The Return of the EX-Class Wizard - Chapter 263

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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 263
Later, Kang Pal-do’s system AI would describe it this way.
[You bestow upon your enemies an iron fist like divine punishment, and upon your allies a benevolence as vast as the heavens, establishing all order with solemn authority through absolute principle!]
Red Cat exhaled a sigh, muttering, “Now even the AI has become a sycophant?”
In any case, notifications continued to arrive for Choi Kang-mok.
[You have acquired the Title: ‘Sovereign of Just Reward and Deserved Punishment.’]
───────
[Sovereign of Just Reward and Deserved Punishment]
For merit, bestow fitting reward.
For fault, impose rightful punishment.
When order itself bends to a single word—such is the authority of a sovereign.
Effect
: When addressing multiple intelligent beings, persuasiveness increases significantly
───────
Choi Kang-mok felt somewhat bewildered.
“A sovereign title?”
Of course, it was common enough for anyone to obtain a title regardless of their class when certain conditions were met, but something about this felt off.
Red Cat, ever perceptive, struck at the heart of it.
“The system gives you something incredibly valuable, but it seems reluctant to do so gracefully!”
Reading one’s master’s heart was, after all, one of a companion cat’s duties.
Lately, those around me have been performing far too admirably.
As a companion cat, I must redouble my efforts.
“I know better than anyone that my master trembles at the misunderstanding of being called a sovereign, so the system is playing tricks again! This fraudulent scoundrel will surely receive a beating from me one day!”
Red Cat’s outburst left Choi Kang-mok feeling somewhat relieved.
No wonder people keep cats.
‘Persuasiveness increases?’
Wait.
“Isn’t this effect similar to oratory magic?”
Raymond occasionally uses oratory magic to enhance the credibility of his words.
I had already become quite familiar with the concept of ‘cooperative magic.’
If I apply this effect to Kang Pal-do’s broadcast?
If I tell a vast audience multiple times that ‘I am a mage’?
‘It would actually help clear up the misunderstanding.’
The system had made a blunder.
Though the title effect appeared sovereign-like, it paradoxically became an opportunity to prove I was not a sovereign at all.
‘And honestly….’
If I simply called it oratory magic instead of a title effect, no one would know the difference anyway.
Of course, a mage’s conscience wouldn’t allow me to do that.
‘The expansiveness of magic is boundless.’
By experiencing this title effect repeatedly and employing ‘persuasive rhetoric,’ perhaps one day I could master true oratory magic itself.
Just as infants practice walking with a walker before they can walk on their own.
This ability, which appears somewhat like a Sovereign’s power, might actually be preliminary magical training.
‘This is good.’
I felt I could grow further as a mage.
My mood brightened.

* * *
Separate from Choi Kang-mok’s magical growth, the regular events on Earth proceeded steadily in their own way.
[!Regular Event Triggered!]
[Continental Championship Begins]
[Select 5 representative Awakeners from each continent!]
[※Only participants from nations victorious in the National Championship are eligible!]
Following the National Championship, this time it was the Continental Championship.
Asia, Europe, Africa, North and Central America, South America, Oceania.
Divided into six regions total, representatives from each continent would be selected.
[※Special rules are added to the Continental Championship!]
[The ‘Ban’ function is activated.]
Each continent could now exclude one Awakener they wished to avoid from the selection.
The ban target is determined by vote among the Guild Masters of the five continents outside that continent.
-Wow lol isn’t this basically a direct snipe at the EX-rank Awakener?
Other continents have several candidates when discussing ‘the strongest’.
But Asia was different.
There existed one overwhelmingly dominant strongest.
-It’s right to exclude the EX-rank guy though…
-When the big brother shows up to the kids’ game, it’s kinda unbalanced
-It’s unfair but it’s the right call lol
-But wouldn’t he feel a bit bitter? He’s being robbed of the chance to become a continental representative
Red Cat tried his best to read his master’s heart.
“No matter how I think about it, this seems like an unreasonable decision.”
“Hmm?”
But Choi Kang-mok had no particular thoughts on it.
‘It’s not like it’s a magical representative position, and being excluded from the continental championship isn’t something that would wound my pride so deeply.’
Red Cat’s expression brightened accordingly.
“Indeed! My master is a magnanimous person who doesn’t concern himself with such trivial matters! Truly befitting my master’s butler!”
But Kang Hye’s thoughts were different.
“Brother. Think about it carefully.”
“About what?”
“The Earth Medal.”
The Earth Medal, awarded only upon initial selection as a dimensional representative.
At the edge of the mock battle record, a radiant medal fashioned after Earth is embedded.
It was the only medal currently on Earth that only Choi Kang-mok possessed.
“I have a feeling a Continental Medal might appear, you know?”
“!”
Red Cat objected.
“What use is a Continental Medal when there’s an Earth Medal?”
“Fool. Just because you have perfect offensive magic, does that mean you don’t need unlocking magic?”
By Choi Kang-mok’s standards, ‘offensive magic’ is the highest-tier magic.
Escape magic, unlocking magic, defensive magic—all of it derives from offensive magic.
But does that mean unlocking magic becomes unnecessary? It doesn’t.
“Besides, you’re a mage, oppa.”
“!”
Kang Hye understands Choi Kang-mok well.
Perhaps even better than he understands himself.
“Building up from the fundamentals step by step is what matters. Of course, these days we sometimes reverse that order with preemptive magic, but the basics still come from solid foundations. Right?”
“That’s… right?”
Choi Kang-mok found himself increasingly drawn into Kang Hye’s words.
She was absolutely right.
“I think you should have medals below the Earth Medal too.”
If you’re not the continental representative, then who would be?
Kang Hye couldn’t accept it any other way.
‘Oppa doesn’t care about anything but magic!’
This was something she, as an EX-rank Awakener assistant, needed to handle.
She wouldn’t waste a single bean that should go to her brother.
That was her duty as an EX-rank Awakener assistant.
“The mindset of not dismissing the lesser things—I think that’s the most mage-like quality of all.”
“!”
Now that I thought about it, she was right.
Choi Kang-mok glanced sideways at Red Cat.
No matter how adorably it looked, was it truly a dimensional monster? Without the mage even realizing it, Red Cat had momentarily made the mage forget the very essence of what it meant to be a mage.
‘I need to stay vigilant.’
From Red Cat’s perspective, this was unfair.
I was merely reading my master’s heart!
In truth, Red Cat didn’t care whether the master had an Earth Medal or a globe.
But I decided not to voice my grievance.
Getting angry in situations like this was something only amateurs like Igniasha would do.
“This cat’s thoughts were too shallow. The master must act ever more like a true mage. For the master is a magnificent mage!”

* * *
The ban on EX-rank Awakener Choi Kang-mok was considered a foregone conclusion.
The vast majority believed it would happen.
But it didn’t.
“England Sovereign Foster does not support the ban.”
The former London Sovereign.
The current England Sovereign Foster opposed the ban on the EX-rank Awakener.
“I agree with him.”
The former Naples Lord.
The current Italy Sovereign Spaloti felt the same way.
The sovereigns of various European nations with close ties to them expressed similar sentiments.
United States Sovereign Malcolm did as well.
The African sovereigns couldn’t comprehend it.
‘Aren’t they supposed to be advanced Tower nations?’
‘The pioneers of Tower civilization, and yet….’
During the national competitions, the victorious nations had reaped enormous benefits.
The continental competitions would be no different.
The winning continent would secure substantial gains.
The defeated continent would have to bear significant losses.
‘Are they fools?’
No matter how much they feared the EX-rank Awakener, it was absurd that they couldn’t even utilize the rules the system had ‘legitimately’ permitted.
Centered around Africa, an ‘EX-rank Awakener Ban Movement’ began to take shape.
And the majority of those involved went missing.
It was a solo operation by the Assassin Guild Trust.
While it demonstrated the Assassin Guild’s overwhelming military strength, it also served as a spark that ignited the hearts of the African continental people.
-Five sovereigns went missing simultaneously, apparently.
-This is disgusting. Really, disappearing like this?
Some claimed it was the ‘depravity of the EX-rank Awakener’ and conspiracy theories.
Some shouted ‘Let’s have a satisfying fight with the EX-rank Awakener.’
-Having a satisfying fight with an EX-rank Awakener doesn’t sound so bad
-Isn’t Asia nothing special without that one EX-rank Awakener?
-Not Europe, but Asia? They’re beneath us
The Europeans subtly agreed as well.
-If we just exclude the EX Awakener, it’s doable
-If we beat Asia and just take some of the profits, it’d be huge
-If we just take some of Korea’s Tower resources for ourselves….
The Americans shouting to make America great again felt the same way.
-If we just ban the EX Awakener, we have a chance
-This is doable
These were events unfolding on the opposite side of the globe, unknown to Choi Kang-mok.
Meanwhile, a relatively minor piece of news circulated through Europe.
-Christine applied as a candidate for the Asia representative?
-??? Why would England’s strongest mage withdraw?
-She apparently acquired Korean citizenship
Christine wasn’t the only one.
-Bessius is also competing as the Asia representative
-???
-Why would Spain’s strongest mage do that?
-This guy constantly goes around claiming he’s Korean
The sovereigns of each nation found their minds in turmoil.
They thought they only needed to deal with EX-rank Awakeners, but what was this?
Christine and Bessius both as Asia representatives?
“…Isn’t this crossing the line a bit?”
“No matter what, this is a bit much….”
At this rate….
‘If we ban an EX-rank Awakener and end up drawing unwanted attention….’
‘The risk becomes far too great, doesn’t it?’
If they could somehow win, that would be different.
But the probability of victory kept diminishing.
Lee Kang-nam, Korea’s tank, was evaluated as not falling behind even when compared to Europe’s top-ranked players.
Many sovereigns had a change of heart.
‘Hmm.’
‘Better not to invite unnecessary resentment….’
‘Let’s just pragmatically ban Bessius instead.’
It seemed unwise to provoke an EX-rank Awakener.
[Each Sovereign is requested to designate the Awakener to be banned.]
[This process will proceed via voting.]
[Voting anonymity is strictly guaranteed.]
Under the system’s guarantee of anonymity, voting commenced.
And soon the results were announced.
[List of Banned Awakeners]
[Asia: ‘The Mage’]
In the end, Choi Kang-mok was decided as the banned Awakener for the Asian continent.
Then, something even more astonishing occurred.
-Wait lol
-What is this?
-Can this actually happen?
-In the EX-rank Awakener’s world, if it can happen, it absolutely does. That’s canon. Take note lol

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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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