The voices of Merleen resounded behind me, but I kept sprinting forward. Merleen had the right to get mad. However, I did not want to run away and save myself anymore.
If I have these powers, I plan to use them for good. Superheroes in the movies did the best they could to stop the bad guys. It was my dream to be like them someday, helping the good and vanquishing the evil.
And yet, I did not have any attributes that those heroes possessed. I even killed Aferous.
"So this time… I want to change my world! I want to change!" My mind shouted, as I kept dashing inside the unexplored woodland.
If I could see someone who needed help, I would lend them my hand… It was the right thing for me to do.
As soon as I stepped foot on the battlefield, my eyes widened, and my body froze like a statue. It became difficult for me to comprehend the situation, especially when the scene's elements include the humans and monsters battling each other.
However, it was not just that. The wails I heard earlier came from the monsters and not from these humans. With one glance, I knew who had the upper hand.
"W-What are you doing!" I asked the man holding a sword.
There were five men and five women armed with various weapons. All of them had eyes bathed with killing intentions against these wolves howling in pain.
Those beasts that the humans dealt with were not even dire wolves or demonic entities. These hounds looked more like stray dogs found outside of the streets, ungroomed and defenceless.
As I gazed at the pups, the gigantic dog, whom I assumed was their mother, went in front of her children. She did not want to attack or do anything to harm the humans. In my eyes, that mother wolf only planned on defending her offspring.
I would bet that if the mother wolf found an opening to escape, that guardian would drag all the puppies outside of this battle and retreat. That parent only wanted her pups to escape death.
As a human, an act of sympathy emerged around my heart.
"Who are you? Are you a bandit?" The man I asked turned to me and pointed his bastard sword. "We do not expect any reinforcements coming from the mercenaries guild."
It did not look like the man in front of me was a soldier, since his dress did not have any metal chains and mithril armours. That man's squad also had the same gears with no added features. They also did not look like otherworld travellers like me or bandits that wanted to wreak havoc in this forest.
I could only guess that these people were mercenaries by a kingdom. However, upon looking at my map, there was nothing my eyes could see but trees! And more trees if I scrolled and expanded the map's view!
In the game of Magique, mercenaries were not rare to find. Those were the ones that new players could hire throughout the journey. The veteran adventurers, like me, knew how these mercenaries operated.
Around ninety percent of mercenaries would ditch the adventurers or steal their loot if they had the time. They would also kill anyone behind the back if they found an opportunity. It was all over the community when these mercenaries had gotten out of hand.
Those warriors may have elite status power, status points, and abilities, but most players did not trust them. There could be other soldiers of fortune that would help newbie players.
But those mercenaries were even rarer than gold.
"I am just a traveller who heard the noise. And what do you think you're doing with those defenceless animals?! Those puppies can't fight anymore! Their mother is desperately protecting her children!" I shouted, hoping to make sense out of these war freak people.
However, it did not surprise me when the man in front of me charged straight in my direction. He wielded his sword like it was nothing but a stick and went aggressive towards me.
The man's slash aimed for my neck, yearning to take my life. He did not even hold back his strength since his eyes told it all.
My body was slick as a sponge as I evaded the attack. I wanted to parry the strike, but I couldn't at my current level. That man in front of me was not stronger than Uruk-hai, but he was still a capable man that could stand on his own grounds.
"I thought you were a villager. But with those moves, maybe you're an adventurer," the man remarked, with a grin carved on his face. "You're not bad… but not good, either."
After fighting demonic beasts that wiped out the entire town within mere seconds, clashing swords against a man toned down the difficulty of this fight... And no matter how hard I tried looking at the bigger picture, there was no window for me to win against this fight. If I could compare the statistical power between him and mine, I would definitely lose the battle.
I could only stall for time for the wolves to run away. But there were ten of them and one of me. This battle ain't a walk in a park, except if that park was actually hell.
"Find other beasts and let these wolves live. There's no merit in killing them!" I shouted, wishing that they would think this through.
Despite my attempts, the man dashed straight towards me for the nth time and tried slashing me with the same attack. This mercenary still held back his powers, regardless of fighting me. I, too, did not want to show my trump card, since there were nine of the man's allies watching the battle.
It was a good thing that the mother wolf stood its ground and fought the remaining party members. The groups' leader wanted to have a little fun with me and let his teammates do whatever they wanted with the beasts.
Monsters were like dirt in this world. They did nothing but destroy villages and kill other creatures for their entertainment. These characteristics showed when I fought against the monster horde that destroyed Merleen's and my town.
But I could not let this scene slide, considering that these humans attacked such defenceless creatures. Although there were wild, dire wolves that would attack random people, these hounds looked different. Among their peers, they did not have menacing looks in their eyes.
The event challenged my morality, as I became unsure who to save.
I could provide help for these strangers and strain the wolves. But that would just mean I would kill the puppies' mother and leave them all alone in this dark forest. If those young wolves strengthened their bodies, they would seek revenge against humans.
It was a never-ending cycle of hatred, after all.
And if I sided with the wolves, I would make an enemy out of these people. I did not want to kill them. But if I let them free, this man's group would retreat to the kingdom and would remember my face.
If that happens, my future could turn grim, but I would save this wolf's family.
"What would a real hero do in this situation…?" I asked, but there was nobody there to give me an answer.
I was all alone in this world, striving to live and meet my goal. However, this path I took hindered me from moving forward… or was it my mind who hauled me back?
Every time I took one step forward, my body moved three steps back. I couldn't escape my nightmare, considering the power that I had.
If I was an overpowered being, I could have helped both sides. I could have stopped the fight and pound some sense into these mercenaries.
But I couldn't….
I brushed those trivial thoughts aside and focused on what was in front of me. There was no point in staying in that imaginative world. All I needed to do right now was to make something right.
The justice I believed would be the correct answer… I hoped so.
I leapt from the ground and went to the wolves' front. Like the characters in the movie, I slowly turned around and extended my arms. If modern people on Earth saw me, they would chuckle up a storm.
But hell do I care about them! My actions looked superb in my eyes.
"I will ask you once more… Leave these wolves alone."
Right after finishing my sentence, the mother wolf's paw slammed into my back, forcing me to tumble at the sides. As soon as my body struck against the rock, an instinctive screech escaped from my mouth. My body trembled in pain, with my limbs begging for some rest time.
"Fuck, that hurt! And here I thought you would realise what I've done!" Despite playing the hero, the mother wolf saw me as a threat. I cannot blame the beast, considering that I was still a human in her eyes.