Victor never expected to wake up inside the world of a story he already knew.

Worse, he didn’t transmigrate into the protagonist.

He became Victor Alves, the arrogant only son of Duke Alves, a powerful noble heir studying at Starlight Royal Academy and, more importantly, one of the villains destined to become a stepping stone for the original protagonist, Ryan Carter.

Victor knows how this story is supposed to end.

Ryan will rise.

The geniuses surrounding him will become monsters who shake the continent.

The Alves family will collapse.

And within a year, Victor himself will die.

Fortunately, the moment Victor accepts his new reality, he awakens the Investment System.

The system allows him to see the hidden potential, needs, talents, and possible futures of those around him. By investing gold, equipment, potions, skills, bloodlines, cultivation resources, and even opportunities into suitable targets, Victor can change their destinies and receive multiplied returns.

A struggling swordsman with the potential to become a legendary Sword Saint?

Invest.

An overlooked servant hiding a terrifying bloodline?

Invest.

A future powerhouse destined to die before ever realizing her potential?

Invest.

While the empire’s nobles compete for geniuses who have already proven themselves, Victor quietly gathers those the world has ignored and turns them into monsters.

And every time his followers grow stronger, Victor’s rewards become even more absurd.

By the time the great families realize that the insignificant people surrounding Victor have become generals, Sword Saints, assassins, and legendary mages, it is already too late.

Because Victor was never simply raising subordinates....He was building an empire of his own.

"His last recorded location inside the academy before he disappeared was Observation Station C."


For the first time, the leads truly connected: Elena, the missing Devin, the six line star symbol, and the Third Enclosed Ecological Zone, now abruptly reopened.


Victor stared at the small point on the map. "What condition is the station in?"


Albert checked the maintenance records. "The building's still standing, but it hasn't been opened since the zone was sealed four years ago."


"Even better." Victor leaned back in his seat. "If someone's entered recently, they didn't do it with legitimate authorization."


Albert's eyes flashed sharply. "Don't tell me you want to go now?"


"Not me." Victor shook his head. "You."


"You're a high level combatant and a vice dean. Sending a Level 22 student into a hazardous zone that's been closed for four years would be much stupider than sending you."


Chapter 75 - The Real Chess Master