The Return of the EX-Class Wizard - Chapter 172

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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 172
A few days prior.
Startling news had emerged.
[Breaking: EX-Rank Awakener Will Not Participate in International Tournament!]
[Breaking: Korea’s National Team Loses Significant Presence.]
The EX-rank Awakener, who had dominated every major event involving Korea with an overwhelming presence, would not be participating in Earth’s first international tournament.
[The EX-rank Awaker has gone missing?]
└Is he really missing though? lol
└If he’s not missing, why isn’t he on the national team?
└He must’ve been bothered
└You skip the national team because you’re bothered?
└Does he have to?
└No wait;; The EX guy is a patriot
Not just anyone—a patriot who adores Korea with genuine passion.
An Awakener who champions Korea-first ideology for world peace (which he never did) refusing the Korean Guild’s national team summons? Unthinkable.
[Is he really missing inside the Tower?]
└High possibility
└How many rankers vanish overnight in the Tower?
└The higher the rank, the higher the disappearance rate
One camp spoke of the EX-rank Awakener’s disappearance or death within the Tower.
The other camp, however,
[He entered the Tower before the tournament? lol Think before you speak]
└This is right. All top rankers stopped climbing
└Bessius: ??? I went yesterday too?
└lol That’s just re-entering cleared floors for conditioning. Stop acting like you know;;
With the international tournament approaching,
rankers from every nation had halted their Tower ascents.
No one knew what variables might emerge inside the Tower.
Instead, like Bessius, they focused on refining their skills by repeatedly tackling already-cleared floors.
Routine over actual combat. Everyone made the same choice.
As a result, the prevailing opinion was: ‘The EX-rank Awakener couldn’t possibly have entered the Tower. Not unless he’s insane.’
[Then why?]
A single word or action from the EX-rank Awakener wielded tremendous influence over international society.
For such an Awakener to deliberately refuse the summons?
[There must be a reason]
└Wasn’t he trying to shake the complacent Korean Guild awake?
└Wait, that actually makes sense?
└He’s such a patriot though? A solo quest to prove Korea can survive without him?
└Yeah, eagles drop their chicks off cliffs to teach them to fly
Former Seoul Guild Master.
Lee Byung-gyu, the current Lord of Korea, swallowed hard.
“I can’t reach him.”
In truth, even Lee Byung-gyu hadn’t expected Choi Kang-mok to have entered the Tower.
He’d heard through Kang Hye that he’d ‘entered the Tower,’ but…
‘He hasn’t come out for a week?’
Could that be true?
Even if he were climbing the higher floors?
‘It doesn’t seem right.’
His extensive experience thus far told him otherwise.
The power of an EX-rank Awakener was truly beyond standard measure.
For him to suddenly vanish on Floor 61 after overwhelmingly clearing even Floor 60 defied all common sense.
‘This is… a test.’
Though not a simple evaluation.
‘It’s telling us to strengthen our self-reliance.’
Korea was somewhat malformed as a nation.
Most of its strength was slightly lacking, yet one individual was overwhelmingly powerful.
That single outlier was currently leading Tower civilization in Korea.
The entire nation was dependent on one person.
Everyone knew this structure wasn’t particularly healthy.
Lee Byung-gyu’s eyes deepened with resolve.
‘I must prove it.’
That the Korean Guild could succeed even without an EX-rank Awakener.
Han Sang-hyun, the director, spoke.
“The Iraq Tower is within Korean Territory anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”
Korea was the only nation on Earth where this was possible.
According to internal system reports, when towers within the same territory engage in inter-tower warfare, a +5% bonus is applied to all material rewards for one year, regardless of victory or defeat.
“The problem is Italy.”
Italy, with its towers unified under the Naples Tower.
“They remain formidable.”
They had indeed submitted to an EX-rank Awakener.
Currently, they were little more than a semi-colony.
But what if an EX-rank Awakener didn’t participate?
“As you well know… national inter-tower warfare proceeds in tournament format, does it not?”
Realistically, it would be difficult to win except against someone like Lee Kang-nam or Bessius.
What if Italy refused to surrender?
What if they fought a formal inter-tower war?
They might lose the ‘Korean Tower’ they’d built up over all this time for a year.
Could he be certain they wouldn’t be greedy? He couldn’t.
“I’ll have to find a way.”
Just then, Spaloti, the Lord of Italy, sought out Lee Byung-gyu.

* * *
Just as the Korean Guild had feared, Italy was now awash with heated arguments and ambitious schemes.
“Why not seize the Korean Tower while we have the chance?”
“It’s a golden opportunity. We could enjoy the world’s finest tower for an entire year.”
One year.
One year was more than enough time to establish ourselves as the world’s supreme nation.
“The EX-rank Awakener has only been around for half a year.”
A year from now?
Who could say what might happen.
“Without the EX-rank Awakener, victory would be ours.”
“Why would he skip such an important event?”
“Something significant must have happened to the EX-rank Awakener.”
They insisted he would never return.
“This is our moment.”
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become the world’s strongest nation.
Some truly believed it.
“Top-tier rankers in the Tower civilization era die easily enough.”
“Next year, there won’t be another chance like this.”
“Even if it’s risky, we must seize this opportunity.”
“Those who refuse to take risks will never taste success.”
But Spaloti shook his head.
“The EX-rank Awakener is a man who dreams of being an emperor. No—he already is one.”
An emperor constantly tests the loyalty of his subjects.
That was what he believed.
“Would he truly skip this without reason?”
No. He would not.
Spaloti had faced Choi Kang-mok directly, and he was certain of this.
“He is the very embodiment of lordship. A lord above lords, in truth.”
He calculated everything with meticulous precision.
Perhaps this entire situation was already unfolding in the palm of the EX-rank Awakener’s hand.
The thought sent a chill through him.
“I’m going to Korea. We will forfeit as planned.”
“My lord!”
There was much resistance, but Spaloti remained resolute.
Spaloti himself was not without fear.
‘What if, against all odds, the EX-rank Awakener truly has disappeared?’
Then he would face severe backlash.
He would have voluntarily surrendered the chance to control the world’s finest tower for an entire year.
For Spaloti, it was a gamble.
I traveled directly to Seoul through the EX Layer.
I climbed into a car and headed toward Seoul Guild Headquarters.
To declare a forfeit the moment the international competition began.

* * *
The international competition had begun across nations worldwide.
There were two matches that ended the moment they started.
Korea versus Iraq.
Korea versus Italy.
Countless people mocked them.
[Hahaha, giving up without even fighting?]
└And they don’t even have an EX-rank Awakener?
“lol your judgment is insane” or “lol your judgment is crazy”
└Italy was such a coward
However, that mockery did not last long.
An EX-rank Awakener cleared Floors 61 through 65 simultaneously, dispelling the ‘missing person’ rumors entirely.
The timing was exquisitely perfect.
Choosing to forfeit while simultaneously clearing EX+ rank in parallel.
Spaloti’s body trembled.
‘He demonstrated his continued existence in the most imperial manner possible.’
Still staying in Seoul, he held a video conference with Italy’s Vice Lords.
It was less a conference and more a one-sided rebuke from Spaloti.
“You’ve heard the news, haven’t you?”
Taking advantage of the EX-rank Awakener’s absence to seize the Korean Tower?
A rather plausible ambition. However, that would require the premise that the EX-rank Awakener was truly dead.
“Before making a full entrance onto the world stage, this could be a plan to use us as sacrificial pawns.”
He was known as a benevolent emperor.
However, one cannot rule the world through benevolence alone.
At times, one must also demonstrate ruthlessness and cold calculation.
Only then will the world bow its head and follow.
“I endured countless mockeries. Yet I feel no shame.”
What if we had resisted?
What if we had staged a rebellion in this opening?
“Our Italy could have been
dispelled.
”
The Vice Lords said nothing.
Even if they seized the Tower, what good would it do if an enraged emperor unleashed tower-civilization ICBMs upon them?
“Our choice was wise.”
After concluding his discussion with the Vice Lords, he immediately sought out Lee Byung-gyu.
As the Lord of Italy, I had to address what needed addressing.
Still, I’d considered him my best subordinate among my retinue.
Did loyalty truly need to be tested in such a manner?
“I must say, this form of testing is rather unpleasant.”
Lee Byung-gyu fell silent for a moment.
Truth be told, I hadn’t actually been testing him.
I was simply listening to what he had to say first.
“Still, I believed we deserved at least the status of second-class citizens.”
Ordinarily, he was an obedient and loyal subordinate, was he not?
Testing such a faithful servant in this manner felt deeply unfair.
“If I had rebelled, would you have attempted to Dispel Italy?”
“Dispel?”
“Even toward one’s subordinates, there exists a certain decorum.”
Then, a knock sounded at the door.
“My Lord. It’s Choi Kang-mok. May I enter?”
Spaloti’s face drained of all color.
Lee Byung-gyu turned to Spaloti with a slightly awkward expression.
“Should we have him come in?”
To keep the Emperor waiting outside the door?
Such a thing could never be.
“O-of course.”
Choi Kang-mok entered.
Cold sweat trickled down Spaloti’s spine.
‘As I thought! The timing was meticulously calculated!’
He’d allowed me to voice my accumulated grievances.
Just enough to be heard.
This entrance at this precise moment was a warning: do not cross this line further.
How terrifying.
‘He sees everything from above.’
No, wait.
Choi Kang-mok didn’t even know Spaloti was here.
“Oh? The Lord of Italy is here as well. It’s been a while.”
“Ha ha! Yes! I trust you’ve been in good health?”
For the record, I hadn’t used a translation item.
For an EX-rank Awakener to master and fluently command the native tongue of their liege.
I considered it one of the virtues expected of a loyal retainer.
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything important….”
Spaloti waved his hand dismissively.
“No! Not at all! Ha ha! We were merely exchanging pleasantries. Besides, now that the continental tournament has concluded, well, it was just conversation, or rather, a tea time, you might say.”
Choi Kang-mok smiled broadly.
It seems he’s solidifying a favorable relationship with Italy as well.
Lee Byung-gyu’s political acumen. Truly reliable.
Choi Kang-mok spoke.
“Thank you for stepping aside.”
At his words, Spaloti’s body went rigid.

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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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