The Problematic Child of the Magic Tower
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Chapter 211: Encounter (4)
Tree roots that should be buried underground soared into the sky.
It didn’t take long to realize that this surreal scene was, in fact, real.
“The one who devours the mountain!”
Yuribe shouted, face twisted with rage.
The owner of those roots was a being on par with a Count—by human standards, late-stage level 8.
This meant they were a superior being, clearly above him, who had only recently attained the rank of Count.
He glared at the foolish human who had dragged this calamity here, as if he meant to kill him.
“To chase away a fox, you’ve dragged a tiger into the mountain.”
“I was trying to chase off a wolf with a tree.”
“You idiot!”
Irritated, Yuribe quickly organized his thoughts.
‘My body isn’t in perfect condition right now.’
The new master of the White Tower had created a world that had drained all his demonic energy.
Of course, now that world had collapsed, his power was rapidly returning.
But if he began a battle with that thing, the consumption would outpace the recovery.
‘Wiping out these humans wouldn’t be a problem, but...’
The real problem was the root.
If it caught him, it would pursue him relentlessly until he left the entire mountain range.
Yuribe, who had already experienced such an encounter before, admitted honestly:
‘Any further fighting puts me at a disadvantage.’
He clicked his tongue lightly.
He had hoped to feast on humans for the first time in a while—but he had played with them too long.
“Damn it. I’ll retreat—for now.”
Yuribe swept his gaze across the humans, disappointment thick in his eyes.
Finally, his eyes fixed on one: the level 6 human.
“I’ll remember your face. You’d better look forward to it. I’ll chew you up piece by piece, slowly and painfully.”
“......”
Oscar looked over his companions in return.
Kaya’s arm was twisted; Oran’s insides were clearly wrecked.
Sasha, having exhausted all her magic, had blood on her dry lips.
Watching this, Oscar slowly shook his head.
“That’s not gonna work for me.”
“What?”
“You’re trying to run. No matter how I look at it, I can’t let that happen.”
“Brother...”
Cough!
Oran coughed up clotted blood and fragments of his own organs, then shook his head.
“Just let him go.”
He knew.
He’d fought that monster himself.
He knew just how strong that being was—and how inadequate he himself had been.
“You two, say something...”
Oran looked around for support—and was honestly taken aback.
Kaya Lockwood, despite her wrecked body, still glared at the wolf with a warrior’s burning gaze.
Sasha Maestro, though barely able to gather magic, was forcing herself to do just that.
Both in their own ways were clearly signaling their intent to keep fighting.
‘Why?’
The question surfaced naturally in Oran’s mind.
He honestly couldn’t understand.
They had already been defeated once.
Oscar had used his wits to buy them a chance to live—wasn’t that enough?
‘Then why... why won’t they give up?’
They had no chance of winning.
What were they fighting for?
What were they believing in?
While Oran’s mind was reeling, Yuribe muttered.
“...Running away?”
His long mouth trembled with rage.
That insult shook him.
Running?
And they wouldn’t allow it?
Who did they think they were?
Had their minds broken under the pressure of overwhelming power?
‘Do they actually think I’m retreating out of fear of a few humans?’
He looked at Oscar with incredulity.
Of course that wasn’t the case.
If it weren’t for the roots of the One Who Devoured the Mountain, these humans would already be dead.
Yuribe patiently explained:
“You’re sorely mistaken. It’s not that I’m afraid of you. That root is just a massive nuisance. I’m stepping back as one might avoid filth.”
“Sure, whatever your reason is.”
Oscar’s eyes dimmed.
Then, in a cold, declarative tone, he spoke:
“You’re not going anywhere.”
“......”
Yuribe steadied his breathing, calming his emotions.
He kept glancing warily at the approaching roots and finally spoke:
“So you’re provoking me, thinking that thing’s got your back? Don’t. That root’s not what you think it is. You know what? The farther that root gets from its main body...”
“It weakens. And it gets slower.”
“?”
Yuribe’s expression twisted into something strange.
‘You knew that and still provoked me? Why?’
His face was full of doubt.
He couldn’t help but ask:
“If you knew, why would you still provoke me?”
“The roots of the Mountain Eater may not be much of a threat here on the second peak. That’s exactly why I lured you to this spot.”
Oscar slowly began drawing up his magic.
He had two reasons for deciding not to let this demon go.
“First. The Mountain Eater has intelligence. That means once a root breaks through to the surface...”
It naturally targets the strongest and most delicious prey.
KWA-GWAGWAGWA!
At that moment, the root that reached their location shot straight toward Yuribe—without hesitation.
Because he was, without a doubt, the strongest here.
“Kh!”
Yuribe quickly stomped the ground and leapt back.
Seeing this, Oscar spoke with his back to the root.
“And the second reason.”
“......!”
Yuribe involuntarily let out a groan.
He didn’t know why.
He just felt that the gaze from that lowly creature was like a cold dagger piercing into him.
Yuribe couldn’t take his eyes off the human’s.
Then Oscar spoke, his voice slow and full of certainty:
“Because I’m here.”
His magic erupted.
The six magic circuits unleashed energy that consumed the entire space.
“World Liberation.”
Limitless Sky.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
CHWAAAAAA!
An endless sky unfolded around Oscar.
‘What...?’
His eyes, which held both the rising sun and the lingering moon, trembled violently.
The wind that brushed his cheeks and billowed his clothes seemed to whisper: this is real.
‘Which means... this mere level-6 livestock created a world like this?’
Something he’d never heard of.
Something that should not exist.
It felt like beholding something that shouldn’t be.
Freefalling endlessly, Yuribe clenched his teeth.
Below, thousands of roots surged, waiting for him to fall.
‘Roots existing even in the sky...?’
In a way, the scene was ridiculous.
It looked like octopus tentacles floating in the air.
But the power they contained was no laughing matter.
‘The moment they catch prey, they drain its life force.’
Naturally, the victim slows down.
And then the chances of being caught by more roots increase exponentially.
In other words, even a single touch could mean death.
‘I can’t die here.’
He hadn’t clawed his way out of the hellish demon realm just to die in a place like this.
Eyes burning with fury, Yuribe roared like a beast.
“GRUAAAAAAHHHH!”
He poured his remaining magic into his legs and launched himself into the air.
BOOOM!
With compressed oxygen as his platform, Yuribe shot upward again.
The roots, unable to wait any longer, surged up after him into the sky.
‘Damn it.’
That thing was determined to eat him.
It was the moment he frowned while looking down below.
“...!”
Instinctively twisting his neck, blood splattered.
Had he not reacted in time, it would have been a fatal blow slicing through his carotid artery.
“What a shame.”
Oscar, who had appeared behind him without a trace, murmured quietly.
“You bastard!”
Just as the enraged Yuribe extended his clawed hand,
Oscar soared like a bird, slipping from his grasp.
“I won't let you escape!”
Boom!
Yuribe kicked off into the air, pursuing him closely.
Just before grabbing his opponent’s ankle, Oscar glanced down briefly and smirked.
‘He’s smiling?’
That smile now felt ominous and unsettling.
At the same time, one question flickered through Yuribe’s mind:
How had the opponent approached from behind, perfectly concealing his presence?
"Looks like you're starting to realize... but it’s already too late.”
Oscar, wrapped in a curtain of warped space, vanished without a trace.
In his place, a massive blade of wind fell from above.
『Heaven-Cleaving Sword』
Whooooosh!
It felt like a massive building was crashing down.
Prepared for the crushing weight, Yuribe raised both hands to shield his head.
KABOOM!
His magical barrier shattered like glass, and both his arms were deeply slashed.
The impact sent his body plummeting toward the ground.
‘...Blood.’
He watched as drops of his own blood fell.
How long had it been since he’d last bled?
Exhilaration, excitement, and a shudder of thrill began to take over his body.
CRASHHHHH!
Of course, the roots below weren’t about to let him rest—they surged up hungrily, ready to devour him.
“Begone.”
Slash!
Releasing his magic energy, dozens of roots were sliced cleanly.
Kicking through the air to escape, Yuribe's eyes scanned quickly.
‘Where is he?’
To escape this damned world, he had to take that man down first.
But how could he possibly catch someone who manipulated space itself to flee?
Yuribe’s answer was simple:
‘With greater speed, and greater strength.’
Crack, crack!
Yuribe’s body transformed.
Now, he could withstand even a master’s blade aura with his bare flesh.
“Hoo... I didn’t think I’d need to use this much power against lowly insects.”
The beast, its pride wounded, had no more reservations.
BOOM!
His transformed figure tore through the sky like a comet.
“...!”
Oscar’s face briefly showed surprise at the unbelievable speed.
But then, once more, that mischievous smile played across his face.
“You must be desperate.”
Still, there’s a reason for the saying "more haste, less speed."
Whether human or demon, desperation makes one prone to mistakes.
『Blink』
Oscar snapped his fingers, tearing a rift in space.
“Not so fast!”
Yuribe swung his clawed hand rapidly.
That simple motion distorted the very fabric of space with its power.
The attack sliced through the entire space between Oscar and the rift.
Yet Oscar wasn’t even scratched.
Of course not—he had never intended to flee through that rift in the first place.
“Come forth.”
This was not an escape route—it was a gate to invite something in.
From the rift, countless roots began pouring out in a writhing mass.
“...!”
Yuribe was already charging at a speed he could barely control.
At that moment, he had only two options:
‘Be entangled and consumed by the roots of the mountain-devourer...’
Oscar’s eyes lowered, focusing somewhere specific.
Memories, senses, and instincts from countless past battles screamed at him.
‘There.’
“Kh!”
Gritting his teeth, Yuribe twisted mid-air to change direction.
There’s no such thing as a reward without cost.
Cracks ran through his beastly, resilient bones, and his muscles tore apart.
“GRAAAHHH!”
His transformed body let out a scream of agony as it veered toward a new location.
And at that spot, someone was already waiting.
“There’s no paradise for those who run.”
Clink.
The bracelet wrapped around Oscar’s arm transformed into a sword.
Under a starry night sky,
the blade of magic gleamed brightly as it swung toward Yuribe.
Slash!
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]

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