Babel

As Linnaeus slowly freed himself from the darkness of unconsciousness, the first thing he noticed was the throbbing pain in his temples. He could feel the veins pulse in the same rhythm as his heartbeat while, at the back of his head, a deep and painful ache radiated through his sluggish mind.Peeling his eyes open a minimal amount, Linnaeus noticed that his body was held down by a pile of stones that slowly ate away at his SP reserves while, at his side, a particularly bored-looked girl sat in a thuggish manner as she tossed a stone up and down. Her presence stirred his mind to awareness, bringing a fresh wave of pain as the memories preceding his collapse came rushing back.Though Linnaeus had managed to restrain his pained groan, the twitching of his face hadn't gone unnoticed by the girl who, realizing he was awake, stated in a dull tone, "If you're going to pretend to be asleep...I can help make sure you never have to worry about waking again..."As she spoke, the girl began piling on a few more stones, weighing down Linnaeus' body, causing his SP to flatline in an instant. It became clear she had been testing his resistance as he slept, ensuring he was always on the verge of having no SP to support his [Barrier Aura].Realizing the situation he was in, Linnaeus felt a sour feeling in his nose but, resisting the pain and pressure against his chest, he stated through gritted teeth, "Just...do it...already...I won't...entertain you..."In spite of his words, the girl immediately began laughing in response as she began pulling away a few of the stones, easing the pressure against his chest without restoring his mobility. When his SP recovered a bit, his [Barrier Aura] removed the pressure entirely, albeit at the cost of eating as his reserves with each second that passed.After observing the color and fragmenting of Linnaeus' [Barrier Aura], the girl piled on a few extra stones so that the rate of depletion and regeneration were about the same. Then, with an amused smile on her face, she asked, "Why did you enter the Tower? I don't understand how someone so weak believed they had any chance of climbing to the peak..."Though it was hard to form any coherent thoughts with his SP constantly on the verge of depletion, Linnaeus tried to reason as to why the girl bothered questioning him. He first thought that she just wanted to torment him before finishing him off but, seeing the curiosity in her gaze, this didn't seem to be the case.Deciding to gamble, Linnaeus clenched his jaw a few times, flexing the muscles before answering, "I wanted the power...to control my fate...to reunite with the people I love..." As he said these words, a few of the tears Linnaeus had been holding back managed to free themselves from his moist eyes. With his hands also buried beneath a few flat stones, there wasn't anything he could do to hide the proof of his shame, exacerbating the bitter feelings welling up in his heart.Hearing Linnaeus' answer, the girl's face immediately formed into a frown. For a brief moment, she even felt a little guilty for putting the beautiful boy into this situation as, compared to the average Fledgling, he very clearly didn't want to be here. Unless the people he mentioned were inside of the Tower, his words indicated he actually wanted to leave it, not ascend to its heights. This bothered her more than she had expected as, accompanying her conflicted thoughts, she suddenly felt a lot like the people who had suppressed her for years.Since speculating would get her nowhere, the girl asked, "Where are the people you love...? Are they already in the Tower...?"After blinking in confusion a few times, Linnaeus took a few deep breaths before answering, "I am an orphan from the slums...my sister obtained the [Healer] Blessing so she was taken to the megacity...I just wanted to see her one last time...to make sure she was okay..."This time, the girl immediately sighed after hearing Linnaeus' words before commenting in the same dull tone as before, "You are kind of pathetic...really..."Despite saying harsh words, the girl was also thinking about the kind of life that Linnaeus must have lived. She was familiar with both the slums and orphans but, while her own life had been particularly shitty at times, there were many people to support her. She had tens of siblings and a mother who cared for her deeply, despite her somewhat sadistic and brash personality...Shaking her head to clear away idle thoughts, the girl focused her attention back on Linnaeus' face, saying, "Though you are weak, you have some potential use as a Thief, Scout, or Support Class. Show me your Status. If you aren't beyond salvation, I will allow you to Party up with me, at least until you become a liability."Though he was tempted to give in, Linnaeus ultimately shook his head before stating in a firm tone, "I will not become someone's lackey...even if I'm weak, I have my pride...there would be no point in returning if I couldn't even look my sister in the eye..."Hearing Linnaeus' response, the girl frowned once again before saying in a somewhat icy tone, "You should choose your words wisely...I never said anything about making you into a lackey. At this rate, I really will kill you though..." Though this was actually a lie, as she had thought about using him as a gopher and having him take care of all the menial chores, her mind had changed when she suddenly felt comparable to the very people she hated.Rather than respond to the girl's icy words, Linnaeus remained silent for several long seconds before exhaling loudly through his nose and displaying his Status. While it might be an important secret, it wouldn't really matter if he showed it to another person prior to his death. She was strong enough to take his life at any moment so, rather than dig himself into a deeper hole, he decided to relent...at least for the time being.Upon seeing Linnaeus' Status, the girl was once again surprised, this time for a variety of reasons. The first thing she noticed was that his attributes were much lower than expected but, while his foundation wasn't very stable, it was clear that he had put in the effort to master his Blessing. What stood out the most, however, was the fact he was floating Free Attribute points, causing her to ask in an incredulous voice, "Do you...not know about boons...?"Though much of the information about the Tower couldn't be discussed, the information about the Status board had always been freely shared. Because of this, the children of the megacity, especially those born in the Eight Heavenly Families, received an education that allowed them to exploit a few of the more important aspects of their Status. This included things like selecting appropriate Skills for the path you wished to follow, greatly increasing your attribute scaling. Far more important than even this, however, was selecting the appropriate boons.Boons were awarded every time a person broke through a certain threshold in regard to their base attribute values. These became available once you reached an attribute value of 50, 100, 200, and 500 points. After breaking through these thresholds, you would acquire progressively stronger boons, each serving as the foundation for the path you had chosen. Though Linnaeus had selected his first three boons, the fact he had 16 Free Attributes meant he could have broken through the second threshold, greatly increasing his power and strengthening his foundation.Since he really didn't know what she was talking about, Linnaeus furrowed his brows slightly before muttering, "The slums doesn't have an education system...we're forced to survive on the streets from a very young age, stealing for a pittance and suffering daily beatings...even eating was a luxury..."Hearing Linnaeus' excuse, the girl couldn't help but frown, despite the fact he seemed to be telling the truth. However, when she saw how emaciated his body was and how short he was for a boy of fifteen, she decided not to comment. Instead, she began explaining how boons worked and, to his credit, Linnaeus listened very attentively without interrupting her a single time.Even before the girl had finished her explanation, Linnaeus increased the value of his Intelligence to 100, earning the boon [Wizard]. This not only greatly increased his SP reserves, but it provided a substantial boost to his bonus Int. Upon leveling up, he would even gain an additional +3 Int per Level, meaning he would be earning +5 Int just from boons alone.Fortunately, though he had sneakily increased his attributes, Linnaeus had been able to follow along with what the girl was explaining. From her, he knew it was possible to earn three boons every time you broke through a threshold. He could also earn the more powerful boons for a certain attribute, even if he didn't specialize in it early on.According to the girl, many people invested at least one of their boons in each attribute, the most important of which was Constitution. This attribute not only increased your health, but it also staved off things like hunger, greatly increased your lifespan, and even allowed you to survive without oxygen if your regen outpaced the depletion. Because of these reasons, most people invested at least two of their boons towards Constitution early on as the additional Con per Level was extremely important.Linnaeus felt he could avoid following this logic, as his [Barrier Aura] could supplement for his frailty. However, after having his barrier shattered so easily by the mysterious girl, he knew at least one of his boons should go towards it. Unfortunately, he would need 50 additional Constitution to reach this threshold as he had missed the chance to invest in it early on. He imagined this was why most people invested their first boon into Constitution as, due to his lack of foresight, he would now have to invest a large number of Free Attributes towards an attribute he hadn't really relied on before.Despite feeling a little annoyed, Linnaeus was still grateful for the information provided by the girl and, though she had nearly killed him previously, he felt she wasn't so bad. At the very least, she had a thoughtful side to her, even if it was hidden beneath layers of murderous intent and a few sadistic tendencies. Though this might have deterred most people, Linnaeus had grown accustomed to the rather brutal actions of Saht so, while he didn't this girl at all, she seemed significantly less scary than before.Seeing Linnaeus suddenly relax, the girl perked up her brows slightly but, rather than ask what he was thinking, she instead focused her mind and sent a Party invitation to him. This had taken him by surprise but, rather than refuse a second time, Linnaeus quickly accepted before she could retract the offer. At the very least, he wouldn't have to worry about her killing and backstabbing him while they were in a Party as, if you killed an ally, you would lose the ability to Party with others for the rest of your life. It also allowed them to remotely view each other's Status, though this was an option that had to be approved by the Party Leader which, in this case, wasn't him.Seemingly understanding what Linnaeus was thinking, the girl adopted a slightly predatory smile as a small ding sounded within his mind. When he saw the secondary screen of information, Linnaeus couldn't help but gawk, his mouth and eyes both wide open as a result of his shock. He now had a very clear understanding of where he stood among his peers and, though Ryuuna might be quite a bit stronger than most, she was exponentially stronger than him...----------------------------------------[Status]Name: Ryuuna FlaskbrandTitle: Vicious Raptor(+3 Str, +3 Con, +2 Agi per Level)Race: DwelfAge: 17Gender: FemaleLevel: 26(3719/4800)Health: 6648/6648Soul Power: 1090/1090Strength: 129+82.4Constitution: 111+76.6Agility: 105+63Dexterity: 66Intelligence: 51Wisdom: 54Spirit: 58Charisma: 19Luck: 26Free Attributes: 0Skills: [Kinu Comprehension:(-)], [*Aura Master:LV52*], [Brute:LV11], [Herculean Strength:LV7], [Healthy:LV8], [Vital Spirit:LV5], [Fleet-Footed:LV14], [Heroic Spirit:LV6], [Sense Danger:LV41], [Martial Arts:LV51], [Crafting:LV39], [Bartering:LV18], [Acrobatics:LV51], [Flexible Body:LV44], [Footwork:LV48], [Iron Stomach:LV50], [Pain Tolerance:LV50], [Abnormal Status Resistance:LV38], [Perception:LV41]Abilities: [Strength Amplification:LV50], [Body Hardening:LV50], [Aura Pulse:LV51], [Aura Blade:LV51], [Dragon's Horn:LV18]Magic: [Enhance:LV50]----------------------------------------(A/N: AUX chapter for Skills/Abilities/Magic has been updated.)

Shortly after Linnaeus and Ryuuna formed their Party, a jovial voice disturbed the silence, stating, "It seems the two of you are the final Fledglings left on this Floor. I'm honestly a little surprised that the lowest-ranked Fledgling was able to form a team with someone. I wonder if this is perhaps fate...or maybe just youth~?"In response to its own musings, the voice began to laugh uninhibitedly for several seconds, causing Ryuuna to furrow her brows as she knew what it was trying to imply. She knew better than to retort, however, as there were no benefits to antagonizing one of the god-like Floor Guardians.Unfortunately, she very quickly wished she had said something as, taking their silence as admission, the voice mused, "Well, everyone has their own motivations for climbing the Tower. I look forward to seeing how far this budding love takes you~."The moment the voice finished its statement, Linnaeus and Ryuuna both heard a ding within their minds. A congratulatory message flashed across their eyes but, rather than read the text, Ryuuna's eyes looked toward her Title slot before spontaneously kicking Linnaeus with enough force to send him flying into the adjacent wall. Before he made contact, however, they both vanished from the Second Floor as a sonorous laugh echoed in the surroundings.---With the transfer arresting all of his previous momentum, Linnaeus felt onto the relatively soft grass without sustaining any injuries. In the next moment, however, the petite Ryuuna had appeared at his side, her hand grasping around his neck as she venomously stated, "I swear, if you get any ideas or try to flaunt this to other people, I will fucking flay you."Though he understood why she was upset, Linnaeus felt indignant that she felt the need to blame him for something he had no control over. If not for his [Barrier Aura], which was rapidly draining his SP, he wouldn't have even been able to answer her. Still, as he didn't intend to die just yet, he grit his teeth before ultimately stating, "I...understand..."After hearing Linnaeus' response, Ryuuna snorted through her nose before finally releasing her hold on his neck. She began to look around the area which, much like the First Floor, was filled with trees, plants, and a few discernible signs of life. The biggest difference was that the temperature was much lower but, with the bodysuits they were provided giving resistance to both heat and cold, this didn't affect either of them.While his vicious companion was looking around the area, making an obvious effort to ignore him, Linnaeus rubbed his neck in frustration while looking at his Status. There, rather than the Sheepish Fledgling Title, he had gained the even more troubling Love Bird Title. It was a paired Title that he shared with Ryuuna that granted an increase in Spirit, Charisma, and, of all things, Luck. If not for these significant boons, he imagined that Ryuuna very well might have killed him...------------------------------------Title: Love Bird(+3 Spi, +2 Cha, +1 Luk per Level while in the same party as other Love Birds)------------------------------------With Spirit, Charisma, and Luck being attributes that were impossible to spec into, even Ryuuna could only grit her teeth and accept the libelous Title. Still, Linnaeus knew it would be necessary to watch how he acts around her as, depending on her mood, it could result in a significant amount of pain for him.By the time Linnaeus was rising to his feet, the deep voice of a man began to resonate through the surroundings, stating, "Welcome to the Third Floor, Fledglings. My test focuses on endurance and survival skills. Should you desire, it is possible to move onto the next Floor by simply announcing that you, or your Party, has given up. There are no penalties for moving to the Fourth Floor and, if you are early enough, it will give you ample time to prepare for your next test. However, you will also forfeit your right to earn additional Aether, meaning you may very well find yourselves stranded on the Fourth Floor as people continue to undergo the Third's test. As for the test itself, you need only survive for as long as possible. This will be easy at first but, with each passing day, the monsters and environment will become increasingly harsh. Now, without further ado...Good luck, and may you one day soar through the Heavens!"When the voice faded, Ryuuna snorted through her nose before muttering a few harsh words under her breath. Then, turning back to Linnaeus, she said in a firm tone, "My goal is to eliminate as much of the competition as possible. I will entrust setting camp and gathering resources to you. Do your best to lay low and survive until I return." Then, without waiting for his response, she vanished like a phantom into the woods, leaving Linnaeus shaking his head in exasperation.With the difference in their social status, Level, attributes, and overall capabilities, Linnaeus didn't delude himself into thinking Ryuuna would listen to him. The best course of action for him was to look for shelter and, if possible, find a place where other Fledglings wouldn't be able to reach. He needed to continue strengthening his foundation and, though she was very brash, he expected to use Ryuuna as a source for information when she returned.While using his [Stealth] and [Presence Concealment] to pass through the forested area, Linnaeus noticed that there were next to no edible plants. Even the fauna was scarce and, compared to the First Floor, the few monsters he encountered were exactly that, monsters.Rather than large animals, they had mutated appearances while radiating an intimidating and fierce aura. He had even encountered a five-meter tall bear that was covered in brown fur that had a metallic sheen to it. Though it was covered in scars, Linnaeus had the distinct impression that none of his attacks would be able to penetrate through the thick layer of fur. Since it also radiated a black aura that caused his skin to tingle, he ultimately decided to move in the complete opposite direction.Fortunately, not everything he came across was as terrifying as the monstrous bear.After skulking through the forest for several hours, Linnaeus took note of two very important things. The first was a small white rabbit but, compared to what he knew of the creatures, this one had a very pronounced horn growing from its head. As for his second observation, it was the fact that the temperature was rapidly decreasing.Though it was common for the night to be colder than the day, Linnaeus felt like the temperature was quickly approaching freezing. Since there was still ample light left in the sky, he knew it was going to get a lot colder. He imagined it was for this reason that almost every monster he had seen had thick fur coats while, compared to the vibrant and various flora on the First Floor, the Third was full of bristly brushes and tall trees.Unlike the trees Linnaeus had observed previously, these had extremely thick bark while their leaves were shaped like thin needles, a stark contrast to the tear-drop and star-shaped leaves he had found to be fascinating. They also produced a very potent smell and, after breaking away some of the bark for potential kindling, he noticed there was an annoyingly sticky substance on the interior.Rather than worry about such things, Linnaeus focused on the prey before him, doing his best to close the distance without drawing its attention. He was already downwind from it so, as it used its horn to dig up a small plot of dirt, Linnaeus got within five meters of the creature without alerting it to his presence.Without leaving anything to chance, Linnaeus extended his hand, creating a cube-shaped barrier around the unsuspecting creature. Though he could have done the same from fifty meters away, his accuracy decreased exponentially with the distance. He had a strange awareness of his range but this did nothing to increase his precision at using barriers far from his body, especially if they had a more complex structure.As could be expected, the peculiar horned rabbit began to thrash around within the barrier but, with no distance to build momentum, it could only scratch around wildly with its horn. It had actually left a few scratches on the thin blue membrane but, as Linnaeus had put 300 SP into its formation, it had a long way to go if it wanted to destroy his barrier.After trapping the horned rabbit, Linnaeus got to learn something new as, unlike the animals he had hunted on the First Floor, the horned rabbit actually had a health bar above its head. This made him suspect that all monsters had a Status of their own but, seeing that its health had only reduced by a third, he quickly formed a second barrier around the first.Linnaeus was currently suffocating the horned rabbit by forcing it to use up its oxygen while it tried desperately to escape. He felt a little guilty about killing it in this manner but, without a weapon, he didn't want to find out how much damage the rather vicious looking horn on its head could do.After using a series of three barriers, the horned rabbit finally met its end, awarding Linnaeus with a satisfying 69 Experience and 7 Aether. He currently had 2949 Aether after the reward of clearing the Second Floor and, though he didn't know how to spend it just yet, he imagined Ryuuna would be able to answer his questions after she returned. Since she seemed to be a bit of a glutton, as all of his food had vanished by the time he awoke, Linnaeus decided to capture a few prey animals to entice her into parting with the information.With his [Dismantling] Skill providing him with intuitive knowledge of how he should clean and skin animals, Linnaeus quickly slit the horned rabbit's throat before surrounding it in yet another barrier. He knew other animals would be drawn to the smell but, if he didn't drain the blood quickly, it would begin to spoil and rot.While the Inventory could preserve an item's freshness for an extended period of time, this required supplying it with the necessary SP to do so. Since his maximum SP would decrease every time he put something into his Inventory, Linnaeus would rather drain the blood and store it normally. He had also learned on the First Floor how foolish it was to dismantle his catch near his home as the blood drew a lot of unwanted attention, ultimately forcing him to relocate.Before placing the horned rabbit's corpse into his Inventory, Linnaeus cut off its horn to use as a makeshift dagger. It was around 20cm long so it was more than enough to deal a fatal blow if he managed to hit a critical point like the heart or brain. He might even be able to kill someone like Ryuuna but, for some reason, Linnaeus felt that even stabbing the girl in the heart wouldn't put her down when she had nearly 7000 Health...Shaking his head, Linnaeus prayed he wouldn't have to find out any time soon as he once again began his trek through the woods. He still needed to capture more prey and find a place to sleep before Ryuuna came seeking him out. She didn't seem like the understanding type but, as he had already grown used to Saht's behavior, it didn't bother him too much. So long as she didn't try to boss him around and insult him, Linnaeus could tolerate her brash behavior if it meant his chances of climbing were increased.Though he didn't believe Ryuuna was the strongest among the Fledglings, as she didn't even belong to one of the Eight Heavenly Families, he had trouble imagining anyone stronger than her. The only person he could really compare her to was the Saxon woman he had encountered on the First Floor but, as she had clearly expended most of her SP, Linnaeus wasn't sure how they stacked up. All he knew for certain was that his own power was lacking, something Ryuuna made very clear with her harsh and chiding words...

Though it was impossible to know who spread it first, there was a famous story that circulated both within the megacity and the slums surrounding it. This story spoke of a godly bird whose wingspan could even cover the sky. One day, it grew bored of the planar world below and, seeking something beyond the endless sky above, flew with only the sun as its guidance. The sun, feeling as though its pride had been offended, cast down blazing rays of light, consuming the arrogant bird for daring to venture too close.The most curious thing about this story was, rather than a single tragic end, there were two different versions. One stated that the majestic bird, unrivaled in all the lands, was able to overcome the sun's flames and, rather than be burned alive, it used those same flames to refines its body. By sacrificing its flesh and overcoming death itself, it was reborn as a completely new existence, known through all of Lumen as the Legendary Phoenix. However, this was only one outcome as, in other instances of the story, the mighty bird met its end as a result of its curiosity, lack of preparation, and hubris.Linnaeus never thought he would be able to empathize with such a powerful creature but, at this moment, he was suddenly reminded of the story. He felt like he had ventured too close to the sun before he was ready, despite having spent his entire life skulking in the shadows. As for the cause of his peculiar state of mind, it was due to the presence of a familiar figure who, currently, stared up at him with a predominately blank expression. Despite this, Linnaeus felt like he was a small animal who had just wandered into the den of a predator a thousand times its size, despite the fact she was little more than two-thirds his own...The person Linnaeus was looking at, named Ryuuna Flaskbrand, was the same child-like girl he had witnessed slaughtering several people on the First Floor. She had been bold and brazen enough to rinse her body in the river without a care in the world, punishing any who dared interrupt her bath with death. Now, as she looked up at him with her pale-gold eyes, Linnaeus felt like he would be the next person on her long list of victims.As if reading his mind, the expressionless girl seemed to blur as a cloud of dust expanded outward from where she had previously been standing. He couldn't even follow her movements with his eyes as she bounded between the walls and pipes like a rubber ball. What shocked him the most was, in one of the areas where she had kicked off, the seemingly indestructible pipes had a small footprint.Unfortunately, Linnaeus didn't have time to marvel at this sight as he formed a barrier between him and his would-be attacker purely by instinct. At that same moment, time felt like it had been slowed to a halt as, less than a meter from his own face, separated only by a thin blue membrane, Linnaeus saw the little girl staring right back at him. Her forehead had contacted the barrier and, as if it gave no resistance whatsoever, he could see it fracturing like glass as she successfully completed her charge.This was the downside to his [Barrier] as, if he didn't put enough SP into the cast, it could be broken by a significantly powerful attack. Linnaeus was fully aware of this so, hoping to just slow her down, he put a full 500 SP into a single cast. This didn't seem to matter at all to her, however, as the next moment was celebrated by a powerful force slamming into his chest, the result of the girl's forehead impacting his diaphragm.Two things happened immediately following this sudden impact. The first was Linnaeus being sent flying backward several tens of meters before slamming into a series of pipes as he tumbled toward the ground below. At the same time, he saw his SP decreased by nearly 1700 points, meaning her single attack had burned through more than 2200 of his reserves. The resultant fall ate through the majority of the remainder and, by the time he landed against the ground, the blue light around his body was flickering pathetically as only 38 of his SP remained.Despite taking no physical damage, Linnaeus couldn't see or think straight due to the overwhelming headache he was currently experiencing. This was one of the downsides to using a large amount of SP in a short period of time so, having burned through more than 98% of his reserves in a short few seconds, Linnaeus felt like a metal pipe had struck the back of his head. His ears were ringing as a terrifying darkness had already started to creep in from the edge of his vision.Resisting the urge to pass out, Linnaeus climbed to his feet but, before he managed to get more than a few steps, a tiny figure blocked his path. He suddenly felt like his blood was on fire as, rather than go down without a fight, he burned the majority of his health and remaining SP as he extended his hand. Though he couldn't see it, this action caused the girl's brows to rise slightly as, against her expectations, she found her body surrounded by a barrier that restricted her movements.Linnaeus had done his best to harder the [Barrier Aura] as much as possible, cutting off the girl's air and restricting her ability to move. He then fell to his knees as blood poured out from the orifices of his head due to the backlash of the overdraft. Then, as his vision turned to pinholes, Linnaeus began pulling out all of his food and supplies as he began to madly engorge himself, praying it would be enough to bring him out of the Critical Health status while he was unconscious.Looking like a madman who had been starved for days, Linnaeus continued to devour food until he collapsed, hunching forward with a piece of unchewed meat hanging from his mouth. While this had been happening, the girl watched him with a deadpan expression on her face. Then, for the second time, she was surprised by the fact he had been able to keep the barrier active, even after having lost consciousness.Since not being able to breathe was annoying, the girl began to strain her body and, like an ice sculpture breaking under pressure, the barrier around her body fragmented into pieces. When she was freed, the first thing she did was to take a deep breath of fresh air before looking down at the boy who had desperately clung to life. She wondered how someone with such a strong drive to live could be so weak but, as his body had been somewhat illusory earlier, she rationalized that he must be a prospective Thief.Though the [Barrier Master] Blessing wasn't particularly rare, it was a very useful support ability that provided quite a number of benefits. It was more than a little odd for a Thief to have such a skill but, considering how he had been able to survive one of her blows, plus the subsequent fall, it was clear he had mastered it to a commendable degree. The most impressive part, however, was his use of the Blessing to restrict her movements and, despite being on the verge of collapse, his almost instinctual drive to survive.Out of curiosity, the girl lifted her foot as if she were going to crush Linnaeus' head. Instead, she only brought it to rest probingly against the back of his head. When a thin blue membrane prevented her from contacting him directly, she blinked in surprise for the third time. His tenacity reminded her of the bugs she used to squash when she was younger. Some of them, despite being stepped on over and over again, continued to struggle desperately for their lives.While thinking this, the girl began to put more strength into her foot as a smile began to creep its way onto her face. The entire reason she had stayed on the Second Floor for so long was due to the fact she wanted to eliminate as much of the competition as possible. Even if it might be necessary for her to team up with others in later Floors, she enjoyed crushing the hopes and dreams of those who sought to compete against her. This was especially true if her opponent belonged to one of the Eight Heavenly Families as, for the past seventeen years of her life, she had been forced to serve as little more than a slave to their whims.It was because of this that, despite her desire to feel Linnaeus' blood and brains against the bottom of her foot, she ultimately decided not to squash him. Rather than a threat, he was closer to the bugs she had taken her frustrations out on as a child. Even this, however, made him infinitely better than the egotistical wastrels that had suppressed her prior to entering the Tower. She could use him as a lackey and a cook as, much like others of Dwelven heritage, her skills lay more in crafting than the culinary arts.Looking around Linnaeus' body, the girl could see various foodstuffs, fruits, and herbs. This showed he was both resourceful and had relatively decent survival skills. Considering he had been the last to leave the First Floor, he also had a cautious nature. Though it could be misconstrued that he was a coward who feared conflict, his eyes showed absolutely no hesitation as he tried to counterattack. It wasn't the look of someone who had never killed but rather someone who only killed when it was required.After deciding to give the boy a chance at life, the Dwelven girl sat down on his back and began to eat some of the food that surrounded his body. She would have him reveal his Status to her and, if the numbers weren't too pathetic, she would spare him. At the very least, she could use him as a punching bag one last time before moving on to the next Floor. She was a little curious to see how he would fight for his life the second time around as, even after slaughtering nearly sixty other Fledglings, very few had managed to surprise her, much less three times. If he could surprise her a few more times before his death, she would try to commit his name to heart, at least for a few days.While thinking about the boy's identity, the girl hopped off his back before kicking Linnaeus over to his side. Then, squatting down close to his face, she tilted her head sideways before falling silent for a few seconds. She had seen him up-close before but, now that she got a good look at him, the girl was, once again, surprised.Though she had never touted her looks over others, she had the distinct impression the boy lying next to her, despite having his face covered in blood, was more attractive than her. He couldn't be described as handsome, especially with his frail and lithe figure, so the only words she could think of to describe him were delicate and beautiful. This made him seem even frailer than before and, rather than a bug, she suddenly felt he was closer to a winter rose, something to be admired, not crushed.For a brief moment, the Dwelven girl began to imagine dressing up Linnaeus in various outfits, most of which were only intended for females and a few individuals with unique tastes. She felt he would look cute in a Maid outfit or a pale-blue dress with white frills. At the same time, she imagined him glaring back at her, golden eyes burning with the will to live, despite being akin to a small animal in front of her. This image caused a smile to spread across her face and, while Linnaeus continued to wander in the abyss of unconsciousness, she began to pat his head while musing, "I hope I don't have to kill you~."

Chapter 23: Gulf