Deadline Is Raining in the Status Window - Chapter 172

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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“More than that, Evan. Your premise is wrong.”
What now? What else have I gotten wrong? My head was already spinning, and Gerth tilted his head again with that puzzled expression. While I braced myself for whatever bombshell the Serpent King would drop next, the man stated his condition with remarkable confidence.
“Fighting me is always one-on-one.”
Huh? Why? In the original story, the protagonist party ganged up on the Serpent King’s proxy, Hubert, and beat him to death. Now that I thought about it, the protagonist party seemed like the villains.
“Whoever conquers the Serpent King’s Tower inherits ownership of the Tower.”
“….”
How could I make it joint ownership? I desperately needed real estate law reform.
“Can’t it be held under joint ownership?”
“I’ll ask the Tower.”
Why would you ask the Tower? Can the Tower even answer? Is it alive?!
At my alarm, Gerth tilted his head again and smiled sheepishly. It was rather endearing.
“If the Tower lacks intent, structural modifications and corpse disposal become difficult.”
“Oh….”
“And we couldn’t use the linked skill called Return.”
“Oh, oh my….”
Return was a skill the Tower used? No wonder I heard that strange digestive sound whenever intruders entered! That was it! When the Tower said it would have a good harvest this year because so much nutrition was coming in—did that mean the digested nutrients flowed up to the Rooftop?!
“Are we… perhaps… living inside a creature’s stomach?”
“Rather than living in a building, that expression is more accurate.”
I see. All this time, I’d been bathing, sleeping, and eating inside a creature’s belly. How could I ever face the Tower again?
While I was reeling from this revelation, Gerth took action. He knocked on a random wall, and a door appeared. He disappeared through it for a while, then emerged again. Now I understood the principle behind how the elevator to the Boss’s Room appeared and disappeared at will. The Tower truly did reveal itself only to those it deemed worthy of ownership, while hiding from intruders.
“The Tower said it only recognizes those with the qualifications to own it. Not just me—Evan must fight each executive alone.”
Damn, I shouldn’t have asked. Or wait, if I changed my story later, I’d have to start from the beginning anyway. Maybe this was actually better? Ugh, it’s too complicated. I tugged at my hair in frustration, steeled my resolve, and spoke to Gerth.
“I’ll challenge the first floor alone! Prepare yourself!”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Gerth nodded approvingly at my determination, but he stopped me just as I was about to dash downstairs with my weapons, adding a final comment.
“If you need rest or food, come up anytime.”
“Got it!”
Even if I’m not hungry, just call me when you finish making that pseudo-kimchi! I gave Gerth my instructions and rushed down to the first floor. Sera and Sunbird, who had heard the explanation that I had to fight alone from the start, decided to cheer me on enthusiastically.

◇ ◆ ◇

“Mother! I heard all about it! I’m here!”
“I am not your mother!”
I answered Hubert’s enthusiastic greeting with equal cheer, then pointed out his attire—my duty fulfilled. Hubert, wearing a shoulder sash that read “Serpent King’s Tower Tour,” was dressed in crisp casual formal wear with his hair neatly tied back in a ponytail. He had the bearing of a professional guide, but those fox ears and tail that poked out so adorably made me want to reach over and pet them senseless. I barely restrained myself from doing so; he’d gone to the trouble of styling his hair perfectly, and I couldn’t ruin that effort.
“Pardon me, but I have a question about your mother comment.”
Now that I thought about it, was this the first time Sunbird and Sera had heard me called “mother”? Sunbird, who’d been scribbling like a journalist, asked while still holding his pen. The sight was so journalist-like that I found it amusing, while Hubert seemed delighted that someone was paying attention to the “mother” remark—his tail even fluttered as he answered enthusiastically.
“Yes, yes! Feel free to ask Mother’s friend anything!”
“Then, if you’d step over here for a moment….”
While the two of them conversed, I pushed open the grand doors leading to the upper floors and stepped inside. A few beasts had been loitering about, but the moment our eyes met, they quickly concealed themselves. The floor was remarkably empty. Far ahead, I could see the doorway to the next section.
“Are they opening the path for me because I’m Gerth’s friend?”
“I don’t think that’s the reason, Evan!”
“Then what is it?”
“I think they’re all scared, Evan!”
Scared?
When I asked why, Sera pressed her lips together and pondered her answer. Hearing that they were scared made me wonder if it was due to my skill. Beast Charisma worked remarkably well on animals—even the Academy’s guard dogs would roll over and expose their bellies in front of me.
“Oh my, Mother! That’s not it!”
It seemed Hubert’s interview with Sunbird had finished. He approached with a much brighter expression than before, leading me and Sera’s group toward the elevator. Apparently, the beasts had refused to fight me outright, saying the outcome would be obvious and they didn’t want to get hurt needlessly. Instead, they’d adopted a system where we’d visit the floor where the Floor Master resided and receive an official stamp of approval.
“Please receive this. Once you’ve been acknowledged by the Floor Masters, simply get your stamp.”
In that brief moment, they’d printed it quite beautifully. It reminded me of the stamp rally from when I visited Machine King’s Bunny Land.
“….”
Looking closely, the format was identical—only the colors were different. Wasn’t this just a reused form from Makina?
“Hubert, this is from Bunny Land.”
“Bicure is sleeping, so I’ll stamp it for you instead! Mino says he lost once before and doesn’t want to lose again!”
If they all forfeit like this, who am I supposed to fight? I was swinging the weapon Kanna had given me back and forth, eager to test it, when Sera expressed doubt about the short blade in my hand.
“Are you really going to fight with such a small sword? It doesn’t match your image.”
“What’s my image?”
“Well…, someone who wields weapons with long reach—the type suited for beating people senseless.”
You still read people well, Sera. Personally, I preferred longer weapons like staffs or spears that were satisfying to swing. Honestly, spears and clubs were more lethal than swords. Blades had their own advantages, but I always felt more stable with longer handles.
I showed Sera something interesting by pressing my palm against the blade. Immediately, both Sunbird and Sera screamed, and the blade transformed into a harpoon.
“When it absorbs my blood like this, its shape changes. They say it’s a family heirloom of the Kanna Family.”
“Blood! More importantly, Evan! Your blood!”
“Is there a first aid kit!”
“Yes! I brought everything in case Mother gets hurt!”
“Hubert. I am not your mother. And this doesn’t even itch.”
It genuinely didn’t hurt, and compared to the time I’d been beaten by my biological mother until my ribs broke and I had to crawl, no pain in this world frightened me. But if I said that, everyone would worry seriously. So I decided against making detailed pain comparisons.
“Ta-da! This is Magania’s Jungle Room!”
Ooooh, this is my first time here! Everyone was close enough, but this place was like a personal office at work—it was hard to just drop by casually. Even when I tried to visit while suggesting they take meal breaks, the Tower had some kind of notification system; by the time it was mealtime, everyone had already gathered in the Dining Hall.
“Your Majesty, the Serpent King’s Consort! You’ve finally arrived!”
“I am not the Serpent King’s Consort.”
Leri and Wenri had stopped calling me that, but Magania persisted. I denied it once more—I was not the Serpent King’s Consort—and slung the harpoon over my shoulder. Just as I thought I’d finally get to fight, Sunbird picked up his pen like a journalist again and addressed Magania.
“I have a question about you calling her the Serpent King’s Consort.”
“Yes, well, go ahead and ask.”
“Then, if you’d come this way for a moment….”
Another interview. When I asked Sera how long it would take, she said to wait about ten minutes, so I spent the time admiring the plants on the Jungle Floor. These plants must all grow from the nutrients in the Tower’s belly. It feels like witnessing some mystery of ecology.
“I’m so sorry! We’re ready now!”
“Let’s fight! Your Highness!”
With the Serpent King’s wives gathered before me, there was no point in objecting. When I tried to say I wasn’t “Your Highness,” thoughts of electric currents and magnetic fields crossed my mind, so I held my tongue and simply adjusted my grip on the harpoon.
Since they’d asked to fight, I supposed I could engage now. I channeled mana into the harpoon and unleashed magic. A small blizzard swirled at the blade’s edge, accompanied by a whirring sound like a mixer spinning.
Testing it out, I swung the blade downward then upward in a sweeping arc, and with a whoosh, a frigid gust erupted. The Tower sustained damage—deep gouges carved above and below, rocks tumbling with a thunderous clatter. Before long, the ceiling and floor collapsed, creating a hole that pierced straight through. Several magical beasts from the upper levels fell through, shrieking in distress.
Magania, who had been cracking his knuckles, looked up at the ceiling. Then at me. Next, at the hole in the floor. After checking on the magical beasts that had fallen from above, Magania raised his hand and spoke to Hubert.
“I surrender!”
When will I ever get a proper fight?

Tuxedo Bunny was away on an errand. Sea Dragon had been on parental leave for some time, and Black Loach was reportedly on an extended business trip. Leri had gotten his nails done yesterday and asked if we really had to fight today, so I just got his stamp and moved on. Wenri had prepared something with considerable effort—a puzzle involving escaping multiple rooms connected in a cubic formation—but Sunbird solved it so effortlessly that Wenri was left dumbfounded. Separately from his disappointment, Sunbird became so interested that he asked for contact information later, which left Sera frantically playing defense, insisting that Sunbird already had a partner. Chirpy’s Father forfeited, saying that if even Makina had lost, how could he possibly win? There was also a friend named Mac among the mid-bosses of Serpent King’s Tower, but since he could only be encountered while sleeping, I couldn’t fight him immediately and just collected his stamp.
Chirpy’s Father conceded, saying there was no way he could win when even Makina had lost, and he heard that among the mid-bosses of Serpent King’s Tower there was a guy named Mac, but since he could only be encountered while sleeping, they couldn’t fight him right away and just received the stamp and moved on.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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