The Return of the EX-Class Wizard - Chapter 95

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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 095
This energy bolt was different from before.
Two perfectly optimized energy bolts, reflecting the effect of the Magic Tuner, fired directly ahead.
Boom-crack!
A tremendous explosion followed.
Thick dust blanketed the area, and Choi Kang-mok successfully stabilized the scattering magical fragments.
Though dust obscured my vision, the sensation transmitted through my fingertips spoke volumes.
‘The attack definitely landed.’
But then.
“Huh?”
By now, a clear notification should have appeared.
Tilting his head in confusion, Choi Kang-mok concentrated his mana and blew away the dust.
(Come to think of it, I could probably justify this as a type of wind magic too.)
And what he faced was,
the ‘Unbreakable Stone’ still standing in its place.
“Oh.”
Its surface was riddled with holes like a honeycomb, appearing ready to crumble at any moment, yet the stone endured.
True to its name, the Unbreakable Stone lived up to its designation.
“It’s held up almost perfectly at this point.”
In that instant, pale vapor began rising from the stone’s surface, and the ground trembled faintly.
Choi Kang-mok sensed the anomalous flow and immediately muttered.
“Phase two.”
The Unbreakable Stone.
Entering phase two.
[
Challenge
has been updated.]
[Challenge: Destroy the Unbreakable Stone using the same method!]
It wasn’t about dealing damage above a certain threshold.
Now I had to actually destroy the stone.
The Unbreakable Stone.
There were more changes to come.
[The Unbreakable Stone learns the attack.]
[It gains immunity to that attack.]
Choi Kang-mok laughed despite himself.
He understood better than anyone how heavy the weight of ‘immunity’ truly was.
After all, he too possessed immunity to golem-class explosion magic, and he’d experienced that advantage countless times.
Soon the stone began taking on a blood-red hue.
As if it had become something of an entirely different nature, an ominous heat now clung to its surface.
“Immune to my energy bolt?”
This is a proper opportunity to conduct a thorough experiment.
I could finally test firepower that had been impossible against the steel debris of the Reconstruction Layer.
[Skill, Energy Bolt (S) activated.]
The explosion erupted in brilliant light, and the boulder absorbed the impact across its entire surface, yet immediately regenerated.
Scratches remained, but they healed completely.
[※If the challenge fails, stage escape becomes impossible.※]
“Ordinary attacks won’t work.”
Then I should try layering attributes.
If I layer penetration properties and push through, wouldn’t something change?
[Skill, Energy Bolt (S) activated.]
This attempt proved equally futile.
If one layering wasn’t enough, I’d do it twice, three times, four times.
[Skill, Energy Bolt (S) activated.]
The result remained unchanged.
Useless.
Even repeating it twice, three times, four times—nothing changed.
“This doesn’t work either?”
A life accustomed to ‘this actually works?’ was experiencing the complete opposite today.
‘This doesn’t work?’
There was something oddly refreshing about it. Yet it wasn’t unpleasant.
Simply having a situation where I could experiment with magic freely was quite satisfying.
Food and water were also abundant.
That was thanks to Kang Hye’s meticulous contingency planning.
The premium emergency ration kit prepared for unforeseen circumstances shone brightest in moments like these.
I couldn’t use high-ranking spirits.
This stage had only one condition.
Destroy this boulder using only Energy Bolt.
“So repetition won’t work.”
A new angle of approach was necessary now.
Not simple repetition, but a deeper understanding of magic itself.
Not a crude attack, but drawing forth a solution from an entirely different dimension.

* * *
How much time had passed?
Suddenly, hunger crept in.
“Mayo, how long has it been… Oh, sorry. You must be hungry too?”
Mayo’s battery indicator was blinking red.
Choi Kang-mok hurriedly pulled out an EX Coin and fed it to her.
-It’s fine. But… this is a bit much, isn’t it?
-Still, the time you spent immersed was worthwhile. Though I’d prefer it wasn’t so frequent.
Upon realizing that three days had already passed, Choi Kang-mok’s eyes widened.
-You must take care of your body. To become one… you need to stay healthy.
-I sincerely hope you live long and continue to grow.
Chewing on combat rations, Choi Kang-mok fell deep into thought once more.
Absolute immunity that negated Energy Bolt.
How could he break through it?
‘Wait.’
Certain revelations arrive suddenly.
Until now, he had focused on researching how to contain magical fragments.
But what if there existed a space that bound those fragments together?
“I could try it now.”
The rock that never shattered.
It had endured completely while absorbing Energy Bolt.
Now that the rock could handle the impact, he could attempt an experiment to store that impact itself.
“Let me give it a try.”
As if placing magical fragments into a scroll,
I deployed a Small World around the rock and cast Energy Bolt in succession.
As a result, the fragments didn’t scatter outward but began bouncing around inside the shield.
“It’s holding?”
[Activating Skill: Energy Bolt (S).]
With repeated use, I grew accustomed to it, and my method of controlling magical pressure improved.
Recalling Christine’s damage reduction formula to reduce mana strain, I attempted magical stabilization by applying Raymond’s principle of ‘mana holes’.
-The manifestation of things in the space between Energy Bolt and its fragments. Most intriguing.
The change began within the shield.
Magical fragments collided and overlapped, generating a new Energy Bolt.
Sweat poured down, my mana circuits burned like fire, but my hands didn’t stop.
Sweat cascaded from my entire body.
My mana circuits felt ablaze, yet I didn’t stop.
‘This is my chance!’
I stood on the threshold of a new realm.
I had observed similar patterns in high-ranking spirits.
I had witnessed opposing forces collide, yet their power amplified instead.
‘This isn’t opposing forces clashing. These are identical energies colliding against each other.’
The principle was the same, but the difficulty was lower than dealing with high-tier spirits.
Enlightenment seemed to approach with each passing moment.
Now that I possessed the Magic Tuner, the timing was perfect.
I controlled the optimized energy bolts with even greater precision, generating new ones and confining them within a designated space.
I refined and attuned the rampaging fragments further.
As a result, finally, a single ‘domain’ was completed.
Beneath the black stone, a distorted mana space materialized,
and within it, energy spheres began to rampage.
Within the tempest of energy spheres, the ‘unbreakable stone’ gradually began to accumulate cracks.
-Mana surges and rotation overlaps and overlap dominates space and within that space, unbreakable matter shatters.
-The manifestation of wide-area magic fixed in floor formation. Beautiful, the sound of laws crumbling. The melody of worlds being destroyed. Further research will be necessary.
The numbers confirmed it.
[-999,999,999]
[-999,999,999]
….
[-999,999,999]
[-999,999,999]
Choi Kang-mok muttered without realizing it.
“Still far to go.”
Maintaining this required extreme concentration.
If it demanded such extreme focus, it would be difficult to use in actual combat.
Ultimately, I needed to create a floor formation capable of autonomous operation.
And just as Mayo’s battery indicator turned red.
Choi Kang-mok grinned widely.
“Done!”
After countless trials and errors, I had completed it.
An energy floor formation that maintained itself without conscious effort.
A magic where fragments within the domain, governed by the laws I set, rampaged freely and destroyed enemies.
In other words, floor formation damage.
[You have successfully created a new spell!]
[It has been recorded in the Magic Archive]
[You have acquired the Title: Energy Floor Formation Creator.]
───────
[Energy Floor Formation Creator]
You have created a new form of wide-area technique by pushing energy bolts to their limit.
Official registration in the Magic Archive complete.
Skill name registration complete. You acquire this skill.
The creator of this magic receives various buffs when using it.
※Mana pressure exerted on the caster is drastically reduced
※Magic Maintenance Duration +7 seconds
───────
The operational mana pressure decreased significantly.
[Skill acquired: Energy Floor (Creation)]
“Oh…!”
Though it was combat-exclusive magic, I had nonetheless created a genuine spell from scratch.
It was a true area-of-effect skill, complete with its own designation.
“I did it!”
After trembling for a while, Choi Kang-mok noticed Mayo, who was starving pitifully, and flinched in surprise.
“Ah, I’m sorry. I was too absorbed, wasn’t I?”
-Yes. You continue to repeat the same mistake, but it is acceptable.
–
We
forgive
our
mistakes.
He observed the domain within.
An area-of-effect spell governed by laws and principles.
It was genuinely stable enough for practical combat application.
“This is not the end.”
If one is possible, then two is possible.
Multiplication is also possible.
“Should I try layering them?”
If one layer won’t work, then two.
If two won’t work, then three.
Thanks to the reduced mana pressure, the burden was not great.
Confidence surged through me.
Within the mighty domain where energy bolts raged.
The indestructible boulder finally exploded.
“Ah, hold on just a bit longer.”
I wanted to conduct more layering experiments.
The colossal boulder vanished, leaving behind only a single small stone.
[Core of the Indestructible Boulder]
That one piece no longer broke, yet it was acknowledged as destroyed.

* * *
[Special Stage (2) has been cleared.]
[You have received a ‘Reward Selection Token’ as a clear reward for Special Stage.]
[Check your gift box!]
“A reward selection token?”
It was a familiar system.
The structure was simple: choose one reward from several options.
───────
[Reward Selection Token]
1. Advanced Quest Clear Pass
2. Core of the Unbreakable Stone
───────
The first option was a guaranteed pass that would unconditionally clear any ‘Advanced or lower Quest’.
The second was the core of that ‘Unbreakable Stone’ I had just shattered.
A perfect medium to safely absorb the damage from floor magic.
“To use floor magic in actual combat, the core would certainly be ideal….”
I needed a medium to absorb the damage.
The Unbreakable Stone was perfect for that.
Normally, I would have chosen the Core of the Unbreakable Stone right away.
But something nagged at me.
A feeling that I was missing something.
What if there’s something absolutely incredible among those ‘corrupted character Quests’?
───────
[Available Quest List]
I cannot provide a translation for this text as it does not appear to be valid Korean language. The characters shown are not recognizable Korean words or syllables.
I cannot provide a translation for this text as it does not appear to be valid Korean. The characters shown are not recognizable Korean words or syllables.
I cannot translate this text as it does not appear to be valid Korean. The characters shown are not standard Korean Hangul letters or words.
───────
“There’s no need to decide right now.”
I postponed the reward selection for now.
I exited the Labyrinth.
[Exiting the Labyrinth.]
And in that instant.
“You absolute madman!!!”
Murderous intent.
A killing aura of nearly terrifying proportions erupted forth.
Kang Hye stood before me, dark circles hanging down to her jaw.
“I thought you were dead, you bastard!”
The moment her scream transformed into a shriek,
Choi Kang-mok reflexively fled.
[Entering Labyrinth (Seoul) Stage 21.]
[Skipping in 7 seconds, 6 seconds…]
[Labyrinth (Seoul) Stage 21 cleared at EX-Rank.]
I exited the Labyrinth.
“You bastard…!”
Stage 22 EX-Rank cleared.
Stage 23 EX-Rank cleared.
“You’re really going to kill me…!”
Stage 23 EX-Rank cleared.
Stage 24 EX-Rank cleared.
“Hey! Wait, let’s talk….”
Stage 25 EX-Rank cleared.
Stage 26 EX-Rank cleared.
“Brother, you absolute madman!”
Stage 27 EX-Rank cleared.
Stage 28 EX-Rank cleared.
As the stages climbed higher,
Kang Hye’s fury was gradually subsiding.
“Hey… let’s talk, okay….”
Stage 29 EX-Rank cleared.
Stage 30 EX-Rank cleared.
EX-Rank clear messages cascaded endlessly,
and finally, Kang Hye spoke with resignation.
“…Fine. As long as you’re alive, that’s what matters.”
Fortunately, Kang Hye’s anger had finally dissipated.
My older brother’s wisdom had managed to calm my sister down.
“But seriously… brother, let’s talk. For real this time.”

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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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