Babel

Though it was rare to celebrate anything but the changing of the year, especially within the slums, the evening of Linneaus' triumphant return and Gwen's treatment became a memorable event for the seventeen children living within the orphanage.By the time the other children had started to return in the evening, Gwen had already taken her medicine and, though they rarely left their room except to do chores or train, all of the girls came out to celebrate. Before that, Rebecca sent Juanis, a rotund boy that was already 170cm, despite being only seven years old, to pick up a few vegetables from the local market.Being of the Dahmpos race, a species known for their great strength and physical prowess, Juanis would have been even taller if not for being malnourished. At the age of ten, it wasn't uncommon for a Dahmpos to be well over 200cm tall, with some growing to well over 300cm by adulthood.Since Juanis already worked as a laborer for a small shop within the market, he was one of the few children associated with the orphanage who wouldn't be kicked out and beaten if he attempted to enter a shop. He had also been scouted as a future Enforcer for the local gang, despite the fact he was a gentle and kind boy by nature.When Juanis finally returned, carrying a sack of rice, potatoes, flour, and a bag of medicinal tea leaves, everyone was in high spirits. This was especially true for those who had been down on their luck in recent days, much like Linneaus had been previously, as some had already gone a few days without any solid foods.Because it was thanks to his contributions they were able to eat so well, Linneaus was the center of attention within the orphanage, despite the fact they were celebrating Gwen's recovery. She didn't seem to mind at all, however, as she enjoyed seeing her older brother fluster with a rare smile on his face as Sasha teased him. He did so much for her that she often felt guilty so, seeing him happy made her happy...After the festivities had come to an end, everyone went to sleep with full stomachs for the first time in months. Linneaus had to wash his face furiously after Sasha had snuck a kiss on his cheek but, despite how troublesome her behavior had been at the time, he now had a happy smile on his face as he looked towards the bunk above and listened to the silent sound of his brothers sleeping peacefully.Linneaus was currently thinking about the future for the first time in a while as, previously, he thought it would take him nearly a year and a half to finish saving up for Gwen's treatment. Now, other than the lingering threat from the Vulna woman, he didn't really know what the future held. He needed a new goal and, in order to earn even more money in the future, Linneaus decided to talk with Rebecca about what he should do. She was the one who trained the girls and, as they were all a fair amount stronger than the boys, as they would need to be, he felt she would have the answer.While thinking of what he should do next, Linneaus could hear the sound of someone crying to his right. This originated from the youngest boy within the orphanage, named Chen, who had only come to stay with them four months prior. He was currently five years old and, due to his parents being murdered, his nights were often plagued by nightmares while his days were largely fruitless.Though there wasn't much he could do for the young Hume, Linneaus still shifted out of his bunk before crawling next to the young boy and hugging him. This helped Chen calm down a bit and, after a few minutes of whimpering sobs, he finally managed to fall asleep again. Shortly after that, Linneaus also felt rather tired and, though some of the other boys might tease them later on, they had all gone through something similar in the past...Early the next morning, Linneaus decided to act on his decision the previous night, approaching Rebecca after everyone else had already left for the day. Generally, the boys were kicked out until later in the afternoon, giving the girls a chance to stretch their legs and conduct their training, but he wanted to ask for her advice before leaving.Rather than send him away, Rebecca had a kind smile on her face before he even spoke, saying, "I imagine you need a new goal for yourself, yes?" Then, seeing him nod, she handed him a slip of paper, saying, "You still have seventeen months before you come of age. I can see goodness in you, little Lin. Become someone strong enough to protect others, yourself included."Since Linneaus had talked to her about the Vulna girl marking him, Rebecca knew he would need to increase his strength if he wanted to avoid losing his life. She couldn't fight his battles for him and, as this world wasn't kind to the weak, Rebecca always encouraged the children in her care to seek strength and aim for something higher than the life of a slum dweller.After accepting the slip of paper, Linneaus noticed there was an exercise routine that emphasized a focus on Agility and Dexterity. Though it would be impossible for him to match the attributes of a Vulna, known for their speed, it would allow him to at least react when the time came. So long as he prepared properly, it wasn't impossible for him to come out ahead as, just like Rebecca had taught them, everyone had a weakness...From that moment onward, Linneaus dedicated his mornings to training his body by performing a series of pushups, crunches, and squats. In between sets, he would hone his agility by navigating the complex system of alleyways by sprinting at his maximum speed. Since there were all kinds of obstacles in his way, he would have to react quickly to avoid tripping or slamming into something. At the same time, he was able to hone his [Sense Danger] and [Presence Concealment] as, by running around, he drew a lot of attention from the gang members skulking about on the roofs above.Over the course of his training, there were several instances where Linneaus suffered a beating but, as this also helped to train his Constitution and Spirit, he suffered them in silence. Because of this, the local gang members eventually stopped paying attention to him, so long as they didn't catch him directly trying to snitch something.In this manner, nearly a year had passed when Sasha, having reached the age of ten, received her Blessing from Akasha. This was an important moment in everyone's life so, much like during the celebration of Gwen's recovery, everyone in the orphanage was present when the clock struck midnight.Though it wasn't his first time seeing it, Linneaus' eyes were round as saucers when he saw a pillar of blue light radiate from Sasha's body. It was generally believed that the size of the light was an indicator of your potential and, if it reached beyond a certain threshold, it was even possible to become a citizen of the megacity.On average, the pillar of light accompanying a person's blessing was around five meters in height, ignoring all obstacles as it extended into the night sky. Sasha's ended up being a little above average and, though he wasn't able to see it directly due to the ceiling above, Rebecca had a smile on her face as she stated, "Eight-hundred-and-seventeen centimeters...well done, Sasha. You have worked hard."It wasn't enough to get her a ticket into the megacity, but Sasha was still happy to receive a bit of praise from Rebecca. Then, knowing everyone was waiting for the big reveal, she looked at her Status before jumping for joy as she exclaimed, "I got the [Cartography] skill!"Hearing this, everyone present was quite surprised as, with the [Cartography] skill, Sasha could be a mainstay in a party and, despite her pillar of light not making the cut, she could still be groomed by a small to mid-sized organization. After all, if she managed to enter the Tower in the future, her ability to create a map of the floor was instrumental to the success of most parties.Amidst the congratulatory remarks and applause from the children, Rebecca had a larger than normal smile on her face as she said, "I will send a message to an old friend of mine who stays within the megacity. She is part of the Cartographer's Guild and will help you develop your skill further. Congratulations, Sasha."As becoming a student of a Guild meant being able to leave the slums, even if the treatment she received wouldn't be much better at first, Sasha still had a bright smile on her face. After all, it was almost impossible to leave the slums through normal means and, with Blessings taking on many forms, she was truly fortunate to have such an opportunity.The following day, a young woman with long red hair, accompanied by a large man with two horns and windswept hair, arrived to retrieve Sasha. They even brought a change of clothes for her so that she wouldn't stand out as much after passing through the massive gate leading into the megacity.By the time Sasha had changed, she looked like a completely different person as, compared to the rags and patchwork clothing from before, the tunic and trousers she had been provided were of incomparable quality. This even caused her to behave differently than normal and, though she said a few words of encouragement to the other children within the orphanage, there was already a glint in her eyes as if she looked down on them.The only exceptions to this were when she looked at Saht, who was now much stronger than she was, and Linneaus. Even then, however, she only gave them a thoughtful glance before sparing the latter a smile as she parted with the duo. In truth, she had a crush on Linneaus since he first arrived in the orphanage but, as they lived very different lives, nothing had ever come of it. Now that she was going to live in the megacity, it was unlikely their paths would ever cross again, even if he also entered in the future. After all, there were more than three-hundred billion residents in the megacity so, unless you were part of the same Guild or Organization, you very rarely met the same person twice.Seeing Sasha leave, everyone remaining in the orphanage felt a strong desire to improve so that they were also able to enter the megacity in the future. This included Linneaus, though he already held that conviction even before his training had started. After all, if he wanted to protect Gwen, it was necessary to gain access to the city, even if it was just to secure a place for her.Unless he got one of the rare combat-oriented Blessings, there was little chance he would be able to protect his sister if they remained in the slums. Though he didn't develop an ego because of it, Linneaus knew his appearance was abnormal, to the point that he would sometimes be solicited by women, both young and old. Since his sister was even more beautiful, there would be no end to the number of people trying to claim her for themselves.Knowing what happened to women and young girls who couldn't protect themselves, Linneaus was determined to do everything in his power to help her avoid such a fate. Hopefully, like Sasha, she would awaken a useful Blessing that allowed her access to the megacity without a fuss. If not, he prayed his own gave him enough power to protect them both as, on his tenth birthday, there was a good chance a certain Vulna woman would come hunting him.At this point, Linneaus knew the woman's name was Skaadi and, as he had expected, she had indeed become one of the various women serving the Greyhound Gang. Worse still was that she had been able to get close to the leader of said gang as, much like her, he was also a member of the Vulna tribe. Thus, while others would ignore him unless he caused trouble, she would usually track him down at least once a week to give him a beating before asking him how old he was...With eight months left until his birthday, Linneaus was determined to get as strong as possible before the penultimate moment. Fortunately, as she was beating him so routinely, he had a rough idea of how strong Skaadi was. He also knew what her Blessing was so, as long as he got any kind of combat-oriented Blessing, he was confident in his chances.----------------------------------------[Status]Name: Linnaeus FinnianTitle: Street Urchin(+1 Con +1 Dex, +1 Wis Per Level. Half Free Attributes Per Level]Race: Hume(50%), Manalyte(50%)Age: 9Gender: MaleLevel: 5(93/500)Health: 220/220 (Critical Health)Soul Power: 110/110Strength: 4~6Constitution: 6~11Agility: 6~12Dexterity: 11~16Intelligence: 5~6Wisdom: 8~12Spirit: 2~5Charisma: 6~9Luck: 4~5Free Attributes: 11Skills: [Kinu Comprehension:(-)], [Knife Mastery: LV4], [Sense Danger: LV14-&gt;LV15], [Presence Concealment: LV7-&gt;LV9], [Acrobatics: LV5](new)Abilities: [Steal: LV13-&gt;LV15]Magic: [Enhance: LV2-&gt;LV5][Acrobatics: LV5(431/500)]Passive: Able to navigate terrain quickly and agilely without losing balance. (+1 Agi per level)----------------------------------------

Before leaving for another long day of training and skulking about to secure a pittance, Linneaus spent a few minutes speaking with Gwen at the entrance to the girls' room. She had grown a lot over the last year and, after being treated, worked just as hard, if not harder, than the other girls.Everyone knew how hard Linneaus worked but, being the target of his protective natures, Gwen felt both guilt and gratitude for her older brother's care. Because of this, she had made a habit of giving him a bit of encouragement before he set out for the day.Today, Gwen handed over a small charm that had been sewn from a few pieces of fabric recycled from old garments. It had an anomalous shape but, according to Gwen, it was supposed to be a cat. Though they were rare, especially in the slums, it was rumored that the cats in the megacity were bearers of great fortune. She hoped the small black charm would increase his fortune as, when she saw him return at the end of the day with cuts and bruises, it always hurt her heart.Graciously accepting the charm, Linneaus placed it securely within one of his hidden pockets before affectionately ruffling his sister's hair. He promised that he would be more careful in the future but, immediately after leaving the orphanage, Linneaus continued his training with even greater intensity.At this point, his height had increased to around 130cm and, though he was very skinny, his body had become far more agile than in the past. He struggled to increase his Strength, primarily due to the lack of nutrition, but his other attributes were developing well, sans Intelligence.Intelligence required serious study and proper education, making it very difficult to increase without diligent efforts and mentorship. Fortunately, Wisdom could be increased by gaining life experience and making good decisions, making it one of the attributes most Stree Urchins had to spare. This was a great boon in some scenarios as, despite his limited Soul Power, Wisdom increased the rate of replenishment while also allowing him to stay focused under duress.The only attributes Linneaus really had trouble developing, much like everyone else, were his Spirit and Luck. These were both important attributes as Spirit was directly tied to willpower and mental resistance while Luck was rumored to influence your actual fortune in life.Curiously, though he understood the reasons somewhat, Linneaus had no trouble raising one of the other difficult to obtain attributes, Charisma. This was an attribute many wanted, as it was associated with skills like [Bartering] and [Leadership]. At the same time, it apparently had an influence on how other people saw you, increasing their favorability.Due to his uncommon appearance, complete with fair skin, light-blue hair, and golden eyes, he was able to passively increase his Charisma, despite the fact he generally kept to himself. There was even a chance that, once he hit puberty, the attribute would increase considerably, something that both excited and troubled him. After all, who didn't want to be at least a little popular? The only downside was, at times, he would be stared at with predatory eyes by both men and women alike...Because of his propensity for running around and skulking through the alleyways, Linneaus had even garnered a reputation for himself. Many thought he was just trying to show off so that he could gain entry into the Tower but, regardless of the truth, some had started to refer to him as 'Little Ghost'. If this name caught on, he might even be able to lose his Street Urchin Title, which could be a good or bad thing depending on the situation.In Lumen, Titles were one of the most important factors that determined a person's growth, even for those living within the slums. Though Titles like Street Urchin and Gutter Rat had a few downsides to them, they still allowed even young children to survive in the harsh environment of the slums.Linneaus was hoping that the Little Ghost Title would provide a boost to his Dexterity and Agility or, at the very least, remove the detriment of halving his Free Attributes per level. This would give him more freedom of choice come his tenth birthday. Since there was always a chance he would get a Blessing related to Magic or Martial Skills, he would need the extra attributes to correct the current imbalance in his Status. After all, it would be quite sad if he got a Blessing like [Fire Affinity], only to find he couldn't cast even a simple [Fireball] Spell.Though there were exceptions like [Enhance], which were common to the point that everyone could use it, many Spells required hundreds of SP just to cast a single time. For offensive spells related to the Elements, the most basic Spell required a total of 200 SP to cast, meaning Lumen was barely at the halfway point. Thus, in order to avoid becoming another one of the horror stories of a person who got a Blessing that contrasted their attributes, Linneaus really wanted to lose his Stree Urchin Title...To that end, he was running through the alleyways, vaulting over boxes, ducking under pipes, and cutting into corners by kicking off the adjacent wall to change direction. He wanted to at least get to the point that he could freely use the walls for movement, emulating the ability of some Enforcers to move several kilometers without having to step a single foot on the ground. This would allow him to evade pursuit more easily, especially if he used his small size to his advantage.Unfortunately, despite the good luck charm his sister had given him, it had been about a week since his last beating so, as Linneaus passed another corner, his [Sense Danger] triggered, albeit too late for him to do anything about it. The moment he felt the urge to evade, a foot was already hitting the bridge of his nose, stopping his forward momentum and causing him to flip backward in an instant.Staring down at him from above, the Vulna girl named Skaadi spoke in a harsh voice akin to a growl, "Still trying to escape to the Tower, Little Ghost...?" Then, without waiting for an answer, she pressed her foot against his abdomen before shifting her weight and causing him to groan out in pain.Like everyone else, Skaadi thought that Linneaus was trying to earn the right to enter the Tower but, unlike the others, she believed he was just trying to escape her. She had been tempted to kill him a few times at this point, especially after an especially rough night, but always held back in the end. If he had fought back at all, she probably would have gone through with it but, as there was simply no sport in killing someone who didn't fight back, she settled on tormenting him.As usual, Linneaus did his best to curl up and resist the pain, even allowing Skaadi to use her sharp nails to create a long incision along the back of his forearm. She would also stop after a few minutes before giving him a pat-down and taking any valuables he might have on him. Fortunately, due to the charm being made of simple fabrics, it went unnoticed during her search so Linneaus wouldn't have to explain to his sister what had happened to it...After the usual thrashing, Skaadi kicked a decent layer of dirt across Linneaus' body before stating in a sly tone, "You should get used to sleeping in the dirt. Soon, it will become your home..." With that said, she leaped towards the wall, a pale layer of green light forming around her legs as she quickly joined a group of Enforcers waiting on the roof. They had been jeering at him during the beating but Linneaus paid them no mind as it wasn't the first, or the last, time.Since the dirt actually did help to keep the cold at bay, Linneaus made no attempts to clean himself as he waited for his health to slowly regenerate. He kept himself calm by reminding himself that he got to see Skaadi's Blessing again, a relatively common Skill amongst the Vulna known as [Child of the Wind]. It provided bonus Agility with each level but the most useful aspect of the Blessing was its ability to passively increase Agility by at least twenty percent, despite costing nothing. If combined with the standard [Enhance], she could probably increase her total Agility by around 30~40%, the only downside being the fact high-speed movements were exhausting.With knowledge of her Blessing, Linneaus had already been thinking of countermeasures against her inevitable attack. His first plan was to use the Vulna's sharp sense of smell to overwhelm her senses and, if he could catch her by surprise, it wouldn't be too difficult to slip a blade between her ribs. He had never killed anyone before but Linneaus had seen others lose their lives in a similar manner and was confident he would be able to manage.The most difficult aspect of his plan, or any other plan he might come up with, was catching Skaadi by surprise or reacting to her attack. Since she was much faster than him, it meant there was a good chance she could kill him before he even realized what had happened. With her nails, she didn't even need a weapon to slit his throat in one fell swoop so he was banking on the fact that she, like other Vulna, liked to toy with her prey.Currently, Linneaus was building an expectation in her mind that he was just a vulnerable child that couldn't offer any resistance against her at all. Unless she was watching the orphanage every night, it would be impossible for her to know exactly when his tenth birthday was so there was a chance he could catch her by surprise. Though this still left the matter of dealing with her cohorts, he was more likely to be recruited than killed, especially if he proved himself useful. After all, there was no sense in fighting over a dead person when you could instead force the other party to work for you.The only questionable part of his plan was how the leader of the Greyhounds would react but, with how he allowed his men to treat Skaadi, Linneaus doubted he would care all that much. Their bond seemed to be simple acknowledgment of each other as members of the same tribe, not one of kin or genuine respect for each other. If Skaadi proved to be weak enough to die to a child, he probably wouldn't even mark her grave.After recovering his health, Linneaus wasted no time in continuing his training, acting as if he hadn't just been severely beaten less than an hour ago. Since his experience had gone up by three points, he even had a small smile on his face as it was very difficult to level up within the slums. It generally required that you fight against animals or monsters around the same level for any meaningful gains and, with even rats being killed almost instantly, there weren't many sources for experience in the slums.Though it was possible to gain quite a bit by killing other people, this wasn't really an option for him so he could only gain small benefits through training and the occasional beating. Even then, he was already at the 'average' level for a ten-year-old so, if he managed to reach Level 6 in the next few months, he would be ahead of the curve. With this in mind, Linneaus put more strength in his legs, enjoying the feeling of his muscles straining, the burning sensation helping to beat back the cold...

With the intent of saving money and ensuring the survival of himself and his sister, Linneaus spent each day following a similar, yet adaptive routine. In the slums, having a pattern that others could easily follow made you a soft target so he would always vary the times he left, where he would go, and the route he took to return.Because of his habits, the constantly fluctuating population, and the fact that most people lived in a similar way as himself, Linneaus very rarely met the same people twice. The only exceptions to this were the gang members belonging to various factions and the few businesses and stalls that operated around the orphanage.Though it was rumored that children within the megacity were friendly with each other, forming small social cliques as they romped around the paved roads and freely entered shops without having to worry about getting beaten, Linneaus didn't particularly care about such things.Linneaus was more focused on saving up money for his sister's treatment and, with 'friends' just increasing the chances he would be backstabbed, it was better to avoid forming any relationships with other children around his age. It didn't help that he was an outlier even within the slums due to his focus on surviving in the present rather than focusing on an arbitrary goal like climbing the Tower.It was for reasons such as this that Linneaus was surprised to see a familiar face a few days after the incident involving the rat. He had been walking down a side-alley, one of the thousands that made up the complex maze-like structure of the slums, when a bristly yet soft paw founds its way around his neck, lifting him from the ground and slamming him hard into the stone surface in an instant.By instinct, Linneaus found himself reaching for the hidden pocket inside his sleeve, forgetting that his knife had been stolen from him previously. This action didn't go unpunished, causing a set of sharp nails to pierce into his arm before his attacker confirmed he didn't actually have a weapon.Seeing his health take a sizeable chunk, Linneaus gave up trying to resist, appearing as harmless as he was able while chokingly asking, "Wh..at...do you...want from...me?" This question was given a prompt response in the form of a fist burying itself into his abdomen before he was left to crash to the ground immediately after.Since it was hard to tell at times, the girl, the same Vulna woman he had encountered previously, lifted him by the hair so that she could see his face, asking, "How old are you, brat?"Hearing her question, Linneaus did his best to resist the pain in his diaphragm as he answered, "I turned eight this year..." before curling up as she slammed his face towards the ground.Though murder wasn't that uncommon, especially in the slums, there were few who would go out of their way to kill a child before they were of age. In Lumen, there was a value known as enmity which, if you accumulated, gave pretty much everyone the right to kill you. Killing children would earn a large amount of enmity, especially if you were the attacker, so the girl could only grit her teeth as she warned, "I have remembered your scent. If our paths cross again in the future, I will peel the flesh from her body as bait for the rats..."With her warning issued, the woman left the alleyway by vaulting up the walls and bounding atop the roof. You could get in a lot of trouble for moving across the roofs of buildings, as that was the territory of the various gangs ruling the slums, but the Vulna girl didn't seem to care. From this, it could be assumed she was either a member of the local gang or confident enough to deal with any enforcers who tried to deal with her.As Linneaus waited for his health to recover, he recalled that she had previously run through the alleys on foot so, if his intuition was correct, she had been 'scouted' after that rat incident. This was likely the reason she was so angry with him as, with very few exceptions, this meant she was now either a prostitute or the 'relief' for the gang's crew members.Linneaus was really hoping she was just wantonly ignoring the rules as, if she was really part of the local gang, his life would be endangered in the future. Being marked by a Vulna was the same as being marked for death if you weren't stronger than they were. From how fast she moved, and the strength she had shown, Linneaus knew he wouldn't be her match unless Akasha, the name of the system everyone used, granted him a powerful Blessing on his tenth birthday...After waiting for a half-hour, Linneaus' health had recovered enough that he wouldn't have any difficulties moving around. He quickly lifted himself from the ground before, once again, setting off for his destination. Today, he was intending to travel a few kilometers east, a region he hadn't visited in a few months, to see if he couldn't earn any spoils.Fortunately, after the sudden attack and subsequent beating, Linneaus, for reasons he could only guess at, noticed his Luck parameter had increased from 3~4. Since Luck, along with Charisma and Spirit, couldn't be invested in, even small increases were meaningful. It was rumored that, if your Luck was high enough, it greatly increased your fortunes and, within the Tower, those with high Luck stats were heavily sought after.Feeling a little better about his odds of success, Linneaus quickened his pace, darting through the alleyways while simultaneously trying to conceal his presence. When he reached his destination, he immediately tried to put his Luck to the test, casing each person within the small marketplace, his golden eyes glimmering with renewed vigor.As if driven by some divine cue, Linneaus saw another Street Urchin attempt to snitch the contents of a man's pockets in passing. Since Inventory space was limited, and reduced your maximum SP, most people filled their slots with junk, a countermeasure against [Steal], while only keeping a few important items inside.With this being a marketplace, goods obviously exchanged hands and, in that brief moment, the most keen-eyed opportunists saw their chance. As for Linneaus, he focused more on the people doing the snitching than those they snitched from. Since there was always a chance his target was far more powerful than himself, meaning he could lose his life with just a swat of their hand, he would rather steal from other thieves. Though this didn't guarantee his safety, sometimes leading to rather fierce beatings, he found it was safer than the alternative while also providing slightly more experience than normal...Just as the unfamiliar Street Urchin activated his [Steal] skill, his hand filling with a small pouch, Linneaus' eyes flashed as he activated his own. Pouches generally indicated cereal or money so it was a mark he couldn't pass up, irrespective of the situation.With the other boy being around his age, Linneaus assumed he only had between 2~3 slots in his Inventory, meaning his chances were around 33%, assuming he was successful at all. This was a lot higher than normal, however, and, with a weight filling his hand, Linneaus plopped down on the ground inconspicuously as if he was still casing a target. If he ran at this point, he would draw a lot of attention to himself and, if the pouch truly did have money in it, confirming this in the open assured he would lose it.As could be expected, the boy that had snitched the pouch didn't get far before a group of three dropped down from the roof. These had to be the Enforcers that 'protected' the market and, due to the massive difference in strength, it wasn't long before the unfortunate Street Urchin suffered a beating before they took turns using [Steal] until he had nothing in his Inventory.From his perch next to a pile of rubbish, Linneaus could see the larger of the three men kick the Street Urchin rather viciously before they left him to regenerate. It didn't take the Enforcers long to figure out what had happened but, having missed the moment when Linneaus used his [Steal] skill, they didn't waste their time searching before returning to the roofs above.In order to make sure that he didn't lose the pouch, Linneaus didn't keep it in his Inventory and instead tucked it into the rubbish pile next to him. He assumed his actions were being watched at some point so, in order to remove any suspicion they would have, it was necessary for him to try his luck at snitching a few items. So long as he didn't get anything too valuable, they would just overlook him as he skulked away in the aftermath.Though 4 Luck didn't sound that impressive, Linneaus felt like it was a qualitative increase. His efforts to [Steal] had gone unrewarded but, much like the Old Crone a few days ago, an elderly man with eyebrows extending past his chin smiled at him in passing. There were so many wrinkles on his face that his eyes could hardly be seen through the aged flesh but this didn't seem to affect him as he looked directly toward Linneaus and pulled out a small potato.With his last meal nearly a week ago, Linneaus didn't waste any time before accepting the potato and pressing his head to the dirt. This earned him a light chuckle for the man who, understanding how the slums worked, kindly stated, "Go ahead and eat, child. I can tell you are on the verge of starving. Don't worry, I will not allow anyone to take it from you..."Since it was exceptionally rare to live into your twilight years, the elderly were both respected and feared. Even within the slums, anyone that looked sufficiently advanced in their years was given a wide berth as, despite their frail appearance, many of them were in their late twenties while some were even over level thirty. Age did provide debuffs to attributes but, despite this, they were all very powerful compared to normal citizens.Without worrying if the food he was given contained poison, as few people were foolish enough to waste such herbs and chemicals on a random Street Urchin, Linneaus quickly downed the small potato. He was surprised to notice there was a bit of salt and other spices that had been used to season the outside, giving him a strong urge to tear up as he licked his dirty fingers clean.Issuing another chuckle, the old man rose to his feet before saying, "Stay strong, child..." as he walked toward another youth perched in a different location. There were a number of Street Urchins in the area and, after seeing the man give away food, each of them had hungry eyes as the watched the elderly man make his rounds.They knew better than to crowd him, understanding well the repercussions if they managed to offend someone kind enough to pass out free food. Not only would they likely lose the chance of getting any free food in the future, but their fellow Street Urchins would severely beat them for ruining their own chances at a meal...With his previously empty stomach filled with a bit of warmth, Linneaus felt it was as good a time as any to make his way back. It was considered an unwritten rule that, if you received a handout, you should quickly vacate the area to allow others a chance. Since this wasn't his turf, Linneaus didn't want to make any enemies so, after bowing his head toward the man's direction once again, he stealthily snatched the pouch before taking a new path towards the orphanage.Resisting the urge to check his spoils until he was beyond the threshold of the orphanage's door, Linneaus felt like a marionette with its strings cut the moment he saw the aged face of Rebecca. She smiled in response to his antics, asking in a kindly tone, "I take it you had a good day, little Lin?"Hearing the question, Linneaus honestly answered, "I'm not sure..." before moving into a seated position and pulling out the pouch. Even if it ended up being completely empty, he was already happy enough just to have received a seasoned potato.Feeling the weight of the pouch, Linneaus felt that today was the luckiest day of his life. He quickly emptied the contents into his palm, not worried in the slightest that Rebecca would rob him. She was actually the one keeping his money stashed away from him and, with her reputation and the way she treated all of them, he believed she wouldn't betray him.With the characteristic sound of metal against metal, Linneaus couldn't help smiling, even before his mind processed just what exactly he was holding. When it finally hit him, he nearly dropped the small coins to the ground as, instead of a few dozen coppers, he saw a bit of murky silver in the mix. Though he would have normally counted each coin with care, Linneaus prioritized the few bits of silver in his palm which, much like his Luck, totaled four small silver, giving him more than enough to buy a simple Panacea for Gwen...Just as an urge to cry began to overwhelm him, Rebecca had soundlessly moved from her chair, appearing next to Linneaus in an instant. She gently placed her palm against his head, the same kindly smile she always wore adorning her face as she whispered, "It is okay to be happy, little Lin. Just remember you pay this fortune forward in the future..."Following this reminder, Rebecca collected the coins from Linneaus' hand before placing a small vial into his palm. She then pushed him towards the girls' room before sitting back in her chair, a thoughtful glimmer in her eyes. As for Linneaus, he didn't even quest why Rebecca already had a Panacea on her, assuming she had intended to give it to Gwen or himself on their next birthday. In truth, she had numerous potions and other valuables in her Inventory but, understanding that the children would only become victims if she pampered them too much, Rebecca silently supported their efforts unless it was absolutely necessary for her to intervene...

Chapter 4: Celebration