to potentially set up shop elsewhere.

"Alright, collection time," Derek announced once we'd confirmed the site was clear.

I watched as they efficiently harvested proof of their kills, goblin ears, cut cleanly and stored in a leather pouch.

"Seventeen total," Sera counted as she tied off the pouch. "Not bad for a nest this size."

The walk back to Millhaven was uneventful, though I noticed my echo seemed more relaxed now. Whatever it had sensed earlier in the forest was either gone or no longer a concern.

Inside the guild, clerk examined the pouch of goblin ears, counting carefully. "Seventeen confirmed kills, plus full nest clearance bonus." She pulled out a much heavier coin pouch than I'd expected. "Seventy silver total."

Derek nodded approvingly and then handed out our portions.

'Eighteen silver. Not bad.'

I pocketed my share, feeling the satisfying weight of the coins. Combined with my earlier earnings today, I was sitting on a decent amount of money for someone who'd been broke yesterday.

"You did good work out there, Kaito," Derek said, clapping me on the shoulder. "If you're looking for steady team work, we could use a reliable porter. You'll pay than the rookie jobs, and you've proven you can handle yourself."

"I'll think about it," I said. And headed for some rest.

*********

The next few days blurred together in a steady rhythm of jobs and earnings. Word had spread about my knack for spotting dangers before they became problems, and I rarely had to look for work anymore. Teams would approach me directly, offering porter positions or temporary scout roles.

"There's the blessed porter," I'd hear whispers around the guild hall. The nickname had stuck after I'd helped three different parties avoid serious injuries in a single week.

My coin pouch was getting heavier, my gear was improving.

Though I also found out that my system wasn't like those that I used to read in system novels. Those who give missions and hands out cheat rewards. Mine just show me my stats and skills, nothing more.

On the seventh day since my arrival, I was studying the job board when someone approached from behind.

"Excuse me, are you Kaito?"

I turned to see a young man about my age, maybe a year or two older. His clothes were well-made but practical, fine leather vest over a quality linen shirt, boots looked expensive. Everything about him screamed money, but not the flashy kind. This was understated wealth.

"Yeah, that's me," I said, noting how he carried himself with easy confidence.

"Excellent!" His smile was warm. "I'm Adrian Vel'tar. I've been hearing quite a bit about your reputation around here."

'Vel'tar. That surname sounds.... Is he one of those important NPCs?'

"Just doing my job," I replied, keeping my tone neutral.

"Modest too. I like that." Adrian's smile widened. "My party is preparing for a more... substantial job. We're short a scout, and from what I hear, your instincts are exactly what we need."

My echo came closer, whispering nervously. "He's being awfully friendly. Rich people don't usually talk to others like this."

I studied Adrian's face, looking for any hint of deception or hidden motives. But his expression remained open and sincere.

"What kind of job?" I asked.

"I'd rather explain with my team present. They're much better at the technical details than I am." He gestured toward a corner table where three figures sat waiting. "Would you be willing to hear us out?"

Something about this felt different from the casual job offers I'd been getting. But I just shrugged it off.

"Sure," I said finally.