The Daily Grind: A Slice-of-Life LitRPG

The Daily Grind #1

by Argus .

An IT worker explores an alternate dimension in his office in the first book of a fun and fast-paced series blending cubical life and dungeon fantasy.

Working as overnight tech support, James Lyle has long said he’d do anything to escape the boredom. But his commitment to excitement is tested when a slight coincidence one shift sends him to a different part of his office building . . . and he discovers a stairwell that contains not stairs but rather a landscape of seemingly infinite cubicles against a distant horizon.

Unwilling (and unable) to stay away, James and a few of his trusted friends begin to explore this endless maze of supernatural business ennui, a few minutes in the real world turning into eight hours of encounters with strange creatures and even stranger interior design choices. But in a realm that allows them to level up in fax machine repair and provides them with enough cash to pay the rent, there are also adversaries that are quickly becoming dangerous—and potentially lethal.

As James, along with his companions, delves ever deeper into this extraordinary place, James starts to realize that animate staplers and time dilation might not be the biggest challenges they face, and those challenges might not stop at the entrance . . .

The Daily Grind is the epic beginning to a slice-of-life urban fantasy that effortlessly blends wry commentary on office life with intricate character- and world-building.

The first volume of the hit LitRPG fantasy series—with more than four million views on Royal Road—now available on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and Audible!

Genres: Fantasy, Audiobook, Slice Of Life, Urban Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

486 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 2, 2023

Reviews

[Dantegideon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those books where it constantly feels like something huge and exciting is about to happen, but it never does. Unsatisfying.

[Junior · Rating 2 out of 5]

This has one thing going for it. The name of the book is what reading it feels like. It's a grind. Half way through the book and absolutely nothing of substance has happened. Essentially no growth, same events repeated ad nauseam, and just dumb decisions by the MCs.

Note to self: Do not continue

[Salvatore · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very interesting take on a normal dungeon crawl. I loved the concept at first, which is what drew me to this book.

I loved the character building and the setting, the first few chapters were pretty decent. I loved the main character's experience of the dungeon crawl, his fear and excitement was infectious.

The interplay with the other friendly monsters is also good. The fear of the dungeon crawl and the addiction to keep going back was great.

Towards the end it got a bit stale and drawn out, with the revelations not balancing it out enough for me to not feel like the last third of the book was a chore to finish.

I received a free copy of this book via Podium Team and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Silver Linings · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this was one of the first books in the LitRPG genre that I read and got really engaged with - a lot of other representations that I read at the time seemed sort of... shallow. Mostly about the levels. The Daily Grind, when I first read it around five years ago, was a story that broke the mold. It kind of wraps traditional LitRPG mechanics in SCP-esque urban horror, and then starts asking deep philosophical questions about the nature of power and responsibility and the relationships we have with one another.

Also great and diverse representation. I have a soft spot for it because it introduced me to so many things, and the story's evolved a lot through the various books in the series. One worth reading just to see where it goes.

[Gwenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun and re-readable
Jason is a lovely example of a disaster-bi sexual

not sure what all the complaints about it being a grind to get through are talking about.
the stakes raise in intriguing ways as it progresses.

the stuff towards the end feels like one of the creepy Dr who episodes (compliment)

[Carina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the premise of the story and it started off great. There was some really creative and unique dungeon ideas. I also enjoyed the relationship between the two original MC's.

Sadly additional characters were added in towards the middle of the book who I just didn't vibe with. Alanna especially (Why are women in this kind of book always hitting the guys) and the whole plot just got kind of weird.

[Will Rogers · Rating 1 out of 5]

70% then DNF. I have never in my life DNF’d a book. Book throws you in to main storyline immediately then slowly feeds you the same crap over and over and book loves the “clever/weak man” and “physically superior female fighter” trope that is soooo overplayed. Male characters are fumbling goof balls and female characters are overly tough. I get it’s an RPG where there will be character development. But I am not willing to waste 50 hours to get to the point I like these characters.

[Soo · Rating 2 out of 5]

2024/09/28 Notes:

Bought audiobook when it was on sale. Bumped up the TBR cause a friend talked about reading 1-4 in VT. Not sure how I want to rate the book.

- Concepts are cool, but setting & characters are dull as dust. Basically, it's not the kind of setup that would interest me, and the stuff that would hook my mind are slim to slivers.
- Narration by Pavi Proczko was fine. He made the story have more life & emotions. I would not be able to read the story in print format.
- Story is told in passive tell style with very little show.

The characters are supposed to be relatable to general readers and take a side step into urban fantasy. Like Office Space with weird office monsters and levels. Let's go on an adventure kind of tale. I get the intent, but there's not enough engaging elements (strong character build, setting, story mechanics, believable relationships/interactions, etc) to get me fully invested.

Note to Self: Read other books in TBR.

[Apparently a reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great premise, enjoyable Character and story, I loved the mystery and how lost our characters are, I sense that this dungeon thing is basically like a mix between snacktooth island from bugsnax and mementos from persona 5 but maybe I'm wrong, James is an excellent character and I do think that there's some greater reason why he likes the dungeon(not that the dungeon is holy or something just that James has issues), also loved how the comedy in this, it's a healthy balance of crazy and real.


it didn't have much of an arc and felt like it was the intro to the story, nothing happened except gathering the party and the story kinda stagnated around the middle but it picked up pace. One thing though is that the monsters get Linda confusing after a while, most of the time Idk what kinda monster we are fighting a lot of monsters are described the same and have the same attacks(except for the shellaxie 2.0 for obvious reasons)

Also I'm confused who James has a crush on, most of the "romance"(I put quotes because there barely is any) he has moments with anesh(my glorious king) and I think they're cute, and after alanna joined he's been having moments with her so idk what the approach is really, if you asked me I would want him with anesh but it's mostly because I love anesh and I think he deserves everything but they are kinda cute together

This isn't a professional review I just started typing shit that came to mind but yeah 4 star gonna read the next one

[Bryant E]

Good book, interesting plot and char development. Unexpected plot twists, I like the way Argus takes a trope and looks at it from a different angle to change the story arch and my expectations of the story. I honestly did not have high expectations from this story, the book descriptions were not very informative, but I was pleasantly surprised. There is more to the story then the premise lets on. I was and continue to be a little disappointed with the authors tendency to introduce a plot twist or new char, and then wander off and not develop that new angle. I feel like there are some hanging plot points just forgotten about, but that is a small grumble in a larger positive and well written story line.

[Bobsome · Rating 5 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this book, though I may be partial to it as an IT person myself. It walks the line between magical realism and urban/present fantasy. Also the creep level can get into full blown horror territory, even if it's not a 'horror novel' book. I was not expecting that, and even though I've encountered a similar mechanic reading D&D forums, it's never been sprung on me, and it was as entirely as effective as advertised. Vague because spoilers. I went to read the next book and was sad it wasn't already available.

[Joseph · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNR
!NB! Story is a narration of an online web novel available in text format (or audio using text-to-speech) for free on several web pages. Feel free to get acquainted and purchase the audiobook if you enjoy the story. !NB!

Being bored out of his mind, a man working dead end job at call center wonders about the office building to stave the boredom away. Protagonist uncovers a dungeon, an office dungeon, that appears once a week for 3 minutes at the same door. Thus dungeon delving adventure, as bizarre as it sounds, begins.

Story included several instances of juxtaposed tonal shift. From explorative story telling about the office dungeon in manner befitting David Attenborough to life or death encounter with the local wildlife. Creatures in the dungeon have their own motives and biomes in which explorers are unwelcome intruders. The magic system being unknown to the readers makes imagination run wild. Exploration of the office dungeon is a pathfinder's adventure, e.g. creatures with powers of mind persuasion and memory manipulation, impossible shifting environment.

The story's origin as a web novel is unfortunately felt through the plot arcs, pacing. One can imagine the author started the story to explore the admittedly unique world of office dungeon setting leaving the story progression as an afterthought. The characters motives are uncertain, even to themselves. Dungeon diving for profit or exploring the dungeon for explorations sake. The dangers are in the dungeon, characters rarely express decisive self-determinism, preferring to go with the flow. Only to get hurt, barely survive and then repeat the cycle.

Conclusion: 1/5. Listened on Audible included in plus catalogue. Narrated by: Pavi Proczko. Slice of life story about two cohabiting young adult male friends, with occasionally having friends over or partaking in extreme sport. I wish more story telling was from the perspective of being inside dungeon with the real world in the background, e.g. Either from dungeon natives pov or from trapped human's. The reveal at the end makes me hope story telling in sequel will follow aforementioned, with protagonists looking to rescue the lost person. Bad value for the length of the book - 1.53 $/hour ( 26.79 $ / 17 hrs 32 mins ).

Values:
Terrible: >1.66 $/hour
Bad: 1 - 1.66 $/hour
Good: <1 $/hour
Dream: 0.4 - 0.27 $/hour

Stars:
1 - Not worth the resources to reproduce/preserve this title.
2 -Bad
3 -Good
4 - Personally, love it
5 - Recommended to everyone

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Daily Grind follows James, a typical nerdy guy who works in IT and spends his free time playing D&D with his friends. His life is quite mundane, until a decision to take the stairs at work one night leads to the discovery of a lifetime: in the early hours of each Tuesday morning, instead of a normal staircase, the door of the stairwell opens into a seemingly neverending room of office cubicles. Of course James has to explore this mysterious real world dungeon. Fighting monstrous office supplies won't be easy, but there's plenty to make this experience worthwhile for James, and eventually his friends, once he shares the secret.

This is such a fun premise. The plot is just like an anime. I enjoyed the imaginative office monsters, and the ones who were a little less monstrous. It was a little slow at first to get into, not sure that all the trips back and forth into the dungeon were fully necessary. Once they started exploring further and getting more into the deeper facets of the dungeon, though, I was hooked. The mystery that crops up at the very end of the novel is especially intriguing, and leaves me wanting more of this story. A fun and engaging read.

I received a free copy of this book via Podium Team and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Douglas Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our hero may have been rather bored at work, but when he discovers a section of his office that has come alive in a fantasy dungeon style, this might not be exactly what he was looking for. But beggars can't be choosers and exploring these corridors just might lead him where he need to be. If that magical stapler doesn't get him first.

This is book one of the series, so no issue there.

This is a cross between a litRPG and urban fantasy story. I loved the premise.
Rather than our hero and his companions being transported to a fantasy world, they find a modern office setting that has come alive. The story is well written and easy to read with a setting that would be very familiar if it weren't for the animated office furniture. The characters are nicely done and fit really well into the story. The plot itself includes a nice blend of office humor and RPG action and moves along at a nice pace. Overall, I found this to be a highly entertaining story and I definitely look forward to more from this author.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this book via Podium Team for review purposes.

[Cranst · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a creative approach to mixing real-life with dungeoneering, but I felt that the worldbuilding fell down in places.

In particular there's a subplot where they steal a heart from a hospital and duplicate it a bunch of times and give it back, and the hospital says "oh, hey, thanks, yeah, we'll totally stick all these mysterious hearts into people who need them, we owe you one!" and I just didn't buy it.

I dropped the series after book two because one of my favorite characters died. Or possibly just *appeared* to die, the author seems to like to do that, but I think they were actually dead.

Actually it was more than that. One of my favorite characters died, and it was because the main character had done something really stupid, and that wasn't the sort of story I wanted to read
.

[Nolan Christensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Saw this one in a recommendation thread about positive LitRPGs, gave it a peek on KU.

As far as Litrpgs go, this is a fun one. The setting of real world->portal->back to real world wasn't something I had seen before, so reading this was a new experience.

Pros: Great social interactions, fun setup and execution, fascinating interplay of dungeon with character.

Cons: Story jumps sometimes, somewhat jarring. Several plotlines are brought up and then ignored.

All in all, I enjoyed the system being accessible and not just numbers, the interpersonal aspects, the creative worldbuilding, and the general positive vibes. Would recommend to anyone wanting to dip their toes into Litrpg in a more relatable way without dragons rolling up in the first twenty pages.

Most likely won't read again.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure about this one at first. I love the concept, but as other readers have commented reading it was a bit of a grind. I didn’t think it was quite cozy enough to really be called a cozy LitRPG as it says it is, but not really enough progression to be a typical LitRPG in an office setting.

There were interesting tidbits along the way, but yeah—a bit of a grind.

But as it went on, and especially in the last few chapters, there were some mind-bendy twists that definitely caught my interest. I will definitely be continuing the series.

[ALEXANDRA VELANDIA-KELLY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you seen my stapler? DUCK!!! Office supplies attack

What would you do when you're getting off of work and all of a sudden your exit turns into another dimension? You go in and find cubicles with purses and wallets and money and things like headphones. Oh there's also exploding desk lamps and computers that'll eat your leg off? What's the real Secret?

It's time to do some dungeon diving ala Office Space

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this as something a bit different.

Loved the older MCs and the secret doorway in to an office themed dungeon approach. I also enjoyed the developing relationship/romance between the 2 MC.

My only gripe is at the point more members got added in it began to feel a bit overloaded and repetitive. Alanna felt a bit 1D and her inclusion threw the dynamics off for me. But overall I still enjoyed. I’ve read book 1&2 but don’t feel compelled to read further…

[Marc · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book isn't terrible. It was just too drawn out. The whole book was just a cycle of go into the dungeon, explore, kill stuff, get orbs, leave, repeat. Nothing really significant happened until the last 30 or so pages of this 500 page book. I admit that I am intrigued by what happened in those last 30 pages, but I don't think I'm willing to slog through another few of these books to find out the answers.

[Montgomery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic slice of life dungeon story

The characters are well done, the interactions aren't forced and serve to drive the story along. There does develop more of a mystery/conflict towards the end.

This is just a well thought book about a what if: what if dungeons were real in the modern world? What would they look like, and what opportunities would they provide?

[~David~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's like the backrooms meets LitRPG and that is just such a fun concept that this book became an instant favorite within the genre for me.

Plus the realism and practicality, and sometimes silliness, of the skills almost makes me want them more. Crushing an orb and ranking up in Spanish sounds amazing.

[John #Audible · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know what alternate reality these MCs are living in but they can pick up medieval armor and weapons at least over the Internet very easily and so many other type of weapons at an Army surplus, hell even a home depot has a crazy destruction.tools Look how nasty a demo hammer pry bar looks like! or maybe the MCs never been out in the world and are cooped up in the basement.

[Amalga Mat1on · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an intriguing fantasy series with Litrpg/Gamelit elements, which isn't a bad thing.

Well written characters getting "lucky" and find a dungeon that's as rewarding as it is dangerous. What starts as a simple dive and looting story slowly opens up to a lot mysteries and potentially huge, dramatic, plot.

[Mari Harju · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nerdy goodness

I worked IT helpdesk @ night for a decade so you can imagine how much I adore the premise and it did not disappoint.

This is a whole lot of fun, with a lot of mystery! As well as adventure, nerd shenanigans, and likeable characters.

Rooting for Anesh and James ;) but we shall see what happens going forward

[MyDoRyS · Rating 1 out of 5]

OMG it was a grind to get through this one, I don't get why the rating is so high. MCs making stupid immature decisions over and over and acting like morons rather than intelligent adults (which they keep reminding us they are not stupid), but their actions show the contrary. Onto my next adventure, Happy Readings!!!!

[Jack Vinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bizarro adventure.

Main character finds a mysterious alternate reality / dungeon off the stairwell at his dead-end-job workplace. And as he (and he friends) explore the place, other strange aspects leak out into the real(?) world.

Entertaining use of a mundane setting to be a dungeon with what seem to be game rules and randomly-generated monsters and loot.

[Alex Petrovich · Rating 5 out of 5]

SCP + litrpg

This has a lot of common nods to backrooms and SCP lore. It's an interesting setting for litrpg, and the potential for wall breaking makes it even better. Some of the twists and turns are a bit more lightly telegraphed than I would like, but on the other hand it makes paying close attention more worthwhile.

[Steve Tabler · Rating 5 out of 5]

unusual book

Very entertaining and dealing with the computers, staples, paper, rolling chairs, toil from a workplace that drains us each day we toil in it. Why not a dungeon with savage computers and vicious staplers.

[Gre7g Luterman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not generally a fan of the lit-rpg genre, but I still found this one fun. It's ridiculous and enjoyable so long as you don't mind head-hopping. There's a lot of PoV changes without warning. I found that annoying, but it might not bother everyone.