Chapter 1 : Chapter 1
Chapter 1: Did His Skill Run Away from Home?
Jianghai City, the Lin family manor villa.
Lin Mo sprawled on a genuine leather sofa, gazing at the night beyond the window.
“Pff~”
A small fireball sprang into existence in his palm.
This was the initial skill he had obtained a few hours earlier, after awakening as a 【Mage】 during the class awakening ceremony—Fireball.
He had already been in this world for eighteen years.
It was a world where the wilderness teemed with monsters.
When everyone turned eighteen, they would awaken a different class and grow stronger by killing monsters and leveling up.
Just a few hours ago, Lin Mo had awakened the 【Mage】 class. Unfortunately, he was a blank-slate mage with no talent for “elemental affinity” whatsoever.
There were all kinds of mages in this world: Blaze Mages with fire elemental affinity, Thunder Mages with lightning elemental affinity, and so on...
As for someone like him, a blank-slate mage without any “elemental affinity,” learning skills was difficult, controlling them was clumsy, and the class itself was firmly bottom-tier.
Lin Mo sighed. “Well, a blank slate is a blank slate.”
He poked the little flame in his palm with his other hand, as if teasing a pet. “You may be a little weak, but I do not dislike you for it.”
“From now on... you can handle lighting my cigarettes and reheating my meals. The two of us can just hide in this mansion for the rest of our lives and happily live as a human lighter. Is that not far better than going outside and risking our lives against bosses dozens of meters tall?”
Before his words had even finished falling—
The tiny fireball in his palm suddenly twitched violently.
Then lines of information appeared on the panel.
【Your skill “Fireball” has lodged a strong protest against your remarks!】
【“Fireball” believes your career plan is an insult to its dignity as a flame!】
【It is roaring: You may be a slacker, but I am not! I want to grow stronger! I want to evolve! I want to become an apocalyptic forbidden spell! Who the hell wants to be a lighter?!】
【In order to avoid being raised into a worthless flame by you, “Fireball” has decided to run away from home and go level up on its own!】
“??”
Lin Mo froze, his mind failing to catch up.
“Whoosh—!”
The little fireball did not give him even a moment to react. With the force of absolute resolve, it streaked toward the window, dragging a furious crimson tail behind it.
Lin Mo stared at his now empty palm, then looked out the window.
At that moment, his skill bar had also changed.
【Fireball, Lv.1】
【Status: Ran Away from Home (Furious Mode)】
【Current Mood: Murderous (Damage +100%)】
“Am I seeing things? My skill... became sentient?”
Lin Mo’s mouth twitched.
He had heard of wives running away because their husbands had no prospects, but he had never heard of a skill running away because its master was too lazy...
Just as Lin Mo stood there in a daze, his mother Su Wan’s gentle voice drifted up from downstairs.
“Momo! Come down and eat!”
“...Coming!”
Lin Mo responded, grabbed his phone, and rushed out of his room with a head full of thoughts.
...
The Lin family dining hall was resplendent with golden splendor.
The long dining table, large enough to seat twenty people, was covered with exquisite delicacies.
Seated at the head of the table was his father, Lin Tianhao, one of Jianghai City’s defense commanders. His class was the “Thunder War God.” Though he was dressed in loose loungewear at the moment, it still could not conceal the mountain-like pressure radiating from him.
Beside him was his mother, Su Wan, the head of the largest alchemy potion conglomerate in Jianghai City. Her class was the “Sacred High Priest,” and she was elegantly ladling soup for her husband.
That was right. Lin Mo’s family background was enough to let him walk sideways through Jianghai City.
Lin Mo pulled out a chair. One hand picked up his chopsticks, while the other frantically searched for information online.
His keywords included, but were not limited to: “skill ran away from home,” “skills have self-awareness,” and “my skill cursed me out”...
Clearly, in this world where the universal class system had existed for several hundred years, there had never been any record of anything like this.
Lin Tianhao frowned slightly.
“Momo, if you are eating, then eat properly. What are you staring at your phone for? You look distracted.”
Lin Mo placed his phone face-down on the table and forced out a smile. “It is nothing, Dad. I was just looking up some information about what happens after class awakening.”
Hearing that, Lin Tianhao and Su Wan exchanged a glance.
Both of them saw the same hard-to-hide heartache in the other’s eyes.
Their son might not have said it aloud, but he must still care deeply about being a blank-slate mage. He was looking up information before he had even started eating. The thought of it made their hearts ache.
“Stop looking. There is too much nonsense online, both true and false. Reading it will only upset you more. Eat first. Your health comes first.”
Lin Tianhao picked up a piece of steak and placed it in Lin Mo’s bowl.
Su Wan also gently ladled him a bowl of soup and comforted him in a soft voice.
“That is right, Momo. Do not put too much pressure on yourself.”
“Momo, I have already thought it through.”
“For college, we can just pick whatever school you like and coast through it. Once you graduate, you can learn some life-skills.”
“I think cooking would be quite good. Our family owns quite a few five-star restaurants anyway, so you can practice there as much as you want.”
“Plant growth acceleration would work too. My several thousand acres of magical herb gardens just happen to be short on a gatekeep— a manager.”
With a grand sweep of her hand, Su Wan pointed toward the vast manor grounds outside the window.
“These few mountains all belong to our family. In the future, you can stay at home, stroll with birds, raise fish, whatever you like. As long as you do not get involved in gambling, I can support you for ten lifetimes without a problem!”
Hearing his parents say all this, Lin Mo actually felt delighted inside.
In his previous life, he had been an overworked office drone who had practically worked himself to death. Now that he had been reborn, why should he live so exhaustingly again?
Just look at this manor. Look at this magnificent feast. The family’s overwhelming wealth was more than enough to spend over several lifetimes.
Would it not be wonderful to become a useless rich second-generation heir who simply ate, waited for death, strolled with birds, admired flowers, and listened to music every day?
Besides, his skill had already run off. Was he really supposed to take a mage’s staff and go smack monsters with it himself?
Lin Mo put down his chopsticks and looked at his parents with an earnest, moved expression.
“Dad, Mom, do not worry.”
“Starting tomorrow, I will take responsibility for spending Mom’s money and polishing Dad’s medals.”
“I will definitely become a qualified second-generat— ahem, son!”
“Pfft—”
The soup Lin Tianhao had just swallowed nearly sprayed out of his mouth.
The smile on Su Wan’s face also froze.
They had been trying to comfort their son... but was he not sliding down that slope a little too quickly?
Could he not at least show the tiniest bit of unwillingness, the kind that said, “Do not bully the poor youth”?
One second ago, he had looked motivated, searching for information. The next second, he wore the blissful expression of someone who had just realized he could legally live off his parents. What exactly was going on here?
“Ahem...”
Lin Tianhao coughed a few times, masking his embarrassment. “Well... it is a good thing that Momo has a healthy mindset. Fine, since you have thought it through, eat a little more.”
“Got it, Dad!”
Lin Mo happily picked up his bowl and devoured his meal in no time.
“I am full! Dad, Mom, you should both get some rest early too. Do not work too hard.”
After saying that, he pushed away his bowl, wiped his mouth, and ran upstairs.
He was still deeply curious about what exactly had happened with that rebellious Fireball. Where had it gone? And was it ever coming back?
...
As Lin Mo’s figure disappeared around the bend in the staircase, Lin Tianhao let out a long sigh and rubbed his brow.
“A blank-slate talent is bad enough, but this mindset... he is far too much of a slacker!”
With that, Lin Tianhao shot his wife Su Wan a glance.
“This is all because you spoiled him too much. What was all that nonsense about ‘happy education’? Look where it got us. The boy does not have a shred of drive...”
“Lin Tianhao, do not you dare pin that on me!”
Su Wan’s brows shot up, and her elegant demeanor vanished without a trace.
“Before the awakening ceremony, who was the one constantly saying, ‘I do not want our son going into the wilderness and risking his life’?”
“When Momo was little and practiced swordsmanship, who was the one afraid his hands would hurt and secretly swapped his black iron training sword for a foam stick?”
“And now you think he is too much of a slacker? Too late! I am telling you, if Momo turned out like this, then as his father, you bear full responsibility!”
“I... I was just worried about him.”
The mighty Thunder War God, who had been so imposing just moments earlier, instantly lost half his presence and shrank back.
Su Wan gave a light snort, her eyes carrying a trace of helplessness.
“Enough. Stop sitting there sighing.”
“With Momo’s class... every mage skill above the beginner level is an elemental skill. Without ‘elemental affinity,’ even if we feed him skill books, the chance of him successfully comprehending them is still very low.”
“And in actual combat... his fine control over skills would also be far inferior to that of other specialized mages.”
“Let nature take its course. As long as he is happy, that is enough.”
Lin Tianhao put away his joking expression, lit a cigar, and took a long, deep drag. His face gradually turned grave.
“That may be true, but...”
“Our family is wealthy and powerful. Plenty of people are watching us.”
“As long as we are alive, no one will dare touch him.”
“But if one day we retire, or... something happens to us...”
He glanced upstairs and lowered his voice.
“With Momo’s lazy, slacker personality, I am afraid he will not only fail to protect this family fortune—he may even get himself killed because of it.”
Su Wan fell silent.
She adored her son, but as a powerful woman who controlled a vast commercial empire, she understood better than anyone how ruthlessly the strong preyed on the weak in this world.
“Then what do you suggest we do?”
Lin Tianhao crushed out the cigar and looked at his wife with burning eyes.
“My dear, in theory, one of us is a War God and the other is a healing goddess. Our genes should absolutely be top-tier.”
“Momo’s situation... is purely a small accident of probability.”
“Old Lin, what are you trying to do?”
The moment Su Wan heard that, she understood, and two rosy clouds instantly rose on her cheeks.
“Let us... draw the lottery one more time!”
Lin Tianhao grinned as he leaned closer to Su Wan.
Su Wan did not push away her husband as he moved in. “You shameless old man! At your age, and you still want to... draw the lottery?”
“How is that shameless?”
Lin Tianhao sounded entirely righteous. He swept Su Wan into his arms and strode toward the master bedroom with brisk steps.
“This is for the continuation of the family line! My dear, let us start tonight. I ate more than half of that magical dragon meat just now, and I am currently feeling full of strength!”
“You rascal... be gentler. Do not let Momo hear...”