Chapter 48: Fight to Protect


    The situation became appalling now that I thought about it. My left arm was as good as it got cut off, since I could barely move it. Although my good arm was still on my right side, losing the other half of my body remained a disadvantage for me, especially with my underleveled character.


    The mercenaries were no fools since I met the man''s gaze. He knew that the throbbing pain surging on my left arm still churned my senses. Hence, that pain disrupted both my bnce and reflexes. Since I needed to move with the excruciating pain in mind, the battle against these humans became boss-mode,parable to when I faced Uruk-hai''s army.


    "If you''re an adventurer, you should help us kill monsters! Why is a human like you helping those beasts! Do you know how many lives those dire wolves took from the nearby vige and the Kingdom of Caerleon?!" the mercenary man shouted.


    ''Kingdom of Caerleon?'' I pondered, putting all the puzzle pieces in ce. ''Isn''t that a kingdom where the new king of Camelot reunited in the war that once broke their treaty?''


    The game "Magique" had a strong rtionship with the legendary story. However, I was not a bright kid who would read ssic literature. Heck, I didn''t even know who was the main character of that tale.


    But I knew about Caerleon and its history. Since I was a yer that wreaked havoc in that ce, I escaped the kingdom and ventured into a different country. I was a yer and a traveller, earning money everywhere I went.


    However, all those events happened in the past. I killed a ruler and med someone for it. After killing that important person, I heard I destroyed a treaty because of my actions. The two kingdoms went into war, but the new ruler put a stop to that conflict.


    I could only guess that the Kingdom of Camelot chose a worthy king to rule thends. I would never imagine myself leading and, let alone a kingdom, with these immature hands.


    But none of that was my concern for now. I brushed all those thoughts away and focused on the events in front of me. I needed to preserve my life against these bloodthirsty mercenaries that came from Caerleon.


    Merleen was also waiting for me at the forest''s edge. A man would never want to keep her girl waiting. That wizard girl did not know what to do without me. And dying right now would make me look uncool in her eyes.


    I gripped the pommel of rent and conjured my strongest magic, [Phoenix Sphere]. The arcane surrounding the forest went and circled on my hands. I did not have the mage''s ss, so creating this spell meant a lot of mana for me to handle.


    And that was what I did.


    I opened my palm and discharged my skill, hoping to catch the mercenary off guard. I did not have the time to use this spell against Uruk-hai. That stupidly powerful monster had skin armour that negates every ability we threw at it.


    But right now, none of these warriors had overpowering abilities. All they could do was dodge my attack or fight it head-on with another zing skill.


    However, this battle showed me the expertise of having party members. I almost forgot that I was not against a single man, but his entire team as well. This mercenary did not arrive here alone.


    He had nine more friends to deal with me, and one of them was a spell caster as well.


    The soil moved on its own and ascended upward, blocking my fiery spell. That [Phoenix Sphere], which annihted an entire country while using this ount, couldn''t prate through a measly made shield.


    That obstruction did not even have the perfect structure of a shield or added materials that some court magicians could conjure. It only had dust, dirt, and stones as itsponents. And yet, my ability could not go through that wall!


    I clicked my tongue and let my eyes wander around the battlefield. There was nothing I could do at this point besides run away or activate my sword''s special ability.


    However, the problem did not end there. I did not know how to control or unlock that power again. I knew that my system told me about my prowess. "Every heroic deed I made, my sword would act up and give me strength." Those were the words that my system told me.


    But I did not have those bullshit instructions in the game! And what do I know about doing a heroic deed!


    "Wait, are you even an adventurer? Don''t tell me that''s your trump card" Even the man I was fighting against had a pitiful look in his eyes as he witnessed my bird get squashed by a rock.


    That mother wolf also had eyes on me, nning to attack in my direction. Despite helping the beast, that dire wolf thought of me as an enemy, together with these hoodlums.


    But I was more than these suckers!... However, no matter how hard I cried, these ten mercenaries were stronger than me. And the most powerful weapon that this man''s group had was the experience to kill someone.


    With one look at his eyes, the word "death" entered my brain. When I fought against Uruk-hai, my body shivered every time I got reminded of dying in this world. But because I was against a fantasy monster, my mind thought of the event as a low-threat scenario.


    Inyman''s terms, my brain thought that none of those were actual fights for my survival.


    But now that I was up against my own kind, shit had gone real. Like the people back on Earth, these guys wouldn''t care less if they killed a no-name person like me.


    The threat that once disappeared against Uruk-hai resurfaced itself once again. I genuinely became afraid for the first time in my life.


    All the sweat contained inside my body showered me with its salty liquid. My hands shivered as if I was having a seizure during the battle. I could barely even hold my sword straight because of the intense feeling of running away. There was also a melting feeling reaching out in the middle of my thighs.


    And I could bet my entire life that was my urine.


    "If I run away now what would happen to Merleen?" I mumbled, while gritting my teeth.


    I was stupid enough to run straight to the sound, calling for help. My heart wanted to be a hero, but my brain screamed to save my own life. It was the same conundrum that happened to me in the vige.


    "There''s still time for me to escape If I could just run past the river, maybe I could" Something snapped inside my train of thoughts as if pping me back to reality.


    No it was not even a shocking experience, but a reminder to wake up from my hellish thoughts. And that energy came from the weapon gripped in my right hand.


    "rent?" I whispered, with my eyes widened in surprise.


    "What are you mumbling about?" The man had enough with me stalling time and rushed towards me.


    It was not the half-assed attack he did earlier, but a blitz that aimed to end my life. That mercenary swung his sword as if there was no tomorrow. That man had a crooked smile on his face while aiming to decapitate my head.


    Thanks to my character''s statistical powers, my body moved faster than my regr reaction time. However, my speed remained inferior against a veteran mercenary, who had more experience killing people than ying console games in a boring house.


    As the two of us shed swords, the man''s mage buddy entered my view and cast another spell. The girl conjured the earth''s ability once again and elevated thend, tripping me over. Since I was a knight and not a mage, I could hardly detect the ability and fell for her trap!


    The man did not want to toy with his food as he pressed his sword and sliced off my already numbed hand. My eyes could witness the horrifying scene of an arm getting amputated by a de from a fantasy world.


    After reincarnating myself in this world, I thought that my life would turn around. My mind could already imagine thedies flocking all over my arms, with the deed of saving the entire kingdom. The crowd would go wild after seeing my face as they continued cheering for me before I entered my throne.


    But none of those happened to me. And instead, I lost my arm for good.


    This world had an absurd amount of spells. However, I never heard of a skill that could regenerate one''s fallen body parts. Now that I lost my left arm, the spoiled blood continuing to ooze out of my shoulder would kill me.


    I had two enemies right now: the man holding the sword and my wound drenching my bottom half with blood.