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

For some reason, when he heard the cloaked man’s words, Victor’s heart seemed to skip a beat.

Although he had worn a fearless facade so far, as though he had everything under control and nothing could really faze him, at the end of the day, he was still human.

And being noticed by powerhouses like Tier 6 professionals wasn’t something he wanted, especially at an early stage like this.

The gray cloaked man observed Victor’s expression for a while before he continued:

”From the moment you repaired Leah’s awakening formation, many things could no longer return to their original positions.”

”You took someone who was originally supposed to die two years from now after accidentally encountering Astral corruption and awakening an incomplete Astral Spirit ability and turned her into a complete Astral Spirit Envoy ahead of schedule. A change like that is too large.”

At this moment, Victor became certain that the other man knew the original plot. Perhaps even more thoroughly than Victor himself.

Victor had only known the world protagonist Ryan’s main growth path and several important plot points, as the story was mostly told from Ryan’s perspective.

But this person even knew about Leah’s original death two years later. That part of the story had only existed as a vague background detail in Victor’s memories.

It was something most readers didn’t pay attention to!

”Did you transmigrate too?” Victor suddenly asked, deciding not to beat around the bush any longer.

The gray cloaked man was visibly shocked upon hearing those direct words, but then, slowly, that shock gradually turned into laughter.

”So that’s how you understand what happened to you?”

”What do you mean?” Victor frowned, genuinely confused. Could it be be wasn’t a transmigrator like him?

”That’s enough for one night,” the man turned around.

Victor’s face twisted in anger. ”You called me here, told me half the story, and now you want to leave?”

”Because I can’t tell you the rest yet.”

”Again with ’can’t.’”

”Victor.” For the first time, the gray cloaked man directly called his name.

”Knowing the future isn’t necessarily a good thing. Especially once that future has already begun changing. The more you rely on what you think you know, the faster you’ll die.”

With that, he walked toward the edge of the clock tower.

Victor didn’t stop him. It wasn’t because he wanted to let him leave. There was still far too much Victor wanted to know. Hell, if necessary, he wouldn’t have minded tying the man up in his basement and forcing the answers out of him.

But before he could make a move, another system notification suddenly appeared before his eyes.

[Warning.]

[Target is leaving the current Fate Observation Range.]

[Forcibly preventing departure may trigger an unknown high risk event.]

Even the system was warning him now, and because the system was one of the reasons he was here, Victor naturally would not act recklessly.

”At least leave me a name,” he said.

The man paused, the night wind lifting the edge of his cloak.

”Elias.”

The moment those words fell, he stepped off the clock tower and disappeared as though swallowed by the night itself.

Within the system scan, the point of light that had previously existed... had completely vanished.

[Special Target has departed.]

[Unable to lock.]

[Unable to record complete Fate Information.]

[Target Name: Elias.]

[Identity: Unknown.]

[Level: Unknown.]

[Potential: Unknown.]

[Fate Attribute: Anomalous.]

’Anomalous?’

This was the first time the system had ever given such an evaluation.

And at that moment, another notification slowly unfolded.

[Detected: Host has obtained important information regarding the future.]

[Main Plot Event ”First Direct Confrontation with Fate” updated.]

[Known Risk 1: Northern Mana Core Badge contains an Abyss Induction Crystal.]

[Known Risk 2: An external passage will be deliberately opened into the trial ground.]

[Known Risk 3: Level 27 Star Devouring Shadow Beast will enter the assessment area.]

[Primary Attack Target: Leah Vane.]

[Reevaluate mission danger level based on new information?]

”Evaluate.”

[Calculating.]

[Current Event Danger Level: High → Extremely High.]

[Recommendation: Do not allow Investment Target to enter alone.]

Victor raised an eyebrow slightly.

”Not enter alone?”

Leah was participating in the freshman assessment.

He was a second year student.

Under normal circumstances, he could not enter at all.

Unless...

Victor suddenly remembered what Elias had just said.

”You’ll go inside.”

At some point two days from now, Victor would inevitably enter the trial ground because circumstances would force him to.

Realizing this, Victor looked in the direction where Elias had disappeared and felt the hair on his scalp rise.

”System,” he said a moment later. ”What if I tell the academy everything in advance?”

To Victor, this was perhaps the easiest way to avoid all this mess.

[Unable to calculate.]

[Public disclosure of information may force Fate Correction to change its method.]

It was exactly the same problem he had encountered while investigating Cecilia’s curse.

The greatest problem now was not that he did not know danger was coming. It was that the enemy was hidden inside the academy’s own system.

The assessment date could be moved forward.

Mana Core Badges could be replaced. The barrier could be opened.

That meant the enemy’s reach had already penetrated extremely deeply.

If Victor publicly announced right now that ”someone intends to release a Level 27 magical beast into the assessment,” the enemy only needed to cancel that plan, then use another method.

And Victor would lose the advantage of preparing in advance.

He slowly walked toward the edge of the clock tower.

In the distance, the entire Starlight Royal Academy was brightly illuminated.

The White Tower, training grounds, dormitories, Research Institute.

From up here, everything looked completely peaceful. But now Victor already knew that at least two hidden threads existed within this academy that had nothing to do with its peaceful surface.

The Astral Realm. The Abyss. And... lastly, those so called people who knew the future.

”Since they want to play, I might as well make it fun.” Victor suddenly smiled.

Don’t let Leah touch the badge?

Fine.

Don’t enter the underground caves?

That would depend on the situation.

As for the Star Devouring Shadow Beast... before yesterday, it really would have been troublesome. But now Victor had just defeated the simulation of a Level 28 Crimson Armored Demon Ape without taking any damage.

And... since the Star Devouring Shadow Beast was an Abyssal subspecies, could the mana inside its body also be consumed by [Mana Devour]?

The moment the thought appeared, the system almost immediately responded.

[Star Devouring Shadow Beast possesses a high purity Abyssal Energy Core.]

[Can be devoured.]

The corner of Victor’s mouth slowly rose.

Now that was even more interesting.

Someone was releasing a magical beast to kill Leah. But what if, in the end, it became Victor’s growth resource instead?

...