[High-value investment target detected near the Host.]
[Target Potential Evaluation: SS-Rank.]
Victor had only just stepped out of the Discipline Department when his footsteps suddenly stopped.
SS-Rank?
This was the first time he had seen such a high potential evaluation since the system had activated.
Karl was only B-Rank. Bruno had already reached A-Rank, and merely investing eighty thousand gold coins into him had triggered a one-hundred-and-twenty-times return, directly granting Victor the S-Rank talent [Mana Devour].
Then what would an SS-Rank target mean?
Victor did not immediately turn around. Instead, he stood on the broad white-stone steps outside the Discipline Department and calmly glanced at the system notification floating in his vision.
[Distance between target and Host: 47 meters.]
[Target has not yet established a direct relationship with the Host.]
[As the target's potential exceeds S-Rank, one free basic inspection has automatically been activated.]
Immediately afterward, an extremely faint red line appeared at the edge of Victor's vision, eventually pointing toward the second floor of the Discipline Department.
Only then did Victor turn his head.
Through the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows on the second floor, he could vaguely make out a figure dressed in the academy's white-and-gold uniform.
The person possessed silver-white hair and was tall, slender, and graceful.
Because of the distance and the reflection from the glass, he could not clearly see her face.
However, at that moment, the memories belonging to this body's original owner had already supplied the answer.
Cecilia Saint Laurent.
Third Princess of the Saint Laurent Empire.
The Emperor's youngest daughter.
At the same time, she was one of the most dazzling students of this generation at Starlight Royal Academy at just nineteen years old.
During her entrance examination, she had awakened an exceedingly rare dual affinity for light and darkness. After that, she completed two life-level breakthroughs within a single year and was internally evaluated by the academy as one of the geniuses of her generation most likely to enter the Fifth Tier before the age of twenty-five.
However, Victor frowned slightly.
If he remembered correctly, this woman did not have much screen time in the original story.
At least, not in the early stages.
She was not one of the heroines who joined Ryan's protagonist faction early on, nor had she ever truly stood on Victor's side.
Instead, she was more like an important character who remained independent of both of them.
After the academy arc ended, she returned to the Imperial Capital.
And after that, Victor's eyes shifted slightly.
Three years later, a war for the imperial throne erupted within the Saint Laurent Empire.
The Second Prince, whom Cecilia supported, was defeated.
Cecilia herself disappeared during the coup in the Imperial Capital.
Later, in the latter stages of the original novel, while Ryan was exploring an ancient ruin corrupted by the Abyss, he discovered a broken sword that had once belonged to Cecilia.
Other than that, there was no further explanation.
In other words, she had most likely died.
Someone with SS-Rank potential had simply died inside a piece of background plot that had not even received a direct scene?
Victor suddenly felt as though he was beginning to understand the true value of this system.
What it saw was not a character's "importance in the original novel."
It saw the true potential possessed by the person themselves.
The villains who had been trampled to death by the protagonist in the original story.
The geniuses who died in forgotten corners of the plot.
Those who, because of their birth, faction, choices, or simply bad luck, had never been given the opportunity to truly grow. Every single one of them could potentially become his investment target.
"Young Master?"
Karl's voice came from behind him.
Victor withdrew his gaze.
"What is it?"
Karl glanced toward the second floor in confusion but did not notice anything unusual.
"Bruno's condition can't be delayed much longer."
"Mm."
Victor nodded.
"Take him for treatment first."
Now that he already knew who the SS-Rank investment target was, there was no need to rush into making contact.
Cecilia was not Bruno.
For a subordinate whose loyalty exceeded ninety and who was currently at the lowest point of his life, directly throwing resources at him would naturally be judged by the system as an effective investment.
But for an imperial princess...
Gold coins?
Equipment?
Ordinary potions?
Did she lack any of those?
Victor doubted it.
A truly valuable investment was never about giving someone something they already possessed.
It was about giving them what they truly needed, yet could not obtain.
As for that, he could figure it out later.
...
The advanced treatment district of Starlight Royal Academy was not located within the academy's main grounds. Instead, it had been constructed separately beside a lake on the eastern side of the academy.
Not only did this place employ some of the finest healers in the Imperial Capital, it also stored large quantities of high-tier recovery potions throughout the year.
The only problem was the terrifying price.
Unless the academy reimbursed the cost, ordinary students could never hope to afford treatment here.
After Bruno was pushed into the highest-grade treatment room, the white-robed old man responsible for treating him only needed one glance at his injuries before speaking.
"His right arm isn't a major problem."
"The bones are shattered, but they haven't been contaminated by high-level energy. With Regeneration Magic and a Tier-Three Life Potion, he'll recover seventy percent overnight."
"The real problem is his mana core."
The old man pressed a hand against Bruno's chest.
A ring of pale blue magical patterns immediately spread outward from his palm.
A few seconds later, his brows furrowed slightly.
"Three fractures. One of them has already nearly reached the inner ring of the core. Fortunately, you brought him here early."
"Wait another two days, and this wouldn't have been something eighty thousand gold coins could solve."
Karl's expression visibly changed.
Bruno, lying on the treatment bed, remained silent the entire time, merely sneaking a glance at Victor standing nearby.
Victor's expression did not change.
"How long?"
"One night. He'll be able to move normally tomorrow morning. But he absolutely cannot fight at full strength for at least seven days."
Victor nodded.
Then he directly took out his academy identification card and completed the payment through the treatment confirmation panel.
[Payment Successful.]
[Deducted: 82,700 Gold Coins.]
It was slightly more expensive than the eighty thousand estimated by the Discipline Department instructor.
However, this amount of money meant little to the Alves Family.
At least, it meant little to the current Victor.
The original body's monthly allowance alone exceeded three hundred thousand gold coins.
Apart from that, he also owned several private businesses in the Imperial Capital.
What truly caught Victor's attention was...
After the money was paid, the system did not trigger another return.
This meant that the same matter could not be repeatedly exploited by splitting the payment into several transactions.
When the first investment was made, the system had already classified "treating Bruno" as a single investment.
Any subsequent expenses were merely part of completing that original investment.
Victor was not disappointed.
Instead, he found it perfectly reasonable.
If even a loophole like this could be exploited infinitely, then the issue would no longer be whether the system was powerful.
It would simply have no rules whatsoever.
Any system capable of long-term development would inevitably possess its own internal logic for determining investments.
At that moment, a new notification suddenly appeared before him.
[Investment target Bruno Kane's destiny trajectory has undergone a minor change.]
[Original Destiny: Mana core collapses seven days later.]
[Current Destiny: Unknown.]
[First destiny alteration completed.]
[Additional Reward: Investment Point ×1.]
Victor's eyes shifted slightly.
Investment Point?