[{"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-255":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},1334767,1778,"Chapter 255","the-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-chapter-255",255,"\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chapter 255: Blooming the Flower (6)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lloyd hid his surprise and sank into thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘The delay is an illusion. That’s the correct answer.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason so many people experienced the phenomenon was simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the fleeting instant when mana flowed through circuits and turned into magic, the brain was overloaded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, the magic manifested instantly, but lowered cognitive ability couldn’t keep up, creating the gap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It’s correct… but how?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lloyd was unsettled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his knowledge, it was impossible for a 6th-level mage to answer this question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Even I only became certain of it after reaching 8th level.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unable to contain his curiosity, Lloyd asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who told you that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No one told me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nonsense.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lloyd shook his head firmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There are structural limits in this world. No matter how sharp one’s vision is, a person cannot see the back of the head of the one standing before them. This problem is the same.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar readily agreed, then added.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But the world also has inference and deduction. Those are humanity’s greatest engines of progress.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…You deduced it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. Even if you can’t see the back of someone’s head, you can guess from the size and shape of their skull. It was the same with this problem.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For something deduced, you sounded quite certain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had even declared it was “easy” the moment he heard the question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this, Oscar smirked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I think a lot, all the time. Because of that, I already have answers for most of the problems I’ve personally experienced.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that was true, then he was no mage to dismiss as just a 6th level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, that flexible way of thinking was bound to be of great help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lloyd made up his mind and nodded slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For the next week, I’ll count on you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. I’ll give my best advice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the conversation ended, a peculiar awkwardness hung in the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘What is this? Why so awkward?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After some thought, Oscar realized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though they felt internally close, Oscar Crucian and Lloyd Schultz had never shared anything personal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course they’d feel awkward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They waited in heavy silence for Edna, who still hadn’t arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surprisingly, Lloyd spoke first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did Sasha complain about the result?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She didn’t understand at first, but once I explained, she accepted it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Sasha did?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knowing her stubbornness, Lloyd was slightly surprised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From childhood, wasn’t Sasha the one with the strongest competitive streak?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That she accepted it so easily was hard to believe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he was about to ask further, Edna entered the training hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sorry I’m late. Let’s begin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At her words—shrrrrk!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind her, sixty-four book-shaped tomes floated into the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lloyd looked up at them and muttered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These are… surely not?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These are the high-tier magics stored in the White Tower. Including the newly added Wind Archive, there are sixty-four.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sixty-four high-tier spells.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lloyd’s eyes trembled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He remembered the time he had yearned to restore even just one of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Though I never bloomed them with my own hand…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had truly returned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing those books, Lloyd felt a deep relief, as if confirming his days in the Red Tower hadn’t been in vain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt like a reward for that time, and he smiled faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s a relief.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You must choose one of these.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mages who weren’t Tower Masters had to first select one high-tier spell to learn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after mastering it completely could they move on to others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Lloyd gestured, each book flew to him one by one and opened to its first page.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There, descriptions of the spell were written.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just reviewing all sixty-four took him over an hour.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not sure.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After finishing, Lloyd held one book in his hand, looking pensive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I chose one… but I don’t know if it’s the right choice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you don’t mind, may I see what you picked?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar stepped forward and glanced at it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he gave a fascinated smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sword that Cleaves the Sky? Quite the unexpected choice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…The lack of firepower in my fight against the Red Tower Master kept coming back to me. Is it a bad choice?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Sword that Cleaves the Sky—a massive blade of wind summoned to descend from above.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its attack power was among the very highest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even compared to the destructive spells of the Red Tower, it lacked nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I think it’s fine. But you must have doubts.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because of the Fire-Lotus.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The so-called bomb flower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lloyd’s combat style, detonating those blossoms, was already explosively powerful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Learning an attack spell on top of that felt redundant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My battles begin with the Fire-Lotus and end with it. Adding this spell won’t change the mechanism.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see. Then all the more reason to learn it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lloyd, your magic is special. Its applications are limitless depending on how you use it. If I may guess—wasn’t the Fire-Lotus something the Red Tower Master taught you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How did you know? He said it suited the Red Tower’s flames best, so he taught it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Combat with Fire-Lotus is straightforward and strong, but also monotonous. And in such direct fights, the strongest would be…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Red Tower Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course—Kudel Redmane, who ruled that domain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lloyd knew this as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I knew he taught me Fire-Lotus deliberately. If I became his opponent, it’d be easy to counter. But even without that, Fire-Lotus combat is undeniably strong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“True. It’ll work fine against most, probably up to about level seven.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar’s view was clear: Fire-Lotus combat had a high floor but a low ceiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Excellent for soldiers, but lacking for mages who sought the peak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Are you saying I must change my entire combat style in just a week?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course not.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar smiled faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not only that. What I mean is—you can’t just change that. Lloyd, your world itself is twisted. That must change too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My world is twisted?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he admitted Oscar’s ability, hearing that from a mere 6th level mage stung his pride.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lloyd asked sharply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I heard you freed your world at the White Night Festival. To create a world of your own at only 6th level is remarkable. But don’t act like you know everything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How many have you seen?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How many worlds of others have you witnessed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lloyd thought back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Three.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As I thought—our Red Tower Master, my White Tower Master, and Commander Theodore, correct?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then let me ask—how did their worlds seem to you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pondered longer this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Each was strongly distinct.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly. Others’ worlds are like that too. Each pursues something, a place that amplifies what they seek.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A world was the embodiment of what one had not yet achieved but yearned for—the inner cosmos that helped bring it forth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But yours, Lloyd, isn’t like that. To me, it looked half-formed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Half-formed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. Your world told me nothing. From a true world, you should learn of its master’s essence. But all I felt from yours was loneliness.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A desert cannot bloom healthy flowers. Was that, too, the Red Tower Master’s work?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lloyd said nothing, but silence often meant assent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To maximize Fire-Lotus explosions, dryness is ideal. Without moisture, ignition is easier. From the moment you learned Fire-Lotus, unconsciously, you shaped your world to be a desert. Even the western front where you lived was desert.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, the Red Tower Master had even steered Lloyd’s world into desert form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My combat style and my world… you want me to change both in one week?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. Otherwise, you cannot win against him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I agree.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the dragon chimed in, leaving Lloyd no choice but to nod.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Now I see. That’s why I suffered such a crushing defeat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lost in thought, Lloyd finally nodded slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then in your view, what should I change my world into?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That, I don’t know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His face was priceless at that answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar met his eyes and said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s your world. Only you can choose how to shape it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lloyd began to argue, then stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar’s method—throwing down the problem, but giving no solution—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the way his own master had often taught.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rather than feeding prey into the mouth, teaching how to hunt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back at the White Tower, training again, he found the young mage before him overlapping with his old master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One week. In that short time, you must find your answer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No problem.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lloyd replied with confidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>",1423,"2026-06-05T20:00:10.789Z",1,"novelbin.me","dd3dbe993ddd5d966b35c85c5ebfde25326469e19278d64e90ae21ab5dcbb6da","the-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-chapter-17","the-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-chapter-16",375,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-cover.jpg"]