You are

Floating towards the source of the noise, you conceal yourself in the shadows. It seems luck is indeed on your side, as you intercept the wayward hero while he is traversing the one part of the dungeon besides the boss room where heroes - on rare occasions - actually die. The human curses as he crosses the massive, fallen stalagmite that creates a natural bridge between the section where you and the other cannon fodder exist, and where the boss and some of the (slightly) more challenging monsters reside. The ravine beneath the bridge drops down into the unknown, though you've heard some heroes mention rumors that the caves and tunnels spreading beneath the earth like roots from a great tree go beyond your little dungeon home and extend all across the world of Alluvia, as well as there at one point having been a top-level raid involving a ridiculously powerful boss monster somewhere in the depths. Ever since you heard that, you dreamed of being that monster. Of answering to no one, and overpowering even the strongest of heroes.

Now, as you watch the human stumble across the bridge, veering dangerously close to the edges, you realize your dream might just be more attainable than you thought, and the first step towards it was right in front of you. Floating towards the hero, you assess his minimal armor consisting of boots and strips of animal hide, as well as the two-handed axe he is tiredly dragging behind him and conclude he must be a barbarian of some sort. He's currently inflicted with Dizziness, which partly explains his chaotic stumbling, as well as Drunkenness, of all things, while his health sits at the low end of yellow.

"Told 'em those flasks of ale would come in handy," he slurs as he stumbles along. "Cheap, and healed some health after all those fucken' skeletons. 'sides, 's not like I'll be able to do it when I join tha' Church. Now I jus' need to farm those little wisp-dudes, an' I'll be good to go!" He laughs to himself at his perceived genius, and you could almost join him as a plan forms in your mind.

Acting fast, as he's approaching the edge of the bridge, you float around to behind him, and fire a small bolt of shadows at him, making yourself visible as he lurches from the attack before whirling around to face you.

"Well, today's m'lucky day," he mumbles before lurching towards you, grunting as he hefts his massive axe. You just barely move out of the way and quickly conceal yourself before getting behind him and firing another bolt. His health drops slightly and he spins around, stumbling a bit as he searches for you, but you remain hidden and dart behind him once more to shoot yet another bolt. This time, you reveal yourself as he spins once again, teetering dangerously while glaring at you with glassy eyes.

"Yer really startin' to piss me off," he growls before dashing towards you, axe raised. You continue dodging and circling around, making the barbarian spin around more and more, until finally, you appear one last time just outside his reach, and he grins viciously. "Got you, you little fuck!" He takes a step towards you and you float back a bit as he yelps and tries to regain his balance as he teeters on one leg over the edge of the ravine. Dashing behind him, you gather all your strength and fire one last bolt of energy at him, cheering as the miraculous gong of a critical hit rings through the air and the barbarian is off his remaining foot with a startled yelp and he drops into the darkness below, screaming all the way.

The echoes of his screaming lasts for an eerily long time, and you wait even longer to see if your plan worked. You're about to give up hope when you hear a small _ding! _and feel a rush of power filling you.

Level Up!

Name: Yomel

Class: (Uncommon*) Shadow Imp

Level: 1-7

HP: 15-45

MP: 20-80

Attack: 1-13/3-21

Speed: 1-19

Defense: 1-7/2-14

Intelligence: 2-38

Charisma: 3-39

Dexterity: 1-19

Abilities:

One with the Dark

Darksight: Increased perception in pitch darkness (Dex * 1.5)

Shadow Dash: Quickly move from one shadow to another within line of sight (3*Spd + Dex)

Incorporeal: Become immune to physical attacks as well as Non-Energy based Magic attacks, double damage received from fire and holy attacks. Does not work on weapons enchanted with holy or fire.

_Six _levels! You didn't expect a single hero to give you _that _much experience. He must have been a slightly higher level than the usual adventurer that pillaged your home. You are slightly annoyed by the fact that your magic power increased so much, but you still don't have any way of using it, but the relatively massive boost to your physical prowess softens the blow greatly. Noticing that your class has changed, you take a moment to examine your new form.

Where before, you were little no more than ball of shadows the size of a large man's fist, you now have an actual form. You stand roughly four feet tall, with a pair of two inch horns sprouting from your forehead. Your hands and feet are clawed, and there is a thin tail sprouting from where your tailbone would be. Two little wings sprout from your back, but they don't seem to actually be contributing to the fact that you are still floating in the air.

Impressed with your new form, you return to your stat screen to consider the other changes you have undergone. If your power has increased dramatically, then your Intelligence and Charisma have rocketed to new levels. You're not entirely sure why, but the more you think about it, the more you think that the strange crystal you encountered a while ago is the one responsible for it.

Still floating over the ravine, you consider your next move. You have no doubt that the barbarian would be back, and you recall him mentioning others, so he'll probably bring a party. While his last can be attributed to dumb luck and his own stupidity, if he or others start consistently getting killed here, then word will spread, and you'll simply be faced with higher-level players and larger parties.

Thinking about that reminds you of the rumors considering the legendary boss that once lived far beneath you and your dream of becoming like it. If you want to grow in power, then you are going to have to fight, and if you're going to fight, it's going to be against heroes more often than not. By that logic, your growing infamy and the attraction of stronger obstacles are inevitable. The only thing you can do is prepare and mitigate the risk.

Thinking once more about the rumored monster, you look down into the shadowy depths from which the barbarian had come, and an idea starts to form.