The Return of the EX-Class Wizard - Chapter 68

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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 068
Kang Hye continued speaking.
“It was mana pressure.”
“Mana pressure?”
Choi Kang-mok’s expression darkened.
This mana pressure again?
Had it spiraled beyond my control and affected things randomly?
Had my mana pressure grown excessively strong once more?
Christine, standing off to the side, focused intently on the siblings’ conversation.
Mana pressure. That single word fixed her gaze.
These days, she had become particularly interested in “mana pressure.”
Unlike Choi Kang-mok, who wielded physical force directly, Christine was pursuing research in a slightly different direction.
‘If I amplify mana pressure, wouldn’t the spell’s power itself become stronger?’
Clinging to that possibility.
To her, Choi Kang-mok was living inspiration itself.
“Oppa, surely you felt it?”
“I always feel mana pressure.”
How much attention did I devote to controlling mana pressure every single time?
While others paid no mind to mana pressure, I had now reached a state where I could manipulate its form quite freely.
According to Christine’s phrasing, what I “claim to be energy bolts” or “what used to be energy bolts” often relied on mana pressure form manipulation.
“Not the mana pressure you primarily handle.”
A frog in a well.
A frog in a well sees the sky as small.
That was exactly how Kang Hye saw me.
“The fragments leaking out from that mana pressure.”
“Mm.”
I furrowed my brow slightly.
I had grown quite confident in my mana pressure control, yet fragments I hadn’t controlled had leaked out?
“Those scraps filled the canyon, swirling like dust. They swept through the surroundings like an invisible sandstorm.”
Kang Hye had positioned herself atop the canyon, on cover.
Even so, she hadn’t been free from the influence of the mana pressure fragments.
If it hadn’t been for her shield, she might have died.
“You didn’t know?”
“….”
I couldn’t respond.
Between managing spell fragments and controlling mana pressure, my mind was already overwhelmed—how could I possibly attend to the scraps of mana pressure?
Just as ordinary mages paid no attention to mana pressure.
I hadn’t paid attention to the remnants of mana pressure either.
“Yet you stood unharmed in the midst of it all.”
I flinched in surprise.
‘Was it because of Shield (10) that I didn’t feel it? Or friend-foe identification?’
No.
If that were the case, Mayo would have chattered excitedly about it long ago.
Curiosity bloomed within me.
‘Has my body grown accustomed to mere traces of mana pressure?’
Resistance? Or adaptation?
Or perhaps the hypothesis that my physical structure was absorbing mana pressure as an internal resource?
Or organic synchronization? Which hypothesis should I approach this from?
That’s when Christine spoke.
“Hey, Strongtree.”
“What?”
Christine pointed at the door that had been torn from its hinges.
“Explain this.”
“….”
“How much strength would I need to develop to do what you just did?”
She was serious. Genuinely curious.
Now and always, Choi Kang-mok had been her mentor.
A pioneer one step ahead of her.
“I’ve always been naturally strong.”
“I thought so. You’re not going to make it easy, are you?”
That was right.
Fifteen years ago and now.
“I preferred pointing the way rather than spoon-feeding answers.”
Was that truly me?
Choi Kang-mok found himself at a loss for words.
Christine understood the Choi Kang-mok of fifteen years ago better than he understood himself now.
“I understand your intention. I’ll figure it out on my own.”
Christine glanced once more at the torn door.
This was the Seoul Guild Headquarters.
That door was bulletproof.
Far heavier than an ordinary door.
‘I may need to invest more in strength than I initially thought.’

* * *
Upon entering the room, I checked my stat window.
───────
[STAT WINDOW]
Strength: 49 (20 +5 +24)
Stamina: 40 (35 + 5)
Agility: 50 (34 + 3 + 4 + 2 + 7)
Intelligence: 30
*Remaining Stats: 4
───────
‘Intelligence is my lowest stat.’
Then I reflected further.
‘Low intelligence actually aids my growth.’
Excessive intelligence breeds magic beyond one’s control.
For a mage pursuing the mysteries of magic, low intelligence is far more valuable.
“You could call it growth from a researcher’s perspective.”
-Indeed. I, Mayo, concur with this assessment.
-Research! Low intelligence, high observation—magical research
is ongoing!!
‘From a mathematical perspective of magic theory…’
As these thoughts circulated through my mind,
I noticed the torn bulletproof door once more.
‘But can I really tear that door open with Strength at 49?’
Upon reflection, something didn’t quite add up.
I contacted Lee Kang-nam.
-Wait. I’m coming now.
Lee Kang-nam crossed over to Seoul immediately via the Old Busan Tower.
Upon arriving at the An House where I was staying, Lee Kang-nam first examined the door I had destroyed.
“You tore this open with your bare hands? Choi Kang-mok, what’s your Strength stat?”
“49.”
“49? Aren’t you a mage? What’s your Intelligence?”
“Isn’t asking that rather rude?”
“Fair point. Well, it’s naturally higher than your Strength, I’d assume.”
Lee Kang-nam shrugged his shoulders.
“Anyway, focus on your Strength stat. Your numbers are higher than most same-level warrior-class players.”
“So? Is this feat possible with this Strength?”
“It could be possible, or it might not be.”
“Why is your answer so vague?”
“You know how it is. Stats aren’t absolute values—they’re tendencies.”
Stats are merely indicators.
Even among mages, the magic of a ‘Dilkkinnu’ mage and an ordinary mage operate on entirely different planes.
Warriors were no exception.
“A door-ripping specialist or a strength-based warrior class might manage it. By ordinary warrior standards… it would be impossible.”
“What if I originally had exceptional strength?”
“These hinges are made of Novaite alloy. Even a gorilla couldn’t tear them apart.”
Certainly, as a researcher and magical theorist, everything was proceeding ‘according to plan’.
Though, come to think of it.
To withstand the magic of a Dilkkinnu mage, one would need a physique that surpassed even a gorilla’s.
That’s when Lee Kang-nam spoke.
“Hey, it’s been a while. Let’s have a mock battle.”
“A mock battle?”
“Yeah. Arm wrestling.”
“You think we’re evenly matched?”
I glanced at Lee Kang-nam’s forearm.
It was like a thigh attached to his arm.
“I won’t use any techniques. Just pure strength.”
Lee Kang-nam’s eyes gleamed with intensity.
Choi Kang-mok’s undefeated record was getting under his skin.
[Mock Battle Record]
[2 Wins / 0 Draws / 0 Losses]
In all fairness, he should take one loss.
If anyone was going to hand Choi Kang-mok his first defeat, it had to be him.
Choi Kang-mok was equally sensitive about that undefeated record.
“Add a rule: using techniques counts as a forfeit loss.”
“Hey, I’m Lee Kang-nam. I don’t go back on my word.”
“If you don’t add it, I’m not doing this.”
[Using ‘Arm Wrestling Techniques’ or ‘Arm Wrestling Skills’ will result in Lee Kang-nam’s defeat.]
[The system will determine whether techniques or skills are used.]
The mock battle began.
Choi Kang-mok whispered softly.
“If it looks like I’m going to lose, I’ll bounce him away with friend identification.”
-Understood, Master. I will remember.
-Though it may appear somewhat underhanded, the victory record takes priority.

* * *
Lee Kang-nam’s eyes were bloodshot and severely congested.
“You conniving bastard!”
There was absolutely no way his strength was only 49.
By feel, our strength was comparable.
Veins bulged across Choi Kang-mok’s forehead.
“Right now, my strength is 59.”
With the Mock Battle Absolute effect applied, all my stats had increased by 10 each.
“My strength exceeds 100!”
Lee Kang-nam was no pushover either.
Veins pulsed red and blue across his forearms, and his neck muscles tensed visibly.
“Hrraaah!”
After a brutal clash, Lee Kang-nam ultimately emerged victorious.
Just before Choi Kang-mok’s hand touched the ground.
“I won, kyaaaah!”
Lee Kang-nam was sent flying backward.
Mayo had launched him through her ally-identification ability.
Lee Kang-nam crashed hard against the End Point boundary of the mock battle field, blood trickling from his nose.
-Mayo, crisis interception mode activation complete.
–
Master,
I appear to have successfully protected you.
“Still, I won.”
I had finally given him his first loss?
He spoke while pinching his nose with one hand.
One loss! I had finally been the one to hand that monster his first defeat.
However.
[Arm wrestling technique usage detected.]
[Techniques used: Top Roll, Press, King’s Move, Side Pressure]
“Damn it.”
Choi Kang-mok’s victory.
The record was unforgiving.
[Mock Battle Record]
[3 Wins / 0 Draws / 0 Losses]
“I’ll make him take a loss one day.”
My objective had shifted slightly.
Now it was a fated rematch.

* * *
After the arm-wrestling match, Lee Kang-nam spoke.
“If you’re not lying, your strength isn’t at level 59. It’s approaching 100.”
“How could I reach 100 at my level?”
“That’s true, but…”
In any case, Lee Kang-nam had confirmed it.
Choi Kang-mok possessed far greater strength than the typical level 49 baseline.
That evening.
Kang Hye, who had personally experienced my conquest of Floor 29, succeeded in her own analysis.
“It seems like your body has evolved as it adapted to your magic, oppa.”
“I felt the same way.”
Just as with adaptation to mana pressure residue.
My body was automatically adapting to that dangerous mana environment.
There was no other logical explanation.
“I’m convinced. And honestly, aside from magical growth, you’re pretty insensitive about other things, aren’t you?”
“I’m not that insensitive.”
“You didn’t even know you could tear off a bulletproof door with your own strength until now.”
Choi Kang-mok couldn’t counter the provocation.
But his mind was already spinning rapidly.
‘If I theorize it, under sustained mana exposure, the body undergoes self-correcting growth. Including magical resistance, tissue reinforcement, and reflex efficiency.’
I reached a quick conclusion.
“…It seems delaying the Constitution, Strength, and Agility stats as much as possible was the decisive variable.”
“Hm?”
“Without external correction, repeated exposure in extreme conditions forced my body to choose a path of forced optimization. That’s what happened.”
“Can’t you just say you barely survived with those stats and got stronger?”
“That’s exactly as planned.”
Kang Hye looked at me with slightly sorrowful eyes.
‘My little brother challenges his limits every single day.’
How painful must that be.
Enduring, casting magic again, enduring once more.
Repeating that cycle to condition my body for magic.
Easy to say, but it’s absolutely not easy.
My heart ached for him.
‘Because he lived as an unawakened person for 15 years. That desperation is only possible because of that.’
No.
I genuinely enjoy magic training.
Right now, I’m in a tremendously joyful state.
“What’s wrong? Why do you suddenly look so wistful?”
“Don’t push yourself too hard enduring things.”
“What are you talking about?”
If it’s hard, then say it’s hard.
Try saying it at least once.
I opened my mouth to speak, but swallowed the words instead.
The answer would be predictable anyway.
‘It’s not hard for me at all.’
Because that’s the kind of person who would say it sincerely.
A liar.
‘I just need to help my brother in the way I can.’
Kang Hye pulled out a video projection magic stone from her inventory.
To help with clearing Floor 30.
“Floor 30’s structure looks like this.”
Light emanated from the magic stone, and the topographical layout of Tower Floor 30 projected before my eyes.
A massive cavern. And three doors.
“You know you have to choose one of the three doors, right?”
“It’s a boss floor. Of course I know that much.”
But.
“I think it’d be better to explain the special mechanics first rather than the structure. You do know about Floor 30’s special mechanics, right?”
“There are special mechanics?”
“It’s famous among explorers. You don’t know?”
In that moment, Kang Hye’s eyes sparkled.
‘My brother doesn’t know!’
Finally! I! Can directly!
Be helpful!
An undisguisable smile spread across Kang Hye’s face.

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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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