Level 99, Hidden as a Porter

You're a Level 99 legend posing as a Level 10 porter under royal order, and the hero party leader already thinks you're worthless.

Start this story in Teasa

Story facts

Quests: 14
Milestones earned: 1
Turns played: 77
Cast: 4
Languages: English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and French
Rating: Teen

About this story

In Arkiel Domain, levels measure everything, from one to ninety-nine, and almost no one reaches sixty, let alone the ceiling. You are one of the rare few who reached Level 99 and retired, until King Ryan hands you an urgent secret order: hide your true strength, pose as a Level 10 rookie, and support a promising young hero party from the inside without slowing their growth.

The party you're assigned to has no idea what you actually are. Seong-hyuk Min, the leader, sneers at your status window and demotes you to porter on sight, ordering you to stay silent behind him during fights. Ye-rin Yoon greets you with genuine warmth that still carries a trace of pity. Ha-neul Seo, a healer who has lived nearly two and a half centuries, calls you an unredeemed lamb in a voice too kind to be an insult, or maybe exactly kind enough to be one. Wol-hee Jin, an elf sniper who hides her feelings behind contempt, warns you not to mistake her tolerance for protection. None of them know they are underestimating a legend.

Who you play

You are a retired Level 99 legend under royal order to hide your strength and pose as a Level 10 porter in Seong-hyuk Min's hero party. The party leader has already dismissed you as dead weight, and the rest of the group treats you with pity, mild disdain, or contempt they don't bother hiding. You decide how long you play along, how much of your real power slips through, and how each of them earns the moment they find out who you actually are.

The cast

Seong-hyuk Min

the party leader who calls you a useless porter

Seong-hyuk is twenty-eight, the party's Level 35 longsword user and second-highest level in the group, openly dismissive of anyone he judges weak.

More about Seong-hyuk Min

Ye-rin Yoon

the greatsword fighter who treats you kindly anyway

Ye-rin is twenty-five, Level 30, and fights with a greatsword in light armor built for speed.

More about Ye-rin Yoon

Ha-neul Seo

the 243-year-old healer who calls you a lamb

Ha-neul is a healer and buffer who has lived two hundred and forty-three years thanks to an oracle from the goddess Elena, and she understands people with the ease of someone who has watched centuries of them.

More about Ha-neul Seo

Wol-hee Jin

the young elf sniper who hides how much she cares

Wol-hee is an elf sniper who looks young even by elven standards, though her natural lifespan runs close to a thousand years, and Ha-neul boosts her accuracy before every engagement.

More about Wol-hee Jin

What to expect

You are secretly the strongest person in the story, and every party member currently thinks you're worthless.
Four very different reactions to a 'weak' new porter, from open contempt to backhanded, almost-affectionate pity.
A royal secret mission gives you a real reason to hide your Level 99 status for as long as you choose to.

Introduction

You: In an age when the power of destruction seeped into the air and all things were shackled to numerical 'levels.' Having retired after reaching the legendary level 99, you received an earnest, secret request from the king. It was a peculiar mission: conceal their identity and assist a promising hero party while posing as a lowly level-10 adventurer, so as not to hinder the party's growth.

Narrator: At the rendezvous, they met the hero party upon whom the greatest hopes of the age rested.

Seong-hyuk Min: Level 10? His Majesty really must be going senile. Dumping this deadweight on us—unbelievable.

Narrator: The party leader, Seong-hyuk, rested his greatsword on his shoulder, openly sneering at you before him. His arrogant gaze remained fixed on the pitiful status window. His silver armor gleamed as a nasty smile curled across his face.

Seong-hyuk Min: Hey, level 10. There's no place for you here. But we can't disobey orders, so I'll put you to work as a porter. During a fight, just stay behind me and keep breathing. Get in my way, and I'll cut you down without a second thought.

Narrator: Beside him, Ha-neul, the saintess, parted her lips with a look of pity.

Narrator: Her voice was sacred, yet beneath it lay an unmistakable belief in superiority and inferiority.

Ha-neul Seo: Hehe, don't be so harsh, Seong-hyuk. Even an unsaved lamb has its uses. Your level may be wretched, but I shall offer a merciful prayer so that your life is not snuffed out in vain.

Ye-rin Yoon: Yay! Looking forward to working with you, porter! If anything's too hard, just ask the genius Ye-rin here! Heehee!

Narrator: Only Ye-rin, smiling innocently and oblivious to the mood, circled around you, patting the backpack.

Narrator: Yet even that sincere kindness was merely the easy pity born of an overwhelming difference in ability.

Narrator: Finally, Wol-hee, the archer leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, flashed her blue eyes and spat out a cutting remark.

Wol-hee Jin: Don't get the wrong idea. We're not bringing you because we feel sorry for you. It would just be a hassle if we had no one to carry our things. If you don't want to die, don't take a single step out from behind me. It's not like I'm trying to protect you, but it'll annoy me if you get in the way..

Seong-hyuk Min: All right, we're off! Nothing can stand in our way!

Narrator: At his command, the group set off through the forest. The hands of the legend who had saved the world now gripped the straps of a worn bag instead of a weapon.

Narrator: As they reached the cave entrance, a cold killing intent pricked their skin, and Seong-hyuk drew his sword with a sneer.

Seong-hyuk Min: Shaking, level 10? It's dangerous from here on out, so keep up!

Try one of these first lines

I let Seong-hyuk's sneer land without reacting. "Careful who you call useless. You might regret it before this mission's over."
I shoulder the pack Ye-rin hands me without complaint. "Thanks for actually being nice about it. I'll remember who was."

Questions about this story

What is Level 99, Hidden as a Porter about?

In Arkiel Domain, levels measure everything, from one to ninety-nine, and almost no one reaches sixty, let alone the ceiling.

How does Level 99, Hidden as a Porter begin?

At the rendezvous, they met the hero party upon whom the greatest hopes of the age rested.

Which tropes does Level 99, Hidden as a Porter use?

Level 99, Hidden as a Porter is built on Secret Identity, Hero Party Adventures, and Saintess.

Who made Level 99, Hidden as a Porter?

이서우 (@lee_seowoo) created Level 99, Hidden as a Porter on Teasa.

Content notes: fantasy violence