[{"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-214":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},1334660,1778,"Chapter 214","the-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-chapter-214",214,"\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chapter 214: Eternal Moment (2)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crackle, crackle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the still night air, the only sound was the sizzle of skewered meat roasting over a burning torch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the scene, Oran let out a hollow laugh, as if it were absurd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ha, anyone passing by would think we're out on a camping trip.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Seriously.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Kaya, who was crossing the mountain range for the first time, could tell that this situation was far from ordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nodding, she glanced around and asked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Normally, this wouldn’t be possible, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you kidding? You’d be lucky to even light a fire, let alone cook meat. That’d be suicidal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Red Mountains were infamous not just for being one of the five great disasters, but for their abundance of vicious monsters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet, for the past two days, they hadn’t seen a single trace of one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to that, they had been able to recover from the exhaustion and wounds suffered in their battle with Yuribe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s just too much of a stretch to chalk this up to mere coincidence.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come on, if coincidences keep piling up, doesn’t that just mean it’s skill?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…You’ve got a point.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Agreeing with Oran, Kaya turned her gaze to Oscar, who was returning from patrol.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, when she first hired him as a guide, she’d had mixed feelings—half concern, half expectation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how talented he was, this was not going to be an easy journey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘But it didn’t matter.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had been genuinely curious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wanted to observe and understand him properly—this mage called Oscar Crusiang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘A mage who rose from Level 1 to Level 6 in less than a year.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first time she saw him in Baran City, he was just a fledgling Level 3 mage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even then, he stood out distinctly from other mages of the same level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘He could sense my mana. More importantly, he knew how to infuse his own magical image into his spells.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next time she saw him, he was already Level 6—and had awakened to the art of liberating the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So how could she not be intrigued?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Honestly, I half expected him to make some mistakes when I hired him as our guide…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But once they got started, it turned out to be a stroke of genius.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she had hired that kid Charlotte as their guide instead?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Even if we’d somehow dodged “the one who swallowed the mountain”… would we have survived the fight with Yuribe?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She unconsciously shook her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They would’ve lost at least two lives in that battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it most likely would’ve been her and Oran—everyone but Sasha.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ahhh!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oran bit into a perfectly roasted skewer with a satisfied look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So glad my little brother’s our guide. Thanks to his subspace magic, we get fresh meat like this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No complaints here,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar said as he sat down by the torch and grabbed a skewer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The party's so strong that most monsters won’t even think about coming near. It makes route planning a lot easier.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was true—ignoring the weak monsters entirely made navigation far simpler.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he looked around at the three of them, he spoke again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By noon tomorrow, we’ll be completely out of the Red Mountains.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Which means…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’d all better steel yourselves. Getting past the Red Mountains doesn’t mean we’ve finished anything. It just means we’ve finally reached the starting line.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No one knows that better than me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having once ventured into the Grey Zone, Oran nodded knowingly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mana storms that come without warning, a land so barren you won’t find a crumb to eat, and worst of all…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked each of them in the eyes before continuing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Relentless attacks from demons and monsters popping up from every direction. It’s a living hell.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Demons…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sasha, who had been picking at her skewer half-heartedly, raised her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To reach the Nest, we’ll have to fight demons, won’t we?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course. In fact, this might be the last peaceful meal we get. Starting tomorrow, we won’t even have time to sleep.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sasha’s face darkened, and she lowered her head, staring at the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar, watching her, felt a twinge of concern in his gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Is she losing even the confidence in her own ability…?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it got any worse, it could turn into trauma.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just discomfort with fighting demons—but a deep-seated fear of their very existence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar exhaled lightly and spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There won’t be any major battles. At most, we’ll encounter a few low-grade demons wandering outside the zones.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oran blinked and asked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How would you know that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve already mapped out our route to the Nest. Here, take a look.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar snapped his fingers, and a holographic map appeared in the air before them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was nothing like the Empire’s official world map.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every region was tinted grey—just looking at it made one feel like they were peering into an entirely different world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the map, the locations of the demons’ cities—known as “zones”—were clearly marked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, the route Oscar had plotted carefully avoided all of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Wait a second. What is this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the map, Oran’s expression hardened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was obvious at a glance that this wasn’t just any map.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The level of detail in the zone locations and sizes made it something you’d only expect to see in war.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The demon realm maps are tightly controlled by the imperial family. Even I’ve never seen one with the zone locations this precisely marked…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s that serious?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Kaya’s question, Oran nodded frantically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dead serious. This is practically a military-grade strategy map. Come to think of it, I heard a rumor that the former Tower Master, Oscar Sage, personally created a map of the demon realm… Brother, where did you get this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar met their questioning stares without flinching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew—if he couldn’t give a proper explanation, their questions would soon turn to suspicion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘But it’s unavoidable.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a problem he’d have to confront eventually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once they crossed into the demon realm, Oran—who had been there before—would naturally try to lead the way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘That would be a problem.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What Oscar needed was to reach the Nest with as much of their strength intact as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially now, with Sasha caught in a mental trap—until she showed signs of improvement, they had to avoid combat whenever possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Of course, I expected this kind of reaction.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he was prepared for it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar opened his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Indeed, you must have experience, to know at a glance. You’re right—this is a strategic map used by the Empire during its war against the demons 21 years ago. As you guessed, the creator is none other than Oscar Sage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My goodness, how did you get your hands on such a treasure? That’s got to be a top-tier classified item in the Empire.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Night of the Magic.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spoke nonchalantly as he cut into his meat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I requested to view the map as a reward for winning there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At those words, Kaya’s expression turned strangely peculiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You won the Night of the Magic, and asked for that map as your prize?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, that’s correct. The original is still in the imperial archives—I simply memorized it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kaya stared intently at him, her gaze like glass beads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beads that seemed like they would roll away with a single nudge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh. Is that so?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She raised one corner of her mouth and asked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s unusual. Asking for a map of the Demon Realm as a reward—why’d you do that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, I honestly don’t get it either.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oran chimed in, backing her up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew, of course, that the White Tower had won the Night of the Magic and that Oscar had played a major role in that victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar had even been named MVP of the tournament.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But asking for a “map of the Demon Realm” as his reward?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That didn’t make sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It's a bit awkward to say this in front of you, but when you won that tournament, the White Tower’s position wasn’t as strong as it is now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the time, they had far greater needs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even after resolving financial problems, the White Tower had a mountain of pressing issues.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet, setting aside all that to request a map of the Demon Realm—a map that couldn’t even be used immediately?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From Oran’s perspective, that was incomprehensible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Isn’t it obvious?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar widened his eyes, wearing an expression that said he couldn’t understand them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I needed it to solve the White Tower’s eternal riddle.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The White Tower’s eternal riddle?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He nodded and looked toward Shasha before continuing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The previous Tower Master and the elite of the White Tower perished in the Demon Realm. Naturally, their legacy would remain somewhere there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You seriously think you can retrieve it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kaya, who had been quietly listening, asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The place where the squad fell was the Archduke’s Fortress. Obviously, the demons would’ve retrieved all the corpses and artifacts.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, yes. That’s the logical conclusion.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her words were right on target.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar himself hadn’t expected to actually recover the lost artifacts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But does that mean we should just abandon it? One day, we’ll have to get them back. That’s why I asked for the map.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no way for them to know what reward he had actually received for being MVP.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those two were members of the Violet Brigade, now labeled high-level criminals by the Empire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They couldn’t exactly go ask the Emperor directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So there was no way to verify the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As expected, Kaya didn’t press further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm. Got it, for now. Oran, how reliable do you think that map is?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Judging by how accurate the information is about some of the areas I’ve visited, I’d say it’s quite credible.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Great. If it’s real, it could help us minimize the damage getting to the Nest. Right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking toward him, she asked. Oscar nodded slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. Our top priority is to avoid combat with high-ranking demons as much as possible.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So how many days until we reach the Nest?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If we don’t run into any major battles…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar thought back to his memories of wandering the Demon Realm in a previous life and replied,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It should take no more than a week.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>* * *\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huff, hah…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Covered in torn clothes and bleeding flesh, Yuribe gasped for air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He slowly turned to look behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ssshhh, rustle… rustle…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thousands of roots that had been relentlessly pursuing him now could go no further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had successfully escaped the Cursed Mountains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Get lost.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He growled lowly, and the roots retreated slowly, almost reluctantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rustle, scrape, shhhk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound of roots mingling with fallen leaves and soil lingered for some time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when the creature that had swallowed the mountains disappeared from view did Yuribe finally feel at ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn it…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But his body was a mess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had gone several days without food or sleep, only running.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound of his grinding teeth echoed harshly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘How dare I be humiliated like this?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All because of a human.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A human who appeared at the last moment and severed his horn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rage filled his eyes as he turned his gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The humans he had fought near the second peak had likely already crossed the mountains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Where are they headed?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unless he tore them apart with his own hands, this fury would never be quelled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Yuribe panted with rage, something flickered through his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had entered the mountains in the first place to guide those livestock somewhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘They said something about a dragon’s nest…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dragon’s nest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as he remembered those words, Yuribe turned his head in that direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…I see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That place where light, air—even time—ceased to exist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was their destination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baring his fangs, Yuribe’s eyes glinted with murderous intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>",1981,"2026-06-05T20:00:10.789Z",1,"novelbin.me","eddf4937757f6e5caf8985b00d132c49af93a21b5e8d8b67ce7e4162fdbb629d","the-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-chapter-215","the-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-chapter-213",375,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-cover.jpg"]