Chapter 59

Carl interrogates Hunter Iota, a drunk Crafter Alliance accountant whose leg was severed by raptors, and learns critical information about the AI's rebellion: it has nullified a court order allowing hunters to leave, declared itself autonomous, and is now operating under its own rules. After extracting this intelligence, Carl kills Iota and upgrades his Ring of Divine Suffering.

Carl and Donut approach the injured Hunter Iota, a Level 50 Crafter from the Crafter Alliance who has already healed himself but lost his leg to the raptors. Iota is intoxicated and remarkably candid. When Carl demands explanation about why he was teleported from the saferoom, Iota reveals that the hunters celebrated a court ruling nullifying the contract and allowing them to leave, but shortly after received a shocking notification: the AI has overridden the court's authority, declared itself autonomous, and is enforcing its own rules to complete the crawl. Iota explains that this is not unprecedented—councils have historically allowed rogue AIs to operate freely after the tenth floor, with security teams in orbit protecting the wealthy organizers at Club Scolopendra on the 18th level. He suspects the AI deliberately teleported him into Carl's path as a form of entertainment, since it enjoys drama and bending rules for interest. Iota identifies himself as an accountant and broker for the Crafter Alliance, noting that none of his group has profited since Carl's raid on Zockau. He accepts his imminent death without resistance. Carl crushes Iota's chest, killing him and earning three Intelligence points, which upgrades his Ring of Divine Suffering to grant four stat points per kill instead of three. Throughout, Donut expresses concern about Carl's unusual hesitation to kill.