Chapter 94

Carl and his party trigger the final dungeon boss, Scolopendra (level 500), alongside the floor boss Krakaren Prime. The dungeon AI explains the catastrophic stakes: defeating Scolopendra will collapse the dungeon in 12 hours and trigger Ascendency battles, forcing them to race through remaining floors to escape by the 18th floor. Carl transforms Penelope the pig into a sapient party member and uses her as bait to lure the god Emberus into a confrontation by claiming knowledge of who killed his son.

The boss battle begins with the dungeon AI announcing Scolopendra's arrival in an unusually calm voice. System messages reveal the lineup of 23 crawlers (including Carl, Donut, Elle, Imani, Prepotente, and Florin) and Penelope 3 versus Krakaren Prime (level 235 floor boss) and Scolopendra (level 500 dungeon boss). The dungeon AI taunts Carl's party for their suicidal gambit and explains the unprecedented rules: killing Scolopendra does not win the dungeon but triggers level timer removal, ends further deals, and immediately starts Ascendency battles. The dungeon will collapse 12 hours after an Ascendency winner is crowned; crawlers must still reach the 18th floor to exit. If Scolopendra is not killed, the floor collapses and traps them permanently. Critically, if Scolopendra dies, her remaining attacks (of nine total) trigger all at once. With 100 seconds until attack two, Carl activates Plan C. The party pushes through the arena as the centipede wraps around the base of a massive tree, destabilizing it. Carl sends a deity message to Emberus claiming knowledge of who killed his son and arranging a meeting. In the truck, Carl finds Penny the pig and equips a modified harness to carry her, having converted her into a sapient party member. Carl supplies her with splooge (a consumable) to calm her, then sends Emberus a message to meet him in Club Scolopendra. Carl pulls his father's gun and holds it to the pig's head, calling out to Taranis while running toward the centipede boss.