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

The next morning.

Starlight Royal Academy, First Magic Training Hall.

Inside the spacious training ground, dozens of magic formations were slowly operating, filling the air with dense fluctuations of mana.

This was an advanced training facility specially prepared by the academy for senior students. Not only did it possess protective barriers capable of withstanding attacks from Second Tier professionals, but it was also equipped with various specialized devices used to test mana intensity, skill control, and combat reactions.

At this moment, Victor was sitting in the rest area at the edge of the training ground, holding a training plan he had just finished organizing.

In front of him, Leah and Evelyn had already made their preparations.

”First, let me make something clear.”

Victor raised his head and looked at the two girls.

”The focus of today’s training isn’t to defeat your opponent, but to identify the areas Leah currently needs to improve the most.”

Leah nodded seriously.

”Understood.”

Evelyn, on the other hand, stretched her wrists.

”Do you need me to restrain my strength?”

”Of course.”

Victor answered without the slightest hesitation.

”If you beat her into a seriously injured state, I’ll have to send her back to the medical center.”

”I’ll be careful.” Evelyn said.

Victor glanced at her.

For some reason, he felt that those words didn’t sound particularly reassuring.

However, Evelyn’s combat experience was indeed extremely rich, especially when it came to high speed movement, stealth, and close range assassination.

And these were precisely the combat styles Leah currently struggled against the most.

Although Leah possessed SSS grade potential, potential was ultimately not the same as strength.

Her Astral Chains possessed extremely powerful control capabilities, while Starfall could unleash considerable explosive damage.

However, once she encountered an enemy with extraordinary speed who could quickly close the distance, obvious weaknesses would appear in her defenses.

Before the screening, Leah had already learned not to blindly chase her opponents, but to use her Astral Chains to restrict their movement routes and guide them into unfavorable positions. She had even put those methods into practice during the screening itself.

However, understanding a combat technique and applying it consistently against an experienced opponent like Evelyn were two different things.

Furthermore, the appearance of that Level 45 Abyssal Magical Beast had exposed another, even more serious problem.

The stability of her astral mana.

”Begin.”

Victor put down the document in his hand.

The moment his words fell, Evelyn’s figure suddenly disappeared from where she stood.

Shadow Assault Step!

Almost simultaneously, the air beside Leah distorted slightly, and a black afterimage appeared to her left.

So fast!

Leah’s pupils contracted slightly as four silver white chains instantly unfolded behind her. Two of them directly sealed off the space on her left, while the other two rapidly crossed together, attempting to restrict Evelyn’s movement routes.

However, Evelyn had no intention of continuing forward.

With a light tap of her toes against the ground, her body suddenly retreated before approaching again from another angle.

Leah hurriedly adjusted her chains but just as she was about to turn around, a blunt training dagger had already stopped beside her shoulder.

”First time.” Evelyn spoke indifferently.

Leah bit her lip. ”Again!”

Evelyn wasted no words, her figure once again turning into a blur.

This time, Leah did not rush to chase after her opponent. She positioned her four chains around her body, forming a defensive zone that could contract at any moment.

Evelyn changed direction twice in succession but failed to find a suitable angle of attack.

Victor nodded slightly in satisfaction.

At least she hadn’t forgotten what she had learned before.

However, just as Leah was preparing to use her chains to further compress her opponent’s movement space, Evelyn suddenly raised her hand and fired a training mana projectile toward the right.

Bang!

The mana projectile struck the ground, erupting into a burst of dazzling light.

Leah instinctively shifted her attention to the right.

In the next instant, Evelyn had already slipped in from her left rear.

The training dagger gently pressed against the back of her neck.

”Second time.”

Leah’s face turned slightly pale.

”I...”

”Don’t rush. Victor suddenly spoke.

He rose from his seat and slowly walked toward the edge of the training ground.

”Your problem just now wasn’t that your reaction speed was insufficient. It’s that you allow your opponent to dictate your movements too easily.”

Leah raised her head to look at him.

Victor pointed toward the chains that had yet to dissipate around her.

”Remember what you practiced before the screening. Don’t chase after your opponent. Make them move according to your intentions instead.”

Leah nodded. ”Understood, Young Master. I’ll try again.”

Victor nodded. ”Continue.”

During the following training, Leah gradually became more consistent in applying the methods she had learned.

She no longer rushed to attack Evelyn with her chain but actively sealed off the surrounding movement routes, gradually turning her previously scattered four chains into a constantly shifting control zone.

Evelyn could still rely on her speed to find openings, but every approach now required considerably more effort than before.

Finally, during their sixth exchange, Leah seized a brief pause in Evelyn’s movement and suddenly crossed two chains together, tightening them.

Whoosh!

The silver white chains brushed past Evelyn’s arm, directly sealing off her next foothold.

Evelyn’s eyes flashed. In the next moment, she twisted her body sideways and forcibly slipped through the gap between the chains.

But just as she was preparing to approach again, another chain had already appeared in front of her.

Clang!

The chain collided with the training dagger, producing a crisp sound, forcing Evelyn to a stop.

”Nice.” She looked at Leah. ”Your predictions are becoming more accurate.”

Leah was breathing slightly heavily, but obvious joy appeared on her face.

”Really?”

”Mm.” Evelyn nodded. ”However, if I were using a real weapon, your reaction just now would still have been too slow.”

The smile on Leah’s face immediately froze.

Victor couldn’t help speaking up.

”Alright, Evelyn. Stop discouraging her all the time.”

Evelyn glanced at him.

”I’m only telling the truth.”

”You can tell the truth a little more tactfully.”

”Understood.”

She thought for a moment. Then, with a serious expression, she said,

”Miss Leah, you almost died just now.”

”...”

Victor was immediately rendered speechless.

Meanwhile, Leah couldn’t help bursting into laughter.

The originally tense training atmosphere became considerably more relaxed because of this.

Still Victor did not end the training there because what he truly wanted to test wasn’t Leah’s close combat reaction ability.

It was her astral mana.

”Next, we’ll switch to another exercise.”

Victor looked toward a mana testing device in the center of the training ground.

”Leah, rest for five minutes first, then come over.”