The Return of the EX-Class Wizard - Chapter 183

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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 183
At first, it was merely the awe of Explorers witnessing “Unlock Magic.”
“That’s… Unlock Magic…!”
“Truly, the magic of an EX-rank mage.”
I too began with admiration.
My fingertips tingled with an odd sensation.
Unlock.
I had only imagined key-shaped energy bolts, never envisioning Unlock Magic in this form.
A crimson afterglow clung to the Gate entrance like a lingering echo.
Like the resonance of Unlock Magic itself.
That final “click” sound was nothing short of masterful.
‘To employ even auditory sensation.’
To command such vivid auditory sensation.
Meow.
Red Cat shook her paws and settled back on her hind legs.
Her amber eyes seemed to ask, “I did well, didn’t I?”
Red Cat’s satisfied expression as she licked her front paw was utterly confident.
“Your instruction surpasses Professor Raymond’s.”
Done this way, it’s far more magnificent than the “Triple-Head Bald Eagle Transformation Flight Magic.”
Professor Raymond possesses exceptional magical skill, but he has no talent whatsoever for teaching.
He shouts “I’ve taught you everything!” without having taught anything at all. And he believes himself to be a truly excellent professor.
But Red Cat was different.
By utilizing visual effects in this manner, she directly taught me that an ordinary Unlock energy bolt could become miraculous Unlock Magic.
This is nearly an evolution—or revolution—in magic itself.
Yet Mayo’s reaction seemed somewhat peculiar.
-Is this not somewhat lacking to be called proper magic in the true sense?
-I believe this strays from the essence of magic and amounts to Red Cat’s deception—manipulating the ignorant masses.
But I did not hear those words.
A door to a new realm had opened.
One layer of shell shattered, and I had grown another step forward as a mage.
I surveyed the Explorers clapping around me and spoke.
“Unlock Magic, complete.”
Mayo glared at Red Cat.
An inexplicable sense of crisis washed over Mayo.
I fixed my gaze on the notification hovering before me.
[Will you enter?]
Could there be a more perfect Unlock Magic than this?
An utterly flawless success.
-I believe serious contemplation is necessary regarding whether this truly constitutes magic in its genuine sense.
Mayo, who had been so perfectly in sync with me lately, kept throwing these strange obstructions my way—it was somewhat irritating, but hearing it now, I wondered if there might be something to it.
Isn’t that essentially sleight of hand? Can it truly be called magic in the genuine sense?
It was around the time such doubts about my own magic began to take root.
[Magic creation successful
?
]
‘Huh?’
The second magic creation following the Energy Field.
Yet it was far from perfect.
‘The sentence ending became vague?’
[Magic Archive record?■”V’u?]
Was this the system’s trick?
Or the authors’ handiwork?
It was neither.
[Suspicious circumstances detected in the corresponding Achievement.]
[Initiating verification procedure.]
[Verification in progress…]
Beep— beep—
Mechanical sounds continued.
Choi Kang-mok was somewhat bewildered by these unfamiliar notifications and procedures.
I still didn’t know what the ‘Magic Archive’ was, but I understood it was something extraordinary.
If I had to compare it to Earth, it felt like a Nobel Prize for magic.
Just then, Red Cat lightly jumped and perched on Choi Kang-mok’s shoulder.
With fluffy front paws, she gently tapped the nape of his neck.
“Hmm? What is it?”
Meow!
-Master, don’t doubt your own talents and abilities.
-A mage’s faith, small as a mustard seed, can move mountains.
[A minimum of 7 or more witnesses is required.]
The same notification appeared for all members of the Explorer Crew.
[Is this ‘unlock’ a ‘Unlock Magic’?]
Kang Hye flinched in surprise.
There weren’t even YES or NO options.
[You have selected ‘No’.]
‘Wait, when did I?’
In my mind, I think of my brother’s magic as destruction, but outwardly I always refer to it as ○○ magic.
It was the same with Dispel last time.
‘I was going to select Yes?’
Yet voluntary selection was impossible.
The system had declared NO.
But the fortunate thing was….
[Based on witness testimony, it is recognized as Unlock Magic with a 9:1 verdict.]
The remaining Explorers had all perceived it as ‘Unlock Magic’.
Thanks to this, I could receive recognition from the system.
The incomplete sentence was now complete.
[Magic creation successful.]
[Recording in the Magic Archive.]
[Acquired Title: ‘Energy Bolt Unlock Magic Creator’.]
The second success, following Energy Field.
I had succeeded in creating magic.

* * *
The Energy Field Creator’s description was similar.
───────
[Energy Bolt Unlock Magic Creator]
By handling Energy Bolt to its absolute limit, a new form of Unlock Magic was created.
Official registration in the Magic Archive.
Skill name registration complete. You acquire this skill.
The creator of this magic receives various buffs when using it.
※When using this magic, mana consumption: 0
※Cooldown negation for this magic
───────
The effects were extremely satisfying.
Mythic-grade staff Excalibur-tier.
Just as I could unleash magic nearly infinitely in boss battles, it meant I could deploy Unlock Magic nearly infinitely against ‘Unlock targets’.
Choi Kang-mok glanced sideways at Mayo.
Even with this, you’re saying it’s not magic?
-It appears I was mistaken for a moment.
-This is certainly magic.
Mayo withdrew her original position, though she seemed slightly uncomfortable.
-Furthermore, the one person who denied it was magic is not me.
-I was not given voting rights.
‘Hmm.’
Then who exactly voted that it wasn’t magic?
It was fortunate that nine voted for magic—otherwise I wouldn’t have achieved this Achievement.
‘I need to find them and have a conversation.’
Rather than ferreting them out, a serious discussion seemed necessary.
Why they voted against it being magic.
I was curious about their thoughts and reasoning.
Meow!
-Through a mock magic battle, practical persuasion would also be possible.
That method isn’t bad either.
I think we can persuade them.
Then let me try to find out who it is….
Kang Hye quickly interjected.
“Brother, let’s start by entering the Gate first. Aha ha. Red Cat’s Premium Provisions Warehouse, huh? Red’s going to absolutely love that, right?”
-This cat knows of your transgression.
-If you offer treats, I shall forgive you.
Treats?
Cat snacks? A dimensional monster eats that too?
Kang Hye quickly nodded.
She didn’t want her younger brother to find out about her little indiscretion(?).
[Entering the Gate, ‘Red Cat’s Premium Provisions Warehouse’.]
Led by Kang Hye, the Explorer Crew followed behind.
At the spectacular vista that unfolded, they opened their eyes wide.
“A canyon-shaped terrain. And a massive mountain.”
Before their eyes sprawled an enormous ruby mountain.
The red light reflected by the sun fractured into thousands of layers, dyeing the entire canyon crimson.
The sheer cliffs were smooth as glass, and the layered ruby stone gleamed brilliantly.
Beneath their feet stretched red sand.
“This is….”
“Ruby… dust?”
Weathered ruby fragments scattered like sand, glimmering beneath their feet.
Not a sandy beach, but a ruby beach.
“A Grand Canyon made entirely of gemstones.”
Kang Hye swallowed hard.
Having witnessed countless miracles following Choi Kang-mok, she was less astonished than the other explorers.
Instead, she discovered one peculiarity.
“Brother. This place feels somewhat familiar?”
“Right?”
There’s an uncanny sense of déjà vu.
Even though this is clearly the first time seeing it.
Kang Hye quickly identified the source of that déjà vu.
“It resembles the Indestructible Rock Mine, doesn’t it?”
That place, which now takes on a proper mine form.
It also started in a similar state initially.
“Yeah. This place seems to be a mine.”
There are no notable boss monsters or threats visible.
It’s literally a mine.
In any case, since it takes the form of a Gate, a challenge has been activated.
[Challenge: ‘Come forth, Master of the Mine’]
[If the challenge is not cleared within 2 hours, the Gate will disappear.]
Red Cat let out a sharp cry.
-I am the master of this realm!
[The challenge has been cleared.]

* * *
Currently, Earth was in the midst of Iraq’s reconstruction project.
Countless Korean laborers and plant companies collaborated with Arsia Empire Mages to construct new cities where science and magic merged.
However, not everything proceeded smoothly.
“It has to be beautiful!”
“We cannot use mana stones of this quality. The mana device will malfunction.”
The problem was the significant gap between the level of Arsia Mages and Earth’s civilization.
Arcsia’s civilization was far more advanced—they had only lost because of an irregular Awakener like Choi Kang-mok.
The sophistication of their technology was unparalleled.
“We need at least gem-grade mana stones.”
“What? Earth doesn’t have those? Sigh. Then how are we supposed to build the city?”
Frequent disputes erupted among the field teams.
Earthlings did not understand Arcsians, and Arcsians did not understand Earthlings.
“Fine! It’s possible, sure. With technology from 500 years ago.”
“You still use mechanical elevators?”
With warp technology applied, you could travel in 3 seconds.
3 minutes to move?
How inefficient could it possibly be!
“Wait. There’s an Unbreakable Rock Mine, so why isn’t there a gem-grade mana stone mine?”
“This is maddening.”
No matter how I looked at it, Earth was simply too strange.
There’s an EX-rank Awakener here, yet everyone else is so ordinary?
An Unbreakable Rock Mine exists, but no gem-grade mana stone mine?
“Is this some dimension of Barbarian Warriors?”
“We cannot apply our technology even if we wanted to.”
“We need at least sapphire-grade mana stones. Ruby-grade would be ideal. What? You don’t have those? Sigh. What kind of place is Earth anyway?”
A contemptuous instinct stirred within them toward Earthlings.
Was this truly a place of little consequence except for one EX-rank Awakener?
They grew increasingly disrespectful.
“Sigh, as expected of an inferior civilization.”
“Even if there were mines, it would be useless. Does Earth have miners capable of extracting gem-grade mana stones?”
“We should just import them from Arcsia.”
Perfect.
It seemed they could strip Earth of its wealth.
In other words, a new source of profit had opened up.
“Sigh, such a low level of sophistication.”
“Do we really have to make agreements with dimensions like this?”
“You should be grateful that we’re willing to import anything from you at all.”
At the dazzling site of Iraq’s reconstruction.
That was the reality of the situation.
Meanwhile, Lee Hyung-joo, an explorer specializing in unlocking sealed areas, raised his hand.
“To mine these rubies, we need miners with special qualifications.”
Not just anyone can mine them.
“There are several difficult conditions—level restrictions, required skills, and so forth….”
But there was one condition that could override all of those.
“Miners with three or more instances of experience mining Unbreakable Rock can mine these.”

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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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