The Return of the EX-Class Wizard - Chapter 169

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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 169
Choi Kang-mok shrugged his shoulders.
Explaining wasn’t a difficult task.
“I’ll designate two locations.”
Lin Zhiwei doubted her ears.
Two? How is that possible?
“…Two locations?”
“Yes. The top-ranked nation on the continental rankings receives two designation rights.”
He spoke without particular emphasis, yet it was a shocking revelation.
How many people in the entire world knew this fact?
At most, the supreme leaders of each continent and their inner circles.
Perhaps around ten people. I had stumbled upon a secret no one had ever unraveled.
That’s what made it terrifying.
Why was he being so nonchalant about it?
“One will be Iraq.”
Iraq was originally my tower.
It’s called the Second Korean Tower.
In other words, Korea would be competing against itself…
“So that was possible.”
It was possible.
Only nations possessing two or more towers could do such a thing.
By Earth’s standards, only South Korea could manage it.
“Yes. This way, the rewards actually multiply exponentially.”
There would be no loser.
Only a victor would exist.
Cold sweat continued trickling down Lin Zhiwei’s back.
The jokingly-called ‘host’s cheating map’ was no laughing matter.
“And the other will be Italy.”
I would have preferred to designate China, but Choi Kang-chul had advised against it.
Designating China at this moment, when Lin Zhiwei had just succeeded in her rebellion and was prostrating herself begging for forgiveness, wouldn’t be politically favorable, or so he said.
Since that field belonged to Choi Kang-chul and Lee Byung-gyu, I simply agreed.
The nation I chose instead was Italy.
Lin Zhiwei fell silent.
‘Italy is in Europe, though.’
The system had clearly stated ‘Continental National Competitions.’
Yet he was choosing a European nation.
‘How is that even possible?’
Should I ask?
Would that be too rude?
Lin Zhiwei’s mind raced through countless calculations.
In the end, she couldn’t help but ask.
“Isn’t Italy part of Europe?”
“I’m planning to establish a foothold in Naples as well.”
Was artificial installation even possible?
The Shenyang foothold was already there, so destroying it was one thing.
But creating a new one where nothing existed before?
‘Asking further would be diplomatically rude.’
Choi Kang-mok glanced subtly to gauge her reaction.
‘Will she stop asking?’
Honestly, Lin Zhiwei’s reaction was quite amusing.
I wasn’t sure if she was doing it intentionally, but her responses were remarkably candid.
It was as if she had literally written “currently breaking into a cold sweat” above her head.
Most lords rarely displayed their emotions, but Lin Zhiwei was rather exceptional in that regard.
Then Mayo offered an interesting interpretation.
-Perhaps the user’s ‘interpretation ability’ has made remarkable progress?
‘Hm?’
Now that I thought about it, that could very well be the case.
My ability to interpret and comprehend structures had developed tremendously.
If that were true, wouldn’t my ability to read facial expressions have grown stronger as well?
Did magical growth directly foster the development of other abilities?
My curiosity as a mage surged.
“You look curious about whether artificial foothold expansion is possible.”
“!”
Lin Zhiwei’s expression became stark.
Her astonishment was laid bare for all to see.
It really did seem to be because of my magical growth.
“Would you like me to explain?”
“….”
Lin Zhiwei deliberated for a moment.
Why was he being so kind to me?
‘Is it generosity?’
It was difficult to fathom his true intentions.
The rumors that he was among the highest-ranking lords seemed to be true.
I couldn’t discern what an EX-Rank Awakener’s true motives might be.
‘Or perhaps… a test?’
I couldn’t know what political strategy might be hidden beneath the surface.
“To put it simply, it is possible. Though it does require considerable resources.”
Opening the ‘Defense Foothold Establishment Rights Certificate Purchase Request’ email required 5 EX Coins.
And purchasing the ‘Defense Foothold Establishment Rights Certificate’ through the EX Shop required an additional 100 EX Coins.
At that point, Lin Zhiwei felt somewhat relieved.
‘I need a lot of wealth.’
That’s right.
The gold I brought must have been insufficient.
It’s a subtle way of asking me to bring more.
“We’re planning to establish a defensive stronghold in Naples.”
Then Naples would be incorporated into Korean Territory.
Systemically, it would mean becoming part of Korea.
Lin Zhiwei nodded.
“Yes. I understand perfectly what you mean.”
The Emperor’s mild warning. I understood it completely.
If you don’t want to be integrated this way, figure it out yourself.
Offer up plenty of wealth willingly.
…That’s how I interpreted it.
‘Revealing global secrets to me was both a warning and subtle coercion.’
A signal that I’d be brought into his camp.
He knows well how to control and govern through information.
Truly, a top-tier sovereign.
‘The most terrifying fact for sovereigns is that public opinion isn’t even negative.’
The concept itself differs from the imperialist era of the past.
Colonial territories of old were unilaterally plundered.
But now, if incorporated into Korean Territory, one could actually enjoy far superior Tower civilization than before.
Even excluding tribute payments, they’d gain access to more abundant Tower civilization than previously.
Moreover, they’d become part of Gigapolis.
‘Imperialism welcomed by the subjugated people.’
I never imagined such a world could actually exist.
And through a small nation right next door, no less.
“Ah, one more thing. As I mentioned, please consult with the Korean Guild regarding sovereign matters.”
Choi Kang-mok spoke with sincerity.
“I’m a mage, after all.”
“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”
Lin Zhiwei doesn’t trust words. She trusts actions.
Observing the EX-Rank Awakener’s conduct, it’s clear he dreams of becoming the Emperor of a new era.
‘The outline of a strategy for dealing with EX-Rank Awakeners is becoming clear.’
Substantively a sovereign, but outwardly a mage.
For now, he must be treated as a mage on the surface.
That’s what the EX-Rank Awakener wants.
“I’ll procure a grimoire gilded in gold.”
Choi Kang-mok grinned widely.
Now we’re getting somewhere. He’s saying he’ll bring an exceptional grimoire.
‘Gilded in gold’ must be some metaphor sovereigns use among themselves, or something like that.

* * *
South Korea’s national team selection had concluded.
Countless Asian nations exhaled in relief, and now the real game of political maneuvering had begun.
Amid this, Choi Kang-mok prepared to enter the 61st Floor.
“There’s not much to prepare for, really….”
-That is true, sir.
-Uncharted territory. Since no one knows what will appear or how, preparation holds no meaning.
-As befits a mage, dedicating yourself to magic is itself the preparation for climbing.
“I’ve been enjoying rapid calculation and precise analysis lately, so I’d love it if challenges centered on those came up.”
More precisely, Dispel based on swift computation and accurate analysis.
If I could apply this to climbing, it would be deeply fulfilling as a mage.
-Sniping would also be excellent, sir.
-Long-range sniper magic through spatial liberation is quite superb.
-This Mayo asserts that it would be spatial magic rather than combat magic.
Choi Kang-mok shook his head.
Claiming it wasn’t combat magic was absurd.
Mayo had been acting strangely lately.
“It’s both combat magic and spatial magic.”
How could magic be classified into just one category?
Mayo’s assertion was wrong.
“Complex and intricate Pocket Dimensions appearing would be nice too.”
Now that I had grown considerably in magical prowess, I understood.
‘Pocket Dimension destruction’ was fundamentally not so different from Dispel.
Dispel is analyzing and dismantling the structure of magic.
Pocket Dimension destruction is analyzing and dismantling the structure of a Pocket Dimension.
-How about naming all dismantling operations as Dispel going forward?
“That sounds like a good idea.”
Unifying terminology and consolidating concepts would be advantageous in combat—no, in magic.
Magic is the discipline of exploring origins.
“Pocket Dimension destruction can fundamentally be viewed as Dispel.”
After a brief respite.
Choi Kang-mok rose from his seat.
It was time to challenge the 61st Floor—a world first.
I was writing a new record.
“This feeling isn’t bad at all.”
Only one name would be inscribed in the Hall of Fame.
A solitary yet radiant ascent had begun.
[Entering Seoul Tower, 61st Floor.]
Wind stirred beneath my feet.
I entered the 61st Floor with a slight sense of vertigo.
“Huh?”
A familiar landscape. A dilapidated alley, ash-colored walls, a soundproof iron gate.
“Isn’t this the one-room apartment I used to live in?”
Before moving to the An House.
The building where I barely secured the one-room apartment after Choi Kang-chul lent me the deposit.
Reality had been replicated exactly.
[Challenge: Resentment Dwells]
The text was cut off midway.
“Did the challenge generation stop?”
The surroundings were eerily quiet.
Something felt wrong.
There were no drunks urinating on the streets, no sound of shop shutters closing.
No human voices, no wind sounds. Nothing.
Only the buildings were replicated exactly as they were in reality.
[The space has expanded into an open-source worldview.]
[The space calls forth resentment.]
The sky turned purple.
At the same moment, the surrounding buildings began to sink into darkness.
Click! Click!
Like lights being switched off.
The colors vanished as if from a black-and-white photograph.
In a world drained of ash-gray tones, only the dilapidated one-room apartment retained its color.
“Resentment, then.”
Is it something like a curse?
Then Haeju would work.
-For some reason, I feel that Mayo would know about resentment.
-This sensation of the world’s lights extinguishing and ominousness spreading—I’ve felt it before.
Choi Kang-mok nodded.
“A pocket dimension is unfolding.”
It had been so long that I’d forgotten, but I’ve experienced this pocket dimension before.
That pocket dimension I first experienced.
It appears to be an upgraded version of the pocket dimension that the assassin Kim Yu-jun had shown me.
[You have entered the pocket dimension, ‘Kim Yu-jun’s Dissection Chamber’.]
This time, the name was different.
Not torture, but dissection.
The challenge was written out a bit more.
[Countless ‘Authors’ participate in the creation.]
[One resentment calls forth another resentment.]
[Challenge: Kim Yu-jun dwelling in the space filled with resentment and…]
At that very moment, a chanting began—emanating from no visible speaker, as if from the void itself.
“The Grace Project remains operational.”
“The Grace Project remains operational.”
“The Grace Project remains operational.”
Countless voices whispered in unison, each at a different pitch, each with a different timbre.
“Found it.”

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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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