The Return of the EX-Class Wizard - Chapter 130

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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 130
Raoul, the assassin of Real Madrid, waited.
‘The EX-Rank Awakener. Vanished without a trace.’
Tracking the movements of an EX-Rank Awakener was extraordinarily difficult.
Entering the Tower through unconventional means. And then crossing into foreign nations in an instant through the Tower itself.
For anyone else to pursue an EX-Rank Awakener arbitrarily was nearly impossible.
‘But they’ll show themselves again.’
The streets overflowed with praise for the EX-Rank Awakener.
Korea’s national anthem echoing from every shop.
For a change of pace, they would naturally return.
Besides, if they didn’t return, there was no other option.
As long as the cursed border held firm, the best course now was to wait and endure.
‘Did they perhaps catch my scent…?’
One constantly plagued by assassination attempts.
Perhaps their senses had developed unusually sharp as a result.
‘Is that so? That’s why they hastily returned to Korea.’
It seemed they were indeed conscious of me.
‘A cunning one.’
Of course, that wasn’t it.
Choi Kang-mok simply wanted to activate the mine quickly and test it.
And Choi Kang-mok had found a solution of sorts.
“What if we destroy it from outside the stage?”
“Huh? Outside the stage?”
Kang Hye tilted her head in confusion.
How could that work from outside?
“Could it be… meteor form?”
“Yeah. Spatial Release. Theoretically, it should be possible.”
My heart raced.
Striking inside a stage from outside it?
This was a concept that didn’t exist before.
If it succeeded, it would be a world first.
Magic that transcends not merely physical space, but the conceptual space of dimensions themselves.
“…Now that I think about it.”
Kang Hye suddenly recalled something.
“Professor Raymond said there might be something beyond destroying the Dragon Palace.”
Though it was muttered under her breath, I heard it clearly.
“He said my brother would realize it in the not-too-distant future. I wonder if it could be something like this…?”
But no matter how you looked at it, wasn’t this ability far too broken?
If this worked?
It would mean striking inside the Tower from outside it would also be possible.
Clearing the Tower without even entering it?
No matter how much of an older brother he is, this feels like crossing a line.
But Choi Kang-mok had already lost himself in his own world.
“His eyes have completely glazed over.”
There’s no reasoning with him when he gets like this.
Choi Kang-mok muttered to himself.
“I’ll need to map out the structure perfectly first, though…”
Once I do that, I can destroy the interior from outside the stage.
“But oppa, won’t you have to leave? Isn’t that against the rules?”
“Why?”
“You’ll miss the EX-rank clear.”
Whether it’s the Tower or the Labyrinth.
The clear rank is determined on the first attempt.
If we leave now?
That would be the same as giving up the EX-rank clear for Special Stage (4).
“No. Fortunately, the door is open.”
“Door?”
He meant that Special Stage (3) and (4) were connected.
They were clearly different spaces, but they had been forcibly opened.
“If the spaces are continuous, it should be fine.”
He was serious. Whether Tower or Labyrinth, he’d destroyed them dozens of times.
He was practically a demolition expert by now.
He had a feel for it.
“The door is still open. Really wide open.”
Since I’ve pierced through the space, a door is a door.
“It’ll take a long time to repair.”
The imperfectly fused stages.
Not completely unified, but clearly adjacent spaces nonetheless.
A gray zone created as a system error or bug.
“If I move to (3), I can maintain the clear rank.”
“…”
Would that really work?
Kang Hye followed Choi Kang-mok with a skeptical expression.
When he says something, it somehow feels like it might actually happen.
He says things that make no sense, but the problem is they all end up working anyway.
‘Huh?’
Now that I think about it.
‘Shouldn’t I, as the explorer, be leading the way?’
But it felt distant.
Special Stage (3) and (4) were connected, but Kang Hye had no idea where that connection point was.
“…Do you know where you’re going?”
“Of course. The point where worlds intersect. Where worlds collide and forcefully tear open a massive rift. Right there.”
“….”
Kang Hye could see nothing in that direction.
Just an ordinary endpoint. As an explorer, a chill ran down my spine.
I could almost understand what Owen, a mid-rank mage, must be feeling.
‘…He’s just too capable, seriously.’
I need to work harder.
To perform my role as an EX-rank assistant.

* * *
[Entering Special Stage (3).]
The stage had changed.
The space was isolated.
Choi Kang-mok broke into a bright smile.
“My luck seems really good lately.”
Was it because of the Lucky Mine?
Fortune seemed to flood through my entire body.
“What is?”
“That massive boulder. It’s registered as a boss.”
When using offensive magic, mana consumption is reduced by 100%.
Moreover, during boss battles, the cooldown of designated offensive magic is nullified.
Kang Hye swallowed hard.
“So whether it’s High Spirits or Energy Bolt, you can use them infinitely without cooldown?”
Choi Kang-mok had already begun concentrating.
In other words, Meteor Strike that transcends dimensions.
Kang Hye stepped back a few paces without interfering, watching Choi Kang-mok carefully.
‘High Spirits? Energy Bolt?’
Which one would he apply to remove the cooldown?
‘If it were me… I’d choose High Spirits.’
That exhilaration from obliterating the Dragon Palace still felt vivid.
But Choi Kang-mok’s choice was slightly different.
‘The skill to which cooldown nullification applies is Meteor Strike.’
In theory, continuous use of Meteor Strike was possible to near-infinite levels.
[Activating skill ‘Meteor Strike (EX)’.]
[Please set the magic to apply to Meteor Strike.]
[Activating skill ‘Energy Bolt (S)’.]
‘I’ll make good use of the sense of spatial liberation.’
The sensation from when I destroyed the Dragon Palace resurfaces.
‘I break through the constraints of space.’
Even if my aim was slightly off, it didn’t matter.
EX-rank Meteor Manifestation would compensate, and the ‘Precision’ trait would shine.
As long as I could properly assign virtual hostility, landing hits wouldn’t be difficult.
‘Besides, it’s easy to hit.’
The target was as massive as a mountain.
No matter where I struck, the attack would connect.
[Skill ‘Meteor Manifestation (EX)’ is being used.]
[Skill ‘Energy Floor (Creation)’ is being used.]
Following the energy bolt came the manifestation of the energy floor.
I implemented spells in rapid succession.
[Skill ‘Meteor Manifestation (EX)’ is being used.]
And the High Spirit.
[The High Spirit’s rank is increasing.]
[SSS+ ▶▶▶ EX-]
Beyond dimensions. Beyond stages.
All around me lay the Unbreakable Rock.
It naturally mitigated damage and impact.
I glanced at the necklace.
‘The driving force buffer module is operating properly.’
Infinite deployment without any damage was possible.
For the first time, I began pouring magic without restraint.
A sense of liberation and exhilaration washed over me.
A strange smile crossed Choi Kang-mok’s face.
-Beautiful 🙂
-Though aided by skills, the magic pouring forth across dimensional rifts is truly remarkable.
-Those of us within Mayo
have
held our breath.
-Some gasp in awe, some weep, and one whispers words of love.
-Mayo judges the time is not yet ripe, but
our
desire for you continues to bloom endlessly. Such is the grandeur of this spectacle.
Soon, a notification rang out.
[Special Stage (4) has been cleared.]
[Clear Rank: EX]
All magical attempts succeeded.
‘Just as planned.’
In that instant, Kang Hye grabbed Choi Kang-mok’s wrist.
“Brother!”
“Huh?”
“Let’s get out of here!”
She unleashed her instincts as an explorer.
‘This sensation. It’s exactly like when the Dragon Palace shattered.’
An incomprehensible, unprecedented force was surging in.
Piercing through the stage boundary.
Ignoring dimensions, collapsing space itself.
Something was rushing in.
Like a tidal wave.
‘I have to escape!’
[You are being forced to exit the Labyrinth (Seoul) Special Stage.]
BOOM!
With a tremendous explosion, everyone inside the Labyrinth was violently ejected.
[A massive impact has been detected in the Labyrinth.]
[The forced exit system has been activated.]
The Labyrinth turned completely ashen and refused all further entries.
[Updating….]
[You cannot enter the Labyrinth.]

* * *
A few hours later.
[!Notice to the entire Korean Territory!]
[The Labyrinth (Seoul) Special Stage has been restored.]
[The Special Stage has been integrated by an anonymous Awakener.]
Kang Hye checked the notification with a complicated expression.
“…So my instinct was right after all.”
That tremendous surge of magical power from before.
The moment when the Special Stage’s boundaries collapsed entirely.
As a result, the spaces had been unified into one.
A kind of forced integration, you might say.
[The ‘Unbreakable Rock Mine’ has been created.]
A new mine had opened.
The entrance was at Stage 10 of the Seoul Dungeon.
Before advancing from Stage 10 to Stage 11, one could choose to enter the Special Stage.
[▶Will you enter Stage 11?]
[▶Will you enter the Special Stage (Unbreakable Rock Mine)?]
However, entering the Special Stage required several special conditions.
───────
1. Miner-class job required.
2. Limited to miners who existed within the Korean Territory at the time of mine activation.
3. Subsequently, miners who awaken in Korea.
───────
Countless miners had already entered Korea.
They cheered.
The Korean Dream was no longer an illusion.
“I don’t know what the Unbreakable Rock is.”
“But I’m going right now.”
In truth, even most miners were hearing about this mineral for the first time.
Its identity, properties, and even its uses remained unknown.
Yet one thing was abundantly clear.
“It’s incredibly rare.”
“It must be worth a fortune.”
“And it can only be mined in Korea.”
[Breaking News: Unbreakable Rock—a resource that can only be extracted in Korea]
That was enough. Miners flooded into the Seoul Dungeon.
The Seoul Dungeon.
Predictions poured in that its entrance would become the brightest point on the world’s resource map.
[You have to awaken in Korea to even enter that place?]
└My friend is a crafting-tier ranker, and that stuff is genuinely precious. More valuable than gold
└I heard when you use it for enhancement or synthesis, the performance goes absolutely insane?
└Yeah~ it’s all hearsay. Nothing’s been officially confirmed yet~
└The mages at the Ayla Research Institute went crazy. They’re calling it the mineral of the gods in stabilization work?
Journalists flocked to the scene en masse.
“Are those rumors really true?”
Yoon Ji-woo asked.
One miner slung a pickaxe over his shoulder and spoke.
“I don’t know what it is.”
“But you can only mine it in Korea, right?”
He laughed.
And said just one thing.
“Then that’s good enough.”
Several floors of the Ayla Research Institute now displayed the Taegeuk flag.
They had hung it themselves.
No one had asked them to—they just went ahead and did it.
They had heard rumors that the director was a patriot.
An assistant rushed over to Owen.
Others streamed in after her.
After all, Owen was publicly known as the director’s closest associate.
A mid-tier mage trusted so deeply that even serious mistakes would be forgiven!
“Owen. You’ve heard the news, haven’t you?”
“I have. About the mine, right?”
“We can mine it. We need to secure the materials by any means necessary. For the magical stabilization circuit we’re currently researching….”
“Calm yourselves, all of you.”
“Does it look like now is the time to be calm! Material procurement is the priority! You know there are only a few dimensions where we can obtain this, don’t you?”
Owen’s heart raced with urgency as well. It was an extraordinarily rare mineral.
Yet he too found himself gauging Choi Kang-mok’s mood.
Coming right after such a grave mistake, reaching out privately felt rather difficult.
“Contact the Research Institute director immediately, you bald-headed fool!”
“If you don’t contact them right now, I’ll start a riot.”
“A riot? No, it’s a coup d’état.”
Warning lights blazed across the entire Ayla Research Institute.
In some experimental zones, chairs and desks were already levitating in mid-air.
Meanwhile, Emily also grew flustered.
“My goodness, is this really it?”
It was Emily.
She had gathered sufficient materials.
She had received the refinement method. Everything was perfect.
Now, it was time to immerse myself in the world of craftsmanship.
“Then I’ll attempt to create it. A stabilization fragment refined from Unbreakable Rock. Ah, but before that, Choi Kang-mok. Do you have any more of that luck? Its effect was quite remarkable.”
Meanwhile, Raoul seized his opportunity.
‘Madman.’
I didn’t understand the principle.
But the settings of the EX Layer had wavered slightly.
For a brief moment, even the unauthorized could enter Seoul.
It was the exact moment when the Seoul Dungeon had stopped.
‘Well, this works out nicely.’
Now, it was time to begin the hunt.

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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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