The Return of the EX-Class Wizard - Chapter 126

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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 126
Antonio, Lord of Real Madrid, grinned wickedly.
The transparent orb resting on the table began to vibrate.
‘It’s done.’
The orb’s trembling meant Silver Line had perished.
Black mist began to coalesce densely within the once-transparent sphere.
From transparent to translucent. From translucent to a deep, unmistakable obsidian hue.
‘Instant death.’
The mana bomb embedded in his mind had functioned flawlessly.
Once a sufficiently powerful impact was transmitted, it would detonate from within the body.
In Antonio’s design, Silver Line was merely expendable.
‘A beautiful color.’
It gleamed with an ethereal obsidian radiance.
The deeper the color, the superior the quality.
I rolled the orb between my fingers.
A faint luminescence flickered across its smooth, dark surface.
I had never witnessed such a profound black before.
An orb perfected through death—Antonio’s unique ability, the Pearl of the Departed.
He immediately summoned Raoul.
“You called, my lord?”
“Now we move.”
He did not mention their destination.
But Raoul knew. Their target was Poland.
Antonio handed over the orb.
“Take this with you.”
Antonio passed the Pearl of the Departed to him.
“As you’re aware, the buff lasts 48 hours….”
He flinched slightly.
Normally it was 48 hours.
But something had transpired in Poland—the duration had been upgraded to a full hundred hours.
“It’s changed.”
“A fortunate development, my lord.”
Raoul’s eyes perceived it as well.
An obsidian radiance more luminous than any he had ever witnessed.
It would elevate his abilities to their absolute peak.
“I trust you, Raoul.”
“I shall honor that trust.”
Raoul was the strongest among Real Madrid’s shadows.
Though he did not operate in the public eye, his prowess already ranked among the world’s elite.
And now, armed with the Pearl of the Departed—crafted by sacrificing a formidable piece like Silver Line—he was unstoppable.
Consuming Silver Line to inherit EX-rank Awakening? That’s clearly a profitable trade.
Raoul’s figure vanished.
Antonio gazed out the window, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
‘He’s letting his guard down.’
He’d ventured beyond the safety of the border into Poland.
Even setting that aside, he was loitering near the Warsaw Gate.
‘He’s practically begging to be killed.’
He’d even disposed of Silver Line, a fairly skilled assassin, without difficulty.
The timing couldn’t be more perfect for an ambush. Everything aligns flawlessly.
Antonio approached the window and gazed up at the sky.
“The sky is clear.”
Like the future that awaited.
His mood brightened.

* * *
Han Sang-hyun furrowed his brow.
“We went too far.”
“What do you mean?”
“We should have at least uncovered who was behind this.”
“Hmph. I don’t do that sort of thing.”
Lee Kang-nam stared down at his fist.
He understood the truth.
‘I didn’t cause that explosion.’
The moment his fist made contact, something detonated from within.
He wasn’t entirely sure what it was.
The corpse had been completely obliterated, scattered as dust.
It was impossible to determine whether death had occurred or if he’d escaped.
Christine, who arrived moments later, spoke.
“It does seem like he’s dead. What do you think, Vice Lord Han Sang-hyun?”
“I’m not certain. But that’s my impression as well.”
The two shared an understanding.
Both had experienced Choi Kang-mok’s ‘Arrest’ firsthand.
It was an inescapable authority.
A perfect, unbreakable shackle that rendered physical prowess, magic, movement techniques—everything—utterly powerless.
Both trembled with similar expressions etched across their faces.
Only those who’d endured it understood that helplessness.
Lee Kang-nam’s brow creased.
“What’s with you two? Some secret understanding? Are you dating?”
Christine didn’t respond, merely turning her head away.
Her gaze fixed upon Choi Kang-mok.
“Strong Man. How did it feel? You couldn’t escape, could you?”
“I’m not sure.”
It was equally strange to me.
“The physical body definitely vanished, but something else flew away.”
Whether I can call it a ‘soul’ is another matter.
In any case, something clearly escaped from the hollowed-out shell.
“Westward.”
That’s all I managed to discern.
“The skill in wielding silver magic. The way they combined science civilization and Tower Civilization so seamlessly—it had a distinctly Spain-influenced feel to it.”
“….”
“What?”
“You seemed pretty composed while fighting that assassin. You picked up on a lot of details.”
Combat with an assassin always ends quickly.
Either I die. Or they do.
The battle concludes in an instant—frantic and chaotic.
Even more so if you’re a mage.
A single graze can mean death.
“Ah…!”
My expression darkened just slightly.
Somehow, with each passing day, I feel myself specializing more and more into a ‘combat-focused mage’.

* * *
White Bear Unit. Strong Man. Big Ben.
The three factions heightened their alert status.
Some explorers tracked Silver Line’s connections, while others investigated the area around Warsaw Gate.
Investigation outside the Gate took priority.
Information gathering from beyond the Gate came first.
“The information provided by the Polish government and city lords largely matches our findings.”
The Gate operated on a stage system.
Stages one through ten had established strategies, low difficulty, but excellent rewards.
The problem was stage eleven. It remained unconquered.
“The Warsaw Lord has sent a gift.”
A ‘Warsaw Gate Escape Permit’.
An item that allowed immediate evacuation from the Gate in emergencies.
Han Sang-hyun promptly delivered the escape permit to me.
“It’s a Gate escape permit.”
“Excellent.”
I’d been wanting to venture inside anyway.
Just the prospect of exploring uncharted territory set my heart racing, and now with a safe escape route secured, there was no reason to hesitate.
“We received some as well. According to those who entered first, the interior has a labyrinthine structure. A circular pathway with obstacles and warped terrain distributed throughout, growing more complex toward the center.”
But there was a separate problem.
“The maze itself isn’t difficult, but… they say the escape stone cannot be destroyed.”
“The escape stone?”
“Yes. Apparently it’s made of [Unbreakable Rock] material.”
“…Ah.”
Choi Kang-mok felt his momentum deflate slightly.
Unbreakable rock? It breaks just fine for me.
“I’ll go in and see for myself.”
Still, it’s a place worth challenging.
Unbreakable rock on the 11th Stage.
If that’s the case, higher stages might have ‘Absolutely Unbreakable Rock’ as well.
I could potentially acquire an additional core from absolutely unbreakable rock.
“Will you be traveling with the explorers?”
“I’ll just take Kang Hye with me.”
“The path is quite complex. There are traps too…”
“That’s fine. I won’t be solving the maze anyway.”
“…Ah.”
Han Sang-hyun recalled it then.
How the EX-rank Awakener had cleared the mid-boss of Floor 25 in the Tower.
He’d simply dropped a meteor shower from a distance and destroyed it.
A hollow laugh escaped him without thinking.
‘Right. He’s an EX-rank Awakener.’
“Could you provide a map for us?”
A map isn’t strictly necessary, but having one allows for more precise understanding of the structure.
“Of course. I’ll compare records with the Polish side and have it ready within 30 minutes.”
[EX-rank Awakener challenges the Warsaw Gate!]
[Will the cursed 11th Stage, unbroken for over a decade, finally fall?]
The attention of all Poland was focused.
Everyone held their breath in anticipation.
This time, it truly might be cleared.

* * *
Raoul let out a scoff.
“Rescue Poland’s national hero?”
Kowalski, Poland’s national hero, had been missing for over ten years.
This was pure theater.
A performance designed to stir public opinion, inflame national sentiment, and solidify the EX-Rank Awakener’s own position.
‘He’s probably been given an escape clause anyway.’
There’s no real risk.
He’ll just go through the motions and then escape.
At the end of the maze, the ‘Unbreakable Stone’—he knew all about it.
Scientific civilization. Tower Civilization. It’s an absolute power that cannot be broken by anything.
‘I’m certain. He dreams of becoming emperor of a new age.’
The lords of Western Europe were reaching similar conclusions.
That the EX-Rank Awakener would ultimately pursue a new imperialist agenda.
Perfect. That meant they were all distracted by other concerns.
‘Enjoy yourself for now, EX-Rank Awakener.’
Meanwhile, Choi Kang-mok began committing the map to memory.
Kang Hye burned with determination.
“I’ve memorized it all.”
“I’m almost there too.”
Kang Hye’s lips moved silently as she reviewed the details.
Today was the day to prove myself as the ‘Promoted Explorer’.
“Are you going to sweep it again with meteors, or rather, energy bolts?”
“We’ll see once we’re inside.”
“Right. On-site judgment is what matters most.”
Kang Hye harbored a wish.
To clear this in a different way than the 20th Floor range.
To truly showcase my abilities as an explorer!
I entered alongside Choi Kang-mok.
[Entering Warsaw Gate.]
Now it was time to demonstrate my capabilities as a party member.
But then a notification was shared.
[Confirmed: Gate of identical form, higher-tier concept owner title.]
[Confirmed: EX-Rank clear of higher-tier concept stage]
And that led directly to a skip.
[SKIP]
[Stage 1 has been cleared.]
“Wait, hold on—this actually works?”
“Yeah, it actually does.”
There was no need to search for reasons.
The system explained it to me.
[SKIP]
[Stage 2 has been cleared.]
…
[Stage 10 has been cleared.]
Stages up to 10 were cleared in an instant.
Complex emotions flickered across Kang Hye’s face.
“Still… Stage 11 should be different, right?”
It had been uncleared for 10 years—there’s no way it could be skipped.
“Right. It can’t be skipped….”
[5] [4] [3] [2] [1]
[SKIP]
[Stage 11 has been cleared.]
“…It did?”
There was only a 5-second delay.
I felt even more deflated. If it was going to be like this, why did I bother memorizing the map?
It was confirmed even from outside the Gate.
───────
[Hall of Fame – Stage 11]
[Warsaw Gate]
1. -(South Korea, EX)
…
───────
And 5 seconds later, Stage 12 was cleared.
After that, stages up to 20 were cleared.
All skipped.
Dark circles appeared slightly beneath Kang Hye’s eyes.
‘…Even 20?’
Notifications appeared at 10-second intervals.
SKIP, SKIP, SKIP, and SKIP again!
“Wow….”
Kang Hye made a sound that was neither laughter nor tears.
This was useless too.
‘Promotion Explorer’ was merely a spectator today.
“This Gate goes up to Stage 30, doesn’t it?”
Stages up to 29 were completely cleared.
All EX-rank, monopolizing the top ranking.
“Will Stage 30 be any different?”
[You have entered Stage 30.]
[Challenge: Traverse the labyrinth and destroy the ‘Unbreakable Rock’]
Choi Kang-mok paused.
‘Can I obtain an additional core of the Unbreakable Rock here?’
[1. Clear Stage 10 or higher with S-Rank or above]
[2. Clear the corresponding stage with S-Rank or above]
[3. Possess the first clear record]
[Only Awakeners who satisfy all three conditions receive the ‘
Stabilized Fragment Forged from the Unbreakable Rock
‘.]
Something new had appeared.
Not a simple core, but a ‘Stabilized Fragment’.
‘For now, I should aim for a higher-rank clear.’
And so,
SKIP.
[Floor 30 has been cleared.]
The Warsaw Gate, which had remained unconquered for ten years, was finally completely cleared.
And something extraordinary began to unfold.

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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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