The Return of the EX-Class Wizard - Chapter 94

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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 094
Choi Kang-chul withdrew a document from his inventory.
The cover was emblazoned with bold lettering.
[URGENT: Annihilation of Chinese Special Forces Unit]
“…The unit stationed near Shenyang has been completely wiped out.”
“Really?”
“You did that, didn’t you?”
“Me?”
“They were forces positioned in case you escaped from Shenyang.”
China had always been watching for an opportunity.
The moment Choi Kang-mok crossed the border, they were ready to strike—whether through kidnapping or assassination.
Yet in the midst of all this, their sniper-specialized unit had been decimated.
“There were no fatalities, but everyone sustained severe injuries. They’re saying at least two years of rehabilitation will be necessary.”
Even if they returned to active duty, whether they could regain their former capabilities remained uncertain.
“You did that intentionally, didn’t you?”
“Not particularly.”
Choi Kang-mok seemed equally troubled by the matter.
That hadn’t been his actual intention.
‘Could it be… because of the hostile intent?’
That day, I had set up a hypothetical enemy and guided the magic fragments accordingly.
Could it be that the fragments had been guided in response to the snipers beyond the border?
Choi Kang-chul studied his younger brother’s expression for a moment.
Then he nodded slowly.
“…Alright. That’s your position on this.”
He was the leader of the EX-rank Dedicated Team and the Occupying Lord.
And he was the one who had to understand the true intentions of EX-rank awakeners better than anyone.
“Then I’ll simply organize things to align with that position.”
Choi Kang-chul gathered the documents and rose from his seat.
‘A show of force was made, but you don’t want this to escalate into a political dispute. That’s what you mean.’
If that was the intention of an EX-rank awakener.
The leader of the EX-rank Dedicated Team had no choice but to follow it.
‘You really are something.’
Though you claim otherwise, you move in ways that best serve the interests of the entire Korean Territory community.
You don’t seek to explain or receive acknowledgment for it, but every step you take is calculated with profound depth.
‘Do what you want to do.’
You’ve suffered enough until now.
From here on, I intend to take responsibility for what comes next.
Meanwhile, Choi Kang-mok remained lost in thought.
“…I did set up a hypothetical enemy.”
Setting up a hypothetical enemy and guiding the fragments.
Fragments scattered in all directions, annihilating the Chinese Special Forces operatives.
It sounded simple enough, but the reality was far more complex.
Examining the map, the straight-line distance exceeded three kilometers.
No matter how much my long-range combat prowess had improved traversing the Labyrinth, this was impossible.
“…Even if my ranged abilities have grown, this doesn’t make sense.”
It wasn’t even with Owen’s support.
For magical fragments to pierce such a distance and strike true was utterly absurd.
1. What could possibly extend magical range to such a dramatic degree?
2. The magical fragments should have obliterated everything—how are the operatives relatively intact?
‘Something must be reducing the damage.’
My fingertip traced the magical trajectory across the map, brushing against the border line.
“…Could it be.”
The Korean Territory border.
A special boundary line where the system permitted only one-directional passage.
“…That’s it.”
In that moment, the hypothesis crystallized in my mind.
“The fragments crossed the border, reducing damage while extending range.”
A 🙂 symbol appeared on Mayo’s torso.
-An entirely rational deduction.
-If we investigate now, we should be able to observe quite meaningful results.
I nodded in agreement.
In that instant, Mayo’s aura shifted.
The torso trembled slightly. A heart floated upward.
-This is… a date. You and me, just the two of us, crossing the border together in love… isn’t it?

* * *
Mayo is a Pocket Dimension entity classified as a Mythic-grade artifact.
She handles comprehensive support for mages and manages information beyond magical matters.
This time too, Mayo had remembered it precisely.
Those exact border coordinates where Choi Kang-mok had lured the magical fragments.
Choi Kang-mok stood before the translucent barrier, gazing at the border line.
“It’s gotten a bit tattered, hasn’t it?”
To the naked eye, there was no significant difference.
However, through the eyes of Choi Kang-mok, who had grown quite accustomed to structural analysis, a small problem had manifested at the border.
“My magic took damage. It seems the border protected itself by absorbing my damage and deflecting it far outward.”
A structure that dampened impact like armor and expelled dangerous elements outward.
It was the border’s own defensive measure.
“So the magic I fired passed through the border and bounced far beyond….”
Now it became certain.
That magic had descended directly above the enemy’s head the moment it crossed the border.
The result: annihilation of the special forces unit.
Lee Byung-gyu adjusted his glasses with sweat-dampened hands.
And he offered sincere advice.
“This… would be best kept secret for the time being.”
The ability to strike beyond the border this way was no different from quietly launching missiles from a secure bunker.
No trace, minimal chance of detection.
It could be used not only for surprise attacks but as a strategic weapon.
‘What if an EX-rank awakener had been a player from another nation?’
Cold sweat poured down just from imagining it.
Without thinking, Lee Byung-gyu grasped both of Choi Kang-mok’s hands tightly.
“Thank you so much. For being in Seoul.”
It might look absurd, but it was sincere.

* * *
Beijing.
The conference room was silent.
“…It was a warning attack, then.”
The Beijing Lord slowly set down the report.
He said nothing, but the meaning was abundantly clear.
‘I don’t want political conflict. But consider our position—a silent protest.’
It was a peculiar situation.
Had he declared outright confrontation, at least there would have been justification to seize.
But this was a method that offered no justification while demonstrating power unmistakably.
“Certainly troublesome.”
Then, a new report arrived.
“New awakeners have appeared near Shenyang.”
“…New?”
“Yes. Their class is Tunneler.”
“Tunneler?”
The Beijing Lord reacted immediately to that word.
It was not unfamiliar to him.
A rare class that appeared only along the borders of divided nations.
Under certain conditions, they were ability users who could partially nullify system borders.
“…Are you certain?”
“Yes. We’ve verified it. It appears we can secure a passage enabling entry into Shenyang.”
At those words, the Beijing Lord’s eyes sharpened.
“Then that means overland entry to Seoul becomes possible.”
At last, an opportunity.
A chance to repay that humiliation of losing the Magic School and having Shenyang seized.
“…Good.”
The Beijing Lord rose quietly from his seat.
“We’ll return their warning in kind. They need to see clearly who warns whom.”
System borders are absolute, but if we can breach even part of one, everything changes.
“We advance through Shenyang and move toward Seoul.”
Then, his expression remained impassive as he continued.
“Strike an appropriate subordinate lord. Prepare for campaign.”

* * *
I turned over in my mind what I had learned from Owen, the intermediate-rank mage.
An imaginary enemy.
What particularly impressed me was how setting an ‘enemy intent’ made guiding magic fragments considerably easier.
[Entering Tower (Seoul) Floor 4.]
As always, I conducted my magic practice on the reconstruction floor.
I trained my magic control against a dummy that was now almost pitiable in its condition.
After firing an energy bolt in an unexpected direction, I controlled the magic fragments.
“Recognizing the dummy as an enemy…”
The moment I set ‘enemy intent’ upon it, the magic fragments, influenced by the precision attribute, surged forth toward the dummy in perfect unison.
The sight resembled thousands of fish swimming across the sea in a single direction.
Their movement was remarkably orderly.
“Oh…!”
The magic fragments that had scattered in all directions no matter how carefully I adjusted them before were now controlled to an almost perfect degree.
Goosebumps rose on my arms.
Certainly, I had grown several steps further.
[You have grasped the subtleties of magic operation and manifested magic by adjusting its effects yourself!]
[The title ‘Magic Transformer’ has grown.]
[You have acquired the title ‘Magic Tuner’.]
───────
[Magic Tuner]
In addition to magic transformation, it aids in finely tuning attributes and effects.
Optimizes existing magic and adjusts it to manifest more powerfully under specific conditions.
※Precision +3
※Range +3
───────
“The Magic Transformer has grown?”
My effective range had increased as well.
Though I felt I was developing like a combat-specialized mage, I didn’t think it was entirely unfavorable—after all, it stemmed from a deeper understanding of magic’s principles.
I entered the Tower again and repeated experiments countless times.
“Under stable conditions, controlling magic fragments is straightforward.”
The range improvement was undeniable.
“Even a rough calculation suggests an increase of over 50 meters.”
Numerically it was +3, but the Tuner’s effect transcended mere numbers.
Generally, +1 translated to approximately 10 meters of increase.
In my case, the range had extended over 50 meters.
It meant my magic had been optimized exceptionally well.
“I wish I had a sniper spell…”
I flinched in surprise.
Somehow, I had begun thinking far too much like a combat mage.
Like rain soaking through cloth, I felt myself gradually becoming a combat mage, bit by bit.
“…I suppose that’s possible when you’re in a good mood.”
Sniper magic wasn’t a bad thing either.
It wasn’t that being solely a combat mage was unappealing—being a combat mage as well posed no problem at all.
‘If the opportunity ever comes, I’d like to learn at least one more skill.’
Ideally, I’d want to acquire a proper area-of-effect spell as well.

* * *
The update finally went through.
[Special Stage (2) has opened.]
Entering the Labyrinth.
[Challenge: Strike the absolutely unbreakable rock and record the damage dealt.]
[※If minimum damage is not met, stage escape will be impossible.※]
“This time it’s ‘absolutely’?”
In Special Stage (1), it was just an unbreakable rock.
In Special Stage (2), an absolutely unbreakable rock had appeared.
Though the modifier ‘absolutely’ was attached, Choi Kang-mok remained vigilant.
I couldn’t afford to be careless and attack recklessly.
It might shatter again and threaten me.
“I like how spacious this area is. I’ll have plenty of distance to work with.”
I could now attack from much farther away.
The Energy Bolt enhanced by the Magic Tuner’s effect could be wielded much like a sniper spell used by ordinary mages.
“Distance is secured. My fragment control has improved too.”
Feeling tangible growth, my spirits naturally lifted.
-It seems I, Mayo, am gaining confidence in spatial control as well.
The user controls the magical fragments.
I only needed to block the fragments from the ‘absolutely unbreakable rock.’
-I’ll give it a try.
-I’ve grown as well, after all.
Curiosity blossomed in one corner of Choi Kang-mok’s mind.
Would the absolutely unbreakable rock truly remain absolutely unbreakable?
[Skill, Energy Bolt (S) is activated.]

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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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