Motif · from book 1
The clock
The countdown in the corner of every crawler's vision: 'Time to Level Collapse', five days on the first floor, read out by the system at the head of chapters and by Carl whenever he has to choose. On the second floor a second timer appears beneath it, counting down to the closing of the safe rooms an hour before collapse, and Carl waits for the level timer to reach six hours before he takes the stairs.
First appears: Book 1
Series arc
Through book 2
'We only had eight days to complete this next level' — and Mordecai's forecast: 'If they keep this up, the sixth floor is only going to be open 11 or 12 days. The factions are going to be pissed. It's usually open for 30' (B2 ch. 2). The system reads 6 days, 23 hours (B2 ch. 8), 5 days, 10 hours (B2 ch. 13) and 3 days, 16 hours (B2 ch. 18); Carl asks what a short floor means for the Over City's natives when it collapses (B2 ch. 7).
Through book 1
'Time to Level Collapse: Five days' on the first screen (B1 ch. 2), and Mordecai's rule that the clock only starts 'until the previous floor collapses' and grows by about five days a floor (B1 ch. 4). The system reads it at the head of chapters — four days, 20 hours (B1 ch. 8); 47 hours (B1 ch. 21); 6 hours 30 minutes (B1 ch. 26) — and 'the timer finally ran out' as the next episode premieres, 700,000 dead in the second the floor goes (B1 ch. 31). The second floor gets six days, not the ten Mordecai predicted (B1 ch. 31) — five days and ten hours on the next morning's screen (B1 ch. 32); 'You said it'd probably be ten days, but it's six' (B1 ch. 35); a second timer, Time to Safe Room Closure, appears an hour ahead of it (B1 ch. 39); and the party carves toward the stairwell at ten hours and waits for six (B1 ch. 47).
Where they appear
| Book | Chapters they are in (of the book's) | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1 — Dungeon Crawler Carl | 14/48 | 2–3, 8, 10, 15, 19, 21, 26, 31–32, 38–39, 41, 44 · the book's own page |
| 2 — Carl's Doomsday Scenario | 3/26 | Ch. 8, Ch. 13, Ch. 18 · the book's own page |
By book
The clock in book 1 — Dungeon Crawler Carl
'Time to Level Collapse: Five days' on the first screen (ch. 2), and Mordecai's rule that the clock only starts 'until the previous floor collapses' and grows by about five days a floor (ch. 4). The system reads it at the head of chapters — four days, 20 hours (ch. 8); 47 hours (ch. 21); 6 hours 30 minutes (ch. 26) — and 'the timer finally ran out' as the next recap premieres, 700,000 dead in the second the floor goes (ch. 31). The second floor gets six days, not the ten Mordecai predicted (ch. 31) — five days and ten hours on the next morning's screen (ch. 32); 'You said it'd probably be ten days, but it's six' (ch. 35); a second timer, Time to Safe Room Closure, appears an hour ahead of it (ch. 39); and the party carves toward the stairwell at ten hours and waits for six (ch. 47).
The clock in book 2 — Carl's Doomsday Scenario
'We only had eight days to complete this next level' — and Mordecai's forecast: 'If they keep this up, the sixth floor is only going to be open 11 or 12 days. The factions are going to be pissed. It's usually open for 30' (ch. 2). The system reads 6 days, 23 hours (ch. 8), 5 days, 10 hours (ch. 13) and 3 days, 16 hours (ch. 18); Carl asks what a short floor means for the Over City's natives when it collapses (ch. 7).