Dungeon Crawler Carl, #1
Dungeon Crawler Carl
by Matt Dinniman
Contents
Chapter 1
Overview
Carl survives Earth’s catastrophic transformation only because he steps outside to retrieve Princess Donut moments before every building and enclosed space is crushed. A mysterious Syndicate announcement reveals that Earth has been seized for resource mining and that surviving humans can enter an eighteen-level World Dungeon to reclaim what was lost.
With Seattle annihilated, nearly everyone dead, and hypothermia setting in, Carl chooses the nearest dungeon entrance as his only immediate chance of survival. The chapter establishes the apocalypse, the dungeon rules, and Carl’s reluctant bond with Donut.
Summary
Carl explains that at about 2:23 a.m. Pacific time, every enclosed space on Earth was crushed during a sudden transformation, killing anyone indoors or under a roof. He survived only because he was outside in freezing Seattle weather, wearing boxers, a leather jacket, and Beatrice’s pink Crocs while holding her valuable Persian cat, Princess Donut.
Ten minutes earlier, Carl had been in his apartment after breaking up with Beatrice, who had lied about vacationing with her ex-boyfriend. Because Beatrice’s parents could not retrieve Donut during the storm, Carl had agreed to care for the cat. After waking and smoking by a cracked window, Carl watched Donut leap onto a tree outside, panic in the cold, and refuse to jump back inside.
Carl put on the nearest footwear and rushed outside to rescue Donut. While Carl tried to coax Donut down, Mrs. Parsons opened her first-floor window to complain. Before Mrs. Parsons could finish speaking, the entire seven-story apartment building and the surrounding structures were crushed into the ground, leaving only scattered outdoor objects, churned earth, and the remains of people who had been inside.
As Carl reels from the realization that almost everyone in the city has died, a robotic voice speaks directly into his mind and displays alien text he can understand. The voice announces that Earth has been seized under Syndicate rules for mining rights, that the planet’s interiors and enclosed matter have been processed, and that survivors may attempt to reclaim lost matter by entering an eighteen-level World Dungeon controlled by the Borant Corporation and overseen by a neutral AI.
The announcement explains that 150,000 level-one dungeon entrances will open for one hour, and that anyone who enters must keep descending before each level is reclaimed. Carl, freezing and unable to shelter anywhere on the ruined surface, sees distant fire but then hears a horn and notices warm spotlit holes appearing nearby. Realizing the cold may kill him before he reaches any other refuge, Carl runs toward the nearest dungeon entrance with Donut in his arms.
Who Appears
- CarlNarrator and survivor; rescues Donut, witnesses Earth’s transformation, and enters survival mode.
- Princess DonutBeatrice’s prized Persian cat; escaping outside inadvertently saves Carl from dying indoors.
- Syndicate neutral observer AIRobotic announcer explaining Earth’s seizure, mining process, and World Dungeon rules.
- BeatriceCarl’s ex-girlfriend; her lie and beloved cat explain Carl’s situation outside.
- Mrs. ParsonsCarl’s complaining neighbor; killed as the apartment building is crushed.