I guess the complement of starting from zero, is achieving the top prize. Sometimes the MC starts overpowered (OP), and sometimes they have to work hard to get there, and sometimes they are given OP as a gift. However they get there, having the hero be around the top of the skill list seems to be one of the reasons I like this style of books.
- In The Primal Hunter, the MC is given a “blessing” by a god, which seems to help him quite often
- In Cradle, the MC meets several high-level beings who are pretending to be low-level, which guides him through progression (and helps him in fights)
- In Battle Mage Farmer, the MC starts the book as the most powerful being on the planet (retired)
- In Tipsy Pelican Tavern, the MC starts the book as the most powerful being on the planet (retired)
- In He Who Fights With Monsters, the MC is brought into the world with nothing, but quickly befriends a bunch of gold rankers and gods, earning gifts from them
This isn’t even really a trope. It’s just a common property of fantasy novels. But I like it.
Why?
Because after all, when you dream, you don’t dream of being average in something. You dream of being rich. You dream of being the rock star. You dream of being the supermodel. You dream of being an ace World War II fighter pilot. You dream of being able to fly when no one else can. Whatever you dream of, I bet you dream of being among the best or unique.
What Could Go Wrong?
Too Slow? I will say, that sometimes I quit a series before the MC has become OP. Was this a reason I quit a series? Not often. I just assume that the MC is on a slow and steady path upward and will eventually become a god-tier character.
Too Powerful? One thing that I don’t like is when the OP character never encounters actual danger. So it’s one thing to be a high-tier character, but if every fight you get into ends with you defeating the opponent with no effort, to the point where the MC gets annoyed at being bothered, then that’s no fun either.
Too Normal? Another thing that I don’t like is when an MC goes from being weak and underpowered, to being strong and overpowered, very quickly. Often, the MC doesn’t seem to ever have problems with this adjustment.
Like if you’re poor and downtrodden, living in a car junk yard, and someone suddenly hands you $5 million, you don’t instantly buy a modest house in the midwest and invest the remainder into S&P 500 index funds. It’s more natural for the person to go overboard with it. You buy a flashy car, give money away to your friends, gamble it away, and then become poor again within a few months. That’s the normal path when a really improvrished person encounters instant wealth.
So when someone is suddenly a god without much transition, I would expect more “immature” behavior. We see this in real life with sports stars and lottery winners who usually wreck their life in the first few years before they eventually adjust to the new lifestyle. This should be reflected in LitRPG books as well. But I can’t think of an example of that done well in books.
Just once, a brand new superhero needs to rob a bank, or get retaliation against someone from the past that did them wrong. Or go into a selfish phase for a while before becoming selfless.
Anyways, going from 0 to Infinitity in a day is not usually done well.
