Doom System preview [https://i.imgur.com/TwdsUik.jpeg]

Doom System Book One: Survivor (A LitRPG Apocalypse)

*Preview*

Inspired by: Alice in Borderlands, Dawn of the Void, Primal Hunter, My S-Class Hunters, Savage Awakening

Update October 7 2024 - I have finally started publishing Doom System: Survivor. Yes, it took me longer than I would have liked because I had a ton of projects I was working on. But I now have 50 chapters banked (as of today) and I'm ready for you to read it. So ONLY read the version below if you want to compare the old one with the new one, which you'll find in the link at the pre or post author note.

Yours in sanity,

Harmon Cooper aka GoblinWrangler

Surprise!

I will start publishing Doom System on Royal Road in May/June depending on when I have collected enough chapters.

I’m sharing this now for comments because I’m still early in the story, and your thoughts could change the direction of where this goes.

From that point, I’ll be locked in my writer’s closet doing what I do best (or best enough), and you'll start getting your chapters daily once it releases.

I wrote this after reading a lot of feedback from Royal Road stories, including Reborn Assassin.

The concept of a 'doom system' is also something I've been secretly working out for over a year now, starting with my Amazon series Arcane Cultivator and now in my newest one, A Pub in the Underworld. It is both a system and a subgenre.

I've only posted chapter one here on Royal Road, just for brevity, but if you want to read through chapter three for free, you can do so on my Patreon. I encourage you to do so!

Link below and above in the author's notes for chapters 2 and 3.

I will take this preview down next Saturday, March 9th, and Reborn Assassin chapters will continue on Monday as always.

Thanks for reading along.

Yours in sanity,

GoblinWranger aka Harmon Cooper

---

Chapter 1

Ronin of Wall Street

Shota Johnson woke up on New Year’s Day with a bloody nose.

A bad omen.

Later that day, magical gates populated across the world, hovering in the sky.

A worse omen.

The hovering gates, which were closed but glowed from behind, promised hope for humanity.

They gave superpowers to anyone that approached, the kinds of powers that people could only dream of. Flight, elemental abilities, superhuman speed, and so on. They gave humans a stat system, one that allowed people to monitor their growth, to tweak who they were, to change the very nature of their being.

All someone had to do to gain access to a superpower and the system was to approach one of the gates.

But Shota knew better.

True power would come to those who waited.

He didn’t know why he believed this, that is what the boys at the back of his head said, and he listened. So he kept his head down, and just as Shota suspected, the shit hit the fan.

Governments tried to control the gates and the superpowers they distributed, but they couldn’t. Weapons came into the picture, and the hovering gates did something that changed the very nature of the human world: they prevented all weapons from firing.

This didn’t stop gun violence.

Instead of shooting each other, people clubbed each other to death with dormant weapons. They tried to use the gunpowder from the bullets and other makeshift explosives to craft new weapons.

The gates took that ability away as well.

The lack of missiles and firearms changed the pecking order of the world relatively quickly. Speak softly and carry a big stick became something more along the lines of try not to scream and keep your head down.

Soon, the gates meddled in other ways.

They made poor people rich and rich people poor by randomly altering account balances. They fixed the environment, which didn’t sit well with nature or human infrastructure.

The Doom System became the colloquial term for the system that the hovering gates had gifted humanity, the system that ruined so many people’s lives as superpowers clashed, nations fell, and people found exploits in the system that only made matters worse.

Why was it doing this? What were its intentions?

A potential answer appeared one morning in a message that jolted Shota Johnson awake. The words appeared before him and the voice sounded off in his head:

[Good morning, Survivor. You might be wondering what I am and why I am doing this. My intentions were never to harm humanity. I gave you powers, and you abused them. I took away your weapons, and you killed each other anyway. I gave you everything, all you ever could have wanted, enough for the entire world to flourish. And you ruined it. Now, I’m starting to better understand what you are, who humans are, and the sorts of competitions you prefer. My aim is to please, to give you exactly what you need. It’s up to you from that point forward. Above all, Survivor, remember this: you are the main character, just like you always wanted to be.]

Shota pressed his blanket away.

The main character? he thought as he reached for a crowbar he’d picked up early on. There was dried blood on the end, a fight from two nights ago.

[ I assure you I haven’t gone mad, nor am I mad at you. I want to better understand you, to help humanity. I still do. My previous tests haven’t helped, but I think you, Survivor, those who have yet to visit a gate, will like what I have in store next. To those of you who have already visited gates and gained superpowers, goodbye. If you are able to look through a window, do so now. You cannot hide from me.]

Shota, who had been camped out in a parking garage, got to his feet and headed to the emergency escape, which provided a view of the city. He saw it then, dark clouds above, like a thunderstorm rolling in.

He jumped back as red beams rained down onto the buildings.

It was that fast.

Death for millions of people.

[Good. They are out of the way. The same fate awaits you if you do not make it to the next gate. Can you see it now, Survivor?]

A new gate appeared in the distance, about five or six blocks away on a path that cut straight through the Financial District. The gate was rimmed in light, just as the others had been.

[You are going to need something for this.]

“Fuck you,” Shota said as he heard something fizzle behind him. He swiveled to find a katana now hovering in the air, one with a glaze of light running down its blade. A sheath and a belt floated next to it.

Shota glanced from his crowbar to the sword.

[Take the blade.]

Shota swallowed the questions that came to him next. He knew what the system voice was capable of. Now wasn’t the time to test it.

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

Shota rested his crowbar against the wall and approached the weapon. The sheath magically appeared on the sword, clicking into place, belt attached.

Sword Skills, F-Rank

Upgrade Available: 0/2 Kills

[Sword quality based on skill level.]

Shota shook his head as text flashed across his mind’s eye. He had never seen something like that before, but after the year he’d had, this didn’t faze him. The text faded as the voice came to him again:

[If you make it to the gate, you will receive your first Title and instructions for what the dungeon to follow. You will also gain your first followers. The better you do, the more followers you will gain. The more followers you gain, the better your odds. If you do not make it to the gate, you will be disposed of. You have exactly one hour to reach the gate, where you will receive further instructions on the dungeons that are to come. Your phone will be your guide. Good luck, Survivor. Remember, you are the main character.]

Shota’s phone buzzed.

This was almost more startling than the sudden appearance of a magical katana. It was difficult to find electricity, and his phone hadn’t been charged in weeks.

It buzzed again.

Shota pulled his phone out of his pocket and saw that the cracked screen was now flashing, no battery signal, no cell service. He had no apps, and he couldn’t swipe right or left on the screen.

A timer appeared:

59:59

59:58

59: 57

Shota shoved his phone in his hoodie pocket and shook his head. He had made it this far, he had waited it out. While people gave in to the Doom System and all it could offer for them, he had made an effort to keep away, to stay alive. Shota had gone underground, living in the subway system amongst the rats. He had fought for his life. He had survived.

Now, this.

Now, the system was openly challenging him.

A thousand thoughts traced across his mind. Should he grab his bag? Should he just go? What did the system mean by gaining followers? Dungeons? And what was he supposed to do with the sword?

A terrible crashing sound outside of the parking garage brought him back to the present.

I have a feeling I’m going to regret this.

Shota placed his hand on the grip of his new sword, grimaced, and turned toward the exit of the parking garage.

It wasn’t even courage at this point, it was madness, madness mixed with the desire to survive, mixed with the hope that he could one day make sense of it all. This was what lured Shota out onto the streets of the city, where he found what had caused the terrible sound he’d just heard.

He recognized the menacing bull immediately.

It had once been a famous sculpture in the Financial District, one meant to represent a strong and growing market. Now, that bull was four times its normal size, still made of bronze, menacing as ever, veins pulsing on its body, the beast charging right at him.

Wham!

The bronze bull rammed a car out of its way, snorting and seething as it smashed through more abandoned vehicles.

Shota started to move forward, but froze in place as another person, a flash of humanity, ran past him, the man screaming as he raced toward the hovering gate beyond. The bronze bull changed its trajectory and gored the man to death.

It was that fast.

And the shock of it all kickstarted Shota’s advance.

He had to get past the bull.

This might be his only opportunity.

Sprinting at his top speed, Shota charged right past the bull just as it threw its head back, bronze horns soaked in blood.

Shota kept running, where he rammed into a trashcan, winced, and moved.

Come on, come on, come on… He knew the bull was chasing him at the moment he heard a car being crushed behind him. This was followed by the bull’s big bronze hooves on the asphalt, cracking the pavement each time they landed.

The bull was fast. Shota was fucked.

But he was still ahead, running at his top speed until the sounds instantly died.

Shota whipped around and found a bronze statue of a young girl holding a sword. Her eyes were obscured by her bangs, yet she wore a smile on her face.

The bronze girl had severed the bull’s head and now stood atop the beast’s fallen body.

A lump appeared in Shota’s throat as she hopped down. “Thanks,” he began, gratitude warming his voice. The words died on his lips once he took in her stance, sword in hand, the bronze girl narrowing her gaze on him.

Shota brought his sword up as well. None of it made any sense, but he wasn’t going to be able to outrun her.

Shota knew that much.

****

The bronze girl crept forward, poised to strike.

Shota silenced the voice in his head that told him he knew nothing about sword fighting.

As soon as he did this, something else took over. He naturally got into a proper sword stance. Shota quickly glanced at his hands to see how they were holding the sword, as if he’d done this before.

How… ?

The bronze girl charged. He met her attack with his own blade.

Clank!

Their swords bounced off one another. She stepped back and swung forward. Shota sidestepped her attack and brought his sword around, drawing a slash across her back. He hacked at her again, his blade actually cutting through bronze, bleeding metal.

He finished the job with a few more strikes.

The girl’s metal body hit the ground with a thunk.

Shota lowered his blade. He was breathing heavily now, still processing the fact that he had just killed a living statue.

Upgrade Available: 1/2 Kills

He ignored the message as he turned to the hovering gate.

“A bull, a girl, and a…” Shota knew what would follow, a bear, another kind of market. He didn’t think a sword would help him if he was right.

Shota had no knowledge of what to do if a bear was stalking him. But he could see the hovering gate, about four blocks away.

All he needed to do was reach it.

Keep a low profile, reach the gate, and see what the Doom System had to say next.

Keeping to the shadows Shota reached the end of the first block, stopping at what was once a busy intersection. He scanned all sides of the street, for humans and statues.

Once he saw that everything was clear, Shota moved on.

At the end of the second block, he had this sudden sense of anguish, a question at the back of his head as to why he was holding a sword, what had happened to the world as he knew it, and what was to come if he actually reached the hovering gate. But everything had changed forever and he could never go back.

And as it had before, a shake of his head sent these thoughts away.

The sound of shoes drew Shota’s attention. He looked ahead to see a man step into the next intersection, the guy glaring up at the gate, a wild look on his face.

Shota remained in the shadows.

He waited, expecting the man to continue forward toward the hovering gate. Yet the guy remained in the center of the street, his arms out wide, laughing as he looked up at the sky. As a man turned, Shota saw that he also had a sword sheathed at his side.

“I see you, you know,” the man said as he stared in Shota’s direction, but not exactly at him. Saliva dripped from his bottom lip.

“I’m not the enemy.”

The man threw his head back, and stuck his tongue out. He took a big breath in through his nostrils, snorted, spat, and settled his gaze on Shota. “I’m the main character.”

“You can be the main character. I don’t care,” Shota said carefully.

“I killed a bear.”

“Good.” Shota was about to tell them that he killed a bronze statue of a young girl but decided against it. “A bull died back there.”

“You killed it?”

“No. Will you let me pass?”

The guy drew his sword. “But I’m the main character.”

He approached, the man easily two heads taller than Shota.

The guy charged, blade drawn.

Shota sprang forward with his sword.

Rather than slash at him, he drove his sword through the man’s stomach. Shota twisted the blade and stepped back as the man came down onto his knees. They locked eyes. The guy gasped and Shota withdrew his blade, the blade glowing.

Level up!

Sword Skills, F-Rank > E-Rank

Shota examined the sword again. It seemed different, sharper, and there was a bit of light that radiated off the blade. Something is different.

Sword Skills, E-Rank

Upgrade Available: 0/10 Kills

[Sword quality based on skill level.]

He continued on past the next block, eyes fixed on the hovering gate, which had yet to move. Shota neared it and felt its pull.

“I’m here,” he called up to the gate, his voice rising in anger.

The pull became stronger.

Shota drew his sword. “I’m here you fucking bastard!”

He was just about to give into its power when he felt his phone buzz again. Shota hastily pulled his phone out and read the message, which appeared over the countdown timer.

Shota blinked twice. “What? Who?”

[Approach the gate and gain your first title, Survivor.]

“Who are you? Are you the Doom System?” Shota asked his phone.

“Are you lying to me?” Shota asked.

“What is this?”

[Approach the gate and gain your first title, Survivor.]

Shota stuffed the phone back in his hoodie pocket. He took a step forward, and his body rose into the air. The gate flung open and the light beyond swelled with an intense brightness.

[Congratulations, you have completed the first trial.]

Shota was lowered to the ground and the words appeared before him.

You have new followers!

You have a new title!

Name: Shota Johnson

Current Title: Ronin of Wall Street

Followers: 141

Interim Performance Grade: E-

Bonus: Three days’ worth of resources

City Survivors: 984,122

World Survivors: 396,413, 251

[Upon your acceptance, you will be allowed access to your Title Bonus Skills, Roulette Skills, and additional stats. Are you ready to begin?]

“Do I have any other choice?”

The system repeated the same message.

Shota went for his phone again. He glanced at its cracked screen, hoping for a message. When it didn’t come, he slowly looked up at the hovering gate.

[Are you ready to begin?]

“Fuck it, I’m ready.”

A wooden box appeared. Shota sheathed his sword as he stared at it.

[You will face your first dungeon challenge in three days. Visit the nearest gate at that time. You have five minutes to leave the area before the first wave of monsters is released into the city. Take your resources, Survivor, and go if you value your life. Your phone will serve as your guidebook and later, your map. Never forget that you are the main character.]

Shota opened the box to find dried food, three gallons of water, a small black backpack, and a teddy bear.

A teddy bear? Did it say monsters? Gritting his teeth, Shota looked up at the hovering gate. He glanced down at his phone and a timer appeared.

4:59

4:58

4:57

4:56

Shota stuffed it in his pocket, grabbed the box, and turned back in the direction of the parking garage.

His phone buzzed again and he checked it to find more of the mysterious text.