Dungeon Cleaners Inc.

  J. R. Saileri

  Disclaimer

  Copyright © 2022 by Saileri / J. R. Saileri

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form possible without permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Cover design by Ullr.

  Typography by Ripley.

  Edition: 01.08.2022

  Acknowledgements

  First of all, to my lovely supporters from Patreon, who decided, for whatever reason, to honor me with their presence, often sharing kind words, comments and feedback, besides the obvious financial support. I love you all guys and girls! Even if I started writing just for fun, you are now partially my reason to keep improving further and further!

  And from that incredible, supporting family, I want to specifically mention my Living Legend backers—Moheebi3abc, Julian S., PhyonesArc, and Billy R. S; my EX rank backers—Michael S and Alvzorin; and of course my S-rank backers—Magiwarrior, Chicken Adobo, Soen Kigi, Fandley, Luiswu, Skyell, Dennis W., Vincent S., William J., Sonicblackfox, Robert H., Fussel, Trenton S., SIDracon, James A. M., Rando C. and EatsBreeze. Especially you, Magiwarrior. You’ve been with me since pretty much the first month of my Patreon, silently watching over my stories basically from their first chapters. Godspeed to you man. Over two years and counting. Insane.

  Of course, I can’t forget another patron of mine—Termac. Since the day you’ve joined, you keep relentlessly pointing out mistakes in my chapters, release after release. I appreciate that so, so much. I hope this little mention will show at least a little bit of my gratitude.

  Moving off this long Patreon-train, I can’t not bring up my best friend—Peres. Even though I’m sure it’s annoying at times, I can always count on you when a random word that I need suddenly decides to escape my chaotic mind. Your help in catching it is very much appreciated.

  Last but not least, to all the readers that follow my works, and to You, who reached for this book. I can never fathom how thousands of people are following me on these various fantasy journeys. Thank You for giving this story a chance. Many of you might not be aware of how anxious an author can get about their own writing. But, just the thought of making someone enjoy a good time even for a brief moment is something incredible. I hope you all will never run out of good books to read!

  CONTENTS

  Foreword

  Chapter 1 Do You Have What It Takes?

  Chapter 2 Reality Sets In

  Chapter 3 First Subordinate

  Chapter 4 New Old Home

  Chapter 5 First Battle

  Chapter 6 Retro Guide

  Chapter 7 Shopping Time

  Chapter 8 Learning the Basics

  Chapter 9 Not a Single Moment Wasted

  Chapter 10 Level Up

  Chapter 11 First Clear

  Chapter 12 A Hot Take

  Chapter 13 To Be an Overlord

  Chapter 14 First Payroll

  Chapter 15 Cleaning Up

  Chapter 16 And Another One Goes Down the Rabbit Hole

  Chapter 17 Deadly Colors

  Chapter 18 Kitchen Warfare

  Chapter 19 In the Hands of a Predator

  Chapter 20 Suffering from Success

  Chapter 21 The Power of Fame

  Chapter 22 Gathering Some Firewood

  Chapter 23 An Unexpected Friend

  Chapter 24 A New Objective

  Chapter 25 A New Companion

  Chapter 26 The Operation Begins

  Chapter 27 Prison Crashers

  Chapter 28 Will to Command

  Chapter 29 On the Horn

  Chapter 30 Final Assembly

  Chapter 31 The Bigger They Are the Harder They Fall

  Chapter 32 Well-Earned Promotion

  Chapter 33 Towards a New Beginning

  Afterword

  What’s Next?

  Where To Find Me?

  More Stories Like This

  Character Sheets

  Skill Glossary

  Foreword

  Yo! Saileri here! Just wanted to throw in a few words before we dive into the book! Also, a huge thank you for deciding to give my novels a try!

  This story is my second bigger project, which I have been writing on the side to take it slowly, and a more serious attempt at a real litRPG. Dungeon Cleaners Inc. is something I thought would be fun—a mix of the usual adventure fantasy, and a bit of limited urban fantasy, with a little sprinkle of non-invasive and mostly supportive litRPG elements here and there, plus a little twist at the conjunction of those two subgenres. I won’t spoil what it is, but I was super excited to write through it!

  If you are looking for some exciting fantasy dungeon crawling with a pinch of relaxed atmosphere in the modern world, then this book might be for you! Oh, and a quite smart, collected, inquisitive main character who likes to lead more than get personal with enemies, focusing on building a strong team that brings out the best of his talents, but also doesn’t stray away from getting some blood on his hands maybe? Hop in, then! Let me just mention that it might get a little spicy at a moment or two :)

  One more thing before I stop holding you hostage here. If you like to discuss things related to the story with others or even with me, the author, feel free to join my Discord server! Plenty of people meet there and love to comment on stuff or theorycraft! There’s also a dedicated channel for reporting mistakes so you can poke me there if you stumble on any! Some of them might have been made intentionally :)

  Without further ado, enjoy!

  Chapter 1

  Do You Have What It Takes?

  I tapped the red button on the remote while pointing it behind my back and over my shoulder, shutting off the TV that had been serving as a background noise. Nothing lost. They talked about all the new issues and how the people in power ignored common sense, for fear of their decisions affecting the upcoming elections all day.

  Now was not the time to listen to that bullshit. It was time to focus. All brain cells onboard and working together towards the same goal.

  I took a sip of red wine from the glass standing on my desk and turned my attention to the monitor screen in front of my eyes. A depiction of a gigantic, ominous gate stared back at me from the display, inducing fear and anxiety in those standing right in front of it.

  Well, maybe it would have, if it wasn’t part of an isometric RPG game called Dungeon Cleaners. As beautiful, eerie, and sinister as everything the developers had created was, the fact that you viewed it through a flat screen did take away a considerable part of the experience.

  Unfortunately, VR and AR were still not on the level that allowed developers to reach the amazing quality and performance that traditional games offered. Fully immersive titles were still a distant dream.

  But, maybe that was for the better. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to achieve the same things in a game that mirrored real life to the tiniest detail. Raiding demonic dungeons filled with eldritch-like, Lovecraftian horrors would certainly be scary as hell, which would affect the player’s performance and decision making.

  And, decision making was something I couldn’t allow myself to underperform in. Not when I led a party of Heroes through the latest, most difficult, and hardcore dungeon the developers had recently added to the game. They called it, The Last Step to Ascension.

  Those virtual fates rested in my hands. Those virtual lives would perish once they were snuffed out, losing me all the effort and resources I had poured into the allies I acquired throughout the time I’d put into playing it.

  Dungeon Cleaners wasn’t a game for casual players. Yes, I had it a bit easier, since my main character was a tactician-type, leading NPCs into the battle from the backline and supporting them with spells instead of rushing head-on into battle, but your account got deleted the moment that character died, obviously wiping all the progress you had made up until that point.

  Fortunately, the devs and the publisher weren’t sadistic enough to demand another purchase when that happened. That would definitely bring their playerbase even lower. This game was their passion project, for sure, and it showed. Admirable in the current stream of low-effort, predatory cash grabs.

  I cracked my knuckles and reaffirmed my grip on the mouse and keyboard.

  “Alright. Show me what you got.”

  With a simple click, the NPC designated as my main tank, a Paladin named Viria, opened the gigantic double doors.

  My party consisted of five individuals, not including my main character. The aforementioned tank in her full plate armor and impressive tower shield; a greatsword user totally not inspired by a certain very popular Berserker; a Ranger with a bow; a Wizard using a grimoire as his magical focus; and, a Holy Priestess focusing on Healing Magic. My role was commanding and supporting them with well-timed buffs.

  I led the party of six characters through the impressive gate and entered what looked like a spacious, last-boss chamber worthy of a true Demon Lord from all those fantasy worlds. It wasn’t a rare sight in this game, but this particular arena trumped every previous design I had seen so far.

  “So… You have finally come, Heroes.” A booming, ancient voice played in my headphones.

  The interior of the arena became illuminated by green fire t
hat flared into existence over numerous braziers placed along the walls. The darkness receded to reveal a giant throne at the far end of the hall. A towering figure with onyx skin sat on the massive chair carved from bones.

  The boss slowly rose and picked up two humongous, double-edged greataxes, one in each hand, resting them on its shoulders. Visually, it seemed to resemble a Minotaur, but with a few extra details.

  The Demon Lord—let’s call it that from now on—had cloven hooves with legs covered in dark grey fur, muscular calves, thighs, torso and arms, just like the aforementioned monster. Instead of the head of a bull, though, a lion’s face sat atop its shoulders, with a fancy black mane covering them. Three tails danced behind its back, each with a different tip. I spotted three snakes, each with a different color. I suppose it was closer to a Chimera than a Minotaur.

  “Great. I bet each of those spits poison that applies a different status ailment. And that’s surely not all. A simple physical melee boss this far into the game? No way,” I mused.

  And so, the battle began.

  I started with my staple combination of Diamond Skin on Viria, sending the Paladin straight at the monster, and then I threw Protection from Acid on the entire team.

  Before she reached the boss, I traced a route for Berg the Berserker to arrive at its flank, where the two would meet. The ranged trio spread out and I tapped on the offensive skills of Viola the Ranger and Softhon the Wizard to start his cast.

  Just the initial hit Viria received as the Demon Lord’s twin greataxes smashed into her shield announced how hard this fight would be. Three-fourths of the Paladin’s stamina disappeared in an instant from blocking that strike. A very important resource the tank needed to keep completely nullifying the damage with their shield.

  Berg’s swing at the monster’s calf did barely anything and I had to withdraw him after two auto-attacks. Its Physical Resistance was insane.

  Fortunately, Arcane Arrow and Lightning Bolt were a bit more effective.

  Unfortunately, it looked like the boss had an incredibly low threshold for switching its attention to the damage dealers and its crimson, beady eyes instantly locked onto the backline. I activated Viria’s taunt ability, but the Demon Lord’s focus didn’t even budge. I could already see a faintly telegraphed AOE attack forming up.

  The game didn’t make it easy by showing red circles on the ground to indicate the danger zones, I had to trust my own intuition and reflexes. Judging by how the monster leaned back and puffed out its chest in the animation, I was sure it would be a breath attack, so I quickly dropped Sacred Cathedral coming from Rosalyn the Holy Priestess.

  And it proved to be a good choice, as green flames surged out of the Demon Lord’s mouth and crashed into my backline just shortly after I had gathered everyone into one spot. The relentless inferno covered the full width of the chamber. If I had chosen to just dodge and weave with my characters, at least the Priestess would have been lost.

  But, during this fire-breathing attack, the monster was completely motionless, and I would be a complete beginner if I didn’t immediately use that to my advantage with Viria and Berg still in front of the Demon Lord.

  I threw in all of my strongest magical attacks the two had in store and managed to bring down its health by around fifteen percent before the boss stopped spitting flames. Half of my healer’s mana had been consumed by keeping the spell up, but it was worth it.

  All warmed up, I started introducing some of my best strategies of fighting such enemies and slowly pushed through the battle.

  Not without struggle, of course.

  That bastard’s tails weren’t just poisonous. Yes, the green snake did exactly that, but the blue one wielded ice magic, and the red one rained scarlet fire on my team. The boss used them more and more throughout the fight, reaching certain thresholds of its lost health.

  In the end, it took me almost two full hours of meticulous back and forth to finish it. And I almost lost near the very end.

  The Demon Lord had initiated what looked like a sure-fire instakill ability and locked on my main character, ignoring everyone else. My heart almost stopped at the sight of impending doom and years of effort lost in a blink.

  My fingers blurred over my keyboard with trained movements faster than my eyes could follow, and my heart nearly exploded from the spiking blood pressure when the game glitched out in the worst possible moment ever.

  Instead of my carefully selected main character, it was Berg who moved towards my cursor, crossing the path of a humongous demonic greatsword of pure emerald fire flying straight towards my commander. Even though Berg had obviously more health and could take on much more, he was obliterated in an instant.

  I thanked gods this glitch resulted in a positive result and doubled my focus, swearing to avenge my favorite Berserker who was cruelly taken away from me by a bug that almost wiped my account.

  Now, I stared at the congratulatory message displayed on my screen while leaning back into my comfy chair and waiting for the rush of the intense fight to slowly fade away from my system.

  “Shit. First time I lost a character. Sorry, Berg. You will be damn difficult to replace. So many great items and equipment followed you to the abyss. I don’t regret that, though. If you were a real warrior, I would have sent you away with all of them anyway. Respect, man.”

  I sighed and swiped down my face.

  “Fuck. It’s so infuriating losing something to a bug, even if that bug saved my whole account. The rewards better be mind-blowing. This has truly been the hardest one so far, worthy to be called the last—”

  *DING*

  I uncovered my eyes and glanced at the monitor. Another pop-up window appeared over the victory notification. It had a different vibe to it, not the usual silver-white rectangle with fancy columns but an obsidian-black block. Green letters spread through the box.

  ★━━━━━━━━━━★

  Do you have what it takes to continue further?

  ★━━━━━━━━━━★

  “What?” I furrowed my brows. “That’s another first. Is this like a post-credits event? I didn’t think there would be more. Maybe a flashy way to introduce a DLC? Anyway, of course, I do. This is a great game, and I will gladly buy the first bonus content. I’m surprised there was no announcement about it, though. The devs have been pretty open with the community.”

  I moved my mouse to click on the button symbolizing agreement and frowned again when I didn’t find anything else besides text inside the dark rectangle.

  *DING*

  My head jerked back when another one popped up over the previous message.

  ★━━━━━━━━━━★

  Even if it would put your life at risk?

  ★━━━━━━━━━━★

  “The hell?” I stared at the window in confusion. “Was one of the devs spectating my attempt? This feels a little creepy and awesome at the same time, honestly. But… putting my life at risk? What does this mean?”

  *DING*

  Another rectangle.

  ★━━━━━━━━━━★

  Aren’t you looking for a job right now? What if I told you that we have a position perfectly fitting your talents?

  ★━━━━━━━━━━★

  “Alriiiiiiiiight… I’m fairly sure listening to the user’s comms violates more laws and regulations than I can think of, and this is way too fluid to have been programmed. Besides…”

  Just like the message said, I was currently unemployed. Only for a month, but still. I was a victim of budget cuts in Human Resources due to the chaos that was the economy in the current state of the world.

  I had been a Project Manager and Team Leader watching over a group of talented programmers in a quite decently prospering startup. We had great synergy. Unfortunately, the entire team was laid off as the company abandoned the product we were working on to save money.

  And that remark hanging in the middle of my screen felt too much of a lucky guess.

  “Okay, so you can somehow hear me—I will stop myself from disconnecting the microphone for now—and you somehow know my personal information. Is this a hack? Ransom? Blackmail into… a job?”