The Return of the EX-Class Wizard - Chapter 262

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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 262
Choi Kang-mok had to admit he was getting a bit tired of this.
There had to be limits to playing around. The 70th Floor was the worst place across all the floors.
He’d completed the item duplication right, so he’d made up his mind to leave.
“I should get out of here.”
The Spirit Tree spoke with a benevolent smile.
“You cannot leave this place, child.”
The Spirit Tree had attempted escape multiple times but failed each time.
This place had become a location with no exit.
Of course, for the Spirit Tree, it wasn’t truly confinement.
Wherever it existed was home. For the Spirit Tree, being inside the 70th Floor or outside the Tower made no difference.
That’s why it didn’t bother forcing a way out.
Choi Kang-mok tilted his head in confusion.
Why couldn’t he leave?
“If I use the Thirty-Six Stratagems of Escape, it seems like I could leave easily….”
It was fundamentally a fleeing spell, but also an escape spell.
Inspiration continued to bloom in my mind.
With the help of Light, the specialist in escape, if I transformed back into Light’s Archer and then used the Thirty-Six Stratagems of Escape?
Wouldn’t I be able to break free from here much faster and more efficiently?
The Spirit Tree continued speaking to Choi Kang-mok with a kind smile.
“This is a closed world, child. No exit exists.”
“Hmm.”
Still, the Thirty-Six Stratagems of Escape should be capable of breaking through?
Then, suddenly, one fact came to mind.
“Ah. This is the floor where mental fatigue is charged.”
Now that I thought about it, I was exhausted from learning correction magic today.
I wasn’t tired just a moment ago, but suddenly I became tired.
“I’ll stop exploring new magic here and use familiar spells instead.”
[Skill, Energy Bolt is activated.]
I unleashed an Energy Bolt imbued with penetration properties.
Since the space of the 70th Floor was so vast, I also deployed meteor transformation.
Understanding structure was one of my specialties.
-(Light) : This is… fatigue?
I struck the boundary of the space.
Boom!
The entire Tower shook.
The Spirit Tree flinched in surprise.
The wind from the outside world could be felt.
“Ah, child, this is….”
“An escape spell.”
The escape magic succeeded effortlessly.
The Spirit Tree gained enlightenment.
“Opening a closed world turned out to be surprisingly simple.”
My child’s creativity was remarkable.
Once I overcame my fear, I could see something new.
My child was actually a genius!
Truly, a flawless escape magic.
[Severe damage has occurred to the Tower.]
[The corresponding repair costs will be billed to ‘multiple authors’.]
“But the escape magic still isn’t perfect.”
“?”
Choi Kang-mok unfurled Baek-ik and flew to the Tower’s boundary.
A massive hole was visible. A passage leading outside.
The escape magic was already perfectly completed, but Choi Kang-mok shook his head.
“It’s still not perfect after all.”
Then the edges of the hole wavered.
Closing and opening, closing and opening.
It writhed like a living creature.
“Escaping with such an imperfect magic would be a mage’s shame.”
The Spirit Tree, Red Cat, and Igniasha—I sent them all outside.
Now there were no allies left to suffer damage here.
A battlefield with no allies. A ‘mage’s’ battlefield.
“Light attribute is excluded.”
The guardian of Light was impressive, but its destructive power fell short.
It was magic specialized in damage control.
“Meteor form. High-rank spirit.”
The mage harbored ‘killing intent’.
From now on, this was ‘real combat’.
Full-power output without any thought to damage restraint.
For the record, this was training as a mage for the perfection of magic, absolutely not venting frustration.
Boom-crash-crash-crash-!
Boom-crash-boom-crash-crash-crash-!
The place that had been composed of a vast forest was obliterated.
Perhaps it was because I’d practiced decomposition magic ten times.
It felt easier than usual.
[Please stop]
[What did I do so wrong]
[I was only trying to work toward fairness between dimensions]
It passed by too quickly to read.
[This won’t do.]
[I’m going to take out my frustrations on those damn writers.]
Choi Kang-mok chuckled darkly.
Those wretched authors. They’re going to lose a fortune.
Back at the An House, Choi Kang-mok found himself consumed by deliberation.
[Item Duplication Right]
What should I use this for to maximize its value?
A Mythic-grade staff?
A Mythic-grade robe?
Or perhaps… the Magic Fortress?
‘Duplicating the Magic Fortress would be beneficial, but…’
If I gave it to my brother or sister, that would be ideal, but…
‘That won’t work.’
The Magic Fortress is too dangerous.
It can consume the user’s sense of self.
I can’t burden my family with such a risk.
‘Wait, then…!’
A brilliant idea struck me.

* * *
Choi Kang-mok summoned Choi Kang-chul and Kang Hye to the An House for the first time in a while.
Thinking back on these past fifteen years, I’ve only felt gratitude toward these two.
Of course, I’m grateful now as well.
“I know you’re always working hard for me, hyung.”
“…Just be yourself.”
Truth be told, I wasn’t accustomed to saying such things either.
I shifted my gaze to Kang Hye.
“You were a tremendous help this time too.”
In reality, it wouldn’t matter to me if my sister weren’t “helpful.”
If she wanted to lounge around and live off me for life, I could make that happen.
Money and livelihood are no longer even a minor concern for me anymore.
Yet my sister always strives to be useful to me.
Because I cherish this blood relative who tries so earnestly, I make an effort to say things she enjoys hearing.
Kang Hye beamed like a child.
“Hehe. Do I have what it takes to be an EX-Rank advisor?”
“You do. Thanks to the idea you gave me, I’ve nearly perfected the Correction Magic.”
Kang Hye’s face flushed slightly.
Now I finally feel like I’m earning my keep.
I continued speaking.
“I’ve obtained a duplication right.”
Before using it, I wanted to hear both of your opinions.
“Should I copy this?”
───────
[Blank Spellbook]
Grade: Mythic
A forbidden tome crafted to transmit magic.
A mage may select one of their ‘Original Spells’ and inscribe it into this book.
Whoever opens a completed Blank Spellbook acquires the corresponding Original Spell, regardless of whether they are a mage.
───────
Choi Kang-chul flinched in surprise.
“What would you do with that?”
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while. Don’t you think my brother and Kang Hye should have a last resort too?”
“And?”
“You know that escape spell I created?”
I’d completed it not long ago, thanks to Professor Pease’s teachings(?)
I named it the Thirty-Six Stratagems of Flight.
“I was thinking of inscribing it and giving one to each of you.”
“Kang-mok.”
Choi Kang-chul opposed the idea.
“I don’t know about Kang Hye, but I’m already safe.”
Remarkably, Earth currently revolved around South Korea.
And Choi Kang-chul was among the very core of the Korean Guild.
Few would dare touch him unless they were insane.
“But there are always those lunatics.”
“It’s too precious to use on me. Save it.”
Choi Kang-mok shrugged.
I knew my brother would say that.
It was within my expectations, so I wasn’t particularly flustered.
“Then I’ll send one of the suitable members from the Assassination Guild.”
“A suitable member?”
“Evade their assassination attempt. Use every means at your disposal. If you can stay safe even from the assassin I send, then I’ll think about something else.”
“Alright.”
Choi Kang-chul was confident.
After all, the Korean Guild had become Earth’s strongest guild.
Based on the world’s finest Tower climbing, countless promising talents were blooming.
Within a few years, an enormous number of high-ranking hunters would emerge.
‘Just one suitable assassin?’
I could definitely handle that.
Though somewhat underhanded, mobilizing the Ranker Lee Kang-nam and Owen, an intermediate mage with whom I maintained close ties (NPC), would be more than sufficient for this game.
Of course, it wasn’t.
That night, Choi Kang-chul swallowed hard as a short blade pressed against his throat.
“A decent assassin…?”
That’s Leon?
I couldn’t say when Leon became “decent” level, but in any case, I lost the bet.
Choi Kang-mok entered the room afterward.
“Hey. A decent assassin, you say.”
Leon straightened his posture before speaking.
“By our master’s standards, I am decent. I must move directly, after all.”
“…Assassination originally requires direct movement….”
Or does it not?
My younger brother simply unleashes assassination magic from a distance.
Not just from a distance—he assassinates across dimensions.
“Ah, well….”
So by Choi Kang-mok’s standards, “decent” is indeed the right word.
It’s all relative, after all.
Then Kang Hye followed in as well.
“Kang-chul, I think it’s better for you to just accept it without any conditions. It’s good for Kang-mok too.”
Kang Hye also felt it was a shame to use this “blank grimoire.”
My brother worked so hard to obtain it, and he’s going to use it on me?
But Kang Hye looked at it from a broader perspective.
“To be direct, we are Kang-mok’s greatest weakness.”
“….”
There was no denying it, no matter how much I disliked admitting it.
A magical anomaly entity known as the “Mage”—already drawing attention across countless dimensions.
Called the ruler of a new age seeking to conquer dimensions beyond Earth.
Recently, through a favorable contract with the captain, he made a clear political statement (or so it’s said).
The only weakness of such a “Mage” is his blood relatives—us.
Unfortunately, that was reality.
“So I think it’s better if we master this and become as little of a burden to you as possible.”
Kang Hye’s face flushed slightly.
No matter what reasons she attached to it, she was clearly receiving an enormous privilege.
She spoke while looking at Choi Kang-mok.
“In return, I’ll work hard and repay you for sure.”
“Repay? Don’t be ridiculous.”
If I give something, just accept it.
Sometimes she’s so reasonable it becomes troublesome.
Kang Hye continued speaking.
“And honestly, I’ve wanted to learn magic myself.”
I thought it would help me understand Choi Kang-mok better.
I thought I could empathize with that pure curiosity and desire toward magic.
“Even if I can only use one spell and become half-baked, we’d all become [Mages] as a family, wouldn’t we?”
Choi Kang-mok’s ears perked up instantly.
I hadn’t considered that possibility.
‘Oh.’
My entire family are mages.
This is quite a significant discovery.
As a mage, I feel like I’ll be understood far better now.
“Here.”
I had already inscribed the Escape Magic into the blank grimoire.
Now the blank grimoire was no longer blank—it had become the ‘Escape Magic Grimoire’.
A grimoire infused with countless magical subtleties I had cultivated over the years.
Kang Hye swallowed hard.
Apology, gratitude, embarrassment, affection—countless emotions swirled together.
“I’ll learn it now.”
Choi Kang-chul eventually nodded as well.
Both of them simultaneously used the grimoire to learn their first spell ever.
Then, a notification appeared.
[!Special Condition Satisfied!]
[Mythic-Grade Item Duplication Successful!]
[Creation Magic Implantation Successful!]
[Provided to Others Without Compensation!]
Another notification of a different nature followed.
[Penalty Record Confirmed Against Hostile Forces! (Claim for Damages Recorded)]
Unexpected results continued to unfold.

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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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