The injury to his hand didn't hinder Zorn's studies.
Ogrande Noble Academy had exorbitant tuition fees, but it also boasted the most top-tier educational resources.
Some unscholarly nobles attended Ogrande Noble Academy for the sole purpose of burnishing their credentials.
Their families could guarantee them a life free from worry about food or clothing.
Zorn Corick, on the other hand, was a diligent and motivated student, thanks to his father's upbringing.
He majored in finance and administrative management, subjects favored by the new era's nobility.
If he could have secured a job at the Ogrande City municipal hall, he might have walked a different path.
But!
Whether it was his family's bankruptcy in the original timeline or the corruption and interference from an incomplete Evil Spirit Sequence, Zorn Corick was destined never to walk the path of a normal person.
Originally, after Zorn Corick obtained his Extraordinary Power, he couldn't contain his youthful impulsiveness.
He had deliberately shown off and flaunted it among his noble peers.
It was as if he were showing off a new, rare, and precious toy to his friends.
This unintentional mistake led to his discovery by the Esoteric Sect, Blood Shadow Rose. They made contact, secretly funded him, and then fanned the flames of his ambition.
The gears of fate for a World-level final boss began to turn at that moment.
However…
This time, Zorn Corick's path of destiny seemed… a little different.
On that same day, a soul from an Exotic Realm was born into this world.
He, too, had obtained a mysterious Extraordinary Power.
In the days following his acquisition of this Extraordinary Power, the current Zorn Corick attended classes and studied like a normal person, no different from before.
He hadn't caused the slightest ripple in the world of the "mysterious and Extraordinary."
…
It was a day like any other.
In the afternoon, the school bell rang, echoing across the campus.
The air was thick with a sweltering heat.
On the youthful campus, the young noble students were cheerful, lively, and dazzlingly vibrant.
The sounds of laughter and chatter were mingled with the scent of teenage hormones, a staple of midsummer.
'Ah, youth… so nostalgic!'
Standing in the crowd, Zorn savored this prime of his life, feeling the vitality of youth pumping through his heart, flowing through his veins, and filling his very soul.
Not far from him were several tall, well-developed young women who practically radiated the glow of youth.
'Admiring these lively and lovely girls is for no other reason than my own physical and mental well-being!'
"Zorn!"
Just then, a voice as crisp and clear as a lark's song sounded from behind him.
Zorn turned around, a faint tremor running through his soul, stirred by a memory from its deepest recesses.
The person who had called was none other than the "white moonlight" of his younger self's heart—Miss Joliya.
She was wearing a fashionable, black-and-white checkered court-style miniskirt, her long, fair legs always so dazzling.
Her long, black ponytail swayed with every step.
Many young noble girls had only just begun to develop, but she had already gotten a significant head start, her figure seemingly pushing the limits of what the court-style miniskirt could contain.
Zorn's gaze was subconsciously, uncontrollably drawn to her.
Seeing Zorn's subtle reaction, a faint smile unconsciously graced the corners of the long-ponytail-ed girl's lips. She felt even more confident about the task ahead.
"Good afternoon, the beautiful Miss Joliya."
Zorn gave a slight bow, displaying the perfect etiquette and upbringing of a nobleman.
Although Zorn could recount many friendly interactions between himself and Miss Joliya, and had even written her numerous love letters, in reality, it had mostly been a case of unrequited love on the boy's part.
His relationship with the beautiful Miss Joliya was nothing more than that of good classmates.
In the original timeline, after Zorn obtained the Evil Spirit Wizard Sequence, Joliya had witnessed him display his extraordinary abilities, and subsequently reported it to her Esoteric Sect, "Blood Shadow Rose."
That, in turn, led to the series of high-octane, melodramatic plot developments that followed.
But this time, although Zorn had also obtained Extraordinary Power, he had not revealed any of his Extraordinary abilities.
And yet… the threads of fate had once again brought him into contact with Miss Joliya and the Esoteric Sect behind her.
And Zorn, who had long been prepared, was waiting for this very moment.
In fact, if Miss Joliya hadn't approached him, he would have taken the initiative himself.
However, since she had come to him, he could just let things play out naturally.
"I heard…"
The tall and poised Miss Joliya leaned in slightly. A faint, sweet fragrance wafted to Zorn's nose, stirring his hormones.
She spoke softly.
"You long for mysterious Extraordinary Power. I even heard your father ventured into the deep sea precisely to seek it out."
As she spoke, the girl leaned in even closer. Her ample chest brushed faintly against the boy's arm as she lowered her voice, her soft breath tickling his ear.
"And my governess, Lady Hazel Cheney, she is a Transcendent who commands extraordinary power."
"A Transcendent?"
The young noble Zorn Corick let out a low gasp, a look of shock and pleasant surprise appearing on his face.
Joliya was very satisfied with the young noble's reaction.
Too bad she couldn't see the true Zorn, standing deep within the boy's mind, scrutinizing her with a mocking gaze.
'The best hunters often appear in the guise of prey.'
"Shh!"
The girl quickly put a finger to her lips.
"If you're interested in Mysticism and Extraordinary Studies, or even hope to come into contact with mysterious Extraordinary Power, there will be a tea party this Saturday afternoon at my family's manor for our fellow noble students."
"There, perhaps, you'll be able to find the information you're looking for."
After speaking, Joliya took out an invitation she had prepared in advance.
Although formal invitations between nobles were more often delivered in person by a butler, a tea party between young men and women was less formal and more relaxed.
Zorn felt the invitation in his hand—an invitation to what seemed like an ordinary gathering, but was in fact bait for a terrible trap.
As Zorn Corick, the future great boss, the Evil Spirit Wizard, and someone who was keenly aware of the "Evil Spirit content" within, how could he possibly not attend?
After all, he had long ago prepared a massive trap for that damned, evil Esoteric Sect, "Blood Shadow Rose."
"Thank you very much for your invitation, Miss Joliya. I will be there on time."
"I'll be looking forward to your arrival."
The girl turned away, her innocent smile now tinged with greed and malice.
'With this piece of prey, I should have just about enough to complete my promotion ritual for [Rose Witch]!'
'Once it's done… they will all become my Witch's Servants.'
At this thought, the girl clenched her fists, the determination in her heart growing stronger.
'I refuse to be married off to the Lawrence Clan! I won't be a sacrifice for the nobility, a walking breeding tool!'
'I will become an Extraordinary Witch, command a powerful and secret strength, and I will seize control of my own destiny!'
Zorn watched her beautiful figure, her shadow stretching long in the afterglow of the Sun, growing hazy and small before disappearing into the shadows of a carriage.
Only then did Zorn slowly withdraw his gaze.
'[Witch] played for a fool by fate, your path seems secret and smooth.'
'But when you delve deeper, you will be met with dense thorns and endless pain and torment.'
'Your Sequence promotion on Saturday… the time is right, but you will miss the perfect forbidden moment.'
'Just like… the Zorn Corick of the past.'
'You missed it too. As the Rose Witch, you are nothing more than a stepping stone for Zorn Corick's descent into madness. It was true before, and it is true now!'
Tucking the invitation away, Zorn took a deep breath and stepped into the carriage that had come to pick him up from school.
However, the one driving the carriage was not the coachman, Old Nero, but the butler, Glangk.
Poor Old Nero, after having his mind disturbed, seemed to have also caught a cold and was currently recuperating.
By around the third day of that week, Zorn's hand injury was mostly healed.
Immediately after, he secretly resumed his daily fist-fighting practice.
He began the practice of capturing and cultivating "Gang Qi."
As well as nurturing his Forbidden Items.
On the second day after exploring the underground treasure, Isaac had delivered a cage of gray mice.
Although his teacher had told him in advance not to accept any money, Zorn still bought the live gray mice for double the price the municipal hall paid for them.
After all, to him, this amount of money was like a drop in the bucket.
But it could be used to nurture powerful Forbidden Items, making it a very worthwhile transaction.
Whether it was his status as a seasoned and experienced veteran [Player] or his SS-Level [Star Trace Fighter] Sequence, both allowed Zorn's strength to advance at a rapid pace.
"Young Master, I heard news today that the Steam Giant Whale merchant ship was sighted near Inlet Port."
"Just yesterday, I completed the purchase of about two thousand three hundred gold pounds worth of its stock."
As the clatter of horse hooves echoed, the voice of Glangk, who was driving, came through.
"Today, when I tried to buy more stock in the Steam Giant Whale merchant ship, the price had already risen from 2.4 gold pounds to over 10 gold pounds."
Hearing this, Zorn's mood instantly brightened.
Just at this current stage, the stock's value had already multiplied by four or five times.
Once the cargo was tallied, he estimated it would go even higher.
An extremely important fortune was about to arrive.
However… the more this was the case, the more cautious Zorn became.
He knew very well that acquiring such a substantial fortune would attract covetous eyes from the shadows.
And the impending crisis would be one of the more difficult troubles to handle in his early, weaker stages.
"Go to the Old Town District, to Ruke Long Street."
After a moment of thought, Zorn spoke, opting for the prudent course of action.
He could probably handle it alone, but spending a little money to find a capable helper was undoubtedly the better choice.