The Return of the EX-Class Wizard - Chapter 37

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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 037
“Cough…!”
The one gasping out was none other than Kang Hye.
She lay sprawled on the floor, breathing heavily and ragged.
“What are you doing?”
“Huff, huff!”
After a moment had passed.
Kang Hye spoke with exasperation.
“Oppa, you destroyed something like my pocket dimension.”
“Me?”
Choi Kang-mok tilted his head in confusion.
“When?”
“Sigh.”
Kang Hye laughed with a hint of deflation.
“Are you messing with me?”
But Choi Kang-mok genuinely seemed clueless.
Through a brief conversation, the siblings drew closer to the truth.
His friend-foe identification had a strong tendency to classify most things he wasn’t consciously aware of as ‘enemies.’
When in doubt, he classified first as an enemy, then made his judgment.
“So what you were trying to do was manifest a pocket dimension?”
Kang Hye gained an intuitive understanding and materialized her pocket dimension.
And Choi Kang-mok, who had exited the Tower, tore it to shreds.
As a side effect, Kang Hye was now suffering from severe exhaustion.
“Looks like it.”
The eyes of Kang Hye, still lying on the floor, sparkled with delight.
Her body was exhausted, but her spirit soared with joy.
A small world of rules created by the caster descends into reality.
Beyond that, little was known.
“But I figured out one thing. Lower-grade pocket dimensions shatter when they collide with higher-grade ones.”
Still lying down, Kang Hye gulped down a stamina recovery potion and sprang to her feet.
Her appearance was quite haggard, but her expression overflowed with vitality.
“Fascinating discovery, right?”
“Indeed.”
Choi Kang-mok also took note of this phenomenon.
A higher-grade pocket dimension could destroy a lower-grade one.
This process of acquiring new knowledge delivered a pleasure comparable to researching magic itself.
‘Far more efficient and safer than destroying it with magic.’
A different kind of exhilaration pierced through my entire body, distinct from when I destroyed Kim Yu-jun’s pocket dimension.
It felt more sophisticated and ‘befitting a mage’—elegant, even.
Honestly, when I destroyed it with magic, it was magic in name only; it was closer to smashing it with a warhammer.
Choi Kang-mok continued.
“Let’s practice together.”
“Practice?”
“Yeah.”
Choi Kang-mok’s smile deepened.
“You practice manifesting a Small World. I’ll practice destroying one.”
Choi Kang-mok thirsted for every kind of practice.
Small World destruction practice.
It seemed like it would be quite fun.
Or so I thought, but reality proved far harsher.
“Damn it. Again?”
This time it wasn’t even a direct hit.
Whenever I tried anything, it just shattered.
This was no different from smashing it with a warhammer—or magic, for that matter.
The practice partner was too weak to actually practice.
Kang Hye’s face had turned deathly pale after her Small World was destroyed multiple times.
Her legs trembled so badly she could barely stand.
“…You lunatic. Why are you this strong?”
Despite her words, pride filled her expression.

* * *
Shin Chae-ryung, the lord of Busan, faced the greatest crisis of her life.
Any chance of reconciliation with the EX-rank Awakener was long gone.
Guild members were defecting in droves, and she was receiving torrents of abuse from the Busan citizens who had once been her support base.
The Guild’s internal and external standing was being shaken to its core.
Shin Chae-ryung made her decision.
‘To make my comeback, I ultimately need to consume an EX-rank.’
This is the age of Tower civilization.
In the end, the strong possess everything.
You could see that just by looking at the EX-rank Awakener.
If I could inherit an EX-rank job, the Busan Guild would rise again and ascend to glory.
‘When Real Madrid provides support, that’s my opportunity.’
For that, I could sell out the nation ten times over.
A Small World emission-type artifact.
And they’d even provided a Legendary+ grade one.
‘I need more mana stones.’
The artifact rental fee was one thing.
The problem was that operation consumed far too many mana stones.
That’s why I approached the Incheon Guild.
“I’ll tell you the EX-rank Awakener’s personal information.”
I made a deal with Incheon.
In exchange for selling out the EX-rank Awakener’s personal information, I secured a supply of mana stones.
The negotiation was successful.
‘Perfect.’
Shin Chae-ryung used a disguise item and headed directly to Choi Kang-mok’s residence.
The Legendary+ artifact ‘Steel World’ consisted of four ‘stake-type items’.
‘North, south, east, west. Drive the stakes into their precise positions.’
Then consume mana stones to unfold the pocket dimension.
The people inside this building would be caught in ‘Steel World’ as well, but that was an unavoidable sacrifice.
Sometimes one must be willing to bear small losses for the greater good.
[Will you activate the pocket dimension ‘Steel World’?]
[3 kg of intermediate-grade or higher mana stones will be consumed per hour.]
The entire one-room apartment building began turning black.

* * *
Kang Hye spoke, her face drained of color.
“Brother, it seems you’re still not satisfied?”
“No, I’m satisfied.”
“Sure you are.”
Kang Hye laughed.
“I’m considered quite a talented prospect in my own circles….”
My market value has risen considerably these days.
One might expect some arrogance, yet it’s impossible.
With such a monstrous force beside me, humility becomes inevitable.
‘Still, I’m getting a sense of what a pocket dimension really is.’
I can’t control it freely yet.
But my ability to sense pocket dimensions has improved dramatically.
“Hm?”
“What?”
“Brother, did you unfold another pocket dimension?”
“No?”
“I’m sensing a pocket dimension unfolding.”
Kang Hye opened the window and looked outside.
“It’s coming from outside.”
At Kang Hye’s words, Choi Kang-mok focused his attention as well.
He was a mage, not an explorer.
He didn’t possess senses as keen as Kang Hye’s, but if an explorer gave him advance warning, he could detect it.
Choi Kang-mok’s expression grew slightly animated.
“Huh, what is this?”
It was distinctly different from the fledgling Kang Hye’s pocket dimension.
Even without trying, I could sense it.
This Pocket Dimension was real.
“Oppa, something feels wrong.”
“Yeah, I feel it too.”
If I had to compare it, it felt similar to Kim Yu-jun’s torture chamber.
My face grew more animated.
I was becoming increasingly delighted by this new pursuit of truth.
“Kang Hye, I think I’ve developed the ability to distinguish the level of hostility contained within a Pocket Dimension.”
Anyone could see I was pleased.
“…You’re a pervert.”
I considered waiting a bit longer.
Until this Pocket Dimension fully manifested.
That way, I could conduct my research and analysis on Pocket Dimension destruction far more thoroughly.
But reality was a cesspool.
“Oppa, this Pocket Dimension’s range is huge. It’s going to swallow at least this entire building.”
“Ah….”
That meant innocent people could get caught up in it.
‘There’s no helping it.’
Training and pursuing truth were important, but I had to prevent loss of life.
If ordinary people got swept up in a Pocket Dimension, there was no telling what kind of damage they’d suffer.
-Initiating friend-or-foe identification, Mayo.
When uncertain, I’d classify them as enemies first.
But what was even more certain was to set them as ‘enemies’ outright.
I’d grown far more familiar with this function through my training with Kang Hye.
‘I’ll set this hostile aura that’s unfolding right now as an enemy.’
Simply blocking their approach was boring.
I dove into actual combat, drawing on my experience from training with Kang Hye.
[‘Adjusting the Domain.’]
Setting the Mage Fortress’s domain.
It engulfed the entire building.
And then came the collision of Pocket Dimension against Pocket Dimension!
‘A Pocket Dimension far superior in quality to the clumsy one Kang Hye created!’
This would allow me to accumulate far purer experience.
Flash!
A light visible only to my eyes burst forth.
‘A power struggle was unfolding… except it wasn’t?’
Boom!
The stakes driven into the east, west, south, and north of the building shot upward and shattered.
The opponent’s Pocket Dimension was instantly obliterated.
‘It seemed like quite a high-quality Pocket Dimension, though?’
It shattered again.
[You have obtained the title ‘Small World Destroyer (S)’!]
[When the target of impact is a ‘Small World’, the title owner’s damage increases!]
[You may choose between two formats.]
[1. Job-Linked]
[2. Level-Linked]
‘What is this?’
───────
[Destructive Power Amplification (Fixed Type)]
Format: Job-Linked
Job Name: Damage Dealer
Small World destructive power is amplified by linking to your current job.
───────
───────
[Destructive Power Amplification (Growth Type)]
Format: Level-Linked
Level: 20
Small World destructive power is amplified by linking to your level.
───────
‘Both amplify destructive power, but the methods differ.’
One is influenced by job, the other by level.
In most cases like this, the growth type tends to be more advantageous than the fixed type.
Because it unleashes greater power in the future.
‘Would level-linking be the right choice for me now?’
I destroy most Small Worlds without much effort.
So it’s difficult to delve into the principles behind them.
I’d need some kind of interaction to occur before I could even observe anything.
If I linked to the ‘Damage Dealer’ job, the Warhammer phenomenon would occur again.
But Choi Kang-mok was given no time to deliberate.
[!A special job has been detected!]
[The job-linked title effect has been selected!]
“….”
I accepted my fate and proceeded with my characteristic way of thinking.
“I feel incredibly stronger.”
I’ve obtained something extraordinary.
Everything went according to plan.

* * *
Han Sang-hyun ground his teeth.
“At minimum, a Ranker.”
The mere fact that they handled a Pocket Dimension properly already indicated they were a Ranker of considerable caliber.
Yet they had used a Pocket Dimension-dispersal type item.
“When I inquired with London, they said it was at least a Legendary-grade artifact fragment or higher.”
A Pocket Dimension-dispersal type Legendary-grade artifact or above?
The list of suspects narrowed further.
“It appears they received support from overseas.”
At this juncture, receiving overseas support to target an EX-rank Awakener.
The suspects became even more limited.
“The probability that it’s Shin Chae-ryung is highest.”
“Yes. I agree. My younger sister is tracking the traces.”
“Ah. You mean Kang Hye?”
Han Sang-hyun’s expression darkened slightly.
“It’s undeniable that Kang Hye possesses tremendous potential, but it’s dangerous. She’s still only a prospect. We’ll pursue the trail quickly as well….”
“Wait a moment.”
A call came from Kang Hye.
-Hey, oppa. I found the location! They’re fleeing toward Incheon right now! Let me see, the vehicle number is… We’ll need to catch them before they enter the highway.
Kang Hye, merely a prospect, had discovered the traces of the fleeing Busan Lord.
Han Sang-hyun fell silent for a moment.
“There were no attacks from Shin Chae-ryung?”
“If it were the usual Shin Chae-ryung, she wouldn’t have moved directly like this.”
Lords typically issued commands to move their subordinates rather than acting directly themselves.
The various external circumstances had forced Shin Chae-ryung to move personally.
Choi Kang-mok continued calmly.
“Which means she was that pressed for time. Likely, she couldn’t even deploy additional forces. Besides, this is Seoul, not Busan, so acting openly would be burdensome.”
“Y-you’re absolutely right.”
Han Sang-hyun’s face flushed slightly.
This was something he should have analyzed and reported on his own, yet the opposite was happening.
The EX-rank Awakener’s ability to read the overall situation often astonished him.
“And….”
As Choi Kang-mok continued, Han Sang-hyun flinched in surprise.

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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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