The Return of the EX-Class Wizard - Chapter 57

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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 057
Christine bounced off the wall.
An opaque cubic barrier materialized around her.
“Oh my, I’ve been imprisoned?”
A small prison had formed, restraining Christine.
“How on earth did you do that… Wait! Don’t tell me! If you explain it, I’ll die from the shock. Let me research this myself.”
Choi Kang-mok nodded with a reluctant expression.
Indeed.
Death from shock could prove far more catastrophic than being killed outright.
Christine began tracing the barrier’s surface with her fingertips.
She followed along the translucent membrane that sparkled like glass shards, her eyes gleaming with intense focus.
“This has to be connected to Mayo somehow.”
She continued muttering to herself. The surrounding space had already become her personal laboratory.
Choi Kang-mok quietly retreated. A mage’s curiosity deserved respect, after all.
‘I should inspect Mayo myself.’
Choi Kang-mok was receiving all EX Coins mined from Seoul Tower.
The acquisition rate of EX Coins was steadily increasing, with a consistent daily yield of approximately eight coins recently.
Choi Kang-mok inspected Mayo.
-The user’s gaze is upon me.
-Being observed quietly… I don’t find it unpleasant.
───────
[Space]
1. Territory: 5 (+)
2. Additional Territory: 4 (+)
3. (Locked)
───────
A new category called “Additional Territory” had appeared in the [Space] tab.
───────
[Defense]
1. Shield: 10 (Maximum Level Reached)
2. Interception: 4 (+)
3. (Locked)
───────
Shield had reached maximum level.
‘If I invest 3 EX Coins, it’ll be fully charged.’
Interception had been upgraded to level 4.
───────
[Security]
1. Eavesdropping Detection: 5 (+)
2. Friend-or-Foe Identification: 5 (+)
3. Tracking: 5 (+)
───────
Though I wielded it through Mayo, I had grown remarkably familiar with the Pocket Dimension.
Confining Christine (?) now was the result of utilizing both the Pocket Dimension and magic in tandem.
The first repulsion came from the power of friend-or-foe identification.
Mayo had done this herself.
‘Materializing a small cube around Christine.’
I had practiced endlessly at controlling the magical pressure of Energy Bolt to create specific forms.
Creating a cube of a certain size by expending mana was now possible.
‘And if I declare this as my domain.’
From here on, I needed Mayo’s assistance.
-Additional Territory Setting. Authorized.
-The creation of a new zone means our relationship deepens and expands further, does it not?
Additional Territory was a function that set another domain in addition to the existing one.
-What is the first option to grant to the Additional Territory?
I could add one of Mayo’s functions to the Additional Territory.
‘Shield’ was the most familiar—the first option.
A shield was generated within the cubic domain.
Christine let out a snicker.
“Hehe, you created a confinement zone with your shield?”
A soft laugh escaped me.
The fusion of magic and the Pocket Dimension.
This was how I needed to develop it someday.
The sensation of glimpsing the future lifted my spirits.
“If confinement is your preference, I can oblige.”
“Can you break out?”
“Let me try.”
Christine lightly struck the space with an Energy Bolt.
“It doesn’t even scratch.”
But launching a major attack proved difficult.
The space was too cramped—the mage herself could be injured.
‘Could this possibly be… creation magic?’
Normally, magic was learned through grimoires.
But recently, some mages had begun creating small flames and water droplets without grimoires.
Yet that was merely foundational magic.
This confinement magic now was on an entirely different tier.
‘Creation magic. That’s it.’
I pondered it carefully.
Among confinement magics, I had never seen anything more solid than this.
‘Truly astounding every time I see it, Strongtree.’
The pace of my development transcends imagination.
After a single night’s rest, I leap forward in tremendous strides.
The feeling was exhilarating.
Rather than anxiety about falling behind, I felt greater reassurance in moving forward alongside the world he was leading.
‘I need to work harder too.’

* * *
Choi Kang-mok, who had implemented something akin to creation magic by applying the Pocket Dimension, clenched his fist and muttered to himself.
“It’s thanks to you, Mayo.”
-The user is our
future.
–
If it is our
desire, we
shall gladly comply.
–
willingly complies.
It could be called a debuff-type magic that constrained the opponent’s movements.
‘Focusing on growth was the right call.’
‘Growth’ encompassed both my own advancement and Mayo’s development.
Mastering artifacts was also part of that growth.
I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and centered myself.
‘Don’t forget—learning too many spells without mastering existing ones turns you into a failed character.’
There were so many spells I wanted to learn.
I even coveted Christine’s navigation magic.
But ‘High Spirit’ was far too powerful to control.
Simply using it threatened the mage’s very life.
Learning new spells from other grimoires in this situation was the fastest path to becoming a failed character.
I had to master them one by one, step by step.
‘I’m growing steadily. Don’t be impatient.’
Choi Kang-mok sprawled across the bed.
‘Compression. Penetration. Non-contact destruction. Mana pressure shaping. The fusion of Pocket Dimension and magic.’
Proficiency areas I couldn’t afford to neglect.
None of them were simple.
And soon came Floor 25.
The floor where the sub-boss appeared.
Floor 25 was a layer where maze and boss coexisted.
‘The conventional strategy won’t work for me.’
Every damage dealer had their own method.
‘I need to become more proficient with the [Guidance] attribute as well.’
Right now, I’m relying too heavily on the ‘Precision’ trait.
My magic flies toward enemies without me even intending it.
‘But true mastery means doing it with my own hands.’
With my eyes closed, I visualized the maze structure of Floor 25 in my mind.
I’d already secured the map, and through the Small World, I’d developed a sense for reading the entire layout.
Moreover, experiencing Christine’s navigation magic had significantly enhanced my ability to visualize spatial structures.
‘Guide where I can guide….’
For sections where guidance is difficult, I’ll use the Energy Bolt’s ‘Penetration’ to break through.
The challenge of Floor 25 was to defeat Akla, the purple serpent positioned at the center of the maze, by skillfully combining guidance and penetration.
‘I’ve planned everything out.’
I decided to rest a little.

* * *
[Is all this really happening in one day lol]
“Lol, rebuilding the 4th Floor after clearing EX stages 21~24 consecutively”
└???: Overcoming national crisis? One day’s all it takes
└Foreign exchange went insane. KOSPI broke 4000
An EX-rank Awakener is literally responsible for managing the entire nation’s finances lol
South Korea was entering an unprecedented golden age.
Amid the festive atmosphere, the world’s attention was fixed on one place.
[Isn’t Floor 25 a maze + boss coexistence?]
└You have to do both maze navigation and boss battle to clear
└The theory of manipulative ability is popular overseas haha.
└Some claim Korea’s in a collective brainwashing state
└Honestly, if we were foreigners, would we even believe this;;?
Everyone was curious about when the EX-rank Awakener would attempt Floor 25.
[Seriously curious. How does he even do this]
└Honestly, wish they’d release a strategy guide
Even if I watch, I probably won’t be able to copy it… but I’m curious lol
└If this really gets revealed, Overseas Guilds are gonna have a collective meltdown
It wasn’t just Korea’s wish.
London from England, who had aided Seoul; Saudi Arabia, who provided massive resources; and New York from America, who supplied large quantities of orbs.
They all made the same request.
‘I should repay their kindness.’
I deployed a single drone for recording the strategy.
I also brought a body camera for strategy recording, just in case it got destroyed.
“Interesting.”
It was a body camera that shared the strategy in real-time.
A masterpiece born from combining Saudi Arabia’s resources and London’s manufacturing capabilities, or so they said.
‘Tower strategy guides have entered the live broadcast era now.’
[Entering Floor 25 of Seoul Tower.]
[Activating real-time body camera (custom-made).]
[Beginning video transmission.]
In a sense, this was my official debut—the first time I would publicly reveal a clear strategy.
‘The plan is flawless.’
From my re-awakening until now.
Everything has proceeded exactly as intended.
[Challenge Objective: Defeat Akra!]
Choi Kang-mok took his first step forward.
A labyrinthine fortress wall stretching to the heavens filled my entire field of vision.
‘I’ll start with penetration.’
My primary weapon remained the Energy Bolt.
Thanks to the talisman’s effect, two bolts always manifested simultaneously, but I’d grown accustomed to it.
‘I’ll launch one bolt skyward.’
I fired it upward into the sky.
Explorers had already thoroughly researched where the sky’s limit lay.
Their conclusion: ‘There is no ceiling in the direction of the sky.’
‘I only need to focus on one bolt.’
I’d always trained with two bolts—handling just one would be simpler.
The perceived difficulty dropped to less than half.
‘Penetrate through and breach one wall.’
I closed my eyes. Sight was unnecessary anyway.
I couldn’t see through that massive labyrinth with my naked eyes.
Yet the entire three-dimensional structure of the maze was vividly mapped within my mind.
‘Guidance has become second nature.’
I’d trained extensively using my precision trait.
I’d practiced relentlessly to control mana fragments.
‘Left here.’
A state of perfect unity.
As I manipulated the Energy Bolt with pure will alone, the magical sphere undulated like a serpent, weaving through the labyrinth’s passages.
‘Now the real part begins.’
I readjusted the distant magic.
I compressed the sphere’s size and imbued it with an attribute.
‘Compression complete. Switching to penetration mode.’
It absorbed a gray penetration attribute.
My target: the violet serpent lurking in the heart of the maze—Akra.
It was as if the energy sphere had become one with the creature.
From a first-person perspective, I felt as though I were the bolt hurtling toward Akra.
‘I can land this hit!’
Undoubtedly, I would strike true.
At that moment.
Akra began to move in a peculiar, unfamiliar manner.

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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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