The Return of the EX-Class Wizard - Chapter 295

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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 295
[The challenge has not been completed]
[The challenge has been cleared.]
Choi Kang-mok was somewhat taken aback.
Should I consider this part of preemptive clearing as well?
‘No.’
Preemptive clearing means clearing without actually clearing.
This wasn’t a failure to clear—it was a failure in the attempt itself.
Half success is half failure.
Half failed, yet the System granted me a clear anyway.
“I’m not sure how to define this precisely.”
But what did it matter what kind of clear it was?
Either way, I had successfully conquered the 100th Floor—the first human on Earth to do so.
The only issue was the clear rank.
‘Every floor up to now has been EX-rank or higher….’
Ninety-nine floors of EX-rank clears or better.
But the final floor is below that?
That was a peculiar kind of frustration to bear.
[Calculating clear rank.]
It took a moment.
The AI System’s internal calculations appeared to be complex.
[Clear Rank: EX…]
Choi Kang-mok flinched in surprise.
EX-rank—I saw that much.
Was it about to forcibly downgrade me?
If so, I could apply correction magic….
[Clear Rank: EX++]
It went up instead!
Even though I hadn’t fully completed the challenge!
Red Cat accepted it readily.
“It certainly defies fairness, but that hardly matters!”
Fairness?
What did that have to do with anything?
After all, only one human on Earth had ever reached the 100th Floor.
There was no one left to argue about fairness.
And besides, this person would become the future boss of the 100th Floor.
“The System simply wants to look good!”
I look forward to your stewardship of the future 100th Floor.
To be precise, it was more like ‘I humbly beseech your care of the future 100th Floor (bowing profusely)’.
-(Light): As expected, survival demands that one understand one’s place in the world!
Even Light could see that the System was the price of survival.
I could acknowledge that.
Who would have thought they’d hand out an EX++ clear here.
[Clear rewards are being granted.]
[Tower Free Pass is being granted.]
The future 100th Floor boss.
Choi Kang-mok, who had ascended to the rank of the so-called “100th Floor Boss (True),” received special privileges.
[You may freely enter any Tower whenever and wherever you desire.]
[You may freely exit regardless of whether challenges are cleared.]
Free movement through the Tower.
It was essentially a reward that transcended physical and dimensional constraints in a single stroke.
A reward that allowed instantaneous leaps to any dimension if one so wished.
[However, the accessible Towers are those dimensionally connected to Earth…]
It was not a mere EX-rank clear.
This clear was nothing less than EX++ rank.
[Due to rank elevation, reward grades are being adjusted.]
Instead of an ordinary(?) free pass, it became Tower Free Pass+.
[Tower Free Pass+ Benefits!]
[Movement across any dimension without restrictions.]
Red Cat groomed itself.
“Let’s see how far this goes.”
For reference, Choi Kang-mok’s clear was not EX+ rank but EX++ rank.
Red Cat had completely caught on to the AI’s intentions.
Instead of dispensing everything at once, it was orchestrating a gradual unveiling of increasingly better rewards.
A classic case of progressive flattery.
“It’s the textbook approach to sycophancy, after all.”
One upgrade had occurred?
Then there would be another.
As expected.
The Tower Divine Retinue’s adulation continued.
[Tower Free Pass++ Benefits are being revealed!]
[Share free pass benefits with up to 3 designated individuals.]
The original benefit was for 3 designated individuals.
But the Tower Divine Retinue did not stop its momentum.
[Tower Family Privilege!]
[Basic Benefit! Share free pass benefits with direct family members.]
Choi Kang-mok’s direct family members received the identical benefits.
This genuinely delighted me.
‘My brother and Kang Hye will love this.’
Just imagining the two of them grinning from ear to ear already lifted my spirits.
The Tower Divine Retinue’s flattery had proven remarkably effective.
[Sharing free access privileges with three designated individuals.]
I could now grant free access to three additional people beyond my family.
Fireworks erupted across every Tower in the Universe.
[!Universal Announcement!]
[!Universe’s First!]
[An ‘Anonymous Awakener’ has successfully cleared all floors at EX-rank or higher!]
Everyone witnessed the scene through the Tower’s massive displays.
Though they called him an anonymous awakener for convenience, everyone knew exactly who it was.
[The official name of Tower (South Korea) will be changed to the Golden Tower.]
Universe’s first.
History’s first.
The ‘Golden Tower’ had emerged.
[The Tower quality of Korean Territory rises to maximum.]
Countless new Gates appeared throughout Korean Territory.
Minimum difficulty, maximum rewards—the ideal combination.
So-called ‘honey Gates’ emerged one after another.
There was only one entry requirement: South Korean citizenship.
[Nationality—the new power of a new era!]
Influential wealthy individuals from every nation applied for immigration to Korea.
Offering astronomical investment proposals in the process.
Bessius laughed at them.
“Idiots, the lot of them.”
The signs had been abundant.
From the moment the Ayla Advanced Magic Research Institute was established, through its rise to become the heart of Megapolis.
“They should have naturalized long ago.”
Thanks to Tower civilization, near-perfect translation had become possible, but translation items were expensive.
Language remained crucial.
The world’s common tongue was shifting from English to Korean.
‘Language institutes’ appeared across the globe.
Lee Byung-gyu, the Korean lord, laughed in disbelief.
“I simply slept and woke up….”
These days, he suffered from overwork.
The moment he lay down, sleep claimed him.
It was the same yesterday, and today he had overslept.
Yet somehow… I had become the undisputed lord of the world’s strongest nation.
[Universe’s First—appointed as the ‘Golden Lord.’]
[The title ‘Golden Lord’ effect is now applied.]
Suddenly, my mind became crystal clear.
[Work for our glorious 100th Floor Boss (True), you slave.]
Wait, did I just see something?
[Golden Lord Privilege!]
[Fatigue does not accumulate while handling lord duties.]
Suddenly, energy surged through me.
“My lord, the documents are piling up.”
There were so many immigration applications that it was nearly impossible to process them all.
Lee Byung-gyu examined the documents with a brightened expression.
“Hold on.”
Among the applicants was a former President of the United States.
I rubbed my eyes and looked again.
“Is this even allowed?”
The credentials clearly listed ‘President of the United States.’
“…This person too?”
There was also a member of the Saudi royal family.
They had pledged a 1 trillion won investment for Korean citizenship….
“No.”
The unit wasn’t won.
“Dollars?”
Golden Lord Lee Byung-gyu had successfully attracted a 1 trillion dollar investment.
Money poured into Korea.

* * *
Meanwhile, Pease was already delighted immediately after clearing the Tower.
The Universe’s first Golden Tower!
100 consecutive floors of EX-rank clears!
And even some + and ++ rank floors mixed in between.
As a master, I couldn’t help but feel proud.
“You’ve already surpassed me in some respects, my disciple.”
For reference, Pease had cleared 99 floors of EX-rank.
In his youth, after being defeated by Choi Kang-mok and fleeing, he had managed only an S-rank clear.
“You must continue to strive and surpass your master. Now then, shall we begin the lesson….”
“I need to go home for a moment.”
“That’s not allowed.”
There’s no time to waste.
This disciple must inherit my legacy….
[Exiting Tower (South Korea).]
However, Choi Kang-mok was able to exit easily.
The authority of the free pass was formidable.
In contrast, Pease, the current boss of the 100th Floor, could not leave the Tower freely.
He was, after all, the Tower’s boss.
In truth, such restrictions posed no real problem.
“Should I just destroy it….”
As I had done countless times before, I could simply demolish the Tower and leave.
I could abduct my disciple and bring them here instead….
“But that’s not so simple.”
This place was a private academy built exclusively for Choi Kang-mok.
Having crafted it with such care, I couldn’t bring myself to destroy it carelessly.
Perhaps the Tower had already calculated this very situation.
“My disciple will return soon enough.”
I knew the genius within them.
And I knew equally well the blazing passion that burned as brightly as that genius.
They were devoted to magic with their entire being.
They would inevitably seek out this place, optimized as it was for learning the arcane arts.
Their body must already be itching with anticipation to return.
“I should focus on preparing my lectures more diligently.”
Ah, that’s right.
I hadn’t received treatment yet.
Fine cracks had settled across Pease’s body in various places.
“It doesn’t matter.”
Treatment wasn’t urgent.
Such things would resolve themselves one way or another.
Preparing my lectures took priority.
A peculiar competitive spirit stirred within me as a master.
I had scarcely known defeat in my existence.
“At the very least, I must teach better than Professor Raymond.”
I decided to prepare my lectures while awaiting my disciple’s inevitable return.
A soft chuckle escaped me.
“How exhilarating.”

* * *
The privileges of the Universe’s first Golden Tower were far from exhausted.
“They say it’s inviolable for the next hundred years?”
The Tower within Korean Territory remained immune to extradimensional conquest.
It was protected by the System itself.
-Isn’t that setting meaningless with an EX-rank Awakener present?
Even the emerging Pirate Dimension had removed its shoes and proposed peace first.
The consensus was that no madmen would dare invade a dimension housing an EX-rank Awakener—save perhaps the Barbarian Warriors.
-Still, something feels unsettling?
-Completely inviolable, haha
-They say no benefit like this has existed in universal history
A dimension where a single individual stood out so remarkably.
A peculiar dimension where one person elevated the average to an absurdly high level.
Earth’s safety had been officially recognized.
Within Korean Territory, at least.
-Wouldn’t it be better to just become part of Korean Territory rather than be conquered by another dimension?
-We’d be better off incorporated into Korea as well?
-That’s not a province, it’s a do
Gyeonggi Province. Gyeongsang Province. Jeolla Province, and so forth.
The yearning of world-famous cities to become “OO Province” grew ever stronger.
Choi Kang-mok paid little attention to such phenomena.
“From what I can tell, he’ll attack the moment we enter the 100th Floor.”
-(Light) : Don’t go in!
-(Mayo) : We must enter immediately and counterattack with magic.
There would undoubtedly be combat disguised as practical training.
Though I’ve decided to take him as my teacher, I have no intention of yielding easily.
“In truth, I was at a disadvantage.”
Though it appeared evenly matched, I knew the reality as the one who fought.
I had been pushed back ever so slightly by Pease.
“I’ll learn what there is to learn, but…”
I refuse to lose.
A battle mage
does not accept defeat.
Not even against a teacher.
“I need to find a way before re-entering.”
My urgency had grown even more acute than before clearing the 100th Floor.
I couldn’t afford to give the impression of fleeing—I had to return as quickly as possible.
I wanted to study battle magic even more diligently.
“What should I do?”
How could I achieve victory against the 100th Floor boss, the Magical Beast?
At that moment, Igniasha spoke.
“Why is the method so difficult?”
Igniasha’s form had already transformed into that of a complete cat.

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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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