Chapter 26

During a desperate escape on a train, Hekla and Eva reveal they deliberately attacked Katia to provoke Carl's anger—a betrayal that enrages Donut. When Eva cruelly mocks Katia's vulnerabilities, Katia uses her rare Rush ability in a rage, accidentally killing Hekla and claiming a 500,000 gold bounty. Katia's level jumps from 24 to 37 in the process.

The chapter opens with violence erupting inside a moving train. Hekla slams into the car wall after being hit, and Eva attacks Carl while he's carrying Donut on his shoulder. Two additional mages and Silfa emerge from the apartment, forcing Carl to fight multiple attackers simultaneously. Hekla eventually calls for a ceasefire, claiming she made a mistake and wants to reset and work together to escape the approaching crawler swarm. Donut reacts with betrayal and rage, accusing Hekla of using Katia and being a liar. When Katia wakes up confused and hurt, Eva and Hekla dismiss her concerns. Under pressure to hurry, Eva finally reveals the truth: they deliberately shot Katia to anger Carl, not to actually kill her. Eva then launches into a vicious verbal assault on Katia, mocking her insecurities about Fannar, adoption, and her perceived uselessness. The cruelty triggers Katia's Rush ability, a powerful battering-ram skill she rarely uses because it's unpredictable and leaves her exhausted. Aiming for Eva, Katia misses and instead slams Hekla into the train wall, killing her—the current number-two ranked player on Dungeon Crawler World. This accidental kill grants Katia a 500,000 gold bounty and causes her level to spike dramatically from 24 to 37.