Deadline Is Raining in the Status Window - Chapter 223

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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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Calmed by Reina Letem’s warm words, I proposed with composure.
“Listen here, Reina Letem.”
“What is it, you lunatic?”
“Call me an idiot, a fool, a complete moron.”
“You’re an idiotic, foolish, moronic, worthless slug, a pathetic worm of a creature.”
Wasn’t that a bit harsh?
Despite her dismissive tone, Reina Letem had apparently seen something like this before—she brought me hot cocoa with marshmallows floating on top. When I suggested she should confess all her worries to her older sister and concluded that she wasn’t being helpful, the woman grew angry.
“Are you disrespecting your older sister?! Just tell me what’s wrong! I’ll listen and decide!”
“Can you advise me about… intimate matters with a man?”
“Ha!”
Unlike Mother, Reina Letem possessed no romantic experience whatsoever. She contemplated bluffing her way through before deciding it was pointless and called for the Head Maid. The same grandmother who used to beat me with a broom when I arrived late at night reappeared and stole my cocoa.
“Such a talented young lady, and still so young.”
“You flatter me.”
“I wonder who our young miss takes after—at her age, not a single male suitor in sight.”
“Her face is certainly fine. I suspect her personality is the problem.”
The grandmother seemed to find merit in this assessment and glared at Reina Letem. Unable to win against her, Reina Letem stood by the doorway, shoulders hunched and pouting.
“So what? Did things not progress?”
“They almost did. But when he said not to, I got scared and couldn’t go through with it.”
Since the other party was Seian Crowell, I knew his words were likely just jokes or sulking. But regardless of his intent, when someone says not to do something, fear grips you, and you feel like you’re committing a sin. That’s why I ran away. As I explained my convoluted reasoning, the grandmother nodded along before speaking firmly.
“If someone says not to, then you shouldn’t. That’s a social contract.”
“Is that so?”
“Of course. No matter how it sounds like a joke, once words leave your mouth, there’s always some fear behind them. You did well.”
“But he called me a bitch as I was running away.”
“Even so, you were right. You did well not to do it.”
Ah, so I did the right thing. With the grandmother’s assurance, I felt relieved. The worry that I’d let Seian Crowell down melted away, and a sigh of relief escaped me naturally.
“Such matters require mutual consent. Acting out of stubbornness is never good.”
When the grandmother said “stubbornness,” it clicked. Seian Crowell did have a tendency to dig in his heels to preserve his pride in such situations. I’d almost given him another negative experience by rushing ahead with my own feelings.
“Thank you, Grandmother! That really helped!”
“Only Miss Reina Letem may call me grandmother. Not you, young lady.”
Their bond was remarkably strong. I apologized to the grandmother while receiving a light flick on the forehead. I was glad I came to Reina Letem’s house. Among the adults around me, only the Department Head Professor was someone I could consult with, and if I’d gone to him at this hour with such concerns, I’d have had to face that expression of his—the one that screamed existential dread.
“I’ll prepare a room for you. Sleep here tonight. You probably don’t want to share a bed with Miss Reina Letem anyway.”
“Perceptive as always. Thank you.”
“I don’t want to share with her either, you know?!”
“Miss Reina Letem’s displeasure is likely less than this young lady’s.”
The grandmother possessed a remarkable ability to read situations accurately. Impressive. When I praised her, she shrugged modestly while Reina Letem exploded in protest.
In any case, my worries were resolved. I borrowed Reina Letem’s pajamas, slept soundly in the guest room, and concluded that from now on, I just needed to accept whatever Seian Crowell threw at me. He’d definitely tease me endlessly about how I ran away and missed the meal he’d prepared.

◇ ◆ ◇

After midterms concluded, the third-year students of the Magic Department embarked on practical training in earnest. This was no ordinary magical exercise, nor combat practice—it was dungeon exploration, the single course across all lectures that claimed the most lives.
The Crowell Empire had already completed development and destruction of nearby dungeons, so the threat felt distant; yet in other nations, instant dungeons spawned by the Demon Race remained a grave menace.
Dungeons fell into two broad categories. When examined closely, Cha Cha’s Underworld was a naturally occurring dungeon, while Gerth’s Serpent King’s Tower was an instant dungeon.
Natural dungeons were places where divinity simply manifested monsters. Instant dungeons were designed by the Demon Race to lure humans to their deaths.
Because instant dungeons required luring prey, their rewards were extraordinarily diverse. Humans flocked to obtain rare treasures, and most perished in the attempt—a profitable venture for the Demon Race, whose goal was humanity’s extinction.
Both the Combat Techniques Department and Magic Department required third-year students to undertake dungeon exploration. Clear any dungeon and retrieve its rewards, and graduation was yours. Freshmen arrived by the hundreds, yet graduates could be counted on two hands—mostly because of dungeons. Of course, many students also died during magical or combat training.
“Third-year exploration is restricted to group activities. Teams must consist of two to six members, and you may request cooperation from the Combat Techniques Department.”
With these restrictions, my team composition was essentially predetermined.
I would likely explore the dungeon with Kanna, Reina Letem, and Eugene. The group itself didn’t concern me, but how was I supposed to handle the situation where the King of Ten Thousand Demons and his subordinates infiltrated an instant dungeon created by the Demon Race?
“Hey, are we even allowed to go? If we do, won’t the situation be… problematic?”
“Direct lineage, or, well, even without that, s-superior-like, you know.”
Right. Others didn’t know, but among ourselves, that was precisely the problem. We’d formed a group for dungeon exploration, yet one of us was the King of Ten Thousand Demons, another the Flame King, another the Poison King, and one was a candidate for Demon Lord. The situation looked decidedly problematic.
I was the King of Ten Thousand Demons, essentially the Demon Race’s representative. The guilt of sacrificing my weaker kin for my graduation weighed heavily.
As we demons huddled together in worry, the dungeon exploration instructor summoned us, mentioning there was someone else we needed to see.
“Reina Letem, Evan, Mitchell, Kanna. The Department Head Professor will personally oversee your group. Report to his office now.”
“Wow, the professor really does respond quickly.”
“He didn’t waste his years for nothing.”
“R-right, he’s, well, quite a-aged, after all.”
So this three-hundred-year-old dragon wasn’t just for show. We marveled as we shuffled toward the Department Head Professor’s office. The office had transformed into something remarkably cutting-edge—as if the Machine King Makina himself had recently visited.
“Everyone, sit. First, I should explain about the Mana Lab we encountered previously.”
Wow! The professor was even working alone!
Professor Ilyong activated a three-dimensional terrain map and raised his pointer, and we couldn’t help but applaud his competence. How could someone this capable have abandoned the Dragon King’s position to laze about for three hundred years? Samryong would be furious if he found out.
“After that, I explored the location with Gerth, and here’s the thing—there was no visible entrance.”
Huh? The map from the Seed Storage Facility had coordinates marked, so I thought finding it would be easy. What did he mean there was no entrance?
Anyway, the professor and Gerth conducted a preliminary survey. The elevated terrain had no entrance, though they did find internal connectors. Common Professor then dragged the terrain map downward, past sea level, and further down still.
“Here exists an instant dungeon belonging to the Sea Dragon of Serpent King’s Tower. And.”
The professor moved deeper into the dungeon, pointing to a cavern.
“Here is an underwater cave. A naturally occurring dungeon.”
He casually mentioned we could probably ascend to the Mana Lab from there. In other words, since we’d have to visit the Mana Lab anyway and needed to graduate, we might as well accomplish both objectives in one trip?
When I asked if he was seriously telling us to explore underwater, the Department Head Professor—who was also the Dragon King—nodded with a satisfied expression.
“You’ll be going underwater.”
I could fly through the sky, but I couldn’t move freely underwater. What was I supposed to do?
“Professor! We can’t even breathe underwater—how are we supposed to enter?”
While I fretted, Reina boldly posed the question. Sometimes I envied her audacious nature—though I didn’t mean I actually wanted to become like that gorilla. Just occasionally, I felt a twinge of admiration. How convenient life must be without thinking.
At Reina’s question, the Department Head Professor chuckled. Having completed his investigation, he seemed satisfied with his assigned duties. The middle-aged man switched off the terrain map with a sense of relief.
“That’s something you students will have to figure out.”
The Dragon King and professor offered encouragement: “Boss fight.” We received a single map marking the Mana Lab, then were promptly escorted from his office.

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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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