Babel

After waiting for night to settle upon the land, bringing with it a familiar chill, Linnaeus finally made his move. With his [Night Vision] and [Stealth], he was confident in being able to avoid detection, allowing him to creep to the water's edge and drink his fill before vanishing into the darkness once again.Now that he had the cover of darkness, it was time for him to take action, just as he had been doing for the past five years.Though he never enjoyed the act of killing, Linnaeus had become somewhat numb to it and, if it was to preserve his life, and the lives of those he cared about, he would not hesitate. The only reason he had given up his pursuit of the Vulcan woman was largely due to his hunch, even if the main reason was due to his diminishing SP reserves.This time around, Linnaeus' reserves were completely filled and, with others less acclimated to the darkness than himself, the night was his playground. Since there were even a few lights within the forest, indicating the presence of campfires, his shadows blended into the surroundings even more than normal.Despite the apparent foolishness of some, as creating a fire was like painting a target upon yourself, Linnaeus knew that the training in the megacity should have prepared them for such things. With this in mind, he crept slowly towards the closest encampment and, as expected, discovered a tripwire that had been set in the surroundings.Unlike slum dwellers, who generally spent their days just trying to survive, the megacity, Heart, had a comprehensive education system for rearing potential climbers. He knew there would even be some who had powerful Titles and various other benefits from belonging to Organizations their entire life. The small child-like girl that had appeared previously was the best indicator of this, making it very clear they weren't on a level playing field from the start.Fortunately, as there were likely benefits from completing the tests earlier, Fledglings like the girl were rare encounters. They would quickly move on to the next Floor after defeating their enemies, removing the vast majority of such individuals from the survival competition.Because of this, Linnaeus was confident in sneaking up on others, especially if they had formed groups. Though there were no guarantees, it could be assumed that anyone seeking the company of others at this stage didn't have absolute confidence in their own power. Just as Vagrants would flock together to avoid getting picked off by Enforcers, it was guaranteed that the weak would seek solace in greater numbers.Though he knew it would be necessary to team up with others at later Floors, as the Party System was common knowledge, Linnaeus felt he would cripple himself by trying to fit in with a group of strangers before he had a better understanding of the Tower's structure and tests. He didn't want to take orders from others, nor did he intend to put his life at risk to protect people that were just as likely to backstab him as come to his aid.With this in mind, Linnaeus carefully circled the area, knowing there had to be an escape path where fewer, or no, traps were located. He didn't have the confidence in disarming a trap, as he didn't have the requisite Skill, so it was best to just avoid them as much as possible.After completing his rounds, Linnaeus found three different routes towards the fire's light but, rather than make his way closer, he retreated to find a better vantage. It was still early in the evening so there was a good chance his targets were still awake. After all, they had all just entered the Tower so, if they were anything like him, it may not even be possible to sleep during the first night.Just like casing a business or target to rob, Linnaeus spent several hours just observing the camp, waiting until the fire began to dim down before he made his move. Since the odds of anyone letting their fire burn out were slim in such situations, he could interpret the dwindling light as a sign his quarry was dozing off.Without hurrying his pace, Linnaeus continued to inspect the area. He was looking for any signs that other traps had been set without his notice. If he had the [Trap Setting] and [Trap Disarming] Skills, he would check the traps periodically before changing their location. After all, if someone tampered with the traps before staging a surprise attack, the only person you could blame for such oversights was yourself.Unfortunately for his opponents, they hadn't followed this logic so, after skulking at a snail's pace for nearly an hour, Linnaeus approached the campsite. There, he found three people, two of whom were huddled together with some kind of strange furs covering their body while, at the campfire, a man was dozing off with his head and shoulders slouched.Linnaeus couldn't shake the feeling he was walking into a trap as, at a glance, this group seemed like incredibly easy prey. However, even after watching for twenty minutes, the only change was the man waking up and panicking slightly when he noticed the state of the fire. He quickly fed more tinder to feed the flames before looking around the area nervously.Seeing that the man would periodically glance at the two presumably sleeping figures, it didn't take a brilliant mind to understand he was the weakest in the group. They had likely forced him to keep watch over the first while they rested. There was even a chance they planned to kill him after waking, as his sleep-deprivation would make him a poor ally to rely on during an emergency.What genuinely surprised Linnaeus was the fact that the man was even tired as, if their experiences were the same, it hadn't even been twenty-four hours since his entrance into the Tower. The average slum dweller could go several days without sleep, often without anything but water to sustain them. This meant the man was either wholly unprepared for ascending the Tower or, for reasons he had not been privy to, expended a large amount of stamina during the day.Despite his doubts, Linnaeus didn't take any action to expose himself as, without proper knowledge of the enemy, he could just be walking ignorantly into his death. Instead, he remained hidden and, after the man began to doze off again, began using his [Steal] to systematically clear the opponents' Inventories. He also wanted to see if it was possible to loot the bodysuits they had all been given as his own took up the body and leg slots of his equipment screen, meaning there was a small chance if he continued trying.After more than an hour, the only success Linnaeus had was looting a bunch of different types of meat and a few materials that had likely been harvested from monsters. One of the targets gave him a whopping 3 experience per attempt so he had gotten a little carried away, nearly increasing his [Steal] to Level 28 in the process.Unfortunately, despite a concerted effort, he wasn't able to loot any of the three's equipment. This meant it was either impossible or, as was more likely the case, they simply had higher Luck than him. As the success rate of stealing equipment was heavily dependent on the Luck values of both parties, the maximum success rate could be as low as 1% in some instances.What annoyed Linnaeus the most was that he hadn't been able to loot the wires they had used to create the various traps littering the area. This meant they likely didn't keep it in their Inventory so his only option was to either try and disassemble the surrounding traps or give up on obtaining any.Ultimately, Linnaeus decided against attempting to disarm the traps as, with the presence of the wires, he could intuit that one of the three had a Blessing related to trap making. After all, it would be impossible to acquire the materials otherwise, unless they had somehow found a monster that could provide materials to make their own wires.Deciding to err on the side of caution, Linnaeus retreated a fair distance from the encampment before climbing a tree that gave him a slight vantage on the site. He couldn't really see well but he was still within earshot of the three people. If anything happened, such as another party attacking them, he might be able to reap benefits without exposing himself outright.In this manner, Linnaeus allowed himself to get a bit of shut-eye, albeit sleeping so lightly that even the occasional rustle of leaves would awaken him. Like this, he waited until just before sunrise, when visibility was the lowest, before something finally happened.Awakening him from his light slumber, Linnaeus her to high-pitched sound of a woman screaming from the direction of the encampment. He could hear her rebuking the man after finding him asleep at his post, followed by the sound of a small explosion.Since this was closer to his position than he'd like, Linneaus slipped down the opposite side of the tree without investigating what had happened. This ended up being the correct choice as, moments later, a battle broke out in the area after another group decided to use the chaos to launch their own ambush.Linnaeus waited until the sounds of combat had ceased entirely before skulking his way forward once again, his [Stealth] and diminutive stature allowing him to move unobserved through the underbrush. When he reached a vantage that allowed him to see into the clearing, he saw two girls surrounded by five corpses, four males and one female. This included the man who had been forced to keep watch, even if it was hard to be certain since his entire upper body was now missing.Unaware of the fact they were being observed, the taller of the two women, standing at 165cm and garbed in a dark-red bodysuit, kicked one of the corpses as she complained, "These bastards really have no class! Treating me like some sheep just waiting to be slaughtered! Haa!"At the end of her outburst, the woman snapped her fingers towards one of the corpses, causing a burst of flames to erupt in the form of a small explosion. This caused the much smaller girl at her side to flinch, her two elongated ears drooping pathetically before hiding behind her explosive companion.Though it was apparent the woman wanted to explore the other corpses, she at least pretended to calm down as she pat the smaller girl's head, saying in a soft tone, "Don't worry, Shuri, all the bad people are gone now~" This caused the girl named Shuri to nod her head in agreement, despite the fact she was clearly still afraid.From his vantage point, Linnaeus was able to observe the two closely, identifying the brown-haired woman, with her sharp and intelligent features, as a member of the Saxon tribe. As for the petite girl with light-purple hair, adorned with two long white ears and a bushy tail poking out of her backside, she was clearly a member of the Lori tribe, known for their rabbit-like features.Upon realizing this, Linnaeus had solidified his [Barrier Aura] as, while the Lori tribe were known for their exceptional hearing, they also had extremely sensitive noses. Fortunately, perhaps due to her fear, she didn't seem to be completely aware of her surroundings. The last thing he needed was the explosive woman deciding he was her next lackey so, without wasting any time, he began to retreat into the underbrush, vanishing into the morning twilight...What Linnaeus didn't know was, rather than overlook him, the Lori tribe woman simply didn't want to fight. She also knew that her companion had used up a lot of her SP so, even though she had smelled Linnaeus' arrival, she kept silent while hoping he would leave them alone. However, when he did begin his retreat, she couldn't help looking in his direction and releasing a sigh, something which hadn't gone unnoticed by her companion.

Sometimes, despite due caution given, trouble went out of its way to come looking for you. This was one of the earliest lessons he could recall as a Street Urchin and, over the years, Linnaeus had come to believe this was an inherent truth in the world.Just as he had been preparing to turn tail and vanish into the dense forest, Linnaeus felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end as his [Sense Danger] screamed at him to evade.Unfortunately, there were some things in life that were simply unavoidable and, though he had years of experience against foes more powerful than himself, Linnaeus soon learned of the gulf denoting those born in the slums and those born in prestigious families.While rolling low to the ground to evade whatever had set off his [Sense Danger], Linnaeus found himself face-to-foot with a set of delicate toes. He didn't have time to really think about the strange incongruity he was experiencing, however, as the next moment marked his voyage through the sky and his inevitable reunion with the unforgiving ground several meters from his starting location.Though it had a simple kick, Linnaeus noted that his SP had decreased by nearly 700 points after he slammed into the ground. Fortunately, he felt no pain due to his [Barrier Aura], allowing him to roll to his feet as he habitually reached for a dagger that hadn't been there since entering the Tower.Rather than turn his back to an enemy that seemed much faster than him, Linnaeus hardened his expression as a young woman with brown-hair and predatory eyes lazily walked through the brush separating them. Her expression told him that she would pounce the moment he turned her back so his mind was racing to come up with a method of defeating this explosive woman in the shortest amount of time.Instead of pressing the attack, the woman was evaluating her enemy based on their first contact. By looking toward his legs, she could see the grass and shrubbery brushing against a nearly invisible blue membrane, causing her to ask, "You are a Barrier Mas-"The moment the woman tried to ask her question, Linnaeus decided to take advantage of the gap in a person's mind when changing from offense to dialogue. This seemed to catch her by surprise but this was nothing compared to the shock she experienced when trying to open distance, only to find a barrier had been erected behind her calves.At the same time that the woman lost her balance, Linnaeus was practically on top of her as he used a second [Barrier], this time shaping it into a pointed rod. When she had attacked him previously, her health bar had become visible to him and, though she was putting on a strong front, he noticed that more than half of it was missing. Assuming that her SP was even lower, he decided to gamble his all on a surprise attack, feeling it was the only way out of his current predicament.To her credit, the woman reacted very quickly to her unexpected appointment with the ground but, as Linnaeus was far more experience with using his barriers than she was countering them, the only thing she got for her trouble was trying to roll back, only to find another barrier preventing her legs from following the movement.This gave Linnaeus enough time to stab his makeshift dagger toward her face, earning a surprised look from the woman as the pale-blue point neared her forehead. At that very moment, her survival instincts kicked into overdrive and, though it was at point-blank range, she unhesitantly used her [Explosion Affinity] between the gap in their bodies.The very tip of Linnaeus' dagger pricked the woman's forehead but, without being able to drive it forward, a powerful force suddenly erupted near his gut, sending him flying backward. This time around, however, he only lost 217 SP, clearly due to the woman's fear of killing herself with her own Blessing.After another hard landing, Linnaeus bounded to his feet once again, his heart beating rapidly as adrenaline pumped through his system. He could see the woman shakily climbing to her feet, a small trickle of blood coming from her forehead as she used her left arm to hug her exposed and severely burned midriff.Linnaeus felt that he wouldn't be able to close the distance in time as, with a vengeful expression on her face, the woman had already extended her right hand in a snapping gesture. He suddenly felt a source of heat to the left of his head, followed by a small explosion that knocked him off balance and completely halted his momentum.At nearly the exact moment that his vision had blurred due to the explosion, despite it dealing very little damage to him, Linnaeus felt a far more powerful attack slam into his [Barrier Aura], courtesy of the woman's foot. She clearly didn't have much SP to use her Blessing or she wouldn't be relying on physical attacks when her health was already blinking red.Rolling with the kick that shaved off another 580 of his SP, bringing his reserves dangerously low, Linnaeus made the dangerous decision of deactivating his [Barrier Aura]. Her attacks were powerful but he believed he could take at least one of them, lulling her into a false sense of security since she would assume he was also out of SP.Though her speed was greatly reduced, the woman had just as much adrenaline pumping through her veins, allowing her to ignore the pain she was in as she pursued him like a predator pouncing on its prey. This earned Linnaeus a hard punch to his left cheek, causing his body to spin on the spot as he attempted to use the momentum to kick at her already injured abdomen.Seeing her quarry's health drop by nearly a fifth in one go, the woman had a murderous glint in her eyes as she shouted, "Oh, you're so fucked now...!" Unfortunately, this outburst only earned her a kick to the abdomen, causing tears to well up in her eyes as she groaned in pain.Despite wanting to press the attack, Linnaeus felt like his brain was rattling around in his head so it was hard to even see straight, much less stand. He did his best to retreat in the direction he thought was away from the woman while erecting a thin, wispy, barrier between them.Gritting her teeth to the point her gums were on the verge of bleeding, the woman punched the barrier separating her and Linnaeus, shattering it like glass. She wasn't going to let him run away and recover, especially after all of the pain and suffering he had put her through.Just as his vision began to clear up, Linnaeus saw the visage of a woman out for blood already within range as she reached out with her right hand to try and grab his throat. By pure instinct, he activated his [Barrier Aura] and [Enhance], protecting his body and increasing his Strength attribute by 15% in nearly the same instant.Shocked to find her attempt to snap Linnaeus' neck blocked by a blue membrane, the woman didn't have the time to form any other thoughts as a very painful thud resonated through her body. Even if his Strength was a comparably meager 57.5, it was enough when she was already severely injured.Though the woman had failed to grab his neck, Linnaeus was still pushed back by the momentum. This allowed him to see her drop to the ground, tears well in her eyes as she hugged her stomach and did her best to resist the pain. At this point, her health was dangerously low, allowing almost any stray attack to take her out.Seeing the 544 points on the back of the woman's hand, Linnaeus was momentarily overwhelmed by greed but, just as he resolved himself to finish her off, a petite figure with light-purple hair dashed out from the brush before standing in front of the Saxon woman, shouting, "Please, stop!" with tears in her eyes.With how fas the Lori woman was able to move, Linnaeus decided against trying to outmaneuver her and finish off the woman. Though she seemed like a frail maiden at a glance, he wasn't confident he would be able to hit her at all with that kind of speed. Even if he could finish off his target, there was a very good chance he would follow shortly after.Ignoring every fiber of his being telling him to try and finish off the duo before it came back to bite him, Linnaeus furrowed his brows deeply as he icily stated, "She was the one to attack me. Even if I let her go, do you think she would show me the same mercy?"Though he hadn't seriously expected her to consider his words, Linnaeus was surprised when the Lori girl began to fluster, her ears drooping pathetically as she stammered, "T-That m-might be the c-c-case...b-b-but...!"At this point, the girl might not even be able to see clearly with how watery her eyes were, giving Linnaeus the urge to go on the offensive while she was confused. However, with her small size and stammering, only a distant voice in the deepest recesses of his mind urged him to kill her.Until now, Linnaeus had never proactively killed another person and had largely justified his actions as self-defense. If he unceremoniously cut down a crying girl who had never wronged him, he didn't think he would be able to show his face to his sister and Rebecca. Though Saht would probably stay with him, there wasn't even a guarantee they would be able to reunite in the future...Feeling a powerful melancholy suddenly well up inside his heart, Linnaeus shook his head in far more than mild exasperation. He then pulled out a makeshift satchel, formed from a giant leaf, and threw it towards the skittish girl. After that, he did his best to ignore the aching pain in his jaw as he turned around and fled into the dense underbrush.Though she was skeptical to probe the contents of the bundled leaf, knowing full-well it could be a trap, the Lori girl eventually picked up the aroma of herbs and fresh fruits with her sensitive nose. After this, she quickly placed the bundle into her own Inventory which, after waking up earlier in the day, had been completely empty.Despite knowing the boy had probably fled far away by now, she gave a courteous bow toward the direction he had retreated. She also wanted to call out but, knowing there may very well be more enemies nearby, she managed to resist the urge. Instead, she pulled the unconscious Saxon woman into some thick brush coverage before producing strings from her fingertips.In truth, while she did have some experience with making traps, her Blessing was actually [String Manipulation]. This allowed her to produce string and wire of various different strengths and, within a range of 50m, manipulate it freely. If Linnaeus had touched the triplines she had set out the night before, it would have immediately alerted her to his presence. Other than that, the wires served no other purpose as, despite being labeled as a prodigy by her family, she hated hurting others.Using her strings, the Lori girl made a cacoon of sorts by pulling together the sections of the shrub that would expose them. She then pulled out the bundle left behind by the peculiar blue-haired boy, opening it to reveal a few apples and several smaller bundles of wrapped herbs. These would be very important for her companion's recovery as, without food and medicine, the 'Critical Health' status would eventually result in death.Without wasting any time, she began to manually chew the bitter herbs, lamenting the lack of a pestle, mortar, and water. Though she could head to the nearby river to obtain some, this could potentially end in tragedy for both of them. Thus, with no better alternative, she could only use her own saliva moisten the herbs before placing them against the burned section of skin. After that, she did the same with the fruit, chewing them to a paste before lifting the Saxon woman's head and feeding her mouth-to-mouth.Food was one of the most readily accessible methods of recovering health as it provided a small bonus to health regeneration based on the nutritional value of the food. The apples weren't exactly the best option for a quick recovery but, with each small gulp, the Saxon woman's health gradually increased. Seeing this, the Lori girl felt greatly relieved while, unbeknownst to her, as he had made a concerted effort to move downwind, Linnaeus struggled with his decision while attentively watching the bush...

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...

Chapter 16: Caution