The Fifty-first Hero

Gods have a hero issue and Marcus is their Fifty-first try. Marcus Enderheart lived his life as he died, by dashing into a blazing inferno while everyone else ran away. Five people were saved by him before the ceiling caved in. So he didn't expect to wake up again. Now he is in Eldrathis, a world drenched in famine, strife and the errors of the prior 50 heroes. The Gods have provided Marcus with the Hero System and assigned him Lyra, an ancient powerful goddess of autumn, to be his guide and naturally she is totally clueless on how to guide anybody because she forgot to read the manual. The deal is clear, save the world and in the process you will earn your way home. Yet Marcus is an ordinary soldier, not a “chosen one” and does not believe in prophecies, in addition the system has given him “star” magic with no explanation as to what it does. What's the real problem? The previous heroes aren't dead, they are tyrants, hermits and monsters. They've made themselves kings of their own land, overthrown countries and turned the world into something that will never be seen again. But also some of them have a keen interest in meeting the new guy. Marcus has no money, no reputation and no one to help him. He has a goddess who is also learning on-the-fly with him. He does have one thing that none of the other heroes had, though; an unyielding belief in himself to not become what ruined them. He is the Fifty-first Hero. If he fails, he will not be the last. However, the world of Eldrathis may not survive the next (and final) hero. What to expect: - A LitRPG isekai in which the system matters but does not dominate the story - Creative combat that is based on tactics - A morally ambiguous world in which former heroes are part of the problem - A slow burn family vibe with credible character growth - Chapter hooks that will make you want to click "Next" at 2 AM What to not expect: - An overpowered hero who never has to fight a fair fight - A harem (this story is NOT a harem) - A perfect goddess who has all of the answers - A chosen one prophecy that solves everything - A bad book Updates come on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Advance chapters are available on Patreon! Patreon: Melasonova