On My First Day Undercover, the Organization Collapsed - Chapter 398

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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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First Day of Infiltration, The Organization Was Destroyed — Episode 398
Inter-Academy Exchange Tournament (4)
“We won! We won!”
Sigmund, who was the Dean and the Family Head of the Valentin House, bellowed without a shred of concern for propriety.
“Excellent work! Absolutely brilliant!”
“Dean!”
It was a moment of profound emotion.
At last, they had claimed victory.
It was narrow—terrifyingly so—but victory nonetheless!
The elation was overwhelming.
To finally repay even a fraction of that humiliation—what a feeling!
Now only two remained!
‘If I ride this momentum… I’ll claim one more.’
Unlike before, Sigmund was not greedy.
This was already enough.
If he could secure a draw by adding just one more victory to this—!
He felt he could be perfectly content with that alone.
And why not?
Look at it from the other angle: from Edelwein’s perspective, it would mean they’d invited Telbier into their own house and ended with a draw!
“We can do this too, Dean!”
“We can!”
A small but spirited cheer burst forth from the Telbier supporters and students.
And in contrast, a palpable gloom settled over the majority of Edelwein’s ranks.
“Professor Idel.”
Idel flinched at the sound of his name.
“Teacher Ziel.”
“You’re under considerable strain.”
……
With Merhen’s defeat just moments ago, the weight on his shoulders was immense.
‘I must win. Absolutely.’
If he won here, they could still secure a draw even if they lost the final round.
But if he lost again?
All the burden would shift to that final match.
‘I have to make it work.’
Since taking a position at the Academy, he’d never trembled like this!
And for good reason.
He’d never once seriously intended to work hard here in the first place!
He’d only ever lamented his circumstances—forced into this place.
But that had changed now.
Or more precisely, his resolve had shifted starting this semester.
‘I have to do this. No matter what.’
Destruction Battle.
Unlike the Flag Capture and Territory Occupation matches they’d conducted earlier, there was no opportunity to achieve a reversal by seizing or conquering the opponent’s assets.
One had to destroy faster than anyone else.
“The core principle of Destruction Battle is to destroy from the farthest point first.”
“The farthest… point?”
“More precisely, to set your target at the farthest distance. Then your opponent won’t be able to leave their own territory.”
That was the extent of Ziel’s advice.
Idel stood vacant for a moment before the true meaning finally crystallized.
“Ah…!”
The strategy was to ignore the closest target, push deep into enemy territory, and throw the opponent into disarray!
The rule of Destruction Battle was simple: destroy three rocks in the opponent’s territory first to win!
So the conventional strategy was to standoff and then methodically destroy from the outer rocks inward, watching for an opening—but to do it from the inside instead….
“Understood, Teacher Ziel.”
He had grasped it.
Idel called together the students who would compete.
“Listen carefully. When we start, all of you are going straight for the rocks at the very back of their territory and destroy them first.”
“Suddenly… like this?”
“That’s right. That’s how we secure victory before they do.”
The orthodox approach to Destruction Battle was to maintain a prolonged standoff, exchange strength for strength, disrupt the balance, and then preserve that shift in momentum for as long as possible.
But this strategy now was the complete opposite!
“No standoff. Run as fast as you can.”
Idel produced one more instruction.
“Remove all the protective guards. They’ll make your movements sluggish.”
“B-but if we don’t wear them, it hurts when we get hit with the wooden sword…….”
“Pain is momentary. Once you’re wounded, you heal and that’s the end of it. It’s inefficient.”
It was something he’d heard before, in that same tone of voice.
The students exchanged bewildered looks at Idel’s sudden clarity, but eventually they all removed the protective guards from their limbs.
That process took place below the high walls of the Arena, hidden from Telvir’s sight.
“How do you think it will go, Teacher Ziel?”
“They’ll win.”
Ziel answered Berhal’s question curtly.
‘If they follow the advice.’
Though there was a condition attached, watching Idel direct the students, it seemed they would certainly achieve victory.
More than anything, the two Second Years now entering the arena were those whose swordsmanship ability sat in the lower-middle tier, yet whose agility surpassed that of other students.
Lecos.
And Marlon.
They had been students who barely drew notice until now, but like Drneur and Renoa before them, once this match ended, the way others saw them would transform entirely.
“It’s our chance to gain recognition too.”
“Even if we win, we won’t reach the level Delev or Celia did.”
“But wouldn’t we at least approach Jenesis’s standing?”
“In that sense, Marlon—I’ll crush the first stone myself.”
“Stop talking nonsense.”
The tragedy of students trapped in the lower ranks, unable to shine no matter how well they performed, simply because their year was so exceptionally strong!
Today was their golden opportunity to cast off that sorrow.
“Huh?”
And when Sigmund saw the Edelwein students finally take the Arena, he tilted his head in puzzlement.
Their attire was far too light.
Only a single breastplate protecting the upper body.
Not a single other protective guard in sight.
‘What’s the strategy?’
With the question came the start of the match.
“Round 3—the curtain rises!”
And the moment the match began, the Edelwein students bolted forward.
Splitting left and right as they ran.
The Telvir students, who had been forming a defensive line in preparation for a standoff, froze in confusion.
“Damn it, what—!”
Had the Telvir students possessed just a bit more composure, they would have charged into Edelwein’s territory in the same manner.
But it was too late.
Unable to do one thing or the other, they panicked for a crucial instant and made the worst possible choice.
“Chase them!”
They chose the opposite instead.
“What are you doing!”
Sigmund shouted, but it could not be undone.
Charging now into the enemy’s territory would be too slow.
Edelwein would already be destroying the stones faster.
Thus, Ziel’s devastating move had triggered Telvir’s panic!
What’s more, Marlon and Lecos sprinted ahead of the others, arriving at the innermost stone first.
Thunk!
Both of them drove their wooden swords into the grooves of the stone!
The rest of the students arrived in quick succession.
“Almost there!”
“Five hold the defense, five destroy!”
The so-called Destruction Stone, specially crafted for Destruction Battles, possessed five grooves.
That is, only when swords were driven into all five grooves would the stone finally shatter.
If they wielded real swords, or even practice swords capable of withstanding Mana, none of these grooves would matter—they could destroy it regardless. Unfortunately, the students carried wooden swords.
“One, two!”
Thunk-thunk!
And as the remaining three wooden swords were driven home, the Destruction Stone cracked with a sharp snap and crumbled to pieces.
“Edelwein claims the first Destruction Stone! Incredible!”
The momentum that had been chasing from Telbier’s side drained away in an instant. Yet there was no stopping now.
‘Catch up somehow, block the second, and then turn it around…….’
It was too late to retreat now.
Blocking at all costs, then seizing a reversal—that was the only tactic available to them.
But the only tactic meant…… there was no other path forward.
‘A dead end.’
Sigmund broke into a cold sweat.
He’d been ensnared from the start, completely and perfectly.
What a bind!
“Next, Edelwein advances to destroy the second stone! Can they shatter it this time as well?”
Everyone saw it.
The writing was on the wall.
Telbier was already caught, with no way out. To win, they’d need to destroy Edelwein’s destruction stone—but that would require at least five of Telbier’s students to fall. Yet if that happened, their own stones would all be destroyed before they ever reached the enemy’s position.
In the end, their only option was an inevitable one—
Crack!
Still, they couldn’t prevent the second destruction stone from shattering and collapsing.
Next came the third.
“Hold the line! Hold it or die!”
All that remained now was defending their pride.
Keep at least one stone standing until the final whistle.
But Telbier had already committed their strongest players in the previous matches to secure victory.
Because of this, they lost the all-out battle.
“Edelwein overwhelms with ease and destroys the final stone! Edelwein claims victory!”
“Oooooooohhhhhhh!”
Joy swept through the arena, washing away the sting of their previous loss.
Telbier’s celebration was short-lived. Edelwein erupted in cheers at their commanding advantage.
Unlike the first two matches, they’d achieved complete dominance. It was a triumph of superior strategy.
“Teacher Ziel……!”
Idel didn’t even notice that his form of address had shifted from Teacher to Teacher, now with the respectful honorific rising unbidden to his lips.
“This victory belongs to your guidance!”
“Well done. You executed my advice faithfully. It paid off.”
“That’s right! This is all thanks to Teacher Ziel…….”
“But it was Professor Idel Record who made the students move so swiftly.”
Ziel was right.
After hearing Ziel’s counsel, Idel himself had issued the command—strip away all protective gear save the chest plate and move at maximum speed.
“You did well.”
“……!”
Idel felt something stir within him—an emotion he hadn’t tasted in ages.
It was the same warmth that had bloomed back when he served in the Apprentice Knight Order, receiving praise from his assigned commander.
An emotion he’d never felt even once since being cast aside as a relic and pushed into the Academy!
“I…… I was still useful…….”
The words tumbled out before he could stop them, and Idel himself froze in shock.
Something so deeply buried in him had been stirred by a single word of praise and spilled over.
“Everyone has their use.”
How much comfort lay in that simple statement from Ziel.
“Professor Idel Record, you’ve found yours.”
“Ah……!”
Tears welled up in Idel’s eyes.
Ziel wondered to himself.
‘Why cry?’
He’d simply said the man had value.
“Professor Idel! Professor!”
“We won! We actually won!”
“Now it’s two to one! We just need to win the tournament!”
When the students rushed to embrace him, Idel wept freely.
Emotions were indeed difficult things to understand.
‘The final match is next.’
The tournament.
It was time for Karen and Kus to take the field.

“Karen, you know? Victory. You can do this. You can do this. You’re the champion. You’re Master-level…….”
“You’re making me lose focus, so just be quiet, Yurio.”
Karen stepped into the arena amid Yurio’s cheers.
The tournament was where true contests were decided.
With the approval of each academy’s dean, the use of real swords was permitted, and the strongest students selected from each grade level competed.
For the Second Year, it was Karen and Kus.
“Why are those two representing the Second Year?”
“What about Delev and Celia?”
“And that Yurio who won the Swordsmanship Tournament—isn’t he competing?”
As Karen and Kus descended into the arena, she caught whispers like these.
But neither of them paid it any mind.
They’d already endured enough training under Ziel that such talk barely registered anymore.
Their thoughts were singular.
“Let’s show them what we’re made of, Kus.”
“If I can’t show them, I won’t be able to sleep from the frustration.”
The two had trained relentlessly.
Rolling, and rolling again.
Though Professor Allix had overseen the training, it was essentially no different from being trained by Ziel.
It was clear that Professor Allix’s methods were taken directly from Ziel’s!
‘Upper Walker Rank.’
Ziel’s objective.
For all of the Second Year to break into Upper Walker Rank before the year was out.
Karen had heard as much from Allix after the final training session.
‘Karen, you’ve finally reached the point where you can brush the hem of my garment.’
So that was Upper Walker Rank, then?
Karen wasn’t entirely certain of her own true strength.
She hadn’t fought anyone outside her own year since last year.
That’s why she envied Delev and Celia.
They’d fought against the Crow remnants and won, or so the stories went.
In any case, the one thing Karen had learned from Professor Allix’s training was clear.
Real combat swordsmanship from the Imperial Knight Order.
Techniques they hadn’t even taught during the Knight Order Practicum!
‘Let’s try it, then.’
The tournament used random opponent matching.
Eight competitors per academy, sixteen total—a clash of champions!
The first round proceeded quickly.
“Victory goes to Renil Moor!”
Telbier claimed first blood when their Fourth Year faced off against Edelwein’s First Year, but what followed was different.
“Victory, Rowell Keltas!”
“Victory, Aken Kundel!”
From then on, Edelwein swept victory after victory, racking up five wins in rapid succession.
…….
Sigmund’s words grew fewer and farther between.
The score now stood at one to five.
Only two matches remained.
“Victory, Joshua Rihart!”
Fortunately, Telbier’s pride and the strongest competitor among their representatives managed to claim one win.
But what came next was defeat once more.
“Victory, Karen Rihart!”
Sigmund was struck as if by lightning.
“Karen’s insane!”
“How is this possible? Wasn’t the Fourth Year from Telbier?”
“She just beat them in three moves flat, right?”
Karen had seized victory so swiftly that even she felt dazed by it.
‘This works?’
She’d simply blocked the opponent’s attack and counterattacked, repeating this exchange exactly three times.
Then her opponent fell.
It hadn’t been difficult at all.
If anything, she found herself wondering whether her opponent had really been a Fourth Year.
“Karen……was she always this strong?”
Yurio’s mind went blank for a moment.
They’d sparred a month ago, but she hadn’t seemed nearly this fast or powerful then.
“Her Swordsmanship looks different too, Yurio.”
Yurio nodded at Delev’s observation.
“You’re right. It’s not her usual style. What is it?”
Everyone has a turning point in their life.
Karen had one too.
The difference was that her catalyst had been working far more powerfully than anyone—Karen least of all—had anticipated.
‘So that Swordsmanship really does suit her perfectly.’
Alyx, who had trained her, already knew.
Karen had shown extraordinary progress during training.
Even he’d been uncertain, thinking it too good to be true—but he never imagined the Imperial Knight Order’s technique would mesh with her this perfectly.
To think she’d beaten Telbier’s Fourth Years.
‘Truly, she is a talent.’
The desire to scout her began stirring quietly within him.

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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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