On My First Day Undercover, the Organization Collapsed - Chapter 295
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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 Organization Collapsed on My First Day of Infiltration Episode 295
Special Mana Inscription (3)
I learned Mana Inscription from Zephyros, whose expression had grown hollow.
Mana Inscription wasn’t something only Mages could perform.
While Mages primarily developed it and only those who understood the formula could execute it, anyone could do it if they simply knew the ‘method’.
The problem was that understanding the method meant grasping the formula, knowing how to apply it, and possessing sufficient comprehensive understanding of Inscription itself….
“It’s not difficult.”
I mastered it quickly.
Understanding the formula was naturally within reach, and the delicate hand movements required for Mana Inscription posed no significant challenge for me.
Learning an entire magical formula is certainly difficult, but drilling into a single formula isn’t.
At least not for me.
Combined with the dexterity I’d honed and refined through my years as an Assassin, I managed to master the Inscription needed for this research in just a single day.
“In fact, inscribing it onto Magic Puppets is even harder….”
My practice subject was none other than a Magic Puppet.
One of the Magic Puppets rented from the Arcane School essentially free of charge.
Due to its surface properties, a Magic Puppet made Inscription far more difficult than working on a human body.
Yet I was managing to do it.
‘No matter how much I’m just drilling into one thing, this is somewhat….’
There were occasionally Mages like this.
Those who drilled into just one thing and, regardless of their tier, became masters of a single spell.
Most were dismissed, but some occasionally produced unexpected results and left their names in history.
It felt like watching such a person.
Yet unlike those Mages who invested their entire lives, I….
Grasped every formula applied to this research in less than an hour.
And on top of that, the dexterity to perform Mana Inscription!
“Boss, you really… what were you doing before this?”
My hands paused mid-inscription, then resumed their work.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Ah, I see. My apologies.”
“It’s not an apology matter. I simply don’t wish to speak of it.”
I had never intended to reveal my past to anyone, and I never would.
That would directly contradict my goal of settlement.
If it ever had to be revealed—
it would only be after I’d killed the other party.
“That should do it.”
I inscribed once more from beginning to end, finally concluding my Inscription practice.
It seemed I could now inscribe directly onto the Students without issue.
Zephyros’s role ended here.
“Since I can now handle the Inscription work alone, I’ll extend your afternoon Training time.”
….
Now it’s time to focus on building up my Physical Strength again!
“Um… when will I be able to leave?”
“Once your Physical Strength reaches a certain level, it will be possible. At minimum, you’ll continue Training through this year’s vacation.”
“Ah…”
Zephyros asked just to be sure.
“So, um, after Training ends, I won’t have to do it anymore, right?”
“Why would you stop Training?”
“Huh?”
“Training must continue. Did you think that once Physical Strength reaches a certain level, it would maintain itself without Training?”
“…”
Zephyros, who had spent his entire life avoiding physical cultivation, fell into despair.
“Don’t worry. The body grows stronger the more it’s trained. Just like how Magic becomes clearer the more you research it.”
Teacher Ziel left after presenting his irrefutable logic.
Zephyros was torn with conflict.
Kitchen assistance was something I could do endlessly.
Because it was fun!
The more I did it, the more my Magic seemed to improve alongside it!
But afternoon Training was different.
“Should I run away…?”
Zephyros fell into serious deliberation.
The problem was that even if I ran, there was nowhere to go.
Above all, I couldn’t find a place to escape the Boss’s gaze.
It wasn’t as if I knew people in the underworld, and even if I did, considering the Boss’s military force—the kind that could fell the Root Tree entirely—…
“Hmm.”
It seemed better to just accept the Training obediently.
However, Zephyros still hadn’t realized that his Physical Strength was improving day by day.
* * *
Teacher Ziel immediately began the Mana Inscription work with the students.
“After class today, I have a gift for all of you.”
“Oh! Is it praise coins? Or perhaps cards?”
“Neither, Omar Lucon.”
It was neither, yet everyone’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.
What on earth could it be?
“Mana Inscription.”
“Mana… Inscription?”
Some had heard of it; others had no idea.
“Isn’t that what you carve into Magical Tools?”
“I’ve seen it carved into armor. It didn’t seem very effective, though.”
“I’ve seen it inscribed on my father’s sword.”
Indeed, Mana Inscription was typically applied to Magical Tools, Swords, Armor, Shields, and similar objects.
“I will be inscribing it on your bodies.”
“What?”
“On our bodies?”
“Inscriptions?”
Teacher Ziel’s words sparked a murmur of astonishment among the students.
Carving Mana Inscriptions directly onto their bodies?
“What exactly is Mana Inscription? Why would everyone react like this just because it’s being carved onto bodies?”
“Because it’s not conventional…?”
Inscribing Mana Inscription onto bodies.
It was a method none of them had ever heard of or seen before.
But the murmuring soon subsided.
Their teacher was Teacher Ziel, after all.
Whatever he said, there was always a reason behind it!
“Is it like getting a tattoo?”
“No, Quantus.”
“Then how do you inscribe it?”
“With Mana, of course… that’s enough.”
Teacher Ziel continued his explanation.
“First, let me explain the purpose of the Mana Inscription I intend to carve into you. During your time here and after graduation, when you venture beyond the Academy, you won’t only face opponents wielding swords. You may encounter Magical Beasts, bandits, enemies who aren’t Knights, or even opponents without physical form. For example, something like this.”
Whoosh, crack!
Before anyone could notice, a Dagger flew past the students and embedded itself in the ground behind the Auditorium.
Everyone turned around blankly.
Ssssshhhhh…
The ground where the Dagger was lodged began to dissolve, and steam rose from it.
Gilbert immediately rushed over, covered the steam, and applied Detoxification, but the students’ expressions of shock remained unchanged.
“When did you throw that?”
“I didn’t see it….”
Everyone had been watching Ziel, yet no one noticed when he threw it.
Tension settled over the Auditorium.
Ziel pointed to the Dagger he had finished detoxifying.
“That’s a Deadly Poison. It dissolves anything it touches instantly. If it contacts blood, it travels through the bloodstream, passes through the heart, and spreads throughout the entire body. With the right lethal dose injected, it can dissolve all internal organs.”
Everyone swallowed hard at the grim explanation.
The reason Ziel included such a demonstration became clear soon enough.
“While not common, there will inevitably come moments when you must fight against intangible threats like these. That’s why I’m inscribing Mana Inscription onto your bodies.”
Poison.
Drugs.
And Mana fluctuations, among others.
These were precautions against threats beyond physical danger.
Only then did the Students feel relieved.
Some sighed noticeably louder than others.
“Phew, I thought you were doing this because of the Final Evaluation.”
“No way, you too? I thought the same thing. I was wondering how difficult it could possibly be if you’re inscribing Mana Inscription on our bodies.”
Ziel flinched upon hearing that conversation.
Truth be told, there was some merit to preparing for that as well.
The Unexplored Ruins.
When Ziel had visited once before.
There were quite a few Magical Beasts there.
Not only Magical Beasts, but Venomous Insects as well.
By the way, the Final Evaluation takes place over four days.
Because the Ruins are quite expansive.
So I thought the Inscription would be helpful since they’d need to manage Survival as well.
“In any case, even if it doesn’t make you stronger immediately, it can protect you when you’re in a dangerous situation later, right?”
“If you can block poison like that, can you even touch a beehive?”
“Honestly, if it’s Quantus, he’d probably be fine even touching it. Even without the Inscription.”
“Right. He’s always swollen anyway.”
A demonstration followed.
Instead of Gilbert, who had already received the Inscription, Kelvin stepped forward.
“M-Master, d-does it hurt?”
“It hurts.”
“H-How much?”
“A lot before the Inscription is complete.”
“Ah.”
In short, a comparison of the effects before and after the Inscription!
The Poison Ziel would use for this demonstration was one that caused Paralysis and pain.
It was extracted from a plant found only in the Northern Region, and there were even Magical Beasts that had evolved to consume this plant and develop Poison within their bodies.
“I’ll now inject the Poison.”
The students gazed at Kelvin with sparkling eyes.
For reference, Kelvin was restrained.
“Ugh!”
A single piercing scream burst forth as the poison was injected.
Kelvin’s entire body rapidly succumbed to paralysis, his frame trembling violently in agony.
“I’ve never seen someone poisoned before….”
“So that’s what happens….”
The excellent teaching material promptly received an injection of Antidote.
“Now I’ll inscribe the Mana Inscription.”
Fortunately, the Antidote worked well. Ziel then inscribed the Mana Inscription onto Kelvin’s broad shoulders.
“With so much muscle, it’s easy to inscribe.”
“Wait, then I should too!”
Quantus stepped forward, boasting muscles nearly as impressive as Kelvin’s.
“Hey, you’re getting in the way of the inscription!”
“Oh, I understand. Ann.”
But before Ann, even those muscles seemed to shrink away.
After completing the inscription, Ziel injected the poison again.
“The dosage is identical. Though you’ve just been detoxified, understand that this is a poison requiring considerable time for immunity to form.”
In simpler terms, the effects should work the same way.
Yet as the inscription on his shoulder glowed brilliantly, remarkably, Kelvin resisted the poison and staggered.
“How is the pain?”
“Ah, it’s much less than before.”
Ziel nodded as if to say “I told you so.”
The students’ eyes sparkled with excitement.
As Ziel continued the lesson after administering the Antidote once more, the students’ anticipation continued to rise.
And after class ended, the long-awaited inscription time!
“We’ll inscribe on the arms.”
The time to inscribe per student was roughly ten minutes.
Even that was reduced to five minutes after several attempts.
“It’s amazing. You clearly did something, but there’s no trace left. I thought it would be like a tattoo.”
“Right. You said this only activates when we’re hit with poison or something else, right? By absorbing our Mana?”
Several students, particularly those who especially favored Ziel like Karen and Yurio, were absolutely delighted.
“Yurio, doesn’t this feel like we’ve joined some organization? Like ‘Ziel and his Students’ or something?”
“You’re right. Wait, if we have this inscription, doesn’t it mean we’re Teacher Ziel’s Disciples!”
The Organization!
Gilbert, who had been listening to that conversation nearby, trembled as if he’d realized something profound.
‘Is this the beginning of the Organization’s expansion!’
Organization expansion beginning under the plausible pretext of Mana Inscription!
That distinctive form of inscription was nothing short of the Organization’s emblem.
In other words.
The students had stepped into the Organization without even realizing it.
And not just any organization—one destined to become the Empire’s finest!
‘Indeed, the Boss is a terrifying person.’
The students, oblivious to it all, laughed with innocent brightness!
Gilbert trembled with excitement, envisioning the day when these Second Years—hailed as the Golden Generation—would all become active members of the Organization.
‘Boss, I pledge my unwavering loyalty.’
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
“Teacher!”
When it came to Quantus’s turn, he abruptly swept back his bangs, revealing his smooth forehead.
“Please inscribe it here!”
“Why?”
“Because I want to show everyone that I’m your Disciple more than anyone else!”
“…!”
Ziel was momentarily taken aback by those words, then nodded.
“Very well. I’ll do it.”
“Hey, Quantus, are you insane?”
“So what! I’m getting it on my forehead! Besides, it won’t show until it’s activated anyway, right? Of course, even if it did show, I’d still get it on my forehead!”
And so an Inscription appeared on Quantus’s forehead.
“Insane… He actually did it….”
But the other students began to deliberate as well.
“Heh heh, see? I got mine on my forehead.”
Quantus, boasting about it everywhere!
Had Quantus’s image remained as it was before, everyone would have simply ignored or mocked him.
But since entering Second Year, his Status had skyrocketed.
He’d been selected as the top student on Osu Island, and he’d even gained followers.
“As expected of the Group Leader! I’ll follow your lead and get mine on my forehead too!”
“Ah, the forehead is my privilege!”
Ann continued to sigh and mutter under her breath.
“Ridiculous.”
In any case, the other students began to ponder.
‘The arm would be hidden by clothing anyway… Should I ask for it on my neck?’
‘What about the back of my hand? No, that’s too ordinary, isn’t it?’
‘Would the back of my neck work? Or perhaps just below the neck?’
Quantus was spreading the poison.
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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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