The Return of the EX-Class Wizard - Chapter 233

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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 233
In truth, this Dimensional Battle Tournament had not been an entirely pleasant memory for me.
‘They were far weaker than I expected.’
The Dimensional Battle Tournament was a “combat magic exchange” among numerous magical exchanges.
I should have confirmed my growth by employing a variety of combat magics, but I had not.
‘I couldn’t even use Frame Division.’
Frame Division was an invincible new option that could only be activated in combat situations.
Invincibility could be divided into second-long intervals and activated at any arbitrary moment.
It was an ability to use invincibility multiple times by breaking it into shorter segments, and when combined with Mayo’s storage and release, I could fight while utilizing invincibility in nearly infinite fashion during combat.
I exhaled a slight sigh.
“I didn’t expect I couldn’t even break through basic defensive magic.”
I hadn’t had the luxury(?) to employ such advanced techniques.
At least I had received the “Magnificent Earth Medal,” otherwise I would have been quite disappointed.
Red Cat observed me intently.
Observation alone was the path to survival against this monster’s master.
‘My master is currently rising across the entire universe as a combat-specialist mage.’
But that was my master’s Achilles heel.
My master absolutely despised being a combat “specialist.”
He regarded it as an inferior thing that restricted the expandability of magic and defined its limitations.
After all, any true mage should implement diverse magics and indulge in the world of magic, or so he believed.
‘Then perhaps this current situation might be painful for him.’
If I offered appropriate comfort at the right moment, wouldn’t this monster’s master appreciate it?
For now he seemed to be forgetting it thanks to the Earth Medal, but as time passed, he would eventually suffer.
Why doesn’t anyone understand my true intentions?
It’s like this.
‘But right now he looks far too composed.’
I couldn’t understand it even after thinking about it.
He doesn’t look troubled at all.
Why?
The monster I understood should surely be suffering?
His pride should be wounded?
Then, the tactless Igniasha stepped forward instead.
“Why aren’t you sad, Contractor?”
“Is there a reason I should be sad?”
“You’re becoming famous as a combat-specialist mage?”
Red Cat didn’t stop Igniasha.
She was going to jump into the fire of her own accord, so there was no need to stop her.
I was actually grateful that she touched my master’s reverse scale instead.
“Ah.”
I shrugged my shoulders.
“This is all the Writers’ scheming.”
“?”
“To shake the identity and self-esteem of the magical anomaly, we guide him to grow as a ‘combat-specialized mage.’ Fractures and collapse originating from within. That will become the boss monster’s weakness.”
It was from the Writer’s notes.
“One of their goals is to push me into being a combat-specialized mage.”
Phantom voices echoed in my ears.
Ehehe~ You can only do combat, right? You can’t use other magic, right?
Red Cat flinched in surprise.
‘That content isn’t in the Writer’s notes!’
Red Cat knew the truth.
───────
To shake the identity and self-esteem of the magical anomaly, we guide him to grow as a ‘combat-specialized mage.’ Fractures and collapse originating from within. That will become the boss monster’s weakness.
───────
This was merely Choi Kang-mok’s imagination.
A reasonably logical conjecture about what the Writers’ scheme might be… but it wasn’t actually written in the notes.
“So there’s no need to be disappointed.”
“Ah!”
Igniasha, unfamiliar with the full situation, nodded in understanding.
“Indeed. This spirit believes your contractor need not be swayed by the Writers’ machinations.”
“Right?”
Choi Kang-mok nodded.
Even the fire spirit—Igniasha, a fragment of divinity—said so, and my conviction grew stronger.
Being known as a combat-specialized mage was merely their scheme.
I did nothing wrong.
“The world will eventually know the truth.”
Like a true mage.
If I act with common sense, the world will eventually learn the truth.
Sincerity always prevails.

* * *
Choi Kang-mok spoke.
“I’m a sensible mage, after all.”
“…Right. You are a sensible mage.”
Kang Hye exhaled a long sigh.
At least today he was being sensible—that was a relief.
“So you’re not entering the Tower immediately?”
“Of course not.”
I wouldn’t fall for the filthy, petty machinations of those Writers.
“I came close to entering the Tower by accident a few times, but I overcame the impulse through sheer magical discipline.”
“…Truly a sensible mage.”
“For now, I need to strengthen my foundation rather than chase immediate rewards.”
Even if I say I gained nothing from the Dimensional Battle Tournament, that’s not entirely true.
I did gain inspiration regarding several directions for development.
“I wish I could deploy defensive magic within my own body…”
If I could do that, I’d be able to perfectly neutralize any enemy attacks that penetrate my body.
Choi Kang-mok’s expression twisted into a frown.
“But it doesn’t seem possible.”
The disappointment was quite profound.
I’d discovered a direction for magical development, yet sensed impossibility first.
“Merely imagining it causes damage to my mana circuits.”
“Just from imagining it?”
“…Yeah.”
Choi Kang-mok’s expression darkened further.
Damage occurring from mere imagination alone.
It was quite similar to how damage spread through video transmission.
“It means my damage control ability is still insufficient.”
It seemed I’d need to conduct more mock battles with the Christine & Bessius Alliance to practice damage control extensively.
Kang Hye felt inexplicably frustrated seeing her brother’s dejected expression.
Kang Hye had not forgotten Choi Kang-mok’s past fifteen years.
That time had been her greatest wound as well.
Seeing him like this brought back memories of the past Choi Kang-mok, and it tormented her.
Even now, standing as Earth’s strongest mage, it was the same.
‘Is this some kind of PTSD?’
Kang Hye offered her opinion.
“Brother. You can use Frame Division to operate invincibility continuously, and with Mayo’s storage and release abilities, you’d have even more freedom. So couldn’t you activate invincibility within your body first, then deploy defensive magic?”
“!”
I’d only thought of using invincibility to block enemy attacks, never considering such an application.
For a moment, I thought it was quite an ingenious idea, but Kang Hye immediately shook her head.
“But then there’d be no reason to deploy defensive magic in the first place.”
Why would I need to? I can just make my invincibility block the attack itself.
Deploying invincibility and then defensive magic afterward would be foolish…
“Oh, it works!”
“…”
No visible change appeared on the exterior of my body.
Within Choi Kang-mok’s body, there was a magical growth that only he could feel.
“Thank you, Kang Hye.”
“…Yeah, no problem. But oppa, after using invincibility, do you really need to deploy defensive magic? I mean, that’s what I’m thinking…”
…She can’t hear my voice.
Setting aside its practical utility, Choi Kang-mok was delighted.
In any case, the magic had succeeded.
‘That’s right… as long as oppa is happy, that’s what matters.’
There’s no need to fill life with only what’s necessary and rational.
Isn’t that what mages do—transform into a Triple-Headed Bald Eagle just to deploy flight magic ‘coolly’?
Meanwhile, Mayo, who was more sincere than anyone about Choi Kang-mok’s magical growth, let out a great exclamation.
-Implementing internal defensive magic through invincibility. I am impressed.
-Your body seems destined to grow stronger in a manner befitting a mage.
The body was being tempered further to resist the defensive magic being implemented within it.
Today as well, Choi Kang-mok was growing stronger in a manner befitting a mage.

* * *
A mage’s growth knows no end.
Implementing defensive magic within the body was merely the beginning.
Choi Kang-mok entered the Reconstruction Floor and trained in various forms of magic.
‘Simple defense alone feels insufficient.’
People misunderstand it as destruction.
If I layer abilities like Unlock or Haeju, it becomes a more refined magic.
‘If I implement defensive magic within my opponent’s body the way I did within my own…’
Sometimes offense becomes the finest defense.
Implementing defensive magic within an opponent’s body would also serve as quite an effective defense.
Crash!
The wooden dummy shattered.
“I’ll need more practice.”
The wooden dummy was preemptively destroyed without even attacking.
No matter how I look at it, this seems closer to offense than defense.
“I need to learn how to control the damage.”
The best sacrificial lambs were always the Christine & Bessius Alliance.
I continued practicing against the Christine & Bessius Alliance.
“Hey, Choi Kang-mok! Be honest. Are you trying to rack up wins?”
“Are you also looking down on mages, Bessius?”
“Ah, no, that’s not what I meant….”
By striving earnestly not to kill the Christine & Bessius Alliance, my damage control ability naturally grew sharper.
With my heightened damage control and invulnerability as foundation, I practiced deploying defensive magic within my own body repeatedly until I mastered it.
And in my spare moments, I conducted “duplicate ascents” together with Kang Hye.
───────
[Hall of Fame – 49th Floor]
[World] [Individual]
1.
Mage
(Korea, EX+)
2.
Mage
(Korea, EX)
───────
Choi Kang-mok monopolized first and second place across all floors up to the 49th Floor.
The 50th Floor was no different.
───────
[Hall of Fame – 50th Floor]
[World] [Individual]
1.
Mage
(Korea, EX+)
2.
Mage
(Korea, EX)
───────
An ordinary EX-rank duplicate clear.
Amid my ordinary routine, an extraordinary notification arrived.
[Damn, I did it again]
Choi Kang-mok flinched in surprise.
What just passed by?
‘This is why I need to master time magic.’
I’ll have to learn it someday.
[You have acquired the Title: ‘Half Monopolist’.]
[The Monopolist Shop has opened.]
‘What is this?’
───────
[Monopolist Shop]
I cannot provide a meaningful translation for this text. It appears to contain random Korean characters, symbols, and musical notes that don’t form coherent words or sentences in Korean.
───────
The shop opened, but there’s nothing in it.
“Is the update slow again?”
Looking at it, the Tower really isn’t doing its job well.
Every update is delayed, and the Reconstruction Floor takes forever too.
Even in the Dimensional Battle Tournament, opponent resurrections are delayed, so people are just accumulating misunderstandings.
A bloodless, tearless battle emperor, or whatever they call me.
“Wait a moment.”
A single thought flashed through my mind.
“If I think about what those Writers did to me….”
Instead of raising rewards, they increase difficulty.
Isn’t that something I’ve experienced before?
“That beginner’s privilege thing, the +7,777% Value and all that.”
I thought it was the system’s kindness and special treatment toward newbies?
Was that not it?
Was it actually a trap?
“Come to think of it, the fact that I’m alive right now is a miracle.”
In the end, I did survive and grow stronger, but the process was far from smooth.
I nearly died hundreds of times.
“This is suspicious.”
At first, they handed out thousands of percent in value through beginner’s privileges and whatnot, and even let me purchase Mayo at a discount from the EX-Rank Shop.
Lately, there’s nothing at all.
“It’s not that there’s really nothing….”
They changed their policy, didn’t they?
For instance….
───────
We cannot give anything to this magical anomaly. We must not sell anything to it.
───────
Something like that.
“This won’t do.”
If you don’t know, you don’t know, but if you do, you can take action.
So this is what it means to be robbed blind.
An unreasonable world where you can’t gain any benefit unless you know your rights and claim them for yourself.
I’ll claim my own rights. Like a sensible mage should.
[Damn it, those bastard Writers got me caught!]

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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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