I was a Nerfed Hero in Another World

I regretted doing all of this. No matter how brave I had become, all of this poised no merit for me. All the people met had fake masks. None of those kind gestures felt real for me.

Roger, who died to save that village, must have felt this way… Probably not, since the people hailed him as the hero. Look at him now, dead. He did not have any offspring in this world because that adventurer was so busy battling the monsters.

That man must have cursed himself on his deathbed, regretting his life too…?

I regretted saving that family. If I only knew I would feel this unbearable pain radiating inside my body, I could've just run away to safety. These villagers meant nothing to me, even if they died. This world did not want me to live. My fate meant for me to die in both worlds.

So…

.

.

.

.

Why should I care?

"GET YOUR HANDS AWAY FROM ARTHUR!" A voice that came from a kid echoed through my ears.

It was enough to shuffle my senses back from the way it came from. My mind was a depressing puzzle, hoping it could fix itself through words. And that line that Afenos spoke made my body stand up from the ground.

"Come on… move, Arthur, MOVE! MOVE, YOU WORTHLESS TRASH!"

A snap resonated from my back. It came from my right femur, cracking like a twig. Despite my efforts, this world left me to die. I did not dare to stand back up again.

"Afenos… what are you… doing here?" I tried yelling, but my voice wore down.

There was no time for me to save the little kid. Why did he come back for me when Afenos could have saved himself? Why would he risk his life all the way here for me? My life meant nothing to him. Even if I died, the village would forget all about me.

The boy returned my gaze. For a moment, I thought Afenos knew what I wanted to ask.

He shook his head and told me the things I needed to know. "I don't know why I'm here, Arthur… I just… I just hate to see you die, when you're the one who saved my family… my father and sister… I owe my life for you."

It was the first time I saw Afenos greet me with a smile. His beam was not the sinister grin that I usually saw before. It had no deeper meanings or hidden scheme.

It was the face of a hero, protecting someone in dire need. And that someone was me…

I gritted my teeth, knowing that I was the one who needed saving. I, who wanted to become a hero, was the one who felt distressed.

The ogre looked at the boy's figure on the ground. With brightened eyes, the monster pursued Afenos' tail, hoping to eat him instead of me. Even the beast thought of me as a disgusting meal. That monster left me to rot beside the bushes and the trees.

Afenos knew what was coming after him, so he booked it. The little boy ran as fast as his legs could, away from the ogre. He sprinted far beyond human capabilities, hoping to find shelter in the ocean of trees.

The ogre grumbled to himself and used his weapon to sweep the forest as if an illegal organisation of lumberjacks went for total deforestation! Like the horrible scene itself, the jungle turned bald, cutting away the enormous trees.

As luck would have it, Afenos ducked from the strike and saved his popping head from the destruction. But he was far from safe from this situation, as the ogre heard his squeaking roars.

It was just a matter of time before the ugly beast would chase him back once again.

The brave little kid grew tired from running away. I thought Afenos had gone mad as he stood like a statue in front of the feral beast. From what I had remembered, this child did not display any magic in front of me. And even if he had arcane inside that body, it would not be enough to defeat this terrifying beast.

I could not instruct Afenos using my voice, so I told the kid on the way with my eyes. Afenos turned towards me and tilted his head upon perceiving my shaking body. But a light bulb emerged on top of his head as he followed my gaze further from the trees.

With a gasp, Afenos finally learned my scheme. He must use my plan to stop the ogre once and for all, considering our strengths did not match against the monster.

"A cliff… Great thinking, Arthur!"

Afenos jumped out from the ogre's way and went to the sides. He waved his arms and shouted nonsense as loud as he could. The ogre-who had been the cat in this game chased the mouse, Afenos, to the ends of the world, trying to finish this horseplay.

However, little did the monster know Afenos led him to his doom.

Thanks to the decapitated trees, Afenos need not worry about the road ahead. His nimble movements allowed him to travel at the speed of a jaguar as he passed through the distorted pavement.

The ogre had troubled marching to the wreckage. I could hear that monster curse himself as he thrashed both of his arms to make way for him. Because of his immense mass, the ogre had difficulties moving along the road.

But that did not stop him from pestering Afenos, as the monster tried something new.

The ogre lifted a nestling boulder and hurled it towards Afenos. The scene felt like meteorites falling from the skies, targeting the boy, dashing through the forest.

After some time, the pain from my body had gone away. I could not fight or move around like Afenos, but I could walk fine to the road. I needed to support him in case the situation turns grim.

But for now, he needed to lure that bastard towards the cliff and hope for the best afterwards.

"Come here, you fat and ugly ogre! You're even uglier than Arthur, Ogre!" Afenos even had the time to joke around despite the killing intentions surrounding the air.

But as a kid like his age, Afenos would do everything to entertain himself during this battle. I couldn't agree more with this unreliable method.

Afenos had finally arrived near the scene. All the kid needed to do was charm his way out. As soon as the ogre stepped foot close to him, Afenos must pull him down from the cliff and kill the wretched beast!

And that was what he had planned.

Afenos positioned himself at the verge of the ridge, praying that he would not fall off from that height. The wind blew like a hurricane, trying to push the puny Afenos below the cliff. But the boy relied on his guts and clipped his feet on the ground like needles.

We were one step away from our victory. But the ogre was way ahead of us.

The monster stopped chasing after Afenos. His eyes studied the surroundings and knew about the cliff. The ogre was a stupid monster, but he was no fool. He knew that if his body plummeted from that site, the creature would die for good.

"No way… Come here, ugly! Come and get me!"

All those words did not work at the mighty creature in front of Afenos. It was as if he was an ant that wanted attention, but the mother-ant did not give any.

"What is… that ogre doing…"

Within a split second, I knew what was going to happen in front of me. Although I had no premonition about the future, I followed my guts and knew everything based on the ogre's movements.

Instead, the ogre attempted to throw his make-shift weapon towards Afenos. That gigantic monster moved backwards and swirled his arm as if the ogre was a pitcher on a baseball field.

Just before the ogre could fire the bough, I was behind the ogre, pushing the monster forward. I knew that the strength stored inside my body left me a while ago. I should not have done it, but I did. The ogre got blown away by my force and slipped into the cliff.

I was not alone. Upon blinking my eyes, Afenos was already beside me, hauling the monster to his inevitable death. I did not even know that he was with me all this time. The two of us forced the ogre to meet his doom.

And at long last, that monster descended from the cliff. A blaring growl resonated from the mountain's top, but the ogre already left this world.

A window appeared in front of me. I expected something like experience growth or an increased level of Afenos and me, since we killed the monster. However, it was not something like that. The window that appeared in front of me shocked my mind.

[Afenos has unlocked his special ability! He has now gained the title: [Mordred's Wrath]]

Now I had remembered how Afenos got that strength he exhibited before. Rain told me about her brother. He had an aptitude for being a knight, just like me. He also has a special ability bestowed by the world to him.

It was a superior ability comparable to mine.