On My First Day Undercover, the Organization Collapsed - Chapter 62
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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 062
Do You Guys Have Some Money?
The three thugs had one goal.
To quickly escape from this guy.
‘Did my neck get twisted? It hurts like hell, seriously.’
‘My legs are shaking…’
‘My fingers feel numb…’
They were all in bad shape after being beaten by Ziel.
Fortunately, the place that sold exploration equipment wasn’t far from here.
They had to cross districts, but it wasn’t a very long journey either.
“Wait. There’s a place I need to stop by.”
“Ah, I, I see. Please go ahead.”
Meanwhile, a good opportunity had arrived.
If he left for a moment, then they could escape…
“Follow me.”
Ziel took all three of them along.
A plan that turned to bubbles in 1 second!
And shortly after.
“I wanted to eat this.”
Ziel bought 20 fried breads in front of the fried bread shop.
Gulp.
He used to buy and eat them often, but smelling the scent made his saliva go down with a gulp.
Ziel even devoured two of them on the spot in an instant.
“As expected, it’s delicious.”
“R, right! That’s District 42’s famous fried bread!”
“Isn’t there anything else delicious?”
Thus began the food tour.
“This is lamb skewers. It has a bit of a gamey smell, but if you sprinkle this on it… it’s absolutely wonderful!”
“It’s delicious.”
“This is a snack made by grinding barley. The subtle sweetness that comes out the more you chew is exquisite!”
The thugs doing their best to guide him to restaurants.
Only to survive!
‘Ah, damn. I’m hungry.’
‘Just give me one bite…’
‘We got robbed of everything and don’t even have money.’
Growl.
The sound coming from their stomachs.
Ziel heard that sound and after thinking for a moment, held out 3 fried breads.
“Eat one each.”
“What? R, really?”
“Yeah.”
Maybe he wasn’t such a completely evil bastard?
The three thugs frantically devoured the fried bread.
With slightly moved expressions.
‘It’s these guys’ money anyway.’
It was money he received as tribute anyway.
About 3 cel didn’t matter at all.
He had gained an unearned income of a whopping 300 cel.
But he didn’t yet know that thanks to that decision, the thugs’ loyalty had gone up slightly.
“Th, thank you. I feel like I’ll live.”
“To think fried bread was this delicious…”
Hunger is such a scary thing.
In fact-
Ziel had unknowingly felt a little compassion too.
Around age three.
The memories of begging were still vivid.
The hunger from that time was also vivid.
After going to the assassination group, he never went hungry, but the memories from that time were still intense.
Of course, it was just compassion.
He had no good feelings toward these guys at all.
In the midst of this, one of them asked.
“Um, by any chance are you an adventurer?”
“Adventurer?”
“Yes. Since you said you were going to get exploration equipment…”
“I need it for an event.”
“I, I see.”
Event.
These three had no idea right now, but that was the field training conducted by the Academy’s Sword School.
Ancient ruins!
They would stay there for several days and fight unknown enemies.
As soon as Ziel heard that story, he immediately made a plan and came out like this.
Because-
‘I’ve been there about three times.’
It was already a place he knew well.
“This way. We’re almost there!”
Ziel and the trio crossed from District 42 into District 38.
They had only crossed one district, but the atmosphere seemed much more lively.
“There’s a lot of food here too.”
“We, we don’t come here often either… But if I had to recommend something, that Bogisne Stew over there is pretty good.”
“Bogisne Stew. I’ll remember that.”
The store selling exploration equipment was right nearby.
“This is the place that sells exploration equipment. It’s actually a general store.”
The closer to the Central District, the more specialized stores there were for nobles, but most districts were filled with general stores selling miscellaneous items like this.
“Then, we’ll be going now…”
“Our business is done.”
“Thank you!”
Just as the three were bowing their heads.
“See you again.”
A chilling remark was heard.
‘Is he crazy?’
‘We need to run right away. But who is this bastard?’
‘Looking at his fine appearance, he seems like a noble…’
There was no time to think long.
The moment Ziel stepped into the general store, the three ran away without looking back.
Imagining they would absolutely, absolutely never meet again.
‘They’re good at giving directions.’
However, they had no way of knowing that Ziel had memorized their scent out of habit.
“Oh my, welcome. What are you looking for? We have everything except what we don’t have.”
“What don’t you have?”
“Pardon?”
“I’m curious about what you don’t have.”
“That… well.”
The General Store Owner was flustered by this.
‘Is he a troublemaker?’
This was a type he’d never encountered before.
He’d met thieves and people who threw tantrums demanding refunds, but this was a first!
‘He’s beyond neat-looking, he’s actually handsome.’
He couldn’t imagine a wealthy family’s son coming all the way to this District 38 general store to pick a fight.
“Ha, haha. What would we specifically not have? Well, we don’t have accessories and such that nobles usually wear.”
“I see.”
Fortunately, it seemed to pass smoothly.
The owner rubbed his hands together again and his eyes lit up.
“So, what are you looking for?”
“I’m looking for some exploration equipment.”
“Ah! We have that right here!”
The owner’s lips curled up in a grin.
‘I wonder if our noble young master here wants to take up a hobby after reading some fairy tales?’
This morning, the owner had found a coin while opening his store.
Was that a sign of good fortune!
“Rope, hooks, blankets, first aid kits… We also have simple water filters and multi-purpose knives!”
“Do you have a compass and shovel?”
“Oh my, you’re serious about this. We don’t have abundant stock of compasses, but we do have some.”
“I also need an axe.”
“An axe! Understood. We happen to have an axe that fits perfectly in your hands.”
“Ah. I also need a backpack to put all of that in.”
“A sturdy backpack… Good.”
“I also need gloves, a mirror, and rations.”
This was indeed a jackpot.
‘What kind of windfall is this!’
He was going crazy from lack of business, and such a prime customer came to visit!
‘A merchant must never miss an opportunity!’
Moreover-
“Please prepare 100 of each item.”
“…How many?”
“100 each.”
The Shop Owner’s mouth fell wide open.
100 pieces!
‘I won’t need to do business for a year!’
There were over 10 different items alone.
If he ordered 100 of each….
“It will take some time to prepare! But it’s definitely possible!”
“How long will it take?”
“Three days should be more than enough.”
“I understand.”
Was he going on some grand adventure?
‘This is absolutely incredible!’
“What’s the total cost?”
“Let me see… let me calculate this….”
A list quickly written down and calculations made in an instant.
Of course, it included a reasonable ‘profit’ margin.
“The total comes to 15,600 cel!”
“….”
But there was no response.
Could it be….
‘Did I get caught?’
Did I add too much profit?
“Wait! With a 10% discount, that’s 14,040 cel, but let’s round it down to 14,000 cel!”
Ziel still gave no response.
The owner’s heart began to race.
‘He’s different from how he looks!’
“Then, how about 13,000 cel?”
With this, he had removed all the profit he originally planned.
‘Damn, I tried to rip him off once….’
Somehow.
I should have noticed when he mentioned 100 pieces!
‘Could he be from the military? Some special operation.’
His imagination was running wild, but the owner’s guilty misunderstanding was growing uncontrollably.
However, Ziel still gave no response.
‘Why is this here.’
The glass display case between the Shop Owner and himself.
Ziel was focused on the item displayed inside it.
“Then, how about 12,000 cel….”
“12,000 cel, you said?”
Finally hearing him, Ziel raised his head.
The owner looked miserable.
“I can’t go any lower! Even if it’s a bulk order, I still need to make a living….”
Ziel didn’t really care.
It wasn’t his money anyway.
Elcanto had said so.
Pay in advance and submit the bill, and the Academy would cover everything.
In fact, whether it was 20,000 cel, 30,000 cel, or 12,000 cel didn’t matter to him….
Unfortunately for the Shop Owner, he had only just heard because he was focused on the item in the glass display case.
“I understand.”
The owner let out a sigh of relief.
If he had cut the price any further, he might have lost both the customer and this rare money-making opportunity.
‘12,000 cel really leaves no profit… but what can I do, sigh.’
Still, there was some profit left.
Just less than he originally planned.
“But where should I deliver it?”
“Edelwein Academy Sword School.”
The owner felt a chill down his spine.
Edelwein Academy was a place full of noble children.
If someone related to that place found out he had overcharged….
‘I’m saved, phew.’
“Yes! Then I’ll deliver 100 of each item to the Sword School within three days. Um, may I have your name…?”
“Address it to Ziel Steelheart.”
“Ziel… Steelheart. Understood.”
Once the order was completed, Ziel finally pointed to the display case.
“Are you selling this too?”
“Which one do you mean?”
“This hand mirror.”
“Ah, this is….”
The owner took out the hand mirror from inside the display case to show it.
The hand mirror with a cover was old and even had cracks in it.
‘This is a useless item.’
The merchant’s instincts stirred.
After all, a merchant must package and sell even things as useless as grains of sand!
“Are you interested?”
“Yes.”
The owner proudly brought a soft cloth and carefully wrapped the hand mirror before showing it.
“Speaking of this item, it’s one of the things that an adventurer I’m close with brought back after risking his life exploring ruins.”
Actually, it was something he got ripped off buying.
He shouldn’t have gone to the market after drinking.
But strangely, it caught his eye.
This hand mirror that some old woman was selling at her market stall.
So when she asked for 100 cel, he grabbed it without hesitation, but when he actually came home and examined it, it had cracks and rust spots here and there, making it completely useless.
“Which ruins?”
“It’s one of the hidden ruins way over in the eastern region, but unfortunately, the adventurer who went there recently passed away….”
He’s probably having a drink at Bogis’ Stew House right about now.
“There are scratches here and there, but they symbolize the traces of time! How about it, these kinds of things are valuable items, you know.”
The owner enthusiastically pushed his sales pitch.
But Ziel wasn’t particularly interested in that.
‘He’s lying.’
Because this was an item he knew.
Instead of bothering to point it out, Ziel asked about the price.
“How much is it?”
“Hmm….”
He couldn’t bring himself to overcharge for the bulk order.
But this should be fine.
“…Considering its various values and the fact that it was discovered in an adventurer’s final exploration, plus its rarity, I should ask for about 200 cel, but….”
The owner glanced at the customer’s reaction and nodded as if doing him a favor.
“Since you’ve been such a big customer buying items from our store today, I’ll make a big decision and give it to you for 150 cel!”
He was prepared to bargain down to about 130 cel.
It was a useless item anyway.
If he could sell it for more than he bought it for, or even just break even!
However, Ziel accepted without hesitation.
‘That’s cheap.’
“150 cel it is.”
Clink.
The coin he had taken from that gang earlier was placed down.
‘What an unexpected windfall!’
Selling for 150 cel what he bought for 100 cel!
This feeling of recovering his pride as a merchant!
The owner quickly pocketed the coin and beamed with smiles.
“Here you are.”
Ziel took the hand mirror.
And the moment he touched it, he was certain once again.
This was indeed the item he knew.
This hand mirror wasn’t meant for looking at faces.
More precisely….
‘Depending on how it’s used, it’s an item that can reduce the power of even high-level magic.’
An amazing item that could completely block low-level magic depending on the user.
However, the magic category was limited to mental and emotional types, and the number of spells it could block varied depending on the user….
The user was none other than Ziel.
He even had experience using it before.
Assassins encountered magic traps and magical tools created by mages more often than directly facing mages in combat.
In that sense, it was a perfect match.
‘I never expected to find this here.’
When he decided to leave the assassination group and was gathering various items, this was one he regretted not being able to take.
An item that was deep in the assassination guild warehouse, classified as S-grade!
While it couldn’t be used actively, it was an excellent, excellent item in that it could block magical tools and mental magic that assassins had to be most wary of.
Naturally, it was also an item of which there were only a few within the organization.
‘It seems items from inside were leaked everywhere when the assassination group collapsed.’
Just like at the black market before, items whose value ordinary people don’t know are being leaked everywhere.
Especially this Mirror of Truth would be an item that wouldn’t seem strange to throw away unless you were one of a very few people.
‘It’ll be useful in many ways.’
He didn’t know how it had ended up here, but even Ziel, who still lacked economic sense, understood.
This was an item that couldn’t be obtained for the mere price of 150 chicken skewers or fried bread.
Most magic was useless before Ziel’s senses, but—
Actually checking magic or secret arts by reflecting them in a mirror was a completely different matter.
For an assassin, what’s more important than keen senses is accurate and reliable information!
So it seemed quite useful.
However.
‘It drains too much mana, so I’ll need to use it carefully.’
For most people, it would consume so much mana it would be close to single-use.
The first law of magical tools.
There are no infinite magical tools in this world.
Power comes with a price.
This hand mirror was the same.
Just by carrying it, it blocked low-tier mental and emotional magic directed at oneself, and even reduced the power of high-tier magic.
The problem was that it was automatic.
One could helplessly have their mana drained to death.
Though for Ziel as the user, the penalty was practically nonexistent compared to others.
‘Hehe, it was profitable. I should drink some alcohol with this.’
Anyway, no one lost out today.
The owner who bought it for 100 cel and sold it for 150 cel.
Ziel who paid that 150 cel with money the thugs had contributed.
The owner made money, and Ziel didn’t spend his own money.
It was a moment when everyone became happy.
“Then, I’ll deliver it as soon as it’s ready. Take care!”
Ziel left the general store amid the shop owner’s respectful farewell.
‘Once the items arrive, I can prepare for the practical lesson.’
Fried bread came to mind again.
That savory taste!
That sweetness!
The soft texture that comes out when you bite through the crispy exterior!
But then.
“Hmm.”
Someone entered Ziel’s field of vision.
Though they were walking with their hood pulled up, it was certain.
The gait.
The drifting fragrance.
Even the height.
Everything was identical to someone he knew.
“Student Karen Aswan.”
Since her absence from the last Self-Defense Arts class, she had been consecutively absent from Healthy Body and Stamina classes as well.
The reason was unknown.
Ziel hadn’t bothered to be curious about it either.
Students usually miss class at least once.
But he hadn’t expected to see her here.
‘Does she have some kind of situation?’
Professor Elcanto.
Department Head Berhal.
Or even Teaching Assistant Tiron.
If it had been people like these, Ziel probably wouldn’t have been particularly curious.
But she was his student.
‘I should follow her.’
Ziel put the hand mirror in his chest and began secretly following Karen.
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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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