[{"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-216":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},1334662,1778,"Chapter 216","the-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-chapter-216",216,"\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chapter 216: Eternal Moment (4)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath the waterfall lay a massive hemispherical space that swallowed nearly 80% of a modest meadow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It looked far too alien to be called a \"dragon's nest.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...That’s the nest?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kaya muttered, frowning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In traditional folklore, a dragon’s nest was typically described as a vast cave. The entrance would be hidden along a gorge or cliff, and inside would be a fearsome dragon in a long slumber, surrounded by mountainous piles of gold and treasure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, the thing before them shared not a single trait with that image.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s transparent like glass on the outside, but it gets murkier toward the center. I can’t see anything inside,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oran described the space with a shrug.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know this isn’t the time to say it, but I really don’t want to go in there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Same here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turned her head toward Oscar and asked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re sure that’s the location marked on the map?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The position is accurate. If there’s a problem, it’d have to be with the map itself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if that were the case, they couldn’t really blame Oscar for it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kaya and Oran were the ones who had brought the map.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tch,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kaya clicked her tongue with a light sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if it is the real nest, that's a problem too. It’s sitting wide open in a spot like this—if the demons haven’t touched the treasure inside, that’d be even weirder.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’d risked their lives crossing the Red Mountains—returning empty-handed would be frustrating beyond belief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmmm…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After crossing her arms and pondering briefly, Kaya gave the most optimistic answer she could muster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Still, the mana I’m sensing is far from ordinary... And more importantly—’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What had caught her attention was the lush green meadow that filled her view.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oran, didn’t you say there isn’t a single blade of grass in the Gray Zone?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At least, not to my knowledge.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, everything they’d seen on the way here had been the same: murky air, ashen wastelands, dust clouds rising with every step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the first place she’d found beautiful since entering the Demon Realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Then the presence of a meadow here is a good sign.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Edna Sol Laplace was a Green Dragon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her nest should have been inside a dense forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clap, clap!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oran clapped his hands to break the heavy mood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, standing around here debating won’t change anything, right? Let’s just go down and see for ourselves—whether that thing’s really a nest or not.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Agreed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before anyone could stop her, Kaya ran to the cliff’s edge and threw herself off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sigh, she really is as impulsive as ever... Little brother, I’ll go on ahead too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He fired a thread of magic and anchored it to the ground, then glided smoothly down along the taut thread with his hands behind his back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...I’ll head down too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, Sasha disappeared in a gust of wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar, gazing after where she’d vanished, gave a sigh of concern and took to the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sooner had he landed on the lush meadow than Oran waved him over with an awkward look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, little brother. Come take a look at this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he approached, Oscar’s gaze locked onto something inside the colorless barrier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He squinted and muttered,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Isn’t that a demon?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the barrier was a demon frozen exactly in the pose of crawling outward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The demon’s hand, stretched toward the outside, didn’t twitch in the slightest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Seeing that, the two of us came up with two theories.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One: Beyond the barrier is a space where all movement of matter is halted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two: Or perhaps a space where the flow of time itself has stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Which one do you think it is?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmmm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time-stopping magic, huh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar stared at the colorless barrier for a moment and chuckled inwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Creative. As if magic like that really exists.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, the world was vast—maybe such a spell did exist somewhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, even he could manipulate space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Edna didn’t have such capabilities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘If she had that kind of magic, killing the Great Emperor would’ve been way easier.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More importantly, Oscar knew what this space really was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the original form of the magic that inspired his own spell, Solitary Garden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, this had to be Solitary World—one of Edna’s unique magic spells.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Unfortunately, my version is just a cheap copy. The effects don’t even compare.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not because his magical talent was inferior, but because dragons possessed an overwhelming amount of innate mana.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s actually a really easy way to find out which theory is right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, Oscar plunged his hand straight into the barrier before anyone could stop him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Y-you crazy!?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oran shouted in panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar casually pushed his hand in and pulled it out repeatedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s more tolerable than I expected. Not for long, though.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Seriously? Then I guess I’ll try—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oran followed suit, trusting Oscar’s word, and quickly grimaced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh, this is... really unpleasant.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course it was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Solitary World is a spell that halts all matter and phenomena within a fixed range, down to the particle level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The discomfort came from his blood beginning to coagulate rapidly in his fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar explained,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This isn’t so much stopping time as it is freezing matter and phenomena at the particle level.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...If that’s true, wouldn’t the moment you stick your hand in, it should freeze too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s likely due to the repulsive force of our mana.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pointed at the demon frozen inside the barrier with his chin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That demon didn’t enter in that pose. He probably went in to explore, tried to come back out, but miscalculated and ran out of demonic energy—hence ending up like that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...That does make sense.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nodding, Oran wiped his hand on his clothes as if something gross had touched him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still, sticking your hand in without thinking—what if something had gone wrong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Worst case, I’d have lost a few fingers. Nothing a visit to the Grand Temple couldn’t fix.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Jeez. You seem like a smart guy, but sometimes you act like you have zero caution.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oran let out a hollow laugh and turned to Kaya.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Anyway, Kaya, it looks like we’ve reached a conclusion. What now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oran, tie a thread to my waist.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...You’re going in yourself?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I don’t run out of magic, I can still be pulled out. If I stop moving for more than ten seconds, pull me back.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, Kaya stepped into the barrier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her movements slowed noticeably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, she disappeared completely from view as the barrier grew opaque with distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How is it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, since the thread’s made of magic, I can faintly sense it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oran replied with closed eyes, focusing all his senses on his fingertips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But yeah, this is definitely risky. If either of us runs out of mana, one of us dies.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You can’t say for sure she’s dead. That demon might still be alive too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you can’t move, it’s basically the same as being dead... Hmm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, Oran’s eyebrows twitched violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kaya’s body has stopped reacting. One... two... three...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he began to count, he tugged on the thread without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Kaya’s body didn’t budge, as if it were firmly bound by something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after Oran forcefully surged his mana did the thread begin to pull, little by little.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn it, help me out here!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Oran’s shout, the other two rushed over and began pulling the thread together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After some struggle, Kaya’s silhouette started to faintly appear from within the opaque barrier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Haa! Haa!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It took a great deal of effort, but they finally managed to pull Kaya out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Senior! Senior!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oran called out in a trembling voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kaya’s eyes suddenly snapped open as she gasped for air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cough! Cough!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grabbing her throat and looking around, she let out a sigh of relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thanks. I nearly died in there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What exactly happened?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just as expected. The moment I entered the barrier, I felt a strong force trying to paralyze me. My mana instinctively resisted it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, she explained that her mana ran out before she could reach the end of the path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the others, she said,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This seems like something only the person with the most mana should attempt.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If that’s the case…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three pairs of eyes turned simultaneously toward Oscar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had all witnessed over the past few days just how much mana he possessed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When it comes to sheer mana, little brother has the most, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I agree.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then it’s settled.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kaya nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Looks like you’ll have to go in.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“W-Wait a minute!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sasha quickly grabbed her sleeve and spoke up, her urgency evident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll go instead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kaya shook her head firmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even I couldn’t make it far before my body froze. If someone with more mana than me goes in, they’ll definitely get farther.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What that meant was, the farther Oscar went, the longer the distance they'd have to pull him back from.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re the most skilled among us. You need to stay outside and pull. That way, he has a better chance of surviving. And don’t forget—this is still enemy territory, even if it’s been quiet for days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She’s right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If only one person can go, it makes sense for someone with less combat ability but the most mana to go. That would be me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That's true, but…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A look of fear surfaced in Sasha’s eyes as she stared at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her small hand gripping his sleeve trembled without rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When she opened her mouth to speak, a magic message whispered in his ear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Can’t I go instead? If I lose you too… I…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—It’s okay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar understood her feelings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was afraid of losing him again, afraid that something would go wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a warm smile, he gently patted the back of her hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—If you wait for me outside, I’ll feel a lot more at ease going in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—…Really?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Yeah. And even if something happens to me, I trust you’ll come get me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I trust you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment she heard those words, Sasha's trembling subsided slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long moment of hesitation, she reluctantly let go of his sleeve and spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…I’ll allow it. But if you stop moving for even a second, I’m pulling you out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s reassuring to hear.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar chuckled softly and slowly stood up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before leaving, he stirred his mana to scan the area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘No threats detected.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After confirming, he gave the three of them a small bow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well then, I’ll be back.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t worry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oran raised both hands, now tied with multiple layers of mana threads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If anything happens to you, I’ll be the first to notice and pull you out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar smiled wryly at those words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s reassuring. Feels like I really have an older brother now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Huh? What did you just say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaving Oran wide-eyed, Oscar stepped into the barrier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>* * *\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Target has entered the zone where everything stops.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At those words from a demon specialized in reconnaissance, Yuribe slowly opened his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>42 kilometers away from where the four stood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rising to his feet, he muttered with a sinister smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well then, I suppose it’s time to go collect them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The arrogant lives of those humans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>",1893,"2026-06-05T20:00:10.789Z",1,"novelbin.me","190c36ebf900aba6d200b1447f308270ffdc43b41e9ce702895a4fdf33519918","the-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-chapter-217","the-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-chapter-215",375,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-cover.jpg"]