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

”I don’t know,” the cloaked man said without the slightest bit of hesitation.

A deep frown appeared on Victor’s face when he heard this, and in a somewhat annoyed tone, he asked, ”You know what the crystal is, but you don’t know who put it there?”

”Knowing the outcome and knowing the process are two different things.” The gray cloaked man’s tone remained calm.

Victor picked up on something. That sentence... it was something only someone with knowledge of the future would say.

”You’ve seen what happens two days from now, haven’t you?” he asked with a smile.

For the first time, the gray cloaked man stiffened. At that exact moment, a system notification suddenly appeared.

[Special Fate Information Fluctuation detected.]

[Target’s statement has triggered Fate Anomaly Evaluation.]

[Attempting analysis.]

Several seconds later.

[Analysis failed.]

[Target is protected by unknown Fate Concealment.]

Victor was already almost certain.

This person really did know the future. Even though his knowledge was incomplete, he knew at least part of it.

”Answer me.” He spoke again, this time with his tone much firmer.

The gray cloaked man slowly raised his head. Beneath the shadow of his hood, a pair of dark gray eyes finally became visible.

”What if I say yes?”

Victor showed little reaction. ”Then things just became interesting.”

The gray cloaked man seemed surprised by how calm he was. ”You’re not going to ask how I know?”

”You didn’t ask why I believe you.”

This time, it was the other man’s turn to fall silent.

Several seconds later, the gray cloaked man suddenly laughed.

”I’m starting to understand why things have become like this.”

”Like what?”

”They’re deviating faster and faster.”

Coldness instantly gathered in Victor’s eyes. Previously, he had thought the man simply knew about the future. However, after hearing him use the word ”deviating,” it seemed he knew the original trajectory of the story.

Perhaps he even knew that everything happening now was already different from what had ”originally” happened.

”Who are you?” For the first time, Victor’s voice truly turned cold.

The gray cloaked man didn’t answer directly. ”Someone who was never supposed to appear here.”

”That’s a terrible answer,” Victor replied, unimpressed.

”But it’s true.” He put away the projection crystal. ”All you need to know is that I don’t want Leah to die.”

”Why?”

”Because she’s more valuable alive than dead.”

This reasoning was strangely similar to the system’s investment logic.

”What exactly do you want?” Victor couldn’t help but ask.

”For now, don’t take that badge.”

”That’s it?”

”There’s more.” The gray cloaked man looked at him. ”After the assessment begins, don’t enter the underground cave region.”

Victor frowned, confused. ”I’m not even a first year student, so what would I want to find inside there?”

”You’ll go inside.” His tone was absolutely certain, as if he had already seen it happen.

The man continued, ”After the first Mana Core Badge is taken, a brief abnormality will occur in the northern barrier of the trial ground. The academy will temporarily seal off part of the area under the excuse of an equipment malfunction. But in reality... the barrier isn’t malfunctioning.”

”Then what is it?”

”Someone will open a passage from outside and allow a magical beast that was never supposed to be inside the assessment area to enter.”

”What level is it?”

”Twenty seven, almost at the peak of First Tier.”

For a freshman assessment, the highest monster level should have been eighteen. The sudden appearance of a Level 27 magical beast, for most first year students, was practically a massacre.

”What magical beast?”

The gray cloaked man slowly spoke four words.

”Star Devouring Shadow Beast.”

Ding!

[Critical Name detected.]

[Star Devouring Shadow Beast.]

[Abyssal Subspecies Magical Beast.]

[Naturally feeds on high density mental, astral, and soul type energy.]

[Extremely high threat toward the ”Astral Spirit Envoy” profession.]

Seeing the last messages, Victor no longer had any suspicion. It was certain that the creature was specifically coming for Leah.

He couldn’t help but think back to the letter left by Leah’s mother.

According to the writing, the Astral Realm had been closed, and the latter half of Elena’s letter had been torn away.

And now someone was precisely releasing a magical beast designed to counter Astral Spirit Envoys.

Everything was beginning to connect into a single line.

”Were they the ones who killed Leah’s mother too?” he asked.

The gray cloaked man’s body visibly trembled for an instant. It was extremely subtle, but Victor with his keen eyes caught it.

”You know,” he said directly.

”At least part of it.” The gray cloaked man didn’t deny it. ”Elena Vane did not die in an ordinary experimental accident.”

”Who did it?”

”I can’t tell you.”

”Can’t, or don’t dare?”

”Neither.” The gray cloaked man spoke calmly. ”Because if I tell you who that person is right now, things will become worse.”

Victor smiled, a smile that contained not even the slightest trace of warmth.

”You think I’ll accept that?”

”You don’t need to accept it. You only need to remember one thing.” The gray cloaked man stepped forward. ”The current you cannot defeat the person truly standing behind all of this.”

There was no threat in his words, not even contempt. It was simply a statement of fact.

And that tone was precisely what made it even more irritating to Victor because it somehow bruised his ego.

”What level are they?”

”At least Tier 6.”

Upon hearing this, Victor fell silent.

He was currently Life Tier Level 21. Yes, he could defeat a simulation of a Level 28 Crimson Armored Demon Ape without taking damage. But that simulated opponent was modeled on a First Tier magical beast and was not even an actual magical beast.

What did Tier 6 represent?

According to this world’s professional hierarchy, a Tier 6 professional was at least Level 211, which was already the level of a major figure capable of guarding an entire region of the empire.

Even within the Alves ducal family, there were not many experts at that level.

And the reappearance of a single astral profession was actually connected to someone of that tier.

Instantly, Victor felt cold sweat run down his spine as he realized that this matter was far bigger than he had expected.

’But...’

The instinctive fear he had just felt quickly vanished.

Yes, he could not defeat them now. At his current strength, even a mere sneeze from an expert of that level would send him to the grave.

However, that did not mean he would never be able to.

If there was one thing the system did not lack, it was growth speed.

”You know so much,” Victor suddenly said. ”Why don’t you save her yourself?”

The gray cloaked man paused for several seconds before slowly speaking in an extremely low voice.

”Because I can’t directly interfere.”

”I don’t get.”

”If I interfere, they’ll notice me much sooner.”

Victor’s eyebrows jumped in annoyance. This man was truly selfish and shameless. He didn’t want to interfere, but he wanted Victor to!

”What about me?” he asked in a slightly raised tone.

”They’ve already noticed you.”

”...”