Stone Mage: Revenge of the Villain System

More Week's Ends had passed normally after that argument, and the new Ascension exams for the 4th year Warriors had arrived.

It would be the first exam of this month, followed by the Scholastic exam, the Performance exam, and then the Divinity Trials.

Since last year, Ronin had been planning to join it disguised as the Warrior student, 'Tago'.

Tago was very easy to replace, as he was known to be a droopy-eyed lackadaisical guy who barely pays attention to his surroundings and whose only redeeming quality was his Mage Focus.

His Mage Focus was a whip, albeit a rather short one to Ronin's taste and was used more for hitting and dealing blows...

Not tying up the enemy.

But beggars can't be choosers, and Tago was the best choice Ronin could pick as a disguise to join the exams.

And kill a divine beast to gain more Flame than he ever had before.

He was now at Level 37, and so far, he had stolen the Flame of 134 people yet still have not levelled up yet.

If we assume that every level up needs 1,000 EXP points, then he estimates that he possibly have only 134 EXP, and needs 866 to reach Level 38.

And more EXP will just be needed from there.

He remembered Espinella's words again that day:

"You are progressing too slow, Ronin. I know we are already trying our best in this circumstance, but if you still have not turned into Anthracite soon..."

Soon, because he has little time left to save her.

To save his daughter.

This experiment...

It had always been for the purpose of changing his daughter's Heartstone.

Because she also has a partially Commoner Heartstone, and Commoners were more susceptible to diseases.

There were often plagues that will strike Commoners, but not nobles. It had been theorized that it had something to do with the Heartsone and the Flame.

He wanted the metamorphosis of Ronin to happen already so that he could test it on his own daughter and find a way to change the grade of her Heartstone without risking of killing her.

He sees Ronin as like a sacrificial goat, in a sense. Test it on someone you do not have close ties with first, and when it's safe, test it on your family.

"What an exceptional father, eh?" Ronin said, but with both mockery and amazement.

To go so far for the sake of another person.....

Espinella was right. He would never understand it, he could not care for someone that much that he would risk many things as well as all this effort.

'But don't worry, Espinella. I'm finding ways to quicken it too, maybe I'll reach Level 50 after I kill this divine beast.' He thought to himself as he put on the heavy armor.

He had also taken away Tago's Mage Focus of a whip, but since he was not really a Hero Mage, it was just a normal whip in his hands.

It does not glow bright orange with the power of the God of Earthquakes. That was Tago's patron, the one he prayed to before Ronin knocked him out and replaced him.

Ronin drew some runes on the whip using some dirt and his finger. The runes glowed the moment he finished drawing them, and stained the whip.

They were the rune for 'extend', 'capture', 'constrict', and 'bind'.

He tested it out, throwing the whip into the air with the intention to make it grow longer.....

And it did, wrapping itself around a nearby tree!

Ronin took it back just as easily as he struck, and knew that he was ready.

As he waited for Tago's turn to be called out, he yawned and took a little nap, his arms crossed, acting very much like the person he was pretending to be.

His 'friends' elbowed him. "Hey, Tago! You're still as calm as ever even with that horrifying carnage with Loque just now!?"

"You must have nerves of steel, comrade! That was a whole 10 foot Emerald Serpent that almost bit his head off! How can you ever defeat something like that with just your whip?"

'Tago' just shrugged. "Suffocate the Serpent, I suppose. Then, while it's binded, I will use this dagger."

It was a dagger that was not enchanted by any means, just a normal one made of steel.

"You're a lunatic! Haha!" They laughed. "That plan will never work, I would like to see it."

'Tago' heard his name called out, and lazily walked over to Councillor Levy.

"I'm afraid you won't."

They were confused and asked what that means, but the lackadaisical Warrior just strolled over to be observed.

Councillor Levy scanned him from head to toe, then nodded.

As he raised his hand, he summoned...

A 20-foot-tall Golden Lion of Aurion!!!!!

Everybody was surprised that something as grand as this lion would be chosen for someone who appeared weak like Tago.

The King of Beasts, which was the favored animal of the King of the Gods himself, the Highest of the Highest Order!

But then---

"Huh!? Why did it suddenly go dark!?"

"Is it nighttime already!? That can't be, right!?"

"I want to see the battle!!!"

They can only hear roars but not a sound from the silent 'Tago', who they last saw lashing his tiny whip towards this giant lion.

It was comparable to David fighting off Goliath. All it took was one stone and one sling.....

And all it took Ronin was one whip....

"Freeze!"

One word....

SLASH!

And one dagger straight to the heart!

"ROOOOOOOAAAARRRRRRR!!!!!!"

Before the fight, he had also drawn the rune for 'extend' on the dagger he used to struck the lion's thick and almost impenetrable hide.

Using his Mage Focus over runes, he exerted all the Flame within him to make the rune grow brighter, thus making the the dagger grow longer and longer until it----

Slowly, slowly pierced through!!!

The painful agony that lion suffered..... Not to mention that it was stuck, frozen by thenpower of Ronin's word and blinded by the dark.....

It roared and roared and then let out a whimper, as blood gushed like a waterfall the deeper Ronin pushed through.

Those eyes that seemed more like the eyes of a pitiful prey rather than a terrifying king of predators.....

It reminded Ronin of his blue eyes.

Those eyes that were too scared to kill. Even to kill for the sake of survival, even to kill for the sake of defeating evil.

This lion had no grudges against him, it only attacks because it was being attacked, and left with no choice.

And now it was facing death for no reason at all.

But then again, death always happens with or without reason.

"It is inevitable, my dear poor lion." Ronin flashed a wide grin, eyes bloodshot.

As the lion's life slowly passed away, Ronin saw its memories...

This was the first time he saw into the mind of an animal.

The lion was a pet, a pet of kind-looking man with golden skin. In his embrace, the lion felt safe.

In its last moments, the lion only yearned to see its master again.

That master whose smile was warmer and brighter than the sun.

Ronin's heart immediately palpitated so much that it felt like it would not just explode, but make the whole world around him burst as well.

There it was again, the thought that never goes away.

'Decihmar Aurin!!!!!'