Dungeon Crawler Carl: A LitRPG/Gamelit Adventure

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Spit Take: Carl asks a train conductor for a map of the Iron Tangle, while the conductor is taking a drink, and has to wait several seconds while the conductor deals with the liquid that spurted up his nose when he tried to laugh. Crapsack World: Imagine a darker, more nakedly cynical version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. However I'm not saying no to the world building it's good, fits well within the dungeon aesthetics with a lots of flair so it only gets cliche in the best possible way. The Hunters don't turn on each other, but Carl notes that their tendency to work alone and scatter in the face of a threat makes them easy meat when the tables are turned and the Crawlers unitedly come for them. Attention Whore: Donut, being a prize-winning show cat, is far too addicted to the idea of being adored by legions of fans.

Florin even gets one for unintentionally killing his girlfriend, by shooting someone with damage reflection. He can't get his head around how this is supposed to be marketed to children, but Loita insists that the reason he keeps destroying them is just because of his dungeon-enhanced strength. Special mention goes to Frank and Maggie's guide ( who told them the only way to advance was to murder other crawlers, leading to the death of their daughter), and Meadow Lark's guide (who seems mostly good at her job, but once she becomes a manager she just checks out and treats the whole thing as a vacation). Fleeing for the Fallout Shelter: After every structure on Earth suddenly collapses into the ground without warning, a message from the interstellar Syndicate plays, informing the survivors (ie those who were outdoors) that the entrances to the World Dungeon will now be open for the next hour. Ironic Echo: Loita brushes aside Carl's concern for the way that a young NPC has been traumatised, telling him that "no one likes melodrama.

Hooker with a Heart of Gold: "Juice Box" the changeling cares a lot about her brothers and sisters, and is very helpful to the Royal Court in exchange for protecting them.

And naturally, each floor contains stronger monsters and hazards than the one before, so going straight to the stairwell immediately will leave crawlers underpowered and unprepared for further floors.

Crippling Overspecialization: Hekla's party is built completely around her, and her overpowered crossbow that becomes more powerful the more women who are in the party. If you are injured, or poisoned, or if you get a hangnail, you will suffer the ill effects and pain of that injury until the moment your prey is killed. According to Mordecai, they've run their entire star system into the ground, and the whole Crawl is a last-ditch attempt to escape bankruptcy, which is why they keep screwing with the dungeon.

Yandere: The AI's apparent infatuation with Carl's feet doesn't get any less disturbing when its description of a boss monster is spoken in a different tone from usual and seems Close to Home. Cats Are Mean: Princess Donut is spoiled, prissy, more powerful than everyone around her and knows it, and explicitly considers Carl a manservant. Especially since she was essentially Donut's mother, and Carl really doesn't want to ruin Donut's memory of her by telling her about how she was planning to sell Donut as a breeder and replace her with a kitten.It becomes particularly important after Carl wrecks the usual supply lines for the factions, forcing them to rely on the hunters to kit out their armies. Carl doesn't speak Spanish, so he can't understand the first Neighborhood Boss that he fights, but if the reader does, they can see that she's confused, scared, and begging Jesus to forgive her.

Donut has also the growing problem now, that for the past volumes, she struggles to find a place to shine. Anti-Mentor: Most of the game guides vary between "not very good at their jobs" and "actively screwing over the crawlers. S. Coast Guard Veteran, worked as a Marine Technician "fixing electrical systems for rich assholes and their party boats. Bottomless Magazines: Hekla's magical crossbow has a special bolt that can be fired an unlimited number of times; it can load other bolts, but they have normal limits.Not Good with Rejection: After Carl dumped her, Bea freaked out and tried to fly home from her holiday immediately, dragging with her the boy she was cheating with. Xanatos Gambit: A Mayor on the third floor is preparing for a massive ritual spell that will devastate the area. Hunter Iota points out that the odds of him "randomly" appearing right in front of Carl are pretty slim, and Quasar, when mentioning the Zerzura spell's random targeting, confirms that "when I say random, I mean in the worst possible area. Famous for Being First: Carl enters the World Dungeon quite early and receives several bonuses from the system AI as a result.