The Return of the EX-Class Wizard - Chapter 179

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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 179
[An invitation has arrived from the 70th Floor Boss, ■■■.]
Following Aimonshuter on the 60th Floor, now the 70th Floor.
It seems the system has made up its mind.
───────
[Invitation]
■■■ is waiting for you on the 70th Floor.
Upon accepting the invitation, you will be immediately transported to the 70th Floor of the Korean Tower and may engage in a boss battle.
───────
-Indeed, I see your resolute determination—since a jab won’t work, you’ll deliver a powerful straight. Well observed.
-Right,
if they destroy it
,
I’ll simply counter it
with magic.
“Not bad at all.”
Good.
If I clear in 10-floor increments, there’s a high probability that the lower floors will receive an upward adjustment and be registered as an EX+ clear.
“Though taking it step by step and climbing gradually has its merits too….”
Staying true to fundamentals and ascending slowly.
That is the foundation of a mage.
Rush too fast and things fall apart.
-I believe you can do that in the Arcian Empire, Mayo.
-While a mage’s fundamentals and essence are quite important, a simultaneous 10-consecutive-floor EX+ clear is equally vital.
Mayo projected a small hologram.
───────
[Hall of Fame – Simultaneous 10 Consecutive Floors]
[World] [Individual]
1.
Mage (Korea, Seoul EX)
(None ←Important!)
───────
Only a single ‘Mage’ has ascended the Hall of Fame.
Unique on Earth.
There isn’t even a second place.
-Can you endure this?
-I cannot endure it, Mayo must say.
“Certainly….”
I can’t endure this.
A mage isn’t satisfied until their name is carved into the rankings—even if it’s just a local arcade leaderboard.
Of course, not everyone agreed with this opinion.
“Well, that’s a bit….”
It was Kang Hye.
What does carving a high score into an arcade machine have to do with mages?
It doesn’t seem related at all….
‘Ah, forget it.’
What’s the point in arguing about it?
They just want everyone to become a mage, that’s all.
‘Wait, is this really the emperor of the new age?’
The de facto emperor who conquered the Arcian Empire itself.
Though he puts forward proxies like Lee Byung-gyu and others, everyone knows the true power lies with an EX-Rank Awakener.
Yet here he is, grinning and shoveling down doenjang-jjigae.
“Anyway, so you’re accepting the invitation to the 70th Floor…?”
This is really disappointing.
I can’t help him this way.
The gap in power is far too vast.
“Well, that’s probably it.”
A grain of rice clung to the corner of Choi Kang-mok’s mouth.
But he didn’t mind.
“I obtained an appraisal spell, you see?”
“Oh, wow, really, amazing, that is.”
I know he didn’t obtain an appraisal spell.
I obtained Red Cat.
According to the explanation, it’s a dimensional monster, so it should be quite decent…?
‘It’s cute, though.’
A small frame. Fur as red as flames.
Eyes the color of amber. The tips of its ears curled up slightly, giving it a mischievous expression.
It looked completely harmless.
Its plump front paws were covered in fur like white socks, as if wearing shoes.
Meow.
Red Cat leaped up and settled onto Kang Hye’s lap.
“How cute….”
A gentle tap with its front paws.
It seemed to want something.
A child’s voice reached Kang Hye’s ear.
-Servant. This cat requires a map of Earth.
Kang Hye looked at Red Cat with slightly surprised eyes.
I could see its amber eyes.
“Just now, did you say that?”
Meow.
I nodded.
-Indeed, it is so.
“Brother! Make him talk!”
“I know.”
“Wait, a cat can actually speak?”
Kang Hye suddenly pulled Red Cat into her arms.
Warm. Soft and fluffy. Like a bundle of cotton.
-I command you to bring forth the map, butler!
Kang Hye slipped her hands between Red Cat’s front legs and lifted him up, then asked.
“But why am I the butler and not my brother?”
-That person is the master.
Something felt slightly off.
Did he just flinch?
Red Cat seemed to be deliberately avoiding my brother’s gaze.
‘Is he scared?’
Kang Hye’s brow furrowed.
Surely he hadn’t abused the animal, had he?
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I trust you, brother.”
“The ability of the newly acquired appraisal magic?”
“…No. You didn’t hit him, right?”
Red Cat flailed his front paws side to side.
-That could never be!
-The master merely demonstrated a fragment of his great and overwhelming authority!
-The butler must refrain from being disrespectful to the master!
…Yet he seemed far too frightened for that to be all.
What on earth had he done?
Kang Hye glared at her brother once before pulling out the map.
Red Cat pointed to a location with his front paw.
-It is here.
“What is?”
-Where the invitation came from. The one who sent the invitation to the 70th Floor is from here.
Red Cat’s paw pointed to the region near Iraq.

* * *
My heart pounded in my chest.
“The 70th Floor boss sent me an invitation.”
But it wasn’t sent from the 70th Floor of the Korean Tower.
It was sent from Iraq?
“Could a boss exist outside the Tower?”
Kim Chul-in of the Boddari Union brought the answer to this question.
The Boddari Union had recently extended its influence even to the Arcian Empire.
Excluding the EX-Rank Awakener Choi Kang-mok, the Arcian Empire was a civilization more advanced in every respect.
“It is said that the 70th Floor boss’s true form is far weaker than expected, sir.”
“Weaker?”
“Yes. It is said to be a summoner-type, sir.”
I really wish I could do something about that manner of speech.
As an executive of the EX Salvation Corps, apparently this speech pattern is something he can’t change.
At least these days he’s stopped with things like “eternal blessings, eternal blessings,” so that’s a relief.
That sort of thing suits the Demon King, not a mage’s greeting.
“It is a type that manipulates summoned entities within the Tower from outside it. Theoretically, finding and eliminating the true form would be the most efficient method, but… in practice, locating the true form is said to be nearly impossible.”
There have been cases where the true form was found.
But that was found by ‘chance,’ not through deliberate discovery.
“It is said that even in higher dimensions, there are almost no cases of the true form being located.”
“I see.”
A summoner-type boss.
The ‘authors’ of the Open Source Worldview must have added some degree of ‘creative liberty’ to this.
In any case, I’d gathered the minimum necessary information.
‘There must be a clue in Iraq.’
I had a rough intuition about it.
There were two dimensions connected to Earth.
One was the Arcian Empire side, and the other was the Barbarian Warriors side.
Of all places, the Barbarian Warriors appeared on the Iraq side.
‘If I were a boss monster. And if I were the authors.’
I would rack my brain.
‘For a way to counter an anomalous dangerous magical entity.’
‘Wouldn’t it be safer to hide in another dimension rather than the Earth dimension?’
I already commanded Spatial Liberation.
I could isolate dimensions and pour magic through them.
Then what about the enemy?
The enemy might also be able to wield a similar ability.
Manipulating summoned entities within a dimension from outside it.
That would also be part of the spatial liberation concept.
-In other words, it would be a clash between a spatial mage and a spatial summoner.
-Fascinating. Summoning is also part of magic, so ultimately this is a magical duel that determines a mage’s superiority.
-In magic, we cannot afford to lose.
Crimson flames erupted across Mayo’s torso, blazing with fierce intensity.

* * *
Choi Kang-mok had little interest in anything beyond magic and Tower climbing.
Everything else fell under the purview of the Korean Guild and numerous collaborators.
Recently, the most cooperative ally to Choi Kang-mok had been Lin Zhiwei of China.
Under Lin Zhiwei’s leadership, China focused intently on serving as a bridge between the Arcsia Empire and Earth.
‘This is the mission the EX-Rank Awakener entrusted to me.’
Of course, it wasn’t.
Choi Kang-mok had never assigned such a mission.
‘I must prove my worth through excellence.’
The results were far from poor.
Moreover, China was geographically very close to Shenyang, the magical hub city.
The foundation was already in place to serve as a bridge with the magical empire of Arcsia.
The (former) high-ranking officials of the Arcsia Empire who visited Earth were greatly astonished.
“Wait, you said it was a lower dimension….”
What was this?
The Aila Advanced Magic Research Institute in Shenyang boasted facilities superior to the Arcsia Imperial Magic Research Institute.
Moreover, magical support was comprehensive.
Even professors from the higher dimension were stationed there permanently.
Rumors spread that a bald mage among the operational staff possessed power rivaling the Great Sage Peltin.
“This is a lower dimension?”
Under Lin Zhiwei’s control, the citizens of the Arcsia Empire gained access to climb the Chinese Tower and the Second Korean Tower—the Iraq Tower.
“Connection through the EX Layer?”
“What exactly is this?”
Their preconceptions about lower dimensions shattered completely.
Call it a lower dimension if you will, yet it boasted an advanced civilization.
“Tower climbing rates that….”
They were in the position of a defeated nation.
Naturally, heavy tributes were extracted.
Yet despite this, even more remained.
“An extraordinary tower climbing system.”
“With this, even low-level Awakeners could climb the Tower.”
Arcsia too was overflowing with low-level Awakeners.
An enormous opportunity could be granted to all of them.
How was such a thing even possible?
Lin Zhiwei spoke.
“This is the grace the Emperor of the New Age bestows upon you all.”
Tribute was, of course, mandatory.
Beyond that, they were also forced to mobilize personnel for Iraq’s reconstruction.
Skilled technicians and construction workers from the advanced civilization were to be dispatched in large numbers.
Technology transfer and labor provision were the conditions.
And for the Arcian Empire as a defeated nation, these terms were remarkably lenient.
“…We are grateful for your benevolence.”
“You need not thank me—direct your gratitude to the Emperor.”
They nodded, then asked for clarification.
“You mean His Majesty Lee Byung-gyu, correct?”
Lin Zhiwei shook her head.
Perhaps because they devoted themselves solely to magical studies, their grasp of the political situation was remarkably slow.
“No. An EX-Rank Awakener.”
“You mean there is another Emperor above the Emperor?”
By their understanding, this was incomprehensible.
The civilizations were simply too different.
“Lee Byung-gyu is merely a regent. Remember this well. The true Emperor is the EX-Rank Awakener.”
“…I see.”
“However, he does not call himself Emperor. He dislikes being in the spotlight.”
“Pardon? Why would that be?”
“How could we humble servants ever comprehend his grand designs? He simply wishes to pursue magical research.”
A magical empire. The senior officials of Arcsia pondered this.
Could it be that he truly meant it?
“Therefore, you must treat him outwardly as you would a mage. Never address him as an Emperor. He is a mage.”
Meanwhile, Choi Kang-mok arrived in Iraq.
Travel was simple. Through the EX Layer, it took mere seconds.
“Wow.”
Much had changed.

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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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