I was a Nerfed Hero in Another World

Chapter 10: Testing My Abilities

I slid my notification open and inspected my status window once again, hoping to study my statistical power. With a high-pitch sound, the window appeared before me and moved towards the side.

Magique could detect the amount of power that someone holds. These numbers helped players know the strength of their opponents. However, certain abilities hindered some players from viewing the statistical powers of their opponents. But that information posed no importance to me right now.

Since I planned on becoming stronger than I was once before, I needed to focus on my training. I preferred adding those valuable shields and scanning abilities for later.

However, no matter how many times I tried viewing my numbers, my statistical power never grew over 10. It remained as a two-digit number with no added abilities or advantages. I could compare my ability to a mouse from my world.

"I could hardly do anything to a Frost Giant, let alone a demon!" I snarled, and gritted my teeth.

If other players knew I got nerfed by the system, they would burst into laughter. Those players would continuously mock me until I died!

But there was a hidden gem inside this game compared to others that came afterwards from Magique. The difference between levels could help players during battle, but winning against a high-levelled opponent was not a complete zero. A level 1 beginner could defeat a level 100 player if that person knew what to do. If that individual knew the controls beforehand, winning against a veteran would be a piece of cake.

Although that was the case, the situation I had now differed from the game. Players had gadgets to control their characters. You needed to become a keyboard warrior and a strategy maniac to win in battles.

But that did not apply in this world, not to me. The world that Magique created tied using my body mechanics. In simpler terms, players could manipulate their characters behind the screens. If those players wanted to move or attack, the character would follow that command. By clicking combinations from a mouse, keyboard or touch screen, those players could control their players.

That idea did not apply to my character right now.

If I wanted to kick, I needed to raise my legs and sweep a clean attack. If I wanted to punch, the world required me to push forward and jab the opponent using my fist. It was as if the game world and the actual world merged into one. But, somehow, I needed to use my reaction time and body to move my character, which was also me!

My eyes wandered around the forest, hoping to find a training ground and perform my exercises. The sea of trees welcomed my eyes, obstructing me to find something that I could spar with my knuckles. After strolling around the woodland, my eyes targeted a perfect match.

A grin curved on my mouth as I approached the dark-looking chunk of wood.

"This log should be my perfect training partner for today," I said, and mimicked a stance I saw from a martial artist back in my previous world.

The positioning of my hands resembled nothing but a complete pantomime. After sliding my feet backwards, I took a lengthy exhale and pushed both of my hands forward.

"[Phoenix Sphere]!"

[Phoenix Sphere] is the first ability granted to my character. It was a similar spell to a fireball, but borrowing from the arcane of the mythical creature. That blazing bird chose me as its successor, describing me as the chivalry hero I wanted to become.

I expected to fail, realising no magic in front of me. But to my bewilderment, two magic circles appeared in front of my palms.

The shape of a crimson bird flew in mid-air and targeted the motionless log. The temperature rose like wildfire, almost burning everything in its way. However, it did not and chose the bough as its foe. As soon as my spell crashed against the wood, my magic exploded.

"Yes! I did it!" I screamed. A smile emerged on my face, knowing that I could use magic in this world.

However, I was far too excited for myself. That grand ability that I used did nothing to the log. Not a scratch emerged from the piece of wood, despite hitting it clean with my arcane. The notification appeared from my right view, disrupting my train of thoughts.

[You have depleted your mana! Please rest, or else suffer the consequences! If you continue using spells despite your insufficient mana capacity, your body might fall on the ground!]

[ [Phoenix Sphere Unlocked] - The player can release a flaming bird towards its target! The power of [Phoenix Sphere] depends on the Statistical Power of the player!]

[Current Statistical Power of Player- 10]

"Still 10" A dejected sigh escaped from my mouth as I gazed at the bark once again.

It was like the system had mentioned to me before. Despite the elegant display of my ability [Phoenix Sphere], I did not destroy or left a dent on the log. No matter how extravagant I unleashed my ability, it all turned to nought.

There was also one thing that bugged me. My previous character, while playing Magique, never ran out of mana. I did not even know that I had mana capacity, since I constantly use my spells during battle. Now that I was a nerfed knight, I needed to manage my arcane and used them whenever necessary. Using my trump card against powerful foes might prove helpful for me soon.

"If I lack magical power, maybe my swordsmanship would turn out different?" The sentence that came out from my mouth turned out optimistic but questioning my ability as a player.

Despite my title saying that I was still a hero's descendant, my level remained at rock-bottom.

"Now, I don't have a controller for my character; swinging swords might become burdensome for me and my body," I exclaimed.

I gripped my hands tight on my Clarent and locked my eyes at the same log from earlier. My body once again stole a stance from the videos I watched when I was still alive on Earth. I swiped my leg backwards and leapt from the soil.

I expected that my body would fall to the ground. However, that embarrassing event never happened to me. Instead, my body became as light as a feather and moved towards places I wanted to go. Like a leaf flowing with the wind, some unidentified force controlled my body, but my senses remained inside of me.

It was as if the system was helping me to move while I remained conscious of what was happening before my eyes. However, it was not too long that my feet slammed against each other, tumbling me into the soil.

"GARGH!"

A violent scream escaped from my mouth as I cradled like a baby. A pinkish bump emerged from my skin and radiated a throbbing pain that I never felt before. The agonistic sensation reached my shoulders, which I used to shield my entire spine from hitting the floor.

After a few seconds of weeping like a baby, I stood up and reverted to my usual self. Now that I knew how to control my body as if I was in a game, I thought I could handle it.

And that was what I did.

I clipped my fingers on the handle and rushed forward while swinging my trusty Clarent. As soon as I was close enough to my target, I twisted my hand and sliced the log.

But the damage was not enough to do anything. There was a line that came from my attack. But not enough to break or cut the plant in half. It barely did anything to the bough. If it were not for the legendary item stuck inside my hand, I doubt I could make the gash on that surface.

I fell on my knees in despair, thinking about how powerless I became. Those wishful thinking that a level 1 character defeating a monster vanished from my mind.

"My sword was up against a training dummy. I don't even know if I would face such a scary monster in this world." The thought sent shivers down my spine as I imagined myself fighting against those beasts.

Magique became well known for its hideous and realistic creatures despite playing it behind the scenes. Now that I became the character inside a game, those mythical creatures would appear before my eyes.

Just as I was about to stand up, the bush behind me wiggled. I turned around and readied my sword, thinking that it was my end. My heart and mind could only hope that I stumbled upon measly rabbits that became lost in the woods.

My fingers grasped my blade tighter than ever before. The sweat dripping from my cheeks became a waterfall, drenching my neck. As I squinted my eyes and faced my horrors, a clamorous voice, enough to make an old man cry, echoed in front of me.

"Hey, stupid Arthur! Don't you run away like that!"

"Yeah, Arthur. We've been looking for you, you know? And Rain! Stop mocking Arthur!"