The Return of the EX-Class Wizard - Chapter 286

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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 286
The new System administrator—the AI—was decidedly favorable toward Choi Kang-mok.
Choi Kang-mok felt it himself.
“I never imagined establishing a Magical University could be this straightforward.”
Kang Hye corrected him.
“It wasn’t easy.”
The requirements were staggering.
Each individual condition was nothing short of miraculous, yet he had simply accomplished them all preemptively beforehand.
“If anything, the System wasn’t being petty about it.”
I witnessed how much effort my brother expended beside me.
Others would mistake him for being mad.
‘No. He is mad, but….’
Mad in the best possible way.
I learn much from observing Choi Kang-mok and draw inspiration from him.
To become first-rate in any field, one must reach that level of dedication.
Though he is my blood relative, I respect him deeply.
“You nearly died countless times.”
Countless times?
Rather, dozens of times? Or perhaps hundreds of times he came close to death.
In truth, even now a single mistake would be fatal.
An ordinary person would have abandoned magic long ago.
Life is universally more precious than magic, after all.
Yet Choi Kang-mok went one step further.
“Doesn’t everyone do that much?”
“Oh….”
Indeed, a true ‘mage’ perceives things differently.
He regards such brutal effort as ordinary work that everyone undertakes!
“Regardless, establishment is one matter, but from here on, operations will be the real challenge.”
Yet Choi Kang-mok possessed considerable accumulated experience.
Had he not recently acquired similar knowledge?
“I intend to entrust operations to someone else.”
Incidentally, Choi Kang-mok is also the master of the assassination organization Trust.
However, Leon handles the actual operations.
It is better to entrust operations to an operations specialist.
“To whom are you planning to entrust it?”
People across the world would be drooling over this opportunity.
The Saudi monarch would likely volunteer to operate it himself, even if it cost him a fortune.
Upon hearing this, Lee Byung-gyu marveled.
“I have always known this. You are more devoted to magic than anyone else.”
Since the first generation, he had been a fan of Strong Tree.
That admiration deepened with each passing day.
“You are undoubtedly a mage!”
“Is that so?”
Lee Byung-gyu marveled inwardly at the realization.
Now there was no doubt whatsoever!
The EX-rank Awakener harbored no interest in emperors or empires!
He truly dreamed only of magic!
Yet every action he took was political and strategic.
‘There’s a truckload of people desperate to take over the management of the Magical University!’
Consider it.
If one could build connections with the faculty there?
If one could forge relationships with ‘genius-tier mages’ who would undoubtedly flock from across the universe?
If fortune smiled and one could even provide support?
The impact would transcend imagination.
‘A position coveted by all. By offering this, the EX-rank Awakener has once again etched his immense influence upon the lords of the entire world.’
What an EX-rank Awakener could accomplish.
What influence he could wield.
What transformation he could bring about.
It was made abundantly clear.
A bearing more lordly than any other.
‘Yet the man himself seems to have no such calculations in mind!’
Lee Byung-gyu ventured carefully.
“You intend to entrust the management to another because it would interfere with your magical training, correct?”
“!”
Choi Kang-mok marveled in a different sense.
Truly, the lord of Korea understood!
Others distorted his intentions and misunderstood, prattling on about the emperor’s schemes, but the Korean lord grasped it precisely.
A fine ally indeed.
“Precisely so.”
“I suspected as much. Shall we search for a suitable candidate then?”
“Well, I do have someone in mind.”
“!”
Who could it be?
This ‘appointment’ would be proof of the EX-rank Awakener’s favor.
Even Lee Byung-gyu secretly coveted the position.
“I’ve heard that Owen is actually closer to an administrator than a mage.”

* * *
Owen lay in his room beneath the blankets, weeping with joy.
“Me, me!”
I was overwhelmed with happiness.
“Dean of the Magical University!”
This was the achievement of a lifetime.
I had done well to curry favor with an EX-rank Awakener.
Indeed, one must always stand in the right line!
“Mother! Father! I have risen in the world!”
I was becoming the master of the highest-tier final tech tree stronghold established in centuries.
Of course, there was technically another owner, but that was how I felt regardless.
I kicked off the blankets, threw open the window, and shouted into the night.
“Long live EX-rank Awakener! Long live! Long live!”
Even if it was only a three-year contract, it was the glory of my house.
One more line would be added to my résumé going forward.
Former Dean of the Magical University.
My market value itself had changed.
As a mage, I had remained intermediate, but as an administrator, a path to the very pinnacle had opened before me!
‘I must do this well.’
Three years from now.
Hyenas would surely come swarming.
They would be drooling over the chance to wear this crown.
“I actually had a talent for administration!”
Until now, I had rejected it.
Because I loved magic.
Because I wanted to live as a mage!
But now things were different.
Now administration mattered more than magic.
What was magic anyway? I would become a great administrator.
I logged into a community forum.
“This was my last shred of pride….”
I submitted an application to join the EX Salvation Corps.
Truth be told, I had deliberately avoided joining until now.
Unless I were founding the EX Salvation Corps myself.
Joining as a latecomer simply didn’t appeal to me.
“But now things are different.”
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Profile: (abridged)
* Provisional Dean of the Magical University, Korea
───────
Truly a grand and impressive résumé.
───────
I will prove my loyalty through diligent effort going forward.
───────
However, the membership application was placed on hold.
───────
Had it said “I will prove my faith through diligent effort going forward,” your application would have been approved immediately. Unfortunately, we must place it on hold for now.
───────
Owen felt as though he’d been struck squarely on the head.
‘This world is vast, and masters are everywhere.’
I should have joined sooner.
I could have learned so much.
‘No. I’m not too late. The moment you think you’re late is the earliest you can begin.’
Fine then—I’ll prove my faith through hard work.

* * *
The Higher Dimension experts spoke in unison.
“The Magical University might be too much for the Earth dimension to handle….”
“It’s like wearing clothes above your station. Something will definitely go wrong.”
The talents gathering at the Magical University are “genius-class” even from a universal perspective.
When you gather such geniuses in one place, accidents typically occur.
Such accidents are beyond what a Lower Dimension can manage.
“There’s a high probability they won’t even be able to manage the students, let alone control the professors.”
And the dean is only an intermediate-level mage?
This was an event that starkly revealed Earth’s dimensional reality.
There is exactly one being on Earth worthy of the Higher Dimension’s recognition.
“Unless an EX-rank Awakener directly operates it….”
“It’s bound to become a complete mess.”
Everyone worried thus, or mocked it.
Some Earth dwellers resisted that opinion, while others agreed with it.
-lol doesn’t EX-rank know and that’s why they stepped back?
-mages are the craziest bastards anyway
-EX-rank knows better than anyone
But the situation changed rapidly.
Members of Trust were deployed as campus police.
-?
-assassins handling public order?
Yet Choi Kang-mok had already proven it.
Mediocre force breeds resistance, but transcendent force brings order.
-mages getting real quiet in real time
-Assassins lol lol lol lol lol lol their skills are insane
Trust was also a Higher Dimension-class assassination organization.
Among the people, it was called tier 1.
-???: Order maintenance won’t work, looks like it’ll collapse
-???: Earth doesn’t have that capability
Maintaining order was simple.
Of course, there were other concerned gazes.
-Isn’t this actually more dangerous?
-When a mage causes trouble it’s a magical incident, but when an assassin causes trouble it’s a murder case;;;
However, this concern actually impressed upon the public the fact that ‘EX-rank Awakeners are assassins recognized for their skill’.
-Their main job is assassin and their side job is emperor apparently
-You don’t know the previous assassination organization leader got completely destroyed by EX-rank Awakener and swore loyalty?
People who had only known them as an emperor or mage were deeply shocked.
-Wait, I seriously thought they were just a mage?
-They said they were the emperor of the new era;;; what’s with the assassination organization leader title
And Lee Byung-gyu marveled.
“Through this incident, EX-rank Awakener has once again proven their abilities to the entire universe!”
Compared to being a mage or emperor, their abilities as an assassin were not widely known.
The EX-rank Awakener had ‘unintentionally’ proclaimed their abilities to the entire universe once more.
“Truly, they were born with the qualities of an emperor!”
My faith deepened.
Though no one was listening, I offered my praise.
“A mage who weaves magic without casting spells. Simultaneously, an emperor who conducts politics without engaging in it!”
Both are remarkable.
Beyond mere fandom for the EX-rank Awakener, now my belief began to grow abundantly.
Then, Raymond appeared before me.
He wove security magic and barriers before lowering his voice.
“I see your faith is genuine.”
A new note reached me from him.
“Would you become a [Believer of Trust]?”

* * *
Kang Hye had always volunteered to serve as an EX-rank Advisor, yet her confidence fell short of the role.
Compared to the EX-rank Awakener’s Achievements, her own abilities seemed trivial.
‘Even Light Mayo appears more useful than I am….’
That much was certain.
Igniasha had seemed worthless, yet she had demonstrated remarkable prowess beyond expectations.
‘As for Red Cat….’
I couldn’t speak to anything else, but she was undeniably adorable.
It was difficult to surpass Red Cat in cuteness.
“My contributions pale compared to those around me.”
Yet Kang Hye harbored an unshakeable faith.
Someday, I would surely become a great asset to my brother.
Surely, that would come to pass.
In truth, this ‘faith’ was the towering pillar that sustained Kang Hye’s spirit.
“Though the beginning may be humble, the end shall be glorious.”
With each passing day, that conviction grew ever more resolute.
As she wandered through the North Korea Region, determined to become indispensable to Choi Kang-mok, she began hearing English.
Yet it felt unremarkable.
In the age of Tower Civilization, nothing was truly strange.
One day, she heard Chinese.
People’s clothing blended seamlessly between modern and ancient eras.
The fabric of space and time felt warped, but Kang Hye paid it no mind.
‘I am certainly helping my brother. Certainly.’
Certainly.
I will become someone worthy of an EX-rank Advisor.
I will.
I am an EX-rank Advisor.
EX-rank. Ad. vi. sor.
I am.
I be. lieve.
I can’t provide a meaningful translation for this text as it appears to be corrupted, garbled, or contains nonsensical characters rather than coherent Korean language.
[◆◇$$% What? ?? ♬]
Incomprehensible notifications flickered past her awareness.
Rather than vanishing, the notifications became fragmented debris that clouded Kang Hye’s vision.
Yet none of it reached her perception.
It felt like ambient noise she had learned to ignore.
‘I believe. I do.’
In that moment, a golden radiance unfurled before her eyes.
The scattered fragments coalesced into wholeness.
[You have reached the Gate of Faith.]
Amid a world that gleamed with surreal brilliance, something extraordinary unfolded.

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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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