Deadline Is Raining in the Status Window - Chapter 38

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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’m exhausted—let’s not talk about work here. When I gave them a meaningful look, Sera and Eugene nodded, agreeing to focus solely on escaping this place.
“Ugh.”
Right. I’d been wondering why the delicately raised Seian Crowell hadn’t started complaining earlier. He opened a can of preserved meat, sniffed at it suspiciously, and whined about whether this even qualified as food.
“Your Highness! If you won’t eat it, give it to me!”
That cunning woman Reina Letem. Without waiting for Seian’s permission, she snatched the meat can and brought the rim to her lips, pouring the contents straight down her throat in one continuous stream. What kind of spectacle was this? She swallowed that tough meat without even chewing, then crunched through hard bread like it was iron rebar, patting her belly contentedly.
“Ah! Finally full!”
What a monstrous creature. I’d thought she at least knew basic manners since she didn’t make a mess in the Cafeteria, but apparently she just ate quickly and left. That was the extent of her courtesy.
“The chocolate bars are edible. Eat this at least.”
“Mm….”
I yielded my chocolate bar to Seian and watched him nibble at it. How could he eat like he was fleeing down the very corridor we’d come through? No wonder he had no luck in life.
I gazed at Seian contentedly while chewing the salted meat like gum. Just watching him struggle to tear apart bread that wouldn’t give way filled me with satisfaction. Was this what love felt like?
“What? Why are you staring?”
“The way you eat—like you’re escaping down a corridor—is absolutely endearing.”
“What! What are you saying, you lunatic!”
Seian grumbled and swatted at me, but it didn’t even tickle, so I let him be. Then the Third Princess launched into a lengthy eulogy about how Sunbird couldn’t be excluded from the discussion of adorable eating habits, praising Aten Polat at length, while Reina Letem and Eugene narrowed their eyes and offered brief comments.
“Disgusting.”
“Agreed.”
After a brief rest, I checked our water supply. Eugene had used more than half a bottle from exertion, and the Sunbird and Third Princess couple had consumed considerable water washing their wounds. Rather than redistribute, it made more sense to consolidate the team by putting the emptied bottles in our backpack.
When Seian saw me mapping while blood dripped from my wounds, he declared he could do something so simple himself, snatched my pencil and notebook, and we managed to get somewhat closer to our destination.
But thinking about the original story’s progression, we’d have to wander for another full day, which made my heart race with anxiety. Even combining all our remaining water, we barely had one and a half bottles’ worth. Food remained, but fresh water was critically scarce. Night was approaching, and we needed sleep too.
“Wait.”
That’s when the protagonist’s blessing skill activated!
I turned my head eagerly at the Third Princess’s confident “Wait,” and Sera spoke those blessed words just like in the original story.
“I hear water.”
Yes! The protagonist couple is the best!
Despite all the dangers, whenever we needed something, it appeared—nothing could be better!
Sera pressed her ear against the wall, then tapped her fingers across it, searching for a hollow spot. Once the Third Princess was certain the wall beyond was empty, she told everyone to step back and confidently called out her skill name.
“Skill! Dual Extremity!”
When we’re about to perish, copyright be damned! I’d thought for ages that the Third Princess just kept breaking walls and ceilings because she had enhanced strength, but it was Dual Extremity all along!
“Aaaaah!”
Unfortunately, the first attempt failed. An artifact was interfering with the skill activation. My skill and Reina’s could endanger everyone if they misfired, so the Third Princess took this on herself. In this case, the only risk from failure was her fist breaking.
“Skill! Dual Extremity!”
The problem was that the skill kept failing. Each time she failed, the Third Princess’s bare knuckles smashed hard against the dungeon wall, becoming covered in blood, until finally came the sound of bone cracking and Sera’s hand swelled grotesquely.
“Skill! Dual Extremity!”
But no one stopped her, and Sera didn’t stop either. We all knew that even if we tried to dissuade her verbally, she wouldn’t listen, and in Seian’s case, he was simply intimidated by her determination.
“Skill!”
Only when bone showed white through her knuckles did the Third Princess’s skill finally succeed. As the wall crumbled, Sunbird cried out and rushed to tend her wounds, while I felt cool air flowing through and stepped forward beyond the collapsed wall.
As expected, it was the Stalactite Cave mentioned in the original work.
“Water! There’s water!”
Hey, Seian—no drinking limestone water straight from the source.
I quickly kicked away Seian, who was about to plunge his head into the water, then retrieved a water bottle from my backpack to handle him as he clawed at me desperately.
“This water comes from the Stalactite Cave. Limestone water will give you stomach trouble if you drink it raw.”
The darkness prevented me from seeing far, but beyond my line of sight lay the wall and passage the original work had broken through. The water temperature was so low that exploring underwater risked freezing to death, which was why the original work never explored the cave—and that seemed to be the right call. This Stalactite Cave was far more expansive than we’d imagined.
“Damn it! I’d rather have a stomachache than die of thirst!”
“Stomach trouble causes dehydration.”
Fluids would be lost even faster. The dungeon exploration members in the original work possessed such robust constitutions, and they likely endured until escape thanks to protagonist’s luck, but Seian and I were different—we were fragile.
The water would probably rush straight through us the moment we drank it.
“Give me whatever clean cloth you have.”
Thus Sunbird lost every part of his shirt, and Eugene stripped off his upper body, keeping only his pants. The sight was deeply satisfying.
“Hey, I’m not drinking that. I absolutely won’t drink that!”
I never forced anyone to drink it.
I layered cloth over the mouth of an empty bottle, then poured water over it, and filtered water dripped down below.
I couldn’t filter out all the limestone, but at least the water would be purified enough to avoid stomach trouble for a while. When I explained this, Eugene and Reina Letem crouched beside me with curiosity.
“How do you know things like this?”
“In emergencies, even the military could use this method.”
“Right. Using the same process, you can even extract water from wet soil.”
“How do you really know this?”
“I’ll definitely consider it in true emergencies.”
That was from when the water supply to our house was cut off. When I vaguely shared that childhood memory, Reina Letem patted my shoulder, saying I’d grown up so strong, while the Third Princess looked at me with a puzzled expression.
She was thinking it impossible for me, who’d been pampered in Neftis, to ever face such circumstances. But her assumption was wrong. According to my memory, Mitchell had also faced extreme situations.
That was definitely when my second pet Drake had bitten dozens of people. Since it happened in the Capital, before I could go beg the Emperor, Father beat me senseless and dragged me to the imperial audience hall. He made sure to show proper punishment at home first, then told me to apologize unconditionally, but…
The mad beast didn’t apologize. It stubbornly kept its mouth shut out of spite, then was exiled to an Uninhabited Island for a week. On the day we departed by ship, Father cursed the Emperor, saying my daughter would die, and wept on the ground.
“There were times like that…”
Thinking about it now, it was a poignant memory where I could feel Father’s love. I still couldn’t forgive the fuss he made during the first Drake incident, but the Capital incident had its justification.
“You really must succeed and live well.”
“The Brandenburg Military welcomes Evan Laef. Have you decided on your career path after graduation?”
“Oh right, we have a Private Mage Unit at our house with excellent pay.”
“People, if you care about Evan’s future, you should recommend a Court Mage position.”
Ha, what are you all saying? I’m going to work at a desk. Working in cool places when it’s hot and warm places when it’s cold—that’s the true measure of success.
When I said I’d take a clerical job after getting my Academy diploma, everyone’s expressions became strange and they offered me sympathy.
“Well… you’re free to dream.”
“Don’t forget we’re in wartime. Evan Laef.”
“Never forget we’re also in conflict with the Demon Tribe.”
Now that I thought about it, that was true. I’d forgotten while getting along with Gerth, but the primary enemy of the Crowell Empire was the Demon Tribe. The provocations generally came from the Dragon Tribe in the north, so lumping everyone together felt unfair to Gerth, but…
That said, the Beast King’s Tower was only attacked unilaterally by humans, while Gerth and Hubert merely defended. It was inevitable that Beasts saw humans as one of their food sources, but the Beast-kin weren’t hostile toward humans.
One way or another, only Gerth suffered because of the Dragon King. Later, I’d talk to Hubert about getting angry at the Dragon King’s offspring.
After waiting for the water to drip and filling every bottle except the one Seian held with drinking water, we moved to a new location, settled down, and prepared to sleep.
We’d eaten our fill, distributed nutritional supplements, and thanks to discovering Stalactite Cave, secured plenty of water. With our minds at ease, everyone’s expressions brightened considerably.
Eugene, the Third Princess, and I still bore severe wounds, blood and serum trickling steadily, but we could endure this much. For about… a day.
“Then everyone, get some proper rest.”
“Wow, that bastard brought a sleeping bag too.”
“Truly our club’s ace.”
I won’t explicitly say it, but I’m not sharing my sleeping bag. I bought it with my own money—it’s mine.
When I spoke firmly, those freeloaders didn’t dare covet it and huddled down to sleep, though only Seian fidgeted beside me. A man raised delicately in the Imperial Palace for some twenty years would naturally find it difficult to sleep on cold stone.
“Seian, you’re welcome to come in.”
“You crazy bastard, I’m not getting in!”
Seian made a threatening sound, insisting he wouldn’t impose on me, but as time passed and the chill crept in, he gradually shifted his body closer until he was pressed against my side, sleeping soundly.
Confirming the man had fallen into deep sleep, I turned my body to cover his side, sharing warmth as I drifted off.

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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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