Overpowered and Underwhelmed [Super Hero, Slice of Life]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

“Overpowered and Underwhelmed” – Because superpowers don’t come with an instruction manual.

Just because someone has world-shattering powers doesn’t mean they asked for them—or even want them. Some people dream of capes and glory, but not everyone’s cut out for that life. Sometimes, you just want to live a normal, quiet existence, even if the universe keeps throwing chaos your way.

The thing is, when you’re crazy strong and never signed up for any of this, finding that normal life becomes a bit… complicated. You’re not trying to save the world. You’re just trying to make peace with the fact that it expects you to.

Release ScheduleI’ll be releasing 1-2 chapters weekly, generally Tuesday and Friday, with occasional extras when life gets a little less chaotic for me and Dave.

Dave Peterson has the kind of power that could stop world-ending threats in an instant. But he’s not here for the glory or the heroism. In fact, he’s not really here for any of it. Dave just wants what most people do—a normal life. Unfortunately, living under the radar is harder than it sounds when you can level buildings with a flick of your wrist.

In the chaos of Zenith City, where super humans and monsters collide on a regular basis, Dave is constantly trying to escape the pressures that come with his abilities. The world expects him to step up and become a hero, but he’s more focused on keeping his routine intact and maintaining whatever peace he can find.

“Overpowered and Underwhelmed” is a slice-of-life superhero story with a twist: the real challenge isn’t saving the day, it’s figuring out how to live a normal life when the world won’t stop demanding more. Through dry humor, introspective moments, and reluctant heroics, Dave navigates his way through a world that never seems to give him a break.

Courage - Book One of the Overpowered and Underwhelmed series.

For readers who enjoy stories that blend superhuman abilities with everyday struggles, this series offers a fresh take on what it really means to be overpowered—and how underwhelming that can feel.

What to Expect fromOverpowered and Underwhelmed

• A Reluctant Hero: Dave’s got world-shattering powers but no interest in using them. He’s not here to save the day—he just wants a normal life.• Slice-of-Life with a Twist: It’s not about capes and glory; it’s about trying to live an ordinary life when your powers keep dragging you into chaos.• Dry Humor & Wit: Expect sharp, dry humor as Dave tackles everyday life with sarcastic commentary, all while the world expects him to do more.• Internal Conflict: Beneath the jokes, Dave’s wrestling with responsibility, guilt, and the burden of his power.• Chaotic World: Set in the unpredictable Zenith City, where super humans, monsters, and disasters are just part of the backdrop.• Character-Driven Storytelling: Follow Dave’s journey as he tries to balance his unwanted abilities with his search for normalcy.• Awesome, Vivid Action: While the series leans into introspection, when the action hits, it’s intense, vivid, and unforgettable.

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2024
Author: Occulto

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.2/ 5.0
Followers: 1,815
Views: 165,367

Chapters(17 total)

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(10)

zalainaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Awesome story! The OP main character trying to live a normal life is one of my favorite tropes, BUT it isn’t just slice of life since it brings in action and a solid plot! coupled with the existential thoughts and I’m in love. everything together is just, chefs kiss. I can’t wait to read more every week!
DurmiunRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Very promising start to what looks like a fun super power adventure!
Dave’s journey (at least so far) is very much not about progressing his powers, but more so about exploring himself and how he can keep his sanity while integrating into a new reality.
minor concerns around his power set, although granted nothing concrete had been explained about that yet: he seems to be at a level of power where there is nothing that can realistically threaten him so the only things that will provide a catalyst for growth is harming or threatening those he cares about. That’s fine, if it is done well, but I’ve seen it be done poorly more often than not.
however, again, that has not happened here yet and is just a random “I wouldn’t like it as much if that happened” concern.
GofasternuRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Um, please come back? You said a little hiatus. So come back, K? I need more, so drop some letters on me. I’m invested and enjoy the world building. So chop chop. Get with the cunning linguistics and satiate my desires for tom foolery. Did I say chop chop? Cause chop chop.
Mister CykwlRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Maybe the best part of this fiction (so far) is how it handles characterization. The characters feel alive and their feelings implied through their dialogue and their expressions, all while being in a first person POV of our protagonist Dave.
It's excellently written! The style is easy to follow and prose is perfect, though sometimes it could get too descriptive but nothing too disruptive! Each paragraph flows smoothly to the next and each dialogue feels natural to the character. It follows that there's no grammar errors too, so far.
It was already mention in the synopsis, but in a setting where superheroes and monsters run rampant, every living minute of Dave's life encourages some sort of chaos to happen. Within that same setting, hints appear that this was already their way of life for so long. The ordinary person just wants to live every other day without encountering the unknown, and Dave is just like that.
You only see the part of the world that Dave sees, and in that way, you're slowly being immersed into a world you initially knew nothing of. Speaking as a writer, this is a great start to a story where worldbuilding is fed not as an info dump, but described into the lens of the protagonist.
I'm still early into the story but I'd surely continue reading from this point on. Hopefully there's a change of pace where we can finally see the full extent of what the "Overpowered" part entails!
The Random GuyRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The story premise is pretty good so far but as with most 'slice of life' stories the character suffers from lack of motivation. Mostly he seems to want the freedom of getting stuck in a rut while doing some light crafting. Seriously, Kaiju, just let the man have his &$#@ing sandwich. He will one-punch you so hard your momma will feel it. There is a tragic backstory there somewhere but it has yet to be revealed. Moral dilemmas abound, also pottery classes, scented candles, hobo slap fights, therapy sessions, and a world that is almost as scarred as he is, but both are slowly healing.
The author has a good technical grasp of the english language with few grammatical mistakes and a consistent narrative style. We get to see the thoughts and motivations behind the characters actions and experience the world as they do. There is a good deal of thought put into the setting and great effort at continued world building. I find it easy to read and engaging enough to continue doing so.
domestosRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Just gorged myself and read this in 2 sittings
Yes it is that good.
Best thing ive read in a while
Story is good, main character and side characters are well developed and believeable
World building is great.
The story describes everything in a colourfull and intresting fashion
Negitives. Theres no pateron. Would defo support this author
LionardRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Really good world building, belivable characters, a world that doesnt has story even outside of the MC and interesting events, powers, people and places.
So far i havent found anything i could have written better, be that grammar, writing style or anything else.
Really good if you want some slice of life again!
ShadowKnight303Royal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
As far as novels go, slice of life is one of my favorite genres, and this story lives up to my expectation very well.
There are slightly larger text blocks, but nothing to complicated or hard to understand
Overall, a very enjoyable read, highly recommend reading if the summary interests you.
CallMeStarGuyRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
I'm not sure what it's going for, but I can't say I'm hooked. The descriptions are great, but I'm not a fan of the MC. Only 5 chapters in and living in the mind of a grizzled veteran super with what is likely depression is not all that fun. Definitely could use something to loosen the mood. A sidekick, a pet, or a wayward soul he mentors would help the story out a lot. Not hooked with the world, and with no lore or politics presented so far it's pretty boring. The MC has no motivation, and is obviousl a One Punch Man analog, but lacks the supporting cast that makes Saitamas casual disinterest and OP-ness tolerable. Though I'm not a big fan, I still feel like this is better than 90% of the novels on this site. Thankfully it's not AI generated drivel that has become a serious problem on this site, so definitely give it a chance before you go.
JoshsReadingListRoyal Road
★★★★ 3.5
I dont know what I was expecting really. I clicked it because I thought the way the mc was just holding his starbucks or whatever was funny. The story is a comedy and I guess it does that part well. I just really dont like Dave, he's such an annoying head to be inside. It is slice of life though so we're not really meant to be going anywhere.
Its fine.