The end of the world doesn’t come with a bang. It comes at 2:23 a.m., right in the middle of Carl playing video games with a cat that isn’t even his. In an instant, billions vanish, cities are reduced to rubble, and a glowing message in the sky welcomes the survivors to their new reality, where a deadly, televised game called Dungeon Crawler World exists. Carl never asked to be a contestant. Donut, his ex’s spoiled Persian cat, also definitely never asked to be here. But together, this unlikely duo is thrown into a sprawling, trap-filled dungeon filled with goblins, lava-spitting llamas, giant cockroaches, and even more bizarre horrors while an intergalactic audience watches and bets on their survival. Here’s the full recap of Dungeon Crawler Carl Chapter 1-6!
Dungeon Crawler Carl Chapter 1: When The World Ends
Dungeon Crawler Carl Chapter 1 opens at 2:17 a.m., and Carl’s only concern is dragging his ex’s cat, Donut, out of a tree. Six minutes later, Seattle is gone and erased in a blinding instant, along with millions of lives. The only thing left standing is Carl, his cat, and a smoking crater where the city used to be.
Then the sky itself starts talking. Earth, it says, has been stripped for resources, and survivors have one incredible shot to win it back by conquering an 18-level “world dungeon” designed by the mysterious Borant Corporation. Everything will be televised, rules enforced, and the clock is already ticking. Faced with freezing to death or stepping into a staircase leading underground, Carl chooses the dungeon. Inside, things get even stranger.
Donut, my bad, “Princess Donut,” Crawler #4,119, Level 1. Carl is Crawler #4,122, Level 1. Loot boxes, achievements, and system pop-ups flood their vision, with some being helpful and some… ominous.
But when Carl wanders into the so-called “Tutorial Guild,” a notification he sees makes his blood run cold, and it says, “You are so dead.” A second later, the doors burst open, and a swarm of alien horrors on roaring vehicles rushes straight for him. Carl’s last thought before the chaos hit was, ”Oh… shit,” ending Dungeon Crawler Carl Chapter 1.
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Chapter 2: The Game Begins
In Dungeon Crawler Carl Chapter 2, we got to know that the alien horde has a name, and it’s not comforting. Goblin Murder Dozer. A steam-powered death machine designed to turn new dungeon crawlers into roadkill. The system even “helpfully” warns Carl to be up to date on his tetanus shots.
The goblins look exactly like goblins from video games, complete with stats where Level 2 grunts and Level 3 Engineers are “the incels of the goblin world,” and who apparently go after women first. With Donut clutched in his arms, Carl sprints through the dungeon while dodging the roaring machine until he spots a wooden door labeled Tutorial Guild.
Salvation? Not quite. The grumpy, mouse-faced man who answers refuses to let him in because Carl’s “too late” and the goblins are already on top of him. When Carl demands to open his loot boxes, the mouse-man says he can only do that inside the guild… while still blocking the door.
Carl’s First Win
Out of options, Carl fights, and he gives a solid punch, which makes a goblin drop to the ground and revealing a glowing health bar over its head. The whole nightmare really is one giant video game. He kills the first goblin, climbs onto their vehicle, and takes out the rest in a messy blur of blood, rage, and disgust. The system coldly announces about Boiler Breach Imminent, and Carl barely makes it back into the guild before the Murder Dozer explodes.
When Carl is finally safe for a moment, the mouse-man is formally introduced as MORDECAI, Rat Hooligan, Level 50 Guildmaster, and non-combatant NPC. Carl, who is still reeling, bombards him with questions like “Is everyone dead? What’s going on? Why is he here?”. Mordecai just tells him to slow down and drops one final twist where he tells Carl that he used to be a dungeon crawler, too, ending Dungeon Crawler Carl Chapter 2.
Dungeon Crawler Carl Chapter 3: A Dungeon Of Entertainment
Dungeon Crawler Carl Chapter 3 continues from the previous chapter, where Mordecai drops a bomb by saying that he used to be a dungeon crawler too and reached Level 11 before cashing out. Higher floors mean better “exit offers,” but his prize was getting stuck as a guide until his contract ends. He explains the bigger picture that planets like Earth are “seeded” with intelligent life and are given 50 years to claim themselves or else, they’re sold off. Borant Corporation bought Earth’s rights, but not for resources, for entertainment. The dungeons are broadcast across the galaxy with crawlers like Carl as the stars.
Mordecai unlocks Carl’s crawler menu, which was showing stats (strength, intelligence) and, most importantly, “ratings.” Views, followers, patrons. The more patrons you have, the better your loot. Carl’s already infamous for killing a goblin army barehanded, and galactic viewers are roasting him for it.
Then Carl checks his rewards. Chest after chest opens, spewing loot until the final one, Legendary Pet Box, opens. And what was Inside? A single biscuit. Mordecai warns it could be extremely valuable or risky. Carl decides not to risk it, but Donut bites his hand and eats the biscuit happily. The cat starts to tremble violently. Carl panics, and Mordecai assures him that everything is safe until a voice behind him says sarcastically to put on some pants. He turns around and sees that Donut’s fine, smug, and talking (yes, talking). Carl stares back in shock, “Did that cat just TALK?!” ending Dungeon Crawler Carl Chapter 3.
Chapter 4: Princess Donut
Dungeon Crawler Carl Chapter 4 opens up with a memory of the day when Donut became Carl’s only comfort. She was purring on his lap while he cried over his ex’s betrayal in the Bahamas. Now in the alien dungeon, Donut tells that her real name is “GC, BWR, NW Princess Donut the Queen Anne Chonk”. But she will accept “Princess” or “Princess Donut” if he must.
Mordecai, the rat-like guildmaster, checks her stats and bursts out laughing. Donut’s intelligence, charisma, and strength can blow any human’s numbers out of the water. Mordecai says that she is likely a bard-based class. Carl’s jaw drops on looking at her stats. Donut calls him her manservant and mocks his pitiful intelligence score.
Donut opens her loot chest, and from inside comes a purple crown that is beautiful, valuable, and… cursed. Without even giving a thought, Donut wears the crown as gracefully as you can imagine a cat wearing it. The description on the screen explains that it marks her as a royal member of the Level 9 Sultanate, which forces her to kill the sultan and the entire royal family before she can advance to Level 10. Carl is disappointed with her, but Donut insists that purple is her color as she’s a ribbon-winning champion after all. A few moments later, she updates their in-game titles with Carl now being her Royal Bodyguard, and she’s the Grand Champion Best in Dungeon.
Mordecai’s Warning
Before they leave, Mordecai grabs Carl’s shirt and whispers a warning that he should not **listen to “them” until Level 12. Negotiate hard. Because it’s better to die than take the offers at Level 10 or 11. Then he shoves Carl out and slams the door before them.
As they walk, Donut nags Carl about his lack of pants, and she continues to nag him until Carl being fed up, suggests that they part ways because she’s clearly stronger and smarter than him. But Donut’s bravado cracks, and she admits that she’s scared and that they need each other. She even recalls how Carl once searched for cat-friendly apartments, which proves that he cares. Carl can’t argue with that. They walk together again with Donut perched on his shoulders until she suddenly freezes and her eyes glow red beams because ahead, a massive, growling creature blocks their path.
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Dungeon Crawler Carl Chapter 5: Smash For A Mash
Dungeon Crawler Carl Chapter 5 begins as a low rumble shakes the hallway as a Bad Llama, Level 3, charges toward them. It was spitting not just fire but molten lava. Carl panics and tells Donut to blast it, but she’s out of mana. With no choice, Carl rushes in barehanded, and his first punch rocks the llama’s head back, but also sends pain screaming up his arm. His arm was most likely fractured. Gritting his teeth, he lands another blow, which finally drops the beast.
Notifications flood in with new achievements. While Carl searches his menu for healing potions, Donut wanders ahead, and then comes the sound of a scream, which is followed by gunshots. Carl bolts forward and catches Donut as she sprints back and scolds her for running off.
But now standing in their path is something even worse: a Scatterer, Level 1, which is a giant, cockroach-like alien that sees humans as filthy pests. Donut leaps onto Carl’s head and launches a missile. The bug explodes in a spray of foul, green liquid that leaves them both gagging. They turn down a new corridor to escape the stench, only to spot a sign ahead… Men’s Washroom. Carl stares, baffled, ending Dungeon Crawler Carl Chapter 5. Why the hell is there a bathroom in a dungeon?
Dungeon Crawler Carl Chapter 6: Safe Or Not?
Dungeon Crawler Carl Chapter 6 opens up with Donut slipping into the dungeon bathroom and shutting the door behind her. Carl sees it’s for cats with litter boxes and all. However, as he opens the door, it turns into a human bathroom. Then back in the hall, a rattling noise reveals a swarm of massive cockroaches: Scatterer Brood Guardians, Level 4. They are a bunch of juiced-up monstrosities “baptized in rage and Monster energy drinks”. Donut complains about these dungeon-makers who made these bugs bigger while Carl stomps them to death barefoot with disgust churning with every squish.
The hallway had too many bathrooms, and all were eerily identical. By testing a theory, Carl realizes they all connect back to the same one, just like every tutorial guild leads to Mordecai’s room. Donut wanted to rest, but Carl insisted they find a “safe room” just like Mordecai mentioned. They eventually open a door into a large, empty restaurant-like space, which was complete with tables, cabinets, and outside was an enormous cat tree, which Donut instantly claimed. At the counter stands their host: Tally Bopca Protector, Level 64. A surly, smelly gnome-like NPC caretaker of the safe room, responsible for cleaning, cooking, and never washing his hands.
Carl orders “human food” for himself and meat for Donut and then rents a room. The preview broadcast is only an hour away. As they head to rest, Tally lingers in the doorway, and Dungeon Crawler Carl Chapter 6 ends here.
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