Lucian sat against the cold stone wall, staring at his shaking hands. The goblin's blood still clung to his sword, and his breath came in short, uneven bursts. He had won—he had killed—but the victory felt hollow.
Because despite landing the final blow, despite putting his life on the line, the power he should have gained had gone to someone else.
Sera stretched her arms, glancing at her status screen with an amused smirk. "Not bad. I leveled up to 6 already."
Lucian forced a chuckle. "Wow… that's… fast."
Too fast.
He had killed one goblin. She had slain three. Even so, she had gained all the experience.
Lucian clenched his fists. It wasn't just a theory anymore—his unique skill, EXP Transfer, was exactly as it sounded. The moment he earned experience, it was automatically given to his party members.
And he got nothing.
No stat boosts. No level-ups.
Nothing.
Sera tilted her head, noticing his silence. "You okay? You're staring off into space."
Lucian hesitated. Should he tell her?
No.
Not yet.
If word spread that the prophesied Hero couldn't grow stronger, that he was essentially worthless, he'd be as good as dead. People had already abandoned him once. He couldn't let it happen again.
He forced a smile. "Yeah. Just… tired."
Sera eyed him but didn't press further. Instead, she tossed him a small cloth. "Clean up. If you freeze up like that in front of a stronger enemy, you'll die before I can save you."
Lucian wiped the sweat and blood from his forehead, nodding. "Right. What's next?"
Sera grinned, twirling a dagger. "Now? We hunt more monsters. And this time, try not to embarrass yourself."
Lucian exhaled. If he couldn't level up the normal way… then he'd just have to find another way to grow stronger.
He wouldn't be left behind.
He couldn't be left behind.