The Many-Faced Hero [OPMC/LitRPG]

The adventure of a lifetime is over and done with, and what's left is a man with regrets. History has long since forgotten the Great Hero Behrouz. He who saved the warring kingdoms of men and elves from a darkness that threatened to swallow them whole, and was repaid with glory — now nothing but a distant footnote in a world that has long since moved on. New wars, new threats, new monsters to fear. No time to spend on dead legends. And if you asked the Great Hero, he'd tell you that's just how he likes it — with a wink and a smirk. Tanner Hardshell is an E-Rank adventurer of no renown in the midst of a kingdom that has only just recovered from yet another catastrophe, the true details of which remain shrouded in mystery — including the disappearance of the heroine who saved what remained of the continent. He takes the small jobs, drinks well, sleeps even better, and has no complaints. By every measure that counts, Tanner is very, very good at being nobody. And he was doing just fine at it, too. Until the day someone seemed to recognize him across a crowd before vanishing — leaving Tanner Hardshell with the quiet suspicion that his cozy little life is about to come crashing down. And now something darker, something responsible for the shape of the Great Hero, something that Tanner thought was dead and buried for good, is stirring from its grave. The Many-Faced Hero is a dark fantasy adventure about the psychology of an ex-hero haunted by lifetimes of tragedy — and what it truly costs to be immortal. What to expect: ☀ OP-MC trying to keep his identity a secret from others: heroism is the road to ruin ☀ A story that focuses on characters and their development: every character lives and breathes in this world ☀ Light LitRPG elements: there is a system that governs abilities but is made to be used as a storytelling tool rather than just game-ifying the world ☀ Some romanticism: existing not just for flavor but playing a major role in the story to come in a literal sense ☀ Multi-POV: to properly tell the story in all of its angles, especially in the latter half of the story ☀ Slow-Burn: Everything has a reason What not to expect (and other discretions): ☽ Power fantasies: while containing an OP-MC, this is no simple power fantasy story and for a good lore-heavy reason ☽ No explicit content: no descriptions of gratuitous gore and torture (without thematic cause) and absolutely no descriptions of a lewd nature (leave that in the paid tier, right?) ☽ Realistic depictions of toxic relationships: if this is a deal-breaker, I am sorry but they are the yang to the yin, the moon to the sun, of this whole story Highly inspired by works such as ASOIAF by GRRM, LOTR by JRRT, and The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson, as well as other dark fantasy titles. Please Follow and Favorite if you enjoy! Every one helps!