The Return of the EX-Class Wizard - Chapter 266

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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 266
Just as Light had anticipated, the Contaminated Entity’s specialty was escape.
A challenge designed to let it flee from the Asian representatives while surrendering meekly to the African delegation.
[The Contaminated Entity has been assassinated.]
With the entire space destroyed, there was nowhere left to hide.
Light trembled violently.
My master, but he’s definitely insane.
I’m genuinely grateful we didn’t meet him as a hunter.
[Damn, this is seriously too much]
[The challenge has been completed.]
It was the exact moment the African delegation was about to enter the Gate.
[The challenge has been destroyed.]
[Entry into the Gate, ‘Contamination Source,’ is now impossible.]
[You have been defeated.]
The African delegation received the defeat announcement.
Salia rubbed her eyes.
Why? We entered immediately via the optimal route the moment the location was revealed?
What do you mean defeat? A system error?
[Victorious Continent: Asia]
[Defeated Continent: Africa]
[The ‘African Medal’ from all African Continent Awakeners is being recovered.]
?
Salia’s head remained tilted in confusion.
It felt unreal.
I really didn’t do anything?
‘Did we fall into some kind of illusion magic?’
Tournament Round 1.
Asia victorious.
Salia couldn’t accept reality.
“It seems we’ve fallen victim to illusion magic.”
“….”
“Let’s find a way to break through this illusion.”
“….”
It took the African Delegation some time to come to terms with reality.

* * *
Asia’s victory was hardly remarkable.
-Saw that coming lol
-It ended as soon as it started?
-But the result was so predictable it wasn’t even fun
-Korean: We found it entertaining though?
However, there was one mage who couldn’t accept this result to the very end—none other than Salia, the African Delegation’s representative.
Since her main stage was England, relocating to Korea proved no great difficulty.
-Salia came to Korea
-Oh lol
-After Christine, now Salia too?
-She said she couldn’t believe the EX-rank Awakener’s magic lol
Being a mage herself, she understood all the more.
An EX-rank Awakener’s magic transcended the limits of mages far too greatly.
This wasn’t magic—it was nearly a miracle.
‘I can’t accept it.’
Salia concocted her own conspiracy theory.
What if the System had actually been on the EX-rank Awakener’s side?
Outwardly rejecting the EX-rank Awakener, yet secretly funneling all manner of information and privileges to them…
‘I’ve put in more effort.’
Talent and effort.
I’ve never fallen short to anyone.
“I thought I could only understand it by meeting you in person.”
“Yes, hello.”
The meeting came about relatively easily.
And Choi Kang-mok sensed it.
‘She’s an aspiring mage!’
An aspiring mage who had crossed the sea seeking understanding of the ‘magic’ I had witnessed!
Splendid.
That enthusiasm, that passion, and that competitive spirit regarding magic—it was endearing.
Salia didn’t dance around the subject.
“I heard you’re a master of mock battles.”
“I wouldn’t call myself a master.”
Choi Kang-mok’s record window, which had accumulated mock battles sporadically over time, now gleamed more brilliantly than ever.
───────
55 Battles / 60 Victories / 0 Draws / 0 Defeats
───────
Salia gazed at the record window for a long moment.
Earth Medal. Asia Medal. Africa Medal.
And there, the diamond-bordered emblem symbolizing fifty consecutive victories.
It was heartbreakingly beautiful.
The tears weren’t because I’d lost the African medallion—absolutely not, definitely not.
“…So the rumors were true?”
“Pardon?”
“55 battles, 60 victories.”
By any rational standard, that made no sense.
How could you win 60 times when you’ve only fought 55?
“It seems you possess the power to manipulate reality itself. Isn’t that right?”
“Hmm, I’ve never thought of it in those terms, but…”
This was a preemptive victory.
Though now that I considered it, calling it “reality-manipulation magic” seemed to capture the essence well enough.
“That does have a rather nice ring to it.”
“Stop changing the subject!”
Salia couldn’t contain herself.
This wasn’t magic—it was fraud.
“Spar with me.”
She hadn’t expected to win against an EX-rank Awakener.
But she needed to verify it with her own body.
The magic of an EX-rank Awakener.
‘There’s no way magic works like this.’
Traversing a continent to obliterate the interior of a Gate?
And that’s supposed to be assassination magic?
This was ridiculous.
She spotted Choi Kang-mok smiling faintly.
“Why are you smiling?”
“Usually in situations like this, people get upset, don’t they?”
I could tolerate most things, but having my magic dismissed irritated me.
Normally, the first impulse would be to teach them a harsh lesson.
But not with Salia.
“Right now, though, I’m fine with it.”
“What?”
“I’ll chalk it up to the passion of an aspiring mage.”
A vein throbbed on Salia’s forehead.
What? An aspiring mage?
How could he say such a thing to Africa’s greatest mage?
‘Mockery? Insult?’
I won’t let this slide!

* * *
It was Salia who refused to let the matter rest.
“One more round!”
Her first defeat came from a basic magical Energy Bolt.
I tried to evade, but couldn’t.
My opponent’s casting speed was simply too fast.
The second defeat was also an Energy Bolt.
The third defeat was also an Energy Bolt.
And then Salia realized something.
“You’re not even going all out, are you?”
“I am.”
Are you dismissing me again?
“I mean fight with your full power.”
“I’m already fighting with my full power.”
Truth be told, Choi Kang-mok found it quite liberating when he didn’t have to control his damage output.
It was simply easier to unleash his full force.
But doing so risked shattering even her resurrection setting.
Choi Kang-mok had no intention of destroying a promising young mage.
Four times, five times—Salia suffered consecutive defeats.
“…Is that really an Energy Bolt?”
A lie.
It must be something else masquerading as an Energy Bolt.
“As a mage, you must abandon narrow-minded thinking. Even basic magic can evolve into diverse spells depending on how you apply it.”
“….”
And then Salia understood.
“It really is true magic, isn’t it?”
“Exactly.”
After ten consecutive defeats, Salia finally accepted reality.
I checked Choi Kang-mok’s record window again.
───────
65 Matches / 73 Wins / 0 Draws / 0 Losses
───────
In the meantime, his wins had increased by thirteen.
Truly remarkable in every way.
“Master!”
Now I finally grasped the deeper meaning behind his words.
‘Aspiring mage’ wasn’t mockery at all—it was actually profound respect.
“I haven’t yet reached the level where I can properly take on disciples, though….”
Still, the feeling wasn’t unpleasant.
Now I could understand Raymond.
From Choi Kang-mok’s perspective, it was endearing, but Salia possessed a talent that was second to none.
Becoming Africa’s greatest mage at such a young age was impossible with ordinary talent.
“Still, I’d love it if we could spend time like this, exchanging magic techniques occasionally.”
“Yes, Master. I look forward to your guidance and instruction in the future.”
I had acquired my first disciple.
Salia had surrendered completely in her heart.
It was magic on an entirely different dimension.
Truly a mage of a different caliber.
She genuinely acknowledged her defeat.
As a result, Choi Kang-mok earned the Master tier badge, the next rank after Diamond.
This too was a first on Earth.
[What on earth am I supposed to create next after Master… sigh….]
[Is it really right to create this for just one person….]

* * *
The Continental Tournament was anticlimactic.
In truth, I hadn’t placed much significance on the Continental Tournament itself.
I simply coveted the magnificent medal.
The first round was an easy victory.
The other continents were still in the midst of their matches.
In the meantime, Europe defeated North and Central America.
No one could stop the assassin Leon.
-They should have banned Leon lol
-Who would’ve known an NPC would enter
The gap between Leon and the other representatives was immeasurable.
And Leon made an announcement.
[Leon: “I will forfeit if I face Asia.”]
Would he really go through with it?
Would the other representatives just sit back and allow it?
…was the general consensus, but regardless, that was the current situation.
I had no intention of stopping Leon.
I could just secure a preemptive victory and bring back the European medal as well.
‘What matters to me now… is orthodox magic.’
While I was sampling various unconventional spells.
Suddenly, I found myself yearning for ‘tradition.’
Just as people’s tastes and preferences change moment by moment, so too do a mage’s.
‘The system kept playing tricks, sending me strange invitations.’
The system continued to maintain the strategy of “gather power and deliver one massive blow.”
It bundles me in units of 10 floors and throws me into boss battles.
While this has its own merit, I now yearned for orthodox magic.
“The system is probably too preoccupied with the regular event right now.”
My relationship with the system had become clear.
We watched each other warily, and we stabbed each other in the back.
It seemed the system possessed something like a “personality.”
“I should climb the Tower by the book.”
Orthodox progression.
What magical growth awaited me upon entering the 81st Floor?
Truthfully, my heart was racing.
With most people’s attention fixed on the Continental Showdown, Choi Kang-mok entered the 81st Floor alone.
[You have entered the 81st Floor of Tower (South Korea).]
[Challenge: None]
‘Wait a moment.’
There was no challenge.
Even I had never seen this before.
If it hadn’t been activated, that would be one thing, but to have none at all?
It couldn’t have been absent originally—the Tower must have deliberately removed it.
[The 81st Floor of Tower (South Korea) has been cleared.]
“What? Why?”
[Clear Rank: EX]
───────
[Hall of Fame – 81st Floor]
[World] [Personal]
1. Mage (South Korea, EX)
───────
Of course, maintaining the consecutive 1st place record on the 81st Floor pleased me, but no matter how I looked at it, this felt far too perfunctory.
And this lack of sincerity didn’t sit well with me.
‘What scheme is it plotting now?’
Could the 82nd Floor be the same?
[You have entered the 82nd Floor of Tower (South Korea).]
[Challenge: None]
Again.
Another EX-rank clear.
‘Is it so preoccupied with the Continental Showdown that it’s given up on preparing altogether?’
The 83rd Floor was no different.
No challenge.
Cleared the moment I entered.
[The 83rd Floor of Tower (South Korea) has been cleared.]
[The 84th Floor of Tower (South Korea) has been cleared.]
[The 85th Floor of Tower (South Korea) has been cleared.]
All EX-rank clears.
-Hahaha, you guys just stick to continental tournaments or whatever this is?
-And he just cleared five consecutive EX-rank Floors in a row
-Haha, the technique is on a different level, seriously
Some viewed it as a form of ostentation and a display of power.
Befitting an emperor of the new era, the argument that he deliberately demonstrated playing in a different league gained considerable traction.
-No, he’s a mage, haha
-A mage? Haha
-He’s definitely a mage
-Yeah, that’s right~
Meanwhile, Salia, who had taken it upon herself to become a disciple and settled in Korea, realized something.
“Master, I think I understand why this is happening!”
She had analyzed what the “No Challenge” designation meant for Floors 81-85.
A young prodigy. From another continent.
The cause of this extraordinary phenomenon, analyzed through the perspective of Salia—who possessed an entirely different growth background—was remarkably fresh.
So much so that even Choi Kang-mok was slightly taken aback.

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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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