The Return of the EX-Class Wizard - Chapter 128

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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 128
It was definitely Kowalski.
Yet something felt subtly different.
His gaze was far too unwavering.
After a decade away, there was not a trace of hesitation—a steadiness that defied belief.
“Yes. I have trained for a very long time.”
I couldn’t grasp the exact details, but in ‘some space,’ he had engaged in endless ‘training.’
Trapped within that realm, he had done nothing but repeat cycles of cultivation and refinement to grow stronger.
Yet his mind remained remarkably intact.
“As for why I wished to grow stronger… I didn’t start with some lofty ideal. I simply wanted to protect someone. And to do that, I had no choice but to become stronger. I wanted to dedicate myself to this nation and its people. Yes, that’s correct. That’s why I grew stronger. What do I consider true strength? Hmm.”
He stroked his chin thoughtfully.
His form crackled with static again—zzzt.
Yet he seemed entirely unaware of his own condition.
‘And the others too.’
Only I had detected this sense of wrongness.
Only my eyes caught this strange phenomenon.
The boundary continued to crackle—zzzt.
“True strength is the power never to force anyone to their knees. It is the magnanimity to extend a hand so others may rise. I could say much more. Not to flaunt one’s power. To avoid blind faith in one’s own sense of justice.”
I found Kowalski’s words oddly reminiscent of Mayo’s.
For instance.
“So my strength is the power to always doubt myself.”
It was difficult to pinpoint exactly.
Yet there was something about it—the way a Pocket Dimension’s conceptual entity would speak.
Mayo agreed.
-Yes, he appears to be of a similar category to me. Though direct comparison is difficult.
-His quality is somewhat
degraded
compared to mine 🙂
“And I respect the strong just as much as I show consideration for the weak.”
Kowalski’s gaze turned toward me.
And toward the medals adorning my chest.
“And you, as far as I know, are the strongest. One who can run even in a world where all else has stopped. One who opens closed possibilities with your own hands and pioneers paths no one else could reach.”
Kowalski lifted the Awakening Orb.
“A noble soul who surges ahead of all others yet never forgets those left behind. That is what I call strength. I wish to walk that same path.”
–
I am already walking it. I have already bound my fate to my master’s footsteps. With my master, even hell becomes a gentle garden to traverse.
Zzzt—
Mayo’s form crackled with static.
Kowalski’s bodily boundary also crackled—zzzt.
It was quite a peculiar situation.
‘I see what’s happening.’
Kowalski, yet not Kowalski.
The embodiment of a national hero that Poland’s people had yearned for over the past decade.
That collective desire had taken form and returned to reality.
An ideal that righteously embodied ‘true strength’.
‘Such a phenomenon has manifested.’
The masses’ desire had given rise to an actual phenomenon.
Not a mere summoning or ability, but a tangible entity with personality and a physical body?
A Small World concept had donned a human guise? Or had it become synonymous with humanity itself?
Could this be interpreted through magic?
If so, what analytical technique should I apply?
‘But the current Kowalski is unstable.’
Unlike Mayo, who only convulses under specific circumstances, Kowalski’s entire body trembles continuously.
A thought suddenly crossed my mind.
‘Could Stabilization Shards resolve this?’
If I could use Stabilization Shards to stabilize Kowalski…
Then stabilizing Mayo would become possible as well.
Following stabilization through stat enhancement, if stabilization through Stabilization Shards were achieved, Mayo’s stabilization could progress more substantially.
-This user does not recommend that approach 🙁
–
us
drifting apart.
-One of the previous users also …
-abandoned me. I’ll pursue. I’ll resent. I’ll kill. And yet, I still, love
Mayo had revealed the answer.
Stabilization Shards could stabilize a Small World concept entity.

* * *
The Grand Lord of South Korea, Jeon Myung-gyu, had arrived in Poland.
Jeon Myung-gyu was treated as a state guest of honor, meeting with city lords, the Grand Lord, and the president in succession, taking photographs with each.
All were courteous and showed him the utmost respect.
‘Not a bad feeling at all.’
During my days as a third-rate frontier nation, I could never have dreamed of such treatment.
I never imagined a day would come when I’d be received as a state guest.
My shoulders naturally straightened with pride. This is why one becomes a Grand Lord.
The Grand Lord of Poland spoke.
“Grand Lord. We intend to make an official announcement regarding a new discovery.”
“A new discovery?”
“A fact uncovered by explorers. Poland’s stagnation was connected to a curse of stillness.”
“Ah, you mean that curse that our awakener lifted in Haeju?”
“Yes.”
The aura of ‘stillness’ that had leaked from the Warsaw Gate had affected all of Poland.
The hypothesis that this had kept people trapped in their current circumstances was gaining traction.
“Therefore, the EX-Rank Awakener has saved Poland’s past and present, and has even illuminated our future. Once again, I bow deeply in gratitude. This is something I’ve already conveyed to the EX-Rank Awakener, but please relay it once more to the Grand Lord. Poland will never forget this debt of gratitude.”
“Yes, I understand. I’m in good spirits as well.”
Upon returning to his quarters, Jeon Myung-gyu’s mood had soured considerably.
‘I’m the Grand Lord.’
Am I the only one who doesn’t know the EX-Rank Awakener?
I’ve even met the Warsaw lord and the president.
Though they haven’t exposed their face to the media, Poland’s key figures know what the EX-Rank Awakener looks like.
‘Shouldn’t it be time for them to pay their respects to me as well?’
It’s widely known that the EX-Rank Awakener possesses extraordinary defensive capabilities.
Even assassins don’t dare approach them.
Security has been successfully established.
So what comes next? Naturally, they should come to pay their respects to the Grand Lord.
Then, suddenly, something weighed on my mind.
‘Wait. What happens after the Towers are unified?’
Multiple city Towers will be consolidated into Seoul Tower.
Right now, with multiple lords, a Grand Lord is necessary, but if the Tower shrinks into one?
What becomes of my role? My position?
It’s highly likely to be diminished.
Or perhaps eliminated entirely.
‘Lee Byung-gyu might take my place instead.’
The mere thought made me feel sick.
Holding a wine glass in one hand, I stared intently at the system window.
The Grand Lord authority, ‘Position Revocation’, flickered before my eyes.
The activation conditions were stringent, but not impossible to meet.
‘Lee Byung-gyu. That bastard has always looked down on me.’
I told him to bring an EX-Awakened and pay his respects, yet he never once moved.
He takes the Grand Lord far too lightly.
‘It’s time to cut him loose.’
He drained his glass.
The bitter aftertaste of the wine felt strangely pleasant.

* * *
Emily’s eyes widened.
[Method for Crafting Stabilization Shards Refined from Unbreakable Stone]
“I’ve prepared a separate analysis.”
“The name is long and grandiose, but the contents are even more so. May I love you?”
Her gaze upon the parchment resembled that of a lover entranced.
She seemed ready to hold a wedding ceremony with the crafting method itself at any moment.
After a moment, Emily composed herself and adjusted her glasses.
“Thank you. Honestly, I thought you’d take it to the Ayla Magic Research Institute.”
“Ah, that place is full of mages.”
Crafting should be entrusted to craftspeople.
“If needed, I can assign assistant-level mages to help you.”
“That would be wonderful. This is the real perk of being an executive in the EX Salvation Corps!”
“Though the workspace will be limited to the Research Institute.”
“Such minor inconveniences are naturally something I must bear. I’m not so unprincipled a craftsperson.”
Choi Kang-mok showed her the mine’s map.
A map with only a keyhole visible.
“Hmm, I’m not particularly knowledgeable about exploration?”
“I was wondering if reinforcing this might help.”
We had succeeded in reinforcing the Tower entrance.
Emily had contributed greatly by suggesting the ‘Disruption’ concept.
“Oh, a Mine Master’s Key?”
Emily’s eyes grew distant once more.
“Mine Master’s Key. Reinforcement. EX Coins. False Disruption Scroll combination. It’s beautiful. Sublime. I wouldn’t regret it even if my heart stopped right now.”
“Yes. And there’s this as well.”
I presented the ‘Stabilization Shards’ procured from Poland.
“With these, we should be able to prevent some damage.”
“I’m certain we will.”
“I’ll craft one more Lucky Box for you.”
“It seems you’re quite fortunate with mining.”
“Yes, it appears so.”
The Novaeite Mine.
The Fortunate Mine.
And that includes the Novaeite Mine—the quarry of ‘indestructible stone.’
It’s clear that without mining fortune, I couldn’t have obtained this result.
“I’ll give it a try. Honestly, it’s not nearly as difficult as [Tower Entry]. Do you know why?”
I didn’t actually expect her to know.
I just wanted to show off a little.
I wanted the EX-Rank Awakener to praise me, saying ‘You’re doing so well!’
“Yes, because it has a physical form, and its structure isn’t as complex as Tower Entry. Plus, due to the metallic properties, it’s resistant to destruction. With its high-density crystalline structure, it absorbs impact while cracks don’t propagate easily. The stress concentration disperses, so it shouldn’t break.”
“…Uh, yes, right.”
Emily, having missed her chance to flaunt her knowledge, glanced up at Choi Kang-mok for a moment.
There wasn’t a trace of smugness on Choi Kang-mok’s face.
His tone was as flat and mundane as if he’d said, ‘The polish came out well today without any polishing.’
“Anyway, I’ll give it a shot. Since it’s such a broken combination, I’d say we can expect broken results.”
A few hours later.
Emily offered a solemn prayer before standing before the all-stainless workbench.
A workbench engraved with various patterns.
Just in case, Choi Kang-mok gently touched one of the patterns again today.
Nothing happened.
“Now, I’ll begin.”
In her hand was a white hammer.
The yellow fortune sphere I’d mined was melted at high temperature and applied to the hammer.
And the enhancement began.
Numerous enhancement effects flashed past, and then Emily lifted both arms high.
“Done!”
───────
[Mine Master’s Key +1]
Novaeite
A key symbolizing the master of various mines.
…
───────
The Mine Master’s Key had been successfully enhanced.
Just as Emily didn’t hesitate, neither did I.
I inserted the key into the map and turned it.
‘Please.’
Click!
Bright light erupted from the map along with the sound effect.
Emily gazed at that light with rapture.
“…It’s beautiful.”
It wasn’t the proper method.
Activating that map would have required other intricate techniques.
This approach was, well, forcing power into it and turning it.
It was less about legality and more about shortcuts—methods that bordered on outright illegality.
Yet there was something more beautiful about opening it this way.
“Art has no correct answer to begin with. True beauty is always born outside the manual.”
Choi Kang-mok examined the activated map.
‘What?’
The location where the “unbreakable rock” could be mined.
The ore vein’s position had been revealed.
‘Yes. So it was here.’

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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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