The Problematic Child of the Magic Tower
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Chapter 169: Each One’s Dawn (3)
It had been two days since Veronica was taught the concept of Overcraft.
Oscar sat in a corner of the training room, eyes closed, examining his mana circuits.
‘Hmm, not bad. I’ve unlocked all twelve of my bound physical circuits. Maybe it’s time for me to move on to the next stage.’
For him, levels didn’t hold much meaning.
Even as a Level 4, he could already use most intermediate spells with ease.
If he pushed himself, he could even cast high-level magic.
‘After all, I used those spells as casually as breathing in my past life.’
However, high-level magic required at least seven mana circuits.
Forcing it with only four would undoubtedly destroy his body.
So, despite his capabilities, he had no intention of using high-level magic anytime soon.
Oscar turned his gaze to Veronica, who was struggling in the center of the training room with her eyes tightly shut.
‘...The direction of effort, huh.’
Though he had given her advice with an air of superiority, it was a question he, too, had to consider.
What kind of mage would Oscar Crucian become?
That was entirely up to him.
“Umm...”
It wasn’t an easy problem.
And there was only one reason for his hesitation.
‘At first, I was just going to follow the same path as in my past life...’
It wasn’t bragging to say that he had been perfect in his past life.
His mastery of magic had been so absolute that he was practically a textbook for other mages.
There was a reason why one of his many titles had been The Perfect Mage.
‘So, I intended to walk that path again.’
He had done it before.
He knew that road better than anyone.
But then, a problem arose.
‘An unforeseen power has come into my hands.’
In this life, he had been able to take as a master a legendary figure whom he had once only admired from history books.
Now, he had the ability to manipulate space.
Unlike before, he could also wield the Cold Wind.
And that was the problem.
“......”
If he chose to follow the same path as before, he would once again become the strongest mage.
His supremacy would be unshakable, and the White Tower would reach its golden age once more.
But to walk that road, he would have to give up these newfound powers.
The reason was simple.
‘I was already perfect.’
Perfection is perfection because there is no room for further improvement.
His system had been so meticulously refined that it left no space for additional elements—no matter how powerful.
‘From spell formations to body movements, from the structure to the composition of magic—everything was set.’
His magic operated like a machine with thousands of gears, all meshing flawlessly.
Introducing a new power meant tearing it all down and reconstructing it from the ground up.
‘That would take an enormous amount of effort.’
And there was no guarantee of success.
No matter how much of a genius he was, mastering spatial magic was no simple feat.
He would likely fail and fall countless times, just as he had in his past life.
And each time, he would have to pick himself up and continue practicing, as if nothing had happened.
‘Ugh, I really didn’t want to go through all that again...’
Oscar let out a bitter smile.
If his two masters had heard him say that, they would have blown up in anger.
What was even more frustrating was that he could clearly see the reward waiting at the end of this new path.
‘If I only look at potential, forging a new path is undoubtedly better.’
As someone who had once been an Archmage, he was certain of it.
Even if he weren’t, any practitioner of magic would say the same.
If one were to fully master either space or cold wind, they would have no equal in this world.
“Haa...”
Even a deep sigh did nothing to ease the pressure weighing on him.
Still, Oscar made up his mind.
‘Well, no choice then. I’ll do it. Let’s do this.’
Winds that merely circle in place eventually fade, but the winds that flutter freely carve out new paths.
As soon as he decided, a sense of relief washed over him.
‘This should be good enough, right?’
His masters would surely be satisfied.
After all, they always found great joy in watching him struggle through his training.
“Oscar!”
Just then, a Wind Cutter spell flew toward him from Veronica.
It stopped abruptly right in front of his face.
“Hmm.”
Oscar studied the Wind Cutter from different angles before shaking his head.
“Fail. Try again.”
“What? Why?!”
Her shriek echoed through the training room.
“For one, the thickness is off by 2mm. The blade edge isn’t sharp enough. And the angle needs to be more refined.”
“...Ugh.”
Though she was glaring daggers at him, Veronica silently dispelled her magic.
Watching her, Oscar presented the next challenge.
“Now, try making this.”
With a snap of his fingers, he sent an image directly into her mind.
Vision Link.
A magic that allowed one to share mental images or memories with another person.
“...Alright, I’ll try.”
As Veronica furrowed her brow and began concentrating again, Oscar chuckled.
This training might be difficult, since he was walking an entirely new path—but at least it wouldn’t be boring.
A deserted factory in a southern city.
As a man and a woman entered the abandoned structure, countless eyes turned toward them.
“...Senior, why did we have to come to a place like this?”
“There’s a job the boss wants done.”
As soon as those words were spoken, a group of vagrants huddled around a bonfire for warmth began approaching them.
“What brings you here? Not a place for young folks to be wandering around.”
“Heh, especially not someone as pretty as you. Nighttime can be dangerous, you know.”
There were more than ten of them.
And it was clear from their looks that they didn’t have good intentions.
They stood there, blankly staring.
A man, arms crossed, murmured softly,
"Senior, what should we do?"
"Kill them all."
"...Are you serious?"
"Why, do you want a demonstration?"
Truthfully, he wanted to say yes.
But he wasn’t confident he could handle the aftermath.
With a deep sigh, the man stepped forward and muttered,
"Well, nothing we can do. Just think of it as bad luck."
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
"Huh? What the hell are you—"
Crack!
A burning wooden club came crashing down onto the speaking vagrant’s head.
But the one who swung it wasn’t the well-dressed man.
It was one of his fellow vagrants.
"Eight! What the hell are you doing?"
"N-No, it wasn’t me, I didn’t—!"
The man who swung the club denied his own actions, but his body still moved on its own.
Smack! Smack!
In an instant, he had slaughtered his companions.
His eyes trembled in horror.
"M-My body... It's moving on its own—!"
Crunch!
Another vagrant twisted the neck of the man holding the club.
And with that, the others’ eyes began to glow red.
"...These guys didn’t just get lost and stumble here."
"They definitely have a purpose for being here."
"Kill them all!"
The vagrants, their eyes blood-red, drew their weapons and charged like beasts.
Their speed was far beyond that of an ordinary human.
"Hmm? What’s this?"
The man instinctively tilted his head, dodging an attack.
Even the force behind their weapons was abnormal.
"Aha."
So they aren’t normal humans either.
Realizing this, the man smiled silently.
"You should have told me sooner. I almost walked away for nothing."
As the vagrants lunged, the man spoke lightly.
"Everyone, stop."
Silence filled the abandoned construction site.
Other than the crackling of the campfire, only the sound of the wind could be heard.
The man looked at the more than ten vagrants before slowly parting his lips.
"Strangle yourselves until you stop breathing."
"...."
"...."
Like a lie made real, the vagrants began to strangle themselves.
Thud. Thud.
One by one, they collapsed.
Watching them, the man asked,
"Senior, what were these guys? They didn’t seem like normal people."
"Experimental subjects from NewTech."
"NewTech? The company that was just dismantled?"
"Yeah."
The woman, Kaya Lockwood, gazed up at the abandoned factory.
"They had a secret base here. The imperial family doesn’t even know about this place yet. Some of NewTech’s executives who fled are hiding inside. Clean them up and bring me the safe."
"Wow, the boss really dug up some big intel this time."
The man grinned, looking pleased.
"Alright then, I’ll be back soon. I can kill everyone up there, right?"
"Not a single one left alive."
As she sent her subordinate inside, Kaya pulled out a cigarette and lit it.
The only sounds left were the campfire and the wind.
She exhaled a long stream of smoke.
By the time she had finished smoking and tossed the butt aside, her subordinate had returned.
He carried a heavy safe under his arm.
"All done."
"Witnesses?"
"Come on, what do you take me for? None."
Thud!
The man dropped the safe onto the ground with a smirk.
"This thing is heavy. I have a good feeling about this."
"The passcode?"
"...Oh, right. I forgot to ask before I killed them."
His face paled immediately.
Riiiiip!
With a sound like tearing paper, the safe was split in half.
Kaya dusted off her hands and tilted her chin.
"Check the contents."
"...Yes, ma’am."
Determined never to oppose her, the man peeked inside.
Inside were some gold bars and a map.
"Huh? Not as much as I expected."
"...."
Kaya’s eyes narrowed.
That didn’t make sense.
The boss had never been wrong before.
Not even once.
‘He said this was something big.’
A handful of gold bars couldn’t possibly be what he meant.
Then, was it the map?
She unfolded it and focused on the marked location.
"...What is this?"
"What?"
Her subordinate peeked over her shoulder and let out a small exclamation.
"Huh? This is a map of the Red Mountain Range."
"I have eyes. The problem is, what the hell is in this location?"
"Maybe there’s some info on the back?"
"Are you kidding? No idiot would write that—"
There was something.
On the back of the map, written in elegant cursive, were the words Green Lair.
"Green Lair...?"
The man tilted his head in confusion.
But Kaya was different.
She had once heard her father describe the color of the last dragon in the world.
"A dragon’s lair."
Even now, there were adventurers searching for lairs abandoned after the war.
Information about dragons was strictly censored by the empire, but their lairs were another story.
It was common knowledge that dragons hoarded immense treasures in their dens.
‘If this is real, then it makes sense why no one has ever found it.’
After the war ended, no human had set foot beyond the Red Mountains.
"...This is interesting. Looks like we’re going mountain climbing."
"What? You’re joking, right? There are still demons roaming the Red Mountains. Not to mention the imperial army is all over the place."
"We just need a good guide to avoid them."
"And where the hell do we find someone like that? You can’t go because of your condition."
Only an extraordinary magic tracker could accomplish such a feat—someone capable of detecting even the most well-hidden traces of mana.
"...I know someone."
Kaya chuckled.
She recalled the face of an arrogant brat she had met in Baran City.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]

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