It had been eight months since Diablo decided he would become a Mage. So far, he had made little progress. The first Skill had come quickly. It was as easy as breathing. The Skill was [Candle's Flame], and as the name suggested, the flame was about the size and heat of a candle flame. It was useless in combat but was good for menial things. Such as lighting campfires, candles, stoves, and other such things. He even heard one boy say that if you Level it enough, it makes a good torture device. But Diablo, contrary to his name, was not interested in that.

Currently, his Skill [Candle's Flame] was at Level Two. Mostly because he kept it active for as long as he could while staring at it in amazement. He wanted to tell everyone about it when he first got it but had been too afraid of what the Matron would say when she found out he wanted to be an Adventurer. He had also gotten another point in Intelligence for the Skill. Although he did find it strange that it started out at Level Zero.

"Come one. Come on." Diablo mumbled to himself. He was sitting outside the Mages Guild. A few months ago, he had managed to listen in to a combat magic class on one of his free days. It was a first-year class, and they were being taught their First Level Combat Spell. [Firebolt]. But he was not having much luck emulating it. The small blot of flame simply would not sustain its self. He would make the flame, then it would go out before he could even throw it.

The young boy had decided he needed something more real in order to figure it out. Perhaps an actual fight with a monster. As soon as that thought entered his head, it was like a candle had suddenly been lit. He determined that what was lacking was not the mana or control, but the level. In actuality, level determines nothing but gaining more stat points, as well as more Health/Mana. But being a child, Diablo knew no better.

Late that night, with absolutely no planning, the young child snuck out of the orphanarium. At this point, the other kids that stayed awake were used to Diablo sneaking out at night, so they did not bat an eye. He snuck across the city, as he had done many times. He was getting rather good at it. Through experience, he had learned to stay away from certain areas. After one time of almost being kidnaped by a Rodian, a man from the neighboring kingdom of Rodia, he did not want to experience it again.

[Ding]

[Congratulations! Due to your immeasurable time spent sneaking around in back alleys and in the dark, you have developed the Skill [Sneaking]]

[Sneaking Level 0 created.]

[+1 Dexterity]

Diablo ignored the popup after it scared the daylights out of him. It was his fourth, and he was no longer impressed by them. Although the new Skill interested him, it was not what he was looking for. He wanted firepower. Even if he didn't get much of a chance to use it.

Soon he was at the walls of the city. Being the capital city of The Kingdom Of The Plains, it was rather heavily guarded. But there where always ways out for those willing. Diablo himself had never left the city, but he had heard stories from the other boys. There are waste dumps at the wall for people to throw their waste in, it was then washed out with a large amount of water multiple times a day.

Due to the constant large stream of water, the rock had worn away in some places. A particularly poorly made waste dump had a loose bar that could be pried out with a little force. The boy was afraid he wouldn't be strong enough but had been told it was easy, as others had done it plenty of times before.

With a deep breath of fresh, cold air, the child set out towards on the waste dumps. The first he came across was still full. Obviously, the cleaner had gotten lazy. The second had no metal bars lose. The third still had some trash in it. Food scraps, broken crockery, a few bits of metal and an old, broken spear. The metal head had been broken off, leaving a large, sharp, but fragile wooden point where it broke. It would be completely useless after the first strike, and completely useless against any decent armor. But the boy took it anyway. Having a weapon helped calm the boy when he thought of the fact he was about to fight a monster.

[Old Broken Spear]

[Durability 1/1]

Diablo couldn't help but frown a little. He wished he could see the stats the weapon had. But only [Weapon Masters] and [Heros] could see that. Even more so, he wishes he could see what his own Skills and Title did. But again, only people with special Titles and [Heros] could see those. It was even said that the mystical [Heros] could see their HP and MP. Even assign their own stat points, instead of the cosmic forces doing so.

Diablo shook his head. He knew he shouldn't be thinking about [Heros] at a time like this. He could be caught at any moment. Grabbing hold of the middle bar, as it was the only one that wobbled, the boy gave it a strong pull. With a small grating noise of metal on stone, the bar came loose. It was rather easy, even for a boy with only two Strength.

After a rather tight fit, Diablo was outside the walls of the city. Before leaving, he put the bar back into place with another grating sound, then ran off into the nearby thicket of trees. It was roughly two hundred meters from the wall, but since no one was expecting an attack anytime soon, he was not spotted.

Once into the woods, or rather a small patch of forest used by the king for hunting animals, he set out looking for some sort of monster to hunt. The Kingdom Of The Plains had many monsters. Monsters spawned around [Areas Of Chaos]. [Areas Of Chaos] where created when some sort of tragic event happened. Be it a large battle, natural disaster, or dark ritual. Monsters spawned naturally too, but at a significantly lower rate. The capital of The Kingdom Of The Plains had seen many great sieges, so monsters spawned quite regularly around it. In some ways, it was even like an extra defense.

After roughly an hour of wandering, and getting very lost, the first signs of monsters began to show. [Goblins] where a very common monster that spawned. Although very weak, they made up for it in numbers. A small tribe of [Goblins] could suddenly become an army in only a week. Lucky, their [Elite Goblins] and [King Goblin], the only ones of their race who was a real threat, had some of the lowest spawn rates in the world.

The sign of the monster was around was literally that. A sign with a crude skull painted on it. It was facing Diablo from his right, so he assumed that their camp was in that direction. Headed off in that direction, Diablo was ready for a fight. He could already feel the Mana growing in his hand, ready to be made into flames.

He had never reacted like this before. His body knew a fight was about to happen, and it seemed like his Mana was getting a life of its own. He had never had so much control, yet so little control of it before. It's like it moved on its own, but it moved where he wanted it to go too. Many years later, he find out that this was an effect of his Title.

Soon the first [Goblin] was in sight. It was short, grey, and had only a strip of old cloth covering its modest parts. Diablo was repulsed by this thing. It was downright ugly. He was no looker himself, but this thing made him almost vomit just from looking at it.

Shaking his head, the boy began to try and use the skill. The Mana in his hand began to take shape into a rough, thick oval. Being a [Cantrip], whatever that was, it did not require a chant. Lighting the Mana on fire, and actually achieved the desired result this time, he threw it at the monster. The bolt flew true. It stuck the monster in the back, square between the shoulders.

[Ding]

[Congratulations! By practicing your magic every day and even risking your own life in the pursuit of knowledge, you have learned the spell [FireBolt]]

[FireBolt level 0 created]

[+1 Intelligence]

Diablo almost cried out with happiness. The only problem was that the [Goblin] was still alive. Not only that, it was angry. With the club in its hand, it charged at the young Mage. Diablo only panicked. He tried to throw another [FireBolt], but in his panicked state, the spell failed and backlashed at him.

He had heard of this a few times but had yet to have it happen to him. If a Mage where to try and do a spell, then have it interrupted, it would lash at the mind, stunning the Mage that tried to cast the spell. Lucky, [Cantrips] only gave a light pain in the head, and no other adverse effects.

With the [Goblin] still closing in fast, Diablo did the only thing he could think off. With the [Old Broken Spear] in his left hand, he thrust it out at the monster. The thrust was weak. It wouldn't have been able to kill a kitten. Yet Diablo felt a splash of something warm on his face.

Slowly, Diablo opened his eyes. Somewhere along the way he had closed them. Looking at the end of the spear, now broken off again, there was a dead [Goblin]. In its rush to kill him, it had impaled its neck on the end of the spear. It was laying dead at his feet.

Diablo screamed. He cried. He ran away in fear. He had killed something. In his eyes, he had done something horrid. Even though he was ready to kill it before, that was different. He was doing it with magic. It wouldn't have been so darn bloody. It wouldn't have a shard of wood sticking out of its neck with blood squirting everywhere. It would have been clean.

Diablo decided then and there, that he would never go back out to hunt monsters. He was done with that life. He would become a Page and live a quiet life away from adventures and monsters.

Yet, after little over six months, he got an urge. A calling. He wanted to go back out once more. To fight monsters once more. There had been something exhilarating about it. Something that felt right. That night had changed him. He didn't even know it.

[Ding]

[Due to your recent forging in the crucible known as battle you have come out made of stronger stuff. You have developed the Passive Skill [Spear Mastery]]

[Spear Mastery Level 0 created]

[+1 Strength]

[+1 Dexterity]

[Ding]

[You have leveled up! The gods shall assign you five stat points]

[+2 Intelligence]

[+3 Wisdom]

Diablo

Level 2 [+1]

Strength: 3 [+1]

Dexterity: 4 [+2]

Constitution: 1

Intelligence: 11 [+4]

Wisdom: 9 [+3]

Charisma: 1

Titles

[Fire Duelist]

Skills

[Flame of the beginning (Max)] [Candle's Flame (Lv.2)] [Sneaking (Lv.0)] [FireBolt (Lv.0)] [Spear Mastery (Lv.0)]