Chapter 17 of Dungeon Crawler Carl follows Carl and Princess Donut during the bombing the goblin chieftain portion of the Earth crawl. The chapter advances the immediate survival plot while introducing rules and relationships that continue beyond the First Floor. Carl and Donut have emptied much of the abandoned workshop, but the Goblin Chieftain remains inside a locked boss chamber. Entering would trigger a sealed fight against an unknown opponent. Carl wants the map and boss reward without accepting the arena's designed terms. Carl stores tools, engineering materials, chemicals, black powder, wheels, coal, and furniture in inventory. He partially empties powder barrels so he can lift them, places the remaining barrels on a cart, and covers them with metal scrap to create shrapnel. Hobgoblin Pus and a remote trigger form the initiator. After rehearsing the sequence, Donut opens the boss door, Carl drives the loaded cart into the room, and the pair runs through several turns to gain blast protection. Donut confirms that the chieftain is present and mentions numerous babies only after Carl presses the detonator. Carl deliberately bypasses the formal lock because surviving matters more than giving the audience a fair fight. He chooses a remote improvised bomb despite the risk of destroying the map and loot. Donut participates enthusiastically and delays the noncombatant information until the last second. Their plan demonstrates growing tactical coordination, but it also reveals how focusing on the boss label and reward can suppress questions about who else occupies the room. Hobgoblin Pus can be paired with a single-use trigger whose tip is inserted into explosive material. One trigger can supply multiple linked detonator pieces and operates across a long range with a short countdown. Black powder, metal fragments, sealed barrels, and room geometry change the blast effect. A boss can be killed without the challengers entering the arena, which avoids the presentation lock but may also suppress the ordinary winner sequence. The detonator activates after Donut reveals that goblin infants, pregnant figures, and elders share the chamber. Carl cannot stop the five-second sequence. The chapter ends before the explosion's physical result is shown, transforming what appeared to be a clever remote boss kill into an impending mass-casualty event. The blast kills the chieftain and more than twenty noncombatants, destroys the workshop, blocks access to the neighborhood map, and makes the returning goblin community hostile. Carl's explosive skills rise sharply, but the production turns his guilt into mocking achievements. The event becomes the first clear example of a dungeon setup steering him toward an efficient solution that is morally worse than the staged fight. Carl, Princess Donut, the Goblin Chieftain, goblin family members, and the System AI appear or are heard. Rory and Lorelai are discussed as possible future witnesses to the attack.
- Dungeon Crawler Carl
- Carl
- Princess Donut
- First Floor
- Crawler and Party Mechanics
- Dungeon Crawler World Broadcast Feed
- Previous: Dungeon Crawler Carl Chapter 16
- Next: Dungeon Crawler Carl Chapter 18
- Novel: Dungeon Crawler Carl
- Chapter index: Book 1 Dungeon Crawler Carl