Babel

Though it wasn't noticeable at first, there was a discernible difference in the difficulty of the Third Floor with each successive day.At first, Linnaeus only had to worry about the stark contrast between the day and night temperature and a few monsters. Now, however, the evenings got so cold that a layer of ice would cover much of the forest. At the same time, monsters like Lesser Mountain Goblins, Slimes, and Horned Rabbits had started to vanish entirely. Instead, the most common monster he encountered were wandering bears and, infinitely more troublesome, packs of a monster called Lesser Frost Wolves.The average Lesser Frost Wolf was around two meters in length and a little under a meter in height. They were covered in pristine white fur and had vicious jaws full of ivory-colored teeth that could easily tear apart the other monsters present on the Floor. Linnaeus had even seen a pack of more than ten take down the massive bear-like creatures without too much difficulty.Though they were significantly weaker than the bear, the Lesser Frost Wolves were extremely agile and knew how to cooperate with each other. They would take turned targetting the back and legs of the bear, slowly wearing it down until it succumbed to blood loss. Then, when it could hardly put up a fight, the largest in the pack, lacking the Lesser prefix, would finish it off before enjoying the first choice bits for itself.The most troublesome aspect of the Lesser Frost Wolves, besides their speed and pack mentality, was their excellent hearing and incredibly sensitive noses. Since Linnaeus was rewarded with more experience when the enemies were strong or had advanced detection Skills, he was quickly gaining proficiency in his [Presence Concealment] and [Stealth].Unfortunately, it was almost impossible to actually evade their packs for a long period of time as, after a successful hunt, they would dutifully circle the area to spread their scent and watch for any other predators that might want to steal their meal. They were smart enough to take turns eating and keeping watch, often by using different footpaths than their predecessors to cover for any blind spots.If not for his [Barrier Aura] protecting him from surprise and combination attacks, Linnaeus imagined he would have been torn apart during his very first encounter with the white-furred demons. He had actually thought they were kind of cool at first but, after having his arm yanked in one direction while another Lesser Frost Wolf pulled his leg in the opposite, Linnaeus had quickly lost any positive feelings for the monsters.At this point in time, five days had passed on the Third Floor. The Lesser Frost Wolves had appeared during the evening of the third day, migrating from a snow-covered mountain to the north.Before the Lesser Frost Wolves appeared, there were 392 Fledglings remaining on the Floor, a value that could be tracked through the information panel of the Akashic System. Now, less than two days after their appearance, only 146 Fledglings remained, meaning they had either given up or lost their lives to the skillful hunters.As could be expected, Ryuuna was still alive and well, even if Linnaeus couldn't confirm her status due to the fact they had been separated since the start. All he really knew was that her Health would decrease at times, likely due to her own Blessing, before recovering a few minutes later without any issues.Since he couldn't imagine even twenty wolves taking down Ryuuna, Linnaeus was more focused on his own survival than regrouping. He had already guessed her intentions at this point so, rather than lower his head and chasing after her, he was intending to survive for as long as possible without her help.With this in mind, Linnaeus had made a home for himself in a canyon that spanned more than 50m across and several hundred meters deep. There had been a small ridge that formed a shallow hollow towards the back, located just behind a jagged rock structure. Though it was accessible to any sharp-eyed Fledglings that might discover it, such as Ryuuna, it provided adequate protection against the roaming bands of Lesser Frost Wolves.To combat the cold, Linnaeus had collected dozens of different types of pelts to line his tiny hollow. He used the sticky residue from the trees to adhere the pelts to the cold stone directly and, in order to find some small comfort in the sub-zero temperatures, he had a veritable pile of blankets to shield himself from the chilling wind that passed through the canyon.Linnaeus had noticed that the evenings were becoming longer with each passing day so, if this trend continued, he imagined perpetual night would descend upon the Floor by the tenth day. His current goal was just to survive until a week had passed or, at the very least, until the number of Fledglings had been reduced to less than 50 people.During his observations, Linnaeus noticed that many Fledglings had various tools and equipment, some of which they had graciously contributed to his survival efforts. What this told him was that, if he moved on to the next Floor early, he would be able to spend his Aether to obtain much-needed supplies and equipment. If he kept being the last person to pass through each Floor, the only way he could obtain supplies was by stealing them from others, something that became progressively more difficult with the passage of time.Though there were a surprising number of people with support and utility-oriented Blessing left, as these types were readily sought by other Fledglings, there was a noticeable increase in the number of people that gave Linnaeus a bad feeling. They were infinitely more dangerous than the monsters on the Floor and, if he was unlucky enough to be discovered, it was almost certain he would meet his end.While it might be possible to take out stronger enemies in a one-on-one situation, the vast majority of Fledglings had formed small Parties at this point. Many had even formed full four-person groups, generally consisting of 1~2 frontline members, a dedicated support, and a ranged attacker. They had a good balance of survival, tracking, and combat Skills, making it nearly impossible to defeat them on his own.Still, Linnaeus had been rather fortunate thus far as, even when he encountered other Parties, there weren't any people who could detect him. Though he knew a few might have the [Perception] Skill, they had been unable to detect him if he focused on laying low. This indicated their [Perception] was lower than his [Stealth] which, due to his need to constantly keep it active, had reached LV37 in the five short days since his arrival on the Third Floor.Though he had already been aware of this due to his rapid increases at early Levels, Linnaeus was increasingly aware of how quickly Skills developed when the enemies were stronger than you. At times, he would get ticks of 20 or more experience every ten seconds when he was using [Stealth] near large groups of Lesser Frost Wolves so it had been steadily growing. At this rate, he imagined he could even break through LV40 before leaving the Floor, if not higher.These were the thoughts that passed through Linnaeus' mind as he clung tightly to the fur pelts in his desperate attempts to resist the cold. This was the only thing he could do to distract himself from the chill that seemed to be creeping into his bones by the time light, and its accompanying warmth, descended on his sixth day surviving on the Third Floor.Though it was still unbelievably cold, as it took time for the ice to thaw out, Linnaeus stored his pelt blankets away before observing his surroundings. Once he was confident there were no enemies in the immediate vicinity, he created a few platforms using his [Barrier] magic, allowing him to easily scale the canyon's face without much difficulty.At this point, Linnaeus' entire body was covered in furs that he had roughly strewn together in an attempt to keep the cold at bay. He had even fashioned a make-shift helmet from the large skull of a Frost Wolf, giving him a slightly intimidating appearance that would hopefully deter anyone who thought he was an easy mark. Since he also kept several horned-daggers around his waist, he hoped to at least give them some pause that he might be able to exploit.More than anything, Linnaeus just wanted to avoid conflict entirely, at least against other Fledglings. He still needed to increase his own foundation and improve his strength, something he knew they were undoubtedly doing as well.If possible, Linnaeus wanted to observe several different groups of Fledglings to determine exactly how his strength compared to theirs. He was confident in taking down those with support or utility Blessings but, as they were often protected by those with combat-oriented specialties, he needed to carefully plan any attacks.This was how Linnaeus survived as, from his earliest memories, he knew how dangerous the world could be if you stuck your neck out thoughtlessly. The daily beatings when he first became a Street Urchin had hammered this simple truth into his bones time and again, to the point he would never forget the faces of his first attackers.Though he was now much stronger than before, and had even killed over a thousand people, none of this had been done haphazardly. His method was to observe and understand the strength of his enemies, only attacking when he was confident of victory or when his position had been revealed.If not for Saht, there were many times over the last three years where he would have lost his life due to his inhibitions about attacking others. She was far less hesitant than he was about taking a life so, whenever he had any doubts, she would always be the first to take action. This was something that bothered Linnaeus quite a bit but, as he wouldn't even be here if not for her proactive nature, he couldn't really complain.Linnaeus knew he needed to either team up with someone or change his core nature but, as he had been this way for over a decade, it would take time. For now, he just wanted to focus on increasing his foundation and, once he was confident in moving forward, he would begin to raise his Level in earnest. He wanted to start closing the gap between himself and people like Ryuuna, setting her as his goal for what real power represented...While Linnaeus was thinking about his growth, he heard slight rustling and the sound of ice crunch in the distance. He had already been actively using [Stealth] so he wasn't too worried, especially since the sound was several tens of meters from his location and moving away from him.Between the gaps in the trees, Linnaeus saw the familiar figures of several Lesser Frost Wolves, each moving deftly through the trees as they chased after an unseen target. It wasn't until he heard the pained shout of a man that Linnaeus understood what was happening but, rather than try and aid the unknown Fledglings, he vanished into the underbrush as he slowly skulked forward.If the Fledglings were smart, they would simply exit the Floor but, if they were obstinant, there was a good chance he would be able to reap a few rewards from their corpses. He had been able to gain a shortsword using this method and, though it had been bent, Linnaeus was able to straighten it out after wedging it between the nook of two trees.Linnaeus had aspirations of becoming a predator, one that could take down foes without hesitation and fear. For now, however, he was nothing more than a scavenger that would do whatever it took to survive. He didn't mind fighting dirty or using underhanded means to obtain his goals, so long as he never compromised what remained of his integrity. So long as he clung to this basic semblance of goodness, something Rebecca had seeded inside of him long ago, Linnaeus believed he would never stray so far from the light that he could never return...

Though it would be safer to approach after the battle ended, Linnaeus felt drawn towards the sound of combat. Since he needed to observe other Fledglings to understand their average strength, there was a need to spy actual combat, not avoid it entirely. If he kept taking a passive approach the entire time, he would never gain the information he required, meaning he would be grossly unprepared for the battles that were bound to come.Thus, while his instincts told him to seek higher ground and avoid danger, Linnaeus pushed onward until he saw a scene that gave him pause.In a small clearing, a burly man with an honest face was shouldering a delicate-looking woman with a missing leg. She had already passed out so he was practically dragging her body while trying to fend off a group of six Lesser Frost Wolves being led by two normal Frost Wolves. They were circling the man cautiously, seemingly waiting for their prey to bleed out after losing more than half their numbers in the pursuant hunt.The man had a solid build, brown hair, fur-covered ears, and a thick tail protruding from his backside. As for his companion, she had leaf-green hair, delicate features, and, most importantly, jade-green horns sticking out from the top of her head. Though it was impossible to be sure, as the bodysuits they were given covered most of the body, Linnaeus imagined she also had a few sections of scales as, poking out of her backside, a scale-covered tail was present.Linnaeus didn't know what tribe the man was from but the girl was undoubtedly a member of the Jade Dragon tribe. They were well-known for their physical and magical might, the direct result of their [Dragonification] and [Dragon Soul] Blessings. Though not every member had these Blessings, they were still famous as being nigh-peerless outside of the Tower.Judging by the state of the girl, she obviously didn't have the [Dragonification] Blessing but, what surprised Linnaeus most of all, was the resolute look in the man's eyes. He clearly had no intention to abandon his ally, even though they couldn't have known each other for more than two weeks. In the slums, he would be considered a profound idiot but, as Linnaeus watched the man continue to protect the unconscious girl, he couldn't help feeling bitter inside...As if they were hunting one of the large bear-like monsters, the Lesser Frost Wolves continued to circle their injured prey. They were smart enough to continually target the side where the woman was located, forcing the man to constantly be turning on his heels to try and take them down with the silvery-white sword in his right hand.Despite the man's best efforts, however, it was clear to see that he was slowing down considerably with the passage of time. His sword would continuously find purchase but the wounds were shallow, causing many of the Lesser Frost Wolves to have patches of blood-stained fur but, other than that, they were still able to continue their encirclement.Since the man wasn't using any Abilities or Magic, Linnaeus assumed his Blessing was either a utility or support type. Either that or, due to the prolonged battle, he had simply overused his SP until it had reached a critical level. Regardless, it was only a matter of time before the duo fell to the efforts of the Lesser Frost Wolves as it was simply impossible for him to lug around the woman's body while continuing to fight.Though his instincts were telling him to wait, Linnaeus was beginning to feel a considerable amount of guilt as he watched the man's struggles. He couldn't be certain of the man's character but, seeing how resolutely he protected his allies, Linnaeus' bitterness continued to grow. After all, he had only sought strength to protect himself and others so, seeing someone fighting to the death for another person while he just watched from the side was weighing heavily on his heart.While Linnaeus was struggling internally, he saw the man turn to his left, the side where the woman was located. It was much harder for him to complete this motion, something the Lesser Frost Wolves had been keenly aware of.Despite having performed the action several times without too much difficulty, this time the man got wrapped up in the uneven terrain, causing him to lose his balance. At the same time that he fell, four of the seven wolves immediately pounced toward him without any hesitation.Linnaeus could see the indignant look in the man's eyes but, rather than roll away and try to escape, he immediately tried to shield his companion with his own body. This was the last straw for Linnaeus so, before the wolves could reach their target, he used a [Barrier] to form a dome around the two in an instant. As a result, the wolves crashed into the hard surface, causing one to let out a loud yelp as its snout twisted at a sickening angle.While screaming curses in his mind, Linnaeus made his presence known to the group by leaping toward one of the leaders of the pack. It had been watching the hunt closely so it was completely unprepared for the sudden attack that, due to Linnaeus' [Stealth] and [Presence Concealment], went without a hitch.Though there was an incredible amount of resistance, Linnaeus managed to bury two of his horned daggers into the softer underbelly of the larger of the two Forst Wolves. This wasn't enough to kill it but, as his surprise attacks did triple damage and had a moderate chance to crit, there was no way for it to continue fighting.Deciding to leave his daggers where they had found purchase, Linnaeus pulled out an extra pair from his Inventory as he rolled across the ground before bounding to his feet. At this point, the other Frost Wolves had become aware of his presence so, with a blue barrier protecting their other prey, the only viable target was the figure wearing their kin as its garb.Rather than try to evade and defend himself from the encirclement, Linneaus tucked in his limbs to avoid being pulled in multiple directions. This left his head and neck exposed, as he kept his arms low and close to his body, but that was something he had done intentionally.Resisting every instinct telling him to evade, Linnaeus steeled himself as he allowed one of the Lesser Frost Wolves to try and bite at his throat. As the ivory-white teeth tried to sink into his neck, a blue membrane prevented them from finding purchase, allowing Linnaeus to stab upward with both of his daggers, once again burying the pair into the weakest spot of the Frost Wolves' bodies.Despite their intelligence and cooperation in hunting, there was no way the other members of the pack could understand what was going on at every given moment. When the first Frost Wolf had tried to latch onto his throat, two others had targeted his calves from behind, completely unaware of the fact their companion's efforts had ended in vain.Pulling his own shortsword out of his Inventory, Linnaeus twisted his body back, targeting the eyes of wolf gnawing at his right leg. It had been trying to trip him up by jerking its head from side-to-side but, with his [Barrier Aura] mitigating this force almost entirely, at the expense of additional SP, he was able to stand firm. This wasn't something the wolves were used to dealing with so, before it was able to pull away, Linnaeus had cut across the bridge of its nose, cleaving through both eyes in the process.Following the pathetic yelp of the now-blind wolf, Linnaeus rolled to the side to try and dislodge his other attacker and avoid being pinned in. His [Barrier Aura] was protecting him properly, but he was losing more than a hundred SP on the preliminary bite and several tens as they tried to penetrate his barrier.With four Lesser Frost Wolves and one pack leader remaining, Linnaeus began to back away with his shortsword held out toward the group. It was fortunate he had taken out the larger of the two pack leaders as, rather than show the usual confidence, the smaller Frost Wolf seemed very cautious. As the others tried to surround him, it had even gone to the side of the injured Frost Wolf, nuzzling the injured area of its companion and causing it to whimper rather pathetically.Resisting the small pang of guilt, Linnaeus equipped a horned-dagger in his left hand after backing up to a tree. Around the same time, his first barrier, the one protecting the two, had just faded away due to reaching the time limit. The brown-haired man was already standing with his own sword at the ready so, once the blue membrane faded away, he leaped toward the backs of the encircling wolves as he shouted, "Please, protect her!"As the man shouted, the wolves startled as they quickly split to the sides in order to increase the size of their encirclement. Linnaeus wanted to face-palm at the man for announcing his presence but, as he was just worried about his companion, he decided not to blame him. Instead, Linnaeus moved to the side of the green-haired woman and adopted a defensive stance while the man, now free from his burden, demonstrated surprising Agility as he pressured the wolves until they ultimately fled.In the end, four Frost Wolves escaped with their lives, three of which were of the Lesser variety. They had fled the moment the smaller of the two pack leaders turned tail, as if they had only noticed then and there that the battle was hopeless. This left a total of eleven corpses in the area, including the larger of the two pack leaders that had bled to death after its crippling injury.After sending the wolves running, the man turned towards Linnaeus with a grateful smile on his face as he released a tired sigh and said, "I really owe you for this one, stranger."For a brief moment, Linnaeus didn't know how to respond as, for the last few years, there had never been anyone to thank him. Even when he gave handouts to some of the weaker Street Urchins, they would just bow low before retreating away, often soundlessly.Rather than face his discomfort, Linnaeus shook his head before looking down at the woman and saying, "You need to wrap the wound and move away from this area. There will be more wolves to come."Hearing Linnaeus' words, the man gave a curt nod before stowing away his sword and picking up the woman's body. Then, looking toward the small figure that had started to walk backward away from him, he couldn't help but smile wryly as he said, "You are quite cautious. I'm guessing you are trying to be a Thief or an Explorer? Regardless, I really do owe you for this one. My name is Keith. If the opportunity presents itself in the future, I swear to repay this debt."After stating his piece, Keith watched Linnaeus for several seconds until the latter stated in a low tone of voice, "My name is Linnaeus...here, take this..."Linnaeus felt uncomfortable hearing the man's words but, before turning tail and vanishing into the underbrush, he pulled out a leaf wrap containing a total of five Plain Slime Gels. Since the man had a face of confusion, he also explained, "They recover Health and SP...this one treats fever and any weak status abnormalities..."Keith caught the tiny green gel that Linnaeus had tossed to him but, before he could express his gratitude or ask any questions, the short figure had already disappeared into the underbrush with commendable speed. Moments later, even his presence had vanished completely, confirming his suspicions that the boy must be pursuing one of the more 'discreet' paths.Though he was tempted to chase after Linnaeus and try to form a temporary alliance, it was clear that the boy didn't have many social skills. Thus, without pressing the issue, Keith fed one of the blue gels into his companion's mouth. He doubted the fur-clad boy would try to kill them after going out of his way to save them so wasted no time in trying to help the Jade Dragon woman, named Vera.Seeing that Vera's Health had indeed started to recover, Keith breathed a sigh of relief as he turned to flee deeper into the forest. He was heading towards the location of their Party Leader, intending to escape to the Fourth Floor and recuperate. It would take a few days for a missing leg to recover completely so staying on the Third Floor any longer was pointless. Though he suspected their Party Leader may have been trying to actively get them killed, he still needed to track them down in order to leave the Party and move on without them...

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.

Chapter 26: Persistence