The Return of the EX-Class Wizard - Chapter 66

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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 066
The Pocket Dimension scroll “First-Rate Bride Material” became known across the entire world.
[We tore one scroll and the sandstorm disappeared, but?]
└???: Do you think scroll clicking is possible?
└What’s a sand mole without sand?
└World ranking 2nd place updated lol
└Seoul’s promising prospect Kim Jin-su lol, only 18 years old they say
└That’s insane lol 18 years old and world ranking 2nd?
└But it’s not Kim Jin-su who’s amazing. The EX guy went crazy
└Whether it’s Kim Jin-su or Kim Jin-soon, just ride the EX bus and it’s totally possible lol
The sandstorm vanished in an instant.
Witnessing that scene, Antonio had no choice but to briefly deny reality.
“There’s no way that could work on Floor 52….”
Truth be told, he wanted to believe that.
How grueling had the process been to clear Floor 52?
Enormous time and resources had been poured into neutralizing the miasma.
But if “clicking” was truly possible?
If Catherine’s words were fact?
“This shouldn’t work….”
Yet he was a lord commanding a world-class guild.
Though he denied reality with his heart, it didn’t last long.
He contacted Catherine again.
“I apologize. I misjudged you.”
-I understand. It would be hard for anyone to believe before seeing the footage.
Right after clearing, their reaction was shock rather than elation.
Not “What a glorious achievement!” but rather “Is this real? Can it actually be done?”
That bewilderment—Catherine understood it better than anyone.
-Now let’s get to the main point. You still don’t completely trust me, so I’ll be precise. I believe the Seoul Guild must be checked. Of course, the real target is someone else. The EX-Rank Awakener.
This was a perception shared not only by Catherine but by Western European Awakeners in general.
Twenty-six consecutive EX-Rank clears.
That irregular would eventually surpass the strongholds of Western European guilds, and when that time came, no one could predict how the world would change.
-But we are London. London doesn’t seem to have plans to check the EX-Rank Awakener, and my sphere of influence is limited.
So Catherine decided to cooperate with Real Madrid.
If they could do it—a guild that had climbed Floor 52 on their own strength without the EX-Rank Awakener’s help—if that Real Madrid representing Western Europe could do it, they would be different from London.
-Real Madrid can do it. No, they absolutely must.
Because someday, the fate of all of Europe will hang in the balance.
Catherine transmitted one of London’s secrets.
-Emily, London’s master craftsman, is essential to scroll production. And she uses Novaeite when crafting scrolls.
It was a fact unknown to the world.
“Novaeite, you say….”
-Yes. It’s a rare mineral that the Beijing Guild has monopolized the supply of. Currently, it’s only being mined in Beijing.
Novaite is one of the rare minerals from the Tower civilization era.
Energy emissions at specific wavelengths have been found to promote cellular regeneration, and it’s being used in limited applications within the medical field.
Since it’s still in its early stages, demand hasn’t been particularly high.
“Using Novaite for scroll crafting—I never would have thought of that.”
-It’s Guild classified information.
That made sense.
If Beijing had known about this, they would have raised Novaite’s price long ago.
Just as Antonio nodded in acknowledgment, Catherine coughed up blood.
“Are you alright?”
-I… probably won’t last much longer.
This was the path Catherine had chosen.
She was bound by a Lord’s Contract.
Whenever she caused disadvantage to an EX-Rank Awakener, her heart suffered strain.
She had employed various workarounds and used protective artifacts and potions, but she couldn’t completely nullify the Lord’s Contract’s suppressive force.
Antonio didn’t press further.
“In time, Europe will remember your dedication.”

* * *
Lee Byung-gyu, the Seoul Guild Master, visited Choi Kang-mok’s mansion in person.
“I’m afraid I have some unfortunate news to share.”
What began with those words meant that blank scroll production would be difficult for some time.
The supply of Novaite ore, the essential material, had been cut off.
He promised to work in coordination with Foster, the London Lord, to find a solution as quickly as possible.
“Unfortunately, it’s a material that’s currently only mined in Beijing.”
“That’s fine.”
In fact, Choi Kang-mok was genuinely fine with it.
“I was wanting to focus more on magic anyway.”
Strictly speaking, “The Perfect Bride Candidate” was a pocket dimension employing magical methods, not pure magic itself.
“I appreciate you saying that.”
“No, I really mean it.”
Lee Byung-gyu was impressed.
The pocket dimension scroll “The Perfect Bride Candidate” was the symbol of an EX-Rank Awakener and power incarnate.
It was the trump card that could monopolize the top rankers above Floor 52.
From a political standpoint, pocket dimension scrolls were akin to strategic nuclear weapons for EX-Rank Awakeners.
Unable to produce them anymore?
‘If it were me, I’d certainly be deeply disappointed.’
He thought with the perspective befitting a Lord.
I’ve been supporting you all this much, and this is all you can manage?
There was honestly nothing to say in rebuttal.
‘He’s quite the magnanimous one.’
Of course, he wasn’t.
‘Actually, this is perfect.’
This wasn’t Choi Kang-mok’s typical scheming—it was genuine.
The Pocket Dimension scroll wasn’t so much magical control as it was Mayo control.
The Energy Bolt scroll was the concept of me creating and firing bullets of magic myself.
The Pocket Dimension scroll was the concept of becoming accustomed to an excellent gun called Mayo.
Choi Kang-mok was a mage who created and fired his own bullets, not a warrior or dealer who wielded a gun.
‘That gave me a perfect excuse.’
Now I could take the position of “Oh, I’d love to make one, but I don’t have the materials~ What should I do?”
I’d finally acquired a plausible pretext.
Since things had come this far, he resumed his Tower climb.
[You have cleared Seoul Tower Floor 26.]
Thanks to Bloodline Blessing +9, the cooldown for Tower entry was 2 hours.
Exactly 2 hours and 1 minute later.
[You have cleared Seoul Tower Floor 27.]
The moment Floor 27 was cleared in just 2 hours, Seoul erupted into festival fever.
[Not even surprising anymore]
└Absolute madman!!!!
└Who called him a low-tier holder?
└The doubters are at it again, then silence lolol
└First EX clear in the world, but also the fastest clear speed in the world, and by a landslide
└And they still say he’s not the best?
[What if he clears the next one in 2 hours again?]
└lolololol surely not again?
└But seriously, every “surely not” so far has actually happened
└Surely(1) → Actually happened
└Surely(2) → Actually happened again
└At this point, “surely” = “it’s about to happen”
And 2 hours later.
[You have cleared Seoul Tower Floor 28.]
───────
[Hall of Fame – Floor 28]
[World] [Individual]
1. – (South Korea, EX)
…
───────
The overwhelming world’s number one had arrived.
With this, the national rankings for Floor 28 climbed one tier higher.
───────
[Hall of Fame – Floor 28]
[World] [Country]
1. England
…
21. South Korea
…
───────
[Top 10 is right around the corner lol]
└We’re literally just a stone’s throw away now lol
└This isn’t national pride, it’s facts?
└Seoul’s growth rate is insane. They’re all evolving from minnows to whales
In the lower floors at least, they boast the world’s finest Tower climbing.
Countless promising talents gather here.
And without exception, they’re growing rapidly and steadily.
└National ranking? It’s only a matter of time
└They could actually make top 10
└Now we’re just waiting for the clear in 2 hours lol
└Wait, again?
└Huh? Did it happen again?
└Yes, the flag has been raised again~ Are you ready to depart~
But this time, even I couldn’t manage it.
“Man, this is really exhausting.”
Thanks to the talisman that removes side effects, there are no climbing side effects within Floor 30.
However, that didn’t prevent natural stamina depletion.
I collapsed onto the living room floor.
“You crazy bastard, Kang-mok. Again! Again!”
“Leave me.”
“Leave you? You collapsed from exhaustion, you lunatic!”
Kang Hye pressed down on my arms and legs while wearing poison-neutralizing gloves.
In her eyes, I looked almost like a corpse.
My face was pale, and my limbs were ice-cold.
“You’re… okay, right?”
“Why are you wearing the poison-neutralizing gloves?”
“Direct contact feels a bit…”
For reference, I was originally wearing ‘long sleeves and long pants’, but today I had on short sleeves and shorts (forced). They were tattered.
Kang Hye frowned and sighed.
“It couldn’t have been from the monsters….”
“Right. I let my guard down a bit on Floor 28.”
Even monkeys fall from trees.
Even monkeys fall from trees.
Recently, I’ve been practicing a strategy where I eliminate monsters with one energy bolt and use the remaining one to create a mana pressure that blocks the fragments. But I made a slight mistake, and shards scattered everywhere.
I managed to avoid disaster by using Blink and invulnerability at the right moment, but my shield still took a massive hit—fifty points gone.
In other words, it meant the fragments had pierced through my friend-or-foe identification.
Choi Kang-mok felt a twinge of unease.
‘The more I grow accustomed to magic, the more devastating its damage becomes.’
Even without leveling up.
Even without enhancement.
Even without talismans.
Through proficiency alone, magic’s destructive power continues to expand.
‘As I climb the Tower, my level rises again….’
And with it, my magic grows exponentially stronger.
At this point, it would be strange not to worry.
What if I’m not growing as a mage, but as a monster instead?
What if I’m becoming a half-baked mage who can’t even properly control his own magic?
‘No. Don’t rush.’
I’m still in the twenties.
It’s too early to fear now.
The road ahead was long, and the heights I had yet to reach were immense.
“Get some real rest today. If you keep this up, I won’t cast Blood Blessing on you anymore.”
To Kang Hye, Choi Kang-mok looked like a runaway locomotive.
He was barreling forward with broken brakes.
“I understand where you’re coming from.”
He couldn’t use the magic he loved for fifteen years.
The magic he adored—locked away for a full fifteen years.
The yearning and deprivation condensed within that span must be immeasurable.
That’s why Kang Hye had to hold him back.
A train with broken brakes eventually crashes.
“If you keep going like this and have another accident….”
Kang Hye, who had been massaging her limbs, shook her head.
For the past fifteen years, watching Choi Kang-mok had been unbearably painful as his sister.
I hoped such days would never come again.
I’d have to be careful about how often I cast Blood Blessing on him too.
“If you exhaust yourself like this again, I’ll go up to Floor 20 myself and get your Awakening cancelled.”

* * *
Handling energy bolts demanded absolute concentration and nerves of steel.
My nervous system burned through energy rapidly, and my mental fortitude drained with each passing moment.
For this reason, I took four days of rest.
“It’s about time I challenged Floor 29.”
Floor 29 held poor compatibility with my abilities.
Small Wyverns—flying-type monsters—swarmed the arena in droves.
Fast, numerous, and airborne.
The canyon-like terrain restricted my field of vision across the battlefield.
The narrow passages made precise fragment control exceptionally difficult.
For someone like me who preferred one-on-one duels against formidable opponents, this floor held little appeal.
[Entering Seoul Tower Floor 29.]
[Challenge: Defeat 21 Small Wyverns. (21/21)]
As expected, the battle proved far from simple.
Yet I had grown stronger.
I unleashed every tool at my disposal, engaging in a ferocious combat.
Swift tempo, precise distance control, optimal positioning.
The way I dominated the battlefield through spatial awareness embodied the very essence of combat magic.
“Hah… hah…”
Sweat poured down like rain.
[Seoul Tower Floor 29 cleared.]
[Calculating clear rank.]
Regardless, I had cleared it.
I had performed well, certainly, but the display lacked the overwhelming dominance I had shown on previous floors.
Then came a shocking notification.
‘What?’

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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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