Chapter 36: Fate Correction

However, the current efficiency of Astral Conversion remained at only eighteen percent, which meant that the overwhelming majority of the mana was directly wasted during the conversion process.

For an ordinary student, consuming resources in such a manner would be enough to make any normal family feel physical pain.

But Victor had money, a lot of it... at least for now.

Throughout the entire morning, Leah absorbed mana crystals worth a full thirty thousand gold coins, and just as another unattributed mana crystal crumbled into powder, the Star Core inside her body finally trembled softly.

Buzz!

[Leah Vane has leveled up.]

[15 → 16.]

Now, only one more level remained before she reached the Level 17 target Victor had set for her.

Just then, Victor’s identity card suddenly vibrated. He glanced down. It was a message from Cecilia. An encrypted internal document appeared in his private messages.

[Internal Plan for Freshman Practical Combat Assessment.]

[Location: Academy Seventh Magical Beast Trial Ground.]

[Assessment Format: Regional Survival.]

[Duration: Six Hours.]

[Number of Participants: 427.]

[Magical Beast Levels: 5 to 18.]

Up to this point, everything seemed no different from an ordinary freshman practical combat assessment. But when Victor continued reading downward, his gaze suddenly stopped.

[Temporary Additional Objective: Regional Core Contest.]

[Three Mana Core Badges will be randomly placed throughout different areas of the trial ground.]

[Those still possessing a badge when the assessment concludes will directly obtain qualification to enter the Academy’s Core Training Program.]

Was this part of the original plot? Victor frowned.

The memories belonging to the original Victor and his knowledge of the original storyline rapidly flashed through his mind.

Several seconds later, he reached an absolutely certain conclusion.

No. Definitely not!

The freshman practical combat assessment that had originally been scheduled for nine days later had been nothing more than an ordinary regional survival assessment from beginning to end.

There had never been anything called Mana Core Badges. Much less a reward that directly granted qualification to enter the Academy’s Core Training Program.

Almost the instant Victor confirmed this, a system notification appeared.

[Detected: New Plot Event.]

["Regional Core Contest" did not exist within the original trajectory of fate.]

[Analyzing source of Fate Correction...]

Several seconds later.

[Analysis Failed.]

[However, the System has detected that one of the three Mana Core Badges carries a special fluctuation of fate.]

The truly important thing had never been this suddenly altered freshman assessment.

It was that badge carrying the special fluctuation of fate. Or, more accurately, whatever was about to appear near that badge.

Just then, Cecilia’s second message arrived.

[There’s one more thing.]

[The person responsible for this temporary adjustment to the assessment was not from the Combat Academy.]

[The order came directly from the Academy Board.]

Victor was just about to ask for more details when a third message immediately followed.

[Proposer: Grant Carter.]

Carter? Seeing that surname, Victor slowly raised his head as the sense of familiarity in his mind rapidly became clearer.

He turned toward the other side of the training ground and happened to see a familiar figure walking along the distant road.

At that moment, the memories belonging to the original Victor finally connected the name "Grant Carter" with the corresponding person.

Grant Carter was one of the members of Starlight Royal Academy’s Board, as well as a fairly renowned Tier Five swordsman within the Empire.

He was quite popular in the Empire, as he was a commoner who had risen to this position.

But aside from that, he possessed another, far more important identity. He was none other than Ryan Carter’s uncle!

’It seemed the family behind the protagonist of this world had finally begun their move.’

Almost the instant that thought appeared, a crimson system warning completely different from anything before suddenly erupted before his eyes, occupying most of his vision.

[WARNING!]

[Key Plot Character Intervention Detected!]

[Fate Correction Intensity Increased!]

[Danger Level of Freshman Practical Combat Assessment in Three Days Has Changed.]

[Original Danger Rating: Low.]

[Current Danger Rating: High.]

Immediately afterward, an even more conspicuous notification slowly appeared beneath the crimson warning.

[Detected: Host’s investment target "Leah Vane" has become one of the primary targets of this Fate Correction.]

The last trace of a smile disappeared from Victor’s face.

He had only just personally dug an SSS rank genius out from among a pile of people everyone else regarded as worthless.

She had not even had the chance to truly display the power belonging to an Astral Envoy yet.

And someone was already preparing to make a move against her?

Victor closed his identity card, then turned toward Leah, who was still sitting cross legged inside the mana gathering formation.

"For the next two days."

Hearing his voice, Leah raised her head.

"Other than eating and sleeping, you’ll spend every remaining moment here training."

"Did something happen?" Leah asked, a trace of concern in her voice.

Victor didn’t answer. He slowly drew Crimson Flame Fang from his waist.

The crimson blade reflected a scorching glow beneath the morning sunlight, illuminating his unusually calm eyes.

"The freshman practical combat assessment three days from now probably isn’t just an assessment anymore."

At the end of the distant road, Ryan’s figure had already gradually disappeared.

Victor continued staring in that direction.

If so called fate truly intended to use this assessment to drag Leah back onto the path she was originally supposed to follow, then he was rather curious to see whether the current Leah Vane, who had risen all the way from Level 9 to Level 16, successfully awakened an SSS rank profession, and received his personal cultivation, would still end up like the girl from the original storyline.

Ding!

[New Main Plot Event Triggered.]

[Event Name: First Direct Confrontation with Fate.]

[Mission Objective: Ensure that at least one of the Host’s investment targets obtains a Mana Core Badge.]

[Additional Objective: Investigate the source of the special fluctuation of fate.]

[Mission Reward: Dynamically calculated according to the final degree of deviation from fate.]

Although there were only a little over two days left, that was already enough because this time, Victor had never intended to merely ensure that Leah successfully passed the freshman practical combat assessment.

He intended to use this so called "Fate Correction" to make everyone in Starlight Royal Academy truly understand one thing.

The people chosen by Victor Alves were never sent inside to compete with others for rankings.

From the very beginning, they entered for only one purpose: to dominate!

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