The Return of the EX-Class Wizard - Chapter 218

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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 218
Choi Kang-mok furrowed his brow.
“You know why I’ve been holding back on [Attack Magic], don’t you, hyung?”
Choi Kang-chul nodded.
In truth, he felt a heavy sense of responsibility weighing on him.
The fact that Choi Kang-mok had been placed in such a situation was shameful for him as the dedicated EX-Rank team leader.
‘I couldn’t exercise political power.’
That’s precisely why the dedicated EX-Rank team existed.
This time, it felt like he couldn’t help at all.
Choi Kang-mok asked.
“Why did they give it and then take it away?”
“I looked into it carefully, and there was pressure from the Higher Dimension.”
Choi Kang-chul had obtained information smoothly through ‘certain channels’.
“Specifically, there was political and diplomatic pressure from The Professors, apparently.”
“The Professors?”
“Yeah. Professors who wanted to take you as their disciple.”
“…Ah, those con artists?”
The ones who had pulled schemes through system mail.
They’re making another move this time.
“Con artists?”
“Yeah. Professor Raymond has said it repeatedly too. They’re all con artists.”
“…So that’s how it was?”
“What?”
“The information opened up too easily.”
In truth, information about Neroph was extremely limited.
The dimension of battle mages.
Beyond that, there was barely anything to know…
“Strangely enough, the pressure from the Higher Dimension, the source of the pressure being Magic University professors, even the specific circumstances of the pressure—it all became knowable so easily.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
There was no need to investigate at all.
The information rolled in on its own.
“We received a tip through the Korean Guild.”
“I see.”
“We were in a situation where we had to wonder whether this information was trustworthy, and if it was, why they were approaching us so aggressively. But now that I know they’re con artists, it all makes sense.”
Once you assume the premise that they are con artists, the picture becomes clear.
“There’s essentially nothing they can gain from us.”
They’re con artists, but their abilities are outstanding.
Enough to bring information from the Higher Dimension.
What they could obtain from Earth would be limited.
“In the end, I’d say the real target is you. Do you think there’s a reason they approached us?”
“There is.”
I had already deduced their sinister intentions.
“They’re definitely trying to obstruct the magical exchange.”
“Obstruct the magical exchange?”
“It’s obvious. They’re trying to shake my mental state.”
I don’t know their ultimate objective.
Officially, it’s ‘forced enrollment in graduate school,’ but I’m not sure if that’s what ‘enrollment’ actually means in the conventional sense.
Then again, the moment the word ‘forced’ entered the picture, it stopped being conventional.
“As you know, I’m a mage, so I’m naturally resistant to mental corruption.”
“That’s true.”
“But being notified unilaterally like this and having it cancelled still shakes my resolve.”
I had endured ‘attacks’ as well.
I had endured offensive magic because we were an official diplomatic delegation.
I had been looking forward to the magical exchange so much.
I ground my teeth.
“And they took away the Earth Medal too.”
Choi Kang-chul was a reasonable man.
‘They didn’t really take it, did they….’
Strictly speaking, since it was never given in the first place, it wasn’t taken.
But I didn’t want to dwell on such trivial details.
I could see the wronged expression on my brother’s face.
‘Now that I think about it, it does feel like it was taken.’
In any case, Choi Kang-chul was a reasonable man.
And he was an older brother who cherished his younger sibling.
“Kang-mok. You might have forgotten because you’ve become so strong lately… but you must always remember that your awakening can be inherited by others.”
I flinched.
My brother’s words were true.
However, Red Cat and Igniasha, the fragment of divinity, thought simultaneously.
‘Who?’
‘Is there someone capable of doing that?’
Their gazes collided in the empty air.
Igniasha asked very quietly.
“From a dimensional beast’s perspective, is there someone who could harm the master?”
“There is one.”
From a dimensional beast’s perspective, there does exist one person capable of harming the master.
Igniasha was startled.
From a divine fragment’s perspective, there shouldn’t be anyone capable of harming the contractor!
Could there really be another such monster?
Red Cat answered.
“Choi Kang-mok. Magical anomaly. Alias: EX-Rank Awakener. Master of the dimensional beast Red Cat. A mage untainted by corruption.”
“….”
Igniasha exhaled a weary sigh.
What gleamed in Red Cat’s amber eyes was….
“Why are you being so smug about it?”

* * *
Professor Raymond came looking for Choi Kang-mok.
As an NPC, there were considerable restrictions on him leaving the Ayla Magic Research Institute, but that was fine.
He possessed an abundance of gleaming ‘fortune’ to draw upon.
Raymond spoke with a satisfied smile.
“It certainly seems to be preventing Shocksaha.”
As time passed, the quality of fortune being mined improved.
The quantity increased as well.
“The finest mine where both quality and quantity grow together. I truly am fortunate.”
To think I’d contract with such a mine on Earth.
In any case, he handed over an item.
“I hope my student will like it. A map of Neroph.”
“A map… you say?”
Choi Kang-mok gazed at Raymond with reverence.
He’d actually needed a map anyway.
Now that the official delegation schedule had been cancelled, it was time to make a move.
“But is it alright for an NPC to intervene so directly? NPCs have many restrictions, don’t they?”
“The dimensional war was systematically acknowledged by the system. It was a completely unilateral declaration.”
Earth had no choice in the matter.
They initiated it, and Earth accepted it.
“Fundamentally, higher dimensions find it difficult to forcibly interfere with lower dimensions.”
And yet with such a massive power gap, they immediately triggered a dimensional war?
Without consent?
This meant they artificially manipulated the system parameters.
“Since they interfered first and caused trouble, surely NPCs can exercise this level of intervention as well, no?”
“So it’s being recognized as something like self-defense?”
“I truly am a genius.”
Raymond nodded in agreement.
He felt once again the remarkable talent he possessed for teaching.
After just a few words exchanged, my student already understood everything.
-I’m not entirely sure what I actually taught him.
Even if I had taught him something, and even if Choi Kang-mok had learned it well….
-I don’t think it would be enough for him to feel like a genius to this degree.
Mayo scanned the map.
In any case, the map itself was excellent.
Especially a dimensional map with the precise locations of twelve royal castles marked on it.
-It should be helpful regardless.
Mayo stole a glance at Red Cat and Igniasha from the corner of her eye.
The two of them were huddled together, engaged in some conversation.
‘Those schemers.’
Red Cat was openly a schemer, while Igniasha was a schemer pretending otherwise.
I wasn’t entirely sure, but those two were subtly coordinating and communicating with each other.
Mayo felt a slight sense of threat.
‘I can’t lose.’
A 2:1 disadvantage was inherently unfavorable in every way.
Either I needed to build more allies, or my single self had to become overwhelmingly superior.
Mayo’s choice was the latter.
-Mage Choi Kang-mok.
-Would you practice implementing preemptive interception magic together with me?
-With magic, I will help. With magic.

* * *
Mayo’s will to grow was formidable.
And I reflected.
‘The user’s defensive magic is….’
At first, I found it somewhat absurd that my master insisted on calling it defensive magic.
That which destroys everything—how could that be defense?
Honestly, I hadn’t voiced it, but it felt like a stretch.
But not anymore.
‘It’s definitely defense!’
The moment I harbored doubt about my master’s magic, those schemers would steal my master away from me.
That could never happen.
Upon further reflection, it was undoubtedly defense.
The concept of Mayo, the Pocket Dimension entity, was newly established, and the worldview was recreated anew.
‘Extremely advanced preemptive defense is difficult to distinguish from offensive magic.’
Could this same principle not be applied to interception as well?
‘Extremely advanced preemptive interception might be difficult to distinguish from offensive interception.’
Interception is the ability to shoot down incoming attacks.
It only activates when the opponent strikes first.
But if it were ‘preemptive interception,’ things would be different.
The mage
and my concept alongside him had changed, and my abilities had evolved as well.
-I can assist with preemptive interception magic.
I decided to work with Choi Kang-mok to unfold ‘preemptive interception magic.’
Choi Kang-mok nodded with a satisfied expression.
“Good.”
Mayo’s growth was gratifying.
The boundless expansion and development of existing abilities.
Yes, this is what a mage truly is.
“We’ve already practiced enough with maps to pinpoint our origin point.”
However, a dimension I’ve never visited before.
This is my first time attacking across a completely unfamiliar dimension.
“The dimensional gate is already open.”
I’ve entered Tower 60th Floor.
From here, I should be able to execute a more perfect ‘offensive spell.’
“I must pay the price for stealing Earth’s medal.”
If they had simply proceeded with magical exchange, it wouldn’t have come to this.
Taking back what was given is far more malicious.
I declared war through the Korean Guild.
[“The EX-rank Awakener of Korea designates Neroph’s hostile actions as an invasion of Earth. It is hereby declared that Korea will retaliate with ‘offensive magic’—a different approach from the ‘defensive magic’ previously demonstrated through Arcsia.”]
Now it was no longer mere defensive magic.
There was genuine ‘intent to attack’ behind it.
The combat mages of Neroph’s dimension scoffed.
“Isn’t assassination magic the foundation?”
“Assassination magic must have been too difficult.”
This was not Arcsia.
It was nearly impossible to completely suppress one’s presence and execute assassination magic.
“Inevitably, the presence will be revealed….”
“And he’s packaging it as offensive magic.”
Truly befitting a politician dreaming of becoming emperor of a new era.
Words are one thing, reality another.
“What could be the meaning behind such a deliberate declaration of war?”
“Is it not asking to be hit appropriately….”
It was not.
Choi Kang-mok had no political intentions.
[Breaking News: The Seventh Nation, Laiki Royal Castle—Signs of Spatial Release!]
[Breaking News: Laiki, “Defensive Barriers Already Complete”]
As Choi Kang-mok said, this was not ‘assassination.’
They had precisely detected the signs of spatial release magic and immediately entered a defensive stance.
What Choi Kang-mok chose was ‘physical force’ magic.
After all, this was my first attempt at spatial release.
I began practice by prioritizing the simplest and easiest magic in terms of structure.
“Real combat is the best practice, after all.”
It was certainly different from usual.
A spatial liberation physical force attack spell that unfolds across dimensions using only map information.
Perfect execution required considerable time.
The officials of Laiki Royal Castle were horrified.
“The defensive barriers aren’t activating!”
The mage’s intent to attack was woven into the spell itself.
The actual ‘attack power’ had grown substantially stronger.
“The total damage output far exceeds our projections!”
“The damage is overwhelmingly severe….”
The battle mages were aghast.
“It’s [destroying] every possible defensive measure.”
The spell didn’t unfold conventionally.
In other words, mana pressure? Or perhaps fragments of will embedded within the spell?
That minuscule ‘something’ was obliterating every defensive measure.
“What in the….”
“It didn’t even touch the spell….”
Before the spell could even manifest.
“All barriers have been completely destroyed!”
Physical force imbued with attacking intent.
Physical force amplified with such attack power transcended all comprehension.
Laiki Royal Castle was torn asunder like paper.
Now Laiki Royal Castle was no longer a castle—it had become ‘what used to be a castle’.

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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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