Carl and Donut wait for the burning trailer and yard to cool so they can loot, knowing the Iowa section is about to collapse. Carl warns other crawlers in chat about the last boss as reports come in that other teams are facing similar horrors, while Zev briefly replies that she is still locked out and cannot talk.

Carl explains to Donut how he deduced the hydra’s elemental attacks weren’t random: Samantha’s “death ray” and Carl’s old boss’s water form matched real associations, and Carl’s stepmother being “poison” matched what Carl saw in the reminiscence—his father being killed by overdose. The realization hits Carl that everyone represented in the hydra is truly dead, including Asher, making the dungeon’s use of their likeness feel final rather than uncertain.

Carl receives a message from the church of Emberus: “Baptism by Fire” raises Carl to Devotee, upgrades Carl’s Burn immunity to ignore environmental heat and lava damage, grants a daily level-10 Self-Immolation spell, and doubles the tithe to 10%. Carl studies the spell and recognizes it as a dangerous, high-radius burst that could melt surroundings—including beneath Carl’s feet.

Donut reveals a new, personal betrayal: Miss Beatrice had access to Carl’s Facebook (via Carl’s reused password), blocked messages, and orchestrated “Operation: Slut Stomp,” getting Sally (a single mother) fired by manipulating Carl’s boss, Dick. Donut also confirms Beatrice knew about Asher from photos and conversations with Beatrice’s mother, and Carl concludes Beatrice likely hid Tami-Lynn’s attempts to contact Carl, keeping Carl from learning about Carl’s half-brother until now.

When the area cools enough, Carl and Donut examine the loot: the hydra’s remaining totems include Bam-Bam (a Belly Acher) and “Leveled-Up Frank,” implying dead crawlers can be turned into cards. They find consumables including a powerful Steal Totem card, Cripple snares, and various utility cards, plus a “Champion Pack” that adds two backup totem slots, a trophy, a cooler of yellow Gatorade, and two Flee cards with a warning that Flee mechanics will change in the final phase. Donut wants to keep Alpha Carl and Frank, but Carl insists on refusing; Donut discards the other totems, yet “Leveled-Up Frank” and “Alpha Carl” automatically add themselves to Donut’s deck until replaced.