The Return of the EX-Class Wizard - Chapter 229

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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 229
Choi Kang-mok felt a twinge of admiration.
The attire alone spoke of substance.
‘I wish I had a robe with such fundamental elegance.’
Of course, Choi Kang-mok possessed a Legendary-grade robe himself, but compared to Wordia’s azure-tinged garment, it seemed utterly pedestrian.
Had it not been for the excellent Blink option, I would have replaced it long ago.
Sometimes, attire shapes a person’s very presence.
‘Legendary-grade isn’t enough.’
Wordia looked every bit the formidable mage at first glance.
A little… enviable.
‘This won’t do.’
The Seoul Guild’s master artificer (or so to speak).
If I could request Byun Ha-gu’s assistance to craft at least a Mythic-grade (or something resembling it) artifact, that would be ideal.
Or perhaps a thorough perusal of the EX-Rank Shop might yield something worthwhile.
‘For now, I must focus on this magical exchange.’
My opponent was formally requesting a magical exchange.
After the false came the genuine.
At the genuine request, my heart quickened.
‘That’s right. She’s correct. If defensive magic can be anchored externally, it should logically be possible to anchor it internally as well.’
Yet that remained impossible.
Merely enduring the mana pressure was taxing enough—manifesting a completed spell within one’s own body?
Unfortunately, my current strength made it difficult.
‘An adversary, yet she teaches me nonetheless.’
The dimension of combat mages—Nerop.
From a dimensional perspective, we were enemies, but ultimately, people lived their lives there too.
Mages of noble character like Wisdian and Wordia existed among them.
Yet I found myself curious.
“You’re not using Water Pressure Amplification?”
She’d recited the incantation.
So why wasn’t the spell activating?
“….”
Wordia’s face flushed crimson.
‘Despicable bastard!’
She hadn’t refrained from using it.
She had used it.
‘He should definitely feel the pressure building inside his body.’
By Wordia’s understanding, that was how it worked.
Without proper defensive or nullifying magic, a human who accepted Water Pressure Amplification directly into their body would experience extreme terror.
The sensation of something about to rupture from within.
Many would concede at this alone.
But what? You’re not using magic?
“Water Pressure Amplification.”
Only Choi Kang-mok could layer magic upon magic.
Wordia could do it too.
‘Water Pressure Amplification.’
She had stacked the spell multiple times.
It was a level of water pressure amplification no human could withstand.
Blood would swirl in violent eddies, and veins would rupture.
‘He wouldn’t be able to move a single finger.’
Even the slightest impact would tear that body apart.
Knowing this, he stood motionless.
…Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
Choi Kang-mok was genuinely puzzled.
‘Is this really Water Pressure Amplification?’
Did she intentionally hold back?
I could sense the general nature of the spell.
But the power was far too weak.
‘She’s treating me like a mage.’
Mages had fragile bodies.
Unless they were like that fake one from before, they usually did.
She seemed to have deliberately reduced her output to match a proper magical duel.
“You held back on purpose, didn’t you?”
“….”
“You can go harder.”
“….”
At this point, Wordia sensed something was wrong.
The water pressure amplification was functioning properly.
Yet her opponent accepted it without any apparent strain.
‘This makes no sense.’
His blood vessels and mana circuits weren’t forged from steel, so how was this possible?
Raymond, still bleeding from the corner of his mouth, let out a low chuckle.
“My disciple’s body has already been conditioned to his own mana.”
His body had been reconstructed to match it.
His resilience against ‘magic’ transcended imagination.
Water Pressure Amplification against that body?
It wouldn’t even tickle.
Choi Kang-mok realized the truth as well.
‘She was genuinely exerting herself with that magic.’
It wasn’t mercy.
That realization left him feeling oddly uncomfortable.
This wasn’t blocked by magic.
It was more like being physically pinned down.
Even in combat sports, fighters are matched by weight class—for a moment, this felt like cheating.
But only for a moment.
“Mana is inherently finite, after all.”
The most certain lesson I learned from Raymond was shamelessness.
A mage must be shameless by nature.
“Your idea of anchoring defensive magic within the body was quite novel, but ultimately, a mage must allocate their mana resources strategically and use them appropriately. Especially in combat magic exchanges where the battlefield shifts constantly.”
Red Cat reflected.
My master’s explanation had become far too long and verbose.
Like someone forcing a rationalization.
He was simply rephrasing the fact that he hadn’t used magic at all.
“By properly predicting the opponent’s damage,”
I didn’t.
“it’s more efficient to construct defensive magic of precisely adequate strength.”
I didn’t do that either.
“In this case, I judged that my body—strengthened through regular magical training—and the durability of my mana circuits could withstand the blow.”
I made no such judgment.
Choi Kang-mok’s body was simply too hard.
Wordia bit her lip.
Though he was dancing around the subject, the core truth was singular.
Those mana runes inscribed above that arrogant artifact’s—Mayo’s—head.
-Yeah, your magic’s weak.
-No need to block ^0^
Layer upon layer upon layer.
Originally, the goal had been to wear down stamina through clever manipulation or deplete the staff’s durability, but that purpose was forgotten.
Now it was a matter of pride.
‘Your flesh is still made of meat, after all!’
If once wasn’t enough, then twice.
If twice wasn’t enough, then thrice.
If ten times wasn’t enough, then a hundred!
Even if I shattered in the process, I would rupture your body.
Channeling extreme concentration, I continued the layering.
The pressure mounted exponentially….
“Hack!”
Wordia collapsed, coughing blood.
Raymond stroked his chin.
“Oh dear. The toy pump has broken.”
Choi Kang-mok was the balloon.
Wordia was the air pump.
An air pump forcing wind into a balloon until it finally reached critical overload.
Mana runaway followed.
And Wordia sensed death approaching.
‘This cannot happen.’
I had to recover.
‘Quickly, tag out….’
Heave!
Spitting blood, she stumbled back to her base and extended her hand toward the Neroph Mages.
“Swap me out… now….”
Thud!
She collapsed.
The death judgment had not yet been rendered.
“Swap… me out.”
In the end, no one touched Wordia’s hand.
[Mock battle participant ‘Wordia’ has died.]
However, Wordia’s situation differed from the others.
The resurrection setting was immediately applied.
She revived as a translucent phantom.
Wordia burned with rage.
“You cowardly bastards.”
Are these truly the ones representing their dimension?
These wretches call themselves combat mages?
That magical anomaly over there is far more deserving of the title.
“You are not mages at all.”
She pointed her finger at Choi Kang-mok.
“Learn from him!”
At least he was not a coward.
He stepped forward against twelve opponents alone.
You spineless worms!

* * *
From Choi Kang-mok’s perspective, it was a somewhat unsatisfying victory.
‘He caused his own mana to run wild and died, didn’t he?’
Could I really call that winning through magic?
It felt more like I simply overpowered him with sheer weight class….
But my opponent acknowledged it.
‘Learn from me?’
He had formally recognized our magical exchange.
Choi Kang-mok murmured without realizing it.
“You fell victim to my defensive magic.”
A well-designed defensive spell destroys the enemy.
Whether manifested through energy bolts, physical force, or black holes—they all operate on the same principle.
-In other words, a body force-field reversal spell, one might say?
-To be honest, it was an excellent defensive magic.
“I see.”
I realized that sometimes a well-trained body itself can become a defensive spell.
Indeed, the versatility of magic is truly boundless.
Igniasha flinched in surprise.
Wait, didn’t she just beat that bulky guy and say he was a fake…?
Red Cat let out a meow and swatted Igniasha’s cheek.
Igniasha still has much to learn.
Red Cat spoke quickly.
At least for today, Mayo was right.
-A body force-field reversal spell. How magnificent.
-This cat too was astounded by Master’s magic!
She raised her fluffy paws and clapped them together.
Just like a novice mage witnessing great and wondrous magic for the first time!
Igniasha, with tears glistening in her eyes, wanted to cry out.
But what exactly is a body force-field reversal spell?!
Was it just her imagination, or did they just slap together some fancy-sounding terminology?

* * *
The Neroph Mages grasped the reality of their situation.
“We request a tactical pause.”
A notification reached Choi Kang-mok.
[A ‘tactical pause’ request has arrived from the enemy forces.]
[Will you accept it?]
[YES / NO]
A tactical pause in the midst of such urgent combat?
There had been no prior discussion of this.
“EX-Rank Mage.”
Even the strongest occasionally require tactical adjustments.
Choi Kang-mok decided to grant them a moment.
Humility was not forgotten.
“My Awakening rank is indeed EX, but I am not yet an EX-Rank Mage.”
There is still a long path ahead.
I cannot even maintain defensive magic as a permanent fixture within my body—it would be presumptuous to be called an EX-Rank Mage.
I am still a novice mage.
In any case, I have earned recognition as a “mage” from combat mages, and this scene is being transmitted vividly across all of Earth through Kang Pal-do.
A rather favorable situation.
However, for the Neroph Mages, it was anything but favorable.
“We have fallen victim to his meticulous scheme.”
A long-range specialist?
Absolutely not.
He is a close-range specialist instead.
He is stronger at close range than at distance.
He is even faster than Engaro and more durable than Falcon.
The magic
‘Anomalous Entity’
is unmistakable.
“He wanted to demonstrate it through us.”
To correct the distorted truth of the “long-range specialist combat mage” that has spread throughout the entire universe.
He would have searched for an appropriate sacrifice.
A dimensional clash between Neroph and Earth. A complete victory in a 1 versus 12 battle would certainly deliver sufficient impact.
“We have been thoroughly played by that monster according to his script.”
Like in a drama or film.
We are being consumed as expendable minions who make the protagonist shine.
We have become mere tools in the narrative’s direction, serving only to elevate the hero’s performance.
“By making us supporting characters….”
“A textbook reversal drama, indeed.”
【We thought he was a long-range specialist, but it turns out he is a close-range specialist?】 We became the sacrificial lambs in this narrative twist.
‘Just how far ahead did I see?’
Yet even so, I maintained a clear ‘mage’s concept’ in approaching the magical exchange tournament.
This was an effort to stay true to the character in this script.
For some, it was a battle where lives hung in the balance. For others, it was merely a performance.
A chill ran through my bones. Fear.
Falcon would take 999 days to resurrect.
That was the number given when there were no system errors.
If even a single glitch occurred, even that couldn’t be guaranteed.
Terror washed over me.
‘I could die.’
The pressure of potentially dying in a mock battle crushed down upon them.
Wordia’s situation was different.
After all, her resurrection was guaranteed.
They had now begun to prioritize ‘survival’ over ‘victory’.
The nature of the dimensional tournament had shifted dramatically.

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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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