Zeroth Moment: My Cheat Skill Is Stupid, So I'll Just Ignore It

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Topher Bailey has been summoned to a magical world, given a special power, and confronted with a call to destiny!

The problem? His power isdumb. Even the other denizens of this mystical realm agree -- it's completely worthless. Also, Topher is, like, forty-three, with a boatload of health problems and no real ambition. He's not going to be slaying any demon lords anytime soon.

In fact, everything is probably going to be very boring. No epic battles, no stirring romances, and definitely,definitelyno drama whatsoever.

Information

Status: Completed
Year: 2023
Author: AMBLE

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.3/ 5.0
Followers: 750
Views: 598,178

Chapters(151 total)

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(10)

sid_cypherRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
If you've read any previous AMBLE's story, you'd know not to expect the usual.
A bunch of Japanese high-schoolers were summoned to a world of magic with a game-like system, Status and all, yadda-yadda. Now why is a middle-aged worn-down American "regular everyday normal guy" is in the bunch? What's with the gulf of might-and-magic inequality? The castle dungeon works like Hilbert's Grand Hotel? And did the very fabric of reality just sweep some chickens under the rug?
Written from a mature, if somewhat defeatist perspective, the story will lead you along the main characters' journey of discovery. It could be the ways of the new world, or maybe it'd be a way out of learned helplessness, where a keen mind, with a bit of luck, discovers a way not to lose, even on the Brutal difficulty.
Grammar: Perfectly fine to my eye, trained by many years of reading. Rich vocabulary.
Style: Habitually obscuring casual brilliance behind a veneer of mediocrity, like a hide-and-reveal garden.
Characters: Distinct and believable enough, the starting characters may blend all together at first, but they make their own impressions soon enough, even though I've had trouble remembering their names at first. Later characters stand out more, with individual motives and backstories.
Story: Similarly to the Shakespeare-inspired Lion King, we leave when driven out by adversity, gather strength, then return. The journey does not just reveal the wonders and intricacies of the world, and the colorful companions along the way, it keeps revealing more about the main character as well. The Harmon's cycle is clearly present, the Campbell's monomyth stages well-recognizable. The story is not yet finished, but it is finely crafted so far.
Another DisappointmentRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The magic system is rich and interesting. The characters feel real (you can tell who's talking based on how they sound, which puts this above 99% of the works on this website). The prose is genuinely good (again putting this above 99% of the works on this website).
This feels like the first draft of something that could get traditionally published, and not just 'published' to kindle unlimited.
A criminally underrated work.
AntizombienatorRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Chapter 5
I'm really liking this so far. I'm only five chapters in at this point but already I can see there's weird things going on. I'm looking forward to finding out what's going on and how our underdog protagonist deals with it. Also, nothing to mention with the writing quality. It seems good with decent grammar and very few mistakes.
Chapter 106
One of the best fictions on Royal Road. It never dissapoints and I can't help but read the chapters as soon as they come out. This story just seems to go from strength to strength.
Complete
This story can be complicated, but it is also the best complete story on Royal Road. A 'must read'.
IdeonRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Im a very finicky person with what i read, its not that i have great taste, its just that i can drop novels over the most petty reasons, sometimes on chapter 1, and i do this often.
The reason i rate this novel so high is becouse its filled moments that in other novels it would've made me drop it instantly, in this, it makes me what to read MORE. Its just that good, i can't stop reading.
If at some point you think you should drop it, give it one more chapter, more often than not your opinion of it will turn around.
LadVladRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Credit where its due, not many RR novels actually get an ending. and this had quite an uncontroversial ending as far as endings go.
You really should not come here expecting much from the progression and fantasy tags as those are all part of the mystery too.
And I feel like I already said far too much, its fairly short, its a mystery, if you are into that, its pretty good.
MelyfisRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Very well written with plenty of "show don't tell" when covering the protagonists. The stark contrast with the bluntness of the high-rank shenanigans is endlessly amusing.
The story uses a derivative setting as shorthand to establish an engaging, suspense-filled story, which even after four volumes has more to be uncovered.
Grammar is easily comprehensible and professional with occasional pieces of standout prose. I was not expecting to enjoy an isekei about a gross old guy nearly as much as I am, and am very glad to have given it a chance.
AlsoJohnRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
It's a surprising amount of fun and serious reflection.
An American second rater middle aged man magically summoned with a bunch of Japanese school kids to a magical world because, naturally, the demon lord has got to go
Sounds cheesy or at best bog standard genere. It's not. The heroes get to hero the zeros? They have the more difficult journey. One cavet: if you don't like sympathy for the under dogs and would rather watch the overpowered stride across the stage this might not be your cup of tea
Numbus26Royal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Early on, this story is kind of rough. I would encourage those a bit skeptical of the future quality to read at least until around the second book, where the writer begins to find their style a bit more and the story hits its stride. It has a tone I could only really describe as Discwold-esque, comedic in places(mostly interludes) but perfectly capable of being serious.
I have one major complaint with the story and one minor one, which I'll list here. The major complaint is that pretty much every time we have a chapter from the point of view of one of the 'summoned teenagers', there are at least two mentions of sex or masturbation, and it very vaguely creeps me out, because the majority of the story is from the point of view of a middle aged man and almost entirely empty of those references. It strikes me as a very odd choice to make. Realistic for teenagers, maybe, but does the story really need it? I don't think so.
The minor complaint is that about midway into the story, the main character meets another character and instantly falls in love with her. It happened so fast I actually had to reread the paragraph where she's introduced multiple times.
Other than these two complaints, the story is very good, and I heartily reommend it.
Pascal PotvinRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
The first volume was tough to get through—maybe it’s my age or my Western background—but I was this close to giving up. I’m so glad I didn’t! Starting with volume two, the story swept me away in a whirlwind of action, suspense, and just the right touch of romance. Absolutely fantastic!
There were a few moments, especially toward the end, that were harder to follow, but overall, what an incredible journey. Thank you so much for this story!
DCdictatorRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
The story so far is a bit of a magical mystery with a lot in common with "Guilded Hero". A bunch of people are summoned to a magical world to fight a Demon Lord, and the main character is one of the rejects.
The main characters aren't especially strong and make reasonable choices given their circumstances. The Skill mentioned in the title is basically pointless at the time of this review, but also its pointlessness is pretty irrelevant to the story.
The world is being revealed slowly and deliberately, but so far it's pretty intriguing.
Give it a try if you haven't already, I hope the author keeps going.