Babel

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...

While exploring the expansive forest of the Third Floor, Linnaeus had been able to identify a total of five common monsters and a single type of edible fruit that resembled a persimmon.The most common monster present was a small humanoid that rarely reached heights greater than 100cm. They had ghastly green skin, murky red eyes, and emaciated figures that wouldn't lose out to some of the less successful Street Urchins.These gangly creatures often roamed in small packs of 3-5 and, with their loincloths and wooden clubs, it was clear to see they had some degree of intelligence. Unfortunately, this only manifested in a violent way as, during his travels, Linnaeus saw no less than ten instances of them cannibalizing each other after clashing with other groups.During his observations, Linnaeus had fought a few of the smaller groups and, as he had expected, they were just about as strong as an average Street Urchin, just infinitely more violent. Their only real advantage was their numbers and rudimentary weapons but, as they were extremely uncoordinated and possessed no skill, he was able to make short work of them with his [Barrier Aura] and horned-dagger.Through the notifications of the Akashic System, Linnaeus learned the small creatures were called Lesser Forest Goblins. On average, they gave between 30~40 Experience so, while they were a little annoying, he was able to earn as much as 200 Experience after dealing with each group. If not for the fact he wanted to strengthen his Skills first, so as not to miss out on extra attributes per Level, Linnaeus would have gone on a killing spree to harvest as much Experience as possible...After the Lesser Forest Goblins, the most prevalent monster Linnaeus had encountered were a type of transparent, globulous, creature known as a Slime. They had semi-spherical bodies that averaged between 15~20cm in diameter. From what he could see, they survived by dissolving various plants and the corpses of other monsters by wrapping their bodies around their prey. They could even cover a much larger Goblin like a thin film but, with how weak the enzymes were, Linnaeus felt it would take several hours for them to complete the process.The Slimes would have actually overtaken the Lesser Forest Goblins in quantity if Linnaeus didn't separate the three different types into their own groups. Thus far, he had encountered a variant with transparent blue skin, known as a Plain Slime. It was the most common among the three, losing out to its kin, the Forest Slime and the significantly rarer Rock Slime. These had green and grey bodies respectively, with the former having a poisonous constitution while the latter made rocky outcrops it's home.When Linnaeus had been searching for a cave to escape the cold, he almost thought he had been caught in a small rockslide as a small group of Rock Slimes leaped from their perches to try and attack him. Fortunately, while they had a surprising amount of weight to them, averaging well over 100kg despite their small size, it wasn't something that could threaten his [Barrier Aura]. He lost a bit of SP in the surprise attack but, after that, they were easy to pick off due to their slow speed.The most curious thing about Slimes was the fact that, after killing them, they would dissolve away into a puddle before leaving behind small lumps of a gel-like substance. Though he didn't know if it was edible, Linnaeus had looted a few of them since they had a surprisingly sweet smell. Then, after incapacitating a Goblin, he had forced the creature to ingest the sweet lump, wondering what effect it would have on the emaciated monster.Since the Goblin's health had started to slowly regenerate, Linnaeus deduced that it shouldn't have any kind of poison so, while it might not have been the wisest decision, he ultimately chewed on one of the dark blue lumps. To his surprise, it was more tart than sweet, not all that dissimilar to a potent citrus-type fruit. This was only the beginning of his surprises, however, as, after ingesting the rather peculiar lump, it wasn't just his health that began regenerating slowly.Linnaeus had an almost wolfish grin on his face as he saw his SP ticking up by a few points every few seconds. Since all the Slimes he had encountered only gave around 10 Experience each, he made a point of killing and looting as many as possible. From this, he learned that the gel lumps each had a different effect, with only those produced by Plain Slimes regenerating SP. As for the lumps looted from Forest Slimes, they made his body feel strangely refreshed and had a very potent medicinal taste to them. This was still much better than the grey lumps produced by the Rock Slimes, however, as it felt like chewing on a piece of gritty leather.When he finally managed to get it down, Linnaeus felt it was more than worth the effort as, much to his surprise, his Constitution had actually gotten a +5 boost. This increased his Health by 100 and made his skin feel slightly harder than normal, indicating his defense had also increased. Though it had only lasted for around five minutes, this was still a very important discovery that made Linnaeus excited about what other benefits monster drops would provide.Unfortunately, any experiments would have to wait until the following day as, with night descending upon the land, the temperature had decreased well below freezing. He had been forced to set camp in the cramped hollow of a large tree as the only cave he found gave off a very dangerous feeling. Though it was uncomfortable, this ended up being the correct choice as, shortly after his departure, a large bear-like monster ventured out into the darkening forest for its nightly hunt.Since it was impossible to make a fire without drawing attention to himself, Linnaeus spent more time concealing the hollow and insulating the insides using Horned Rabbit pelts. He imagined that Ryuuna would kick him out if she returned to find no space for herself so he made sure to make a thicker blanket for himself, fully anticipating being thrown out into the elements.Fortunately, Ryuuna never showed up so, while he wasn't able to sleep deeply, Linnaeus was able to get an adequate amount of rest as the forest outside became covered in a layer of frost. He knew she was okay, as the members of a Party were able to see the Health of their respective members, so he assumed she had found refuge for herself for the night.What Linnaeus never could have expected was, at the time he was drifting off into unconsciousness, Ryuuna was curled up snuggly inside the den of a Tyrant Mountain Bear. She had easily killed off the 4m tall monstrosity before claiming its den, and the food supplies within, for herself.Though hey went out to hunt periodically throughout the day, Tyrant Mountain Bears were the type of creature to stock up additional food in their dens for their offspring to consume. Unfortunately for this particular Bear-like monster, it had lost out to a far more tyrannical existence.In the very short territorial battle, it had its left arm ripped off before having its skull crushed by the intruder who, at first, seemed like prey delivering itself. After that, Ryuuna unceremoniously killed the three massive cubs inside before using their surprisingly soft bodies, a stark contrast to the metallic fur of their mother, to stay warm. She was still annoyed with the Love Bird Title so, while she briefly thought to return for the night, part of Ryuuna wanted Linnaeus to die while she was away.After this thought had crossed her mind, Ryuuna decided to test Linnaeus by seeing how long he could survive without her protection as, unless they both agreed to go to the next Floor, he was stuck here. Since a person could only leave a Party by expressing their intent directly to the Party Leader, there wasn't anything he could do but try his best to survive or come seeking her out on his own accord.Ryuuna had a decent understanding of the power possessed by the monsters on the Third Floor so, unless things got exponentially harder, she felt Linnaeus would only be in danger if he encountered other Fledglings. Since he was very cautious, enough to escape notice on two successive Floors, she felt the chances of this happening were relatively slim. Still, she didn't leave him fully without hope as, with her ability to sense his approximate location, she didn't venture too far away. If he decided to run toward her at his fastest speed, it shouldn't take longer than an hour for him to reach her location.With such thoughts on her mind, Ryuuna snuggled up next to the deceased bear cubs, muttering, "If you can't even survive three days, don't blame me for abandoning you..." before falling asleep.---Though he wasn't doing it to meet expectations, Linnaeus was already doing everything in his power to avoid detection, train his Skills, and survive. He also had a good idea of where Ryuuna was located but, rather than seek her out, he continued to venture around the area to get a better understanding of the terrain.In a fight against increasingly more powerful foes, knowledge of the terrain could save his life and allow him to escape danger. He even set a few traps using twined ivy and, though it wouldn't really do damage to anything larger than a Goblin, it could at least trip someone up during a chase. Since he would periodically hear a sharp bell sound within his mind, indicating he had gotten experience in his [Trap Set] Skill, Linnaeus knew it had, at the very least, some small effect.At this point, Linnaeus had half a dozen horned-daggers and, to save SP, he began to string the pelts of Horned Rabbits around his waist. He didn't feel comfortable being below 2500 maximum SP so it was the only thing he could do unless he chose to outright abandon his spoils.Fortunately, similar items could take up the same slot in his Inventory so, while they also ate away at his SP, Linnaeus had been able to collect a large number of Slime Gels. He primarily focused on the blue variant looted from Plain Slimes, as they increased both Health Regeneration and SP Recovery. They also tasted much better than the green and grey variants, of which Linnaeus only kept a small amount due to their potential of being useful in a pinch.He couldn't be certain, but Linnaeus felt the green gel could be useful for treating fevers and weak poisons. As for the grey gel, they had the obvious use of providing extra defense and increasing his general survivability. Though it might not matter much with his [Barrier Aura], his past experiences had made it very clear he couldn't rely solely on his Blessing.Linnaeus' greatest strengths were his ability to move relatively undetected, allowing him the element of surprise. Most of his enemies weren't accustomed to fighting against his unique combat style so, if he fought cleverly, it was possible to take out people much stronger than he was. Though people like Ryuuna might be an exception to this, as she could apparently sense him without much effort, it was still useful against the majority of foes.With this in mind, Linnaeus focused on evading enemies in order to increase his proficiency with his [Presence Concealment], [Trap Set], [Trap Disarm], and [Stealth]. When he came across monsters, he would use a combination of his [Knife Master], [Assassination], and [Barrier Master] to harvest a few resources and Experience towards Leveling up.Though it might not be wise to increase his actual Level before raising his Skills, Linnaeus felt it would greatly increase his survivability by raising his base Wisdom to 100. This would give him the associated boon and, due to his rather peculiar Title, an additional 3 Spi, 2 Cha, and 1 Luk per Level. These were extremely important attributes that were inordinately difficult to increase so, before he got yet another new Title, Linnaeus felt it wouldn't be a complete mistake to benefit while he could.

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.)

Chapter 24: Troublesome