Talent of the ArchMagus has been activated.

| Increasing tiers of Ingredients by 1.

You have fed your Birthright an Epic Ingredient - Ember Shard.

| Your Magic has increased by 10.

| Your Mana has increased by 6.

| All fire magic has its damage increased by 15%.

You have fed your Birthright an Epic Ingredient - Gilded Titannous Beetle.

| Your Strength has increased by 10.

| Your Vitality has increased by 6.

| Fire bodily enhancements have their effectiveness increased by 15%.

Oh, nice! Levi thought as he glanced at the extra words that appeared from the Ingredients. It seemed that once an Ingredient reached Epic tier, not only did the Stats increase to a total of 16. But they also granted a new effect. A powerful one.

Levi chuckled. His talent was a bit frightening. Is this what it felt like to be a young master?

Not only that, but the wounds he had suffered had been fully restored. Not just a little, but there wasn’t even a shred of evidence of scratch or tooth markings. Levi hated to admit it, but he now had the skin like those idols everyone was always envy about. But there was one thing that concerned him: he stank. Terribly so. Levi retched as he smelt the black gunk waft into his nostrils.

I need a bath asap.

You have obtained your second Birthright Seed: 2/9.

| You are now a Tier 2 - Apprentice.

| Ingredients needed to feed your Birthright and evolve into Tier 3 - Adept: 3.

| Level requirement: 50.

Damn, that’s a big jump in Level. How long will that take me to reach? Levi thought impatiently before moving onto the next message.

You have achieved a Grand Title!

| Title - Prodigious Child: You have awakened to Tier 2 before the age of 16.

| Reward: All stats +5 (Ignores age limitations)

Levi took a deep breath as he felt the incredible change that had taken place within his body, from both the Ingredients evolving him, and the Title. His previous skeleton-like body had gone through a metamorphosis. He felt the unbridled, wild strength rage inside of him, as if begging to be released.

But it had to wait as more notifications piled on.

You have obtained the Path Skill – Fire Control (★): You have gained the deft control of the element of destruction — fire. Wield it to your heart's desire.

| You deal 10% more damage with fire Skills.

| Progress to next Level-up → 0/25,000xp

Levi broke out into a wide smile. Finally, he had fire magic! Oh, he was going to burn so many things to a crisp. Monsters? Here comes the fire wielder, Levi thought in child-like fervour. He felt amazing. All the pain and exhaustion he had accumulated to this point was erased. All that remained was an excitement to test out his new powers.

He had noticed that the experience needed to level the skill had also increased. Levi just assumed that it was because it was a stronger ability.

More good news was yet to arrive.

You have obtained the Path Skill – Golden Carapace (★): You have absorbed the qualities of the Gilded Titannous Beetle; it’s armour is just one part. Focus on an area of your body, and create toughened armour. Uses Mana per second.

| Your armour is 10% tougher.

| Progress to next Level-up → 0/10,000xp

And now the experience was reduced. Levi surmised that Fire Control was indeed, a higher quality skill. He’d need to ask the others for more information regarding that.

Now it was time for the main course.

Levi instinctively reached out to his mana container. He felt the abundance of the energy swirl within. Calling upon it, It surged to the palm of his hand, where a flickering flame emerged. Quickly, it became inferno. It felt so easy. Was it the system helping him out, or was it the talent of an Arch Magus guiding him?

Smiling widely, Levi forged it into a ball with ease. Then, with a thought, he commanded the ball of fire to rocket forwards. The blaze shot through the tunnel before disappearing into the Deep Dark. He heard a small explosion as it struck a wall.

Oh yeah, Levi thought enthusiastically, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

He wasn’t done there. With a spark of inspiration, Levi crouched on the spot, palm held flat against the rocky floor of the cave’s passageway. He closed his eyes and focused. Numerous images of all different types of traps filled his mind. Like flicking through a picture book, the pages suddenly stopped. An image of a magical circle appeared. Fire emanated from the etchings, mana radiated from it.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Levi’s eyes snapped open, a golden lustre flashing deep within. He smiled, then, channelled his mana into his finger and started drawing. He drew a circle with lines scored within. Once he was done, Levi took a good few steps back. The way it was designed, meant that within 5 seconds, the majority of the potent mana vanished--creating a trap of explosive fire. At least, that's what it was meant to be. However, the mana dissipated into the air.

I didn't draw it right, Levi thought as he willed his mana to continue. He tried a few more times until his mana container begged him to stop. Finally, on the last attempt, he succeeded. The circle remained for a few seconds, then blended into the ground below it. No mana dissipated.

Grabbing a rock, he threw it into the circle. The moment the debris touched the mana drawing, fire erupted in a violent explosion. Levi flinched, covering his face from rock shrapnel from pelting him. It was far more powerful than the fireball he had thrown before.

Incredible. All the information is stored in my head. Moving the mana is so easy. Is this the talent of an Arch Magus? Levi thought in awe.

The ideas in Levi’s mind were swirling. There were so many things he wanted to try with his Fire Control, but he batted his eyelids. Turning heavy, no amount of extra Vitality seemed to combat the tiredness he was experiencing. So, he put a stop to his fire experiments for now.

Content with his basic mastery of magic, Levi shifted his attention to his next skill: Golden Carapace. Concentrating on his forearm, he directed a portion of his mana, causing a golden shell to materialise. He tapped it with his knuckles, eliciting a dull thud. Despite the lack of sensation, Levi was confident in its durability. Though he couldn't gauge its toughness, he anticipated it would offer a pleasant surprise when put to the test.

Compared to Fire Control, it was a bit boring. But the fact that it would save his life meant that boring was good.

Turning around, Levi headed for the main cavern. Just as he passed the threshold of the passage to the spacious mining room, he spotted the adult trio staring at him, eyes wide. It was as if they were looking at a freak of nature.

Levi scanned his surroundings, glancing over his shoulders before pointing to his own face. "Is there something on my face?" he asked, a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

“Nothing, I just feel like strangling you, that’s all,” Gregory said green with envy, eliciting a slap to the arm from Sera.

“That’s mean,” Levi said, but gauging from the man’s reaction, and the fact he had just awakened, Levi could only think of one thing. They knew he had just evolved. Were they watching all this time? It would make sense. Gregory, and especially Bram, and Sera, wouldn’t leave a child to face monsters in the darkness all alone. They were always watching.

Levi scratched his head, and said with a cheeky smile. “I’m just like Sera now.”

Sera shook her head. “You’re not like me, Levi.”

“Hmm?” Levi tilted his head.

“You’re a monster,” Gregory said with a wry smile.

***

After washing himself with whatever water there was in the cave, Levi slept the remaining time until morning–which wasn't long, considering when he woke up, he still felt tired. And mentally drained. It seemed he needed a holiday after all this was said and done. The night was a long one, considering that the Deep Dark had prematurely arrived.

The dark purple hue of the world was gone now, revealing more of the cavern to Levi’s eyes. The familiar colour of rock was now apparent. The bodies were also gone now. The trio must have moved them when Levi had fallen asleep. Shame, Levi wanted all of their weapons.

Although that moved him to his next thought. He needed to really think about what weapon he wanted to use. After all, with the System in hand, it was only going to be about time before he gained a skill with a weapon. So he had to think carefully.

Using a spear felt comfortable. It was easy. Stand back, and thrust. But he knew that against someone that knew how to fight against a spear, the more skill he would require. Levi was aware that using a spear at a high level would be a lot more difficult than other, simpler weapons. Not to mention that the higher strength he had, the more a spear just wouldn’t be able to keep up. It was a weapon that required Dexterity. Dexterity which he didn’t have. Not really. At least that wasn't his focus for later on.

The same could be said to a lesser extent about swords. They were difficult to master, and for a strength based Class, they seemed almost a waste of the points he currently had. And would have in the future if he wanted another defensive-type Ingredient.

His mind finally settled on a hammer. A big ass, oversized hammer with a point on the other side of the head to penetrate armour.

But who knows? The future was uncertain.

It was time for breakfast. Unluckily, it was only field rations this time. Dry jerky, dried fruit, dried biscuits. If you couldn’t tell, there was a theme. Strangely, Levi felt used to it. It was as if his taste buds were accustomed to it. It seemed that it wasn’t too far away from the food Kale consumed on a daily basis.

Gregory and Bram were definitely accustomed to it. They chewed, and chewed, washing it down with whatever water they had on them. Especially Bram. he was like a hoover, inhaling endless mouthfuls of food. Levi wondered where it all travelled.

Did strength users require more food to fuel their body?

Sera, on the other hand, chewed through a look of discontent. She was a noble after all. But given Gregory and Bram, it was clear who were the typical people who joined the Supernatural Detective Corps. So, a question remained, and Levi was no longer afraid to ask:

“Sera, why did you wish to join the corps?” Levi wondered. “Did you also lose someone?”

Sera turned silent.

“I’m sorry! You don’t have to answer that–” Levi waved his hands in panic.

“No, it's okay.” Sera said with a slight smile. “No, I didn’t lose someone. Or anything, for that matter. But I did gain something–”

Levi listened, as did the other two. Bram stilled his fingers, still holding onto a dry cracker. Gregory also intently listened. But Levi saw something else within his gaze. Tenderness.

Sera continued, “a purpose. I was a little girl when I witnessed death plague the city. I–I still see the people of that day. The dead. But that’s not what lingers in my mind. It’s the living; the loss scored across their innocence, their tears grieving for their loved ones. From that moment on, I swore to never let it happen again. To detect an apostle before it was summoend this time.”

She shook her head. “Anyway, you shouldn’t hear this–”

"No," Levi interjected gently. "It's alright. Remembering the bad is important; it can be the fuel that propels you forward. Just be mindful not to let it consume you."

I know. Because I let it consume me, Levi thought, his eyes glossing over.

Sera smiled brightly, and moved. In a split second, she was already in front of Levi, arms embracing him. “Mm, thank you, Levi.”

Levi uncomfortably patted her back.

After they had something to eat, it was time to return back to the town, where the meeting of the Round Table loomed over him.