The Problematic Child of the Magic Tower
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Chapter 209: Encounter (2)
"Hmm?"
A flicker of confusion passed through the beastly eyes of the demon tribe's wolf beastkin, Yuribe.
One of the humans in front of him had suddenly broken away from the group, abandoning the others.
‘That guy...’
He was the arrogant one who had gotten on his nerves even before the battle began.
Yuribe briefly considered chasing him but then scoffed.
‘Forget it.’
There were still three delicious-looking prey right in front of him.
Besides, the man who ran away was only Level 6 by human standards—an inferior being who wouldn’t even receive a low-ranking title in the demon realm.
‘Chasing after someone like that while leaving these here? Makes no sense.’
Grrrr, grrrr.
A sound only made when he was in a good mood escaped his mouth.
"Humans are truly amusing."
He spoke, staring at the ones who couldn't tear their eyes away from him.
"In this world, nothing is more precious than life. And cultivating strength is just as important. At least, that’s what we believe. But you’re different."
Tap, tap.
Yuribe pointed at the petite woman with his finger.
"If I were you, I would’ve used the others as decoys and run away."
"......That’s the difference between you and humans."
"Even after 21 years, you’re still foolish."
They tried to protect the weak.
Tried to shield them.
For a demon raised in a realm where weakness meant being trampled and robbed, it was incomprehensible.
"Even if you make plans for the future through such sacrifice... what really changes?"
Even if that sacrifice sparked revenge someday—what meaning did it have?
After all, the person who sacrificed would already be dead.
Whether revenge succeeded after their death didn’t matter to Yuribe.
Only the present—the now—mattered.
"Every time I see it, I think the same thing: you people live trapped in this childish, ridiculous delusion."
Did they truly believe that by saving the weak, their hearts and spirits would be carried on?
It was pathetic.
Laughable.
Their weakness made his skin crawl.
"You’re just denying reality. Escaping mentally from an enemy you can’t possibly defeat. Telling yourselves: ‘If I save even one person, I haven't lost. Someday, someone who inherits my spirit will take revenge...’"
That pitiful, stupid idea always pissed him off.
"Well... since you don’t seem capable of understanding even when it’s explained, I’ll stop here."
He wasn’t the type to enjoy talking in circles all night.
Kaya spoke up.
"I thought wolves were supposed to be quiet. But you're quite the chatterbox."
"I agree. And allow me to correct one thing."
The woman wrapped in storm, Sasha, spoke softly.
"Oscar will come back. He didn’t run because he was afraid of the likes of you."
"Heh, come back? To this place?"
Yuribe let out a chuckle.
"He wouldn’t do something that foolish. He seemed to be the smartest among you."
"That’s exactly why he’ll come back."
"...If you're trying to hold onto a sliver of hope in a hopeless fight, I won’t stop you. But if that’s true—"
A murderous aura welled up in Yuribe’s beastly eyes.
"—then before he returns, I’ll kill you all, and watch his arrogant face twist in despair."
"Try it."
Sasha answered coldly.
"If you can."
KWAHHHHH!
An unleashed storm surged toward the wolf.
‘Wind...’
He didn’t make the mistake of underestimating it as “just wind.”
After all, even the neck of the once mighty Emperor had fallen to a mere breeze.
CRACK!
With a swift chop of his hand, Yuribe sliced through the storm.
"Hmm."
Even after drawing up plenty of demonic energy, his skin still stung.
He should’ve been flustered, but instead, he bared his teeth in a wild grin.
"This is it."
A true prey needed to struggle like this to make the hunt worthwhile.
"Only now can I truly call you my enemy!"
As he burst into maniacal laughter, red demonic energy surged over Yuribe’s body.
Unable to contain his excitement, he tapped the ground lightly and vanished—
reappearing behind the three.
‘Behind us? When...?’
Oran, who had been recovering his strength in the rear, slowly turned his head.
But before he could fully react, the wolf's leg slammed into his side.
“Guh!”
Oran’s body flew, smashing through three trees before skidding to a stop.
Every breath brought unbearable pain.
‘Damn it...’
His entire left rib cage was shattered.
And on the left side were two critical organs: the lungs and the heart.
“Haah, hrrk.”
Every time he exhaled, the broken ribs stabbed into his lungs.
With the collapse of his ribcage, his sunken chest looked like a deflated balloon.
Yet, his eyes kept drifting back to the battlefield.
‘...What a monster.’
The giant wolf beastkin was laughing while fighting both Sasha and Kaya at once.
His massive eyes overflowed with the joy of battle—as if he were truly enjoying it.
Seeing that, Oran closed his eyes.
‘I’d rather lie here forever.’
Even for him, the thought of battling a monster who could push back two level-7 mages was terrifying.
But lying here and dying wasn’t an option.
Helping them might actually increase his survival odds.
His ten fingers, wrapped in invisible threads of mana, began to move intricately.
[Emergency Stitching]
Shattered bones and organs rushed back to their rightful places and fused.
"......Hoo."
A deep breath—no pain.
Oran, reassured, rose and rejoined the battlefield.
"Hmm?"
Just as Yuribe was about to strike Kaya with his right arm, he felt resistance and turned his gaze.
‘Threads?’
Threads flying from multiple directions had tightly bound his right arm.
He narrowed his eyes at Oran, who had returned after treatment.
‘I made him combat-incapable...’
That man was proving far more troublesome than expected.
If it were just him, he wouldn't have cared.
But the woman who controlled wind was the real problem.
If the two of them started coordinating their attacks, things could get very annoying.
‘I’ll kill the man first.’
As soon as he decided, RIP!—his right arm tore through the threads and grabbed Oran by the neck.
"Guh! Ggh!"
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
CRACK! CRACK!
The moment Oran felt his spine begin to twist, his face turned pale.
"I command you as one who bears the mark of the King."
Kaya Lockwood’s voice rang across the battlefield.
Her cold gaze pierced the back of the wolf beastkin’s head.
"If you really want to act like a beast, then by all means—go wild."
“Grrgh, grrraaahhh...!”
A pained groan escaped Yuribe’s mouth.
As if being seared by high-voltage lightning, the sound came from the depths of his soul.
“Cough! Cough!”
As Yuribe’s grip weakened, Oran managed to break free and stagger back, gasping.
Looking at the wolf beastkin’s abnormal state, he asked:
"Senior... what did you do to him?"
"By now? His brain’s probably going sizzle~ and melting down."
One of the effects of the King's Tattoo: 『Morale Boost』.
Normally, it's just a skill that gives a slight uplift in mood.
But if you push its intensity to the maximum, the brain inevitably overloads and breaks down.
“Hh-hhh...”
The opponent, trembling with their head tilted back, had rolled-up eyes showing only the whites.
Drool dripped from their mouth, making them look like a crazed lunatic to anyone watching.
Oran, who was observing the scene carefully, asked,
“Can I attack? I think I could crush his skull right now.”
“...I don’t know.”
Kaya shook her head.
No matter how capable she was, she’d never used this technique on someone as strong as an 8th-level being.
What she did know was this:
“This skill destroys the brain. Even if he regains consciousness, he’ll never be completely normal again.”
In other words, he’d suffer permanent damage, making it fair to say the battle was already decided.
But that didn’t mean they could lower their guard.
“I need an attack I can be sure will kill him. So...”
Kaya glanced behind her.
Their strongest ally, Sasha Maestro, gave a nod.
“If he stays that still, I can finish him.”
“Alright, I’m counting on you.”
As Kaya nodded and smiled faintly—
Slam!
Suddenly, the werewolf's left hand shot out and grabbed her small head.
“Hah... haaah...”
His eyes returned to normal, and a tired-sounding voice rang in her ears.
“That ability was more troublesome than I expected. I almost died.”
“You—how...?!”
Kaya screamed, forgetting even her pain.
It was shocking that he managed to break free from 『Morale Boost』, but even more shocking that he seemed perfectly sane.
At her question, Yuribe slowly turned his head to look at her.
“It’s a vicious skill that literally destroys the brain. So...”
Tap tap. He tapped his temple.
“I escaped by gradually destroying and regenerating my brain myself.”
“......!”
He reconstructed his entire brain?
Kaya was speechless, lips trembling, astonished by a method no human would ever consider.
Yuribe, seeing her face, once again bathed in a sense of superiority.
“That’s the difference between us and you. An inferior being like you couldn’t even attempt it.”
His fierce gaze gleamed with murderous intent.
“Die.”
“Senior!”
Oran desperately pulled on Yuribe’s arm with threads, but—snap!
He broke them with raw strength, and his grip around Kaya’s head tightened.
“Guh... urgh!”
As Kaya’s life hung by a thread, her tattoos blinked rapidly, unleashing protective magic.
BAM! BAM!!
Yuribe wildly pounded his fists against dozens of shields.
His overwhelming force made all defenses useless.
“That’s one down.”
Just as a gleeful tone escaped Yuribe’s lips—
“Sorry I’m late. I’m the kind that takes a while to prepare.”
“......!”
Even an 8th-level warrior flinched from the sheer density of magic shaking the air.
Its source was none other than Sasha Maestro.
As she slowly opened her eyes, the red mountain path around her feet turned green.
“World Liberation: One Thought, Pure Land.”
In an instant, the scenery changed around her.
They stood on a green field atop a hill where the White Tower was clearly visible.
A cool breeze brushed their cheeks, telling them the space was harmless.
“This land was created from the one wish engraved in my heart.”
She had made up her mind since childhood—
If she ever had the power to create her own world, this is what it would be.
A land where no one precious dies, leaves, or cries.
A space filled with purity and longing.
“It’s not the kind of world made for destruction, but when it comes to protecting my allies—I'm confident.”
“It’s certainly a first. So what now? Sit around and chat until your magic runs out?”
“As if.”
Sasha looked at Yuribe as if he were an insect.
“This is a land that rejects evil. There’s no place here for things like you.”
“......”
Hearing this, Yuribe felt the demonic energy inside him scatter.
Just existing in this space meant he was steadily moving toward defeat.
He bared a sharp, toothy grin—and for the first time, asked his opponent’s name.
“Interesting. I’m Yuribe, Count of the Demon Realm. And you are?”
“My master gave me a name that’s pretty and elegant. Wasted on someone like you.”
“...Is that so.”
Yuribe exploded the dwindling red demonic energy in his body.
At the same time, every strand of fur on his body stood up like steel.
“Then die without even leaving your name behind, wind mage.”
Oscar checked the time.
It had been 1 minute and 48 seconds since he left the battlefield.
Behind him, massive magic clashed continuously.
“Ten minutes. It’s tight, but I have to make it work.”
There weren’t many options available to fight a monster at 8th level.
Entering a subspace was out of the question.
The magical currents in the Red Mountains were unstable, and their effect on a subspace was unstudied.
“Worst case, time might flow differently in there.”
He didn’t want to come out after training inside only to find all his allies dead.
And he couldn’t afford to leisurely check how time worked inside either.
Without hesitation, he used 『Wind Archive』.
“I need reinforcements.”
Not just anyone—someone who could actually fight an 8th-level demon.
Of everyone Oscar knew, only Andre Bright met that requirement.
But Andre was currently far away, in the imperial palace.
“Bringing him here in 10 minutes is impossible.”
It would be hard just to get down the mountain in that time.
So instead, Oscar decided to call someone who was closer than expected.
“Guide me to the closest root of the one who devoured the mountain.”
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]

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