The Return of the EX-Class Wizard - Chapter 14

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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 014
Lee Byung-gyu, Lord of Seoul, found himself forced to make a decision.
‘I must accept the EX-rank Awakener’s proposal without fail.’
I didn’t fully understand what “EX Coins” were.
Though they were deposited into the Guild’s vault, the explanation amounted to nothing more than “a special energy source.”
Moreover, acquisition was capped at one per day.
A rare currency that could only be obtained once every twenty-four hours.
No one knew how it would be used in the future.
It was difficult to simply agree to something whose purpose remained unknown.
Yet the negotiating partner was an EX-rank Awakener.
‘This opportunity didn’t come to Seoul because we’re exceptional. It came because he happened to be here.’
My personal sacrifice? Dedication to the nation?
Such things held nobility only to oneself—they carried no equivalent value to others.
Lee Byung-gyu understood this truth well.
‘I must grant his request without question.’
But the problem was that the Seoul Guild didn’t operate as a one-man organization.
Seven Vice-Lords answered directly to Lee Byung-gyu.
He needed their consent.
Lee Byung-gyu convened a Guild meeting.
The seven Vice-Lords gathered in the conference room.
The air felt peculiarly heavy.
“By the authority vested in me as Lord of Seoul, I invoke the Lord’s Oath.”
The Lord’s Oath was a special privilege granted to each Tower’s Lord.
In exchange for swearing absolute loyalty to the Lord, the Vice-Lords gained additional abilities.
The oath wielded such tremendous coercive power that even Lords rarely invoked it.
“Anything discussed here cannot be disclosed outside this room under any circumstances. First, a seal will be placed upon your tongues. Should you attempt to break this seal and forcibly reveal anything, your heart will stop and you will die. This includes disclosure through hints and encompasses all forms of information leakage.”
“Lord, does this include cases where we’ve been brainwashed?”
“It does.”
The Vice-Lords’ faces hardened.
How often would one even be brainwashed?
Yet if one’s heart stopped after being forced to speak under brainwashing, wouldn’t that be unbearably unjust?
One of the Vice-Lords—Han Sang-hyun, Lee Byung-gyu’s right hand and trusted confidant—spoke up.
“At present, no brainwashing technique exists that could break the seal of the Lord’s Oath. You all know this.”
“….”
What could be so important?
Why had he invoked this oath, which most Lords avoided?
There were suspicions to be made.
It likely concerned the EX-rank Awakener.
“In this place, we will not identify who the EX-rank Awakener is. However, I intend to inform you of the conditions he has presented. Based on the information obtained here, none of you Vice-Lords may contact the EX-rank Awakener individually. You cannot even attempt to investigate him. He will be managed as the most classified of secrets. Should you violate this, your heart will be destroyed.”
“You don’t trust us, then?”
“I understand security is important, but this seems excessive.”
“What do you take us for?”
Discontent erupted in their voices, but Lee Byung-gyu remained unmoved.
“There was a spy within the Guild.”
I owed the sub-guild leaders an apology, but this had to be handled decisively.
Seven vice-lords and one EX-rank Awakener.
When I weighed the scales, the EX-rank Awakener was far heavier on the balance.
Complaints continued to pour out.
“This is why everyone’s defecting, isn’t it?”
“I think this is going too far.”
“Justice and fairness are all well and good, but please look after your own people’s interests.”
Still, there was no choice.
Seoul’s lord, Lee Byung-gyu, had made his judgment.
The vice-lords, including myself, could be replaced, but there was no one to replace an EX-rank Awakener.
“Those who disagree are free to leave. I won’t resent that choice.”
“….”
Silence.
Discontent lingered on their faces, but no one rose from their seat.
Anything involving an EX-rank Awakener.
It was obvious that stepping back from this matter would diminish one’s standing within the Guild.
“Let’s begin the meeting.”

* * *
One of the Vice-Lords spoke up.
“That won’t do. We don’t even know what value EX-coins hold as currency. We must secure at least some quantity for ourselves.”
“We’re in a situation where we don’t even understand their purpose. This could become a catastrophic loss down the line.”
“And shouldn’t we be matching a salary of at least 20 billion won? Our finances simply cannot—”
In truth, an EX-rank Awakener was far too immense a talent for the Seoul Tower to contain at this moment.
Attempting to swallow a fish too large to digest would only tear one’s throat.
The Vice-Lords were being remarkably pragmatic.
“Realistically speaking, it’s difficult for us to bring him into our fold.”
Other Guilds would surely be able to present far more favorable terms.
It was then that Lee Byung-gyu suddenly understood.
‘A man possessing both the skill and potential to choose any other Guild at any time. Someone capable of selecting any Guild he wishes.’
So why?
Why had he specifically made demands that only Seoul could fulfill?
‘It was consideration. Thoughtfulness.’
He had deliberately set conditions that only Seoul could provide.
Goosebumps rose across my neck.
‘He was giving us a special opportunity.’
As if we were non-Awakened applicants in a recruitment process.
He was showing us consideration through the Seoul Guild’s recruitment examination.
Then why?
‘Could it be… my earnest letter actually reached him?’

* * *
Reality had shifted.
[Spilling the tea on hunting slimes on the 1st Floor and eating magic stones]
└Lol, milking this story again
└Cool content dropped again lol
└Magic stone real-life verification (photo attached)
└?
└??
└???
A system screenshot appeared.
The screen clearly showed the panoramic view of the 1st Floor alongside the slimes.
And the low-grade magic stones dropped by the slimes were visible.
[Seoul Tower really is different. Slimes on the 1st Floor actually drop magic stones (photo attached)]
└Huh? How is this possible?
└This is totally broken lol
The changes occurring within Seoul Tower
swept across the entire nation in an instant.
[So the 3rd Floor drops them too?]
└Dodged the giant saw and got a magic stone for real
└For real? Even elementary school kids can dodge that
└Damn it, I’m grinding the 3rd Floor repeatedly starting today.
Nearly ninety percent of humanity had awakened.
Yet not all of them could actively climb the Tower and operate as “Players.”
The vast majority couldn’t progress beyond the tutorial section.
Once you surpass the tutorial section, the difficulty skyrockets.
From that point onward, the realm of talent and effort opens up before the awakened.
Naturally, the rewards in the tutorial section were pathetic.
It wasn’t a section designed to grant rewards, but rather to acclimate climbers to the Tower.
[Caught rabbits and ate magic stones (photo attached)]
└Drop rate looks higher than slimes for real
└Are the lower floors the magic stone hotspot these days?
But the paradigm had shifted.
Magic stones began dropping in small quantities even from the lower floors.
[Cleared the 3rd Floor and magic stones dropped immediately]
└You too? Me too.
└I made 200,000 won just today;; Long live Seoul
A fascinating phenomenon unfolded.
Low-level awakened ones from across the nation—those who couldn’t operate as Players—began flooding into Seoul Tower.
[Sharing live updates from Seoul Tower (photo attached)]
└Is this an ant colony or what lol
└People and crowds pouring in, seriously chaotic lol
Seoul Guild is urgently recruiting Awakened part-timers for personnel management lol
└Low-level Awakeners nationwide, all heading to Seoul?
Only a small fraction of Awakeners actually worked as “Players”—this was true nationwide. (Looking at it globally, the same applied everywhere.)
That’s why novice Awakeners from across the country began flooding toward Seoul Tower.
[Seoul Guild, facing sudden personnel surge, dramatically increasing administrative staff….]
[Seoul-bound expressways experiencing severe congestion….]
[Accommodations completely sold out, homeless Awakeners appearing….]
[Low-level Awakeners flocking to Seoul]
Various economic effects emerged. The news never stopped.
[A guesthouse operator: “With visitors surging in recently….”]
A massive influx of low-level Awakeners from across the nation.
Seoul’s tourism industry, including accommodations, enjoyed an unexpected boom.
Countless “novice Awakeners” began acquiring mana stones and various artifacts.
A portion of the rewards and currency obtained from Seoul Tower accumulated in the Seoul Guild’s vault as a system tribute.
Lee Byung-gyu trembled with exhilaration.
‘In other words, this is the EX-rank Awakener’s benevolence.’
Perpetually last place.
This was Seoul Guild’s chance to leap forward.
Lee Byung-gyu convened the council of lords once more.
“The EX-rank Awakener has orchestrated this.”
These results spoke for themselves.
Clearly, the EX-rank Awakener was showing consideration for Seoul.
The vice-lords understood.
“It certainly appears that way.”
Vitality began returning to the vice-lords’ faces.
Would they truly want to let go of the EX-rank Awakener?
They were simply being realistic.
Perpetually last place. The lowest even among Korea, ranked third globally.
They too wanted to escape from being last.
They wanted to grow into vice-lords of a first-rate Tower.
“Countless individuals are challenging the EX Floor.”
That number was increasing exponentially.
It was no longer a “select few Players” clearing it.
“The majority of Awakeners” were ascending.
Individually, they obtained minimal amounts of mana stones, but collectively for Seoul, it was substantial.
“In just one day. Do you know how many mana stones have accumulated in the Guild vault?”
The vice-lords estimated.
At most three times the usual amount. At best, around 6 kilos, they thought.
“No. It’s 8 kilos.”
Everyone fell silent at the fourfold surge.
“EX coins are accumulating at a rate of one per day as well.”
Those were supposed to go entirely to the EX-rank Awakener.
But Lee Byung-gyu went even further.
“I believe he should donate not only the EX coins but also the entire increase in mana stones to the EX-rank Awakener.”
“…Must we go to such lengths?”
“He gave us an opportunity. It falls to us to seize it.”
Realistically, there was no reason for him to remain in Seoul.
“We cannot offer him substantial material gains.”
If he was dissatisfied with us, he could simply leave for another Guild.
We were the ones in need, not him.
“Yesterday alone, ten million Awakeners from across the nation entered the Seoul Tower. Nine out of ten were those who had nearly abandoned hope of ever entering.”
Ten million.
The weight of that number pressed down upon the conference room.
“The result of a single EX-rank Awakener.”
“….”
“One person has completely transformed Seoul’s future.”
Yet it was difficult to promise him massive material rewards.
Then what remained?
Sincerity and goodwill. We had to show him our genuine hearts.
“We must win his heart. Does anyone object?”
All EX coins.
And the entire increase in mana stones as a donation.
No one objected.

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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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