The Return of the EX-Class Wizard - Chapter 185

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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 185
Among the world’s sovereigns, the most pressing question of late had become: “How can we grow closer to an EX-Rank Awakener?”
An era had dawned where winning favor mattered above all else.
In that regard, Foster, the sovereign of England, and Lin Zhiwei, the sovereign of China, found themselves remarkably aligned.
Foster spoke.
“To be honest… I sometimes wonder if he isn’t genuinely pursuing the path of a mage.”
“I’ve sensed that possibility myself, to some degree.”
A man of iron will—proclaiming himself a mage on the surface, yet harboring dreams of becoming an emperor of a new age beneath.
…Could that truly be the case?
“But judging by the EX-Rank Awakener’s conduct….”
“Yes. Profoundly sovereign in nature. More so than any other ruler.”
That was what confused them.
His words ring true to the mage’s path, yet his deeds always bear the mark of a sovereign.
“I hear he’s entered the Barbarian Warrior Dimension to hunt down the hidden boss of the 70th Floor.”
“Yes. I’ve heard the same.”
This expedition would reveal the truth.
“If he truly is a mage, he’ll simply locate and eliminate the 70th Floor Boss.”
A sovereign—or rather, a mage—who wields ICBM-precision bombardment magic, after all.
“But if he is a sovereign….”
Both harbored similar thoughts.
“He’ll crush them utterly before returning.”
They had already been invaded.
The moral high ground belonged to them.
Tens of thousands had been killed or wounded by those creatures.
Countless people had been violated.
They had endured unspeakable humiliation and devastation.
It was only because of Choi Kang-mok that the damage had been contained; without him, the casualties would have been far more catastrophic.
“An emperor could not overlook such an affront.”
Could an emperor truly stand idle while his own people suffered such brutality?
It would undermine the emperor’s authority.
To establish imperial legitimacy, an example had to be made.
If one were truly an emperor.
Lin Zhiwei nodded.
“If there is an emperor dwelling in his heart… he will crush them so thoroughly they can never rise again. Because….”
“It is the Barbarian Warrior Dimension.”
Why they had never been conquered by higher dimensions.
What nature they possessed.
Earth had come to understand, to some extent.
“The higher dimensions failed to conquer Brain due to ethical constraints, or so they say.”
A people so fierce that only through overwhelming brutality—severe enough to invite human rights concerns—could they be forced into submission.
However, higher dimensions find it difficult to execute such overwhelming force.
“If you suppress them through sheer power and demand obedience, that’s the bearing of a lord. But if you quietly deal with only the 70th Floor Boss and leave, then it’s the mage’s way.”
“Yes. We should observe their actions carefully.”
That way, I could deepen my favorable relationship with Choi Kang-mok.
In the meantime, news about the Ruby Mine arrived.
[Breaking News: EX-Rank Awakened One discovers massive ruby mana stone mine in Brain]
[Breaking News: EX-Rank Awakened One annihilates Barbarian Warriors in a single strike]
News that the Ruby Mine had been conquered.
The Barbarian Warriors had swarmed there, but they were reportedly wiped out by a single spell.
“They were completely erased without even a chance to respond.”
Overwhelming force had crushed them.
Lin Zhiwei’s expression grew serious.
The first move was extraordinary.
‘I was mistaken.’
I kept getting seduced by how they appeared to be genuinely devoted to magic.
It seemed too sincere.
But an EX-Rank Awakened One was genuinely devoted to lordship—so much so that they could even act out that sincerity.
‘A truly perfected lord.’
I corrected my thinking.
The English lord was probably thinking similarly.
I should have a conversation over green tea sometime later.
Then, Lin Zhiwei’s chest suddenly swelled with emotion.
‘The goal isn’t to colonize Earth, but another dimension—specifically, to make the dimension of those who invaded Earth first into a colony?’
It was groundbreaking.
Many lords were worried.
What if the Emperor cast off his mask and ruled with tyranny?
Would they become victims of neo-imperialism?
‘Wait? If it goes this way, Earth could actually be unified as one.’
Earthlings as first-class citizens.
No, Korean nationals as first-class citizens.
Then Earth nationals as 1.5-class citizens.
Those from other dimensions would rank below that.
‘Even among the 1.5-class citizens, there would be hierarchy.’
She bit her lip.
I’d need to observe more to know for certain, but the first move was conquest itself.
They had seized the mines of the opposing dimension.
Moreover, they had stolen the very resources Iraq needed for reconstruction.
And they had annihilated the Barbarian Warriors.
‘This is an EX-Rank Awakened One’s declaration of war.’
At least on Earth, they had been merciful.
On Earth, I had refrained from killing as much as possible.
‘The most dangerous emperor in history, yet simultaneously the most benevolent. A ruler who, when displaying his power, does so decisively—never losing his authority.’
For no reason at all, goosebumps prickled down my spine.
There existed the ideal realm that all sovereigns dreamed of.
‘An emperor must have an empress befitting him…’
I stood before the mirror.
Wouldn’t I make a suitable empress?
The moment that thought crossed my mind, a strange sensation washed over me.
Until now, I had only viewed him as a political entity.
Suddenly, the shadow of him as a man overlapped with that image.
The aspect hidden beneath his majesty slowly revealed its contours.
‘Come to think of it…’
He was handsome.
Even if he weren’t, it wouldn’t matter—but he was handsome regardless.
Majestic, befitting an emperor.
In the mirror.
Lin Zhiwei’s cheeks were flushed.

* * *
Choi Kang-mok gazed ahead with a somewhat rigid expression.
Nothing remained on the battlefield.
Not a single fragment of the Barbarian Warriors who had been shrieking remained.
They had been completely annihilated.
Meow.
Red Cat licked her front paw.
As if it were nothing.
Kang Hye approached with a worried expression and asked.
“Brother, are you alright?”
“Yeah.”
Kang Hye realized that this situation had been somewhat ‘foreseen.’
‘We didn’t come here just to defeat the 70th Floor Boss.’
The primary objective was to find the true body of the 70th Floor Boss.
But conquering Brain also seemed to be one of the goals.
As for those lords, they would conclude that it was ‘hunting on the surface, but revenge and conquest beneath.’
‘My older brother just wants to do magic…’
Suddenly, I felt a pang of sympathy for Choi Kang-mok.
If you gave him rare grimoires, he was the type who would lock himself away in his room for three years without stepping out.
They say that those who wear the crown must bear its weight.
‘My brother can’t simply dedicate himself to magical research either.’
Now I truly understood what burden rested upon the shoulders of an EX-Rank Awakener.
As Earth’s representative Awakener, I seemed to be making an example of those who dared invade Earth.
As the Emperor of this new age, I appeared to be delivering bloody retribution to those who attacked my domain.
Of course, that wasn’t it.
Choi Kang-mok’s expression had hardened because of a magical failure.
–
We
have no reason to be disappointed.
-Look how quiet it is. This is indeed Silence Magic. Though it has a touch of destruction mixed in.
To Choi Kang-mok, it felt the opposite.
Destruction Magic with just a hint of silence woven through it.
‘Well, what was bound to happen has happened.’
I shook off the minor disappointment and surveyed my surroundings.
I had known full well that something like this would occur when I came here.
‘There will be far more battles ahead.’
The era of a new Tower civilization.
It was a reality I had no choice but to accept.
‘I won’t go out of my way to kill anyone, though.’
But if they strike first, there’s no reason to hold back.
They threw the first blow.
I had crossed over here anticipating war from the start.
Such incidents would become commonplace now.
Meanwhile, Red Cat positioned herself in the center of where the energy barrier had been deployed.
She closed her eyes and drew forth her magical power.
A crimson magic circle materialized, and a monument carved from ruby rose into being.
Radiant and colossal.
───────
[A Great Mage. Bestowing Silence.]
───────
Meow.
Red Cat’s gaze was fixed on Mayo.
-That… that cosmic sycophant of a monster…!
Mayo’s body trembled violently.
Then, Kang Hye spoke.
“Oppa. Wait a moment.”
It wasn’t over.
Following that, a group of Barbarian Warriors entered through the Gate.
“They’ve invaded again… huh?”
These were different from the Barbarian Warriors from before.
Carrying pickaxes, they didn’t seem particularly hostile.
They were miners.
Their pickaxes were caked with dirt.
They had just finished burying an old man.
Next, the elder. Olden stepped closer and asked.
“Excuse me. May I ask you something? Have you seen any warriors enter here…? Are you from another dimension?”
Olden sensed something amiss.
There were people from other dimensions here.
Yet they were alive.
He asked plainly.
“How are you alive?”
“What?”
“Those creatures. Especially Lefudo—they’re monsters who slaughter even their own kind without mercy….”
How could ordinary people like this still be breathing?
It wouldn’t have been strange if they’d all been devoured.
The miners blinked their eyes repeatedly. By their understanding, it was incomprehensible.
The leader of the Explorer Crew, Kang Hye, stepped forward to speak.
“They’re all dead.”
And I observed them carefully.
What reaction would these miners show?
Would they attack? Would my brother and I have to fight them again?
Then the miners fell to their knees and began to weep.
“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

* * *
The miners from Brain were thrilled like children presented with toys.
Their eyes sparkled.
“Sir, we can’t mine it?”
“Haha, what’s this? The pickaxe won’t even go in!”
‘Didn’t they say the spiritual pillar had died…?’
By Earth standards, it was difficult to comprehend, but I simply accepted it as the way things were.
Death must be as mundane to them as breathing.
They spoke with pride.
“The mining conditions are extraordinarily difficult.”
“Only our veterans could mine this. Don’t worry. We’ll teach you everything we know without reservation.”
“Didn’t you kill that bastard Lefudo? We should cooperate however we can.”
They quickly warmed to Choi Kang-mok and the Explorer Crew, treating them like old friends.
Choi Kang-mok found them likeable as well.
On Earth, everyone twisted their words, calling me the Emperor of a New Era or the Iron-Blooded Sovereign, but it wasn’t like that here.
Being seen as a battle mage was far better than being called the Emperor of a New Era.
“On Earth, there are quite a lot of miners with three or more experiences mining the Unbreakable Rock.”
“What did you say?”
“Hahahaha!”
“Earthlings really do love jokes mixed with exaggeration!”
“So the battle mage’s specialty is bluffing!”
They continued speaking from a miner’s perspective.
“Do you even know what the Unbreakable Rock is?”
“Even our elder miner here has only seen it twice in his lifetime. Isn’t that right, sir?”
The elder Olden nodded.
“And that was only when I visited a higher-dimensional mine. I failed to mine it and merely touched it.”
Olden recalled that time.
The thrill of touching a rare ore.
Yet the helplessness of being unable to mine it.
Various emotions crossed his face.
“That is… a divine mineral forbidden to mankind.”
Miners cannot extract it.
“Only with divine grace is such a thing even partially possible.”
The miners burst into laughter.
What? Miners who’ve mined such ore three times or more are everywhere?
Quite the amusing fellow.
Then, the select mining team chosen by the Korean Guild arrived at Red Cat’s Premium Provisions Warehouse.

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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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