Character · from book 1
The System AI
The voice that reads every item description, names every achievement and awards every box — snide, profane, obsessed with Carl's bare feet. Distinct from Borant, which runs the season; the AI runs the game.
First appears: Book 1
Series arc
Through book 1
The voice of the game as distinct from its owners. Book 1 establishes its register (the item cards, the achievements, the feet) and its power: it scripts the loot (B1 ch. 29), it censures Admins (B1 ch. 44), it groans when a boss is smushed (B1 ch. 46), and Carl suspects it of making the Pork Boy Snick. The question the series will pursue is whether it is only cruel.
The warnings
Every » Warning: the system posts — 10 through book 1 (book 1: 10).
Book 1 — Dungeon Crawler Carl (10)
- B1 ch. 3 — level timers are still active.
- B1 ch. 19 — Holding a Desperado Pass negates the ability to obtain a Vanquisher pass.
- B1 ch. 25 — if you use this weapon to strike adherents of the war god Grull, you have a 1.5% chance to transfigure your…
- B1 ch. 30 — This item has a short shelf life.
- B1 ch. 30 — All of these enhancements require you to remain barefoot.
- B1 ch. 32 — You’ve been infected with the Taint.
- B1 ch. 35 — You may not wield your weapons while in the presence of Admins. Any attempted violence against an Admin will…
- B1 ch. 44 — You may not wield your weapons while in the presence of Admins. Any attempted violence against an Admin will…
- B1 ch. 46 — The cages will permanently close in thirty seconds. Translation: hurry the hell up.
- B1 ch. 47 — The System AI governing this program has deemed all non-sanctioned and monitored communication devices…
Where they appear
| Book | Chapters they are in (of the book's) | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1 — Dungeon Crawler Carl | 15/48 | 2, 4, 8, 10–11, 27, 29–30, 36, 39–40, 43–44, 47–48 · the book's own page |
By book
The System AI in book 1 — Dungeon Crawler Carl
The AI is the book's other narrator. Its voice reads the item cards — the Bad Llama at the Circle K (ch. 8), goblin dynamite that ends with a shouted BOOM (ch. 10), a spell 'A great spell to have if you’re a club kid or trying to bang a vegan' (ch. 12) — and its achievements are a running verdict on Carl: Boss Babe, Bitchmeat, You Monster! with a reward that is twenty seconds of comfort and then 'It was also a lie' (ch. 19). Its interest in Carl's feet is text from ch. 5 and policy by ch. 30, when a Platinum Shoe Box yields a pedicure kit that only works barefoot.
Odette draws the line that matters (ch. 29): the AI runs the game and the loot is not random; it will give you what keeps the show interesting, which may be a belt that lets you take a crab's legs, or a stick of dynamite at the worst possible moment. Borant proposes; the AI disposes — it censures Zev for a warning (ch. 44), it groans when Ralph is smushed (ch. 46), and Carl half-suspects it of the Pork Boy Snick. It is the thing Carl addresses when he talks to ceilings.