Chapter 29

Carl and Donut meet Odette, the talk-show host, who reveals herself to be a legless human using a magical wheelchair and wearing a crustacean suit as costume armor. She discloses that she was Mordecai's trainer long ago and asks them to tell him to seek her out after the crawl. Odette gives them strategic advice about the dungeon and the game's mechanics.

After the live show ends, Odette dismisses Lexis and reveals her true form beneath the alien costume—a sixty-year-old human woman without legs, using a magical floating platform for mobility. The crab body and elaborate outfit served as her armor during her own crawl attempt. She explains she never reached the thirteenth floor but made a deal instead, clarifying that Mordecai was her trainee from a much earlier season. Odette asks Carl and Donut to relay a message for Mordecai to seek her out after this crawl concludes. She warns them not to discuss their meeting with the kua-tin (referred to as "mud skippers"), as the species has become sensitive about the term. Odette advises that their social numbers will spike significantly, and warns Donut especially not to change her cat race despite tempting offers, as early viral popularity can crash if a crawler's form changes. For Carl, she suggests acquiring pants through the loot system rather than complaining. She explains that loot boxes are not random—the AI tailors them based on what makes for entertaining television, citing her own legendary belt as an example. Odette reveals the dungeon is ultimately a for-profit entertainment venture where the AI will either help or sabotage crawlers depending on what serves viewership. She emphasizes never trusting anyone without understanding their motivations, then discloses that Mordecai's indentureship only counts if one of his crawlers reaches the fourth floor. Finally, Odette admits she helped Donut perform better in the interview by adding a temporary boost to her wisdom stat through her cat treats, and confesses her own motivation is profit—the longer they survive, the more money she makes.