The Return of the EX-Class Wizard - Chapter 187

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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 187
Karson recalled an ancient record.
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A monster in the form of a crimson cat. It was called Red Cat.
Its eyes were blades that severed truth from falsehood, and its tongue was the artisan’s hand that sculpted illusions.
It altered appearance and temperament. Even its very origins, shaking the pillars of the Arcian Empire itself.
The Emperor too fell victim to its deception, unable to distinguish loyalty from betrayal.
Thus the imperial court rotted from within, and the military crumbled without.
The fall of the Empire—it truly began with a single monster.
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A creature that beguiles humans and leads them to ruin.
Because it could topple an entire dimension, it earned the name ‘Dimensional Monster’.
‘Is that… the Red Cat?’
It resembled the records.
‘No, we cannot know if that is its true form.’
It merely appeared outwardly as a red cat.
What it truly looked like remained a mystery.
An inexplicable tension. A sense of wrongness. Unease. Various sensations crawled across his spine.
‘That cute appearance is… certainly not the truth.’
That was the truth.
Red Cat did look like this.
At least, it showed its true form before its ‘master’.
A youthful voice rang out.
-You lowly creature. How unsightly you look, lurking about in my pantry!
Choi Kang-chul flinched in surprise.
No matter how much Earth held the advantage, this could become a diplomatic incident.
“Red Cat. Don’t be disrespectful.”
-But ugliness is ugliness.
Karson was at a loss for words.
He couldn’t make sense of what was happening.
A low-level awakener disciplining a Dimensional Monster?
‘Was he a Tamer?’
No,
even if he were a Tamer, could one truly tame a Dimensional Monster?
‘Was Earth a dimension specialized in taming?’
If so, that might partially explain the EX-rank awakener’s absurd power.
What if humanity wielded magic by borrowing the strength of some Dimensional Monster-class creature unknown to them?
He certainly didn’t seem like an ordinary mage.
‘Then there’s a thread of plausibility.’
Of course, there wasn’t.
Red Cat is merely loyal to Choi Kang-chul.
More precisely, she obeys the person (Choi Kang-chul) whom her master (the EX-Rank Awakener) holds dear.
Karson forced himself to speak.
“Red Cat is….”
Earth doesn’t seem to know the truth about Red Cat.
That she is a formidable monster capable of destroying entire dimensions.
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Those enchanted by Red Cat.
They eventually lost the ability to distinguish between truth and falsehood.
Believing the world itself was nothing but lies, they began harming their own families, ultimately becoming deranged murderers.
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In other words, a monster possessing formidable mental corruption abilities—or rather, divine authority.
She even interferes with the system itself, fabricating false notifications.
Just like the bold letters recorded in Earth’s Hall of Fame
‘Mage’
.
‘I should not tell them.’
If left alone, they will crumble at Red Cat’s hands.
At minimum, the EX-Rank Awakener will be bewitched.
‘If only Earth had no EX-Rank Awakeners….’
There’s one anomalous human, which is the problem.
The others are unremarkable.
‘For the glory of Arcsia.’
Karson spoke quickly.
“We shall leverage Arcsia’s technological prowess to enhance mining efficiency.”
He decided to actively cooperate with Earth.
All for Red Cat.
‘She won’t be satisfied with merely Ruby-grade mana stones.’
More. More.
She will covet far greater treasures.
When that time comes, the EX-Rank Awakener and Korea will fall.
He had resolved to accelerate that clock.
“I shall contact the imperial court to recruit mining magic specialists. I am delighted this could prove invaluable.”
The reconstruction of Iraq had begun to ignite.

* * *
Red Cat possessed an exceptional ability to distinguish truth from falsehood.
Flaring her nostrils, she transmitted her voice so only Choi Kang-chul could hear.
-Ugly on the outside, turbid within.
-A heart brimming with malice.
There was one more point of displeasure.
-Constantly assuming this body to be some wicked monster.
For Red Cat, it was a thought she could not abide.
Red Cat’s body trembled violently.
What if some ill rumor reached her master, Choi Kang-mok?
What if she were struck by one of those spherical spells?
That could never be allowed to happen.
-Red Cat is a loyal feline.
-This cat’s master. Your brother, therefore, must hear only favorable words from you.
Her amber eyes gleamed with intensity.
In any case, Choi Kang-chul could decipher Arcsia’s true intentions.
“Red Cat designated as a terrifying monster. Assist Red Cat’s growth to collapse the EX-Rank Awakener and Korea from within… something along those lines, I’d say.”
Upon hearing this account, Choi Kang-mok tilted his head in confusion.
She didn’t seem like such a malevolent creature.
Just a cat who enjoyed good food.
Even now, she was prowling through every corner of the mine, seeking tastier rubies.
“Brother. I think quite a few misunderstandings have accumulated, haven’t they?”
-From the perspective of ordinary people, it’s a rather reasonable concern.
-The dimensional beast Red Cat’s mental corruption ability is sufficiently threatening, after all.
I said nothing more than that.
There was no need to speak more favorably of a treacherous sycophant.
“Still, I understand. Red Cat does seem dangerous.”
“Yes, I see.”
Mayo understood.
When it came to mental corruption abilities, her power surpassed Red Cat’s by a considerable margin.
At least in terms of ‘influence exerted upon a single individual,’ Mayo was far stronger.
The countless Archmages who had already become us proved this.
-A mage’s mind cannot be violated carelessly.
Mayo was certain.
Red Cat would not even attempt mental corruption.
No, she could not. In fact, she was already refraining from doing so.
She was already sensing the overwhelming gap between them.
Perhaps I should worry about the opposite situation instead.
-Red Cat might wish to become a mage herself.
A [!] symbol appeared above Mayo’s torso.
I hate that!

* * *
[Arcsia: Earth doesn’t even have gem-grade mines?;;;]
└Arcsia bastards apparently looked down on Earth’s awakeners
└They kept asking if there were gem-grade mines
└But there are, right?
└If there aren’t any, just make one~
└Arcsia: ?!?!
[Arcsia: Having a mine isn’t the end of it. Gem-grade mana stones are difficult to extract]
└???: Actually, it was easy?
└Mining rubies was easier than breathing
└Arcsia: ?????
[Arcsia: Having gems isn’t everything. Ultimately, there’s a severe shortage of labor for city reconstruction]
└Arcsia 222: Earth bastards can’t even use magic and their physicals are trash, so their labor is pretty useless;;
└But there are, right?
└Just bring in alien workers~
└Arcsia: ?!?!
The reconstruction speed of Iraq accelerated dazzlingly.
Meanwhile, Smattu, the Grand Chieftain of Brain, summoned the chieftains.
“A mine has appeared on this land.”
The system had kindly informed him.
A notification that a ruby-grade mine of the highest quality had emerged.
Even the location was provided in detail.
It was undoubtedly divine blessing.
“Everyone has confirmed the Quest, yes?”
The Quest was
‘Repel the invaders from another dimension and protect the mine!’
That was its content.
The chieftains answered resoundingly.
“Yes, we have!”
“Come. Let us go, warriors.”
He mounted his horse.
The Quest reward was ‘bread that never leaves one hungry and water that never leaves one thirsty’.
For Brain warriors who had always lived on barren land, the reward was irresistible.
“There are those cooperating with the vile invaders from another dimension.”
“Kill them all.”
A massive execution began.
Whether the Earthlings had actually cooperated or not was irrelevant.
Everyone the chieftains had disliked was branded an ‘evil traitor’ and had their necks severed.
Despite the true collaborators having already completed their relocation to Earth.
These developments were being monitored in real-time by Earth’s explorers.
Kang Hye’s expression darkened as she spoke.
“Brother. Look at this.”
What Kang Hye handed over was a photograph.
“This is….”
“Yeah, corpses.”
Not just one or two—there were at least several hundred.
“This is Yasbe Rock Mountain, known as the sacred mountain. It’s a bit blurry so it’s hard to see, but do you see that cliff?”
Carved into the cliff face were human visages.
The craftsmanship was crude, but they were unmistakably human.
“They say it’s three legendary great chieftains.”
The eyes and mouths were crooked and disproportionate.
It looked like a portrait mimicked by a child.
Beneath those carved figures, decapitated corpses were stacked in layers.
Choi Kang-mok furrowed his brow. Why go to such extremes?
“They killed them for cooperating with Earth, apparently.”
“?”
But I had most of the real collaborators relocated to Earth?
‘They slaughtered them all like this?’
From what I heard, some were killed just for exchanging greetings with a miner.
No matter how you look at it, it’s excessively inhumane.
Kang Hye bit her lip and spoke.
“That bastard Smattu is truly vile.”
“Tell me about it.”
Looking at this photograph, he’s definitely a madman.
Cultural differences… it’s crossed the line far too much to excuse it that way.
“And that bastard is heading this way.”
He’s riding a red steed and charging forward.
“At this pace, he should arrive here within seven days.”
“Really?”
Actually, that works out well.
If he comes from there, it’s even better.
“But something feels off. He knows this location far too precisely. It’s as if someone told him.”
Meow.
Just then, Red Cat returned from finishing a delicious ruby tasting and lingered inside the tent.
She seemed eager to perch on Choi Kang-mok’s shoulder.
But since her master was speaking, Red Cat didn’t dare interrupt and simply hopped onto Kang Hye’s shoulder instead.
She couldn’t freely climb onto her master’s shoulder, but the butler’s shoulder was fair game.
“Apparently, all the scattered chieftains received the entire Quest notification as well.”
“A Quest for the entire dimension?”
“Yeah, a Quest to repel the Earth invaders and reclaim the Mine. Doesn’t that strike you as odd?”
If that were truly fair, shouldn’t the lords of Earth have received similar notifications when Brain warriors invaded their world?
It’s not as though Brain Dimension possesses consciousness.
It’s peculiar that the system would favor only the Brain warriors with such convenient assistance.
“The rewards were listed in detail too. Water that quenches thirst eternally, bread that satiates hunger for a lifetime. Does such a thing even exist in this world?”
“That is rather strange.”
Meow.
Red Cat licked her front paw.
Her expression seemed to say, “Didn’t I do well?” but Choi Kang-mok didn’t notice.
In any case, the great chieftain Smattu led thousands of elite warriors in a charge toward the Mine.
“We shall arrive within hours.”
“We need only traverse the Plains.”
The terrain was perfect for mounted cavalry.
The weather was favorable as well.
A splendid day to slaughter cowardly invaders who relied on poison.
“Now, unfurl the banners!”
The horses surged forward.
Then, something began falling from the sky.
“Look there!”
“Black stars are falling from the heavens!”
“Stars?”
Smattu gazed upward.
Iron masses unlike anything he had ever witnessed were descending upon them.

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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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