I was a Nerfed Hero in Another World

Arthur's Perspective

Short recap. After defeating the tyrant king and replacing him with the benevolent Green Knight, Arthur and his team resumed their journey towards the demon kingdom. However, before they could even travel towards that road, Fenrir sensed something. She claimed that there was a demon nearby, around a few miles away from the kingdom.

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"We are….. lost, Arthur," Fenrir exclaimed, while covering her mouth. "I cannot believe that we got lost…. even after…. I told you…. the directions…."

"Hey! I followed all of your instructions, Fenrir! Shut it!" I answered, while whipping the ropes.

As soon as the strings touched the horse, the animals blared out a neigh and increased their speed. Fenrir could not handle the pace as she vomited at the side, spewing green mucus from her mouth.

Making her puke was part of my plan, since Fenrir kept complaining about my sense of direction.

I did not know why that wolf girl had her eyes on me. Fenrir and I always had beef about everything, even after teaming up with me. This occurrence was also not our first time butting heads against each other.

I could only fear that the two of us did not have the same chemical reaction. We were like fire and ice contained inside a bottle.

"Hey, you two! Stop it already!"

Merleen went between us and stretched us apart, with her eyes shut close. She did not want the two of us to start a war, since it could lead to a sparring fight against each other. And if that would happen, our fight would end up in a fistfight, with the two of us injuring ourselves.

Fenrir had a soft spot for Merleen, since she was the kindest girl Fenrir met in her life. She actually listened to her words, turned around, and shut her mouth. I, who heard nothing from my behind, heaved out a relieved sigh.

However, the conversation never stopped from there. Fenrir got replaced by Merleen, who scooched herself beside me.

"Arthur, Fenrir is right, you know? We have been circling this forest for a few hours. And I keep seeing that same tree over there," Merleen confessed, as she pointed at the recognizable tree.

"Merleen, all trees have the same design. Of course, that tree would have left and a big bark," I retorted, while scratching my head. "You're probably dehydrated like Fenrir. You should probably sit beside her and calm yourself down."

"No, Arthur... I am perfectly calm," Merleen answered, and smiled at me.

Thankfully, I focused my eyes on the road in front of me. Or else I would have to suffer looking at those frightening orbs Merleen did at my rear. This occurrence was my first time experiencing the wrath of Merleen. I did not know why, but the sensation felt like the mage girl had a point.

I was just embarrassed to admit that I got the directions tangled up. And the only way to redeem me was to admit everything that I did was wrong.

Before I was about to address my sins to Merleen, the tree that Fenrir pointed out changed. I wanted to waltz on the road and mock Fenrir about her words. But my guts screamed about an inkling feeling that surrounded this forest. It was as if someone watched us from afar, monitoring our every move.

I ordered the horses to stay vigilant and slow the pace, considering the environment surrounding us. If we planned on moving onward, we needed to move at a turtle's pace. We could easily defend ourselves if multiple enemies schemed on showing up in our wagon.

"Can you feel that too? That aura…. it seems ominous," I mumbled.

"Yeah. I thought so too. There's something fishy about this place, Arthur. Proceed with caution. I'll..."

And right after Fenrir said something awesome, she went to the window and threw up every snack she ate earlier. If it were not for slowing the wagon down, she would have fainted already.

"Merleen, cast some light barrier around our carriage. And I need you to prepare your spells in case something happens."

Merleen gave me a nod and went to her position. She waved her hands and conjured every protection magic she knew, casting it around our vehicle. This spell won't protect us from dark magic. But it could reduce some damage taken from obsidian magic, except for the high-tier ones.

Merleen did not have a proper teacher. So she could not conjure any god-tier spells that could obstruct dark magic.

I also readied my magic circles and prepared my spell if I needed to fire it. The only magic ability that I knew was [Phoenix Sphere]. But that arcane would not be enough to stop an elite adventurer, considering my class and intelligence stats.

If a fight broke out, Fenrir would be useless for the time being. She was still on the window, trying to release everything inside her stomach, since she had motion sickness.

We also needed to defend the horses in front of our carriage, considering that they were our mode of transportation. If those animals die, we would have trouble moving onwards.

After a few seconds, the bushes from the trees danced back and forth, hinting that someone was nearby. I immediately prepared my defence stance, with my sword ready to strike at anyone who would appear in front of us.

It was what we had expected. Villagers knew this place as a notorious hideout for bandits. Even Merchant and Galehaut mentioned we needed to peel our eyes open for these robbers. Bandits had a weaker arcane core compared to the tyrant king. Since our opponent before could control darkness, we expected bandits would be a lesser pain in the ass.

However, these bandits had different fighting styles compared to the opponents we faced before. They would hit anyone with cheap tricks as long as these bandits could win in a fight. Those bastards even knew how to retreat and ambush players based on the environment they lived in.

If these bandits applied the features of the game, my team would experience a hell of trouble. We would have to defend all our angles while galloping forward towards our destination.

After a few seconds, the battle finally started. Multiple sets of arrows rained above us, coated with poisons and paralysing concoctions. But if I remembered it correctly, this tactic was not the bandit's initial attack.

Fortunately for us, Merleen's light barrier protected us from the ambush. Those darts stood no chance against the protection spell. Even if they tried, those bolts would never pierce through this illuminating shield.

If I placed myself as a bandit's leader, these raining bolts would be our diversion. And the real attack would happen…

"BEHIND!" I shouted, while swinging my sword at our rear.

As soon as I waved at my Clarent, a slash of some sort emerged from our backs. It was something I thought of while travelling in this carriage. And now that my Clarent sensed my courageous fear, it amplified my power, creating wind turbulence against those attacks from behind.

The bandits attacked us using magic elements that came from mages. Upon squinting my eyes, dozens of magic circles greeted my eyes. Each of the attacks had distinct elements mixed in their discharge.

If I remembered correctly, bandits did not have mages as their class. Their group would only comprise archers, warriors, and thieves, which would complete their line-up.

However, right now, those magic circles proved us wrong.

"How are you holding, Match?" I asked.

"I'm okay... This is nothing compared to fighting the king….," Merleen answered, while maintaining her posture.

This shield would protect us from any harm that the bandits would throw at us. Those magic attacks they unleashed were nothing but tickling stones against this light barrier. Since light could effortlessly obstruct every element, excluding dark magic (for now), the bandit's assault would do nothing.

However, it would be a different story if the hoodlums would use brute force against us.

And that was what happened.

A gang of raiders showed up from the trees, with each arming themselves with sharpened blades and hammers. They had different classes in their group, excluding dark mages and priests. If I had to guess their numbers, these looters were around a hundred. Each of them had higher levels than Merleen and me.

Although we defeated the tyrant king, we never received a large amount of experience from it. We needed to kill our opponent if we wanted to level up from our system. All we earned was just experience from fighting against an enemy.

As soon as the robbers showed up, they immediately rushed towards us and bashed their weapons in our cart. They did not have any leaders, which made their attacks dull and inconsistent. But the barrage of attacks made Merleen weaker at every passing minute.

If this continued for any longer, Merleen might lose her concentration and the barrier. And since Fenrir still minded her own business, we were a little understaffed..