Villain's Evolution: Investing in My Minions Yields Crazy Returns!

”Choose option two.”

[Selection Successful.]

[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained the Unique SSS Rank Talent: Infinite Evolution!]

Boom!

This time, there was no massive eruption of mana and no external phenomenon whatsoever. But every skill panel before Victor’s eyes changed.

[Mana Devour (S+)]

[Can Evolve.]

[Next Stage: ???]

[Condition One: Devour a cumulative total of 10,000 Mana.]

[Condition Two: Devour three types of high quality special energy.]

... 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

[High Level Fire Element Affinity]

[Can Evolve.]

[Next Stage: Top Level Fire Element Affinity.]

[Evolution Condition: Absorb three High Purity Fire Element Cores.]

...

[Heaven Burning Sword Art (King Rank)]

[Can Evolve.]

[Next Stage: ???]

[Evolution Condition: Raise Heaven Burning Sword Art proficiency to Perfection and absorb one type of high tier natural flame.]

Victor stared at the panels, a small smile slowly spreading across his face. He knew exactly how to fulfill all these evolution conditions, especially the [Heaven Burning Sword Art].

The Inferno Prison Secret Realm that would open twelve days from now had High Purity Fire Element Cores, and the evolution requirement was to absorb one type of high tier natural flame.

Suddenly, the value of that secret realm had increased by an absurd amount.

At that moment, another notification appeared.

[Leah Vane’s Loyalty has greatly increased.]

[Current Loyalty: 81.]

Only eighty one? Victor was actually somewhat surprised. He had just saved her entire future, yet it had not immediately exceeded ninety.

But he quickly understood that that was perfectly normal because Leah was different from Bruno.

Bruno had already followed him for two years, and his loyalty had already been ninety three before Victor invested in him. Before today, Leah had barely even spoken to Victor.

Gratitude and loyalty were not the same thing.

The system’s judgment was surprisingly realistic.

Leah wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, then looked at Victor.

”Young Master Victor. What happened today... I’ll repay you.”

Victor smiled. ”With what?”

’Right.’

The girl’s face turned solemn as reality came crashing down on her.

She was only a commoner. Forget the silver energy she did not even understand, she needed a scholarship just to pay her academy tuition.

Victor looked at her and then said in a firm tone of voice, ”Follow me.”

At those two simple words, Leah stared at him in surprise.

Cecilia also looked toward him.

”What do you mean?”

”Exactly what it sounds like,” Victor said. ”Work for me from now on. I’ll give you resources. Equipment. Skills. Anything that allows you to grow faster. And all you need to do is prove...”

His gaze settled on the girl’s eyes, now shimmering like starlight.

”That I didn’t save the wrong person today.”

Leah was silent for a long time.

She knew who Victor was. She had heard almost every rumor about him within the academy.

He was arrogant, a wastrel, and mostly known to be a noble who bullied commoners.

It was rumored that even Bruno’s attack on Ryan yesterday had supposedly been connected to him.

Before today, if someone had told her that she would one day choose to follow Victor, she probably would have thought they were insane.

But today, when everyone else had already given up on her, the noble young master with the worst reputation in the academy had personally completed what even she herself had almost abandoned.

Eventually, Leah slowly bent forward.

It was not a noble salute but the most standard etiquette of a follower.

”As long as you don’t order me to harm innocent people. From today onward...” She raised her head. ”I’ll work for you.”

[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained your first SSS Rank potential follower.]

[Leah Vane has officially joined Host’s faction.]

[Special Achievement completed: First Legendary Seed.]

[Reward: Investment Points ×5.]

The corner of Victor’s mouth slowly rose.

’Not bad.’

In this one trip, he gained an SSS Rank subordinate, an SSS Rank talent, and five Investment Points from the stingy system.

”You are welcome,” Victor said. ”As long as you follow me, I assure you, you will not fall behind.”

He paused and then added with a small smile, ”As for hurting innocent people, it depends.”

Both Cecilia and Leah narrowed their eyes, staring at him with suspicion.

”What do you mean by that?”

Victor still maintained that perfect smile on his face, making him look like some kind of evil crime boss as he repeated, ”Like I said, it depends.”

’This bastard.’ Cecilia was speechless.

Although he didn’t say it outright, she understood what he meant by ”it depends.” Leah seemed to have caught on as well, and both women simultaneously facepalmed.

”We should leave here,” Victor suddenly said. ”I’m sure the academy has already noticed what happened.”

Boom!

A loud explosion suddenly came from above the laboratory. Immediately afterward, a large number of hurried footsteps sounded from the stairway.

Clearly, that awakening pillar of light that had pierced through the entire academy had already alerted the academy’s upper ranks.

Cecilia raised her head. ”They came quickly.”

Leah’s expression became slightly uneasy. Her mother’s laboratory technically should not have been in use anymore. However, she had secretly been using it for a while now... was the academy going to penalize her?

Victor, however, showed no tension whatsoever. He did not even move from his spot. Since they were already here, he decided not to run and instead entertain them.

A little over ten seconds later...

Bang!

The laboratory door was violently pushed open, and three figures dressed in instructor robes rushed inside first. The one at the front was an elderly man with graying hair.

The moment he saw the silver starlight that had yet to completely disperse around Leah, his entire body suddenly froze.

”This is...” He abruptly raised his head, his gaze locking onto Leah. ”Astral mana?”

Leah instinctively stepped backward in fear.

The old man did not seem to notice. He directly stepped forward twice, and the shock on his face became increasingly obvious.

”No mistake. Absolutely no mistake. This frequency... It’s exactly the same as the profession fragment discovered in the ruins seventeen years ago!”

He suddenly grabbed the shoulder of the instructor beside him.

”Go get the Headmaster! Now! Immediately!”

That instructor froze and then started in a shaky voice. ”The Headmaster is currently in the Imperial Capital...”

”Then use the highest level emergency transmission!” The old man practically roared. ”Tell him! Someone in the academy... has awakened an Astral profession that has been extinct for at least eight hundred years!”

The entire underground laboratory instantly fell into deadly silence.

And while everyone else was in shock, before Victor’s eyes, a new system notification quietly appeared.

[Leah Vane’s World Influence has begun increasing.]

[Investment target’s status is about to change.]

[Your first SSS Rank long term investment...]

[Has officially begun generating returns.]