Chapter 8: The Invitation of the Rose Witch

The injury to his hand did not impede Zane’s studies.

The Oglethron Noble Academy, while demanding exorbitant tuition fees, also offered the finest educational resources available.

Some nobles, lacking ambition and purpose, attended merely to polish their social standing.

Their families ensured they would live lives free from want.

Zane Corick, however, under his father's strict guidance, was a diligent and ambitious student.

He majored in finance and administrative management—fields favored by the new-age nobility.

If he could secure a position at Oglethron City Hall, perhaps a different path might open for him.

Yet!

Whether it was the family’s impending bankruptcy or the contamination and interference from an incomplete evil spirit lineage, Zane Corick was destined never to walk a normal path.

Originally, after acquiring extraordinary powers, the restless youth in Zane could not resist flaunting and parading his newfound abilities among his noble peers, as if showing off a rare and precious new toy.

His careless mistake caught the attention of the secret sect Bloodshadow Rose, who made contact, secretly supported him, and then fanned the flames.

At that moment, the wheels of fate for a world-class ultimate boss began to turn.

However…

This time, Zane Corick’s destiny trajectory seemed… somewhat different.

On the very same day, a soul from a distant land was born.

It too received mysterious supernatural powers.

In the days following his empowerment, Zane appeared no different from a regular student attending classes as usual; there was no ripple of “mysterious supernatural” aura about him.

…

Just another ordinary day.

By afternoon, the school bell rang throughout the campus, signaling the end of classes.

The air was thick with the heat of early summer.

Within the youthful campus, young noble students were vibrant, lively, and radiant with youth.

Laughter and cheer mingled with the intoxicating scent of adolescence—the hormones of boys and girls in the midsummer air.

“Ah… such nostalgic youth!” Zane, amidst the crowd, savored the most beautiful years of his life, feeling the vigor of youth pumping through his heart, flowing through his veins, and permeating his soul.

Not far from him stood several tall, well-developed young ladies, glowing with youthful brilliance.

He admired these lively, charming girls—not for any other reason but for his own physical and mental health!

“Zane!”

At that moment, a voice as clear and melodious as a lark rang behind him.

Zane turned around, and from the depths of his soul’s memory, his heart trembled slightly.

It was none other than the once cherished white moonlight of his youth—Miss Jolia.

She wore a trendy black-and-white checkered court skirt, her long, fair legs always dazzling.

Her long black ponytail swayed with each step.

Many young noble girls were only beginning to develop, but she had been ahead for quite some time, seemingly nearing the limits of what her court skirt could contain.

Zane’s gaze involuntarily flickered downward.

This little gesture of his brought a faint smile to the corners of the ponytailed girl’s lips, boosting her confidence in the task ahead.

“Good afternoon, beautiful Miss Jolia.”

Zane slightly bowed in greeting, displaying impeccable noble etiquette.

Though Zane could recite many tales of his friendly relations with Miss Jolia—he had even penned numerous love letters to her—most of the time, it was merely the one-sided affection of youth.

They were simply good classmates.

In the original timeline, after Zane acquired the evil spirit sorcerer sequence, his extraordinary feats caught Jolia’s attention, who then reported him to her secret sect, Bloodshadow Rose.

That led to a series of intense and dramatic developments.

But this time,

Though Zane also gained supernatural powers, he did not reveal any extraordinary skills.

Yet… fate once again intertwined him with Miss Jolia and the secret sect behind her.

And Zane, having long prepared for this moment, was waiting.

Indeed, if Jolia hadn’t come, he would have taken the initiative himself.

But since she had arrived, it was better to let things unfold naturally.

“I heard…”

Jolia, tall and graceful, leaned slightly forward, a faint fragrance drifting to Zane’s nose, stirring his hormones.

The young lady breathed softly like a gentle orchid.

“You long for mysterious supernatural power. Even your father ventured into the depths of the sea to seek such power.”

As she spoke, she leaned in again, her ample bosom brushing lightly against the boy’s arm. Her voice dropped to a whisper, tender breath swirling near his ear.

“And my private tutor, Miss Hazel Cheney, is herself an extraordinary being who wields such power.”

“An extraordinary being?”

The noble youth Zane Corick whispered in awe, surprise and delight flashing across his face.

Jolia was pleased with his reaction.

Sadly, she could not see the mischievous scrutiny gleaming within his heart.

High-level hunters often appear in the guise of their prey.

“Shh!”

The girl quickly made a shushing gesture.

“If you are interested in the occult and supernatural studies, or even hope to come into contact with mysterious supernatural power, this Saturday afternoon at my family’s estate there will be a tea party among noble classmates.”

“There, perhaps, you will obtain the information and intelligence you seek.”

With that, Jolia produced a carefully prepared invitation letter.

Though formal invitations among nobles usually required delivery by a butler, these youthful tea parties were less formal and more relaxed.

Fully aware of the “evil content” hidden within this seemingly ordinary gathering, Zane Corick—the future ultimate evil spirit sorcerer—could hardly decline such an invitation.

After all, he had already prepared a deadly trap for that damned secret sect Bloodshadow Rose.

“Thank you very much for the invitation, Miss Jolia. I shall arrive promptly.”

“You are most welcome.”

Turning away, the girl’s innocent smile now carried a hint of greed and malice.

“With this prey, it should be just enough to complete my ascension ritual as the Rose Witch.”

“Once completed, they will all become my witch servants.”

Clenching her fists, the girl’s resolve grew ever stronger.

“I refuse to marry into the Lawrence family, to become a sacrifice among nobles, a mere breeding tool.”

“I want to become a supernatural witch, wielding powerful and secret forces. I want to control my own destiny!”

Watching her slender figure stretch long and faint in the sunset glow, then vanish into the shadowed carriage, Zane slowly withdrew his gaze.

“Fate toys with the witch. Your trajectory seems secret and smooth.”

“But when you delve deeper, thorns and endless pain and torment await.”

“The sequence ascension on Saturday is timely, but you will miss the perfect forbidden moment.”

“Just as… the previous Zane Corick did.”

“Also missed. As the Rose Witch, you are but a stepping stone for Zane Corick’s descent into madness; it was so before, and so it shall be now!”

Folding the invitation, Zane took a deep breath and stepped into the carriage waiting to take him home.

But the driver was not the usual coachman, old Nero; it was the butler, Gronk.

Poor Nero, disturbed and perhaps catching a cold, was convalescing.

By the third day of this week, Zane’s hand had almost fully healed.

He then began his daily secret training.

He started capturing and cultivating his internal energy.

And nurturing forbidden items.

On the second day of his underground treasure exploration, Isaac sent him a cage of gray rats.

Though his teacher had warned him not to pay, Zane bought them at twice the price the city hall paid.

After all, money was but a drizzle to him.

Yet nurturing powerful forbidden items made it a very worthwhile investment.

Whether as an experienced seasoned player or as an SS-rank Star Marked Fighter sequence holder, Zane’s strength advanced rapidly.

“Master, I heard today near the Seaport, someone spotted the Steam Whale merchant ship.”

“Just yesterday, I completed about two thousand three hundred pounds worth of stock purchases.”

As the horses’ hooves clattered, Gronk’s voice came from the carriage.

“Today, when I wanted to buy more stock in the Steam Whale merchant ship, its price had already risen from 2.4 pounds to over 10 pounds.”

Hearing this, Zane’s mood brightened instantly.

At this stage, the stock value had already multiplied four or five times.

When all was tallied, it might rise even further.

A crucial fortune was about to arrive.

But… the greater the gain, the more cautious Zane became.

He knew that acquiring such a rich fortune would invite covert covetous eyes.

The impending crisis would be one of the more difficult troubles to handle in his vulnerable early days.

“Make a trip to Old Town, Luke Long Street.”

After a moment’s thought, Zane spoke prudently.

Though he could handle things alone, spending some money to find capable allies was undoubtedly the wiser choice.