In a world where the gods gift a chosen few with great powers, Sam Shepard could be counted among the weakest of the weak. His crappy healing ability can’t even cure minor injuries without having to drain Sam’s own life force to do it. Hero society doesn't think Sam's useful, and after failing to heal those he was tasked to save, Sam couldn't help but agree. But it turns out that giving up the hero's life isn’t easy. Not when one’s caught in the machinations of the gods themselves.

After Sam gets pulled into rescuing the hero Thunder, he inherits a strange ability from her: the training system that taught Thunder how to become a top hero. Triple-A apparently holds the secret to leveling up one's power, a feat previously thought to be impossible. Not that it'll be easy to achieve...

A series of challenging missions and the occasional hero lesson from the system’s creator guarantee a lot of cuts and bruises in Sam's immediate future. But at least he finally gets the chance to go from zero to hero. Oh, yeah, there are also ghastly horrors and megalomaniac supervillains to contend with on Sam’s path to becoming the symbol of hope that humanity needs.

Level UP Hero

Jackboot leaped forward to meet the Nemean Lion in a midair collision that even Sam thought was freaking cool. A well-placed kick parried one of the monster’s sharp-clawed paws while a second timely heel strike on the Nemean Lion’s other paw let Jackboot vault over the great beast’s head. Then, after using the momentum of his leap to twirl him around in the air, Jackboot sent his leg smashing down on the Nemean Lion’s spine, forcing the great beast to crash back onto the bridge right where Thunder was waiting for it. 


Sam could tell she was already winded—she’d used up a lot of her power against Rick the Hound—but Thunder’s back was never broader in Sam’s eyes than the moment she plunged her lightning bolt between the Nemean Lion’s jaws. 


Bright blue elemental energy exploded inside the Nemean Lion’s mouth, causing a cascade of disruption across its entire form powerful enough to reveal the villain howling underneath it. 


The Hand of Mercy, Part 2