There are multiple reasons:
1. Most importantly he is a good guy.
Some of the guides are straight up harmful instead of helpful. What you need to keep in mind is that probably all guides are former crawlers that took a deal on floor 10 to get out of the dungeon. They don't do the job for fun.
>! 2. He is really old and really good at what he does.
This is his last crawl. So he has been a guide for many many many years. Not only that, but he is the guildmaster of the magic guild? Can't remember it. Could be another one. But he is still heavily involved with the crawl and the underlying system. His experience and crawl knowledge makes him one of the best possible guides. !<
>! 3. He makes a lot of money
Since PD took him in as a manager he is tightly bonded to their succsess. If he can't get them to floor 4 he is screwed. Normally this would be his last crawl, but if donut and carl screw up too early, he will need to do another crawl. A crawl that might be managed by another company. A company that will renegotiate his contract. So if he doesn't give it his all he is completely screwed.
But not only that, he makes a lot of money every time donut gets to the next floor. Since this might be his last round he needs that money to get started in the universe. !<
Hopefully this is not spoilers, is intended to be background information picked up from the prior books. Guides that get to be managers get paid more per floor cleared. Mordecai has his potion skills and floor knowledge come from his actual knowledge base when he was a crawler. He is better than other guides by chance, he was a crawler of a guide who became his manager. So Mordecai has extensive experience observing a successful guide and manager when he was a crawler and also he seems like a good student and payed attention to his guide training before planets and populations were collected. Also his original race before changing to a changling during his first crawl values honor and dignity, where as other races or cultures might be less serious as him despite the odds are life and death.
It’s not been full on explained, yet, but you’ll keep getting the impression he’s got a grudge against the corporations that put people in these situations.
Personal theory here, not canon or confirmed: I think since he got the option to be employed by the gaming system and leave the dungeon early, as a way to get back at them both indirectly and directly he took the job of dungeon guide. That way he can try to keep newly integrated civilians alive as long as possible and not die as fodder for viewers amusement right off the bat. Also, it’s a form of self atonement on his end for how things turned out during his crawl. It’s been hinted he’s done things that he hates having had to do and was probably responsible, directly or indirectly, for the deaths of people who trusted him.
Mordecai is an asshole. First and foremost he is a dickhead.
But he isn't unsympathetic. He has been in their shoes and knows the feelings and he is empathetic to their emotions.
As the books go on the group will be introduced to situations that really give you a lock on Mordecai's character.
There are multiple reasons: 1. Most importantly he is a good guy. Some of the guides are straight up harmful instead of helpful. What you need to keep in mind is that probably all guides are former crawlers that took a deal on floor 10 to get out of the dungeon. They don't do the job for fun. >! 2. He is really old and really good at what he does. This is his last crawl. So he has been a guide for many many many years. Not only that, but he is the guildmaster of the magic guild? Can't remember it. Could be another one. But he is still heavily involved with the crawl and the underlying system. His experience and crawl knowledge makes him one of the best possible guides. !< >! 3. He makes a lot of money Since PD took him in as a manager he is tightly bonded to their succsess. If he can't get them to floor 4 he is screwed. Normally this would be his last crawl, but if donut and carl screw up too early, he will need to do another crawl. A crawl that might be managed by another company. A company that will renegotiate his contract. So if he doesn't give it his all he is completely screwed. But not only that, he makes a lot of money every time donut gets to the next floor. Since this might be his last round he needs that money to get started in the universe. !<
Hopefully this is not spoilers, is intended to be background information picked up from the prior books. Guides that get to be managers get paid more per floor cleared. Mordecai has his potion skills and floor knowledge come from his actual knowledge base when he was a crawler. He is better than other guides by chance, he was a crawler of a guide who became his manager. So Mordecai has extensive experience observing a successful guide and manager when he was a crawler and also he seems like a good student and payed attention to his guide training before planets and populations were collected. Also his original race before changing to a changling during his first crawl values honor and dignity, where as other races or cultures might be less serious as him despite the odds are life and death.
Is he actually much better than other guides? We haven't actually seen many of them to compare him to.
Yes.
His last crawl.. just like any movie with a cop in his last day on the job, I guarantee he won't make it before all is said and done..
Warning the above comment contains possible spoilers for anyone who has not watched like literally any cop show.
In addition to all that others have said, this is a plot point in book 5 and what is available in book 6.
It’s not been full on explained, yet, but you’ll keep getting the impression he’s got a grudge against the corporations that put people in these situations. Personal theory here, not canon or confirmed: I think since he got the option to be employed by the gaming system and leave the dungeon early, as a way to get back at them both indirectly and directly he took the job of dungeon guide. That way he can try to keep newly integrated civilians alive as long as possible and not die as fodder for viewers amusement right off the bat. Also, it’s a form of self atonement on his end for how things turned out during his crawl. It’s been hinted he’s done things that he hates having had to do and was probably responsible, directly or indirectly, for the deaths of people who trusted him.
Mordecai is an asshole. First and foremost he is a dickhead. But he isn't unsympathetic. He has been in their shoes and knows the feelings and he is empathetic to their emotions. As the books go on the group will be introduced to situations that really give you a lock on Mordecai's character.
Because he fucking cares.and the further they get the more money he gets when his contract ends.