The Return of the EX-Class Wizard - Chapter 249

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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 249
The premise itself was straightforward.
───────
[Tomb of Assassins Entry Ticket]
Labyrinth Stage 90.
‘You are entering the Tomb of Assassins.’
───────
‘Labyrinth Stage 90 has a name?’
It seemed that beyond a certain threshold, each stage bore its own distinctive title.
‘Is it the same as the Tower?’
If I cleared Stage 90, would all the lower stages count as cleared as well?
‘I’d like to test that.’
Curiosity stirred within me.
It was difficult to call it the curiosity of a mage, but it could broadly be considered the curiosity befitting an Awakened One.
‘Besides, this counts as proactive exploration anyway.’
Proactive exploration usually qualifies as magic, doesn’t it?
Leon’s eyes narrowed.
“You seem pleased, Guild Master.”
“The curiosity of an Awakened One….”
“These foolish assassins will attempt to sever your head, Guild Master.”
Leon was somewhat impressed.
Crushing those who defied you was the proper approach.
By what right would they refuse to acknowledge a ‘mage’ who had become Guild Master through legitimate procedure?
“Do you find such pleasure in breaking the stubborn pride of these assassins?”
….
Choi Kang-mok flinched for a moment.
Now that I thought about it, I’d been so focused on the ‘entry ticket’ that I hadn’t properly read the actual special Quest details.
───────
[Prove Your Worth as Guild Master!]
The leader of assassins must be an assassin.
One who is not an assassin cannot claim leadership of the Assassination Guild.
The Guild Master must prove their qualifications as Guild Master.
※Survive assassin attacks for 30 days!
───────
“Is this the standard procedure for becoming an Assassination Guild Master?”
“I too endured surprise attacks for 3 days.”
“3 days?”
───────
※Survive assassin attacks for 30 days!
───────
Choi Kang-mok couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity.
Three days and thirty days—wasn’t the difference far too significant?
Leon spoke again.
“I understand your disappointment, but due to various constraints of the Earth dimension, we were unable to summon the ‘genuine articles.'”
If there were such constraints, wouldn’t it be normal not to summon them at all?
The common sense of assassins was difficult to comprehend.
It seemed as though the mental worlds of all these assassins had been corrupted by the machinations of Writers and the System.
“The avatars of the genuine articles will attack the Guild Master.”
An avatar’s performance was roughly fifty percent of the original.
‘What’s there to be disappointed about?’
I was a mage, not a survival specialist.
Nor an explorer.
Leon’s eyes gleamed with intensity.
“Show us. The qualities befitting a Guild Master.”
His gaze burned with unwavering trust.
I didn’t respond.
‘Assassins seem… rather peculiar.’
It felt as though I had stepped into a world entirely unknown to me.
Their common sense was strange, their minds were strange.
Yet, true to my nature as a mage, I resolved to understand them.
‘Perhaps by encountering ways of thinking from entirely different domains, my worldview as a mage could expand further.’
Unexpected enlightenment might emerge from this peculiar sense of unfamiliarity.
Magic was, after all, such a mysterious discipline.
And that would prove to be true.

* * *
Choi Kang-mok didn’t hesitate to enter Labyrinth Stage 90.
Of course, from Kang Hye’s perspective, it was maddening.
“The assassins are targeting you there….”
If this deranged mage spouted more nonsense about magical enlightenment or whatever and entered Stage 90, she’d decided to give him a piece of her mind.
She’d loaded a sharp retort about what kind of mage conducts himself this way.
“They’ll target me anywhere regardless.”
If that’s the case, entering the Labyrinth is the better choice.
There are people here I need to protect.
Like Choi Kang-chul and Kang Hye.
“That’s the safest place to unleash my full power.”
“….”
Kang Hye found herself at a loss for words.
I’ve been viewing my brother as too much of a madman.
Kang Hye bit her lip slightly.
“…I’m worried.”
But there’s not much I can do to help.
I have to admit it.
There aren’t many ways to directly assist an EX-Rank Awakened One.
The gap in ability is already vast.
“What if you called Tiger to go with you?”
“Then they’d find another excuse to criticize me.”
They’d insist I hadn’t proven myself worthy as a true Assassination Guild Master.
“Assassins have rather peculiar standards, you see.”
“…Still, I’m worried.”
Choi Kang-mok could fully understand his sister’s heart.
Fifteen years. During that time, Choi Kang-mok had suffered mentally just as much, if not more, than Kang Hye had.
His sister’s worry was entirely reasonable and within the realm of understanding.
He wished the assassins were like his sister.
Kang Hye thought to herself.
‘My brother is going to enter Stage 90 no matter what.’
She knew well that despite appearing thoughtless on the surface, that wasn’t the case at all.
Surely, he’d made this choice after considering countless circumstances and factors.
‘Trying to stop him without a plan would be for my sake, not his.’
If that’s the case, encouragement is better than interference.
Yes. I should trust him and cheer him on instead.
“But I’m also thinking something.”
“What is it?”
The sudden entry into Stage 90.
An encounter with an irrational swarm entity.
This unfamiliarity.
“Could this possibly elevate you to an even higher realm of magic, brother?”
“So you’re thinking the same thing?”
We hadn’t even spoken our innermost thoughts aloud, yet our minds aligned so perfectly.
My sister was always the sensible one.
“Yeah. You learn from every situation.”
Even from Professor Raymond’s harsh teachings, you extract knowledge.
Whatever you encounter, you absorb it all.
“I’m always learning from you too. With the same humble attitude you carry. Whenever, whatever—I’ll internalize it all and grow. That’s why I’ll definitely help you.”
Choi Kang-mok shrugged and smiled.
My heart felt a little ticklish, but I was genuinely grateful.
Conviction swelled within me.
‘My instincts haven’t failed me after all.’
After talking with my sister, even a speck of doubt dissolves—it felt wonderful.

* * *
I used the entry ticket.
[Entering Labyrinth Stage 90 (Korean Domain).]
[You have entered the Tomb of Assassins.]
‘A maze.’
Leon had given me a rough briefing.
Assassins would attack from within a complex labyrinthine field.
[Challenge: Survive for 30 days]
And the moment I entered, I understood.
My sister’s and my conviction would become reality.
“Perhaps the Writers are assisting me.”
The timing and environment were too perfect.
“A maze, right after awakening to structural analysis and exploration magic.”
Now I could wield Light effectively.
And I had entered the maze in such a state.
Choi Kang-mok focused his mind.
‘First, I’ll grasp the structure.’
Light radiated outward.
It was far easier than before.
Red Cat tensed.
‘He didn’t cast magic.’
This was closer to pure manifestation of will.
Light alone spread forth, probing every corner of this place.
Igniasha, the spirit, felt the same thing Red Cat did—her expression turned grave.
“This is what I sensed too, isn’t it?”
I hadn’t used magic, yet I believed I had—and that belief became magic itself.
My will transformed into sorcery.
Igniasha’s body trembled.
“It seems my butler truly is a Tower-class anomalous entity.”
Red Cat agreed.
And offered a subtle observation.
“Igniasha, you’re becoming corrupted.”
“?”
“You’re a spirit, not a cat.”
“?”
“I’ve never brainwashed you, so why do you keep getting brainwashed?”
Igniasha summoned flames into being.
The inferno conjured by the small lizard-shaped spirit burned with ferocious intensity.
“What nonsense, you vulgar cat. I was born a cat.”
Crackling.
The flames roared upward.
“Since you were my former master, I’ll let it slide this once.”
“….”
“Say something like that again, and I’ll scratch you to pieces.”
At that moment, Choi Kang-mok’s eyes snapped open.
‘My sensory perception has fully awakened.’
Thanks to Light’s aid, understanding the structure was effortless.
Every detail of this place’s geography had been imprinted into my mind.
Even where the assassins were hiding.
“My comprehension of spatial magic has grown sufficiently.”
I had proven my credentials as a spatial mage.
And as a light-attribute mage as well.
“I could destroy this place and ensure preemptive survival, but…”
Surviving thirty days is simple.
All I need do is annihilate every assassin in this location.
Destroy
them all.
That would constitute the perfection of preemptive survival magic.
But today is different.
I came here not merely as a mage, but as the Guild Master of the Assassination Guild.
Position shapes the person.
I must possess credentials befitting my station.
“I will demonstrate assassination magic.”
The spell was already complete in my mind.
I would craft energy bolts—infinitesimally small.
“The form of a bullet.”
Somewhere, someone would be listening to this voice.
It would reach the assassins who debated qualifications.
“Very small.”
I had practiced through Leon.
The work of creating a black hole within the body.
That had failed, but it was actually better.
Because I had ‘learned’ how to use energy bolts efficiently within the body.
“Without destroying the surroundings.”
Assassination must be conducted silently and without fanfare.
Traces must be minimized.
“Snipe only the assassins.”
Sniping is a fundamental skill for assassins.
I sensed approximately ten assassins in the first wave.
“Since I’ve entered a one-versus-many boss battle.”
I drew Excalion.
I had already ‘learned’ the method of forcing entry into a boss battle multiple times.
I could use energy bolts nearly infinitely.
Moreover, these were sniper rounds infused with Light attribute, minimizing damage output.
The strain on my body was minimal.
“Simultaneous sniping had become possible.”
Meteor form—sniping.
The mark of an assassin.
I had proven ‘assassination.’
Sniper rounds lodged within the assassins’ bodies.
[Avatar 1 has been
destroyed.]
It has been done.
Meow!
[Avatar 1 has been
sniped.]
It has been done.
[Avatar 2 has been
sniped.]
It has been done.
…
[Avatar 12 has been
sniped.]
It has been done.
In an instant, the assassins fell to the sniper fire.
I eliminated it in one strike, so there was no sound.
No explosion, no sound of destruction.
The battlefield fell silent.
“The assassination magic was successful.”
With this, I had perfectly ‘learned’ a spell befitting my station.
Kang Hye was right.
I had definitely evolved to the next level.
“The Writers are definitely helping me.”
This didn’t feel like a test—it felt like an opportunity.
They were providing nourishment for my growth.
These words were broadcast through Kang Pal-do’s ‘remote streaming’.
───────
???: Us?
└Who is this?
└Who arranged this?
└?
───────
And the established heavy-hitter Writers shrieked.
───────
The ‘Mage’ is running wild. There’s no doubt about it. He’s mocking us.
Acting like ‘Oh, I had no idea~’.
But the most terrifying part is that the Mage has genuinely grown stronger.
This is becoming impossible to control. Maybe it would be better for the Writers’ safety to flee now.
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Choi Kang-mok let out a low chuckle.
‘So we’re entering phase two of the one-versus-many boss battle?’
Then, a notification arrived.
‘Huh?’

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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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