The Problematic Child of the Magic Tower
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Chapter 173: Each One's Dawn (7)
Oscar returned to his room first.
After all, modifying magic was all about establishing theory, conducting research, and optimizing the results.
He sank deeper into the sofa and closed his eyes.
‘The goal of this research is to apply the properties of the Bitter Cold Wind to Wave Sound.’
By doing so, he aimed to enhance the destructive power of his magic.
Additionally, it would induce frostbite, slowing down his opponent.
Snap!
With a flick of his hand, he conjured the Bitter Cold Wind, and the room's temperature plummeted.
‘Roughly -40 degrees, huh.’
Considering that frostbite typically begins around -2 degrees, this was a bone-chilling cold.
At this temperature, no matter who the opponent was, they would succumb to frostbite within three minutes.
As Oscar stared at the wind swirling in the room, he fell into thought.
‘Come to think of it, I’ve never properly practiced or used this power since obtaining it.’
He had simply been too busy.
Between the artificial island and Saint Hill, his packed schedule left him with no time for training.
That’s why this was his first time maintaining the ability for such an extended period.
“......Hm?”
After a moment, Oscar withdrew the wind.
Surprisingly, it was half voluntary and half involuntary.
‘I should change its name.’
Until now, he had called the ability Bitter Cold Wind—a name chosen simply because of its icy nature.
But now, he realized that the name was inaccurate.
‘It’s closer to Bitter Cold Mana than mere wind.’
The reason was simple:
His own mana circuits were now half-frozen.
‘This isn’t just magic—it’s a power that alters the very nature of my mana.’
From now on, he decided to call it Bitter Cold.
After warming himself slightly, Oscar once again drew upon his mana.
‘I maintained Bitter Cold for roughly two minutes just now.’
Even in that brief time, nearly half of his mana circuits had frozen.
It was clear that if he attempted to use Wave Sound, which consumed far more mana, the results would be obvious.
‘I need to lay the groundwork first.’
Oscar spread his regular mana thinly across his body, coating his circuits evenly.
When he activated Bitter Cold again in this state, his usage time increased dramatically—to eight minutes.
‘I think I’m starting to get the hang of it...’
Once he tried it, he could feel it.
Bitter Cold was on a completely different level from ordinary temperature manipulation magic.
Temperature spells had clear limitations—at best, they made the opponent feel hot or cold.
‘But this power has no limit.’
He had a strong sensation that he could lower the temperature as much as he wanted.
Theoretically, he could even reach absolute zero—-273 degrees Celsius, where molecular movement ceases.
‘Of course, that’s only if my mana circuits can withstand it.’
At his current level, he would freeze long before reaching such extremes.
Oscar began experimenting with various coatings for his mana circuits.
However, no matter what method he tried, he couldn’t extend the usage time beyond eight minutes.
‘Is this the limit?’
Feeling somewhat disappointed, Oscar clicked his tongue.
Even though his current mana circuits were stronger than in his previous life, this was still their limit.
‘If only I had a way to better protect my mana circuits...’
Then, he could unleash the full potential of this power.
But for now, that solution seemed far off.
Shaking off his disappointment, Oscar refocused and began modifying the Wave Sound spell.
Personally, he considered Wave Sound one of his finest original spells—a true masterpiece.
Naturally, the formula was already packed with precise, flawless calculations, making it time-consuming to revise.
“Phew.”
Once the work was done, Oscar let out a faint sigh.
He glanced at the magic-engineered clock on the wall—it showed that seven minutes had passed.
“.......”
Sensing something was off, he checked the date—and realized that two entire days had passed.
Now fully prepared, Oscar collapsed onto his bed.
After consuming so much mental energy ahead of the upcoming battle, he needed rest.
‘At least I have the protection talisman from Kiri Gloria.’
As expected, he was able to enjoy a peaceful, nightmare-free sleep once again.
Ten hours later.
Upon waking, the first thing Oscar did was check his protection talisman.
“.......”
Aside from the very tip, the entire talisman was now charred black.
If he didn’t acquire a new one, he would soon have to endure another round of sleepless nights.
‘Maybe I should visit Black Tower after this job is done.’
After a quick meal of canned soup, he made his way to the 13th floor.
“Oh, you’re here? I thought you’d given up since I hadn’t seen you for days.”
“Of course not.”
Oscar grinned and turned his head.
It was the afternoon, and the dwarves were hard at work, attaching parts to the ship.
“You all look quite busy.”
“The White Night Festival is coming up soon, after all. Plus, we made some last-minute changes to the design.”
“You revised the design?”
Oscar’s question made Hagor narrow his eyes.
“Ha! You’re the one who caused it, yet you act as if you know nothing.”
“What do you mean...?”
“Don’t you remember? You brought back a massive amount of Oblisium not long ago.”
“Ah.”
Only then did Oscar recall the Oblisium he had obtained from Saint Hill.
“You’re actually using that?”
“Of course! It’s a rare metal. We’d be fools not to. If we coat the ship’s hull with a thin layer, it’ll be able to withstand magical attacks for a long time.”
“Well, that’s good, but...”
Oscar’s expression turned slightly awkward.
“That’s just a prototype, though. Aren’t you going a bit overboard?”
“Hah! There’s an old dwarven saying: ‘The first stone you carve becomes the pillar.’ No matter how experimental, this is about our pride. We can’t afford to cut corners.”
“Is that so?”
Well, of course.
It was unthinkable for those with such unwavering craftsmanship to create something half-heartedly.
Nodding, Oscar turned his gaze toward the spatial rift.
Following his line of sight, Hagor asked,
“Do you think it’s possible this time?”
“I can’t say for sure until I try. However.”
Oscar’s eyes gleamed.
“It doesn’t feel as hopeless as before.”
“Ho, you sound pretty confident.”
Thud, thud.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Hagor, perched on the ladder, lightly patted Oscar’s shoulder.
“Off you go, then. I’ll be here, doing my part.”
“Yes, I’ll be back.”
After exchanging farewells, Oscar stepped into the spatial rift.
The landscape had become familiar by now.
And once again, there was the sight of a man and woman strolling along the lakeshore.
“Hoo.”
He exhaled softly.
Then, pretending to sever the thread of space, he summoned his second master.
“%@$!#@$?”
A fist came flying toward him.
As always, he easily deflected it with the back of his hand.
‘And now.’
Oscar’s eyes were fixed solely on his master’s exposed chest.
Four streams of magic circuits surged with freezing mana.
‘Kugh.’
His body temperature plummeted instantly, making his mind waver, but he didn’t stop.
The mana, coursing violently through his circuits, eventually drew a magic circle in the air.
‘This time for sure.’
Clenching his fist, the wind swirling around them rapidly turned frigid.
The temperature around the two had already plunged to -40 degrees.
Oscar didn’t take his eyes off his master for even a second.
It felt as though time itself had frozen.
He could clearly see the widened pupils filled with surprise, the noticeably sluggish movements compared to before.
And then—
Oscar-style Martial Arts, Secret Technique: Chapter 1
Freezing Wave.
Kwaaaaah!
A fist infused with biting cold shot toward his master.
With monstrous reflexes, the master leapt backward.
‘But definitely...’
He was a beat slower.
As Oscar witnessed his master’s face contort, his fist drove deeper into his master’s chest than ever before.
Kwaaaaaang! Splash!
His master’s body was hurled backward, crashing into the lake.
The force was so great that a towering column of water shot up, scattering droplets like rain against the dark night sky.
“...Huff, huff.”
Oscar panted heavily.
Of course, he wasn’t unscathed either.
His whole body was trembling violently—he longed to run straight to a blazing fireplace.
‘Not yet.’
His goal wasn’t to defeat his master but to seal the space.
Raising his trembling arm, he grasped the thread of space and yanked it with all his might.
Crack, craaack!
The beautiful night sky splintered like shards of glass.
Just as he exhaled a sigh of relief—
-#!@#!@$%.
His master’s wife mumbled something unintelligible.
And with that, Oscar was forcefully ejected from the space.
“Oh!”
Hagor, who had been waiting outside, greeted him with excitement.
“This time you didn’t come tumbling out with your limbs dangling like a rag doll!”
“...Did I really look like that before?”
“Indeed. I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to describe a person that way, but you resembled a discarded garbage bag.”
“Glad I didn’t show you such an embarrassing sight this time.”
Oscar let out a chuckle, sighing softly.
“I did it.”
“Oho! Congratulations. Or... should I be congratulating you?”
“Well... I guess so? I did fulfill my master’s final wish, after all.”
Just as Oscar was about to say more, the ground beneath them suddenly shook.
“W-what’s going on?”
“An earthquake!”
“Hold on tight!”
The dwarves working on the airship shrieked and clung to the structure.
After a brief but intense tremor, everything finally settled.
Hagor stared blankly in disbelief.
“Oscar. Am I seeing things?”
“...No. I see it too.”
The reason for their shock was simple.
The floor had expanded.
The ceiling was now twice as high, and the area seemed nearly three times larger.
Previously, the space had felt cramped due to the massive airship occupying it, but now it appeared spacious and open.
“Hah, spatial magic truly is incredible. Did you know this would happen?”
“No... I had no idea either.”
Oscar shook his head, but suddenly froze.
His master’s words came rushing back to him.
—If you manage to close that rift, your spatial abilities will grow further. You’ll be able to access more sections of the White Tower. Consider it a form of homework.
‘Wait... was that what he meant by expanding the accessible sections of the White Tower?’
He had assumed that removing the rift would simply allow him to utilize the small gap it left behind.
But he hadn’t imagined it would create such a dramatic expansion.
As the dwarves, gradually recovering from the shock, looked around, they started chattering.
“Whoa... this place got a lot bigger.”
“The ceiling’s higher too! We could even install that giant furnace we dreamed of!”
“It’s almost as large as our old settlement before we migrated.”
“Aye, and with these facilities, it’s actually much better.”
Seeing the dwarves’ positive reactions, Oscar felt relieved.
“Goodness... what in the world happened here?”
Sasha arrived at the 13th floor, the epicenter of the quake.
When she spotted Oscar, her face twisted into a conflicted expression, and she heaved a sigh.
“Oscar, could you come to my office for a moment?”
For some reason, he had a bad feeling he was about to be scolded.
...But then again, wasn’t this free expansion essentially a massive bonus?
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]

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