The Systemic Lands (Dark Progressive LITRPG)

I got called in and was offered a seat at a table on the first floor. Someone was busy spending points. "Welcome, bit early." Carlos looked a bit worn and tired. The lack of showers and baths was telling on people's appearance. I rubbed a hand over my beard. I really wanted to get it all cut off.

"I like to get up early. No one hunts slimes then. Fewer headaches."

"Ah, where are my manners? Eat, eat." He pushed a copper plate with fruit and vegetables over. The cucumbers were cut and had a dash of salt on them. I let out a sigh of enjoyment. "Good, isn't it?"

"Yeah. I had so much fruit. I feel my blood is half orange juice and half apple juice by now," I answered.

"Well, with the next upgrade, we should have more stuff. So, why did you come to see me?" I was glad to hear he was looking at another upgrade so soon. Thankfully, the leap from 1,000 to 10,000 wasn't that bad. If the next upgrade was 100,000, that would probably take a lot longer.

"There is a dungeon in the slime forest."

"With prisoners and shit?" My brain hiccupped at that. "Ha! That was a good look on your face."

"Damn, you got me there." I laughed at that. It was a good joke and reminded me not to underestimate other people's game knowledge. "It's a hole in the ground that was big enough for a car to fit. There is no light down there. I didn't go deep, didn't see anything, and will need someone with balls of steel to carry a torch."

Carlos was silent as he munched on a salted cucumber and digested what I had just told him. "That is dangerous. A hole you say?"

"Yes." He drummed his fingers on the table.

"I don't have anyone who can do what you are asking." I nodded at that. I hadn't been expecting anything, but a man can hope.

"I will be looking to recruit someone from the people arriving today then."

"Were you at the plaza for the arrivals before?" Carlos asked.

"No. I avoided the place to avoid questions and people getting upset," I replied. "Nice job not turning this place into a bloodbath."

"Heh, yeah. I am in charge now." I nodded politely at that.

"El Presidente Carlos," I said.

"A pretty shit nation." That was true.

"It is yours though." He gave me a small grin.

"It is, isn't it? Well, if you want to recruit people, feel free to. I won't get in your way. Just let me know if you find anything interesting in your dungeon."

"There might be a pile of sex toys." Carlos blinked for a moment and then burst out laughing.

"You got me that time," he replied.

"Well, thanks for taking the time to speak with me and the salted cucumber." I stood up.

"No problem. Visit any time, Michael." I gave Carlos a nod and left the room. I made my way outside. There was a new guard instead of Tyrese. I then walked around the plaza until I found an empty building overlooking it and made my way to the second floor.

I pulled out my sword and began going through possible movements. Thrust, slash, shield, slash, thrust, while minding my footwork. Mind the angle of the blade. Twist to show the flat when I block. It was much simpler to use a club. The reach was about the same as the club, but with how light it felt, I wanted something longer.

There had been a spear, but I couldn't use a shield with a spear. At least a spear with a length that made it feel like a proper spear and not a pointy stick. Also, a spear would be unwieldy inside the dungeon. I switched hands to give my left arm a workout as well. While it wasn't my dominant hand and I had no chance of fighting with it, just moving it around would help me adjust if I ever needed to fight left-handed.

I looked at my clothes. They were all gray. Hmm. I put my sword away and went out to the plaza. I checked the pillars. Dying clothes or armor added an additional 50% to the initial purchase price. Hmm, might do that for my next set, whenever that was.

There was a bundle of wood for 100 points. Ouch, that wasn't cheap, but I could light a bonfire inside the dungeon. That had possibilities if there was a large chamber instead of a tunnel.

I mentally looked through the weapons. There was a flail, a ball and chain, and a short bow with pointy wood arrows that cost 5 points each. I blinked at the bow. I had been so sure there had been no bow before. I thought back and realized that I probably mentally queried hand weapons back then, so the Store took that as melee. I would have to be more careful with my mental searches in the future to make sure I found every available item.

The weapons cost 500 points each. I looked for any blade-sharpening equipment, but nothing. There was a sewing kit for 100 points.

I looked at that for the thread. A sewing kit had uses, but I held off for now. It wouldn't do to waste my points right now. I had my spending spree. I looked at the armor options. No helmets, and no body armor either. There were the arm guards and greaves, but I already had those. There was nothing else.

No chemicals. No storage container besides the bronze flask. I tried to think of other items that I could mentally check for. No pets or eggs. No classes, skills, unique items, powers, magic, abilities, or other upgrades for a person besides the six already listed.

I checked for any other progressive items but there was nothing. I checked for permanent items that wouldn't disappear if no one was around, but there were just things one would put in a home. Plates, cups, tables, chairs, and blankets. The permanent items were clearly not meant for combat.

I checked crafting items, but there was only the sewing kit. Crystals, glass, maps, writing, information, all of that came back with nothing. I tried looking for things I hadn't seen before.

There was a staff, not magical or special in any way. There was beer for sale for 100 points. That was a lot pricier than the 1-point water. There were copper plates and bars, for 100 points each. The plates were a bit bigger than my hand. I saw some more tools.

It looked like someone could make armor if they were motivated and had a lot of points. There was nothing else. I checked for achievements and titles, but nothing came up. I was out of ideas and left the pillar disappointed.

I had been hoping for something, anything, that would be useful. Unfortunately, the store was quite limited for now. I made my way back to the room I had been practicing with my sword and took a seat on the windowsill. One foot inside the room and one hanging outside it, so I could sit and look out over the plaza from the second floor. Several people looked up at me, but no one bothered me.

I spent my time resting and thinking pleasant thoughts. It was good to have a mental vacation from killing slimes.

As midday approached, I noticed Carlos organize his men off to the side of the plaza near my window. He even called away his guards at the pillars. No one tried to sneak over to use them while not paying the tax with all his men standing around waiting.

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Carlos noticed me, and we gave each other a nod. They brought out a table and chair. They placed the chair on the table and Carlos sat on top of it while his men guarded him. I noted two with bows and arrows.

No guns from anyone, which was surprising. I would have to ask about that. The other people gathered in the nearby buildings or off to the side from Carlos' people waiting for the arrival to happen.

It was midday exactly when it happened. There were no shadows from any of the buildings with the sun directly overhead. Around the plaza, 250 people just appeared slightly above the ground. There was no signal, and no fanfare. One moment there was nothing and the next moment they were there.

I was sure many people were as disappointed as I was. We had been hoping to see behind the curtain, to know what had done this to us. Unfortunately, there wasn't even a hint. Carlos let them orient themselves for a couple of minutes as the people slowly congregated in front of him. His men told them to wait for a speech until they had gathered.

"Silence!" one of his men shouted. The rest shouted that as well. "If you interrupt, we will kill you. You will all be silent—"

"You can't do this to us-ack!" One guard went forward and stabbed the talkative person in the chest with a sword. They let the body drop to the ground, blood pouring out of the fatal wound. Everyone took a couple of steps back.

"Silence!" the guard shouted again, and everyone shut up. The guard wiped his blade on the fresh corpse and went back in line.

"Thank you, Captain Roger. My name is Carlos, I will now explain things. There aren't many rules around here, but they will be followed, or we will kill you. It is the only way to keep order." Carlos spoke loudly so everyone could hear him.

"We don't how or why we were teleported here. The only source of food and water are points. You spend points at the pillars in the middle of the plaza. The only way to earn points is with crystals. You can earn crystals by either working for me as one of my guards or at the brothel." He paused, and no one spoke up.

"If neither of those options appeals to you, you can hunt monsters. The only scouted monsters are the slimes past the city wall in that direction." Carlos pointed to the West. At least the West in my mind since that was the direction the sun set and opposite where it rose into the sky.

"There is a tax of half of all crystals earned to use the pillars. This is necessary to upgrade the store that can be accessed there. There is no tax on the first 100 points that each of you has. I won't explain the store. You can all take your time to look."

"Any building not occupied is free for you to stay in. While it is impossible to police this entire city, there is a ban on all fighting in the plaza and buildings occupied by my people. Each of you may ask me a single question. Keep it short and respectful. Since there are a lot of you, form an orderly line there if you want to ask a question. Or you can go look at the store in the center of the plaza." Carlos pointed at both locations.

Several people went to check the store. A woman walked up to the question spot. "Will I be forced to work in the brothel?"

"Good question. The answer is no. Women choose to work there instead of fighting monsters. They charge what they can and keep half their pay. They work for me, so they don't have to pay a tax to use the pillars, since they are already paying a tax."

"Thank you." Carlos gave her a nod in return and a man came up. It was amazing how orderly everyone was when there was a dead body nearby.

"Do you know of a way home or what this place is?"

"No, to both questions." The guy left and another man walked up.

"How much are your men paid?"

"Four crystals a day right now. If are capable enough, you can join up. If you are interested, then once the questions are done, I will interview people here. For now, you can check the store and come to terms with what has happened."

Another person came up. "How dangerous are the monsters?"

"Very dangerous. The weakest we have found have already killed multiple people. We don't force people to hunt monsters, but it is the only way to get points, which is the only way to get food and other supplies from the store."

"Who put you in charge?" A man was glaring at Carlos.

"I did. Before I was in charge, it was a bloodbath. There was no order; only chaos. This is not like your comfy life from before. If you cause trouble here, you don't go to jail, you are killed. It is uncivilized, but this is an uncivilized place. The two groups before mine almost all starved to death. Anyone with points was hunted down and the plaza here turned into a bloodbath. Now you can go hunt monsters and not people."

"Also, that reminds me. You don't get any points from killing a person, so don't cause trouble. Next," Carlos said.

"How long have you been here?"

"Ten days. There is a new group every ten days. We learned this from a survivor of the first group. I am from the third group of arrivals, ten days ago. You are the fourth group. Next," Carlos said.

"What monsters do you know of?"

"Just the slimes. They melt your flesh if you aren't careful. If you want to learn more, you need to speak to the people who go out to hunt. It is dangerous and I take no responsibility for any of you. You live and die here with points. Kill monsters to get crystals to get points. Next," Carlos said.

"How many times has the store been upgraded and when are you planning the next upgrade?"

"Just once and the next upgrade will occur when we have the points for it. We need points for food, so we can't just save up, but that is where the tax is going. So, we are putting it to good use. Next," Carlos said.

"I saw upgrades in the store. What do they do?"

"That information is classified. You won't be stopped from purchasing them, but I won't be sharing our limited knowledge of them either." There was some murmuring at that.

"Silence!" Captain Roger shouted. "If you interrupt, you will be killed. Show proper respect."

"Thank you, Captain. I know many of you aren't happy with that answer. But that knowledge has value. If you are willing to spend thousands of points to find out an answer, then you are welcome to find out and will be paid for that knowledge if you share it with me. The same goes for other knowledge you might come across. Next," Carlos said.

"Where are the bathrooms and running water?"

"There are no bathrooms here. Stuff that is left unattended disappears. So, take a shit or piss in an empty building, and good luck wiping yourself. The only water that we know of is from the pillars and you need a container to get water. I recommend the fruit to start with until you can get points from monsters. Next," Carlos said.

"Will you help us?"

"Explaining all of this and keeping order is helping you. If you can't earn points, you will die. If you are found to be stealing or robbing crystals from other people, you will be killed. Healing is very limited, so it is better to hunt monsters than people. Healing can get quite expensive from the pillars. It is called a restoration by the way. Next."

"How big is the city?"

"Based on our calculations, the wall is circular with a circumference of around 19 miles or 30 kilometers. It takes about an hour to an hour and a half to walk to the wall from the plaza. There are four gates exiting the city. There are no monsters in the city that we know of. Next," Carlos said.

"Do you have the names of people that were here before?"

"No. There is nothing to write with. Also, what day was it when you were teleported here?" Carlos asked.

"September first." That was the day I was taken, and other people were taken. That meant one of two things. People were put in stasis or there was a temporal difference. It was a good question and one I hadn't thought of.

"Same day as the rest of us. Next."

"Has anything been found in the city?"

"No. Just empty buildings. You are welcome to explore. If you find anything you will get paid for that knowledge, but people have searched before you and found nothing. Your time is better spent hunting monsters. Next."

The questions after that were pointless. I had listened in to double-check my knowledge and to hear what common knowledge was now. I was impressed with Carlos for thinking of that date question. That was another hint as to the mystery of this place. Not that it helped at all. It was just another data point to keep track of for when it became relevant.

I had also been looking over the people as Carlos was talking. I had my eye on a couple that might be useful and left the windowsill, making my way down to the plaza. Once there, I walked over to where Carlos was seated. The questions were petering out since there was only so much to tell people.

They brought another chair over, and I thanked the guard and took a seat. That was quite polite of Carlos to arrange that. I gave him a nod of respect.

"See anything interesting?" Carlos asked me.

"Nothing worth mentioning. Nice job with the question on the dates. I hadn't thought of that."

"I was curious about a football game. Now… Guess I will never know," Carlos said with a sigh. I didn't ask if he meant soccer or American football.

"For me, it was all the books I liked to read. Not much entertainment around here."

"No, it is pretty bleak. Spot anyone useful?" Carlos asked.

"Have to wait and see. Having balls of steel and being able to manage your fear isn't that easy. Also, can't be an idiot either and halfway in shape or willing to sweat a lot. Few people meet all those criteria and want to carry a pack."

"You want a hand?" I shook my head. I would find a person by myself. Depending on Carlos would be my last resort. I only let him know, so he didn't think I was forming a rival gang, or government as it were.

"I am fine, though those windowsills are hard on the ass. It's why I came down here."

"I know. I can't wait until we get cushions. Even the stupid blankets are expensive."

"Well, time to go walk around and see if anyone bites." I got up.

"Good luck." I didn't need luck, I needed to remain focused and determined.