The Problematic Child of the Magic Tower

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 134: Artificial Island, Ivemir (11)

Green mana poured down like a rainstorm.

“Wind Shield.”

Veronica swiftly chanted a defensive spell at high speed.

However—

Tock, tock!

Each time the rain-like magic struck the shield, it pierced through effortlessly.

“...What?”

Her body stiffened in shock—she hadn't expected her barrier to be broken so easily.

“Get to cover first!”

Woosh!

Fran grabbed her by the clothes and leaped aside.

The three of them scattered in different directions, barely managing to take cover behind a mechanical structure.

Tudududuk! Tududududu!

The barrage of mana rained down like thick raindrops, turning the spot where they had just stood into a wasteland.

“Hiding won’t solve this problem.”

The mage, speaking in a relaxed tone, remained still with his hands behind his back.

After all, the only exit connected to the corridor was behind him, making them nothing more than rats trapped in a cage.

“......”

“......”

“......”

Recalling the terrifying downpour, Fran whispered softly.

“A high-level mage?”

“No, not quite.”

Killian, who was hiding behind a large wooden crate, shook his head.

“If he were a high-tier mage, we wouldn’t have been able to react at all.”

“I agree. But if he tore through my shield like it was paper, he must be at least Level 6.”

It was an abrupt and overwhelming entrance for such a formidable opponent.

Until now, the strongest mages they had faced were barely at Level 3 or 4.

“...Has he been hiding his strength all along?”

“No, I think it’s the opposite. That technique is said to take decades to recover from after a single use.”

“That’s right. And he said he sacrificed thirteen souls in exchange for our lives.”

Then it must be a technique that consumes souls to momentarily elevate his abilities.

“...A technique like that usually doesn’t last long, right?”

“Hm.”

Killian cautiously peeked out, checking if their opponent had moved.

“Yet, he’s standing still, acting relaxed. That means it’s not the case this time.”

“Damn it. Does that mean we have no choice but to fight head-on?”

The number "Level 6" weighed heavily on their minds.

They hadn't even reached Level 5 yet—they were still just Level 4 mages.

At that moment, Killian spoke up.

“Can’t you destroy him with your whip?”

“...You think that’s so easy? And besides, I can only use my full power one more time.”

No one knew that better than he did.

If he gathered all the remaining mana in his body, he could unleash a single, final attack.

Killian glanced around and remarked,

“This is a mana power plant. There must be an energy storage unit somewhere, right?”

“......”

Genius?

Veronica and Fran quickly closed their eyes in response to his words.

Soon, their senses picked up a massive energy source.

“...The location is a bit tricky.”

“It’s far below us. The storage must be somewhere underwater.”

“I’ll ask straight—can you do it?”

Killian’s blunt question made Fran groan.

“Ugh… Even if I reach the mana storage, I’ll need time to absorb the energy, and then…”

“So can you do it or not?”

Impatient, Veronica frowned.

Fran exhaled and nodded.

“I can. No, even if I can’t, I’ll make it happen. It’s not like we have another choice, right?”

“You should’ve just said that from the start.”

“That’s the answer I wanted to hear.”

Killian grinned and clenched his gloved fist tightly.

“So, our job is to hold him off until you get back, without dying.”

“Five minutes. I can’t promise more than that.”

Five minutes.

Considering he had to dive underwater and absorb mana, it was a tight deadline.

Muttering the number under his breath several times, Fran nodded seriously.

“I’ll be back in five minutes.”

* * *

“Done strategizing?”

As Killian and Veronica stepped forward, the mage smirked.

Glancing behind them, he asked,

“I recall there being one more of you…”

Then—

Splash!

The sound of someone diving into the water rang out.

The mage's eyes widened slightly.

“Hm, I see. So they plan to replenish their depleted mana from the storage below.”

But that also meant that one-third of the enemy’s forces had just disappeared.

Grinning, the mage gathered his mana.

“Are you sure you can manage with just two of you? Your friend might return only to find everything already over.”

“Oh? Isn’t that a good thing? If we take you down without even needing their help.”

“...I meant that I’ll kill you before they get back. Did you hit your head or something?”

The mage scowled and waved his hand, splitting his mana into countless droplets.

“Let’s see if your confidence matches your skills.”

“Veronica.”

“?”

Preparing to activate his Acceleration spell at any moment, Killian spoke.

“Don’t hold back. Fire all the magic you want.”

“As if I was planning to hold back for your sake.”

Hearing the response he wanted, Killian nodded and charged forward.

Like a beast, he rapidly closed the distance.

“...Hm?”

The mage narrowed his eyes as he observed Killian.

Tudududu!

Yet, the downpour of magical projectiles failed to even graze his clothes.

‘Why?’

Rather than shock or panic, curiosity surfaced first.

Even with thirteen minds working together, he couldn't immediately comprehend what was happening.

‘My mana quantity, power, and speed… All my stats are overwhelmingly superior.’

And yet, his magic wasn’t hitting its target?

Then, as he analyzed further, his eyes slightly widened.

‘Ah, I see.’

The answer was speed.

His spell, Piercing Raindrops, was a fast and direct attack.

Killian had understood its characteristics precisely and was activating Acceleration at the perfect moment—right before impact.

‘He’s already dodged my magic three times…’

Which meant he had stacked Acceleration threefold.

Recognizing this, the mage altered his approach.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

“You’re quite good at dodging. But what about this?”

He split the magical droplets into ten separate streams.

Each set of raindrops now had a different speed, converging unpredictably on Killian.

“...!”

“You were reading the speed of my magic and using it against me. But the solution is simple.”

By making the pattern too complex to read, dodging became impossible.

“There’s no way you can avoid this.”

Killian instinctively understood it even before calculating—

“…But that’s fine.”

Now, he just had to block instead.

Whoosh!

Five silver claws extended from Killian’s fingers.

Lowering his stance, he drove them into the ground—then lifted the floor itself.

Boom!

“...As expected, you can’t break through.”

Muttering to himself, Killian examined the floor he had used as a shield.

Despite the initial devastation, there were no signs of penetration.

“In other words, your magic easily pierces mana-based barriers but can’t break through physical defenses.”

“You have a keen eye.”

The mage admitted it without hesitation.

He hadn’t expected his opponent to figure that out in the midst of such a chaotic battle.

‘This one's more troublesome than I thought.’

But it was fortunate to realize it now rather than later.

If that guy had come right up to him and blocked his magic, his head might have been lopped off then and there.

“Don’t even think about taking a single step from where you stand.”

Tudududu!

Mana concentrated and pounded incessantly against the ground that Kilian had used as his shield.

“If you say so.”

Kilian replied nonchalantly before beginning to walk forward in a duck walk.

Slowly, but steadily, he approached his opponent.

“……”

Watching this, the mage couldn’t help but frown.

‘Does he really think rain is the only magic I can use?’

The moment he began gathering mana to unleash another, more powerful spell—

『Wind Sniping』

Bang!

Before the gunshot-like sound reached his ears, a gust of wind grazed his cheek.

It had been fired by the female mage he had nearly forgotten about.

“Ah, I missed.”

The ultra-long-range sniping spell, 『Wind Sniping』, was a technique Oscar had taught her.

Normally, this spell had an extremely long casting time, making it difficult to use repeatedly.

But if the one casting it was Veronica, the story changed.

“I’ll just shoot again.”

For her, born with the gift of ultra-fast chanting,

long casting times were hardly a meaningful obstacle.

Bang!

Another shot.

This time, the spell flew straight for his forehead.

The mage quickly waved his hand.

A hastily formed shield barely managed to block the spinning projectile.

“……”

The being before them had fused the souls of thirteen entities into one,

giving him power equivalent to a 6th-circle mage.

Yet the shield he conjured had cracked significantly from just one hit.

‘This… isn’t good.’

These 4th-circle mages were far from ordinary.

They were far superior to any he had encountered over 200 years ago.

‘Has magic advanced this much over time?’

Or was it simply that these individuals were exceptional?

The mage fell into momentary contemplation, unable to find an answer.

He had to fend off both the sniper’s attacks and the approaching duck-walking mage.

‘Who should I target first?’

Surprisingly, the answer came quickly.

‘I’ll target the woman.’

The man couldn't stop him anyway.

The moment he tried to emerge from the ground, he would be riddled with holes.

“Uh…!”

Veronica let out a short gasp.

The enemy had ignored Kilian and was charging straight at her.

‘For an artificial intelligence or whatever it is, it adapts well.’

Or maybe that was precisely why its reactions were so swift?

Clicking her tongue lightly, Veronica quickly formed a hand sign.

『Twin Embrace』

Four Gust Hands rose from the ground, rushing in to crush the enemy.

“Move.”

With a mere flick of his mana-infused hand, the mage shattered them all instantly.

‘Damn. I guess that was too much to hope for.’

A flicker of distress crossed Veronica’s face.

The moment the mage reached her, he extended his hand without hesitation.

“This game ends now.”

Dozens of raindrops materialized midair, ready to pierce through her.

For an instant, she pictured herself being skewered.

Kwaaaaa!

A massive surge of mana erupted from behind her, accompanied by a jet of water.

“Fran!”

Veronica’s expression brightened.

“I never thought I’d see the day you call my name so happily.”

Hearing the unexpected welcome, Fran let out a small laugh.

But the mana he was gathering was no laughing matter.

Realizing this, the enemy mage redirected the trajectory of his raindrop lances, aiming for Fran instead.

『Dance of Steel』

In midair, Fran spun once and lashed out with his whip.

Crack!

A sound like tearing air rang out, and the incoming raindrops shattered instantly.

“……!”

The mage, having witnessed the destructive power of that whip in the previous battle, hurriedly conjured a shield.

‘This is the absolute defense—shields from all four Great Magic Towers combined.’@@novelbin@@

Three layers of each type, twelve shields in total, guarded him.

Based on what he had seen earlier, this should be more than enough.

But upon seeing this, Fran only smirked.

“That won’t be enough.”

After all, he had only witnessed his first attack.

He spun once more, launching a second strike.

KAAAANG!

The twelve-layered barrier, crafted by a 6th-circle mage, shattered completely.

Like broken glass, it scattered into countless fragments.

“……What?”

Before he could even react—

Fran spun once more, delivering his final blow.

Swooosh!

The whip struck.

As always, the target turned to smoke and dispersed.

“No! No! We don’t want to die yet…!”

A desperate, unfinished scream dissipated into the air.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]