As Ronin returned to the infirmary they were staying at, he sighed when he saw that Cermin was still not awake.

He took off his boots and went to the empty bed beside him. The people in the infirmary under One Word Command gave him food, and supplied the sleeping prince his daily potions.

Once Ronin sent them away after his meal of roasted meat and porridge, he then spoke to his system once more:

“My skill?”

[Right.] Kai seemed to be a little distracted by something and took a while to respond.

[Whip of Runes

You will activate a limited amount of a god’s power if you drew runes associated with them in a whip. The higher the quality of whip, the better it’s potential. ]

Ronin frowned. “Right. The whip of Fausforus must be the best for this, but it’s still nowhere to be found.”

He remembered that purple whip in a glass case. It coiled like a snake, and must bite like one with every strike.

“It was said that Aurion keeps it. And Aurion doesn’t seem to be anywhere in Magecia, both in this material plane and the Other Side.”

Ronin rubbed his chin. “Perhaps it was the same as Lovushka encasing himself in a dimension of his making inside the amber.”

[The Whip of Rune skill is easy to activate, but there’s no numerical standard on how to improve it. It all depends on your relationship with rune magic and using the whip itself as a weapon.”

“So it’s a practiced skill. Not a given one.” Ronin understood. “The factors would be my Flame, rune carving, whip quality, and my whipping skills.”

The following day, Ronin fashioned a whip of his own. The best material he could get that was available was from a potion shop that sold strands of gold.

He would then weave these strands of gold to be the end of the whip. The creation took all day, but with Cermin still not healed, he had no other things to do.

He then decided to practice it on Phoenix Mountain with some random animals.

He doesn’t plan to kill all of the phoenixes. And especially not anymore once Cermin woke up.

Aurion disliked it after all, as they were his and Fausorus’ ‘children’. Their creation.

Even during the days that he was using them to gain Level 80, he killed with more respect and did it swiftly and mercifully.

It was best not to incur the wrath of Aurion right after his protege/vessel saved him with Light powers.

Ronin instead tried the whip on wild boars, buck deers, hares and anything else he passed by. He would then bring the carcass to be eaten, not wasting them.

Death may be something joyful for him, but he never really relished it as something ‘fun’.

It was something more to him. It was not a game, but instead like eating. Sustenance.

For Ronin, every death deserved the same level of somberness to it, whether it was animal or human. Good or evil.

Which was why he found Zeuxis’ habit of playing around with corpses to be in great distaste.

Well, he did not with Sordido. He wondered if he would do the same once he got Lovushka’s head.

Ronin drew the runes of the god Demetri on his whip, and made it crack against a running boar. Once it did…..

The whip turned into water, and did the same splash effect that Zeriav once had.

Ronin experimented to see what else he could do. The whip was already made of good material, but it was still relatively new in his hands.

It took a while for him to summon rain, 30 tries of whipping the air to be precise. And the rain was weak, more like the mild shower Zeriav used to put out the fire of the burning forest.

He then tried with several other gods. In his estimation, with this current Golden Whip, he could only gain about 30% of the power that a Hero Mage under a god could do.

Not even reaching to the level of godhood itself. Still, this skill would be very beneficial and versatile in battles.

He went to read more about gods in the library, and the particular gifts and skills they can give to their Heroes.

The one that interested him the most was surprisingly……

The Goddess Seelie.

Goddess of Love, Kindness and Change. Metamorphosis.

He knew that Marigold, as a priestess and Hero Mage of hers, could heal the sick and injured. She could also sprout butterfly wings and gain great strength to lift people once she does.

So maybe this could bring the change he wanted. The change from this lonely and stagnant days.

He first attacked a small hare until it was bleeding from a gash. Then, drawing butterfly runes and iconographies of Seelie on his whip…..

He hit the hare again.

Nothing happened.

Ronin tried again and again, but there was nothing. He then went to kill the hare swiftly by using the whip like a garotte to snap off its neck.

But the moment he did….

It instead returned to life and became as healthy as always, nibbling on his finger.

“Ah. I think I get it now. Kindness and compassion brings change, huh?” He said, as he set the rabbit free.

He needed first to use the whip with these two in mind in order to get the result he wanted.

To show kindness and compassion to Cermin.

But wouldn’t the mere act of doing this be enough? Wouldn’t that already as ‘kindness’?

Still, he didn’t want to risk it. So, with much reluctance….

Ronin willed himself to think of kind thoughts towards Cermin before he literally whipped him back into shape. He closed his eyes to think of them.

For one, he really was improving a lot more compared to how he was in past worlds. Ronin still could not understand how dumb Min Cheng was able to do it, but he can’t deny that fact.

Second, he was really pure-hearted that it was disgusting. So innocent and naive that it makes Ronin’s stomach turn.

Third, he was…

Well, he was a good friend all things considered.

He treats everyone that becomes his friend pretty well and tries his best even when he can be lacking at times.

With all this in mind, and the strong intent of bringing him back as pay off for what he sacrificed….

CRACK!

Ronin opened his eyes to see Cermin bathed in golden light. It was not blinding like Aurion’s light…..

But more comforting. Like a candlelight, or the glow of fireflies at night.

He kept shining and shining, until the light covered the whole room…..

And Cermin opened his eyes.

“Gege… Is that you? Am I in heaven with you now?”

Ronin was not expecting this kind reaction. It was understandable for him to think he was in heaven because of the glowing in the room, but…

He believed he went to heaven with this ‘gege’. That was his first thought when it came to the afterlife, that he would see him again there.

Somehow, that does give Ronin some strange ache in his chest.

“Your Highness.” Ronin said to burst his bubble, showing he was neither his gege nor were they in ‘heaven’.

Whether he meant Christian or Buddhist heaven or a different concept of what ‘heaven’ is entirely, even Ronin could not tell.

In this half-awake state, his mind was clean and empty like the gods. He can’t read the thoughts running in his head yet.

Cermin remained sitting up and staring at him, trying to gauge who this person really was. Eventually, his eyes had adjusted…..

“Ronin.” He still smiled despite it not being his gege.

“You have been asleep for a very long time, Your Highness—”

Cermin tackled him in a hug. “I’m so happy that you’re safe.”

Ronin did not return the hug, but did not push him away either. He instead observed if all of Cermin’s injuries were healed.

He was, and his health was fully restored.

“I’m glad you were safe too. Now all that we have to wait for is Zeriav.” Ronin told him.

Cermin let him go, frowning. “Zeriav has still not returned?”

Ronin nodded, pointing at the amber necklace Cermin was wearing. “He and Lovushka is still in…..”

He faltered, when he noticed the crack on it, and how the light was going inside it. It got sucked in like the crack was a blackhole.

Eventually, the amber was slowly levitating. It shook and rattled as more cracks appeared, slowly imploding on itself—

And two people emerged from it!

“Fiend…… This fiend really exhausted me to death….”

“Hah… I’m breathless… This ‘benevolent priest’ is really something else, his stamina is that of a beast….”

Ronin looked at the two. They were both bleeding, but the light was slowly healing Zeuxis. He was worse to wear, but Lovushka was only about a smidge better.

Both of them had sunken cheeks and sweating like hell, their clothes already in tatters and barely anything was left. They can barely move a muscle too.

Ronin kneeled beside them. “I suppose it’s a tie, then.”