Chapter 38

Carl and his group capture and interrogate Akuma, a war mage, after Elle critically damages him by shattering him in an anti-magic shield. Akuma reveals that the dungeon is collapsing due to overpopulation of crawlers, that NPCs are becoming self-aware, and that two former crawlers named Herot and Menerva have built a pocket dimension called the Pineapple Cabaret as a refuge. He explains their plan to create an exit from the Cabaret to the planet's surface and requests Carl's help to reclaim it from creatures that infested it during their absence.

In a small room, Akuma lies dying from being trapped in an anti-magic shield that is slowly draining his health. Carl and the others interrogate him while Prepotente collects ice flecks from the ground. Akuma explains that the dungeon is experiencing a crisis: too many crawlers have survived to this floor, forcing the AI to use mobs repeatedly beyond their intended lifespan, which causes them to become self-aware. He mentions that a former crawler named Herot (author of the sixteenth edition of the cookbook) is trapped in the Pineapple Cabaret and helped develop an exploit. Akuma describes the dungeon's modular structure, including the physical framework moved between planets that stores mobs and locations.

Akuma reveals that the seventeenth floor is a constructed maze with impossible traps, built by Herot and another former crawler named Menerva who are now invisible to the system. Attached to this floor is a pocket dimension—the Pineapple Cabaret—created as a sanctuary where mobs and NPCs can permanently escape the dungeon. When the Nothing was broken on the previous floor, the Cabaret became visible to everyone, forcing a complete restart of the dungeon if it continues. Akuma explains they left the Cabaret to find someone called the Scavenger's Daughter, necessary to keep its denizens safe and create an exit to the planet's surface.

Florin catches Akuma in a deception about being able to skip floors; Akuma admits they need crawlers' help because the Cabaret has been infested by forgotten monsters and shadow mimics while they were gone. Only five of them remain after losses in Faction Wars. Carl asks rapid-fire questions about accessing the Cabaret; Akuma mentions two possible routes: the casinos at the Desperado Club or something involving Carl's shop interface. He adds that anyone worshipping a god cannot enter the Cabaret without triggering a smite. When pressed about why he wanted Carl to kill two teams, Akuma admits it was to manipulate Carl into helping them by forcing him to fight against his friends. Carl punches him in the face, shattering his nose.