The Return of the EX-Class Wizard - Chapter 220

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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 220
Demonire asked me.
“Did you attempt to distort the spatial release coordinates?”
“I did.”
“I thought as much. I tried the same thing.”
Demonire had experience conducting a practice duel against this magical anomaly.
“At first, you probably assessed it as mere physical force. You attempted to block it by layering defensive magic, then tried distortion. Naturally, that failed as well.”
Demonire read the situation with uncanny precision, as though he had witnessed it firsthand.
“How did you know?”
“Because I faced it the same way. People’s thoughts are all similar. You must simply erase distortion from your mind. We must focus on defense.”
Demonire’s words carried a peculiar force.
The Neroph Mages began to fall under the spell of his words.
“Of course, not mere defense. The magical anomaly’s magic cannot be defended against. Therefore, we must simultaneously evade and defend.”
“But its target is the Royal Castle.”
The Royal Castle had neither legs nor wings.
How could it possibly evade?
“We must slightly alter its trajectory and deflect it.”
….
Easier said than done.
An umbrella can deflect raindrops.
But what if it were a bomb?
“I have continuously researched the magical anomaly’s magic. My coating spell can withstand it.”
An energy bolt that obliterated the 4th Royal Castle might prove somewhat difficult.
However, if it were a simple ‘physical force’ magic with straightforward structure, it was possible.
“I believe the magical anomaly’s next attack will be physical force.”
“How can you predict that?”
The magical anomaly’s magic had grown more subtle and powerful.
Suddenly reverting to physical force in such circumstances?
“Because I have experience facing the magical anomaly.”
“But….”
“Trust me. The magical anomaly will absolutely use physical force magic. If it does not, I will forfeit my head.”
Demonire sent Choi Kang-mok a system message.
[Please use physical force conversion magic on the 4th Royal Castle. I will do my best to block it. I wish to test whether my coating spell or my student’s physical force magic is stronger.]
Choi Kang-mok grinned.
Raymond’s participation, then.
Perhaps he intended to offer quite valuable instruction this time.
‘The professor must have sensed my physical force was weak.’
Compared to energy bolt meteorization, physical force meteorization was somewhat lacking.
Simple damage and destructive power were stronger, and its persistence was greater, but in terms of diverse effects, it certainly fell short.
It lacked style too.
‘This might actually be an opportunity to further strengthen my physical force magic.’
The next target was the 4th Royal Castle.
Physical force magic poured down upon the 4th Royal Castle.
As a result, the 4th Royal Castle was half-destroyed.
That mattered.
“It’s… half-destroyed.”
“We avoided complete flattening.”
It was the first success since Demonire joined forces with us.
Though it had completely lost its function as a Royal Castle, they saw hope in it.
Choi Kang-mok felt it too.
‘My magic didn’t work perfectly!’
A portion of the physical force had dissipated.
For a mage, that was a challenge.
‘Next time, I’ll perfect it…!’
The next target was the 3rd Royal Castle.
However, simple physical force magic proved insufficient for adequate effect.
The 3rd Royal Castle was half-destroyed as well, but it fared better than the 4th.
And the 2nd Royal Castle ultimately succeeded in deflecting the physical force magic.
The Neroph Mages cheered, and so did Choi Kang-mok.
“Ah! I understand now.”
Raymond was teaching him.
There was no need to always throw fastballs.
Sometimes one had to throw curveballs as well.
Simply dropping physical force from above downward was ineffective.
Combat mages from the Higher Dimension could deflect it.
“The lesson is to finely control the direction and angle of the physical force.”
Choi Kang-mok questioned the professor.
A novice mage thinking and concluding alone could be somewhat dangerous, after all.
[Is the lesson about finely controlling the direction and angle of physical force correct? Or perhaps you’re inducing shape transformation, much like when handling energy bolts?]
Normally, one visualizes and manifests a ‘spherical’ form.
But what if it weren’t a ‘sphere’ but something sharp instead?
It would be far more advantageous for piercing through the protective coating.
‘I’ve always done that with energy bolts…’
Why hadn’t I thought to do it with physical force?
‘The importance of a shift in perspective. Professor Raymond must have been pointing that out.’
No, wait!
Raymond drew in a ragged breath.
‘Oh, he’s too strong.’
For Raymond too, this incident was a massive training ground.
‘Hostility’ wasn’t directed at him right now.
When it was weak and its patterns were predictable—this was the optimal moment to practice combat magic.
Yet my fingers moved with remarkable speed.
[My teachings are truly magnificent, after all.]
If a student learned without being taught, then the teacher must be extraordinary!
Raymond let out a satisfied chuckle.
The Neroph Mages rushed to ask questions.
“Has the magical anomaly’s attack ceased now?”
“With that much firepower unleashed, it seems like it would have to rest now.”
Raymond shook his head.
“The magical anomaly possesses a mythic-grade staff.”
“Pardon?”
“I don’t know the exact details myself.”
That’s a lie.
I know precisely.
“It appears to have a setting that allows it to cast magic infinitely when facing a specific target.”
Many “authors” have already deduced this much.
They simply haven’t confirmed it yet.
“I’m not sure how the magical anomaly selects and applies specific targets.”
That’s another lie.
I know everything.
‘It simply designated itself as the boss monster!’
Is that normally possible?
Of course not.
But Raymond was well aware that his student’s magic far exceeded all conventional limits.
In certain aspects, the student was a corruption more powerful than any other corruption.
Sometimes even corrupting the very settings themselves—corruption magic incarnate.
“It seems the entire Royal Castle has been designated as that target.”
As expected.
“Prepare yourselves. Another barrage is coming. This time, I predict an attempt at form transformation.”
“Form transformation?”
The Neroph Mages were bewildered.
“How could one possibly refine physical force of such destructive magnitude?”
Carving wood chips is possible.
But can one carve a bomb?
A nuclear warhead that explodes at the slightest touch?
“And you still don’t understand? The magical anomaly can do it!”
My student does such things even with energy bolts!
If they can do it with more difficult and powerful techniques, there’s no way they can’t do this.
As expected.
Physical force attacks rained down upon the 2nd Royal Castle.
“Concentrate your defenses at the specific points I indicate!”
Under Demonire’s command, I defended the 2nd Royal Castle once more.
Beads of sweat formed on Raymond’s brow.
‘My disciple’s magic still lacks refinement.’
But I know.
That genius mage’s growth rate transcends imagination.
Having failed once, he will succeed the second time.
‘If I allow further practice in this familiar battlefield….’
His rate of growth will far exceed mine.
“We abandon the 2nd Royal Castle.”
We move to the 1st Royal Castle.

* * *
Choi Kang-mok nodded.
I sense no trace of resistance from the 2nd Royal Castle.
‘It seems I’m doing well.’
Raymond was never particularly skilled at teaching.
His overall direction was excellent, but he lacked detailed pedagogical methods.
This would be no different.
‘He’s set the direction correctly.’
So now it means I should proceed on my own.
-The 2nd Royal Castle was a good training opponent.
-Destroying the opposing dimension’s royal castle has its own peculiar satisfaction.
And next, the 1st Royal Castle.
A system message arrived.
[Now try using energy bolts again. But reduce the number somewhat. I believe I can read your disciple’s magical pattern.]
Combat magic duels are completed through various elements, but the most intense among them is ‘magic versus dispel’.
In dispel magic, the most crucial element is reading the magical pattern.
I, a dispel specialist, knew well that one must read the opponent’s magic to dispel it.
‘He’s offering to analyze my pattern.’
No.
He asked because he couldn’t stop multiple bolts coming at once.
‘It would be helpful if a third party objectively read my pattern for me.’
Raymond mobilized all his capabilities to defend the 1st Royal Castle.
By this point, Raymond had become a hero of Neroph.
Yet there were limits.
The magical anomaly’s attacks continued relentlessly, and the 1st Royal Castle was ultimately destroyed.
Next came the 8th, 9th, and 10th Royal Castles.
It was instantaneous.
Even the 11th and 12th Royal Castles.
Every Royal Castle that Neroph took pride in was completely destroyed.
It took only a few hours for the faint hope that had emerged with Demonire’s arrival to crumble.
Demonire nodded.
“Mm, as expected, it cannot be stopped.”
“Pardon?”
“Professor Demonire! What do you mean by—!”
Professor Demonire, who had briefly risen as Neroph’s hope and hero.
When he adopted an attitude of “I knew this would happen,” the Neroph Mages grew furious.
“Is this a joke to you?”
“Why do you take my words so poorly? We have discovered a most crucial fact.”
“What fact!”
Professor Demonire’s expression grew serious.
He had confidence in his teachings.
As a genius of instruction, those learning from me would surely gain profound enlightenment.
“The attack magic of magical anomalous entities cannot be stopped!”
“….”
The Neroph Mages doubted their own ears.
That was the important fact they had newly discovered?
“Long-range combat offers no solution!”
“….”
The Neroph Mages already knew this fact.
That’s why they had prepared close-quarters mock battles from the start!
If not for the sabotage from the Higher Dimension Professors, the operation would have proceeded… wait?
“Professor?”
“Surely not…!”
It was said that among the Professors were monsters harboring dangerous ideologies.
For instance, monsters actively seeking to cultivate magical anomalous entities.
Could that Professor be…!
‘Was Professor Demonire never on our side from the beginning?’
‘Were we all deceived?’
Watching the expressions of the Neroph Mages grow serious, Professor Raymond nodded with a satisfied look.
“Have you understood?”
It seems they have gained wisdom from my teachings once more.
I should impart one more excellent lesson while I’m at it.
“Stop fighting and live in harmony.”
And this is the truly important lesson.
Raymond, who had maintained a faint smile throughout, suddenly hardened his expression.
“How dare you make my disciple look pathetic?”
[Thank you, Master. Thanks to your teachings, I seem to be completing increasingly refined and excellent long-range magic. There is still far to go, but I can feel significant growth.]
Thanks to my excellent teachings (which I never actually gave), my disciple had grown stronger.
The Neroph Mages found themselves in an even more dire predicament.
This had all been Professor Raymond’s meticulous plan (No, he genuinely tried to stop it).
“Everything went according to plan.”
“You deceived us!”
The mages of Neroph rushed at Professor Raymond and bound him in chains.
Alias: Professor Demonire.
True name: Professor Raymond was arrested.
News of this reached Choi Kang-mok, Raymond’s disciple.
[Now then, my proud disciple. Do rescue me. We come to reclaim the Earth Medal. My abduction serves as justification!]
Would his disciple prove adept at rescue magic as well?
Bound in chains and imprisoned in the Underground Prison, my master’s heart raced with anticipation.
Faith, I, persevere.

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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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