Chapter 47

Carl and Donut spend the remainder of the second floor grinding and bonding Mongo, a small dinosaur-like creature they won from the boss fight. After teaching Mongo to hunt and fight alongside them, Mongo finally bonds with Donut just before they descend the stairs. The chapter ends with a mysterious encounter: Carl discovers Agatha is still alive and has been carrying illegal tech items from the Valtay Corporation, raising questions about her true role in the dungeon.

Carl and Donut dedicate their remaining time on the second floor to bonding Mongo, the creature they won from the boss battle. They learn from Mordecai that pets must have their hostility removed before bonding can occur. Mongo initially remains hostile and must be caged; his escape into the hall demonstrates his attachment to Donut. Through repeated practice hunting brindle grubs with Donut's guidance, Mongo gradually becomes less aggressive. Carl practices his slingshot despite PR pressure to use explosives instead, raising the skill to five. As the floor's timer counts down, Carl and Donut grind against brindled vespas, eventually allowing Mongo to participate in fights. During a final battle outside the stairwell, Mongo is grabbed by a hornet, but Donut saves him by decapitating the creature. This act triggers Mongo's bonding to Donut, whose dot turns orange and he receives the title Royal Steed. While waiting for the timer to reach six hours before descending, Carl discovers in his inventory history three items he never knew he possessed: communication and weapons technology from Valtay Corporation, acquired from Agatha's shopping cart during the Ball of Swine boss fight. Agatha appears and begins descending the stairs despite Carl's warning. When Carl mentions her cart, she gives him a sharp warning look before leaving, cryptically stating that the creatures already know she's there but don't know what to do about her. A brief feed outage occurs, and Zev reports it was nothing unusual. Carl feels overwhelmed by these mysteries as they prepare to descend to the third floor.