Dungeon Crawler Carl, Chapters 27-31

So thank you very much, Michael. I really am excited to get to dive into the second one pretty soon. This section is very funny to me because I didn't think it was going to happen so soon, if I'm being honest. The whole thing with like the I had put out there like, potentially, what is it that we've got like going on with these interviews, what would the vibe be? YadA, YadA. I didn't think we would get

here so quickly. I kind of expected that there might be some clips of them shown first, and then maybe in the next one we would start to get and by next one, I mean next floor, even though they do make it into the next floor in this section, that's not really what they're being interviewed about, right, So I just I didn't expect all of this to happen so close to the start of the crawl for them, which I have to admit, and this is part of

me confessing to being a Donut. I didn't think through the implications of how so all I could All I could think was if you get onto the show, that it's just a good thing for you as long as you handle the camera well. But what winds up happening is that it seems Donut get so wrapped up in her performance that as far as Karl is concerned, she starts to sort of lose sight of what's really important or at least what her fans so they're called, want

to see from her. And I just thought that that was a really good point that he says something later about how the reason that they like you is because you behave like this, and if you start to change that, then they aren't going to feel the same way about you, which that I definitely do see and that I could

put together for myself. But the thing that hadn't kind of crossed my mind was how much more of a target that would potentially make them, how much information people might have about them now, And just like some of the downsides of this, it seemed to me a full on unmitigated victory to be interviewed, and it made me feel a little foolish once he starts pointing out all of the downsides to this, that I hadn't really considered any of that because I forget about how there are

other people who are going to get to watch these Like what I kept thinking about was sort of in reality shows where you are doing that talking head to the camera thing. It's a whole different vibe, right because what you say to the camera, your other players don't get to see. Later on when it airs, then they get to see it, but it's way past the time

that anything can be done about it. So I had forgotten about the fact that all of this is going to be aired so that everybody can see all of it as it's happening, and that puts you in the position of wanting to please the audience but also not wanting to do too much or say too much that could potentially like like, let others know what you've got

up your sleeve in terms of weapons and stuff. They're going to be taking film review fighting, so you kind of can't avoid that to a degree depending on what clips they show. And there's just a lot of implications to doing it this way with everybody being part of the viewing process that I hadn't considered, And I won't say exactly that it takes some of the fun out of it, because it doesn't precisely. What I mean more is that it adds another layer of complexity that could

be really dangerous. And I'm glad at least that he has the presence of mind to see it and point it out to Donut, and that she seems to listen to him. It seems like she really does kind of get it, and he has to break through her excited Hayes first, but I got the feeling that she really did see his point. So I'm getting ahead of myself here,

but let's start off with twenty seven. We have just finished killing all of these tusklings, and Agatha is really pissed because Carl had popped her shopping cart into his inventory, but he takes it out and gives it back to her. He winds up getting like an asshole ward or asshole box and achievement because he took something from another crawler, but he did give it back. I love that she goes through it and it's just sort of like, did

you take anything? Is it still the same? And Agatha, it turns out she doesn't actually have an inventory yet because she hasn't even gone through the onboarding process, so there's no way for her to put stuff away. But nevertheless she is at level two and then he sees her level go up again because her just being here when the fight happened, despite the fact that she didn't really participate at all, didn't if that wound up getting

her experience points just by proximity. Something that comes up later that I find pretty fascinating is that your girl isn't on the show, and we don't really know why not. She gets edited out and I am sort of wondering if they don't like for people to realize that you can just sort of passively be around and still be leveling up. I really like, could it be that she is a plant somehow?

I can't understand. So let's see.

them they're the entire but explore there's one. There's no reason to be frightened, not when the trusty field guide has added monster tizes to this area of the map. Now when you gaze upon the unknown, that fear is somewhat lessened. Instead of delving into the strange, mysterious dark being devoured by an unseen horror, you will now know exactly what it is as it chews upon your tasty innerds. And now when he zooms out the map, he can see a whole lot more mob level two through five

Axe Beak. At this point, an old man comes in named Randall, and it's just like, hey guys, it looks real bad in here. Is everything okay? And the proposal later on that I think Brandon comes up with is to send them down the next staircase as soon as possible, and so they will be in stasis because it won't matter for them if they are in stasis, because they're not able to fight anyway. So the lack of advantage there, all of that is no like they're not going to

be leveling up. They're not going to be fighting. The people who are watching the show aren't going to very likely be wanting to sponsor them, and so a whole aspect of how the game works isn't going to like

matter for them. Just keeping them alive will matter. And I am really really curious how long the game is going to let them get away with this, because the point is supposed to be quote survival of the fittest, even though we all know that's not even true either, But is that part of why Agatha has been cut out? Is like she doesn't even really count as a crawler if she hasn't gone through the introductory process of do

you know what I'm saying? I don't know. I just I keep feeling like the fact that they are trying to keep these old people alive, I think they're doing the right thing, but I am starting to wonder if it's going to reach a point where the game just decides I'm not letting you do this anymore because it's not part of the entertainment factor for people, and so it will put them in a position where they all have to die and or take the decision away from them.

I feel like it would have to be put them in the position where they have to die, though, because it's not as interesting to just kill them. You have to make them do something that results in them needing to make this decision, right, something very dramatic and upsetting. So anyway, I'm just really, really really curious how this could possibly work it long term. And again, just because it won't work up until the very end does not

mean that it isn't worth doing. I still think it's worth doing because, as Carl says later, what's the point of living if I can't live with myself one hundred percent? So I support this, but I am just trying to see how it could work out later and the ways in which maybe their agency will get further stripped away because these people don't make good television, or alternatively, it might be that they make great television that trying to keep the old people alive turns out to be part

of what makes this crew so compelling to people. You know, I really don't know. It kind of depends on the tastes of the viewers, and we're sort of going along with the viewers on average, seeming to be sort of the same as like regular American Earth viewers in terms

of what they want to see in a reality show. Right, So I actually could see that maybe them being the protectors of this group of elderly might work for them and might actually make it so that the game wants to keep the old people alive for the community aspect of this party, I hope. So it's just like, there are so many moving parts and there are so many determinations that could be made. Ah, I'm so curious. Okay,

oh oh, we have them looting everything. I love that there is a strap on dildo that IMMANI is just like ew and drops it and Donut immediately grabs it and looks at Carl and is like, you said, everything right, and let's see. He goes over and asks Donut, what do you want to do? And she says what do you mean? And he's like, well, should we stay with them or do our own thing? And she says, oh, sweetie, come on now, let's not lie. You know what you want to do already, and he's just like, yeah, okay,

I suggest we do what we've been doing. It doesn't have to be one or the other. We set up a place for them to remain safe. Then you and I go and do our own thing. We can keep our party and set up a group chat with the others. I know how to do it now. When we find the next set of stairs, we go get them and bring them with us. I grinned down at the cat. I knew there was a good kiddy in there somewhere, she bristled. If it were up to me, I'd leave

them all. But I know you're a softy. Besides, if we get them down to the third level, we'll need someone with thumbs. If you're going to turn into a cat. I'm not turning myself into a cat. I couldn't even if I want to anyway. Mordecai said so, and he asks who Ferdinand is here? And she just like, no idea, what you mean? Where's Agatha and immediately changes the subject, and eventually there's He notices that there is a ramp and that she has already gone.

of course, sweetheart. At the bottom of the stairs turned ramp was a door almost identical to the one we'd use to enter the dungeon. I stared at the giant carving of the fish man. Go fuck yourself, I thought, as I put my hand against the door. I pushed, but instead of the gate opening like last time, there was a flash of light and a moment of disorienting nausea, followed by a quick feeling of falling. And then suddenly Donat and I were standing in a plush room, staring

at a strange round door. All of my status bars had disappeared. I turned in a circle, bewildered. There was a couch that appeared to be made of blue crushed velvet. I stood upon a thick, soft carpet, also blue. There was a strange sense of motion to the room, and I immediately knew we were on a boat. I could tell right away from experience that this vessel was large, but not huge, maybe one hundred feet. At the far end of the room was a bar with an honest

to goodness fruit basket sitting on it. Sitting next to the basket was a stemmed bowl filled with what seemed to be catfood. Instinctively, I made a fist and my gauntlet appeared, only partially relieved, I summoned, I unsummoned my weapon. What the fuck is this? I asked, But the second the words came out of my mouth, I knew exactly what this was. So they are going to be interviewed Dungeon Crawler after hours with Odette, and we get some

really fun info about how exactly this works. You're standing in a production trailer located on the surface of your planet. You're still technically in the game, even though you can't use your menus like safe rooms. Production trailers have their own rules too many to discuss. I really am here with you, however, my engineer and I are the only other people here. When you walk through that door, you're going to walk onto a studio set. From what I understand,

the setup should be very familiar to your culture. This studio, including Odette and the entire audience, is not really there. The couch is there, but everything else is virtual. They're filming from a location very far away. I'm supposed to tell you it is similar to the hollow deck from your television series Star Trek. However, you won't be able to touch anything. Any other guests, even fellow crawlers, will also be hollow. At least for this interview. You are

the only crawlers in this particular production trailer. I will tell you when it's time. You will walk onto set. You will wave, and you will proceed directly to the couch next to the desk desk, your majesty sitting closest to Odette. Do not approach the audience, or you will run into a wall that you can't see. The room is not as big as it appears. Questions, make up, donut ask not. For this interview, the audience will have just watched highlights reel of your time in the dungeon,

followed by the entirety of that last boss fight. It will appear as if you walked straight from the fight.

The more entertaining you are, the better it will play. Got it, Donut said, Hold up a second, what do you mean by private production? The main program, Dungeon Crawler World Earth is owned by the Syndicate government, and this season it is produced by the Borrent Corporation. This is not the first time that somebody has done this, and

then this happens again later. I think Syndicate rules allow for private production companies to produce their own programs as long as they pay for the production themselves and pay an advertising stipend. This show will tunnel immediately after the main program. It is produced by the Titan Conglomerate, with production assistants by over a dozen participating independent systems. It

is the largest most tunneled private program in existence. The host Odette is the most beloved interviewer and program host in the history of the galaxy, So try to make a good impression. This is so interesting. I am so like. First of all, the fact that they keep on the thing with the borrent corporation is really weird. We find out later that there's a whole thing with them maybe being bought out, going into bankruptcy. So I don't know if she was about to call them by the name

of a different company. But the fact that it's like that she catches herself the way she does, I don't know if that's for their benefit. I don't know if it's for the benefit of like maybe people watching them in that room. I don't know what that's about. And I love the fact that Doughnut has all of these extremely good questions before going out there. I wouldn't think

to ask any of these. I would be absolutely ready to assess as I'm interviewed what the tone is and the vibe, and I would adjust fully in that moment. But asking a head I wouldn't even consider. And it's such a smart move, especially like the do you want us to be more technical? Because like, but the way the game is played, I could see that being appealing to some people, but I would assume it would have the tone that it winds up having. That's pretty much

how I would go. And the whole like the fact that it winds up being hosted by somebody who had previously themselves been a crawler also never entered my mind. So I found that to be a really weird and fun idea that I can't There are still some questions for me around that, because was this part of a deal, like that is going to run out at some point or what? But anyway, he tells donut be careful, and she's like, of what and he says, they're not our friends.

You have to remember that she won't eat the cat food because it's going to get all over her face, but she will have a treat, which we later find out it's essentially the same as throwing bag of shot. Like she it's something to just make her a little bit more lively on camera. And she says to Carl, out there with all the punching and the grunting and the disgusting exploding goblins, that is your world. This is mine. I know this might be difficult for you to understand,

but I've been doing this my entire life. Every cat show I've ever done is an interview. I was bred for this. Let me do my thing. You didn't talk before, I said, and having to judge stick her finger up your ass is not the same thing as being interviewed for a television show. And she's like, first of all, nobody's ever done that, and second of all, you see how you're acting right now. That's why I'm saying that I'm going to do the talking, because you clearly aren't

ready for this shit. I as much as she like, he's right that she didn't have to talk. Her charisma is twenty five. It was actually now she's been buffed, so it's like thirty. Let her do the talking. Bro, just shut up Twitter, What is the problem. So we go out there, the audience is going absolutely nuts, and he has a little trouble here with dealing with all of the weird creatures that he is seeing, and of

course when he meets Odette it is extremely confusing. We end up finding out that all of these things are like parts of her armor that she had gathered when she was a crawler, and so she just wears them for the show because they're part of her brand now, but initially he is just like, what the fuck is she? Let's see, I'm trying to find. The lower body of the woman was entirely crab, black and red, with a

lumpy shell and multiple kiteness legs. The shape and makeup of the shell was that of a king crab, but the size of a brown bear. Her body seemed to completely separate from the rest of her form. The legs crowded one another, unable to tuck themselves under the desk. The legs seemed to twitch of their own accord, malevolent, ready to strike. Her triangular bug heead was black with mirrored compound eyes the size of footballs. Twin antenna sprouted from her head with a span over at least six

feet as wide as the crab body. But the oddest part of this woman was her torso. Her naked, ebony body from her stomach to her neck was that of a plus sized human model who had bribed a third world plastic surgeon into enhancing her breasts well beyond anything that could ever be considered natural or sexy or anything other than what the fuck. The colossal breasts sat atop the table like a pair of pigs. Suckling against their mother,

her nipples faced downward, her areolas absurdly oversized. Even on the massive breasts, each the size of a Direct TV satellite dish, there was no conceivable way, even as big as she was, that her body could sustain those ginormous breasts without her back breaking like a twig. Jesus, no wonder, this show is so damn popular. I really loved that.

Are you enjoying the show? I love it? Donah is playing this crowd. This is the attitude to have. I we find out that the girl with the Rottweilers does not know how to play a crowd at all, and sometimes weirdly that can work for you, even though you wouldn't think so. But I could definitely see how some people would be like, she's not here to fucking like play around on camera. She's here to fucking win this thing. I am putting my bets on her. I can see that,

But I also understand this. So Odette explains that we've been watching you, uh from the beginning. You might not be getting any love on the official program, but you two are quite the sensation. So the fact that they've been being watched from the start despite not being on the actual thing. I didn't know that was a thing that was happening, and I don't feel like that's been mentioned, And I think that's sort of important that people should have been able to know that. It bothers me that

they're not informed on this, you know. So she asks if Donut is Earth Royalty, and she says, why, Yes, I am Earth has a ruling class the humans. It's all about the thumbs. But amongst cats, which is what I am. We have what's called an elective monarchy, but it's really just a beauty contest. My full name is gcbwr and W Princess Donut the Queen Anne Chunk, I wouldn't think of boring you guys with all my titles. GC stands for Grand Champion, and you've won the beauty contest.

Donut flipped her tail, and I swear to God the cat fucking winked. She looked right into the middle of the crowd and asked, her voice seductive, what do you think? The crowd roared. I am living for it. I am living for it. This is exactly it. Thank you, Donut. I mean, what would you do without her, Carl, What would you do without her? I don't even want to know. Don't hurt the cat author That's all I'm saying. So, Carl, before you came on, I promised my audience I get you to say it.

But I love this this, especially again with the narrator and the way his voice is like a little different from the narration, so it definitely sounds like you're taking a clip from something else. It's just so well done. The scenes kept changing over and over, each time, ending with me saying the same thing. I'd said it at least fifteen times, I sighed inwardly, doing my best not to let my dismay show.

help your brand that you're fighting it. But I also don't don't stop though, you know, like you're so you're the curmudgeon, right, She's the sunshiny one and you're the curmudgeon. Fight it, but go with it. Also, do you get what I'm saying. You've got to find that balance here, That's all I'm saying. And I the whole like just again, the fact that they were filming all of that. We were told like, none of this is being seen by anybody, and I really just took that at face value and

was like, Okay, we're just getting things set up. Then we find out that they've got like all of these moments, and honestly, as much as like I should be angry that we're being forced into a game for our lives, I know, I was just more like, well, fucking tell us this though, guys, because that's important to know. I would definitely be playing it differently on the first level if I didn't know, then if I did, and I don't know that would change the outcome of like the

fights and stuff, but potentially, who knows. I just think that I would be irritated to find out that this was all being filmed and seen after being explicitly told it wasn't. So we have all of the uh the like little moments with the fights and Odette asking Donut, like why didn't you fight him? You're a lot stronger than him. They look at her stats. If he was in real trouble, I would have certainly helped, like I did with that Juicy boss.

I am all the time. It's so much a part of me that I have had a therapist ask me, who are you when nobody is looking? And I literally glitched out and just sat and stared into space for a moment because I didn't know how to answer that, because it feels like there's always somebody looking, even if they're not. It just feels like that to me all the time. I feel observed. It's a very like Truman Show kind of feeling sometimes and I just live like that all the time and it doesn't bother me really.

It's like just the way I am. But you know, like there was a time where I was I can't remember who who it wound up being, but they came up on me and I was with Pippen and I was playing with him and talking to him, and they like assumed that I had known they were there because I was talking and joking with Pippen, like I knew they were watching, and I was trying to be funny for them. I didn't know they were there. I just

do that what I do on camera. This is how I am all the time, just just an FYI like, it's not I'm not like I turn it more on for the camera, of course, but it's this isn't an act really, So it's really difficult for me to understand sometimes when people aren't like this and don't enjoy that kind of like people know you and know what you like and who you are and things you've been through.

Like I am an oversharer because I want you guys to have the context of other things that have happened in my life to inform why I react the way I do to certain things. So I just tell you, guys whatever, Like there's very little that I hide. I don't feel like I had anything. And the way that he is here, like having to force a laugh, feeling

dismayed about all of this. This reaction that he is having is a lot more logical, honestly, than my reaction would be than donuts reaction is he is responding to having been put in a life or to a situation by fucking aliens who killed ninety percent of the planet's population. And he he hates this. He hates this, and that makes fucking sense. That just does. And yet I'm over here like, ugh, Carl, what's your problem? Turn it on, buddy? What are you doing?

the way. But I just hate knowing how miserable he is because if it's a duo that's doing that on purpose, where we're having a sort of like pen and teller thing, that's one thing, but that's not on purpose. That's just who he is because he is miserable, and he has every right to be miserable. He really like, you know. But it makes me sad because he is right about the dangers of this a thousand percent. It's just it

could be it could be something. He is getting such an opportunity here, and I want him to figure out how to play it, you know. So anyway, Oh my god, there are so many comments. I'm sorry, guys, I didn't even see this. Let me scroll up a little bit. Oh my god, Michael says, really, television executives don't know either. That's why they throw so much shit at the wall hoping something sticks. I think in response to me talking

about the old people and what they're gonna do. I love how media savvy Dona is that Kat watched way too much TV. That's a good point. I was just thinking about her beauty pageant circuit. But her being like in front of the TV all the time is another thing. That's a really good point. You called the budget issues so early on. I was impressed. I feel like, doesn't somebody hint that though? Does that mean I don't feel

like I just pulled that out? Did I? I don't know. Oh, Rob says same, So if you both were impressed, then maybe maybe I just pulled it out.

life on the line. This is rot By the way, guys, sorry, and everything thereafter has to be done with the whole I can't do anything without being spectated, and it becomes a meme. And if that isn't just a load to bear on top of oh yeah, the monsters are trying to kill you. And then the third layer of I am doing the same thing to Carl and this is tiny little fourth wall break two parasocial relationships are weird. Yeah, I am. This is I mean, this is exactly the

thing that The Hunger Games is doing as well. And it's like, obviously, like I've said before, it's set up very differently. But Catnus is like Carl, where she just doesn't want anything to do with this. She thinks it's really sick. It almost feels like with Donut that she doesn't even really understand the genuine consequences of things yet, you know, because like she keeps talking about her owner

like she's still alive, Beatrice. And so I think that's part of why Donna isn't as irritating as she could be too, is because it feels like she's childlike in a way where she doesn't totally get it, and the fact that everybody would be spectating like and that's part of me wanting to know if you were being observed in the first place. Like I feel like in some ways I do function better when I am being observed, So knowing that I feel like with that help. But yeah,

the whole like recontextualizes everything that came before. Maybe that's part of why the author did it. Maybe he knew we would feel different if we found out that it was being filmed after all, and it would change the you know, like I could see that as a storytelling device because it does. So what's next for you to do? You intend on staying with Team metal Lark. I don't remember where metal Lark? Is that the name of the

old Folks Home. That's the plan for now, Donut said, it depends on what we find on the next floor. But I want to tell you something, Odette, She stood on the chair facing the audience. I promise all of you, you guys are going to want to follow me in Carl, You're going to want to favored us because whatever it is we face, we're not just going to kill them. We are going to kill them big. We are going to kill them with style. Thirty seconds later, the audience

was still screaming. Odette had to shout over her own crowd, we are out of time, but thank you so much Carl and her Royal majesty Princess Donut. Good luck to you too, I'll see you all next time. And Donut is literally mesmerized by the adoration of the crowd and has not come back down to earth. So when Carl tries to talk to her, she's like not hearing him. I suddenly had a feeling of dread. That look, that hunger. That was dangerous. She'd had but a single taste, but

I could already tell she was addicted to this. To the crowd, to the cheers, it was going to be a problem. God damn it, Donut, I muttered, yeah, this is uh again, as somebody who is also like really probably like, look, I'm gonna say all of this with a grain of salt. Obviously, I don't have the same type of issues with constantly performing that some people do. In like, and what I'm saying is there are people out there who film almost every moment of their lives.

They are influencers who they can't like, do their hair in the morning without taking video of it. They can't make themselves a coffee. They can't have a thought that they don't record and put out there. And while I get that impulse, I.

I be like now? And I have to assume I'd be like an influencer of some kind, because I would have leaned so hard into that right away. And I do think there is a hazard with that. We see this all the time with influencers who it turns out their life was a fucking lie. You know, you'll have people who like you can just rent the time to stand in front of a private jet and get your photo taken, and then they will go on social media

and act like it was their jet. Or you would have people who have this like advice sort of style where they're telling people like how to raise their family or how to be a good wife, and then you find out that the two of them have been living in separate bedrooms and their kids hate them. You know, all these sorts of things like it's it's It can be really gross, the way that people like twist themselves to be something that they aren't for the gratification and

the the what's the word I want admiration? What is it called? When you're looking for validation? That's the word of other people? And I really hope that isn't like some like, it's one thing to like to perform because you want to be liked and entertaining, and it's another thing to feel like if you don't get that, you're not whole. And I have struggled with that myself, and I feel like I'm finally now that I'm forty, I'm getting past it and starting to understand that's just nothing.

You know, those that sort of validation from strangers. It feels like in the moment, it's like junk food where you taste a cheeto and you're like, that is fucking delicious, Give me more of that. But you finish the whole bag, and you feel kind of sick, and you're also still hungry. It's junk food, but you have a bad palate because you're not old enough to be able to tell. So in the moment, you can't really tell a difference between the validation from people that you actually care about versus

the validation of strangers. And I really want to see how this progresses for Dona and the way that because she's gonna have to grow. Michael says, I don't see how your life can't be unaffected when you start monetizing it. Yeah, I mean there's no way. I it's just when your brand is about your life, that's a really dangerous thing. My brand is about how I feel about media, and

that is something that is outside of my life. And so I can continue doing this no matter what happens to me in my life, and that will inform my reaction to things, but it doesn't change what I am

giving my audience. Whereas if what you're giving is videos of you and your handsome husband and your beautiful children in your gorgeous home, and then something happens where that's you don't have any of that anymore, Well, fucking now, what you know, like you either have to pretend or you have to try and build a whole new brand and adjust and keep people interested, which is not easy. And that's the part that I think I find it to be doing work where you depend on other people

for your income. It's really really tricky. Everybody to a degree depends on other people for their income.

brand out of. So I never even attempted because I just don't have that surrounding me. And maybe if I did, I would, maybe if I'd grown up stable and having that kind of security always, it would feel way safer for me to do that, and I wouldn't think about But what happens if it goes away, because it had never happened to me before. But I grew up the way I grew up, and I live how I live, and so for me, I've just known that's not the way to go, because that shit can be gone any time.

And maybe that's it. I don't know. I don't. Odette touches on it too. Once your brand is established or stuck with it, yes, I want to jump to her. And Rob says, unless you pick Changeling for your race on the third floor, which would be fun. Honestly, I would be very tempted by that because being able to change my appearance is something that I would love, like just being able to one day have like butt length, long blonde hair and then the next day have like

a purple pixie cut. I just love the idea of just like my whole look is completely at the whim of my mood. I enjoy it. Michael says, you touched on it earlier when you talked about algorithms too. Once you get noticed, you have to stick with that or you might lose your audience exactly. And it's clearly like it's not as if that's impossible to do, but it is a really difficult thing to do when you aren't successful enough to kind of be outside of that and

earning money in other ways. Once you get to be a certain level of income, that money starts to earn money if you invest it, so you don't have to worry as much. But then there's people who, like, they get wealthy, but they still can't satisfy that validation need, and so they stay in the public eye despite not

having to. And then you get things like John Cleese, who had been great and now he's out here talking cash shit and being a turf because he can't just shut the fucking shut the fuck up and go be rich. He has to still be in the public eye, and he's like just sort of shit all over his own legacy in a way. Anyway, So chapter twenty nine, I

am so behind you, guys, Oh my god, Oh my god. Okay, we have the like kind of convening with Odette afterward, and she asks plexus ping me if one of those Ai sticks to nose in here, I want to talk to our guests for a minute without anybody snooping. And this is when she starts to take everything off. She's a human woman, approximately sixty years old. Her eyes were just a little wide for her face, just a little wide for her face to pass as someone from Earth.

A moment later, the woman's crab body skittered back, and the chest with the enormous breast remained attached to the desk. Her whole torso peeled away, revealing a dark shirt. She wore a necklace with a heart on it. If it weren't for the crab body in the eyes, she'd look like any other human, she said. When he says, wait, the body, is that fake too, she says, everything you see is fake.

how people know me. How was that boob thing armor? Young man?

his trainer. It's how I found you. I keep an eye on him, and I watched you guys as you stumbled into his guild room. I'm going to give you some advice. And we find out a little bit later that Mordecai isn't going to be able to like actually get free of the deal he made unless they at least reached the fourth floor. But he has never mentioned

that to them, which I find really admirable. You could try and like guilt your people, and he doesn't even attempt to do that because he knows they've got fucking enough on their plates already, you know. And this is when she brings up the mud Skippers won't like it, which is what the other girl had started to say and stopped herself. Mud Skippers, you mean, I pause, looking at the ceiling. They can't hear you in here, But

don't say that phrase. In the Dungeon mud Skipper, they attempted to get it listed as hate speech by the syndicate a couple cycles back. Hardly anyone called them that until they made a big deal about it. But yes, that's what I mean. The Cuatin Borent. Nobody likes the Kuatine, at least not their system of government. Borent is a different story. Some of those folks are okay. All they wanted to put on a good show. I'm sure they were incensed when they were forced into this early release.

You're going to step onto that second floor and in a day or so you're gonna find your social numbers have gone meteoric. Those people are following you, Carl and Donut. So when you go down to the third floor, you need to stay as a cute, cuddly cat. They'll tempt you with some very powerful creature races. Going viral early is both a blessing and a curse. People are in love with donut the cat, not donut, the saber tooth, void leopard. Don't change your race whatever you do. I've

seen it happen dozens of times. They change and their numbers plummet. It's why nobody sponsors a crawler earlier than the fourth floor.

be on the table. It's different every season. And for his clues, he knows what he's doing. He's going to do his best to guide you. Also, if you want pants, you should stop bitching about not having them. So it's like I suspected, I said, the loot boxes aren't really random. Of course, not, said Odette. It's even written into the rules. Look at me, I lost my legs to a fiend Scythe on the eleventh floor. I was all but dead. I dragged myself to a safe room, opened my boxes,

and received this in a gold box. This is a legendary item. It allows me to attach body parts.

There are times where I think I would do this, and then the time comes and that doesn't even occur to me to do so. I might being a little but I mean, you know, God damn, and let's see.

I said, at least not out loud. Not when it's funny for you to not have pants, She turned to Dona. Or when someone hisses every time they get another torch in one of their boxes. I didn't even think of that, But that is very funny, actually, and that is exactly what happens, right, certain things that crop up in a

show where you're like reality shows. I could see this being more of a thing, but I don't watch that many've The Circle is really the reality show that I've watched the most consistently, and ever since it moved to the US, it's been kind of trash. One last piece of advice, never trust someone unless you know what they're getting out of it. And this is when she mentions that Mordecai won't get out unless they make it to

the fourth floor. He'll be stuck until the next Boring sponsored season, which will be at least another seven or eight seasons, and with the political environment as it is, a lot of people aren't certain Boring will be around that long. All indentureship contracts get frozen during a bankruptcy seizure action? What who's seizing them? What does that mean?

This is something that I also really like in terms of how I have talked about clearly this author is like drawing parallels to just what it's like living in a hyper capitalist society and we're at the fucking whims of people so far above us that we can't even see them, touch them, hear them. But the contracts get frozen, You're just like stuck because these assholes that you don't have anything to do with can't make a fucking deal.

Like it's so gross, you guys, This is I mean, I don't feel like there has ever been a time where it's been as apparent how at the whim we are of the people in charge. Then are year twenty twenty five with fucking Elon Musk out here doing god knows what and tons of government employees being laid off and fired, and these folks had there was no clue that this was coming, and they are completely taken off guard. And these are folks that had like moved to get

to certain jobs. Or I had a friend who she works three hours away from where her office is, and she was working remotely, and they made it so that if she doesn't come in every day, she's not gonna get to keep her job. Well, she's like three hours away, you know, like, what do you mean, how can you just do that? Because they can do whatever the fuck they feel like. That's the long and short of it. So anyway, let's see. Oh yeah, yeah, the moment whatever

you guys did to her is wearing off. She didn't even deny it. She was watching the cat pounce around the end of the room. Oh this is when she says, in many ways, she's still a child. It's part of the reason why so many are enchanted with her. It works well in the dungeon, but for interviews sometimes they need a little nudge. It was temporary, increased her wisdom and a few confident stats by a point and a half, not much. It makes for a better interview, and when

he mentions like wisdom isn't a stat anymore. She's like, just because they aren't there, it doesn't mean it's not real. And then he asks her what her motivations are, and she says, the longer you stay alive, the more money I make. And there is nothing I love in this universe more than money. Now get back in there and try not to die. I think she's probably telling the truth, but I don't know why. I kind of don't believe her. Normally, when somebody is just like, it's about the money, baby,

I'm like, yeah, it makes sense. I don't know, though, I don't know Odette, maybe maybe maybe h Anyway, Okay, I have one more chapter No. Two more to cover.

the bigger they get. Once you start finding them in the pupa stage, you best move on. Grubs are easy to kill. They're old siblings are not. And once again this reminded me of Starry Valley. There are grubs and then they go into a people stage and you can't

kill them. You can slam your weapon against them, but it just does this like weird clicking banging sound and nothing happens, and then it hatches and they become a flying thing which you can kill, but they are much higher level and you have to so like basically, if you hit them twice with your weapon in quick succession,

you'll kill him in the grub stage. But sometimes if you try and kill them and there's too much time between swings, it will go into its people stage in the midst of your attack because you like took too long. So I'm kind of wondering if it's like based on this or if it's just a coincidence or what. So he kills this thing, and she, like Dona, is able to see a lot of them coming before Karl is so she has this stability at least to like help

give him heads up. If the bugs are like the rest, then we haven't yet met the mobs of this quadrant. I took my foot and smashed down on the remains of the corpse that Agatha had killed. I smashed and crushed, smearing the innerds all over the place that until the ex disappeared on the map. Carl, are you quite home right? Did you read the description of the grubs. We can't leave corpses lying around, even their own corpses, not in this part of the dungeon. From now on, we do

our best to leave as little behind as possible. And she says people aren't gonna like watching that, and he says, people aren't gonna like watching you get eaten by whatever these fucking things turn out to be. And let's see she oh right. This is when she starts jumping up and down eagerly, and her bell starts to ring, which means that some creatures that are down further turn around and see them and come at them dangered Dingo level five,

and she shoots her eye missiles at them. She used twenty four of her twenty six manna points in seconds. One of them also dropped something we'd hadn't seen yet, a pair of gold coins. Doughnut snatched them away before I could examine the money's properties. I was like wondering if it was her wanting them, like because she was being greedy, or if it was just that she loots things without looking at them. And I kind of think it's that second one. I must admit I did get

a little carried away there. She kicked it in the head, exploded against the wall. And even though she's like stronger than him. Also, things get more fragile after they die, so it's easier to sort of smash things. Let's back out of this area for now. As we approached the main hallway, I didn't see any further signs of the Dingo mobs, but we did find a couple more dead grubs and plenty more living ones. The things were everywhere and we had to kill them by the dozens. And

they find a safe room. They also come across these mind horrors jellyfish that give him a terrible headache but apparently don't really affect Donut. The room, unfortunately, wasn't one of the restaurants with a Bopka protector, though the chamber itself was much bigger than any of the other safe rooms. There are showers and sinks and bathrooms and a mailbox and he goes and tries to open it and just gets an error message why would anyone send you mail?

But I have to think that this becomes something later. I am curious about it, wondering if there's a way to communicate between floors, or a way to leave things for other party members, or I don't even know. Maybe it's where you get your goodies once you get sponsors or something.

else and cheat code potion. This will expire shortly after generated causes one recently used combat or magic theme skill to increase by three. Choice is random and permanent, and he gets an up to pugilism, which is great, and he's just sort of thinking about how most of the skills that he has for fighting are about being unarmed, and so that is definitely going to be you know, like getting shoes now probably not a great idea. Like

there's just he's he's stuck. He's stuck with whatever it is that he started with, and he's looking at the girl Lucia Marr, who is like running on walls and stuff. The crossbow woman was crazy strong, twice as powerful as me. I watched in awe as she picked up a bare size slabbering tentacle monster and threw it into the air, shooting it twice with her repeating crossbow before it exploded, which is amazing. And one last item enchanted pedicure.

for a minute. And he's like, that's incredible, and she says, what, no, it's gross. They're dead. I don't want them moving around. And he's like, you could bring that fucking like those creatures that we just killed, the cocker spaniels back to life and be like that chick with the two Rotwhilers, but they'll be undead rot Wilers, and Dona immediately gets

on board with this. Also, she mentions how she doesn't like groaning, and he remembers her swatting at him while he was fucking his girlfriend one time, which is very, very funny. And let's see, I'm trying to see the Brandon and his crew were still bringing people into the

safe room. I'm trying to see if we get an update on how many people are still alive, because normally it starts with like days till level collapse, but we're in the midst of it, so it doesn't start that way here, and we get this weird update about I'm trying to find the spot where they say that they're going to be speeding things up, but it it doesn't make a lot of sense. They're trying to claim that the number of people who died is like above what

was expected. So they're speeding things up, which isn't what you would do if you were ahead having killed too many people. That's you would do the opposite. So they're giving this like explanation for this thing that is clearly bullshit. And I have to assume budget cuts mean you've got to speed things up because you can't have as long a season as you would have otherwise. And let's see, I'm trying to see. We've got a bunch of stuff going on with like the other people and just what

they're all each up to. I'm not going to get into it too much with them because I'm running out of time. I have like a whole other chapter to cover and I am literally already over. But they talk. He talks to Brandon about his boss box, a magic boomerang, Chris got some book of the club thing, Immani doesn't tell us what she gets, and Yolanda received a new type of quiver that Immani doesn't share what she gets. Is interesting, Like, I don't hate it, but I do

feel like your teammates should get to know. I don't know why you wouldn't want to share that with your teammates. I don't know. Maybe it's just that she is still, like, has so much trauma from fighting and having killed all those people before that she doesn't want to have to be asked to use certain things. I don't know. Let's see Lucienmarr and her dogs obliterated a nest of shaggy

monsters before descending the stairs. I mean right afterwards. She'd been whisked away to a pieran Odette's show, and we get to see like the clip that they are in, and this is when it's mentioned that in the clips, Yolanda or Yolanda points out that Agatha didn't show up and how weird that is she was edited out. Let's see, Oh right, Donut, you need to stop obsessing over this. It's dangerous. It's going to get us killed. I'm not obsessing.

What makes you think I've been obsessing people like you because of what you've been doing. If you start playing for the camera, they're going to like you less and if you die, you won't be remembered at all. So try not to think about it. I don't know what you're talking about, Carl. So yeah, this is when we get the numbers slightly lower than our projection, so we're speeding up the second floor time or to the minimum legally allowed by the rules. You have six days to

find a staircase down. Once again, we urge you all to wait until the last possible moment to descend. As soon as this announcement ends, you'll find that follows and favorites will be turned on for our viewers. The numbers will populate slowly on your interface, so don't be disappointed if you don't see anything just yet. We also have improved how patronage works season a major change, so please

pay attention. All crawlers are now limited to three patrons, and all three spots will be up for auction for one day immediately upon the induction of the fourth floor, the fifth, then the sixth floors, respectively. Your benefactors may so choose to transfer their patronage to other parties at

their own discretion. Starting on the seventh floor, all patronage spots will become available at a bid of one credit, meaning this season virtually all living crawlers will have patrons, but be warned any bids the patron pays above the standard patronage fee will be reflected in loop box discounts for that patron. Any funds below the fee will be reflected in additional costs to that patron for loop boxes.

In other words, the more your patron pays for you, the more and higher quality benefactor boxes you may receive. The higher your social numbers, the better your chances at receiving the best loot that is so convoluted. Guys, I am really confused by this, and I'm trying to link this back to the budget issues somehow, which also it makes sense that they only get one roll of toilet paper per floor now, because that's like, you know, that's actually kind of funny, but keeping it in like two

three patrons max. And unless you pay more, that makes sense with the budget because we need you to give us more money or else your people aren't getting as good stuff. Sure, I'm going to guess that it's basically like normally we would supply the loot, but now we are literally using your patron's support money for the loot in a way that maybe that wasn't quite so close

together before, if that makes sense. And then we get the warning about how if anybody pisses or shits in the halls anymore, they are going to be immediately killed. That's not exactly what they say, but they will bring a rage elemental plucked from the thirteenth floor. It will kill them and everyone in their party before it can get their pants back up. So, yeah, this is just the bathroom thing. I hadn't really thought of as being

that big a deal. But it turns out that there's an old man who does this like peas in the hall all the time. And she says, I have a few adult pads left. I'll make sure he puts one on. I don't know about you, but I don't really feel like that's gonna work out. The reasoning for speeding and up doesn't make any sense, IMMANI said. I nodded, agreeing. If anything, it seems like they're trying to get rid of us faster. Carl, I have my first follower of

another of you. Yeah, I said, you know that viewer is watching you right now, so maybe you should stop acting crazy. We talked about this. Doughnut stiffened her eyes, going, you're right, that was quite the battle today, don't you think, Carl. She said this in a weird, stilted I'm trying to act casual, but I'm not very good at it voice. I sighed, and it took everything not to say my catchphrase out loud. She's going to get used to it.

And if someone sponsored a cheap crawler that later pops, they can transfer that to another with more money and they'll have to spend more money to send them loop boxes. Makes sense, I think. I think, all right, guys, I have to wrap. I am so so over time we see how far yeah, literally twenty minutes over. I cannot be doing this every time. Oh my god, you're welcome until next time to the loo.