[{"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-143":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},1334939,1778,"Chapter 143","the-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-chapter-143",143,"\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chapter 143: The Inflection Point of Pure White (4)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The day of the Dungeon Escape Tournament had arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The audience was packed with far more spectators than during practice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that every mage visiting the artificial island had gathered here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fran swallowed nervously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My heart’s pounding. I’m getting nervous with all these people here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why are you nervous? You’re not even competing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Just thinking that we might be in that spot next year makes me nervous.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wow, look at you. Already acting like a Level 5 mage.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar smirked but didn’t deny it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At their current growth rate, he and the other three Special Forces members would likely reach at least Level 5 by next year’s Night of the Mages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Still, there are a lot of empty seats... How many people can this place hold?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I think around 30,000? Can’t remember exactly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why did they build the spectator stands so big?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Apparently, they’re considering selling tickets to outsiders next year based on this year’s performance.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh, that would definitely make things more exciting.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant the Night of the Mages could eventually become a cultural event.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was probably what the royal family was aiming for.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s also why they restructured the tournament into more detailed categories—to showcase aspects of mages that the general public wouldn’t normally see.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the royal family was serious about expanding this event, they might even get involved in betting on match outcomes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, if they went that far, they’d inevitably face criticism for making it too much of a commercial enterprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But so what? Even the Magic Tower is running businesses these days. Why wouldn’t the royal family?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar smirked as a voice echoed through the large speakers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Ahem... Greetings. I am Andre Bright, a court mage and today’s commentator for the 8th Night of the Mages.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They even prepared commentators? I didn’t attend the Level 6 knowledge battle, so I didn’t know about this.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This made it clear—the royal family was putting serious effort into turning the Night of the Mages into a sport.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The commentators were seated just below the VVIP section, which had a panoramic view of the stadium.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alongside the elderly mage who introduced himself as a court mage, a young man and woman sat on either side of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[I am Bellowin Martini, a nobleman who appreciates romance and excitement.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Hello, everyone! I’m Tesila Windroar, a top-ranked veteran adventurer, here on special duty today~]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar wasn’t sure about \"romance\" or \"top-ranked,\" but his eyes had been fixed on the old man in the center from the start.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Andre... Have you finally reached the legendary Level 8?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had connections to this mage even in his past life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar was briefly curious about why the old man was acting as a commentator, but it was probably by his own choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, placing an 8th-Level mage in that seat would have been impossible for anyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Bellowin, did you watch yesterday’s practice match for the Dungeon Escape Tournament?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Of course! I never miss a good time when there’s booze and excitement.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Then you must have a rough prediction of today’s rankings?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Absolutely. I don’t expect any major upsets.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bellowin shuffled through the documents on the table before continuing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[I believe the competition for the top spot will be fierce among the Yellow Tower, the Red Tower, and the Black Tower.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[But the Yellow Tower didn’t perform well in the practice match, did they?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[True, their record wasn’t great. But considering they were the first to compete, without any prior information, they’ve likely analyzed the other matches and adjusted their strategy accordingly.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one disagreed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If a lower-ranked magic tower had gone first, the result might have been disastrous—a complete failure to clear the dungeon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[In my opinion, the final rankings will look something like this.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bellowin placed stickers representing each magic tower onto a ranking board.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The final order was just as expected—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Yellow, Red, and Blue Towers in the top three, followed by the Black and Blood Towers at fourth and fifth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lower rankings were split among the White, Purple, and Green Towers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Hmm... Some magic towers might not like these rankings.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[It’s all based on practice match records, after all. Right, Miss Tesila?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Exactly. If they feel wronged, they should shake things up and prove everyone wrong in today’s match.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With those words, the first team—the Yellow Tower—entered the stadium.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Since this is a single-round tournament, a team’s condition and strategy on the day of the match are crucial.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[And a little luck wouldn’t hurt. The location of treasure chests and keys is randomized each match.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Ah, and just as we speak, the Yellow Tower’s match has begun.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They moved through the dungeon at a speed far beyond what they had shown the previous day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their strategy mirrored the methods other towers had used in the latter half of yesterday’s practice matches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Ah, they’ve opted for a textbook approach. They’re sending five combat specialists directly to the boss.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[That makes sense. If the boss gets loose, the search party will have a hard time.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dungeon housed various types of monsters, but the boss was the most critical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boss normally waited near the exit, but after five minutes, it would start moving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Yesterday, the Yellow Tower team didn’t even know there was a boss. They sent all ten members to search for keys and almost got wiped out.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[That must have felt really unfair. It happened simply because it was their first time and they had no information.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[It was as if the dungeon was saying, ‘If you don’t know, you’ll just have to get hit,’ right?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From that point on, the standard strategy for escaping the dungeon changed to immobilizing the boss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boss was an extremely powerful monster, and the general consensus was that taking it down required at least eight Level 5 mages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, if the goal was merely to keep it restrained, there had been a case where Red Tower succeeded with just four members.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Yesterday, Red Tower managed to restrain the boss with just four people, but Yellow Tower sent five this time.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Well, Red Tower’s mages are more specialized in combat. Playing it safe is a good approach.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The five of them dodged the boss’s attacks while restraining its movements for 13 minutes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, good news came from Yellow Tower’s search team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Ah! Player Malone from Yellow Tower has obtained the golden key! This means they can now open the exit!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[But before that, they need to defeat the boss. Everyone needs to gather at the boss’s location first!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Yellow Tower’s players are fast! The remaining five members have already joined them! The real battle is beginning!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tightly coordinated mages of Yellow Tower took down the Guardian and escaped the dungeon after an 18-minute battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Yellow Tower has cleared the dungeon.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Final record: 37 minutes and 14 seconds.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to all the practice matches from the previous day, they were over ten minutes faster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps that’s why the Yellow Tower mages smiled brightly and clapped hands in celebration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Wow, we’ve set an incredible record right from the first match.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Hmm. This is going to put quite a bit of pressure on the teams that follow.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t enough just to surpass their past performance; the next teams would need to cut at least 15 minutes to feel safe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Yellow Tower’s record was more threatening than expected, mages from other towers were seen urgently holding strategy meetings, their expressions tense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching this, Veronica asked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aren’t we supposed to do something like that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’ll take care of it themselves. Besides…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had already done everything they could.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, all that remained was to pray that Verdi would prove himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>* * *\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[This is fascinating! Absolutely fascinating!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the dungeon escape reached its midpoint, Baron Bellowin, caught up in the excitement, shouted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[It feels like flames have just passed before my eyes! Today’s matches have been incredibly fun, haven’t they?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Well… there are still three matches left, though.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Ah, yes, that’s true.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Realizing her mistake a moment too late, Bellowin looked embarrassed, but no one could really blame her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Blood Tower’s match concluded, the fight for the top ranks was practically settled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, the last five matches had been decided by margins as thin as a sheet of paper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>1st. Red Tower – 37 minutes, 11 seconds\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>2nd. Yellow Tower – 37 minutes, 14 seconds\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>3rd. Blue Tower – 37 minutes, 23 seconds\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>4th. Black Tower – 39 minutes, 52 seconds\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>5th. Blood Tower – 40 minutes, 07 seconds\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among them, the matches between Red Tower, Yellow Tower, and Blue Tower had been so intense that they kept the audience on the edge of their seats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rankings could have changed with just a few seconds’ difference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After witnessing such thrilling matches, no one was particularly interested in the lower-rank battles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that the storm had passed, it was only natural for expectations for the remaining matches to decline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[White Tower’s mages are preparing to enter.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Hmm, but they all seem to be in a good mood today.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[…That’s true. You’d expect them to feel pressured, but their expressions are strangely relaxed.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Andre tilted his head in confusion, Tesila responded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[In major matches like this, those who enjoy themselves tend to get better results. This might be worth looking forward to.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Enjoying the match, huh? I hope they put on a good performance, then.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With such moderate expectations, White Tower’s match began.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, murmurs of confusion spread throughout the audience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s going on?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it wasn’t just the spectators reacting this way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the commentators watching the match tilted their heads and spoke up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Wait, what is White Tower doing?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Their movements are really unusual… Is this some kind of strategy?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Normally, restraining the boss required at least four Level 5 mages, even for a combat-focused team like Red Tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the moment the match started, White Tower sent only one mage to restrain the boss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Ah, that’s Verdi Nakwind. He certainly has impressive raw power as a mage.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[That’s right. He was incredibly impressive in yesterday’s battle. But…]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A mana reflux disorder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That severe weakness had manifested, nearly wiping out his team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the reason White Tower had placed last and was the only team to record a completion time over an hour.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Hmm, is he thinking, ‘I don’t want to hurt my teammates, so I’ll just try this alone’…?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Haha, I wonder if this is confidence or recklessness… At the very least, their search team is making unprecedented progress.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Well, of course. Unlike the other towers, they have nine members searching for the key.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the holographic screen, the dark dungeon map was lighting up at an alarming speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the audience remained skeptical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is hilarious. Aren’t they just going to get wiped out?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That seems likely. What kind of confidence is this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cut them some slack. They must be desperate. When you have no options, you throw a hail mary.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A desperate gamble born out of hopelessness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s what most people thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Oscar had a different opinion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Hmm. He’s going to restrain the boss alone…?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Oscar had helped heal Verdi’s body, he hadn’t expected such a bold strategy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He quickly recalled the boss’s battle capabilities and smirked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘If this goes well, things might get really interesting today.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>",1926,"2026-06-05T20:00:10.789Z",1,"novelbin.me","c801d7186986071a8e91397f85fb668a51aaa942563441948524a5a7107d25f3","the-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-chapter-144","the-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-chapter-142",375,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-cover.jpg"]