The Return of the EX-Class Wizard - Chapter 143

—————

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

—————

The Return of an EX-Rank Mage Episode 143
[The system has analyzed the growth process of the ‘Mage’ and proposes a class advancement.]
[Three advancement options are presented.]
───────
[Class Advancement Proposal]
1. Battle Mage
2. Battle Mage
3. Battle Mage
───────
“?”
Choi Kang-mok doubted his eyes.
Was this false distortion affecting me as well?
I rubbed my eyes and looked again.
It was the same no matter how many times I looked.
───────
[Class Advancement Proposal]
1. Battle Mage
2. Battle Mage
3. Battle Mage
───────
“Wow… Is this some kind of hidden camera prank?”
Just to be sure, I checked with Mayo.
“Mayo. Are you currently using false distortion?”
-No. If you understand it from the perspective of the user’s growth process, it’s not an incomprehensible proposal….
Bzzt!
Mayo’s body trembled.
It wasn’t an unusual personality emerging as usual, but rather entering a self-censoring process.
-There is a possibility that the user’s mind may be severely shaken, so I will refrain from speaking further.
-False distortion has not been activated.
[In 10 seconds, a random class advancement will be completed.]
[10] [9] [8] …
Either way, it’s one of three options.
Battle Mage.
‘…Is this right?’
[Class advancement to Battle Mage has been completed.]
[The sub-class of ‘Dil-jjik-nu’ is fixed as ‘Battle Mage’.]
───────
[Battle Mage]
A mage specialized in combat.
Upon entering combat, physical and magical abilities are maximized.
※However, ___ is excluded.
───────
A class that demonstrates greater power in combat situations.
What’s peculiar is the presence of the ‘___’ mark.
“This is….”
Like the ‘Mine Key’ I’d obtained before.
It was a structure with unfilled content.
[A special item is required.]
‘So a dedicated item is necessary.’
The actual content of the advancement itself wasn’t difficult.
Rather, my heart was the problem.
There was no shame in becoming a Battle Mage.
However, the magical possibilities he sought extended far beyond combat alone.
Magic is a discipline with endless expandability and potential.
Fixing it in a single direction… was not the path that Mage Choi Kang-mok pursued.
‘Right now, I’m merely forced to develop as a Battle Mage….’
The system had reached its conclusion far too hastily.
It felt like it knew my weakness and struck at it.
Mayo spoke faster than usual.
-This Mayo is somewhat concerned about the user’s psychological shock.
Choi Kang-mok fell silent for a moment.
In that silence, Mayo continued speaking without pause.
Comprehensive support for the mage. Today, mental care was the primary mission.
-The user’s growth potential is boundless. Therefore, against the system’s malicious intent….
Then. Choi Kang-mok smiled wryly.
A [?] mark floated above Mayo’s torso.
“There’s a second advancement, right.”
Rarely, Mayo was at a loss for words.
Remarkably, Choi Kang-mok’s spirit recovered in an instant.
As if he’d consumed a mental elixir.
“The first advancement seems to be going according to plan, Mayo.”
-Indeed. I offer my praise for your Kang-mok-style thinking.
-Perhaps that is your greatest talent, user.
In any case, the advancement was complete.
I was nearly shocked, but I’m currently in the process of developing as a Battle Mage anyway.
There would be a second advancement as well, so it was fine.
“Now that I’ve advanced, shall we head into the 45th Floor?”

* * *
The open-source worldview had been applied.
What would change, and how?
I was already intrigued.
[Entering Seoul Tower, 45th Floor.]
Would there be changes to the challenge?
[Challenge: Eliminate Carnivorous Mermaid (0/1)]
There were no changes.
No particular anomalies were detected.
‘The spawn point for the carnivorous mermaid is….’
I had already perfected the strategy.
The carnivorous mermaid appeared in the same location where the Dragon Palace existed on other floors.
‘Spatial Release.’
I deployed Meteor Crystallization—Energy Field Platform.
I struck the origin point.
[An attack that is normally impossible.]
[The egg of the carnivorous mermaid has been destroyed.]
[Complete destruction.]
A continuous stream of routine notifications.
Thus, I eliminated the 45th Floor’s sub-boss.
“This works again.”
-Indeed. It works again.
-I thought I had grown quite accustomed to it, yet it remains astonishing.
It was far easier than expected.
The Tower had adapted to my damage output to some degree, and it promptly displayed a proper notification.
[You have cleared Seoul Tower, 45th Floor.]
[Clear Rank: EX]
Hall of Fame updated. I claimed the unrivaled first place.
Exiting the Tower, I tilted my head in confusion.
“It doesn’t seem like much has changed?”
I couldn’t discern what was actually different.
Mayo felt the same way.
-I also cannot perceive any difference from the original worldview.
-Perhaps it is because the ‘Author’ has not yet been found.
-Or perhaps more time is needed for the collective consciousness to activate.

* * *
After my class change, there were no noticeable shifts in Choi Kang-mok’s daily life.
I continued an ‘ordinary’ existence.
[【Breaking News】 Seoul Tower 46th Floor, EX-Rank Clear….]
…
[【Breaking News】 Seoul Tower 50th Floor, EX-Rank Clear….]
The clearing method was straightforward.
Strike the origin point where the Dragon Palace spawns.
The 50th Floor features a formidable boss monster, the Dragon King, but it proved meaningless.
I eliminated it before it could even appear.
Striking the origin point resolves nearly everything with ease.
The system’s claim about being ‘greatly advantageous for magical growth’ honestly didn’t feel tangible.
-Nevertheless, the user’s
combat
magical abilities have improved substantially.
-While subjective perception may vary, the objective magical indices are remarkably impressive.
That wasn’t wrong.
Meteor Form – Energy Bolt had reached completion.
Meteor Form – Energy Field Plate was also entering its final stages.
Meteor Form – High Spirit had grown somewhat ambiguous, yet I could now handle it far more easily than before.
‘Certainly… switching to a Battle Mage has made offensive magic far more manageable.’
Output control. Magic fragment manipulation.
Form adjustment. Mana circuit optimization. And so forth.
In combat, I had achieved remarkable progress.
At this level, I could even stand a chance against Professor Raymond.
“From what I can tell, that blank space seems to be the core of the class change.”
The still-empty ‘___’.
I still had no sense of what should fill it or how.
Beyond the assumption that a class change item was necessary, I had no information.
I considered pushing deeper into the Tower to see what awaited, but—
[You cannot enter Seoul Tower 51st Floor.]
[Labyrinth (Seoul) clear is required first.]
“Ah, right.”
To access the 50th Floor tier of the Tower, clearing the 50th Stage of the Labyrinth (Seoul) was mandatory.
“This is rather tedious.”
Since I wasn’t leveling up anyway, I didn’t urgently need growth resources.
“And now the skip takes 30 seconds.”
To skip, I had to wait a full 30 seconds.
This was genuinely inconvenient.
“Wait.”
But wouldn’t it be faster to just clear it rather than skip?
‘There’s no guide anymore.’
The London Labyrinth has been cleared up to stage 51, but Korea hasn’t.
From here on, it’s uncharted territory.
Still, it didn’t matter much to Choi Kang-mok.
‘Stage 50 is a boss battle anyway, right?’
Boss battles were easiest for me.
[Entering Labyrinth (Seoul) Stage 50.]
[!Warning!]
[Difficulty increases significantly.]
The space flickered crimson.
The stage field. Three points materialized in the distance ahead.
A space twisted in an eerie manner.
The boss monster would spawn there.
[Generating Challenge…]
Approximately 25 seconds remained before skip became available.
‘Destroying it would be better?’
Just like when I dealt with the carnivorous merfolk.
A preemptive strike before emergence was most convenient.
There was no need to even deploy Meteor Fall.
“Energy Bolt.”
Basic magic was sufficient.
Cast. Impact. Destruction.
The process remained identical.
[■■■ has been destroyed.]
[■■■ has been destroyed.]
[■■■ has been destroyed.]
All three points eliminated.
‘Is it over?’
Then.
With a thunderous boom, the entire space trembled.
The beginning of an unexpected change.
[!Hidden Condition Satisfied!]
[‘Abhorrence of the Foreknower’ spreads.]
My vision rippled.
Color began draining from the horizon’s edge.
Light vanished, and darkness advanced.
‘Darkness is approaching?’
Beyond the darkness. That place is an eerie realm.
Nothing exists there.
‘No. It’s not darkness.’
That space doesn’t exist.
‘Here. A Small World.’
To be precise, this space itself was a Small World conceptual entity.
Similar to Mayo.
Voices echoed.
-I hate advance studying so much.
-What’s wrong with fair competition?
-Everything falls apart because of kids like these.
The world crumbles because of kids like these!
Malice churned within the conceptualized world.
In this world, I was the advance student.
I had eliminated everything before the boss monster even appeared.
In this space, that counted as ‘advance preparation.’
“A Small World that erases advance students.”
A world that wielded formidable power exclusively against advance students.
Crack! Crack!
Like fluorescent lights shattering, the world contracted.
Darkness continued closing in.
Approximately 15 seconds remained until skip.
-If consumed by that world, the user faces a high probability of erasure.
A [!!!] symbol appeared above Mayo’s body.
-According to this Mayo’s assessment, it’s a Small World conceptual entity of at least Normal Grade Level 250 or higher.
-Caution is necessary. Approximately 10 seconds remain until skip.
-You must demonstrate magical
insight capable of
enduring these 10 seconds.
However, I remained quite composed.
I already knew.
That this Small World conceptual entity was already in ruins.
“No. It’ll collapse soon.”
The moment those words left my lips, crack!
Fissures split across the world.
[Challenge Complete!]
[Labyrinth (Seoul) Stage 50 has been cleared.]
The Small World collapsed.
-There was something this Mayo overlooked.
Mayo, who had been slightly tense, belatedly grasped an important fact.
-That Small World conceptual entity… was actually already in ruins from the moment it first awakened?
-And the user already knew that.
Choi Kang-mok nodded.
A red heart floated above Mayo’s form.
-Your ability to comprehend the structure of the Pocket Dimension has surpassed even my own understanding.
-This is the moment I feel embarrassed for having been slightly anxious.
If you ‘advance’ through the three origin points, the Pocket Dimension’s conceptual entity awakens.
The world becomes your enemy and attacks the Awakened One.
But when the damage from that ‘advance’ becomes too severe, this is what happens.
-Your evolution in combat situations is truly overwhelming.
-Such
magical collapse
is beautiful. It aligns with my aesthetic sensibilities.
Crackle!
-How do you destroy so beautifully? I wish all of this destruction belonged only to you. I’ll tear out the eyes of anyone who covets it. I alone will know it, my master. My user. So… beautiful.
Aside from Mayo, who was gradually becoming ‘mage-like’.
Lately, that strange consciousness seemed to emerge far too frequently.
Was it just my imagination?
[Clear Rank: EX]
An EX-rank clear, in any case.
Today went according to plan.
‘But…’
It had certainly gone according to plan.
Yet suddenly, an odd feeling began to stir.

—————

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

—————