The Return of the EX-Class Wizard - Chapter 125

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Return of an EX-Rank Mage Episode 125
Then a strange voice reached my ears.
– I expected some resistance, but this is merely ticklish. 🙂
It was not a human voice.
A grotesque and distorted sound reverberated through my auditory nerves.
– Sever, tear, slice, scatter, crimson petals, burst! Fragment, beautifully, brilliantly! Kekekekek
A chill cascaded down my peripheral nerves.
A spine-tingling sensation. My very backbone froze.
It felt as though my mind was being contaminated.
‘My position has been exposed.’
A mage’s destructive power is formidable. But they are fragile.
An assassin is the same. Swift, but fragile.
If caught, it’s over.
‘I need to relocate….’
No. This time is different.
Currently, I have the buff active: ‘Damage taken from South Korean Awakeners reduced by 80%’.
With this advantage, a direct confrontation seemed feasible.
The EX-Rank Awakener opened his mouth.
“I couldn’t control my strength.”
That infamous attack that had liquefied Lee Tae-gwang, the Pyongyang Lord, in a single strike.
The magic that had shattered even his resurrection setting in one blow—he was undoubtedly about to use it.
‘If I just sever the primary mana circuit, that’s all.’
Energy bolts are wielded by countless mages.
Their weaknesses have been thoroughly researched.
Touch only the primary circuit near the left shoulder, and the discharge stops.
“That’s why I’m attempting to [Arrest] you.”
A circular ring constricted around Silver Line’s body.
“What?”
My body was bound. A powerful loop tightening relentlessly.
I tried to escape but could not.
He realized something.
‘This is a Pocket Dimension?’
Though slightly taken aback, he soon grinned wickedly.
“You’re challenging me to a Pocket Dimension fight?”
It was his specialty.
He was actually pleased.
‘How fortunate.’
Deploying a Pocket Dimension requires time to concentrate.
It’s difficult to unfold a Pocket Dimension at an assassination scene where every second counts.
But the opponent is giving him time first?
It was to his advantage.
‘I’ll focus too.’
Silver energy surged from behind my back.
The entire space shimmered with a pale white glow.
A world overlaid in silver spread out in tangled waves.
[Silver Thread’s consciousness activates.]
As the Small World opened, the artifact Silver Thread awakened.
Communication was impossible.
Only one thing could be felt—the will to annihilate.
From Silver Line’s hand, Silver Thread erupted of its own accord.
“Fool.”
Silver Thread could not be controlled even by its master.
It perceived the enemy’s escape route and targeted their throat along the optimal path.
Optimal path. Maximum efficiency. Precise and merciless.
All that killing intent was directed at Choi Kang-mok.
My heart began to race.
‘A Small World!’
He appeared to be a top-ranked hunter from Western Europe.
Excluding Christine, this was the first ranker of such caliber I’d encountered.
‘Exquisite.’
It was on an entirely different level from Kim Yu-jun’s Small World in the past.
My curiosity burned fiercely.
[You have entered the Small World, ‘Silver Realm’.]
Compared to the complex Small Worlds unfolded within the Tower, this one was quite readable.
‘Similar to Mayo’s Small World.’
A Small World expanded through an artifact as a medium.
And that artifact, possessing consciousness, extended widely in countless branches.
Dozens of them.
– I sense a hint of consciousness. 🙂
– A corrupted thing, worn down by everything, leaving only slaughter behind.
Would this be enough to break through Mayo’s friend-or-foe identification?
‘A clash of laws against laws.’
This was far more intriguing than simple fisticuffs or crude spell-casting.
Such opportunities were rare.
‘While preparing Blink.’
And I verified my shields and invulnerability.
By now, it had become second nature.
Silver Thread approached threateningly, but it was less terrifying than Dil-jjik-nu’s magical fragments.
Mayo, too, caught some of Choi Kang-mok’s fervor and burned with curiosity.
– How intriguing.
Our
friend-or-foe identification is being partially breached.
‘The very concept of the Pocket Dimension is far superior in Mayo’s hands.’
Yet it’s still being penetrated?
This isn’t merely a difference in conceptual power.
‘It’s fragmenting into multiple strands, shaking Mayo’s foundation.’
I understand now.
When fragments scatter into smaller pieces, the defending consciousness becomes dispersed.
That’s how Dil-jjik-nu’s magical shards work. Silver Line operated similarly.
‘I could apply this to combat later.’
Not magical research or experimentation—actual combat.
Choi Kang-mok didn’t even realize he was thinking this way.
The friend-or-foe identification shattered, and fragments of Silver Line’s power reached Choi Kang-mok.
[Shield(10) : 99]
Minor damage.
Choi Kang-mok’s gaze deepened.
“Something feels off about this.”
An artifact that moves with its own will.
Certainly troublesome to a degree.
But it doesn’t necessarily unleash far greater power than when the user wields it directly themselves.
“Letting Silver Line rampage freely like this—”
there’s another purpose at play.
Curiosity flickered in Choi Kang-mok’s eyes.
‘What scheme is being prepared?’

* * *
Silver Line sensed something was going terribly wrong.
His silver threads couldn’t advance.
No, they were moving, but they couldn’t reach the EX-Rank Awakener.
It was as if the world itself had been isolated.
Whenever a few strands managed to touch, they bounced back.
‘There’s no way two artifacts like that could exist.’
But it didn’t matter.
Silver Line’s confidence in Pocket Dimension combat wasn’t solely because of his silver threads.
After all, the silver threads were merely bait.
‘Silver threads are more elegant, I’ll admit.’
An assassin only needs to excel at assassination.
Romance and elegance are secondary concerns.
He withdrew a pistol he’d been concealing in his pocket.
Silver Line had never failed an assassination attempt. Not once.
This was the reason why.
He left the control of his silver threads to the threads themselves and drew his gun.
One firearm was sufficient to blow a human head clean off.
Even with his body restrained, his wrists alone were enough.
Choi Kang-mok’s eyes narrowed.
‘That’s… a gun?’
It wasn’t an artifact.
“Science civilization?”
“Yeah, see you later.”
Bang!
The trigger fired.
The gun was a product of scientific civilization.
However, the bullet inside was forged by Tower Civilization.
Infused with mana, it erupted from the muzzle in a golden flash.
The bullet shot forward in a straight line. The air split apart.
The space around its trajectory warped subtly, and vibrations rippled outward.
An invisible wave enveloped the bullet’s path.
‘Now, the EX-Rank Awakener is mine.’
Silver Line’s heart raced with anticipation.
Choi Kang-mok’s eyes blazed with intensity.
“A fusion of science and Tower Civilization…!”
How intriguing!
The potential of such a combination. If wielded correctly, it could produce extraordinary synergy.
With my ‘Tower Standing’ reinforced, the restrictions on ordinary items have vanished.
‘Now I can bring regular items into the Tower.’
What if I could combine science and Tower Civilization as skillfully as that assassin?
Perhaps I could step into a new world.
-I can feel considerable destructive power.
-Initiating interception. 🙂
Behind Choi Kang-mok, an interception magic circle bloomed in an instant.
White threads of light stretched across the space, filling it completely.
The silver threads snapped apart where they met the threads of light.
The incoming bullets ricocheted through the air.
In that moment, Silver Line’s form blurred.
“Thank you. For letting your guard down.”
His arms were bound, but his legs remained free.
A movement technique skill.
He pushed off the ground and launched himself forward.
Transforming like a shadow, he extended in a straight line toward Choi Kang-mok.
‘I already knew your interception abilities well.’
This is why too much information becomes dangerous.
Silver Line had defined EX-Rank Awakeners like this.
Mages specialized in intercepting long-range attacks.
‘Then what about close range?’
If the defense against long-range attacks is this strong?
The defense against close-range must be weak.
Because human resources and time are finite.
Somewhere along the way, a short blade was clenched between his teeth.
A black blade.
Its surface was slicked with viscous purple poison.
A drop of deadly toxin dripped from the tip.
“Try to block this.”
Nimble footwork.
The short blade aimed at Choi Kang-mok’s throat.
The smooth arc traced by the blade extended toward Choi Kang-mok’s throat.
Silver Line’s mouth stretched into a grin.
‘It’s over.’

* * *
It was an unfamiliar pattern.
But not something I couldn’t react to.
‘Blink.’
Light scattered, and my silhouette vanished.
I braced myself for the follow-up attack that would surely come.
‘…What?’
There was none. No follow-up.
A seasoned combat-specialist assassin should layer on consecutive strikes.
That’s how it should be.
‘Is it really over?’
Far from a follow-up, my opponent wore a visibly shocked expression.
I had been preparing for continuous Blink evasions.
I was even mentally rehearsing the timing of chained defensive techniques.
Yet the attack ended with just a single strike.
I felt profoundly disappointed.
“The movement technique is slower than Blink.”
-Isn’t that theoretically obvious? 🙂
–
We
fundamentally side with the user, but that remark sounded rather forced.
And does the master’s autonomous attack ability impress me?
“The attack is inferior to Mayo’s interception.”
-I withdraw my forced argument.
-You are remarkably logical, user 🙂
Destructive power. Homing capability. Area of effect.
All of it is a downgrade compared to Mayo.
Excluding the combination of science and Tower Civilization, this battle held little research value.
My disappointment was proportional to my expectations.
-Still, there was a gain. Please remember that you succeeded in adjusting the intensity of [Capture].
-The fact that you are
we
handling more actively—I, Mayo, find this genuinely delightful.
-You are drawing closer to
us
.
‘That’s right.’
I had deliberately held back compared to when I restrained Christine.
To grant a certain degree of freedom in movement.
‘That alone is tremendous progress.’
In that case, one could say this too unfolded according to plan.
Magical growth is always justified, after all.
Now I must choose.
Destroy the Pocket Dimension, or suppress the user.
Choi Kang-mok deliberated for a moment. His true inclination leaned toward destroying the Pocket Dimension.
Just as cursing is curse magic.
Wouldn’t nullifying a Pocket Dimension be control magic?
A thoroughly mage-like approach.
But there was a problem.
‘Destroying the Pocket Dimension isn’t difficult. The issue is the fragments.’
It would cause massive collateral damage.
Innocent people could die.
So I reluctantly chose suppression instead.
An ‘arrest’ with far greater intensity than before.
The number of rings increased to three.
The silver Pocket Dimension faded, and the silver thread that had thrashed about so recklessly fell to the ground like a fallen leaf.
Severed strands of thread fluttered through the air.
As if severed nerves were convulsing in the atmosphere before vanishing.
The Pocket Dimension’s breath was ceasing.
All remaining power, all radiance—everything corroded and shattered without exception.
“This is… impossible…”
Silver Line lay collapsed on the ground, looking up at Choi Kang-mok.
Reality itself had twisted at the same angle as his broken neck.
No matter how he thought about it, this defied all reason.
He had already accounted for an EX-Rank Awakener.
Yet even so, this transcended the bounds of comprehension by an immeasurable distance.
Irrational? Abnormal?
Such words fell far short.
This was a different world entirely.
‘My body won’t move.’
His body refused to obey.
‘The fact that I could move at all…’
He couldn’t believe it.
‘That was… that monster’s mercy.’
That realization shattered him entirely.
Even his will to resist had vanished.
Then Lee Kang-nam charged forward.
Moments before, he had lost two comrades.
One was the father of two daughters.
The other was to be married in a week.
“Get out of my sight, you bastard!”
Crack!
A tremendous impact. An explosion of sound tore through the air.
Silver Line’s head caved in like a watermelon.
Blood sprayed upward, splattering across the ground.
Lee Kang-nam’s eyes had lost all light.
“….”
“….”
Silence engulfed everything around them.
Then, Silver Line’s body began to crumble into ash and fade away.
It was not a normal phenomenon.
There was something more to this.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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