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The Daily Grind #5
The Daily Grind 5: A Slice-of-Life LitRPG
A group of survivors battle interdimensional monsters as they work to save the day in the fifth book of this action-packed portal fantasy series.
James Lyle has achieved his career goal of being promoted from IT professional to wizard, wielding magic against deadly sentient office supplies in an alternate-reality corporate dungeon. He’s become the reluctant leader of the Order of Endless Rooms, a band of professional heroes dedicated to acquiring the skills, knowledge, and power to help people in need and improve the world in general. But their altruism hasn’t gone unnoticed by the shadowy agents in the background, who’ve been hoarding the secret sorcery of the dungeons to maintain order and control over what they see as a stable society.
But no one can control when and where a dungeon will suddenly appear. Eight students have gone missing, and warped creatures are prowling a high school’s halls. The veil between a dungeon and the real world has been breached by an entity different from anything James and company have encountered before. And this abnormally powerful being isn’t the only thing threatening James and his friends. The operatives of the Status Quo have been working behind the scenes, seeking revenge and preparing to strike . . .
Delivering imaginative world-building and snarky slice-of-life moments in a corporate setting, this is the action-packed fifth installment the Daily Grind fantasy series.
The fifth volume of the hit LitRPG fantasy series—with more than four million views on Royal Road—now available on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and Audible!
James Lyle has achieved his career goal of being promoted from IT professional to wizard, wielding magic against deadly sentient office supplies in an alternate-reality corporate dungeon. He’s become the reluctant leader of the Order of Endless Rooms, a band of professional heroes dedicated to acquiring the skills, knowledge, and power to help people in need and improve the world in general. But their altruism hasn’t gone unnoticed by the shadowy agents in the background, who’ve been hoarding the secret sorcery of the dungeons to maintain order and control over what they see as a stable society.
But no one can control when and where a dungeon will suddenly appear. Eight students have gone missing, and warped creatures are prowling a high school’s halls. The veil between a dungeon and the real world has been breached by an entity different from anything James and company have encountered before. And this abnormally powerful being isn’t the only thing threatening James and his friends. The operatives of the Status Quo have been working behind the scenes, seeking revenge and preparing to strike . . .
Delivering imaginative world-building and snarky slice-of-life moments in a corporate setting, this is the action-packed fifth installment the Daily Grind fantasy series.
The fifth volume of the hit LitRPG fantasy series—with more than four million views on Royal Road—now available on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and Audible!
430 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 8, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 31, 2026
Go read more of the story on Royal Road . com! The story continues and it is VERY COOL! more dungeons, more delves, more crazy Research shenanigans, more relationships, more cute slice of life. There's a beach chapter!
I think this might be the first work of fiction i've read that really deals with the pandemic. Certainly the first fantasy one. It's rather cathartic to see a league of magic users and dungeon life get stumped by how to deal with it.
There's this growing idea that feels like a world of darkness pseduo-mechanic where most people are unable to recognize magic even when it's placed in front of them. And now we're meeting people with varying levels of that. Someone in the lair every day isn't able to recognize what's going on vs the high shoolers coming around and making friends with the magical snakes.
This one hits really hard. There's the fight with the weird battle goddess thing and then the assault at the end. Especially the assault at the end. since some of the deaths are described from the point of view of the antagonists, I don't even have a good idea of who all died.
It feels a bit like in book 2, James is talking about how Dave's apparent death feels so much different than the rest of what they've been through, because it wasn't a test with a chance of success and victory. It's just something to get through with as few losses as possible.
I think this might be the first work of fiction i've read that really deals with the pandemic. Certainly the first fantasy one. It's rather cathartic to see a league of magic users and dungeon life get stumped by how to deal with it.
There's this growing idea that feels like a world of darkness pseduo-mechanic where most people are unable to recognize magic even when it's placed in front of them. And now we're meeting people with varying levels of that. Someone in the lair every day isn't able to recognize what's going on vs the high shoolers coming around and making friends with the magical snakes.
This one hits really hard. There's the fight with the weird battle goddess thing and then the assault at the end. Especially the assault at the end. since some of the deaths are described from the point of view of the antagonists, I don't even have a good idea of who all died.
It feels a bit like in book 2, James is talking about how Dave's apparent death feels so much different than the rest of what they've been through, because it wasn't a test with a chance of success and victory. It's just something to get through with as few losses as possible.
May 7, 2026
I enjoyed this one but I had to drop my rating a bit compared to the others. Only reason being is that while the others had some dark tones it still wasn’t overly so. But the ending part of the book was like a slap out of nowhere. I understand that consequences have to happen but to have it happen so abruptly, have so many named characters not just brutally killed but EXECUTED in cold blood, then not even having any proper closure, or acknowledgment of their deaths. It felt like the end of the book was a harsh tone change from previous books with zero acknowledgment of what happens after and just slapping a small time skip afterwards for the epilogue. It felt insulting to the characters who died even if they were only side characters to skim over it all.
I’m sure it will be acknowledged in the next book but for now it feels like a harsh and abrupt end to the book.
Overall I enjoyed the book but I feel the consequences at the end could have been handled with a bit more gravitas.
I’m sure it will be acknowledged in the next book but for now it feels like a harsh and abrupt end to the book.
Overall I enjoyed the book but I feel the consequences at the end could have been handled with a bit more gravitas.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 14, 2024
Lmao Am I an Asshole for enjoying when the good guys get butchered coz of their own stupidity and ethics. They knew who their enemies are. They knew how ruthless and cunning they are. If you don't have the stomach to do what is necessary to put your enemies down, then you deserve everything and more when the enemy hits you back. Fucking kids playing adults game.
Lost 2 stars for NOT writing a Recap.
I think every reader needs to start doing this to force authors to write a quick Recap chapter, which readers can skip if they remember, and those who don't won't stop reading the series.
Lost 2 stars for NOT writing a Recap.
I think every reader needs to start doing this to force authors to write a quick Recap chapter, which readers can skip if they remember, and those who don't won't stop reading the series.
October 21, 2024
A mixed blessing
This book seems to run off at all sorts of tangents that barely move the plot needle and then all at once the plot jumps dramatically. Now, that kinda makes sense given the nature of the dungeon world and the way the author writes, but it makes it quite a challenging read. I didn't come away feeling like I'd read a complete book in the way that previous installments managed, more like several partial books. And so many cliffhangers, arg!
This book seems to run off at all sorts of tangents that barely move the plot needle and then all at once the plot jumps dramatically. Now, that kinda makes sense given the nature of the dungeon world and the way the author writes, but it makes it quite a challenging read. I didn't come away feeling like I'd read a complete book in the way that previous installments managed, more like several partial books. And so many cliffhangers, arg!
December 27, 2024
Still good but everyone is a bit stupid in this book. I hate the writing method of trying to cover for stupidity/plot holes by having a character point them out. It's like, yeah I know I've been a bit lazy here but you can't call me out on it because I've pointed it out first. I'm seeing this more and more especially with this genre.
January 14, 2025
Having a hard time enjoying this as it went from a silly backrooms dungeon exploration novel to a book about how shit real life is and now even has fucking covid in it. I miss coming up with silly names and not having to think aboug social injustice so much.
May 27, 2024
Good series I've been reading on Royal Road but is now on KU. I would recommend.
December 23, 2024
This says a lot about society.
December 25, 2024
Book of Consequences. Too many character deaths to call it cozy... still loved it, once I recovered...
April 27, 2025
Fantastic
November 19, 2025
Again!
This book made me cry. Which is good. Art should influence emotions but I was Not expecting it. Read the series. For real
This book made me cry. Which is good. Art should influence emotions but I was Not expecting it. Read the series. For real
April 8, 2026
I finished it
I choked it down
What did it mean? Why did I waste my time?
Don’t ever say they climbed Mt Everest. I finished this set of crap
I choked it down
What did it mean? Why did I waste my time?
Don’t ever say they climbed Mt Everest. I finished this set of crap
April 8, 2026
Got exactly what I needed. A dungeon that has spawned in the real world.
I’m tearing the packaging open on book two.
No idea who/what/when things are happening. Best of all worlds
I’m tearing the packaging open on book two.
No idea who/what/when things are happening. Best of all worlds
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews