"Well, you do have a few chores... but first, let's see how many levels you got from that task." He pauses, looking at me. "Actually, I don't know how many levels you gained because you kind of have to open your menu."
"Open my menu?" I ask, confused.
"Yeah, just swipe your fingers like this, and the menu appears. Simple."
I do as he says, and sure enough, a magical blue panel pops up in front of me. It's got stats that I'm too lazy to fully explain, but the important part is that I'm now level three. Hooray.
DK: 2.00
HP: 3.00
ST: 3.00
SP: 2.00
Overall Level: 3
"Well, the system seems pretty straightforward," I say, scrolling through the menu.
"Yeah, it's meant to be simple. Everyone gets one. Did you even know you had a system? The fourth guy who ended up here was really insistent that he'd been reincarnated and thought he was the main character. He died pretty quickly, but before that, he showed us the menu, so I guess he was useful in the end."
"How did you find out about all this?" I ask, curious.
"I have a library," he replies nonchalantly.
"You have a library? How'd you get a library?"
"Oh, some big clan destroyed an RV clan, and they had a library. I raided it, took everything I could. Got a lot of useful stuff from there, which helped stave off my boredom. I read whenever I've got free time."
"Well, that's... surprisingly helpful," I admit.
"Yeah, it is. But let's get on with your chores. First, you've got the dishes."
"Dishes?!" I exclaim. "I thought you said tasks."
"Yes, task one: do the dishes. You'll get a little XP, maybe."
After I finish the dishes, it's a little past noon—guess that means it's lunchtime. We sit down and eat some extra-dried beef jerky, which is completely flavorless.
"Isn't there anything better than this?" I ask, struggling to chew.
"Not really. Enjoy it, though. It's survival food," he says with a smirk.
"But I'm not level one anymore," I protest.
"In my eyes, you're still level one. But we're not that far apart—I'm almost level 57 now, and you're level three. You'll level up the same way, by doing tasks."
Well, next up, you can clean out the gutters."
"Wait, really? I just finished the dishes. Do you have a whole list of chore tasks?"
"Don't worry about it. After you finish cleaning the gutters—" he pauses, grinning, "—well, actually, I haven't cleaned them out in months... maybe even a year."
"Are you serious?"
"Yeah. Why would I lie about something like that?"
"Ugh, fine," I mutter. "So, after I clean the gutters, there are no more tasks, right?"
"Ha! No, no. There are always more tasks," he replies. "If you want your level-one equipment and to start your journey, you'll have to do them all. Otherwise, you're just gonna head out there unarmed... and, well, probably die."
"Great," I sigh, exasperated. "How many people have you made do this?"
"It's been hard finding a level-one noob to handle all these chores. I haven't had anyone around here for about two months now. And even then, that guy refused to clean the gutters. The whole house smelled like trash, but thanks to you, it smells much better now. I really should thank you for that."
"Wonderful," I say sarcastically. "I think I'm done for today. No more tasks, I'm going to bed."
Without waiting for a response, I crawl onto the bottom bunk and fall asleep, hoping tomorrow isn't just more of the same.