The Return of the EX-Class Wizard - Chapter 225

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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 225
Nominally, one versus twelve.
Yet Engaro did not perceive it as one against twelve.
‘In reality, it’s two against twelve.’
One of them was what they called a ‘magical anomaly’—a mutant of legendary caliber.
Up to that point, it was manageable enough.
This magical anomaly specialized in ranged combat, after all.
But the other one was genuinely troublesome to face.
‘Professor Raymond.’
The author himself was involved.
And he was a Professor, no less.
No further qualifiers were necessary.
‘What sort of scheme might he have orchestrated?’
The probability that he had done something beyond ordinary imagination was overwhelming.
Most notably, he could have subtly manipulated the Mock Battle Field itself.
‘What they called a rigged map.’
Rare though it was, there were instances of manipulating the Mock Battle system.
Called rigged maps, the mock battle would proceed in a form extraordinarily favorable to one side.
‘But I have some experience in this matter myself.’
Though I could not compare to the Professor’s vast experience, at least in ‘combat’ itself, I would be the greater expert.
I entered the Mock Battle Field, thoroughly tense.
[Entering the Mock Battle Field.]
An ordinary Stage Field.
There were no special effects to speak of.
‘No schemes at all?’
There didn’t seem to be any strength reduction either.
Mana manipulation functioned smoothly.
‘No debuff-type schemes.’
No skills were being blocked.
Exactly as Raymond had promised.
‘Could he actually be fair-minded?’
He might be aiming for impartiality when it came to magic, but….
It was too early to jump to conclusions.
‘The probability that he’s set up some strange mechanism is overwhelmingly high.’
No.
Raymond simply wanted to witness his disciple’s combat ability with all limiters removed, without embellishment or reservation.
[The mock battle will begin in 10 seconds.]
This mock battle was being broadcast through Kang Pal-do, a streamer from Earth.
What was interesting was that he had refused entry to those from the outside world.
Engaro focused on that fact as well.
‘Yes. There’s something bothering me.’
No, that’s not it.
Kang Pal-do’s insufficient raw power prevented him from receiving viewers from beyond this dimension.
‘Still, some viewers must have found workarounds to access the stream.’
The universe teems with countless awakened ones.
There would certainly be those capable of bypassing the streamer’s settings to watch.
Through them, this dimensional tournament would be broadcast across the entire universe.
‘I am Neroph’s dimensional representative. Engaro.’
To seize the momentum from the start.
He, a formidable battle mage, stepped forward.
“A battle mage, then.”
I had to fully demonstrate Neroph’s true strength.
So that the countless awakened ones across the universe would never underestimate Neroph.
Much rested upon these shoulders and fists.
He immediately employed ‘body technique’ to close the distance.
“One must master the fist as well.”
Sometimes a single, sharp punch proved far more devastating than elaborate, complex magic barrages.
He decided to impart a lesson to this still-inexperienced EX-Rank awakened one.
His fist connected with Choi Kang-mok.

* * *
Choi Kang-mok found it somewhat puzzling.
‘Why such a complicated expression?’
He seemed to be weighing and deliberating something.
How dare he second-guess a sacred magical exchange?
All his talk was clearly dialogue meant to acknowledge Kang Pal-do’s presence.
‘Wow.’
This really wouldn’t do.
How dare he concern himself with the broadcast during a sacred magical exchange?
The one who should worry about the broadcast is the streamer, not the mage.
Why was he managing his own screen time and dialogue?
He lacked the fundamentals of a true mage.
Then Engaro spoke.
“One must master the fist as well.”
He utilized footwork to approach with blinding speed.
-Too slow.
-Shall I repel him?
Mayo attempted to push him back with friend-foe identification, but Choi Kang-mok refused.
‘No.’
This was the first battle, after all.
I wanted to hold back on artifact assistance and test myself purely through magical prowess.
“But seriously, that’s slow.”
Genuine admiration!
There was no intent to mock.
Choi Kang-mok moved his body backward without using Blink.
Though he didn’t use Blink, the movement was nearly identical to it.
Kang Pal-do’s AI narration couldn’t interpret the situation.
I cannot provide a reliable translation for this text as it appears to contain corrupted characters, encoding errors, or symbols that don’t form coherent Korean words.
Professor Raymond exclaimed loudly.
“Oh, half a Blink!”
Remarkable. Truly remarkable.
My disciple’s genius in genuine ‘combat’ knows no bounds.
“Using Blink so frequently, the mage’s body has naturally adapted!”
Of course, it wasn’t a perfect Blink.
The movement speed was slower than Blink and the distance shorter.
Most critically, the mana flow was extremely unstable.
If we compare the mana flow needed to complete the Blink spell to a ‘straight line,’ then Choi Kang-mok’s current ‘half Blink’ had segments that were severed or dangerously close to breaking.
Ordinary mages would face serious consequences using magic like that.
Perhaps one or two times might be fine, but one mistake and their body would shatter or explode.
“But my disciple is no ordinary mage!”
In truth, it wasn’t only Engaro who was conscious of the broadcast.
The mediator Raymond was far more conscious of it.
Using oratory magic, he deliberately infused his voice with ‘trust.’
“Overcoming it through pure physicality!”
Another half Blink.
Half a Blink once more.
Consecutive Blinks!
Using martial arts, Engaro’s fists and kicks came at me, which I evaded with ease.
Even I, the one experiencing it, was exhilarated.
‘This actually works?’
Once I began using Blink in earnest combat exchange, it became far smoother to employ.
-Indeed, the user’s innate talent lies in combat magic….
Mayo was startled.
Overcome with excitement, she let slip an unguarded comment.
-Rather, it shines in movement magic as well!
-Truly a well-rounded mage.
My heart raced.
‘Really slow.’
I had trained to the extreme to survive against my own magical fragments scattering from all directions and flying at me irregularly.
My physicality had developed accordingly.
It had enhanced not only his physical strength but also his exceptional ‘vision’.
‘I can see everything.’
Compared to the magical shards that dealt instant death with even a glancing blow, Engaro’s martial techniques were sluggish at best.
He merely used body techniques as a supplement; his foundation remained that of a mage.
There was no real danger.
So I could afford to be leisurely.
Once, twice—Blink activated in succession, and I grew more accustomed to the technique.
Honestly, at first it was pure instinct, a fortunate accident, but now it had become a refined skill.
It’s far easier than I expected!
I spoke aloud.
“Use magic. Use magic.”
Why would a mage fight with body techniques when magic was the proper tool?
‘An opening!’
Engaro’s crown became visible as he faltered.
I brought down my staff, radiant with brilliant light.
Crack!
The staff, reinforced with supreme-grade fortune, converted my magical power into physical damage.
“This is what happens when you don’t fight with magic….”
Huh?
Engaro’s body transformed into green pixels.
[Mock Battle participant ‘Engaro’ has been eliminated.]
[Immediate revival unavailable]
[Revival requires approximately 70 days.]
Engaro vanished as pixels scattered into nothing.
Kang Pal-do’s AI narration interpreted it thus:
[Physical damage exceeding Mock Battle parameters.]
[This represents the supreme physical
attack
displayed by a magical anomalous entity]
From one corner of the stage, Red Cat let out a meow.
[It was supreme
magic
after all.]
The mock battle that began as 12 versus 1 had instantly become 11 versus 1.
I hadn’t even gotten to test the tag system.

* * *
The Nerop Delegation was not greatly flustered by Engaro’s death.
“It’s possible.”
“Within acceptable margins.”
The fact that magical power could be converted into physical force was already known to them.
Nothing new.
Of course, they hadn’t anticipated that he could strike Engaro’s weak point—the crown of his head—with such precision while moving at such speed…
Still, considering that absurd damage output, it was entirely plausible.
“His striking ability is more refined than we anticipated.”
“We need to focus more on defense and evasion while gradually wearing down his stamina.”
Thanks to Engaro’s sacrifice, I realized his physical attacks were far more sophisticated than expected.
“We must force him to swing that staff as many times as possible.”
Absurd damage inevitably comes with explosive durability consumption.
It’s common knowledge among battle mages.
“A minimum of seven strikes. A maximum of twenty-two strikes are possible.”
“Let’s prioritize evasion over defense and focus on degrading the staff’s durability.”
A woman with crimson hair stepped forward, removing the hood of her robe.
A second-round participant. It was Raydle.
-The battle mage Kim Chul-in showed us in photographs.
-Her epithet is the Red Assassin.
Choi Kang-mok shrugged his shoulders.
“That must be stressful. An epithet like the Red Assassin.”
For a mage to bear an epithet unrelated to magic is somewhat embarrassing.
From Choi Kang-mok’s perspective, who was being misunderstood as the “Emperor of a New Era” or some such nonsense, there was a certain sense of shared sympathy.
However, Kang Pal-do’s AI narration read the situation differently.
[For a mage to bear the epithet of an assassin is quite intriguing.]
[It serves as evidence of how covert and swift her movements are, and how formidable her magical lethality truly is.]
Pale skin.
Raydle, with crimson lips, spoke.
“I understand your arrogance well.”
Belittling the opponent’s epithet.
While provocation to shake an opponent is common in magical duels, it’s rare to see it in official inter-dimensional tournaments.
After all, it’s an honored position to represent one’s dimension.
“A fool who knows no honor.”
“?”
No, I said it out of genuine pity.
Around the time Choi Kang-mok let out a sigh, Raydle chanted the activation incantation.
“Scatter forth, crimson wings.”
Flames danced through the air.
Behind her back, two burning wings materialized.
[It was as if flames blooming from a furnace had been sculpted into the form of feathers.]
[Heat erupting in an explosion. Within it, the threads of fire dancing and vibrating.]
Choi Kang-mok felt somewhat pleased.
‘Huh?’
Crimson Wings!
Once, it was a technique from the Flame Queen—a Legion Commander—that had caused me considerable trouble.
‘I’ve already experienced this technique before!’
It had been truly difficult back then.
And because the Requiem effect had ended, I ultimately couldn’t face it properly.
‘I’ve grown stronger since then.’
Through this battle, I would be able to feel just how much stronger I’ve become!
The thought of facing the same technique after so long set my body ablaze with anticipation….
“But wait, why are the wings so small?”
Crimson Wings should be massive.
“Is this a miniature version of Crimson Wings?”
Somewhat disappointing.
The seams and finish of the flame wings fell far short.
At this level….
“I could’ve handled it without even raising my agility….”
As a mage, I offered an honest assessment of the magic.
Because I was a mage. It was a natural evaluation that slipped out as easily as breathing.
Raydle clenched her teeth.
Crimson Wings—a spell boasting speed and efficiency among the finest of flight-type movement magic.
Difficult to handle, but if one could master it, undoubtedly the best. That was my pride in this magic.
She was confident in her mastery of Crimson Wings.
So what? A miniature version of Crimson Wings?
“Do you really think such psychological warfare will work?”
It wasn’t psychological warfare.
In any case, Raydle flew forward in a curved trajectory.
Her hands were loaded with blazing flame magic, ready to unleash.

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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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