Dungeon Crawler Carl, #7
This Inevitable Ruin
by Matt Dinniman
Contents
Chapter 77
Overview
Meatus is destroyed and Harpocrates flees, leaving Larracos drenched in gore and ash while Donut absorbs the emotional and mechanical consequences of becoming Nekhebit's champion. Donut's power surges to unprecedented levels, but Li Na's stat-breaking ascent creates a new crisis because escaped marked enemies prevent her from healing.
The broader war remains unresolved: the Team Retribution throne room changes hands, the war mages vanish, and Li Na begins hunting Fang and Tagg. Donut's allies affirm that her horrific choice saved them, giving her enough strength to keep going despite grief over the dead.
Summary
After Donut's attack obliterates Meatus across the realm, Harpocrates reveals he can speak by screaming in grief and rage over the destruction of his body part, then leaves the realm. Gore, ash from the eruption, and cooled lava turn Larracos into a hellish red landscape while the city defenses continue firing below.
Donut steadies herself after the horror of what she has done. She confirms she remains party leader and still has her Former Child Actor benefits, but her new Oak Fell class and Champion of Nekhebit title add powerful deity-level spells. Mordecai explains that Donut may now be the most powerful crawler in the dungeon's history, and Donut chooses new stat benefits, boosting Mongo through Muscle Mommy and increasing her own magic and store advantages.
Carl examines Donut and sees that she has risen to level 135, while Carl has only reached level 81. Donut is shaken but functional, and Carl takes relief in the fact that Donut can still joke, plan, and care about decorum. Donut decides to keep Mongo and Rend caged so they do not eat Meatus's gore.
The system then announces that Li Na has maxed out her base strength, intelligence, and eventually all base stats, something the dungeon is not prepared to handle. Carl realizes Li Na must have used the Ring of Divine Suffering to mark the trapped enemies and that Fang and Tagg escaped, meaning Li Na cannot heal until they die. The throne room briefly changes hands as the War Mage Rebellion abandons it, the Princess Posse occupies it, and then it reverts to Team Retribution; Britney reports that Li Na has torn through the castle, glowing and silent, while the remaining war mages flee through a portal.
Carl privately contacts Li Na, who confirms that several marked enemies escaped, including both warlords, and notes mysterious unaffiliated outworlders nearby. Carl tries to redirect her toward the broader plan: the NPCs will soon retake the Dream castle throne room, then the group must rescue Louis at the Reaver castle and capture that throne too before finishing Faction Wars. Li Na does not answer.
In the main chat, Donut apologizes for trapping everyone in the ball, but the others reassure her that she saved them from the paralyzing Witness spell. They acknowledge losses, including Li Jun and Bomo, but Elle, Katia, Chris, Imani, and Zhang insist Donut acted heroically. Donut curls into Carl's arms, refuses to cry yet, and says they are not done.
Who Appears
- DonutBecomes vastly stronger as Oak Fell and Champion, then faces guilt over deaths she caused.
- CarlAssesses Donut's new power, pieces together Li Na's danger, and keeps the larger plan moving.
- Li NaMaxes all base stats after marking enemies, but cannot heal while Fang and Tagg live.
- HarpocratesReveals his voice in rage after Meatus's destruction and flees the realm.
- ElleHelps destroy Larracos defenses and reassures Donut that her actions saved everyone.
- ZhangGrieves Li Jun but tells Donut that Jun would have been proud of her.
- MordecaiExplains Donut's deity spells and unprecedented power after her class and title changes.
- BritneyReports from the castle that Li Na tore through it as the war mages escaped.
- Li JunDead ally whose loss weighs heavily on Donut and Zhang during the aftermath.
- BomoDead ally named among the casualties Donut mourns after the battle.