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I'm Not the Hero #4
A Hero's Choice: An Isekai LitRPG: I'm Not the Hero, Book 4
A former nobody is about to become a major somebody—and learn it's not all it's cracked up to be—in the fourth installment of this LitRPG fantasy adventure.
Back when things were normal, Orrin the Timid tried saving his best friend, Daniel the Popular, from a runaway truck. But he failed, and the resulting crash landed them both in a world of magic, monsters, and levels. There, Orrin grew from a mild-mannered sidekick into a legit powerhouse, unlocking Administrator-level powers unlike anything else. Still, things are tough for the former zero.
First, the psychotic witch who recently tried to obliterate him just cut a deal to stay out of jail. Second, dealing with power and politics in Dey is becoming a major migraine. Third, the devious Hospital is dragging Orrin into its internal strife. And lastly, "hero" Daniel's just barely hanging on to his sanity, on the verge of turning into a raging, uncontrollable murder machine. Trying to keep it all together has Orrin at the end of his rope—physically, mentally, and mystically.
If all that wasn't enough, the Demon Lord is at the gates, prepping his Dark Horde to roll in and rain destruction on the people of Asmea. Meanwhile, Orrin has stumbled onto a mystery whose every unraveling thread could have far-reaching implications . . .
The fourth volume of the hit LitRPG fantasy series—with more than 600,000 views on Royal Road—now available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook!
Tropes zero to hero, role reversal, unlikely hero, revenge of the nerds, and fog of war.
Back when things were normal, Orrin the Timid tried saving his best friend, Daniel the Popular, from a runaway truck. But he failed, and the resulting crash landed them both in a world of magic, monsters, and levels. There, Orrin grew from a mild-mannered sidekick into a legit powerhouse, unlocking Administrator-level powers unlike anything else. Still, things are tough for the former zero.
First, the psychotic witch who recently tried to obliterate him just cut a deal to stay out of jail. Second, dealing with power and politics in Dey is becoming a major migraine. Third, the devious Hospital is dragging Orrin into its internal strife. And lastly, "hero" Daniel's just barely hanging on to his sanity, on the verge of turning into a raging, uncontrollable murder machine. Trying to keep it all together has Orrin at the end of his rope—physically, mentally, and mystically.
If all that wasn't enough, the Demon Lord is at the gates, prepping his Dark Horde to roll in and rain destruction on the people of Asmea. Meanwhile, Orrin has stumbled onto a mystery whose every unraveling thread could have far-reaching implications . . .
The fourth volume of the hit LitRPG fantasy series—with more than 600,000 views on Royal Road—now available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook!
Tropes zero to hero, role reversal, unlikely hero, revenge of the nerds, and fog of war.
Audible Audio
First published December 2, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 6, 2026
This book was hard to read. It felt like it is everything wrong with the series all mashed into one thing.
Orrin gets angry constantly and it's just a horrible experience to read when most people tend to read books to relax or enjoy themselves. The boys also continue to believe they are invincible and control the world while constantly being reminded that isn't the case. They are obviously the man characters so this would never happen but it wouldn't surprise me if someone just stabbed them for being annoying.
If you expect this book to be a giant battle or defense then you are wrong. It consisted of mostly waiting and doing random side quests in between. The book also seems to gloss over the fact that people rarely went into the pass and came back alive. There are now massive walls there and monsters being culled with ease. If it was this easy why not just say people don't go through the pass because it was a little dangerous and no one ever came back?
The ending is actually good and satisfying but you have to read most of the book to get there. I'd argue even the ending isn't worth it. Hopefully the next book focuses on the skills and learning about magic because that is where this series shines in my opinion.
Orrin gets angry constantly and it's just a horrible experience to read when most people tend to read books to relax or enjoy themselves. The boys also continue to believe they are invincible and control the world while constantly being reminded that isn't the case. They are obviously the man characters so this would never happen but it wouldn't surprise me if someone just stabbed them for being annoying.
If you expect this book to be a giant battle or defense then you are wrong. It consisted of mostly waiting and doing random side quests in between. The book also seems to gloss over the fact that people rarely went into the pass and came back alive. There are now massive walls there and monsters being culled with ease. If it was this easy why not just say people don't go through the pass because it was a little dangerous and no one ever came back?
The ending is actually good and satisfying but you have to read most of the book to get there. I'd argue even the ending isn't worth it. Hopefully the next book focuses on the skills and learning about magic because that is where this series shines in my opinion.
April 2, 2026
I'm finding Orrin more and more insufferable. The author paints Daniel as the brash one by naturally having Orrin point out his flaws, but people don't call Orrin out as much as they should. One example that stands out is when he berates the guards because they don't want to help Amir's now-handicapped dad. It's not their responsibility to help him nor did Orrin care about how Amir's dad actually felt about getting assistance from him.
With Amir out near the frontlines, cleaning up seemed to keep his dad's mind away from things. Orrin got reprimanded for his presumptuousness later on when he thought he knew what was best for Amir, and parallels were made with Madi and Brandt, but his attitude was never addressed. Those guards could have been spoken to kindly, but Orrin's self-righteousness automatically classified them as deserving of harsh words because they didn't want to help a man with an arbitrary objective.
I also don't like how weak Orrin seems next to the phoenix squad. He can take on demons twice his level and incapacitated the arm of that one member when they threatened Daniel but cowers in fear at the thought of taking any one of them on?
It's also strange that June was panicking over Orrin's blood magic and claimed he could have killed them all, yet felt bold enough to confront and attack him afterwards. Where was Orrin's blood magic then? Does he have no sense of self-preservation or is his life less important to him than projecting his anger at a stubborn old lady?
June herself was an annoying character also as her character inconsistencies would lead me to believe she's mentally ill. Ready to kill people at the drop of a hat in one scene, and seemingly protective in another. She threatened to kill Daniel because she didn't like his tone ffs. And then she has the audacity to complain at Daniel for joking around when there were lives at stake as if she values life all of a sudden.
Where were her standards when it came to her fellow adventurers who put doing their own thing over coordinated efforts to save lives? And don't even get me started on the fact she needed to be negotiated with in order to defend the country against the demons. Presumably because saving those same lives she now seems to care about wasn't a compelling enough reason.
With Amir out near the frontlines, cleaning up seemed to keep his dad's mind away from things. Orrin got reprimanded for his presumptuousness later on when he thought he knew what was best for Amir, and parallels were made with Madi and Brandt, but his attitude was never addressed. Those guards could have been spoken to kindly, but Orrin's self-righteousness automatically classified them as deserving of harsh words because they didn't want to help a man with an arbitrary objective.
I also don't like how weak Orrin seems next to the phoenix squad. He can take on demons twice his level and incapacitated the arm of that one member when they threatened Daniel but cowers in fear at the thought of taking any one of them on?
It's also strange that June was panicking over Orrin's blood magic and claimed he could have killed them all, yet felt bold enough to confront and attack him afterwards. Where was Orrin's blood magic then? Does he have no sense of self-preservation or is his life less important to him than projecting his anger at a stubborn old lady?
June herself was an annoying character also as her character inconsistencies would lead me to believe she's mentally ill. Ready to kill people at the drop of a hat in one scene, and seemingly protective in another. She threatened to kill Daniel because she didn't like his tone ffs. And then she has the audacity to complain at Daniel for joking around when there were lives at stake as if she values life all of a sudden.
Where were her standards when it came to her fellow adventurers who put doing their own thing over coordinated efforts to save lives? And don't even get me started on the fact she needed to be negotiated with in order to defend the country against the demons. Presumably because saving those same lives she now seems to care about wasn't a compelling enough reason.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 7, 2026
This series perfectly scratches my isekai/progression fantasy itch.
December 7, 2025
Really liked the starting of the premise, but have honestly realised the MC is just an idiot. From things that happen, it very much suggests that the "Demons" that Orin is fighting aren't evil and may actually have a reason for doing what they're doing. instead of finding out what, what do they do... they just continue on massacring them and getting their side massacred in return.
He was already an idiot with how he behaved in previous book, but this book just reinforces that stupidity.
He was already an idiot with how he behaved in previous book, but this book just reinforces that stupidity.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 24, 2026
This was a downturn in the series for me. still decent, but definitely not as good as books 2 and 3. it just felt like it was missing the progression part of the story since almost all of it takes place on the walls in the pass. there are also several weird small moments where the narrative slips out of Orins POV which is a weird deviation. I'll keep going with the series because of how this book ends, but I hope we see much more learning and progression in the next book.
December 23, 2025
Yep, it's okay. There's something weird going on with the war but since neither side wants to talk I guess they'll have to kill each other.
June 8, 2026
If asked about this series a couple of months ago, I would have said that it is fun in the way a buddy cop movie is, but is also just as predictable. I'm not sure I have been totally disabused of that notion but my thoughts are more substantive now. I went from not thinking I would read book 2 to already having pre-ordered the next installment and am lamenting having to wait.
If you are a person who gets lost in flowery prose, this isn't the book for you. The writing is pretty bad actually. This story turned into a fun pastime because it gets a lot of the little things right which, in aggregate, make up for some of the other shortcomings. The best example of this is the relationship between our two main characters. I had an older sister, but even I know that almost every interactions between Daniel and Orrin feels right. They love each other but also do inane and illogical things because they get under each other's skin. I know this is what siblings do because of my own past experience and also seeing my two kids do it to each other. Hearing them squabble back and forth over little things when there are much bigger issues at play is exactly what would happen if you and your sibling were whisked away in this fashion.
And on that note, I will give a half of an applause for recognizing that there is a pretty high emotional toll on teenagers presumably dying, then being reborn in a video game-like world, and tasked with saving it from utter destruction. Add in the fact that both main characters must come to grips with the violence they have committed -- whether in self defense or not. I will also applaud the narrator for capturing some of those harder moments where the characters are acting like normal people thrust into an unbelievable situation. The problem is that after spending a good chunk of time on the topic, it got thrown out the window never to be mentioned again for the rest of the book ... which is quite awkward considering that they engaged in a lot of killing ...
This one ended on a bit of a cliffhanger. I'm not sure how I liked it. And by that I mean I'm not sure I like what I suspect is the direction the book will be going. That's a lot of speculation, I know. Suffice it to say, there are still a few secrets left to be discovered and we don't know the ultimate end game of this - although I certainly have my suspicion. I am really hoping this does not turn into a 20+ book series because I am already attached to too many of those and I need a win by actually completing a series.
If you are a person who gets lost in flowery prose, this isn't the book for you. The writing is pretty bad actually. This story turned into a fun pastime because it gets a lot of the little things right which, in aggregate, make up for some of the other shortcomings. The best example of this is the relationship between our two main characters. I had an older sister, but even I know that almost every interactions between Daniel and Orrin feels right. They love each other but also do inane and illogical things because they get under each other's skin. I know this is what siblings do because of my own past experience and also seeing my two kids do it to each other. Hearing them squabble back and forth over little things when there are much bigger issues at play is exactly what would happen if you and your sibling were whisked away in this fashion.
And on that note, I will give a half of an applause for recognizing that there is a pretty high emotional toll on teenagers presumably dying, then being reborn in a video game-like world, and tasked with saving it from utter destruction. Add in the fact that both main characters must come to grips with the violence they have committed -- whether in self defense or not. I will also applaud the narrator for capturing some of those harder moments where the characters are acting like normal people thrust into an unbelievable situation. The problem is that after spending a good chunk of time on the topic, it got thrown out the window never to be mentioned again for the rest of the book ... which is quite awkward considering that they engaged in a lot of killing ...
This one ended on a bit of a cliffhanger. I'm not sure how I liked it. And by that I mean I'm not sure I like what I suspect is the direction the book will be going. That's a lot of speculation, I know. Suffice it to say, there are still a few secrets left to be discovered and we don't know the ultimate end game of this - although I certainly have my suspicion. I am really hoping this does not turn into a 20+ book series because I am already attached to too many of those and I need a win by actually completing a series.
December 26, 2025
fun
Overpowered teen heroes fight to defeat the Demon Lord. The nation is now under seize by the horde of demons. The hero and party are racing to level and locate the demon lord before the horde gets through their defenses. They confront the Hospital and strong arm them into doing what the hero thinks is right. The council with the military leaders and plan multiple forays into demon lands. They learn that the demons don’t want the demon lord, and a number are past the level cap. They work with a high level adventurer party and confront and defeat the demon lord. But not the hero has taken the first step towards becoming the next demon lord. Book ends.
It’s a good continuation of the series. The pacing holds steady. The narrator is absolutely a delight. As this is a young adult series the young hero and party are the social focus in all situations: taking charge in warfare planning, moral high ground, et cetera. It is as if the hero and party are a group that sees the world in black and white, while everyone else sees shades of gray. Please enjoy
Overpowered teen heroes fight to defeat the Demon Lord. The nation is now under seize by the horde of demons. The hero and party are racing to level and locate the demon lord before the horde gets through their defenses. They confront the Hospital and strong arm them into doing what the hero thinks is right. The council with the military leaders and plan multiple forays into demon lands. They learn that the demons don’t want the demon lord, and a number are past the level cap. They work with a high level adventurer party and confront and defeat the demon lord. But not the hero has taken the first step towards becoming the next demon lord. Book ends.
It’s a good continuation of the series. The pacing holds steady. The narrator is absolutely a delight. As this is a young adult series the young hero and party are the social focus in all situations: taking charge in warfare planning, moral high ground, et cetera. It is as if the hero and party are a group that sees the world in black and white, while everyone else sees shades of gray. Please enjoy
January 21, 2026
Extremely scattered and uncohesive from a plot perspective. It's almost like this is being influenced or partially affected by strange AI assistant tools, but I don't really have any evidence to support that claim. Regardless, the quality of this book has dropped significantly from the previous books.
At a high-level, the characters feel extremely strongly about a topic, then seemingly forget or "let go" of the topic for seemingly no reason. The "siege" is conveniently timed to allow for the MC's to always be present for important activities... Instead of feeling like a constant pressure where things could go wrong or happen at any time.
At best, this is just a series of missed narrative opportunities, at worst the series is loosing focus and becoming needlessly tedious to read/enjoy.
At a high-level, the characters feel extremely strongly about a topic, then seemingly forget or "let go" of the topic for seemingly no reason. The "siege" is conveniently timed to allow for the MC's to always be present for important activities... Instead of feeling like a constant pressure where things could go wrong or happen at any time.
At best, this is just a series of missed narrative opportunities, at worst the series is loosing focus and becoming needlessly tedious to read/enjoy.
July 7, 2026
3.5 stars
This story was action packed and fun to read, but was pulled down by the horrible attitude of the MC, the constant posturing of every character thinking they need to kill someone for a snide comment, and the scattered feeling of the overall plot. Orrin spent the book getting mad over every little thing, threataning people, and then sulking. I understand that he has grown stronger and people were underestimating him, but now he just comes off as an out of control child.
The cohesion of the plot was also unbalanced. Orrin kept running off to do different things, so the build up to the climax felt rushed and unfinished. The whole time I kept waiting for a twist that never came. The pieces just felt forced together. There were also a few POV switches that jarred me out of the story.
This story was action packed and fun to read, but was pulled down by the horrible attitude of the MC, the constant posturing of every character thinking they need to kill someone for a snide comment, and the scattered feeling of the overall plot. Orrin spent the book getting mad over every little thing, threataning people, and then sulking. I understand that he has grown stronger and people were underestimating him, but now he just comes off as an out of control child.
The cohesion of the plot was also unbalanced. Orrin kept running off to do different things, so the build up to the climax felt rushed and unfinished. The whole time I kept waiting for a twist that never came. The pieces just felt forced together. There were also a few POV switches that jarred me out of the story.
June 18, 2026
So, I definitely still really loved this, Orrin and Daniel are great and I like them both as characters a ton! However, it was lowkey soooo anticlimactic. We spent the whole time building up to the demon lord for him to have like 5 lines of dialogue??? And then ope, actually there is someone behind him and there is also admin access on the line, huh?? I’m leaving with more questions than answers, but I did really like the story and I’m excited for the possibilities that book 5 could hold! But I’m begging for the group to become a full party, please give us someone else in the group, anyone will do, but preferably someone interesting. I like Brandt and Maddie but they are not my favorites. Regardless I’m excited for book 5 in a few months!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 9, 2026
Four stars is generous but I loved the first and third episodes to the hilt and admire the author's creativity and skill. There were far too many fights in this one, which did not engage me. The narrator is superb, but not as convincing as a female voice, and June grated me on as a result. However, my interest in the book perked up when Orrin addressed the healer crisis and the June-created plot points. I look forward to the next and hope it is less focused on ongoing fights and emotional overkill. The author sets it up in the ending to become more like book three (I hope!).
January 1, 2026
Dragged on and on for no reason. Worse one so far. By far.
I have become a big fan of this series and am rather disappointed by how, well, half assed this book was. It felt like the author fed his previous books to ChatGPT and asked it to puke another book with those characters where NOTHING OF IMPORTANCE HAPPENS.
Ive given 5 stars to every one of the previous books i think but this barely deserves 2.
Nothing happens.
I have become a big fan of this series and am rather disappointed by how, well, half assed this book was. It felt like the author fed his previous books to ChatGPT and asked it to puke another book with those characters where NOTHING OF IMPORTANCE HAPPENS.
Ive given 5 stars to every one of the previous books i think but this barely deserves 2.
Nothing happens.
December 7, 2025
Another excellent book in the series
The story keeps building and getting better. Daniel and Orrin keep adding to their skill sets and powers along with the rest of their party but aren't the most OP characters in the storyline. They continue to face evolving challenges, which is to say the plot pulls you in so you have to turn to the next page. Five stars!
The story keeps building and getting better. Daniel and Orrin keep adding to their skill sets and powers along with the rest of their party but aren't the most OP characters in the storyline. They continue to face evolving challenges, which is to say the plot pulls you in so you have to turn to the next page. Five stars!
December 17, 2025
Decent, but I would have liked to see Orrin advance Way of the Water beyond 45/100. I also get tired of Daniel, because we don’t get his perspective. I know Orrin thinks Daniel’s the main character, but he really isn’t. I prefer Orrin when he was on his own in the magic school.
January 8, 2026
A quick read (or listen) full of your classic fantasy adventures. Slaying demons, leveling up, sword play and magic. The perfect read for escaping reality and immersing yourself in a party of different personalities expertly woven into characters.
January 24, 2026
One of the best book series I've read in the past 10 years
Extremely well written book, fits well in the young adult section, keeps your mind engaged as you read and does not let you get bored.
Extremely well written book, fits well in the young adult section, keeps your mind engaged as you read and does not let you get bored.
March 24, 2026
Still Not The End
But there is some closure, along with another semi-cliffhanger. I did find this ond hard to finish. I skipped a few scenes, maybe because I've read them back to back and need a break. We'll see about the next when it releases.
But there is some closure, along with another semi-cliffhanger. I did find this ond hard to finish. I skipped a few scenes, maybe because I've read them back to back and need a break. We'll see about the next when it releases.
April 26, 2026
This one was a bit of a letdown. I was waiting for a more complex story regarding the demons, although I guess that will be coming in the next part. But the half assed justifications of killing did not sit right with me.
June 8, 2026
Sourpatchhero doesn't disappoint. I'm itching to read the next book!! This was much more a seize story with the crew picking up a magical mentor. A lot of secrets get revealed and yet there's so many questions I have!! love it
December 12, 2025
Great book loved it
I loved this book read the first 3 back to back and had to wait for this one to come out. Like that is a buddy comedy litrpg book need more to read
I loved this book read the first 3 back to back and had to wait for this one to come out. Like that is a buddy comedy litrpg book need more to read
January 8, 2026
Best one yet
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews