The Return of the EX-Class Wizard - Chapter 226

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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 226
Choi Kang-mok was not particularly startled by Raydle’s speed.
This too was a matter of relative perception.
Compared to the Flame Legion Commander buffed by Requiem, it was nothing—I could see it all clearly.
What puzzled Choi Kang-mok was something else entirely.
‘Psychological warfare?’
When did I ever employ psychological warfare?
‘No, that’s not it.’
I still have much to learn.
I’ve absorbed much from my master (though he never explicitly taught me).
Now it’s time to apply those lessons in actual combat.
Choi Kang-mok shrugged his shoulders.
“Well, I am rather good at psychological warfare.”
After all, I’m a battle mage now.
With brilliant psychological manipulation to shake the opponent’s resolve, I swung my brilliantly gleaming staff.
Magical damage converted into physical force.
Whoosh—!
My staff carved a golden arc through the air.
Raydle desperately twisted her body to evade the staff.
‘Insane!’
It was fortunate I’d anticipated it—otherwise I would have been finished.
I barely escaped.
‘Far faster than expected….’
Ah… wait.
A slight dizziness washed over me.
I glanced down to check my lower half and found it gone.
‘Deleted?’
Pixelated and erased from existence.
Thud!
My fading upper body, barely clinging to consciousness, crashed to the ground.
A few meaningless flutters of wings.
I could no longer fly.
Raydle stared at the EX-Rank magical aberration with an expression of disbelief.
‘Recovery is impossible anyway.’
Then I should at least extract information.
“I clearly dodged that.”
He’s thinking about the broadcast right now.
If I speak to him this way, he’ll surely answer.
And that answer will become excellent nourishment for my allies….
“Now do you understand how I feel?”
[Mock battle participant ‘Raydle’ has been defeated.]
[Immediate resurrection unavailable.]
[60 days required until resurrection.]
With that cryptic notification, my intense clash with Raydle came to an end.
Of course, it was only intense from her perspective.
“Some mages’ magic takes effect before it even makes contact.”
At first.
I was utterly bewildered when the slime burst apart without my magic even touching it.
Now, I don’t bat an eye at such things.
Just as enemies can be obliterated without magic making contact.
Enemies can be obliterated without physical force making contact either.
Of course, I myself could be obliterated the same way.
“Such is the fate of a mage, I suppose.”
Still, Raydle was fortunate in her own way.
She survived for a few seconds after merely grazing it.
“Well then, next.”

* * *
The faces of the Neroph Exchange Group members had gone deathly pale.
The situation was deteriorating by the moment. Two participants were now dead.
They had virtually no useful information.
‘They say he possesses a Mythic-rank staff.’
‘That staff certainly appears to be Mythic-rank.’
No.
It was a brilliantly gleaming, legendary-looking creation.
Simply reinforced relentlessly through the combined efforts of Raymond, Emily, and the Lucky Mine.
According to Raymond’s own words, even the staff was crying out for mercy.
‘And Raydle, the fastest among us, fell to him.’
Combat mages fundamentally prioritize agility.
It was necessary to respond swiftly to the ever-shifting dynamics of battle.
‘So speed alone is meaningless against him.’
‘How is this even possible?’
Combat mages shared a fundamental principle.
The stronger the damage output, the slower the movement becomes.
It was inevitable.
To withstand powerful damage, one required a correspondingly sturdy and heavy frame.
Consequently, speed diminished.
Combat mages devoted themselves daily to balancing two elements:
destructive power and speed.
‘How is he managing this?’
‘Is he wearing a Higher Dimension mythic-grade artifact?’
Even mythic grades have their own tiers.
A Higher Dimension mythic-grade artifact naturally far outperforms a lower-dimensional one.
‘If Raymond gifted a mythic-grade artifact….’
‘No, but does that even make sense?’
It was bewildering.
That formidable damage output and speed—there was no explanation for it.
The absurd magical anomaly spoke.
“Next.”
The next challenger was Naytel, renowned as a hexagonal combat mage.
With all her abilities developed equally, she was a versatile combat mage adept at handling any situation.
The youngest here, yet a mage of exceptional talent.
“Indeed, there’s a reason you’ve made a name for yourself as a magical anomaly. Impressive.”
“Heh.”
Choi Kang-mok shrugged his shoulders.
He looked remarkably young, yet his manners were impeccable.
To praise him as a renowned mage like that.
He had his principles well in order.
-He didn’t say mage….
Mayo closed her mouth again.
Sometimes the language of truth slipped out without her realizing it.
Had she been alone, she would have corrected the facts and shut that irritating bastard up, but not anymore.
There was that detestable Red Cat with amber eyes gleaming, and Igniasha, who was eyeing her successor.
Mayo had to exercise her social skills.
-The user’s magical nature cannot be hidden, so even to such an ignorant fool, it shines brilliantly.
Choi Kang-mok spoke.
“What I’m going to practice next is…”
“…Practice?”
Naytel was dumbfounded.
One person came here with desperate resolve as a dimensional representative.
And the other speaks of practice?
‘Don’t be shaken!’
She had already witnessed his deception and mockery skills.
He was a master of psychological warfare that surpassed most combat mages.
‘I must control my mind well.’
The most crucial element in combat was an unshakeable spirit.
Only by remaining unmoved could one crush an opponent.
“Right. At first, I used physical-force magic.”
He literally just smashed it with a club!
“And then, using the same method as non-physical magic’s mana pressure control, I induced non-contact destruction.”
The terminology is complex, but ultimately it’s just a swing of a club!
Choi Kang-mok showed courtesy to a mage who conducted herself with courtesy.
“Though I’m disappointed it didn’t shatter in a single strike.”
But I destroyed it in one blow!
The incomprehensible words continued.
Could it be that taking a few seconds doesn’t count as a single strike?
“My non-contact destruction wasn’t perfect. I think I need to practice non-contact destruction a bit more.”
Naytel remained unflustered.
No madman reveals his strategy in detail before combat.
This was clearly psychological warfare.
‘Gasp!’
Choi Kang-mok’s body drew near.
In the blink of an eye.
An approach so swift there was no time to react.
‘Blink?’
No.
‘Half-Blink.’
Not an actual skill, but a mere imitation.
From the perspective of an advanced mage like Raymond, it was a rather forced and makeshift technique, but that was
the mage’s
physical prowess overcoming it.
‘The Blink is too fast…!’
Typically, Blink is used more as an evasion skill than an attack.
Since it’s an advanced movement spell with high stamina consumption, the precision of follow-up attacks diminishes significantly.
It’s effective for evasion, but using it as an attack combo has many disadvantages.
If you use Blink while accounting for follow-up attacks, the advantage of speed disappears.
Yet this Blink is extraordinarily fast.
Whoosh!
The club swept through empty air.
Naytel was not hit.
Hehehehe, the magical anomaly laughed.
“Success.”
[Mock battle participant ‘Naytel’ has been defeated.]
Last time was failure. This time was success.
Magical progress.
[It appears that the
magical anomaly’s
mage’s magical abilities are advancing by leaps and bounds through actual combat.]
[It is interpreted that there are similarities to mana pressure control, and that ability serves as the foundation for successfully executing physical pressure control.]
The tone was somewhat uncertain, trailing off hesitantly.
Kang Pal-do’s expression twisted in displeasure.
‘Has the AI malfunctioned?’
Why was it lacking confidence?
Such commentary only hindered matters.
He simply shut it off.
“Hey, Raymond! That bastard just crushed them with physical pressure control, right?”
This was the moment Kang Pal-do’s overwhelming reputation soared.

* * *
In an instant, three participants had perished.
That alone was shocking, but the expression of the magical anomaly was even more astonishing.
‘It’s smiling?’
It kills people and smiles.
[Immediate resurrection impossible]
[Approximately 80 days required until resurrection]
Of course they would eventually be revived, but such obvious delight crossed a line.
There was no consideration or respect for the opponent.
“I shall go.”
Now I truly had to give my all.
Intermittently, I would need to mix in tags and drain its stamina.
It had only swung that Mythic-grade club three times.
Woefully insufficient.
“My objective is to force it to swing that club more frequently.”
I was beginning to grasp its strategy.
A strategist-type battle mage.
Wisdian stepped forward and spoke.
“What level of magical mastery do you seek to achieve through this practical training?”
That creature always kept its word.
It seemed designed to maximize the effect of mockery.
‘It matters not.’
All that mattered was to overcome it effectively.
I could endure its deception and ridicule.
That was the dignity, honor, and responsibility of a dimensional representative.
Gritting my teeth, I questioned it again.
“Direct physical impact magic. The manifestation of subsequent non-contact physical destruction magic. And I witnessed the growth of non-contact physical destruction magic firsthand. I asked what the next level is!”
“Multiple non-contact physical destruction.”
Choi Kang-mok regarded the opponent.
A rather impressive creature.
One that understood the ethics of a mage.
It was organizing matters in the language of magic and guiding the next stage of growth.
Even a weak enemy deserves the courtesy due to a mage.
“…I was going to do that.”
Energy bolts are more powerful when fired in volleys rather than single shots.
Controlling all of them is taxing, but I can feel the magical growth, and that’s deeply satisfying.
I intended to do the same this time.
But my opponent has caught my interest.
I’ve decided to extend the courtesy befitting a mage.
“I’m going to focus on damage reduction control. Your defensive capacity is far weaker than I anticipated.”
“….”
That remark was for Wisdian’s benefit.
It’s not even shameful to admit.
A mage can certainly have weak defenses.
Weak magic is shameful, but weak defenses are perfectly acceptable.
Mayo conjured text in the air.
-Means he’s going easy on you ^0^
Tch.
Wisdian clenched his teeth.
‘Don’t let psychological warfare shake me.’
He maintained his composure and raised his staff.
“Damage reduction control, you say. That must be quite difficult to manage.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
It’s truly rare to meet someone who grasps a mage’s heart.
I regret meeting you as an enemy.
“Let me help you with your training. If you tell me your attack directions and timing in advance, I’ll do my best to evade or neutralize your non-contact destruction.”
“Very well.”
Wisdian steadied his breathing.
‘Is he mocking me?’
Arrogance and carelessness were overflowing from him.
‘How much does he look down on me to be smirking like that!’
…No.
Choi Kang-mok was genuinely delighted.
As if he’d found a fellow mage.
Anticipating mutual magical growth!
Choi Kang-mok spoke.
“It’ll take me a moment to concentrate.”
“How long?”
“Hmm.”
Damage control is truly a difficult domain.
“About seven seconds.”
“Fine.”
“And.”
Choi Kang-mok swung the club lightly.
Though they were at some distance, the Neroph mage flinched in surprise.
Fortunately, there was no lethal intent behind it.
“I’m going to strike this space.”
“Understood.”
Choi Kang-mok closed his eyes slightly.
Seven seconds remained.
Time for concentration.
But Wisdian did not wait.
“Take this!”
He was playing mind games?
Then so would I.
He too used Blink to close the distance.
His staff had a layered energy bolt cast upon it, one that applied the principle of Curse.
His energy bolt reached Choi Kang-mok’s temple.
And something extraordinary happened.

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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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