A party of seven adventurers stood together in a dim, expansive hall. One stood out as a hero, clad in gleaming golden armour with a sword at his side. However, the sword appeared less radiant than usual, bearing different indents and bloodstains, leaving it unclear whether the blood belonged to a beast or the man himself.
Beside him was a woman dressed in a long, radiant white dress embellished with detailed golden embroidery and a ceremonial headdress. However, her dress was marred by blood and dirt, painting the image of a delicate woman who had narrowly escaped death.
Another was a mage draped in an enchanted robe, wearing a tall, pointed hat and clutching a 2-meter-long staff. The mage's attire was torn and bloodstained; his trembling arms and pallid complexion revealed his struggle to regain his composure and strength.
Nearby stood an archer, a rogue, and a beastmaster; they all appeared to be in the same miserable appearance. However, amidst them stood a man in a simple tunic and patched trousers, his feet shod in work boots and a large backpack strapped to his back, filled with provisions and equipment.
Although his clothes remained free from blood and tears, beneath his calm facade, his heart boiled fiercely, knowing their subsequent encounter would determine their fate.
His name was Ezekiel - a skilled Porter.
"Finally, after everything we've been through, we are finally one step closer to defeating the demon lord," Ezekiel said, his eyes fixed on his party members' weary, bloodied bodies.
"TCH! Did you just say 'We'? The last time I cross-checked, we were the ones who did all the work except you. We defeated every opponent we encountered until we arrived at the Demon lord's throne room. But I don't blame you for uttering such a foolish sentence after all; what should I have expected from a useless porter?" the Beastmaster remarked, clicking his tongue in annoyance as he narrowed eyes lined with thick, bushy brows on Ezekiel.
As though sensing his master's anger and displeasure, the furry five-meter wolf-like beast with ebony and ruby-coloured fur beside him stood on its four paws and bared its fangs at Ezekiel, "Grrr."
"Ezekiel, we are all tired from fighting the last Demon lord's general, so it's best you shut your mouth and allow us to recover peacefully. Your only task is that of a Porter, which you've been doing for over ten years now, so why are you talking mindlessly instead of doing your job," the archer said, her displeasing gaze on Ezekiel's figure.
Hearing their response, Ezekiel slightly lowered their head, "I'm sorry. I thought I could use the opportunity to cheer you all up for the next battle––" he began; however, just as he was about to complete his sentence, the Beastmaster's voice resounded again.
"I swear if you say 'we' and make me repeat myself one last time, I will feed you to Elon Tusk's junior," the Beastmaster interjected, growling at him in irritation and anger.
Ezekiel sealed his lips shut and quietly nodded in response.
'Bastards! They are all bastards! After ten years of this nightmare, I can't wait to shove the Demon lord's corpse up your asses,' Ezekiel thought, lowering his gaze towards the ground as a glint flashed through his eyes.
Even though it was just ten years ago, Ezekiel could remember the first day they were summoned into this world as though it were yesterday. When twenty of them were on their way to a company meeting overseas, a bridge collapsed, forcing them into the sea until they died buried underneath the bridge's wreckage.
Initially, that was what they thought before they were revived by a goddess and then summoned into the world of Eldoria to save it from its destruction.
It was a typical fantasy isekai!
Ezekiel was overjoyed to discover he had left his old office life behind. He was summoned into a fantasy world to defeat the Demon lord and his generals and usher in a new age of peace to Eldoria.
He even considered living his life as an overpowered, low-key figure supporting the heroes' party in overcoming complex steps in their journey to defeat the Demon lord.
Yes, it was cliche, but he wanted to experience it. The thrill of discovering what he considered bogus was real was too exciting to give up. However, contrary to his expectations, his joy was thrashed, and plans were exterminated during the Heroes' awakening ceremony.
The Hero, Alexander Smith, previously their Chief Marketer Officer, had awakened the Rise of the Hero System.
The Priestess, Olivia Martinez, their previous Regional Sales Manager, had awakened the Divine Priestess System.
The Knight, Lauren Rodriguez, a former Operations Manager, had awakened the Knight Valour System.
Another had awakened the Divine Beastmaster's Kin System, and another, the Great Mage's Arcane System. All nineteen of them had awakened their systems - their extraordinary power needed to help them complete their journey, just as the goddess who had summoned them had anticipated. All—
Except him!
Despite the scorned gazes and harsh treatments he had received after he had failed to awaken his system many times, Ezekiel didn't give up hope; after all, he could somewhat remember that this was how it usually went.
Indeed, there should be some overpowered inheritance or divine skill out there that he could cling to and not get left behind, so he still hoped and pressed onwards with the heroes in their journey even when he was reduced to nothing but a mere porter.
He worked hard until he was no longer considered a 'mere' porter but a skilled and well-respected porter, even among the porter community.
However, being summoned as heroes with your co-workers to another world was just as terrible as he had imagined. Within six months, they lost five members due to the conspiracies from internal strifes and the neighbouring kingdoms, and two more were lost in a dungeon.
After that, he was degraded by being used as a meat shield to check for any forthcoming dangers that could be avoided.