what's it take to get anywhere in this game?
As a warmage, for me the biggest early increase in my power came from hiring a maid and trading with adventurers for better gear. A few artifacts at level 6 will make the game much easier. In particular you want a big-hitting weapon and some armor with big numbers.
Also, once you can survive hunting quests, train up your evasion potential and find a monster who misses a lot or doesn't hit hard, and get in some training. For me it was an asura. They attack a bunch of times but never seem to hit, so I was able to bump my evasion to 20 in just a few minutes. I'm currently level 15 and have 46% + 3d9 damage absorbtion and 107% evasion.
Without a shield. Highly recommended.
Finally, take every opportunity to train. Harvest and performance quests are great for this. Even if there's no possible chance of you completeling a harvest quest, al that time picking vegetables will help you gain strength and constitution. Even without performer skill, performance quests give you some
townsfolk targets to practice on. Plus, failing all the quests will help keep your fame down, which in the early game is a good thing, as higher fame means tougher monsters and rogue bosses.