The Evil Scientist is Too Competent

The investment failed.

More precisely, it was made to fail.

Of course, knowing the outcome of an investment beforehand made it a lucrative opportunity. As a result, there was virtually no loss on Eight’s end.

‘I knew it was incredible, but... this ability is truly absurd.’

The Spirit’s power was probability manipulation—a force akin to granting Laplace’s Demon the ability to alter probabilities at will. It was a level of power that even Earth’s cutting-edge science had only recently begun to grasp.

Even after manipulating the outcome to ensure the investment failed, there were moments when it nearly rebounded into success. Had any unsuspecting amateur investor gotten involved in their battle, they’d have been utterly crushed by the whiplash of fluctuating prices.

‘But even that power has its limits.’

The Spirit’s ability to manipulate probabilities was unmatched, a truly overwhelming power. After all, would something as simple as "knowing probabilities" earn the title of Laplace’s Demon? The Spirit itself was an inherently irrational existence.

However, since Eight could interfere—albeit minimally—with probability manipulation, it gave him a distinct advantage. The universal truth was that the odds of failure were always lower than those of success.

“Hearing that phone call... I take it she secretly invested?”

[Yes. Significant changes were observed in the Spiritual Center’s funds and Riu Spirit’s personal accounts.]

“What an idiot... why believe everything the enemy says?”

[Well, Master did lead her to that conclusion, didn’t you...?]

Eight silently sipped his coffee, reflecting on the AI’s words. Sure, he had attacked the Spiritual Center, caused a whirlwind of chaos for Riu Spirit, and applied basic principles from Psychology for Humans, a book he read as a student. But even so, he hadn’t expected her to fall for it so easily.

She was, after all, the head of a major corporation—surely no ordinary person.

“Then again, she seemed more like someone who grew by leeching off a transcendent being.”

Riu Spirit’s original fate would have likely been something modest: a successful shaman or the owner of a small café. Her achievements far exceeded what she was capable of managing, only made possible by her extraordinary abilities and her connection to the Spirit.

In that sense, Eight thought, she was pitiable. She was simply unlucky—born with such powers and meeting a being like the Spirit.

─Kraaahhh!

At that moment, a strange wave of energy engulfed Eight’s body. Without hesitation, he commanded the AI to generate a counter-frequency, dissolving the wave that had aimed to annihilate him as if it were nothing.

He immediately understood what had happened: the Spirit had lashed out, realizing his true identity.

“Haha!”

It was likely Riu Spirit who had exposed him. Having poured her money into investments that failed spectacularly, she must have, in her desperation, revealed the truth to the Spirit. No wonder the Spirit was enraged after realizing it had been deceived.

But now that the Spirit’s retaliation had been neutralized, Eight couldn’t be sure how long it would persist in its attacks.

‘Well, until then, I’ll just stay a hermit in my fortress.’

Taking another sip of coffee, Eight fiddled with the AI interface. He knew he wasn’t the only one who wanted the Spiritual Center to fall. With enough help from others, it wouldn’t take long for the organization to crumble.

“Taxi!”

A woman hurriedly climbed into a cab, clutching a small shrine in her arms as she gave the driver her destination. The cab driver, sensing something unsettling about her, hesitated for a moment but ultimately drove off without protest.

As the car made its slow way toward its destination, a voice emerged from the shrine nestled in the woman’s arms.

─It’s cramped. I’m hungry.

“...I’m so sorry, Spirit. Please bear with it a little longer.”

─Why must I endure such humiliation? Hmm?

“All because of my shortcomings... I am truly sorry.”

The cab driver glanced at her through the rearview mirror, puzzled by her apparent muttering. Meanwhile, Riu Spirit buried her face in the shrine, struggling to hold back her tears and sighs.

Word had spread that she had embezzled the company’s funds. The news had reached other corporations and government agencies, and she now faced numerous charges, including embezzlement.

Rather than trying to salvage her debt-ridden company, Riu Spirit had chosen to escape with the Spirit, fleeing to an unknown destination. After all, with the Spirit by her side, she could always rebuild a new company.

─I hunger for humans. Let me consume the one driving this vehicle.

“Ah, no! Spirit, he is not a sacrifice!”

─Then how long must I endure this hunger? Bring me a sacrifice quickly! You’ve already failed to deliver the promised one hundred offerings for days now!

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

─Wretched fool... I’ll kill you and find a new host to anchor me!

As the Spirit bellowed, Riu Spirit repeatedly apologized. Yet despite its threats, the Spirit had no intention of killing her. It couldn’t.

The Spirit existed in the mortal realm only because of her unique abilities. Her power acted as a medium that allowed the Spirit to interact with the physical world.

She was a rarity—perhaps the only one of her kind. For all its fury, the Spirit couldn’t afford to lose her.

─Hmph! I’m disappointed in you. I shall grant you no further favors!

All it could do was sulk and complain, while Riu Spirit listened in silence, waiting for the cab to reach its destination.

When they arrived at the airport, she retrieved a forged passport and bought a plane ticket. If she could flee far enough to where no one knew her, she could rest and start over in a few years.

It wouldn’t be long now... she thought as she boarded the plane.

But as she settled into her seat, her heart nearly stopped at the sight of the two men seated on either side of her.

“─President Riu. Do you think running your company is a joke?”

“Leaving the company in ruins while you take a leisurely trip? You truly have no shame.”

The two men clearly knew her well. The fact that they addressed her by her real name—despite her forged passport—was alarming enough.

Could she escape? Probably not. Unless the Spirit suddenly decided to intervene...

Glancing at the shrine, she saw the Spirit looking back at her with a resigned expression.

“Please... please save me...” she whispered.

“What? Does she think we’re assassins or something?” one of the men asked, misunderstanding her plea.

“Just get off the plane and come with us. No need to make a scene.”

“Please... I beg you...”

As the men misinterpreted her words, the Spirit shook its head, declining her plea.

─Unfortunate.

“Then... then, Spirit, please kill someone for me...”

─That can be done. But as I’ve said, to take a life, one life must be offered in return. Who will you sacrifice? I cannot take these two—no contract binds them to you.

Hearing the Spirit’s words, a single thought crossed Riu Spirit’s mind.

If the plane landed and she was taken away, her fate would be prison at best, death at worst. Torture and pain were also likely possibilities.

As a CEO, she wasn’t strong enough to endure such horrors. Even imprisonment alone was more than she could bear.

So the choice of who to sacrifice was clear.

“...Thank you for everything, Spirit.”

─Are you certain of your decision?

“This is the best option.”

Smiling faintly, Riu Spirit met the Spirit’s gaze. Understanding her intent, the Spirit granted her final request.

Hours later, when the plane landed, the two men beside her tried to wake her.

“President Riu? We’ve arrived. Time to get up...”

“Wait... she’s not breathing.”

“What!? Since when?”

“I don’t know! Forget that—flight attendant! Someone call a doctor!”

As chaos erupted over her sudden death, the Spirit quietly rolled its shrine away, slipping unnoticed into the crowd.

Thunk.

“Hmm?”

A man walking through the airport stumbled upon the shrine. Picking it up, he peered inside, his slit-like pupils narrowing as he locked eyes with the Spirit.

─You... you can see me?

“What an amusing thing.”

─What? Thing!?

“The kid will love this.”

─Wait a moment. What are you—

The dragon, visiting the airport on a whim, took the shrine—and the Spirit—home with him.