The Return of the EX-Class Wizard - Chapter 173

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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 173
Choi Kang-mok spoke plainly.
“Thanks to you, we managed to get through without any major conflict.”
I wasn’t particularly interested in politics, but I understood how the world worked.
I knew that even within Italy, public opinion had been clamoring to “take this opportunity to seize the Korean Tower.”
I also knew that it was Spaloti who had stepped forward to prevent it.
“Thank you.”
It wasn’t a difficult thing to say.
Gratitude cost nothing.
Yet for Spaloti, it was an impossibly difficult phrase.
“…You’re too kind.”
Cold sweat trickled down his back.
Was that statement really in the past tense?
‘We managed to get through without major conflict?’
Then, if we hadn’t managed it?
That would have meant a major conflict had occurred.
If he had failed the test imposed by the Emperor… his vision went dark.
Italy would surely have been
dispelled.
It would have been.
‘Thank you?’
It could be interpreted as: ‘I didn’t want to dispel you, so I’m grateful you didn’t cause trouble.’
Spaloti exhaled a sigh of relief, reassured that his diplomatic approach had been correct.
“Then I shall return to Italy.”
“Didn’t you have something you wanted to say to the Korean Lord?”
Did I interrupt unnecessarily?
Should I have waited a bit longer?
Choi Kang-mok felt a twinge of regret.
“No, it was truly just a light tea time.”
“Is that so?”
Choi Kang-mok nodded.
Hmm, it was slightly suspicious, but if he said so, it would be odd to press further.
“Understood. I’ll see you next time.”
“Yes, my lord.”
No, wait.
An EX-Rank Awakener wanted to be publicly known as a mage.
“Mage.”
The title was a bit awkward, but Choi Kang-mok accepted it without resistance.
Spaloti returned to Italy.
The first international competition ever held brought numerous changes to many nations.
Several nations had concluded their contracts peacefully.
Negotiations had taken place on the condition that the victorious side would provide benefits to the defeated.
But.
[【Breaking News】 United States Breaks Promise with Canada…]
The United States had occupied the Canadian Tower.
After consultation, they had agreed that the United States would be the ‘victor,’ but the real problem came after.
[US Guild, “We didn’t break our promise—we simply applied the system’s minimum tribute rate”]
The defeated Tower must pay tribute to the victorious Tower.
The minimum rate is 10%.
The problem was that this rate itself had never been disclosed until the end of the international competition.
[Canadian Guild, “This differs from our agreement. Some of the tributed goods must be returned to Canada.”]
[US Guild, “System constraints may arise. Return is impossible.”]
And so the United States used that ‘concern’ as an excuse to reject Canada’s demands.
The terms were far too favorable. The possibility of system constraints wasn’t entirely a lie either.
At least this was on the peaceful side of things.
[Looks like a third world war might actually happen]
└People are already fighting everywhere
└International Tower competition is no joke;;;;
It wasn’t merely about Tower occupation and resource distribution—public sentiment had been completely overturned.
Someone had won, and someone had lost.
Anger and mockery, inferiority and superiority.
All these emotions had engulfed entire nations.
The most intense clash was between Russia and Poland.
[【Breaking News】 Poland vs Russia—Poland’s Overwhelming Victory]
└National hero Kowalski really showed why he’s a hero
└Is Returner power actually real?
└Kowalski’s form is insane
Poland’s hero, Kowalski.
He had defeated all ten Russian representatives and claimed victory.
[Is that a straight?]
└What’s a straight?
└A strike, you idiot
└You might not know, so why curse?
That bastard’s straightforward as hell lol
└Strike works too, let’s have a drink~
In an interview, Kowalski had given a shout-out to Choi Kang-mok, saying, “I received a lot of inspiration from the EX-Rank Awakener. I think meeting him is what made me strong.”
As a side note, he had named the EX-Rank Awakener as the person he respected most.
Up to this point, it could be summarized as Russia’s ordeal of wounded pride, but Poland showed no mercy.
[Polish Guild Applies Maximum Tribute Rate to Russia!]
Seventy percent of all goods produced from the Russian Tower would go to the Polish Guild.
[Isn’t 70% a bit excessive?]
└That’s crossing the line
└Poland got too greedy
└What happens if you don’t climb the tower in the era of tower civilization? lol
└Whether they like it or not, they have no choice but to climb
└If it applies for a whole year, the gap will get way too wide
The fury of Russia’s citizens toward Poland boiled over, and in turn, the resentment of Poland’s citizens rose to meet it.
[But the system allowed it, so why the fuss?]
└It’s only natural to be angry when the Bear Nation got beaten by Poland
“When is this, the age of the Russian bear? lol”
└Wasn’t Russia the one who declared war first anyway?
He was confidently saying that Poland had nothing except Kowalski.
Beyond mere public resentment, actual warfare erupted between nations.
Africa, in particular, descended into chaos.
Conflict over the Tower consumed everything.
In the midst of it all, Italy’s situation and diplomatic approach came back into the spotlight.

* * *
Italy received an extraordinary condition: a 7% tribute rate.
[Wasn’t the minimum 10%?]
If you’re rank 1 on the continent with a straight combo, you can get up to 7% off lol
└Default? They didn’t fight, so what default?
“It’s a forfeit anyway, so it’s stressful lol”
7% was undoubtedly a number that meant “being taken from.”
But when you punch the numbers into a calculator, the situation changes.
[But they’re applying the Korean Tower system, right?]
Lol that’s why Canada signed the defeat documents too
The money coming in is way more than what’s going out in payments lol
Italy’s also supposed to be a great deal lol
Instead, far more flows in than what is taken away.
As the entire world descended into chaos, Spaloti instantly became a national hero.
[A sovereign who abandoned pride for pragmatism. Proving it through results, trampling countless mockeries]
└He got cursed out so much
└Spaloti must have felt so wronged
A man who led foolish citizens and opened up the future… pure emotion lolol
Italy’s choice became a fine example on the international stage.
Moreover, one realistic conclusion emerged.
[Honestly, if it was going to be like this anyway, wouldn’t just getting occupied by Korea be the most profitable?]
Haha, right?
└Everyone was trembling, afraid of being targeted by Korea
└Turns out it’s Tower quality improvement + minimal tribute = sweet deal
Long live South Korea lol! Based Korea! Based citizens! Fluttering fluttering~~
For similar reasons, Lin Zhiwei found herself in an extremely awkward position.
[If this was going to happen, why didn’t I just lose to Korea instead?]
└You lost to Japan? To Japan??? lol
└One of the world’s top four Guilds? One of the world’s top four Guilds? One of the world’s top four Guilds?
She had been defeated by Japan in the international competition.
To be precise, the Chinese rankers hadn’t given their all.
They hadn’t shown proper loyalty to Lin Zhiwei.
Some were even suspected of receiving bribes from the Japanese side.
But the public’s arrows pointed at exactly one person.
[Lin Zhiwei, shouldn’t you step down?]
└Didn’t you take over the Guild through a coup in the first place?
If you’re going to throw away your pride, at least get something practical out of it.
└No ability, no leadership, no pride. Certified Lord of Three Nothings
If I’d been conquered by Korea instead, I could have enjoyed the Tower quality improvement benefits freely.
But to lose to Japan of all nations?
Lin Zhiwei’s position visibly wavered.
[Lin Zhiwei, will you fall from power like this?]
[Unstable leadership, Lin Zhiwei, is this acceptable?]
Even the media joined in attacking Lin Zhiwei.
‘This won’t do.’
Losing power didn’t matter.
But the one being mentioned as the next lord was… half anti-EX faction and half pro-Korea.
Someone who redirected internal discontent toward the “greedy EX-rank awakener Korea.”
The moment he seized power, China would collapse.
‘I need to find a way.’
Lin Zhiwei bit her lip firmly.

* * *
Choi Kang-mok had one reason for seeking out Lee Byung-gyu.
“Do you happen to have any Appraisal Grimoires in stock?”
I was beginning to feel confident in my identity as a mage.
After layering various elemental properties, I had become proficient in interception magic, area magic, spatial magic, Haeju magic, and dispel magic alike.
-There is also a form of temporal magic, of sorts.
–
We
do not wield it with precision, but
in magical
circumstances, I handle it instinctively.
‘Combat situation’ had been rendered as ‘magical circumstance.’
In any case, it was time to reach for Appraisal Magic.
The mage’s method of resisting the System’s insidious deceptions
—it was time to explore that path.
Lee Byung-gyu’s expression darkened slightly.
“We do have some, but…”
Korea, as it stood now, was a nation run entirely by a single EX-Rank Awakened.
It had just happened moments ago.
The Italian Lord Spaloti had come huffing and puffing, only to break into a wide smile the moment Choi Kang-mok arrived.
As if he had been smiling all along.
“…I’m afraid we have nothing in our possession worthy of one walking the path of a great mage.”
Choi Kang-mok shrugged.
He hadn’t expected to find anything readily available.
“Don’t you think so too, Guild Master?”
“Pardon?”
“Even if not yet great… doesn’t it seem like I’m walking the path of a mage?”
Lee Byung-gyu nodded immediately.
“Of course. That’s an entirely reasonable observation.”
Lee Byung-gyu understood Choi Kang-mok better than anyone except his family.
And he had been a fan of Choi Kang-mok fifteen years ago.
“Haven’t you mastered Dispel Magic this time as well?”
“I wouldn’t call it mastery.”
Choi Kang-mok’s face flushed slightly.
Though I hadn’t truly mastered it, I couldn’t help but smile.
It was always gratifying to have someone recognize your magic.
The deception that ‘you are merely a destroyer’ hadn’t broken me, but it had shaken me somewhat.
“Having reached such heights in Dispel Magic not long after mastering Haeju Magic—I’m confident you’ll achieve mastery in the not-too-distant future, Mage Choi Kang-mok.”
Choi Kang-mok laughed awkwardly.
Sometimes flattery feels good even when you know it’s flattery.
If that were based on fact.
Lee Byung-gyu smiled faintly and continued speaking.
“I’ll inquire with the Boddari Union. I’ll procure the finest appraisal grimoire.”
Around that time, Lin Zhiwei sent me a system message.
She said she would send a grimoire made of gold, asking for my help just once.
‘A grimoire made of gold?’
Lee Byung-gyu instantly grasped why Lin Zhiwei had chosen such a gift.
She had only half-understood what an EX-rank awakener was.
She must have reasoned that if she sent a grimoire crafted from solid gold, the mage would be delighted.
No, that wasn’t quite right.
‘Ordinary mages would certainly appreciate it. Because it’s gold.’
But the Choi Kang-mok that Lee Byung-gyu knew was a true mage.
A true mage treasures genuine grimoires far more than gold.
I sent a reply immediately.
[Gold is unnecessary. Do you happen to have a good appraisal grimoire?]
And then came an interesting response.
A smile graced Lee Byung-gyu’s lips as he read the reply.
“Huh?”
With this, I might actually be able to delight a true mage?

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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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