Babel

Using what little time remained of the countdown, Linneaus quickly allocated all of his Free Attribute points, not wasting a single one. This was a battle that could determine his life or death so, while it may not be the best choice, it was the safest.Assuming the restrictions on his Blessing had also been removed, he then cast the smallest [Barrier] he could before surrounding himself with [Barrier Aura].As expected, the bottleneck he had been stuck at for the past few months had been removed. When he heard the three bells sound within his mind, Linneaus couldn't help but smile as he looked at his own Status, power and confidence swelling within him.----------------------------------------[Status]Name: Linnaeus FinnianTitle: Fledgling(+2 Spi, +1 Luk per Level)Race: Hume(50%), Manalyte(50%)Age: 15Gender: MaleLevel: 21(42/3300)Health: 1080/1080Soul Power: 2690/2754Strength: 49~50Constitution: 49~50+2Agility: 49~70+14Dexterity: 49~51+1Intelligence: 49~82+46Wisdom: 49~82+46Spirit: 38+11.4Charisma: 25Luck: 10+1Free Attributes: 0Skills: [Kinu Comprehension:(-)], [Fleet-Footed:LV1], [Magus:LV1], [Resilient Mind:LV1], [Knife Mastery: LV21], [Throwing: LV14],[Sense Danger: LV29], [Presence Concealment: LV30], [Acrobatics: LV30], [Pain Tolerance: LV18], [Barrier Master:LV49~LV50], [Assassination: LV33], [Charm: LV7]Abilities: [Steal: LV27], [Stealth: LV28], [Night Vision: LV17]Magic: [Enhance: LV26], [Barrier: LV49~50], [Barrier Aura: LV49~50]----------------------------------------Not only had his primary attributes increased qualitatively, but reaching Level 50 in his Blessing and related Magics had given him a substantial bonus as well as a significant increase in range.Before, Linneaus had struggled to form a barrier outside of three meters but, after reaching Level 50, the range had been increased to fifty meters in one go. He suddenly felt like the world around him was in his grasp, even if it was just a vague feeling.Though he had never taken any drugs or partook of any alcohol, Linneaus couldn't help but wonder if his current euphoria is what others felt when they abused such substances. Even if it was just the result of him increasing a lot of attributes all at once, he could understand why people desperately sought even greater power for themselves...it was quite addicting.Breaking him free from his existential euphoria, a loud buzzer sounded within the room as the same voice from before stated, "I hope you prepared well, young fledgling. You will now be transferred to the same room as your opponent. Note that you will have thirty minutes to obtain victory. I wish you the best of luck."The moment the voice faded away, Linneaus felt a weightless feeling, despite the fact he noticed no changes to the surroundings. Since the voice had said he would be transferred, he was momentarily unable to process what had happened before, in the distance, a red light flashed.By instinct, Linneaus brought his arms to form a cross-guard mere moments before some kind of red projectile slammed into his [Barrier Aura], sending him skidding back several meters. He noticed that his SP had decreased by 403 points in one go, causing his body to begin evading before his mind had fully registered what hit him.With his increased Agility, Linneaus twisted his body while jumping to his right, evading a second red streak right where his head had been previously.Without excess thoughts, Linneaus lowered his body to the ground and began sprinting towards the direction of his attacker. This wasn't his first battle so, while he had been caught by surprise, the fact his opponent had tried to kill him caused a cold sensation to wash over his mind.As another red streak barreled toward him, Linneaus angled a barrier ahead of him, causing the projectile to deviate upwards. At the same time, this slowed it down just enough for him to see what it was, causing Linneaus' face to form a deep frown as he looked toward the distance.Though they were practically a speck, with more than 300m between them, Linneaus could make out the form of a woman with scarlet-red hair tied in a ponytail. He couldn't make out her features but, with the outline of her body, he understood she was a beauty.Linneaus didn't particularly care about the woman's looks, as she would not be the first attractive woman he had killed. What annoyed him was the fact that, unlike him, given nothing but a dark-blue bodysuit, she was wearing proper clothing, including a few bits of armor. Not only that, she had an ornate bow in her hands, complete with a quiver full of dark-red arrows.Feeling slightly indignant about the fairness of this test, Linneaus grit his teeth before pushing his body to the limit to increase his speed. Though he was still getting used to the increased Agility, his instincts told him he could close the distance within twelve seconds. This would allow the woman to fire nearly her entire quiver of arrows at him but, with his [Barrier] being a natural counter to many ranged attacks, he wasn't deterred in the slightest.Seeing her opponent charge at her like a mad demon, the bow-wielding woman felt a shiver run up her back as she began channeling more SP into her attacks. This caused her arrowheads to form a small vortex of energy, greatly increasing their speed and destructive power. She also began to run backward, using her own Agility to keep the distance between herself and her opponent. Though he didn't seem to have any weapons or equipment, the thought of fighting a rampaging opponent up close did not sit well with her.To conserve his SP, Linneaus only used his [Barrier] if he thought the attack couldn't be evaded. This ended up being quite often, as he was charged straight toward his opponent, but he also noted that her accuracy had decreased as she began to flee. With this, he was able to slow his own speed to a comfortable level, focusing on dodging and pressuring her rather than trying to close the distance as fast as possible.In this manner, a game akin to cat and mouse began to play out between Linneaus and the archer. She seemed to have realized what he was trying to do but, with a limited pool of SP and arrows, it was clear who would come out ahead. After all, if she slowed the momentum of her attack, Linneaus would be able to close the distance much faster. Her only option was to keep peppering him with attacks, hoping to break through his guard while trying to run out the clock.Neither Linneaus nor the woman knew what would happen if they ran out of time but, rather than get killed in a potentially brutal fashion, she was willing to take the risk. This was a bad matchup for her and, while it may seem petty, she would rather they both die than allow him to move on at her expense.Though he did not know what was going through the woman's mind, Linneaus saw the conviction in her eyes as he slowly but surely closed the distance. Now that he was much closer, he could see she had ruby-red eyes and fiery-red hair, matching well with her hide armor. He didn't know what kind of material was used in its construction, but it was the highest quality equipment he had ever seen in his life.What stood out the most to him, however, was the tiny green gemstone embedded in her forehead, allowing him to guess her race. After all, though there were rumored to be more than 1800 different tribes in Lumen, only four were known to have gemstones embedded on their foreheads.Rather than continue his pursuit, Linneaus slowed to a stop before adopting a stance focused on quick evasion as he shouted, "Are you a member of the Vulcan Tribe!?"Despite the fact she had heard the question, the woman didn't stop to chat with Linneaus. Instead, she used the opportunity to extend the gap between them, shooting arrows periodically to keep him from giving chase.Linneaus didn't blame the woman for her caution, despite the fact it was extremely annoying to be ignored. At the very least, he understood why she was able to have equipment and armor as, if she really was a member of the Vulcan Tribe, it was very likely she had the [Blacksmith] Blessing.The moment he heard about the test requirements, Linneaus had been somewhat confused as, if they were all required to battle to the death, what chance would people with support Blessings have against those with combat-oriented Blessings? If someone with the [Cooking] Blessing showed up in the Tower, the only outcome awaiting them during such trials was death.Now, seeing the woman wearing armor that had a uniform design, combined with a weapon that had a matching aesthetic, Linneaus assumed she had forged them herself. If the Tower took away her armaments, it wouldn't make sense why he was allowed to use his [Barrier Master]. With this in mind, Linneaus began to question the purpose of the current test, finding several gaps in the explanation that had been given...At no point in time had the voice ever said he needed to kill his opponent. Instead, it only required him to survive. Though there had been one part about failure and inevitable death, this was only if he failed to survive, which was an obvious outcome.Realizing the game that was being played, Linneaus decided to stop chasing the woman as he began to backpedal without turning his back to her. She seemed confused about his actions, to the point of coming to a stop, but that didn't stop her from periodically firing arrows at him.Now, with their roles having swapped somewhat, Linneaus was focused on outlasting her arrows as, with the passage of time, she placed more emphasis on empowering and aiming them than rapidly firing what remained in her quiver. Eventually, as all finite resources ought to, she would run out of arrows, leaving her with only a small dagger to protect herself.Eventually, when the woman was down to only five arrows, she stopped firing entirely. Linneaus was now more than 500m away from her so she could only pout while considering whether or not she should give chase this time. Ultimately, however, she decided to just sit down and recover her SP, albeit without dropping her guard.Though he was tempted to sit as well, Linneaus kept opening up an even greater distance between himself and the woman. This could be a death sentence for them both but, as his on SP had been reduced to less than half during the chase, he wasn't that likely to catch her. He could only trust in his instincts and hope his hunch paid off in the end as, if the first trial before even entering the Tower required you to take a life, this automatically reduced the number climbing to half.After nearly five kilometers, way outside the woman's presumed range, Linneaus also decided to take a rest and recuperate his SP. Even if his hunch proved correct, there was no guaranteeing that the First Floor wouldn't put him into another life and death situation. He knew that, at the very least, there were various monsters located on the Floors, even if their strength and ecology were complete mysteries to him...While Linneaus was resting in the distance, appearing as nothing more than a dot, even with her [Eagle Eye] Skill, the Vulcan woman released a tired sigh. She didn't have the confidence in being able to kill him before the time was up so, after forming the conviction to die together previously, it was hard to muster up any motivation.With nothing better to do while waiting for the time to run down, the woman began to perform maintenance on her equipment, a calming behavior she had adapted ever since acquiring her Blessing. At the same time, she thought back to the battle, wondering if there wasn't anything she could have done differently.Her biggest mistake seemed to be not putting more SP into her first attack but, with the flicker of light that had surrounded her opponent's body, combined with the panels he seemed to manifest out of thin air, it was easy to guess what his Blessing was. She could only lament at her misfortune of getting matched against her counter, as the [Barrier Master] Blessing was the bane of most ranged attackers, Mages included.Shaking her head to clear negative thoughts, which was surprisingly hard to do with the clock now ticking below five minutes, the Vulcan woman began to think about her opponent. He seemed quite a bit younger than her but, when he got close, she was honestly a little surprised. Though his body was even thinner than her own, his facial features made her feel a little jealous, especially with his piercing gold eyes and pale-blue hair. She wondered what Tribe he belonged to as, even while living inside the megacity, she had rarely seen such a unique combination of features...While she was lost in thought, the counter finally reached zero, startling her to awareness when a very loud buzzer echoed through the massive room. This caused not only her heart to tense up, but Linneaus' in the distance. Then, just as the sound began to die down, the same voice from before entered their ears, announcing, "Congratulations on surviving the first test! From here on out, you have now become Fledglings in the truest sense. We sincerely hope you learned something from this Trial~!"Without affording them any time to collect their thoughts or voice any complaints, the woman and Linneaus both vanished from the room. Moments later, even the arrows she had used vanished into nothingness as, about 500m from each other, two more figures appeared...

In what felt like the blink of an eye, Linnaeus found himself deposited in a strange land. Rather than the familiar ruined walls, foul smelly alleyways, and damp tunnels, he saw nothing but rich greens, earthen browns, and a few warmer colors such as orange and red as far as the eye could see.Though Linnaeus had heard about them before, this was his first time seeing trees and plants in real life, causing him to enter a temporary stupor as he looked down from his hilltop location, a 30m tall tree his only companion atop the peak.Just as before, the relative silence of the endless greenery was broken, this time by a melodic voice that sounded like a soft bell ringing in the ears, "Welcome to the First Floor, young Fledgling. Now that you have earned the right to climb, you must show that you have the ability to survive. Here, in this place, you will be required to earn a thousand points to advance to the next Floor. Note that all Fledglings start with a value of one-hundred points and, every complete cycle, you will be awarded an additional one-hundred. Whether you manage to earn enough points by surviving ten days, or through other means, is entirely up to you. Good luck, and may you one day soar freely through the Heavens~."With the voice still echoing in the surroundings, Linnaeus heard a small bell sound within his mind. He dutifully opened his Status to see there was now a value named Aether while, on the back of his left hand, a series of small runes had appeared, indicating the value for 100 in bright blue markings.Even without an explanation, Linnaeus realized this was a way in which other people would be able to identify the value of their potential targets. Though the voice hadn't told him to hunt down other Fledglings, it went out of its way to mention their value. Since it didn't mention other methods to obtain Aether, other than surviving for the requisite number of days, he knew it wouldn't be long before people began to hunt each other down.Rather than stand out in the open, Linnaeus quickly climbed into the canopy of the tree behind him to think about his next course of action. This ultimately ended up being a mistake, however, as, while the leaves were a refreshing sight to behold, they obstructed his view of the surroundings.After hesitating for a short while, he ultimately leaped down from the tree and began sprinting low to the ground, his destination a small waterfall in the distance. If he was going to survive, having a source of clean water and shelter were high priorities. He had no idea how the weather in the Tower behaved so if he failed to find a safe place to rest, his chances of survival would plummet greatly.Fortunately, though there was a complex network of trees, root systems, bushes, and rocks, Linneaus found it was surprisingly easy to navigate the terrain. His [Acrobatics] and [Stealth] seemed made for such environments so, with his SP recovery more than covering the cost, Linneaus kept his [Stealth] active as he moved almost soundlessly through the greenery.This ended up being a considerable boon as, after passing around a large moss-covered stone, he came across a monstrous creature that caused his brain to buzz with anxiety.Though he had known to expect monsters within the Tower, Linnaeus had never expected his first encounter to be against a giant snake-like creature. Its girth rivaled some of the surrounding trees and, being more than ten meters in length, it was a jarring sight to stumble across in his pursuit for water and shelter.After briefly considering whether he should fight or flee, Linnaeus decided on the former as, from what little he knew of snakes, they were extremely agile. This was also its home so, if he tried to just make a run for it, leaving his back to the creature, there was a good chance he would become its prey.Understanding there were even more powerful monsters in higher Floors, Linnaeus resolved himself as he skulked near the sunbathing creature. His goal was to get close to its head as, if he just struck the lower sections of the body, his attacks weren't likely to do much damage. He intuited that most of its important organs, such as the heart and lungs, were in the first few meters of its body.Though he did not know it at the time, Linnaeus was very fortunate in this particular encounter as, with his [Barrier Aura] significantly reducing his odor, the snake was virtually blind to his approach. This, combined with his [Stealth], allowed the youth to get within leaping distance of its head, all the while the snake just kept flickering its tongue without a care in the world.After getting close enough to feel the heat radiating from the monster's body, Linnaeus used nearly a thousand of his SP to make a super-dense spear of blue light using his [Barrier] magic. He was able to see the subtle pulsing of the snake's body, around 2m from its head. Though there were thicker scales surrounding the area, he was confident his attack would be able to pierce through, despite his lackluster Strength. This was due to his [Assassination] Skill guaranteeing his attack would do triple damage and cause the 'Severe Bleeding' status to his target.Without any hesitation, Linnaeus drove his makeshift spear forward, causing the snake's body to jerk like a whip that sent him flying hard and fast enough to crash through one of the surrounding trees. This caused his SP to decrease by close to 300 points but, as he was effectively immune to damage so long as his [Barrier Aura] held out, Linnaeus climbed to his feet moments later to see the snake continue its death throes.After seeing the amount of destruction caused by the violent movements, he suddenly began to feel it would be safer to create some distance between himself and the creature. It was producing a considerable amount of sound so, if there were others nearby, they may come to investigate the commotion.This ended up being the correct choice as, after vanishing into the underbrush, Linnaeus observed a duo appearing atop a nearby boulder. Like him, they were only wearing the peculiar bodysuits that had been assigned upon entry into the Tower, confirming his suspicions about the Vulcan woman.Though he could not hear what they were saying, the taller man amongst the pair, standing close to 200cm with a lean body covered in brownish-gray fur, pointed towards the snake's corpse as its movements began to slow. This caused his companion, a young boy with green hair that extended past his waist, tied neatly in a stylish braid, to release a tired sigh before jumping down. From this, it was clear to see the relationship between the two, especially with the larger man crossing his arms with a snide smile on his face.If his intuition proved correct, Linnaeus imagined that the fur-covered man was only teaming up with the weaker youth until he had enough points to harvest. By waiting five days, he would be able to finish the current test in one go, making it hard to place your trust in others since they may very well just kill you for the benefits involved.Since Linnaeus wasn't the type to risk his life for others, he just continued to hide in the brush until a small bell sounded in his mind, indicating he received 70 experience and 9 Aether. This caused his eyes to widen as, after reaching his current Level, it was difficult to get reliable experience. Suddenly getting 70 in one go, when he only needed 3300 for a full Level, caused his heart to begin beating rapidly in excitement.While keeping himself hidden, Linnaeus was also able to confirm how much Aether the two enemies had. They had both started cutting apart and placing a few of the easier to eat pieces of the snake into their Inventories, allowing him to catch a glimpse of their marks.Unsurprisingly, as only an hour or so had passed since his entry into the Floor, both men only had 100 Aether each. He didn't know if everyone started the test at the same time but, as it wouldn't really be fair otherwise, Linnaeus at least hoped this was the case.With this revelation, he couldn't really determine how strong the two were. Thus, without any other information to go on, he continued laying low, comforted by the periodic ding that indicated he was earning experience in his [Stealth] Ability, albeit only a point or two every minute that passed.Based on this trickle of experience, Linnaeus could deduce the approximate strength of the two but, as this was merely an assumption, he didn't act on it. He waited until they had harvested quite a bit of the harvest that should have been his before appearing nearly three hours later. Since there was a chance they could have been lying in wait for him, he waited until his SP had completely recovered before skulking around the area to confirm they had indeed left.After confirming that his surroundings were clear, Linnaeus harvested a few key pieces of the snake's meat before peeling off a few of the larger scales. The others had removed its fangs, eyes, and most of its more important organs, but there was still plenty of meat and materials to harvest.Though he should be annoyed to have his own prey robbed right in front of his nose, Linnaeus was actually in a great mood since he knew, for the first time in weeks, he would be eating meat for his next few meals. He even found some edible berries and fruits along the way, giving the former slum dweller the illusion he had wandered into a paradise.Now moving at a much slower and more cautious pace, for obvious reasons, Linnaeus was able to better observe his surroundings as he slowly trekked towards the waterfall. As he grew closer to the source, he began to move even slower as, with the sound of the water dropping into its basin, even people without [Stealth] would be able to mask their movements.With water being one of the most important resources for survival, there was a good chance that others, including the two he had previously encountered, had made camp around the area. Even if they hadn't, there were sure to be monsters that frequented the area to quench their thirst. Some could even be lurking in the depths of the basin, just waiting for someone foolish enough to near the embankment before claiming an easy meal.In the Tower, there were many unknowns so, until he had a better grasp of the situation, Linnaeus decided to treat even the surrounding plants with due respect. Though he didn't have to worry about getting nicked by a sharper-than-normal leaf, or pricked by a concealed thorn, it was better to be safe than sorry in situations like this. Caution was how slum-dwellers survived and, if not for this nature of his, surviving the five years since he received his Blessing would have been impossible.With this in mind, Linnaeus spent the remainder of the day simply hiding in the underbrush near the river that flowed from the waterfall's basin. He could go days without food or water so, rather than rush, it was his intention to observe the surroundings to see if others showed up.Because of his decision, Linnaeus was able to witness several people skulking out of the surrounding forest to get their fill. Some of these people were unfortunate enough to be attacked by others who had been waiting nearby, becoming the prey or preying on their attackers. He even saw one person, who seemed like she had only turned ten a few days prior, ripping a man three times her size in half before making short work of his two partners.Though you couldn't really judge a person's strength by their looks, Linnaeus had been shaken by the display as, despite her diminutive appearance, she was even stronger than Saht. She also had an extreme level of confidence as, after being covered in her enemy's blood, she spent a few minutes just relaxing in the river so that the blood could be washed from her body and the paper-thin armor they had all been assigned.During this display of complacency, someone tried throwing a sharpened piece of wood towards the girl, causing her to bat it out of the air as if she were squatting a fly. Moments later, blood-curdling screams could be heard from the forest after the girl leaped from the water and bolted toward her would-be assassin like a phantom. When she emerged to clean herself once again, none attempted to attack her, despite the fact she practically flaunted the 841 Aether in her possession...

Though his first reaction was to move into a combat stance, Linneaus quickly discovered that his body was completely immobilized. He could still breathe just fine but, as if a mountain was pressed against every centimeter of his body, even twitching his finger was an impossible feat.The only action Linneaus could perform in the present was looking up slightly as a solid white figure, more than five meters in height, stared down at him. It took a while for his brain to process what he was staring at but, once it hit him, Linneaus discovered he was allowed to speak as he muttered, "An owl..."As if to answer him, the owl showed a strangely human expression as it bent forward, beak nearly touching the bridge of Linneaus' nose as it corrected, "Lumen...my name is Lumen. I am no mere owl, Linneaus Finnian, son of Lairon Finnian and Marianne Vestille. No, I am something...more..."After saying its piece, the owl named Lumen rose to its full height, chest puffed out with pride as its pure white feathers ruffled. As for Linneaus, his neck was actually beginning to hurt as he was forced to stare directly at it, unable to even avert his eyes more than a fraction of their normal range.For several seconds, Lumen kept puffing out its chest, seemingly expecting some kind of response from the paralyzed youth. When none came, it cocked its head nearly 130 degrees, looking at him from a curious angle that caused Linneaus' neck to hurt even more.With a curious glimmer in its pure black eyes, not that Linneaus was able to discern this, Lumen continued to crane its head at an awkward angle before saying, "How strange. You are a very composed young man, all things considered. Do you truly not understand the significance of this place, I wonder~?"Accompanying this question, Linneaus suddenly found himself able to move but, due to the strain he had been experiencing, he immediately collapsed. This caused the giant owl to begin laughing in an amused tone, a mixture of human vocals and the characteristic sound of an owl. Despite the fact that Linneaus had never seen one before, Rebecca had taught all of them about its characteristics as part of their brief education.During the time it took Linneaus to recover, Lumen's head had twisted so far that it seemed to be on the verge of coming full circle. Then, much to his surprise, it did just that, causing Lumen to chuckle once again after seeing his surprise. It seemed to be enjoying itself quite a bit, causing Linneaus to feel a bit indignant as he asked, "What happened to Saht? My companion, the one-"Feeling his body tense up again, as if it was impossible to speak over the massive owl, Linneaus was forced to remain silent as it answered, "Ah, yes, the girl with the [Demonification] Blessing. She has quite the temper, hoohoohoohoo~."After laughing until it was satisfied, Lumen extended its wing, using its long flight feathers like Hume fingers as it drew a circle in the air. This created a portal of some sort that showed Linneaus back in the tunnels once again, his body moving so slowly that it felt like time had stopped. The image then changed to show the scene of a massacre but, instead of the familiar figure that had been a fixture in his life for years, he only saw a cloud of blue particles that were fading away much faster than the flow of time.As if to clear up the confusion, Lumen explained, "I would normally never do this but, as your earlier reaction was quite entertaining, I'll make an exception. You see, your young companion has already accepted my offer, though I had to deceive her a bit, hoohoohoo~."Just as Linneaus' rage began to build, the massive owl caused the scene in the portal to change, the image now reflecting its figure looked down on Saht. He couldn't hear what they were saying but, as the image began to fade away, he saw her nod before fading away into motes of light similar to the scene he had witnessed in the tunnels.When the portal faded away, Lumen once again loomed over him, this time stating in a guiding tone, "I am not called Lumen for no reason, young man. In fact, the ancient people's of the Planar World named it as such because of me. Now, do you understand where you are? Why you are in this place?"Feeling his body able to move again, Linneaus slouched a bit, his muscles aching painfully as his mind raced. Then, after turning to look up at the massive white owl, he asked, "Is this the inside of the Tower...?"The moment Linneaus asked his question, Lumen expanded its wings, creating a canopy of light that stretched more than fifteen meters as it exclaimed, "That is correct, hoohoohoo~!"Though he had deactivated his [Night Vision], Linneaus had to cover his eyes due to the brilliance of Lumen's wings. The light they produced was so potent that, even after closing his eyelids and using his hands to shield his eyes, he could still make out a red hue as it pierced through both forms of protection.Fortunately, Lumen closed its wings shortly thereafter, chuckling to itself once against as it peered at the blinded Linneaus, waiting for him to open his eyes once again. When the latter obliged, he gave the expected reaction, flinching to such an extent he nearly jumped to his feet.Despite the fact he was enjoying every moment of Linneaus' very innocent reactions, something you would never expect from a boy who had killed more than a thousand people, Lumen asked, "Tell me, Linneaus Finnian, do you desire the power to change your fate?"Hearing the question, Linneaus did his best to calm his breathing before asking, "If I refuse, I will die, won't I...?" To this, Luman craned its head before answering his question with one of its own, "Do you fear death?" Then, before Linneaus could answer, it added, "There are no guarantees in this world. If the future was determined, the Tower would have lost its meaning. Your life and death have always been in your hands, Linneaus Finnian. Even if you decide not to climb the Tower, you can continue living as you please, so long as you have the power to avoid the fate others have decided for you~"Linneaus couldn't help but swallow hard when he heard Lumen's response. He was fully aware of his situation in the outside as, before showing him what happened with Saht, the first scene showed a very large mace about to collide with his body.Though his [Barrier Aura] might protect him, it was nearly impossible for him to escape the encirclement. Since he had also heard Lumen's remark about tricking Saht, before showing the scene of her vanishing into motes of light, he assumed she had accepted his offer. She may even be expecting to reunite with him in the Tower, causing Linneaus to feel a dilemma as it seemed like the only choice he had was to continue struggling, or die...just as it had always been.Remembering his conviction as he tried to bury his daggers into the fiery-eyed man's body, Linneaus inhaled deeply through his nose before meeting Lumen's gaze once again. In truth, he didn't care about the Tower at all but. However, knowing this was the only chance he would have to reunite with Saht and one day return to the outside world, a resolute light shone in his eyes as he answered, "I'll go...I want the power to determine my own fate."With those final words, Linneaus' body vanished into motes of light, leaving Lumen staring into the spot he had previously occupied. He could actually read all of Linneaus' thoughts and, rather than his external reactions, the thing he found more interesting was the chaos in the young boy's mind. It was very rare to have a young fledgling more focused on leaving the Tower than rising to its peak. Despite this, his conviction was just as strong as many who had dedicated their entire lives just for a chance to climb, risking everything for power, wealth, and status.Turning his head skyward, not that there was anything to see in the endless void above, Lumen had a curious glint in his eyes as, rather than darkness, small motes of light, reminiscent of stars, began to shine within. There, if one were to look closely, an incalculable number of scenes played out as, despite his interest in Linneaus' peculiarity, he had a job to do. He was responsible for viewing the lives of every sentient creature on the Planar World's surface, determining if they were truly sought power, or if they were just another product of their society...---The moment Linneaus answered in the affirmative, he found himself standing in the middle of an empty room. All of the aches in his body faded away as a voice of indeterminate gender and origin echoed, "Welcome to the Incubator, young fledgling. Here, you will be evaluated to determine if you have the power and luck to truly begin your ascension. You will be awarded five minutes to prepare. After the end of the countdown, an opponent of equivalent Status will be assigned to you. Should you survive, you will be allowed entry into the First Floor. Failure means the end of your journey and inevitable death. Good luck, and may you one day soar amongst the Heavens."Without affording Linneaus the opportunity to ask any questions, a large timer began floating in the middle of the chamber, the dimensions of which seemed capable of fitting an entire district of the slums. He wasn't even sure he could make it to the other end within five minutes, much less make any kind of preparations.Though he was already aware of it, Linneaus looked down at his own body, confirming that all of his weapons and equipment were gone. His Inventory was also completely empty and, rather than the garb he had become accustomed to wearing, he now had some kind of skin-tight bodysuit as his only protection. This made him appear even more emaciated than normal, the outline of his ribs clearly visible through the peculiar dark-blue fabric.Since the room was completely empty, Linneaus intuited that the voice meant to prepare in some other way, if not suggesting he mentally prepare himself. Since he was now in the Tower, he figured the most obvious answer was to tweak his Status. After all, he had been at a bottleneck for a while now and, if not for the fact his extra attributes seemed to convert into Free Attribute points, there would have been no meaning in Leveling at all.With this in mind, Linneaus immediately tried to put a point into his Agility, causing a small bell to sound in his head as his eyes began to glimmer with expectation. He had wondered why the limit was 49 previously and, now that he had increased the value to 50, Linneaus had his answer. Not only had he been able to finally break the limit, he even earned a unique Skill related to the achievement.--------------------------------------[Fleet-Footed: LV1(0/100)]Passive: Increases Agility by 20%. (+2 Agi per Level)--------------------------------------Seeing the effect of the Skill, Linneaus had a wide grin on his face. It was now clear what the voice was referring to when it said to make preparations. He gave a quick look at the clock, surprised to find he was already down to less than three minutes. Though he had a small notion to save up a few of his Free Attribute points, that could be a mistake that costs him his life if his opponent went all out.With this in mind, Linneaus' mind raced before he decided to put a point into each attribute, wanting to take advantage of the bonus. It was fortunate that he had enough wherewithal to prioritize the attributes that increase his proficiency with his Blessing as, after placing a point into Intelligence and Wisdom, he no longer received any bonus.This had caused him to blank for a moment and, though it was a bit foolish in hindsight, put an extra point into Dexterity. Since even this gave him nothing, Linneaus hesitated for a short moment before confirming his suspicions. He brought his Constitution and Strength to 50 as well. This allowed him to ascertain that the bonuses were limited to the first three attributes, either as a result of a natural limitation or some other restriction. Fortunately, the choices he had made were the most beneficial to him as, if he had unlocked the bonuses for Strength and Constitution instead, he could have undermined his future progress considerably...--------------------------------------[Magus: LV1(0/100)]Passive: Increases Intelligence by 20%. (+2 Int per Level)[Resilient Mind: LV1(0/100)]Passive: Increases Wisdom by 20%. (+2 Wis per Level)--------------------------------------

Chapter 14: Trial