On My First Day Undercover, the Organization Collapsed - Chapter 17

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Organization Collapsed on My First Day of Infiltration Episode 017

 

 

17. The Shocking Selection Tournament

 

 

One day before the selection tournament.

Ziel was deep in serious contemplation.

 

“Hmm.”

 

It seemed like taking another step forward from here would be a reckless choice.

He hadn’t sensed any strange signs yet, but it was still better to be cautious upon cautious.

 

‘My actions might look strange to someone.’

 

His cover identity.

And his former life as an assassin.

With these two combined and his mission gone, Ziel still lacked a ‘center.’

The disappearance of brainwashing had a significant impact too.

Brainwashing determines an assassin’s direction and behavioral patterns.

With that gone and his freedom restored, he had to judge and act on everything himself.

 

“I’ll have to do it this way.”

 

Scrape.

 

Ziel rose from his seat.

And made a resolution.

From now on, he would only eat five bowls per meal.

 

‘I’m still hungry, but I need to endure it.’

 

100 sel remaining in his possession.

Was it because he had no money?

Or was it because the food was delicious?

He could eat twenty bowls, but Ziel decided to restrain himself.

 

‘I’m still far from becoming a professor.’

 

He couldn’t rely solely on this cover identity.

He would only be safe once he established his own position here and people no longer had doubts.

There was another reason too.

When his stomach was full, his nerves dulled and his senses became scattered.

Even during his assassin days, he always kept his stomach only half full.

Of course, eating only tasteless nutrition blocks meant there was no chance to get full anyway.

It wasn’t time to let his guard down yet.

 

“He’s eating a tremendous amount again today. Five bowls?”

“The Faculty Dining Hall portions are large, aren’t they? And he’s eating five whole bowls.”

“I heard that person over there is the new liberal arts instructor who came to Sword School?”

“I heard the rumors, and he’s incredibly handsome.”

“Tsk. I wish such talent would come to Arcane School. I’d dote on him.”

 

Voices whispering about Ziel.

Naturally, he heard them all, but he paid them no mind.

He had something else to worry about.

One person who poked her head out the moment the Faculty Dining Hall opened.

 

“Student Celia Rihart.”

“Teacher, you eat quite a lot. And you take a long time with meals too. It was hard waiting.”

 

It was Celia Rihart again.

He already knew she was tailing him earlier, but this time she didn’t come in and waited outside instead.

 

‘Tailing must definitely be trending.’

 

Student trends seemed truly incomprehensible.

 

“What’s the reason today?”

“Anyone would think I follow you around every single day.”

“You tailed me about two more times after the Faculty Dining Hall. Including this time, that’s four times.”

“…Huh, how did you know?”

 

Celia looked flustered.

Ziel answered calmly.

 

“You have a distinctive scent.”

“My, my scent?”

 

Celia’s ears turned red again.

 

‘What is he saying!’

 

“A complex mix of tree bark, grass, jasmine, and honey scents.”

“Ah!”

 

Celia was surprised in a different way.

 

“That’s… the perfume I wear.”

 

‘Arna’s Meadow,’ a gift from the Valdrain Empire’s finest perfumer.

It matched the perfumer’s description exactly.

 

‘How did he know? Does he know that person?’

 

According to the perfumer, it was a one-of-a-kind perfume in the world.

To accurately identify the fragrance components like that.

 

“So what reason brought you to find me?”

“…Uh, um.”

 

Thanks to this, Celia couldn’t take control and fumbled around.

She had never been like this in front of other people.

Even when the other party was a professor, she would take control and lead the conversation.

But in front of Ziel, her control always crumbled for unexpected reasons.

Who would have thought it would crumble because of perfume.

 

‘I was definitely going to make the proposal today.’

 

Celia had learned worldly wisdom from her father.

If you can’t take control, don’t show impatience and wait for the next opportunity.

It seemed like the bodyguard proposal would have to be postponed to next time.

 

“No, it’s nothing special. I just wanted to see you, Teacher! The selection tournament is approaching, so I’m getting nervous!”

 

Even she thought it was a poor excuse.

 

“Wanted to see me… I understand.”

 

But Ziel muttered something meaningfully.

 

“If you have no other business, I’ll be going now, Student Celia Rihart.”

“Yes….”

 

Celia swallowed her disappointment and turned around.

 

‘Next time for sure!’

 

The more she saw him, the more she coveted this talent.

Bodyguard.

At the earliest, second year.

At the latest, by third year, most noble family daughters would be accompanied by bodyguards.

That was the Academy’s trend.

A bodyguard’s skill and appearance were no different from one’s own status.

 

‘Handsome, skilled, and even quiet. How perfect is that?’

 

Celia had put Ziel on her bodyguard candidate list from the moment she first saw him, and now considered him her top priority candidate.

It was disappointing, but she would aim for next time.

This worked out well anyway.

If she properly displayed the Rihart Family Swordsmanship in the selection tournament and performed well in the exchange tournament….

 

‘Teacher will consider it too, right?’

 

Meanwhile.

 

“So you’re saying a student is tailing you, Teacher?”

“That’s right. She said she wanted to see me while tailing me.”

“Pardon?”

“Tailing seems to be trendy these days.”

“…Trendy.”

 

Ziel was asking Teaching Assistant Tiron, whom he had encountered by chance, about this.

 

‘What kind of trend is that?’

 

It had been three years since he graduated from undergraduate studies.

Tiron was actually uncertain too.

 

“Well… even if it’s tailing, is there anything problematic about it?”

“Is that so.”

“Teacher, you’re… this might sound strange to say, but aren’t you the type students would naturally like?”

 

He was talking about his face.

However, Ziel interpreted it as meaning he was doing well as a teacher.

 

“That’s a compliment. Thank you.”

“I was just stating the facts as they are.”

 

Tailing.

When you think about it, isn’t it just students following him around?

He was handsome, and from what he saw before, even Delev Kundel treated him respectfully….

 

“It’s not common, but anyway, you’re doing well. So who was doing the tailing?”

 

Tiron asked casually and was shocked by the answer that followed.

 

“Pardon? Who?”

“Student Celia Rihart.”

“Uh… saying she wanted to see you… while tailing….”

“Yes.”

 

Tiron, who had encountered Ziel by chance.

He had been busy heading to the department office to prepare for the selection tournament.

But he forgot about going to the office and became greatly flustered.

 

‘I heard something I shouldn’t have!’

 

After Kundel, now Rihart!

And the famous Celia of Rihart was following Teacher Ziel around saying she wanted to see him?

He had learned something incredible.

 

‘What kind of person is he really?’

 

Kundel and Rihart.

A teacher revered by the children of the Empire’s two great families.

And he’s not even a professor, just a liberal arts instructor!

 

“I asked because I couldn’t understand what it meant.”

 

He still had a lot of life left to live.

Tiron sensed danger.

Of all places, it was the mighty Rihart Family!

If he told anyone about this fact or acted like he knew something…

 

‘Let’s be careful. I’m still far from becoming a professor.’

 

If it was Rihart, they could make a Sword School teaching assistant disappear without a trace, or tell the professors and turn all his efforts so far into nothing.

 

“Um, Teacher Ziel. I didn’t hear anything.”

“What do you mean?”

“Teacher Ziel, you should be careful too. If you carelessly say such things anywhere, it’ll be big trouble. Even if you have that… behind you… Anyway! You still need to be careful. In this Empire, the names Kundel and Rihart carry tremendous prestige!”

 

Even in the midst of this, Tiron was worrying about Ziel.

Ziel couldn’t understand such a reaction.

 

“Anyway, I’ll be going now. I really didn’t hear anything!”

 

Tiron hurriedly left as if fleeing.

Ziel watched Tiron’s retreating figure with puzzlement.

 

“Is it trendy to say it’ll be big trouble if you tell someone?”

 

 

The day of the selection tournament.

First-year students began gathering in the auditorium one by one from the morning.

Out of 100 total students, 80 were participating in the selection tournament.

This was the total number excluding students who had difficulty participating due to various circumstances or had given up in advance.

 

“I heard almost 90 students participated last year.”

“This year, two spots are confirmed because of Rihart and Kundel, right?”

“Sopen isn’t easy either. I heard that Maris Sopen kid is no joke too.”

 

The students’ interest was focused on one thing.

Who would be selected as exchange tournament members.

That was also a kind of hope.

What if, by any chance, I get selected!

Not only would they receive admiring looks from their peers and attention from professors, but their external evaluation would also rise dramatically.

The Sword School exchange tournament was a very important event attended by many external figures.

Just being selected as an exchange tournament member in the selection would bring tremendous benefits!

 

“Hey, hey. But look, they’re all gathered together over there.”

“Right. Ah, aren’t those the kids taking that liberal arts instructor’s class?”

“That instructor called Ziel or something?”

 

In the midst of this, the 40 students taking Ziel’s class had gathered together and were all warming up.

Coincidentally, this auditorium was the place where those 40 students took their classes.

They had arrived at a familiar location and were naturally warming up, but they happened to be arranged in formation just like when they took classes.

 

“Didn’t they say those guys receive incredibly intense training? Something about running long distances wearing sandbags?”

“They train without using mana too.”

“Did you hear that? In some self-defense arts training, they just get beaten up.”

“That liberal arts instructor is crazy. Isn’t he getting fired? Don’t Kundel and Rihart complain?”

 

The remaining 40 students who didn’t know the inside story just clicked their tongues.

Rumors heard from outside.

An incredibly strange teacher.

And strange students who obediently followed him.

Meanwhile, students well-versed in rumors also brought up stories like this.

 

“I heard Teacher Ziel receives sponsorship from an incredibly amazing place…”

 

But they were immediately refuted.

 

“You’re talking nonsense. Then why would he come here to be a liberal arts instructor? He’d be a professor instead.”

“That guy always talks bullshit. Hey, shut your mouth. Just shut it.”

 

Then the auditorium doors opened.

Two professors and one teaching assistant entered.

Two more teaching assistants additionally entered.

Teaching Assistant Tiron would oversee the test.

The other two would handle scoring.

 

“It’s the Department Head.”

“He really came?”

 

Department Head Professor Berhal.

The youngest, Professor Elcanto.

Three teaching assistants.

And here—

 

“Is that person the liberal arts instructor?”

“He’s incredibly handsome…”

“First time seeing him, amazing…”

 

Even that rumored liberal arts instructor, Ziel Steelheart.

Following that, several large devices were brought into the auditorium.

 

“What’s that?”

“Is it used for testing?”

 

Technicians skillfully completed the installation throughout the auditorium and left.

 

“Ahem, ahem.”

 

Once preparations were complete, Tiron first introduced the professors.

 

“Welcome, freshmen who have come to today’s Exchange Tournament selection. Today, we are grateful to have Department Head Berhal and Professor Elcanto with us. Department Head, please say a few words.”

“Ah, yes. Of course. Welcome, freshmen who have come to today’s selection. You’re probably quite nervous, but the more nervous you are, the more you should approach the selection with a calm mind…”

 

Boring time passed by.

 

“…That’s all. Today, everyone will be able to take the selection with a fair mindset.”

 

Professor Berhal finished speaking and made eye contact with Delev and Celia in turn.

Those two were exactly the reason he had come here today.

Tiron continued by explaining the selection rules.

 

“As previously announced, anyone who engages in cheating, including interfering with others or using magical tools, will be immediately disqualified, and the level of disciplinary action will be determined based on the cheating. Since it can go as far as expulsion, please keep this in mind.”

 

The first selection event was a physical strength test.

 

“It will be conducted in a total of 3 rounds. We will add up the total points for each category to calculate an average, and those who pass the first test will be determined by that average score. The total number who will pass the test is 40.”

 

Currently 80 students.

Exactly half of them would be eliminated.

Incidentally, none of the students here knew the detailed items of the physical strength test.

The first test was just revealed now.

 

“The first test is ‘Barrier Resistance Running.'”

 

The moment the first event was announced.

 

‘Huh?’

 

Several students could be seen smiling strangely.

Should I say they were filled with confidence?

When Tiron signaled, those devices from earlier activated with a clicking sound.

 

Wooooooong!

 

“Huk.”

“Heup.”

 

When the device activated, the students instantly felt strong pressure.

Their chests gradually became stuffy and this sensation of someone pulling them down from below!

 

Click.

 

When the device was turned off again, students exhaled the breath they had been holding.

 

“To prevent the selection from taking too long, we have independently used a ‘mana barrier’ to increase gravity and changed the environment within the barrier to be similar to the Highland Region.”

“What?”

 

Flustered students let out sighs here and there.

 

“As you well know, conducting a regular physical strength test takes quite a long time. So please understand that this is a device we had no choice but to introduce.”

 

It was more of a notification than asking for understanding.

But it wasn’t entirely wrong either.

All Sword School students knew how to use mana and had a certain level of physical strength.

Since it would take too long to measure physical strength in a simple, brute-force way, they pursued efficiency.

 

‘It also provides good discrimination.’

 

There was also the purpose of seeing how they would respond to sudden environmental changes.

But for most students, it was like a bolt from the blue.

No, more precisely…

It was only like that for exactly half of them.

 

“Hmm?”

 

Meanwhile.

Department Head Berhal was sitting there without much thought.

Once it started, he planned to watch only Delev and Celia, and when it seemed like they were making it into the passing line, he would go watch the second-year selection.

But a strange sight caught his eye.

It was exactly the same thing Tiron had seen.

 

‘Half are in despair… but the other half are actually fired up with fighting spirit?’

 

Exactly half.

One group of students looked miserable and were in complete chaos…

The students on the other side seemed completely unfazed.

 

‘I can understand the ones who were already good… but what about those students who seem strangely happy?’

 

“Professor Elcanto.”

“Yes, Department Head.”

“Over there, those students gathered on the left side.”

 

The 40 students on the left side of what seemed like an invisible boundary line drawn strangely.

 

“Ah. Yes. Those students on the left are the ones Teacher Ziel Steelheart teaches in liberal arts classes.”

 

Department Head Berhal’s bottom, which had been fidgeting from boredom, stuck back to his chair with a thud.

 

“Hmm.”

 

He was beginning to get interested.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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