[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower":3,"chapter-the-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-the-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-chapter-130":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The Problematic Child of the Magic Tower",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1334926,1778,"Chapter 130","the-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-chapter-130",130,"\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chapter 130: Artificial Island, Ivemir (7)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the grand scale of war, morale is crucial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In small-scale skirmishes like battles, momentum is key.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, the beginning must always be dazzling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Breath of Frost.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A gust of wind formed above his head and swept through the corridors on both sides.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, the movements of the approaching “things” visibly slowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment the three, who had their backs against one another, exchanged glances, Oscar shouted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Killian!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one among them with the best close combat skills—a close combat specialist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the call, Killian Lockwood dashed forward without a moment’s hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Song of the Wolf.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With claws of magic glowing in both hands, he mercilessly tore through the slowed creatures’ necks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dodging the incoming spells and running along the corridor walls, Killian moved like a beast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Impressive!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Save the admiration and just fight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Veronica brusquely responded to Fran’s exclamation and quickly formed hand signs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Twin Embrace.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Four massive hands of wind emerged from the walls, each grabbing two or three of the “things” and lifting them off the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Fran’s eyes lit up as he shouted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hold them right there!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a swift and determined expression, Fran drew a whip from his waist and lashed forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snap!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The “things” struck by the dance of steel instantly dissolved into smoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching this, Oscar couldn’t help but let a grin creep onto his lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Not bad.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their teamwork was surprisingly effective.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t just words—they were beginning to feel like actual comrades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not to be outdone, he fired off a barrage of Wind Bullets, reducing the enemy’s numbers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huff, huff.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pant, pant.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After about 20 minutes, the corridor, once packed with “things,” was now clear of any traces of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the four caught their breaths, looking at each other, a chilling voice echoed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t celebrate too soon, guests of the White Tower.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Click, click.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the same doors, an identical number of “things” poured into the corridor once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar’s face stiffened as he saw this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...What?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had thought these creatures were fragmented monsters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fragmented monsters are those that split themselves apart, with each fragment’s destruction harming the main body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘We took out so many of them. It only makes sense we’d have inflicted some damage…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this didn’t feel right. It was clear—there was no damage to the enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, worse yet, he felt as though the enemy was quite satisfied, having drained their stamina.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The others seemed to notice the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oscar, something’s off here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if those things are fake, they’re way too intact.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...So you feel it too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this continued, it would turn into an endless war of attrition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Realizing this, Oscar quickly made a decision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Change of plans. Let’s head to the first floor and figure out a way out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Got it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Killian, without any stubbornness, seemed pleased with Oscar’s swift judgment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Veronica followed up with a question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Which direction do we push through? To your side or the one I’m facing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Neither.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fighting them would only waste energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The best option was to escape as quickly as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jet Spiral.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a snap of his fingers, the wind before him began spinning rapidly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One rotation, two rotations—the increasing speed created a vortex that plunged downward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack-crack-crack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The high-pressure spiral of air tore through the floor like a drill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jump!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar shouted as he leaped into the large hole he’d just created.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crash! Crack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spiraling wind carved through the corridor floors, creating a path straight to the first floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The four of them quickly landed, but the “things” began falling through the hole after them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heeheehee.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Keekeeekee!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sight of dozens of the creatures descending with wide, twisted grins was pure terror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oscar!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t worry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar’s confident reply came as he crossed his arms and spun them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Jet Spiral reversed course.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vortex of wind began moving upward, retracing its destructive path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fwoosh! Hiss!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kyahhh!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Grrrk…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The falling creatures disintegrated into smoke upon contact with the spiraling wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the satisfying sight, Oscar sprinted toward the entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘If we can just escape this artificial island and wait one more day…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could rendezvous with the imperial forces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As his hand gripped the large door handle leading outside—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“—Not so fast. Since you’ve come all this way, take your time and enjoy yourselves.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...!?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A voice echoed from the door, and a powerful surge of mana blew Oscar backward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crash!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar flew back at least 10 meters, tumbling across the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oscar!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other three rushed to his side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you okay?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nothing’s broken, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn it…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar, supported and helped upright, squinted at the door with a frown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kilian, gazing in the same direction, asked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mana repulsion, huh. Is it impossible to neutralize it or force our way through?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...It seems difficult.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar had also tried to neutralize it the moment he sensed the mana repulsion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the sheer magnitude of the mana was far beyond what a single individual could resist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Even if we combined the mana of all four of us here, we couldn’t break through.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling the immense power of their opponent's mana, Oscar bit his lip tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He quickly retrieved a map from his coat and spread it out on the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What are you doing now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I need to find something.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The contact with the opponent's overwhelming mana had only been momentary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in that fleeting moment, Oscar had grasped where the roots of the mana were anchored.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'It was definitely further below this place.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant the opponent’s true form might be located somewhere underground on this artificial island.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If escaping was impossible, they would inevitably have to fight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if a fight was unavoidable, targeting the core was their only option.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'There’s no end to dealing with those endless fake human replicas anyway.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, finding the \"core\" of that thing became their top priority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing his explanation, the other three scanned the underground area on the map over his shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ah, could it be here?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fran suddenly stretched out a finger and pointed to a spot on the map.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Artificial Intelligence Control Room]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…Artificial intelligence? What’s that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the unfamiliar term, Oscar blinked and asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fran explained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What? You don’t know? It’s the ultimate goal of the Magic Tower through magical engineering.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m asking, what is it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Literally. It’s an artificial intelligence system that can perform tasks on behalf of humans.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…But this facility was built over 200 years ago.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, magical engineering didn’t exist back then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But why would there be an Artificial Intelligence Control Room here, something that shouldn’t even conceptually exist yet?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Fran couldn’t respond to that mystery, simply shrugging his shoulders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No idea. Maybe... the term 'artificial intelligence' existed in the past but referred to something entirely different?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Something different?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An artificial intelligence capable of performing tasks in place of humans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mulling over what could potentially fit that description, Oscar muttered involuntarily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…Homunculus.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Homunculus? What’s that? Is that magical engineering too?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, Fran turned the question back at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No. That’s not magical engineering but a product of alchemy—a kind of artificially created living being.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What? They could make something like that back in the day? How come I’ve never heard of it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…Because it’s research that was strictly prohibited long before the Empire was founded.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Creating a homunculus required one essential ingredient: the soul of a human.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, the creation of homunculi was an experiment involving the artificial processing of human souls to produce living entities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Could it be that this artificial island’s entire management system was entrusted to a homunculus…?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that were true, it would explain a lot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fact that it could eavesdrop on their conversations unilaterally, and that the massive, overwhelming mana was rooted in the island's underground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'That insane emperor.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar barely restrained himself from hurling curses at the emperor from more than 200 years ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you created something like that through forbidden research, shouldn’t you have at least properly disposed of it afterward?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More importantly, how many human souls had been sacrificed to manage an entire island?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a beautifully contorted face, Oscar spoke grimly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let’s revise our plan again.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Again? Wasn’t the plan to escape?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s not realistic anymore.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…We haven’t tried escaping through other towers or the central hall yet.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’ll be the same everywhere.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar glanced at the door that had just repelled him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The magic repulsion isn’t imbued in the door or the walls themselves. It’s something that thing used momentarily.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Does that mean…?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It means if it wanted to, it could do the same even if we opened a bathroom door.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, escape routes didn’t matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it decided not to let them leave, there was no way out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Veronica crossed her arms and asked cautiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So, what’s the revised plan?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If we can’t escape, we need to eliminate the source.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tap, tap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar tapped the spot labeled [Artificial Intelligence Control Room] with his finger and looked at the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The target is to destroy the homunculus—or whatever equivalent entity is presumed to be here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…Can we do it on our own?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’ll be tough. But escaping is impossible, and hiding is even less viable.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire artificial island was essentially that thing’s domain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anything on this island could potentially become its eyes and ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, there was no place they could safely hide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If we’re going to do it, we have to try while we still have some strength and mana left.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The longer they delayed, the exponentially lower their chances of success would become.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was already difficult enough for mages to maintain their peak performance when hungry, fatigued, and sleep-deprived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Especially for these kids who have never even experienced war—it’ll be even harder.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which only meant Oscar had to carry more of the burden himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Standing up slowly, he tucked the map back into his coat and declared,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let’s go.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To the basement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>",1677,"2026-06-05T20:00:10.789Z",1,"novelbin.me","a069453cf8287219523792e3b0a8233b48ff5b09ef768d88ebec54d08d1fec90","the-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-chapter-131","the-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-chapter-129",375,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-cover.jpg"]