Becoming a Villain

Kai sensed something in those words. Still, he asked first to confirm his hunch.

[Yes. Was he your---]

"Yes." System #151044, who is now Ronin Dreadborne, scowled.

[I'm not even finished yet.]

"You were going to say 'master', aren't you? I don't like that word, that's why I interrupted you." Ronin said.

[I see.] Kai said without any hint of emotion because its voice was set in default mode. [Wow, you're like a mind-reader.]

"It's quite easy to guess what someone will say or do when you know the context and their character." Ronin sat up from his bed and stretched. "Can you explain this world to me more? What is an Obsidian Abyssal Illuso Mage?"

[In the universe of Magecia, people's hearts are made of Heartstones, the source of their powers and what determines their status.

A commoner's Heartstone is usually Rock, Sand or Coal. But people with more precious Heartstones get to be with higher titles associated with it, like Emerald, Sapphire, or Ruby.

The highest is the Diamond, but nobody in the past 120 centuries had a Diamond Heartstone before. Right now, the highest option for a hero would be Gold.]

"And I'm assuming the highest Heartstone for a villain would be Obsidian, correct?"

[Yes, that's right. Your current Heartstone is Obsidian, which also explains the color of your skin.]

He continued: [There are 4 realms in Magecia, and you can be Affiliated to one of them.]

[The 4 Realm Affiliations:

The Celestus realm is where the divine beings, the highest nobility, and the benevolent heroes reside.

The Elementi realm is nature, forests, and all its creatures, big and small.

The Mecha realm is a world of metal and technology, ruled by inventors and mechanics.

Lastly, the vilest creatures lie in the depths of the Abyssal realm. It is ruled by the Lord of Deception, a cruel puppet master that continues to try to take over the other three realms. ]

"Which is me. I didn't expect that I would have this much power in my first transmigration, but I assume there will always be a hitch." Ronin nodded. "And for the Illuso Mage part?"

[Let me see..... Here.] Kai found the data it wanted.

[Mage Type:

Hero Mages use the magic of their Heartstone and the blessing of their Affiliation through their weapons.

Illuso Mages use words and apparitions to trick the mind.

Clairo Mages use their powers for controlling objects or entities from their Affiliation.

Morpho Mages use theirs to transform themselves or others into something from their Affiliation.]

'So that means my magic is more like trickster-style and psychic.' Ronin concluded. 'I was right to guess that 'Illuso' has something to do with illusions after all. But more importantly....'

"Based from this info..... Am I right to assume that this Cermin Drychspiel is a Gold Celestial Hero Magi?"

[That is.... absolutely correct.] If Kai had eyes, it would have blinked multiple times. [You're the smartest master I had in my millions of years here.]

"To be fair, hero transmigrators tend to be complacent and dependent on their system. They never try to use their brains for a minute." Ronin shrugged and stood up to look at himself in the mirror.

"And also, the plot and build of these worlds are quite predictable for us systems that experienced dozens of them. There's no point comparing me to other transmigrators when I'm way out of their league."

(This master really is intelligent, but he's pretty smug.)

Ronin scoffed. "I'm not being smug. I'm just telling the truth."

Kai was even more surprised. [You can hear my thoughts?]

"Yes. It's a trait that I have had since I was a system." Ronin said, examining his new face in a mirror.

It was everything he liked, chiseled with a fine jawline. The long, shiny hair and the cool flaming eyes were a cool bonus too. Bleeding out his lower eyelids were spiderwebs of red lines, looking like lava flowing from his volcanic eyes.

He was black, but in an unnatural way. No human would be this black. His skin was also shiny and smooth, highly reflective like a stone. Veins that looked like lava stretched through the gaps of his skin.

On a mannequin bust standing by the wall, he saw flowy purple robes with a thick jet black armor belt on his waist. Beside it on the ground were high spiky military boots. This must be his formal wear, his very own villain costume.

Nearby was a glass case containing a long purple whip with runes burned into it, possibly his main weapon. It emits an ominous aura, surrounded by dancing mists and shadows, making one feel it could not be trusted.

He grinned, very pleased with the body he received and the character he will be portraying.

After observing all this within a few seconds, he continued explaining to Kai. "I'm actually surprised that I have this mind-reading trait until now. I thought all systems have it, but it turns out that was not the case."

[I don't have that mind-reading trait. How did you have it?]

"I don't know either. I'm just.... born with it, I guess." Ronin shrugged and took his night robes off.

He added whilst undressing: "Anyway, it's not as easy as it seems. I can only read the minds of people within a 5-meter radius. And if they are unconscious or sleeping, there's no way of reading them."

He had a large body of almost 7 feet, he estimated. Muscles rippled with lava veins that he had seen from his hands, and every part of him shows immense strength.

But he wasn't built to be bulky, he was more built to be lithe and agile. His dark, obsidian skin shone from the violet candlelight flickering from the chandeliers and torches around him.

And looking downward, his legs were long and nice to look at..... even his third one.

Kai whistled. [Now I'm seeing the appeal of having a body. But anyway, I received the update on how your point system will work. I have.... good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?]

"Whichever. I'll get to hear them both eventually." Ronin watched himself from all angles, striking various poses.

He doesn't really see the point of why people ask if they want to hear the good news or bad news first, since what counts as 'good' or 'bad' is subjective.

For example, people may think it's 'bad' news for him if they say he was going to die.

But for him, it's 'good' news since he was sick and tired of this life anyway and can't wait to be reincarnated.

That was before, he quite values this body and life now. Though being reincarnated into the 'real world' is what he truly aims for, so he can find his murderer and....... have a nice little chat.

[Hmm. I'll start with the good news, because I like your personality more than Min Cheng.]

"You're also serving as Min Cheng's system? Are you split like a twin system?" Ronin guessed.

[More or less. A part of me is talking to him at this moment, and our data are shared with each other.

Anyway, the good news is that instead of having H-points, you will have V-points. These are points that you gain from missions that are meant to make Min fail, receive damage, or lower his reputation levels.

Knowing the enemy and having that mind-reading trait of yours would make this very easy for you.]

"I know." Ronin dipped his toes into the lava jacuzzi and finally sunk his whole body in.

It felt great, like how he imagined a human sauna would be like, only more orangey and fiery. He asked Kai as he felt the hot lava rejuvenating his body, "And the bad news?"

[The V-points being highly dependent on Min Cheng's failure means that you are tied to Min Cheng's level. And because he did not allot his H-points to gain a higher level, and used it on girls instead......]

"I would have to start at Level 1 too." Ronin sighed. "I knew there was going to be a hitch."

[Sorry. You will be transported to the beginning of the storyline, and lose your status as Lord of the Abyssal realm. Please wait for a moment.]

Ronin enjoyed his lava jacuzzi as much as he can before saying goodbye to his luxurious life as a Level 100 BBEG.