1: Leveling

Hm, my stats don't tell me that much… Yet! I think and swipe away the semi-translucent tab representing my character's stats. I need to find some low-level test subjects. I smile and turn away from the frozen lake.

"Ah, so nice!" I say, basking in the warm sunlight. Up above me I see some feathered creatures flying I've never seen before. Long blue and red feathers, golden beak. Somewhere else birds are singing. I nearly forgot how beautiful nature can be.

Then I see a lizard a couple of yards ahead. A large one! Like one of those Komodo dragons, except in a nicer color mix of yellow and green. And then I notice that there's a whole bunch of them here. Dozens!

"Perfect!" I smile and extend my hand. "Now, let me think… Appraise?"

[Spell unlocked!]

Skill name: Appraise

Level: 1/10

Type: Active

Cost: 5 MP

Reveals Race, HP and MP of a single target.

Removing the tab of my new skill I take a look at the available information of the creature.

Target's Status

Race Lizard

Health Points 50/50

Mana Points 10/10

I have only ten times as much health as a lizard!? Nope!! That won't do at all! I'm fixing that—time for some rapid leveling!

I raise both my hands in the air, channel my inner chuuni and begin a chant that probably is not necessary at all, but I always wanted to try it out after watching too much anime, "Oh, Great Goddess Amaterasu, grant me the power to incinerate these small innocent creatures so that I may level myself further with the goal of doing whatever I want! Heavenly Sunfire Inferno!!"

A swirling and expanding fire vortex forms above the raised palms of my hands. It probably burns at a thousand degrees, but I only feel pleasant warmth. There is no way I would let my own spell harm me after all! And with that thought, I throw the vortex at the green lush field in front of me.

The grassland sets on fire immediately and the fire spreads across the valley. I hear screeching of the poor creatures, birds no longer sing and fly off saving themselves from the inferno that is about to reach the pine forest. Trees light on fire like torches doused in gasoline. The fire is also pretty, in its own way.

[Spell unlocked!]

Skill name: Heavenly Sunfire Inferno

Level: 1/20

Type: Active

Cost: 300 MP

Unleash a fiery, ever-expanding hellish inferno in a vast area, burning for 1 hour.

"Alright!" I clench my fist with self-satisfaction and bring up my status bar to see if anything has changed.

Status

Name Lilith

Race Human

Class Elementalist

Health Points 520/520 (+1/sec)

Mana Points 744/1050 (+2/sec)

Strength 40

Dexterity 61

Constitution 51

Intelligence 156

Willpower 103

Physical Resistance 81

Magical Resistance 163

"Oh, this works!" I exclaim. The stats increase as I "fight" and seemingly there are no levels. Which works - why bother with levels when stats and spells are all that matter anyway! Sure, my stats haven't increased that much, but considering just how much stronger I am than these small fries, it's probably as much as I could hope for after killing the lot of them.

Then I notice my Intelligence increase by another point. Of course! The creatures are respawning just like in a game and straight into my inferno! And the fire is spreading, catching even more of them in my area of effect! This must be a farming area. Otherwise, all the adventurers would run out of stuff to kill within a week!

So, I just sit down and put my status bar to the side, so that I can see the pretty red, white and yellow flames spread up the mountain-side and, at the same time, watch my numbers steadily rise for the next hour.