The Return of the EX-Class Wizard - Chapter 199

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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 199
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※[Special Option: Frame Splitting]
Activates only in combat situations.
Divides invincibility on a second-by-second basis, allowing activation at any moment (maximum 12 seconds)
No cooldown when used in split form.
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“Wow….”
Indeed, when ‘EX’ is attached, everything changes.
I can slice up a 12-second invincibility window and use it in fragments.
If I break it down into 1-second intervals, that means I can unleash a continuous barrage up to 12 times.
“Though this does feel slightly like a trick.”
There’s that pesky restriction: ‘only in combat situations.’
But the Writers are deeply mistaken about something.
I was wary of growing solely as a combat mage, but I never despised growth as a combat mage.
“Foolish bastards.”
Combat magic is naturally a branch of magic, and growth as a combat mage is equally growth as a mage.
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No, who would pull such a trick!
Please stop. No more excuses. That damned author’s right has already drained the ink.
───────
Before I could verify it, the text in the notepad vanished.
Emily, having tidied her appearance, now stood beside me.
“Are you satisfied with the results?”
“Yes, it exceeds my expectations.”
“I’m truly relieved. I’m delighted that I could be of help, or rather, I’m happy.”
“I was genuinely impressed by Emily’s expertise and passion.”
It was no lie.
Moreover, it carried sincere respect for mages.
While some endlessly accumulate misunderstandings, others truly understand me as I am.
Even if ten thousand people misunderstood me, if one person genuinely understood me, wouldn’t that be enough to call myself a successful mage?
“Hey! Choi Kang-mok! Did you see me drive my elbow in?”
“Yeah, I saw.”
I thought he was a madman from the Mine.
Thank goodness it was a survival-specialized Mine; an ordinary person would have been seriously injured.
What kind of thing is that? Truly beyond common sense.
“So you can even self-mine now?”
“That’s right.”
Kang Pal-do laughed with satisfaction.
When he was first being mined, he struggled and complained so much.
The Lucky Mine had now firmly established its own consciousness as a mine.
“Even so, I have considerable pride in myself, you see. Hehe.”
“I knew it.”
“What?”
“That’s why you introduced me to Professor Raymond, isn’t it?”
Kang Pal-do felt a surge of irritation rise from deep within his chest, but he soon tilted his head in confusion.
“Well, I suppose so?”
Now that I thought about it, meeting Raymond had made self-directed fortune mining possible.
On Earth, Raymond was the only person capable of teaching such high-difficulty mining techniques.
‘There was some pain in my abdomen, but since I didn’t die, I suppose it worked out, didn’t it?’
Around the time Kang Pal-do was experiencing some confusion.
Good fortune continued to shower down upon Choi Kang-mok.
[The effect of the Title ‘Mythic+ First Owner’ has been confirmed.]
‘Finally!’
Five minutes had felt quite long. A smile bloomed naturally across my face.
Perhaps because the Lucky Mine was nearby, fortune was rolling in by the vine-full.
Emily, Earth’s greatest artisan but lacking the ability to eavesdrop on Choi Kang-mok’s notifications, spoke quickly.
“Indeed. A mage’s growth knows no bounds. Come now, verify it at once, infinitely growing mage of infinite growth.”
She had merely picked up on it through intuition.
Red Cat’s amber eyes widened.
The rival was not Mayo, but her.
This cosmic monster’s companion was I!
She did not speak.

* * *
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[Mythic+ First Owner]
Achievement Directly extract one skill from the owner and implant it into the body of a Mythic+-grade artifact.
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A simple explanation.
I fell into contemplation for a moment.
‘Implant my skill into Mayo?’
I reviewed the [Magic] category once more.
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[Magic]
1. Store/Release: 10 (Maximum Level Reached)
2. (Locked)
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“Are these different things?”
-From this mage’s perspective, these are fundamentally quite different.
[Magic] is an ability that stores my skills and allows Mayo to use them as well.
[Implant] injects my skills into Mayo’s body and transforms them into attributes.
-If this mage were to implant Haeju magic into my body, my body would evolve into the very key of Haeju itself.
-If this mage were to implant Dispel magic into my body, my body would become a mass of Dispel.
-If this mage were to implant defensive magic into my body, my body would become a miniature energy black hole.
Thus, [Implant] transforms the artifact’s attributes themselves.
If I implant light-attribute magic, Mayo could become a radiant Mayo.
“Then the answer is already decided.”
-Indeed. From a magical perspective, there is only one conclusion.
There was a concern that had been troubling me all along.
While rapid-firing ten consecutive skills is certainly useful, would Mayo’s durability actually hold up?
What if I stored and released high-output magic like energy field barriers or high-tier spirits?
Just as with the scrolls of old, there was no way to rule out the possibility that Mayo would simply explode.
“I’ll extract Invincibility and implant it.”
I could evolve Mayo into an invincible Mayo.
Infinite durability.
It would be able to store offensive magic of any output.
-I concur with that assessment.
-However, the phrase “directly extract” is deeply troubling.
-I will not proceed with system compensation. There is a sinister malice to this.
I have released magic to convert it into scrolls before, but could that truly be called extraction?
I attempted it but failed.
‘At this tier, it seems I must accomplish most things on my own.’
The era of having everything spoon-fed to me has passed.
Or perhaps it was the Writers’ machinations.
“Could I touch the settings with my pen?”
Kang Pal-do, who had been silently observing me, interjected.
“Wait!”
“What?”
“Are you trying to extract magic?”
Though I hadn’t explicitly explained it, Kang Pal-do had decent intuition.
Emily gave him a meaningful look.
“My lord’s mine keeper, know when to step back, I beseech thee.”
“What are you saying, you concept-obsessed fool.”
“Dost thou not see that thy lord undertakes something of utmost importance? Art thou perchance blind?”
“Get lost.”
I wouldn’t waste my precious time conversing with this beautiful madwoman obsessed with her concept!
Rather than squander time talking to such a creature, I’d sooner become a more prosperous mine. Sigh.
Kang Pal-do ignored Emily’s words and continued.
“Tense your rear end.”
“…What?”
“And put strength in your eyes too.”
“…”
Oh.
Come to think of it, there was an extraction specialist right here.
“Kang Pal-do. Can you show me that extraction technique a few more times?”
“You mean my Lucky Mine extraction?”
“Yeah.”
“I can show you.”
What kind of mine would it be if it couldn’t even mine?
He grinned widely.
“But this isn’t something you can easily replicate just by watching me do it.”
“I have considerable talent when it comes to learning.”
After all, I was Choi Kang-mok, who had gained profound insights even from Professor Raymond’s chaotic teachings.
As the student who had made Raymond a genius of the century, I had confidence in my capacity for learning.
“Watch carefully. This is the true dignity of the Lucky Mine.”
Emily stared at Kang Pal-do with slightly dulled eyes.
Who exactly was calling whom concept-obsessed?
A faint sense of defeat washed over her.
Meanwhile, Kang Pal-do grew even more confident.
“It’ll take considerable time. At minimum, several days. It could take years if we’re unlucky. The sensation of self-extraction is something only a mine can truly feel, after all.”
And a few minutes later.
I drew forth my magical power.
[You have successfully extracted ‘Invincibility’.]
It was invisible to the naked eye.
Only I could sense the formless energy.
Kang Pal-do’s expression twisted in frustration.
“Damn it, here we go again.”
He doesn’t even need to strain himself, and he just does it anyway?
A wave of considerable inferiority washed over him.

* * *
-My physical form is now invincible.
Mayo had become capable of storing even my offensive magic.
He had evolved into an all-purpose support fortress capable of preemptive strikes.
“Still, let’s focus more on defense for now.”
Everything we’d done so far had leaned more toward defensive support.
Just as magic develops gradually, it seemed best to transform Mayo’s support gradually as well.
“An invincible body storing invincibility itself.”
If I could implant this into an artifact, couldn’t I eventually implant it into my own body as well?
If I could wield this ability freely without relying on title effects?
‘Perhaps it might be possible in some distant future.’
My heart raced at the mere thought.
To obtain an invincible physique?
To command and cast all manner of magic at will.
‘That’s not just growth as a battle mage.’
It was undeniably so.
Mayo, awakened as a mage, would certainly agree.
-Indeed. I agree one hundred percent.
-How exhilarating it would be to become a mage who need not fear mana overload or circuit burning?
-I myself have already taken one step toward such a mage. Ahem.
It was enviable that Mayo was forging ahead first, but seeing the potential for development was enough.
I smiled wryly.
‘Magic truly possesses boundless potential.’
There was so much to do.
So much I wanted to do.
The process itself was utterly delightful.
It was then that Bessius and Christine came seeking me out.
Christine rushed forward and attempted to plant a light kiss on my cheek.
Meow.
Red Cat raised a white, fluffy paw and pushed her lips away.
Christine paid no mind and spoke.
“Master! It’s really you, isn’t it?”
“What do you mean?”
“A Mythic-tier Artifact Enhancement Notification.”
Bessius’s eyes gleamed with interest.
“A Mythic+-tier Artifact, no less. Quite impressive for an EX-rank Awakener.”
Regardless of objective achievements or actual ability, Bessius believed himself inferior to no one, not even Choi Kang-mok.
He was a mage who loved and respected himself above all else, after all.
“I suppose I shall have to test your Mythic+-tier Artifact myself.”
“?”
“Let’s run a mock battle. Equipment match.”
Bessius had already shifted into combat mode.
“My win rate is roughly 30%, isn’t it?”
“?”
No.
Bessius’s win rate was zero percent.
He had never defeated Choi Kang-mok even once.
Through miraculous arithmetic, he had calculated a +30% figure.
“Your win rate is 0%.”
Bessius wasn’t listening.
“Even if you’ve obtained a Mythic+-tier Artifact, an item is merely an item. A mage’s true power comes from magic itself. I’ll prove that in a magic-focused mock battle.”
Christine stepped in front of Bessius and spoke.
“I know a one-on-one is hopeless. So what about a two-on-one mock battle?”
“Two-on-one?”
Even Choi Kang-mok felt a spark of interest.
Mock battles against Earth mages had grown tedious lately.
They had become fragile toys, far too weak.
The kind that shattered if handled carelessly.
Christine spoke with subtle cunning.
“Two-on-one might actually be worth trying. I’ve prepared a few things.”
“You’ve prepared something?”
“Yeah. I’m curious whether it’ll work on you, Master. Can you teach this inadequate student something new?”

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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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