I was a Nerfed Hero in Another World

"M-Merleen told you to leave him alone!" Merleen shouted, and released a ray of light once again.

The mercenary targeted by Merleen's magic barely dodged the attack, hitting the ancient tree behind. That man who strangled me before received minor injuries to his shoulders. But those wounds were not enough to slow him down, as the mercenary guy pointed his sword in my direction.

However, before that warrior could do something to my head, the tree fell behind him, crushing his body into pieces. Since the man had an exhausted look in his eyes, he spared no time for the tree to fall from his back.

"NO! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE! YOU KILLED HIM!" the girl, who was also a friend of that crushed mercenary, yelled at Merleen and me.

She tried pushing the debris off to the side. But no matter how hard the mage girl shoved those rocks, the dead could never return to life. All that woman found was the splattered bones and blood of the man he once cared about.

"You… killed her!" the lass cried, as she pointed her forefinger at Merleen. "I will never forgive you!"

The mercenary girl got the leader's rights from the dead man. Since he was the new commander of her team, all those mercenaries obliged themselves to her. The mercenary squad all formed around the girl and waited for their orders before moving on their own.

I used my last ounce of strength and crawled my way forward beside the shivering Merleen. Despite killing the man that nearly took my life, I was still thankful that she arrived in time.

If Merleen were a minute later, I would not have been standing on this ground right now.

"Merleen…. Thank goodness you're okay…," I mumbled, before halfly passing out.

My body could not handle the pressure anymore and forced me to kiss the ground. Thanks to the knight's class, my mind remained conscious. But I could never know how many minutes it would take before I shut my eyes.

"You… did… nothing... wrong... Merleen..... Thank you…. for sav...ing me," I whispered, before my lungs gave out. "You're...no...monster…. Thank you…. Than…. yo"

My lungs breathe a hundred times a minute before collapsing on the floor. I said what I wanted Merleen to hear. It was up to her if she would believe my words.

"You're the only one who's kind to me, Arthur… I'm sorry…. I'm sorry if I'm late… I promise I will be there for you, okay? Just… don't die… I will save you."

The last image I remembered was of Merleen fighting against the mercenaries. Well, that's what I wanted to believe in, since I did not know what happened afterwards. Within a few seconds, before my body shut down, a howling sound reverberated through my ears.

I could only wish those wolves would not lay a hand to the girl that I…. care about the most.

...….

No matter how hard I opened my eyes, there was nothing but pitch-black surrounding my view. The pain that I remembered did not annoy my body… I did not even know if I had a body in this realm.

All I could remember was a man who continued mocking me in this place.

"Well, well. Look who's back here with me…," the man who I already expected called out for my attention. "You fought well against those mercenaries, boy. But you still look pathetic, as always. It almost makes me want to puke."

"Shut your crap, mysterious voice inside my head! I don't even know who you are!" I yelled, but the voice never came out of my mouth.

I did not even know if I had a mouth. If this place negated every colour and light, I became unsure about my body. I even thought that I died from that previous battle.

"Am I… dead?" I asked, voicing out my concerns.

Although this man mocked me when he had the chance, he was still someone I could use in this world. If only there were a woman that would greet me, I would appreciate that. Instead, I had to entertain this man and listen to all those harsh things he said about me.

"Silence, you insolent fool! Don't you even have the slightest idea who you're talking with?!" the man growled, as if cursing me with his words.

"I don't even know who you are, man! Just tell me if I'm dead or not! Merleen needs me!"

However, as much as I wanted to retort, I did not know the man's name. Despite conversing with me every time I passed out, we did not exchange identities. Only this eerie bloke inside my head knew me, I think.

"Merlin?.... Merlin would never help a coward like you!" the enigmatic voice answered, as if he knew the girl I met.

"Merleen? You know Merleen?" I asked once more, hoping to squeeze some information out of this guy.

But my efforts went to the drain as the man mocked me once more and changed the subject. "You died once again without even using the potential of your sword! You barely have any allies of your own. And yet, you want to become a hero! How could you become a hero worthy of saving others if you can't even save yourself!"

"The sword eats away your good intentions, and uses it to boost your strength. That is your sword. That is Clarent!" the man continued, with his voice trailing in the distance.

The latter part hit me hard as I continued listening to the statement. I knew for myself that I did not want to hear any of this shit. However, there was no other choice for me to escape this place.

The only prayer that I had in mind was to leave this realm and return to Merleen. I did not want to let her die in vain because of me. After saying all those cliche lines of staying by her side… I would die from a bunch of mercenaries?

There was no way in hell I would accept that!.... And yet, here I was, accepting my reality.

"I don't want to argue with you. But if there's anything that I could do to return to my world, please help me! I don't care how many insults you would throw at me. I was always born to hear those ridicules! Just please… let me save Merleen."

If there was one thing I learned about my experiences, it was saving others. Heroes in fantasies settings always placed others before themselves, even if it would cost them their life.

I wanted to use this power to protect someone I cherish… Now that I could not return to Afenos and Rain; I wanted to share my emotions with Merleen…

"That ditsy girl needs me… I need her… I need Merleen! So, please! I don't care what happens to me! I don't care, as long as I can save Merleen!"

"...."

The other guy who chided at me a while ago fell silent. Time went slowly like a turtle as I let myself drown in loneliness. If the guy I was talking to left me for good, I had no other choice but to self-reflect.

However, despite these pessimistic thoughts, I never felt regretting helping others, even for those wolves. All species deserve love, regardless of their kind. Love came expensive back in my homeworld, where people constantly fight each other for the sake of their entertainment.

But now… the fantasy-like place existed. And even if I had low statistical powers or a weaker version of my character, my goal remained the same….

I wanted to become the hero that everyone would need.

Just as I thought about my wish, my right hand glowed a brilliant light. That luminance extended and dashed straight to the ceiling, destroying the skies above. A hole emerged upon contact with the ray, inviting me over to escape this place.

I flew skywards, bringing with me all the joys in the world.

"You even forgot to thank me," the man, whom I almost forgot, called out for me for the last time.

"You did this?" I asked.

"Aye," the man answered. "If you want to become the hero of this world, claim the Excalibur for me. You will gain that sword's power beyond expectations… Since your name coincides with mine. Now go and save your Merleen! We will meet again next time, Arthur!"

There was a hint of doubt clouding my mind. Despite the joyous sounds of angels covering my brain, this guy inside my realm was hiding something from me.

But that was not important right now. I said my thanks and proceeded towards the glittering light.

I did not want to lock myself inside that darkness again… I did not want to be alone anymore…

The only thing that I could think of was to save Merleen. I could not care less about other trivial matters.

Merleen was more than a clumsy and hopeless girl. Since she had been through a lot, I could understand her gloomy nature. But now that I could be beside her, she would never feel alone.

Not on my watch.

"Merleen, I'm coming for you… I will save you no matter what!"

It was the start of a new beginning. During that moment when I broke through that abyss, my entire world changed for the better.