Fantasy LN with NORMAL heroes

[BWTraveller]

I've been looking for a fantasy series that is more standard, closer to the classical style of fantasy. In particular ones avoiding three major concepts in modern fantasy light novels:
1: The hero is not OP. His power is typical and grows over time at a rate comparable to the monsters he faces as well as his companions. He may eventually gain incredible powers, but it only comes after a great deal of time and effort, not innate talent.
2: The hero is also not nerfed by some sort of overspecialization. For instance, nothing like Shield Hero where the guy is literally incapable of causing damage under normal circumstances. The hero may certainly have strengths and weaknesses (and I really like ones where the strengths focus more on protection than attack), but it shouldn't be to the point of crippling specialization. Again, I'm looking for heroes who are more "normal", progressing from relatively weak but capable to strong over the course of the story, earning his eventual status as a true hero.
3: Goes without saying, but no satire. I'm looking for stuff that tells a standard hero's story, not one that laughs at all the fantasy tropes. Like the other two, there are plenty of stories I love that fit under this, but it's harder to find ones that don't.

I'm particularly looking for light novels that fit these criteria. I've seen a few anime that can fit, like Ragnarok the Animation, Druaga, or possible even Danmachi. Only one of these however is a light novel. Bonus if, instead of your typical harem, we have a clear single pairing regardless of rivals.

[kari-no-sugata II]

There is a WN/LN/manga called 人間不信の冒険者たちが世界を救うようです (It seems that adventurers who don't believe in human beings will save the world) that might be along the lines of what you're looking for.

I've only read the early manga chapters so I'm not sure where it goes long term but as far as I can tell none of the major characters are OP or have cheats. What they do have in common is that they were all "betrayed" in the past so have problems with forming a new party, though fate kinda brought them together.

[Haak]

Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash

[BWTraveller]

Originally Posted by kari-no-sugata II

There is a WN/LN/manga called 人間不信の冒険者たちが世界を救うようです (It seems that adventurers who don't believe in human beings will save the world) that might be along the lines of what you're looking for.

I've only read the early manga chapters so I'm not sure where it goes long term but as far as I can tell none of the major characters are OP or have cheats. What they do have in common is that they were all "betrayed" in the past so have problems with forming a new party, though fate kinda brought them together.

What's that in romaji? Sounds interesting.

Also forgot no despair (frankly barely scraping by while anyone can die is practically satirical in its own way). Sorry, I know Grimgar's popular and I'm sure it's good, but I'm really particular about wanting stories to have happy endings and avoiding those where death or heartbreak is clearly to be expected. Besides, my concept of a "classical" fantasy, while potentially containing death, is much more hopeful than what I got from GG.

[kari-no-sugata II]

Originally Posted by BWTraveller

What's that in romaji? Sounds interesting.

Ningen Fushin no Boukenshatachi ga Sekai o Sukuu Youdesu

I forgot there was a thread for it already:
https://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?p=6394550

I started reading through the WN raws last night (there's no translations). Overall, I think it strikes a nice balance. It's somewhat lighthearted overall but not too lighthearted. It's also nice that the major characters are all quite human and have flaws (eg various coping mechanisms for dealing with the betrayal they suffered) rather than being normal blank-slate protagonists.

Incidentally, the world setting is that it actually used to be high-tech but now is low-tech fantasy. Of course, there's still some high-tech artefacts lying around and the protagonist team find one fairly early on. It's a bit of a cheat but they can't use it too openly.

Also forgot no despair (frankly barely scraping by while anyone can die is practically satirical in its own way). Sorry, I know Grimgar's popular and I'm sure it's good, but I'm really particular about wanting stories to have happy endings and avoiding those where death or heartbreak is clearly to be expected. Besides, my concept of a "classical" fantasy, while potentially containing death, is much more hopeful than what I got from GG.

I loved the Grimgar anime but the LNs are a bit too relentlessly "hard mode"...