Deadline Is Raining in the Status Window - Chapter 248

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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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I’d expected as much, but I’d been marked absent without leave all this time. This semester was cutting it close for my grades too. I wondered if I could actually graduate from the Academy in just five years.
I resolved to attend classes seriously from now on, but the shopping day I’d promised my friends arrived, and we excitedly made our way through the Commercial District, flexing about our personal lives and engaging in the kind of girls’ talk that involved tearing people apart.
Eugene wasn’t a girl, but with so much battlefield experience under her belt, she fit naturally into our conversations. The day after we finished shopping, we arrived at Sharit Bay with Apet to resolve the matter of communicating with the Goddess before the weekend ended.
I was clearly an Academy student, yet I had no memory of attending classes. It was the eternal mystery of academy stories.
The Sea Dragon Couple said we didn’t need to repay the favor from last time, but that wasn’t how human decency worked—I could see they were struggling with raising their child. Armed with new toys and cleaning supplies we’d brought, we bought time for Sharit to finish eating. Still, this time was easier than before since we had a healer along.
A party really does need balance. A party with four damage dealers and nothing else was doomed from the start. Now that Reina Letem was gone and we had a healer, life had become this comfortable?
“It’s so nice without Reina Letem.”
“M-much easier than last time.”
“Gorilla Reina was useless anyway.”
Kanna, Eugene, and I were insulting Reina Letem when we heard a loud crash outside. It must have been the lonely gorilla, furious and destroying the surrounding terrain.
“You three, don’t tease your friend too much.”
“She’s not a friend.”
“F-friends are Evan and Eugene only.”
“Humans and gorillas cannot be friends.”
“Stop teasing her like that.”
In the end, Apet went outside to console Reina Letem. If she was going to come along, she could just join us openly—who asked her to disguise herself and stalk us? She brought this on herself by lurking around so ominously.
“W-why did you disguise yourself?”
“Even from a hundred meters away, everyone knows you’re Reina Letem.”
“Reina Letem even has that ostrich thing going on.”
So Eugene knew about Reina Letem’s ostrich behavior too. She thought that if she couldn’t see anything in her field of vision, nobody could see her either. I was genuinely shocked when I first saw her do that back in first year.
“Children, Reina Letem wants to make up with you.”
The old man had become a kindergarten teacher. Reina Letem, following behind him with her lips pouted, apologized to us in a monotone, as if reciting from a textbook.
“Friends. I want to play with you too.”
She’d memorized exactly what Apet told her to say. But this was probably the best a gorilla could do. Impressed by Reina Letem’s effort, we decided to let her join our human group.
“Take off the sunglasses, gorilla.”
“A-and that weird coat too.”
“And the socks.”
“Why the socks?”
“Gorillas walk barefoot.”
The moment I mentioned the socks, the gorilla came after me with a tiny fist. “Ow!” I cried out in pain. Watching us fight, Apet called out to finish the job and used a condition recovery skill on us. Having a healer on the team really was the best.

The couple must have had a cozy meal together—their faces were gleaming. After handing over childcare duties, we entered the Research Laboratory where the satellite had been launched. Every monitor displayed “Can I help you?” The Mother Goddess was already connected. We climbed to the section with the most cutting-edge equipment and pressed the touchpad. When a keyboard appeared on my side for input, my friends and Apet eagerly chattered about whether we could finally communicate.
I confidently said it was possible and typed out the message carefully in English.

Kor plz 🙂

Usually, that solves everything!
I pressed enter with confidence, and a message appeared in Korean: “How may I assist you?” My friends and Apet, not understanding the conversation’s meaning, seemed impressed and clapped, going “Ohhh.”
“Are you the Mother Goddess?”
To share information transparently, I spoke aloud while typing on the keyboard, and my friends and Apet alternated their gazes between me and the screen. The entity responded to my question in formal language.

I am the multipurpose artificial satellite Mother Nature Unit 8, primarily designed for climate control. My designation is URS.

I’d assumed that something playing the role of a god would possess artificial intelligence at least on par with Makina. Yet this felt like I was dealing with a shopping mall chatbot. So I decided to test it.
“Hey, you worthless wretch.”
When I hurled an insult without context, the entity responded with the expected formal reply.

Using clear terminology will enable faster resolution. Examples: Ursula, repair the Underworld barrier. / Ursula, what is the origin of your name? / I’m going for a drive—play some exciting music.

The main body was apparently getting DDoS’d by a status window rush, so only the auto-response function barely remained connected. That explained why even Cha Cha, the first living being, couldn’t reach it—yet this system responded after thirty days.
“This isn’t the Mother Goddess herself. It’s an auto-response function.”
When I explained the situation, Apet asked what that meant. I told him it could only answer questions with pre-programmed responses according to a fixed manual, and the old man made an “Ah” sound of realization.
“So that’s why the Priesthood could only ask certain questions.”
He said it was something passed down like a family registry in Sungkuk Kingdom since ancient times, but the number of possible questions exceeded thirty, and even those were limited to matters concerning the status window or human life.
“Praying for the Underworld barrier to be rebuilt was actually a gamble. It wasn’t in the registry.”
If that were the case, I might be able to solve the problem. One of the example questions was about restoring the Underworld barrier. So let me try the urgent matter first.
“Ursula, repair the Underworld barrier.”

Insufficient energy.

“Do whatever you can.”

Opening mana amplifiers in each region. Please charge mana.

There was a loud rumble, and the entire building shook. I wasn’t sure what it was, but it seemed one of the locations where mana amplifiers were installed was nearby.
“What is a mana amplifier!”

Mana amplifiers amplify or disperse mana or skills using mana. The mana consumption required during amplification and dispersal varies depending on demand.

“….”
Wait. Does “mana consumption required” mean people who use mana?
“What does ‘mana consumption required’ mean?”

Unable to understand the question. Using clear terminology will enable faster resolution. Examples: Ursula, repair the Underworld barrier. / Ursula, what is the origin of your name? / I’m going for a drive—play some exciting music.

“What happens to the Mana users employed in the amplification dispersal?”

They are discarded.

“You mean they die?”

If they do not perish, they may be reused after sufficient rest.

Could this be what they were researching upstairs? A method to achieve tenfold efficiency by sacrificing a single Mana user?
“What are you saying! What kind of conversation are you having right now!”
Apet must have grasped the context from my muttering alone, because he stomped his feet in fury. True to form—always putting human life first.
“How many Mana users are required to repair the barrier?”

Two to five Mana users are required per barrier.

Blocking radiation is brutal work. I decided to ask just one more question.
“When the Underworld was first created, weren’t there only Cha Cha and Mother Goddess as sentient beings? How did you secure Mana users back then?”

I cannot understand the question. If you use clearer terminology, I can provide faster assistance. Ex) Ursula, repair the Underworld barrier for me. / Ursula, what is the origin of your name? / I’m going for a drive, play something upbeat.

Forget it, you bastard. I’m done talking to you. Though I might need you later, so I’ll leave the chatbot running. I pulled my hands from the keyboard and explained everything we’d discussed to my friends and Apet.
Apet seemed shocked, but the others—having witnessed that catastrophe at the Mana Research Institute—weren’t particularly surprised.
“No wonder the air smelled so metallic.”
“S-so, for research alone, they… sacrificed that many…”
“Then there’s no way to seal the gap immediately?”
That’s unclear. They said two to five Mana users were necessary. But if I, a Mana Master overflowing with Mana, used the amplifier, I might be able to repair it without any sacrifice.
I said this calmly, but Apet suddenly grabbed my braided hair and yanked my head down, then rained down flicks on my forehead relentlessly.
“Don’t you dare think such things! Where are you spouting such nonsense!”
“Evan made a mistake just now.”
“Apologize. And say sorry to us.”
“E-Evan, are y-you mad at me?”
When Kanna gets angry, it’s terrifying. I immediately apologized and glanced around. Earlier, when I’d activated the amplifier with that rumbling sound, I’d felt vibrations emanating from above.
“Hey, but… don’t you think the Mana amplifier might be right above us?”
“Children! Let’s go home! Grab that kid!”
“Let’s hurry. You’re being overconfident right now.”
“Evan, don’t you dare come here alone later.”
“S-should we just destroy it?”

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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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