[{"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-363":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},1334634,1778,"Chapter 363","the-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-chapter-363",363,"\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chapter 363: The Weight of the Soul (4)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There is a kind of commonality in horror stories that are so overused they’re practically cliché.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People step into places they’ve been warned are dangerous, and they break the rule that tells them not to look back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lights suddenly go out, and even when they hear an unfamiliar knocking sound, they end up opening the door anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Director, I heard a strange noise from the flask?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, it’s fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Makile adjusted his rimless glasses and replied indifferently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s a special flask made of mithril glass. It won’t break even in the middle of an earthquake.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whenever someone boasts like that about something being fine, something always goes wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment Oscar stared at the flask with growing unease—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tok, tok!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cracks spreading across the flask like a spiderweb let out a sharp, light sound—crack!—and shattered into pieces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“T-That’s impossible!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before anyone could stop him, Makile stepped toward the machine and muttered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A defective product that slipped past inspection? If not, then why…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment he shook his head and grabbed the shattered flask—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>KWAaaaaa!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something from inside surged upward and engulfed his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Makile! Director!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite Oscar’s shout, no answer came back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“G-gggggggh…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His body stiffened as his head tilted back, trembling violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the process, his pupils shrank and expanded like madness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing that, Oscar slowly began to draw up his mana.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it looked beyond saving, he intended to sever his head immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Director?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time he asked again—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A single black line flowed out from Director Makile’s forehead and began to extend upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘A line?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the end of that line, a black sphere began to gather like smoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, Oscar’s eyes widened, and he clamped his mouth shut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Demonic energy…….’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a foul, indescribably vile demonic energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He instinctively covered his mouth, but at this level, there was no way to stop the demonic energy seeping in through every opening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Damn it…….’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, his mind grew hazy and his vision blurred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He bit his lip hard until it bled, and only then did his consciousness clear for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I have to get out.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as if he were sinking into the deep sea, his body refused to listen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as his eyelids, having reached their limit, were about to shut completely—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Get a hold of yourself!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a booming shout, light burst from his entire body, clearing his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar breathed roughly and asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Itaca?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Now that that wicked thing has vanished, I finally have the strength to speak. Are you conscious?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thanks to you. Thank you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Unfortunately, this is not the time to exchange such words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Itaca’s words, Oscar looked around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the room, where red emergency lights flickered, everything was completely different from what he remembered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What he had remembered as a black cloud could no longer properly be called a cloud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hundreds—no, thousands—of black lines flowing out from it were stuck to the walls, the floor, and the ceiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black lines writhed incessantly as if they were alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt as though the entire room had become a single living nest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even more, the lines were all extending outward through the door, the ventilation ducts, and even through the walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What the hell is this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-It is something that resided within your soul. As for what kind of existence it is…… even I do not know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lines and the cloud pulsed rhythmically like a heartbeat, but they did not attack him immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After staring at them, Oscar slowly approached Director Makile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Director, are you alright?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The director had his head tilted back, staring at the line emerging from his own forehead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, his pupils were unfocused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even when lightly tapping him, there was no meaningful response.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Is he dead?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Placing a finger near his nose, Oscar confirmed that he was still breathing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Do you have any guesses?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No. I’ve never even heard of demonic energy that operates like this…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t simply behave like demonic energy—it moved as if it were a living organism in itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar followed the director’s gaze, then flinched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t tell me those lines are all……?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dreadful thought struck him, and Oscar hurried out of the laboratory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Running down the corridor, he opened the door where he sensed the most people at the same time—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-……This is bad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On dozens of beds lay the volunteer subjects, and from their foreheads protruded black lines, unchanged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The researchers monitoring their condition in real time were no different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having dropped the charts they were holding, they too had their heads tilted back, staring only at the black lines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Oscar, how many people are inside this research facility?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When I was briefed, I heard around 130. Including the volunteers, maybe about 150.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-But the number of lines flowing out of the black cloud looked to be in the thousands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that, a chill ran down Oscar’s spine, and he hurried to the window and opened it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then he saw it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the bright moon, thousands of lines intertwined and twisted, descending toward the nearby city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……This is insane.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The small northeastern city of Langle has a population of about 5,700.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black lines were almost certainly targeting the citizens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This can’t continue.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar turned around and urgently drew up his mana.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he stretched out his hand toward the forehead of the nearest researcher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wind Cutter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blade of wind that shot out in an instant severed the line connected to the researcher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah…… huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, it seemed like the researcher’s pupils regained focus—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh, ugh—Gweh-eeeegh!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately after, he vomited an enormous amount of blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An amount so great it was impossible to believe a human could expel it and remain alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“W-What……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar’s eyes trembled in confusion for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gulp, gulp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A black line slowly brushed past his face, then reattached itself to the severed end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The researcher, now even more gaunt, tilted his head back again and stared at the black line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-It seems cutting them is not the correct option.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……The moment they’re connected, they synchronize, is that it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Or perhaps you should try using my power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Itaca’s words, a bright light burst from Oscar’s fingertips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drawing it out and shaping it like a blade, Oscar swung.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If this doesn’t work either, sorry!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time the sword forged of divinity fell, the previously calm black line writhed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the researcher’s forehead, the line split and shot toward Oscar’s heart like a bullet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It reacts to divine energy.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar calmly lowered his stance and dodged, smoothly rotating his body and cutting the line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slash!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The line severed by divinity flopped like a live fish, then scattered like dust along with its main body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately after, the researcher collapsed to the floor with a far more peaceful expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Catching him quickly, Oscar checked his condition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He’s alive. Just deeply asleep.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-As expected, it seems that using divinity can sever them completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How did you know?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Because when that thing resided within your soul, I suppressed it with my power. If it’s a force so incompatible, I knew it would work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To summarize, cutting with mana is meaningless, but cutting with divinity is highly effective.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only does it sever them, but the lines themselves are completely annihilated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, lines that detect divinity will attack in order to avoid being destroyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-In that case, there are two choices you can make now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Itaca calmly organized the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-One: go down to the city quickly and cut off all the incoming lines. Then you can certainly save thousands of the city’s citizens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s true. But what about the people left here? We can’t be sure they’ll survive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Correct. They will likely become the sacrifice of the few for the many.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar frowned and fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t heard it yet, but he already knew what the second option would be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-I’ll say this in advance—the second option will be extremely dangerous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The line he had just cut was only a single strand, so it was easy to avoid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if he returned to the laboratory where Makile was and tried to cut all those lines?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thousands of strands would split and attempt to kill him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘And I can’t even cut them with mana.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he cut them with mana, he couldn’t guarantee the lives of the people connected to them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had to be severed using divine power alone, so he couldn’t fight as usual either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words—save the many safely, or risk everything to save everyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gently laying the researcher down, Oscar looked around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were the people who worked at the research facility, as well as the volunteers lying on the beds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among them was Randy Garol, with whom he had spoken earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-I've started wanting to find a stable job.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The innocent words he had said with a bright smile came to mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he hadn’t spoken with all of them, each of them surely had families, people waiting for them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking that, this dilemma suddenly felt absurd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without a word, Oscar turned and began walking somewhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that action, Itaca let out a small sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-As expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re not going to stop me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-You must bear it. If you weren’t this kind of person to begin with, I wouldn’t have chosen you as a vessel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, that’s true.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Letting out a light chuckle, Oscar asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Itaca, what’s the maximum time I can maintain divinity?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-At the same output as before, about 4 minutes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That was a bit excessive earlier. What about half that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-About 7 minutes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s all? Haven’t you been saving up power all this time doing nothing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-……I don’t know how many times I must say this, but I have not had a moment’s rest while suppressing that thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Letting Itaca’s nagging go in one ear and out the other, Oscar hurried back down the corridor he had run through earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The laboratory had already become a grotesque nest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Oscar slowly stepped inside, he spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Itaca.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-With pleasure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At those words, divine energy surged forth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sublime sensation, as if his mind had connected to a distant existence beyond the heavens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, the writhing black lines all stopped at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is it just me, or does it feel like they’re staring at me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-It may not be your imagination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each of the lines, frozen as if alive, seemed to recognize him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More precisely, they must have sensed the divinity he carried— Itaca’s power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’re coming.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shwaaak!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thousands of lines split and rushed to cut off his breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From all directions—above and below as well—the black lines poured down like rain, leaving no escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If there’s no path—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Then I’ll make one!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With divinity gathered at the tips of his right hand, Oscar suddenly plunged to the left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shwaaaak!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ignoring the thousands of lines chasing him, he pushed forward, carving only ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud-thud!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as one black line was severed, another surged in like a tide to replace it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He cut those as well. More came—he cut them again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They just keep coming…… endlessly!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After cutting dozens of lines at once, Oscar glanced at where he would move next.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Srrrk, srrrk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black lines rushing toward him suddenly all retreated at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-What is this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As both Oscar and Itaca questioned the unfamiliar sight—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Step, step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the black lines parted, someone forced their way through them and walked out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘A person?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An unnaturally stiff gait, like a mannequin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the face was familiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This body…… feels, somewhat…… better.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The level 7 martial artist who had brought him here—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen opened his mouth, his jaw creaking as he spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>",1994,"2026-06-05T20:00:10.790Z",1,"novelbin.me","389df280468fdf06bfdfa495305bad3100ae8d26754c9179d767f61531fd7189","the-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-chapter-364","the-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-chapter-362",375,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-cover.jpg"]