The Butcher of Gadobla

Life is hard. Jobs are nowhere to be found. In the real world, far too many people live in poverty and can only find work online in VR. And things are getting worse. The old internet is unusable and has been hacked. The new system needs AI to run things, but most of it has been destroyed. Now everyone is rushing to enter the GENESIS engine, because it is going to become the new global marketplace.

Everyone wants a piece of the new game. Guilds are racing to be the first to find dungeons and kill the biggest monsters. Corporations are claiming land and launching online marketplaces. Oz and his friends just want a paycheck.

Four friends discover that they are locked into a five-year contract as virtual serfs in a tiny village, with no way to go adventuring, earn money, and buy their freedom. They don't have many options. They can spend all those years as blacksmiths, barmaids, and shepherds... or they can cheat and find a way to exploit the System.

This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. Do not imitate.