Babel

Linnaeus knew that Ryuuna would take exception to his words but, as it concerned the principle he had lived by his entire life, he couldn't just swallow his words and remain silent. He did not consider himself a prideful person but, after everything that happened, he knew he would head down a dark path if he gave in to the whims of others just to avoid pain.For several seconds after his outburst, Ryuuna glared at him, her expression growing progressively darker as pale-golden energy began to form around her fists. Despite this, Linnaeus didn't retract his statement as, no matter how angry she was, Ryuuna couldn't cripple or kill him while they were in the same Party. She would have to wait upwards of twenty-four hours to attack him if she wanted to avoid being cursed by the Akashic System. There was a very high chance she would beat him but, having grown up as a Street Urchin, beatings were more familiar to him than eating.Ryuuna's fury eventually reached the critical level and, though there was a lot she wanted to say, the urge to pummel Linnaeus was too strong for her to resist. She had spent her whole life suppressing herself so, after entering the Tower, she swore to never tolerate slights against her. Even if she knew there was some truth to Linnaeus' words, she still believed he was a fool so she refused to apologize for her abrasive remarks.Despite her fury, Ryuuna stopped channeling her aura into her fists as she charged forward like a phantom and slammed her palm against his chest. Without her [Aura Pulse], his barrier prevented him from being knocked backward but this was her intent. She used this shock mitigation to string together several attacks all at once, fueled by her growing frustrations.Linnaeus realized what Ryuuna was doing from the moment his body wasn't sent flying backward. Even then, he decided to stand his ground without moving from his spot. Though he was quite a bit shorter than most, he was nearly a full head taller than Ryuuna. This allowed him to look down at her with a resolute light flashing across his eyes, despite making no attempts to defend himself.Just as Linnaeus' barrier began to fracture and flicker, Ryuuna cocked back her fist in a telegraphed manner as she shouted, "Don't you look at me like that you bastard...!" Following this outburst, her seemingly powerless fist barreled toward the barrier with just enough force to shatter it. She wasn't foolish enough to violate the laws of the Akashic System so, holding back as much as possible, she began to thrash Linnaeus' body like a ragdoll until his health neared the Critical Health threshold.With Linnaeus making no effort to defend himself, Ryuuna was growing increasingly frustrated as a very strong urge to tear his eyes out began to well up inside her. His obstinance actually reminded her a lot of herself, as she was no stranger to beatings, so beating him caused a variety of conflicting emotions that she could only channel into anger and indignation.By the time Ryuuna had finished with him, Linnaeus' eyes had swollen up considerably as a constant stream of blood flowed from his nostrils. In spite of this, he continued to glare at her, their golden eyes fixed on each other as a myriad of emotions were silently communicated between them.Despite the fact she hadn't really exerted herself all that much, Ryuuna was breathing heavily after her violent tirade. She felt like her mind had ants crawling over its surface as an overwhelming desire to break something had seeded itself in her heart. Since she couldn't break the resolve of the boy in front of her, she turned on her heels and, speeding up with a pale-golden aura around her, slammed into the collapsed rubble of the cave like a high-speed projectile.With the pressure and heat differential between the cave and the outside, a backdraft was formed as a result of Ryuuna's furious charge. Much of the heat that had built up inside vanished in a matter of minutes as a potent chill settled within.Even when Ryuuna had disappeared for several minutes, Linnaeus continued to watch the entrance of the cave in silence. He knew what she was trying to do so, while the cold certainly contributed, his body was shaking from rage and frustration.By leaving him alone in the cave, Ryuuna had practically given him a death sentence, circumventing the laws of the Akashic System by exploiting a common loophole. He could chase after her, but this would likely just further incentivize her to evade him until he was in a near-death state. There was no way he could keep up with her speed so she would be able to toy with him at her leisure, deciding his life and death as she pleased.Despite knowing this, Linnaeus didn't regret his decision so, after recuperating his Health and SP, he wrapped his body in a dense layer of fur-covered pelts before venturing out himself. The night was now pitch-dark, without any light to guide him along his path. As for the temperature, it was so cold that he had to nearly solidify his [Barrier Aura] just to resist it. This caused his SP to constantly drain but he refused to just stay holed up in the cave hoping that Ryuuna returned.With the awareness provided to them by their Party, Linnaeus and Ryuuna continued to move away from each other. The latter had paused for a moment when he first began moving in the opposite direction but, moments later, her speed increased once again until her presence was like trying to suss out the light of a single candle several hundred kilometers away.Fortunately, other than a few Frost Slimes, Linnaeus' path of retreat had been relatively safe. Only the elements were slowing his progress, as a thick layer of snow now blanketed the area, but Linnaeus tolerated the biting chill until he reached a familiar canyon.Though there was a very strong wind flowing through the canyon, which now seemed like an endless abyss, Linnaeus wasted no time in leaping down after finding the location of his former abode. With his [Barrier] Magic, he was able to form a few steps while his [Barrier Aura] blocked the strong winds. This allowed him to keep his balance and, after a few hectic moments, Linnaeus reached the hollow that had served as his home prior to seeking out Ryuuna.There were still furs lining the walls of the hollow but, due to the constant exposure, they had frozen solid. Linnaeus tried to pry some of them away but, having no luck, he ultimately just spread out an extra layer of furs before using his [Barrier] to seal off the hollow. This produced a small amount of light but, considering how few Fledglings remained, he doubted there were any foolish enough to be wandering around like him and Ryuuna.It was practically impossible to do anything about the cold but, by staying awake and periodically eating warm rations, Linnaeus was able to tolerate the perpetual chill that felt like daggers stabbing into his bones. If not for the fact that the Green Gel could temporarily remove the Hypothermia and Fever afflictions, he likely would have turned into a frozen status by the end of the first night.---Unlike Linnaeus, whose survival knowledge was largely based on his personal experiences, Ryuuna had received a proper education while attending school in the Megacity. Though she had rarely ever seen snow, she knew it had insulating properties so, after traveling far enough that she could hardly sense Linnaeus, she wasted no time in creating a burrow in a large hill of snow.It would have been better to make an igloo, a hemispherical structure formed of compact ice and snow, but her body was already so cold that she couldn't feel her fingers and toes. She wanted to complain to whatever entity designed the bodysuits as, for whatever reason, they did not cover the hands and feet at all. As a result, the pinky toe on her left foot had started to blacken slightly so she was forced to cut it off after digging several meters through the snow and permafrost below.Frostbite was a troublesome affliction but, with the regeneration provided by her high Constitution, it wouldn't take long for the toe to grow back completely. She just needed to keep her health above 50%, something that was relatively easy considering she regenerated more nearly 750 per minute. It also helped that she had the [Abnormal Status Resistance] Skill as, even if she got afflicted with Fever and Hypothermia, they would fade away after a few minutes.Even if she didn't have the means to treat Hypothermia, however, Ryuuna wasn't too worried as her regeneration would still be enough to fight off the effects of the cold. Hypothermia only reduced a person's mobility and health regeneration by half, so she still regenerated around 375 per minute during the brief moments it took hold of her.At this point, Ryuuna was determined to just wait out Linnaeus until he either died or came running to her once again. She knew her actions were more than a little petty but this was the only way she could deal with her frustrations at the time. Now, even though she wanted to return, her pride would not allow her to do so. She would rather deal with the biting cold than lower her head and apologize to someone, especially when she felt he was just as much to blame as she was...While steeling her resolve and using what few supplies she had to form a cocoon of sorts, Ryuuna's nose turned sour when her stomach suddenly grumbled. She had eaten just a few hours prior but, after running such a long distance, she was suddenly hungry once again. Unfortunately, all she had on hand were a few pieces of frozen meat stored away in her Inventory for emergency situations.Unlike Linnaeus, Ryuuna rarely went long periods of time without eating as her Blessing required her to expend Health as a resource. Since she exerted her body an arduous amount, she generally ate up to five meals a day, interspaced by small snacks here and there. Now, due to her haste, she was left without any real food to subsist upon. This caused Ryuuna to form a deep frown and, even though it was her own decision to abandon Linnaeus, she couldn't help blame him for hoarding all their food.Ryuuna conveniently overlooked the fact she had forced Linnaeus to use up some of his SP just to keep her meals warm. Being angry made her at least feel warmer so, while periodically stretching to increase blood flow to her extremities, she continued to brood and blame Linnaeus for her current predicament. If he somehow managed to survive this Floor, she swore to get even with him the next time they met. At the very least, he would need to prepare her a feast or she would pummel him until his face looked like a pig...---While curled up in a ball of furs, Linnaeus suddenly sneezed hard as a dribble of snot escaped his reddened nose. Almost immediately thereafter, the small trail of fluid froze solid so he had to break it free before burying his face into the slowly freezing furs. This was a miserable experience for him but, as it reminded him a lot of his first winter after leaving the orphanage, it wasn't intolerable.Linnaeus kept himself focused by glaring at the information panel like it was his sworn enemy. There were only 9 Fledglings remaining by the morning of the sixteenth day so, if he was patient, he would be able to reach the Fourth Floor without having to chase after Ryuuna. He knew this was what she wanted to he refused to give her the satisfaction of seeing him in a desperate state. Fortunately, he had all their food and supplies so, whenever he felt especially frustrated, Linnaeus could pull out a skewer of seasoned meat before engorging himself with a petulant sneer on his face...

While Linnaeus and Ryuuna were cooped up in their respective hovels, a group of nine entities could be found sitting around a circular table. Each was vaguely humanoid in build but, at a glance, it was very apparent they were more animalistic than the vast majority of sentient creatures calling Lumen home.The largest of these entities looked like a lanky lemur, complete with large ears and a tail. However, even whilst seated, its height was more than 3m and, rather than walk around baring its body, it had elected to wear a very prim and proper business suit. Though it had a face almost indistinguishable from an actual lemur, the golden monocle on its left eye and its neatly groomed tuft of hair gave it a distinctly uncanny vibe.Seated alongside the humanoid lemur were its comrades, each having distinctly humanoid body structures dominated by the features of a bat, cat, fox, dog, sheep, tanuki, loris, and a sloth. They were all wearing formal attire, much like the lemur, while three of the nine even had on cocktail dresses that sharply contrasted their animalistic features.Among the three female figures, the one with the features of a slot used her long nail to tap on a tiny bubble, one of an incalculable number floating above the table. She had an amused expression on her face that caught the attention of the female fox and male cat to her left. They preceded her in the ordering of chairs around the table, placing her at the third seat leading up to the tall lemur.With a sly smile of her own, the fox woman asked, "Quo'aa, did you find something interesting~?" as she reached out to tap on the tiny bubble. In response to this, the sloth woman, Quo'aa, lightly swat the fox woman's hand away as she stated, "Mind the matters of your own Floor, Feena. These little ones are my responsibility now."Feena barred her teeth in mock aggression after hearing Quo'aa's words before flicking the sloth-woman's face with her nimble tail and snatching the bubble. This caused the cat-man at the side to snicker in amusement while Quo'aa, with Feena's tail still in her face, just blew away the offending appendage with a slightly annoyed look on her face.Since he was only separated from her by the cat-man, the lemur humanoid looked to his right and stated in a high-pitched tone that belied his seriousness, "Feena, do not interfere in the matters of other Floor Guardians."Hearing her senior Guardian's words, Feena poked her tongue out playfully before saying, "Don't be such a stickler, Ringo. I'm not breaking any rules by taking a peek. Besides, it isn't like the challenge on my Floor needs close scrutiny."In response to Feena's words, Ringo rolled his eyes before releasing a tired sigh. She wasn't actually breaking any rules so, while he wanted to reprimand her, there was ultimately no reason to. If they weren't allowed some small amount of freedom, most Floor Guardians would have lost their mind millennia ago. Since it was troublesome finding a replacement Guardian, he could tolerate a bit of selfishness on behalf of his junior members.Seeing Ringo's reaction, Feena gave a victory sign with her right hand before turning her attention to the scene visible within the bubble. Despite its small size, this tiny bubble showed the scene of nearly every Fledgling participating in a given test all at once. As Floor Guardians, they could handle seeing the world through thousands of different perspectives simultaneously so it was a simple matter for her to view an additional nine.Seated to the left of Feena, the cat-like man mused, "Tell me what you see, Feena. I'm curious." while trying to sneak the tiny bubble for himself. Unfortunately for him, Quo'aa snatched it away while her companion was distracted, causing Feena to snap her teeth aggressively while the cat-man began to laugh once again.Quo'aa just snorted toward the two before shielding the bubble in her hands and taking a closer look for herself. There, she could see Linnaeus, Ryuuna, and seven other Fledglings all fighting to be the last group on the Third Floor. Though she normally didn't care all that much, Quo'aa was a little interested in the two Love Birds that had been toyed with by Feena. She rarely showed any emotion on her face but Quo'aa actually liked drama quite a bit, especially of the romantic variety.Feena knew Quo'aa'a nature well as, for the last 7,319 years, they had been neighbors around the table. It was because she liked to tease others, Quo'aa included, that she had given the Love Bird Titles to Linnaeus and Ryuuna. Thus, seeing who Quu'aa was spying upon, Feena began to snicker before asking, "Are they having a lover's quarrel~? Ushishishishi~"Hearing Feena's question, Quo'aa gave her a side-long glance before answering, "That little Dwelf is quite violent. She had a disagreement with the little Hybrid so she beat him up before running off into the wasteland. After that, the Hybrid ran in the opposite direction and now they are both slowly freezing to death due to their obstinance...young love is quite complicated, umu."Feena immediately burst out laughing when she heard Quo'aa's words as the whole reason she had made Linnaeus and Ryuuna Love Birds was due to their contrasting, yet similar, natures. She knew it would cause them to be at odds with each other but, with very few ways to entertain herself, Feena didn't mind putting them through an extra trial or two. If they were able to overcome their personal differences and work together, the Love Bird Title was actually extremely useful.Tired of being left out of the loop, the cat-man lay his head down dejectedly on the table, his face forming a pout as he said, "You girls...don't do this to me. Aren't we friends? I want to see what is so interesting..."Ringo, seated to the cat-man's left, nudged the pouting Guardian in the side with his elbow before saying, "Don't slack off, Servalan. The challenge of the First Floor is one of the most important. If I review your work and find you made any mistakes..."With the nudge to his side being less than gentle, Servalan's body jolted before his expression became even dourer as he said, "Boss, even you want to bully me? Just because I'm the newest Guardian...*sniffle*..."Not convinced by Servalan's act, Ringo gave him a hard look that caused the cat-like Guardian to release a sigh before he began focusing on his own work. At any given moment, they had to view a total of 1000 groups of Fledglings so he couldn't really slack off for too long. As Ringo had pointed out, it was very important to organize the Fledglings and evaluate them on the First Floor as it could seriously disrupt future challenges.What most people didn't know, even among the Eight Heavenly Families, was that the Guardians changed the rules slightly to level the playing field. Though they proactively rewarded those who put in an earnest effort to climb higher, they also intervened to give weaker Fledglings a chance. If they didn't do this, only those with combat-oriented Blessings would have any chance to reach the higher floors.By observing every Fledgling in their charge, the Guardians would do things like alter the terrain to put obstacles between weaker and stronger Fledglings, assign Titles that would help foster attribute growth, and even manipulate the match-ups in some of the challenges that pitted Fledglings against each other. This was how Linnaeus ended up against the Rank 1 Fledgling as, after seeing how he used his [Barrier] Magic on the First Floor, they knew it would be next to impossible for the Rank 1 to hunt him down. As a result, Linnaeus' chances at survival were increased while the pressure he would experience gave him a stronger drive to become stronger.Though unexpected occurrences happened all the time, this was largely due to the Luck and Karma of the individual Fledglings. Those with higher Luck were favored by the Akashic System, even within the Tower. This meant they would get more drops from monsters and, without their knowledge, they might even avoid a potentially dangerous situation purely by happenstance.After Luck, Karma was the attribute that most heavily influenced a person's fate. It was one of the hidden attributes of the Akashic System that directly weighed the motivations of a person against their actions. This would cause the to accrue positive and negative karma which, quite literally, had an influence on their Fate. Those who had higher positive Karma tended to have more fortuitous encounters while those with higher negative Karma often experienced sudden misfortune.Regardless of whether your Karma was positive or negative, you could overcome your Fate if you had high enough attributes and strong enough willpower. This meant that even 'evil' people could grow stronger, often without any upper limits. Though they would find themselves pitted against those with high positive Karma, this was just another way in which the Tower and the Akashic System promoted the growth of each individual.Linnaeus wasn't aware of it, but his Karma had almost equal values of positive and negative Karma as, while he never really wanted to kill people, he had accumulated quite the body count. If not for his charity toward other Street Urchins, as he would sometimes hand out food and rescue those who were being beaten too roughly, he would have accumulated much more negative Karma.Because it was very rare for a person to have almost equal amounts of positive and negative Karma, Linnaeus was a curious existence to the Floor Guardians who had observed him. Not only was he one of the few Fledglings that didn't actually care about climbing the Tower, but his contrary nature was interesting to observe.Feena had been especially taken with Linnaeus and, due to sheer boredom, she liked to push the boundaries when it came to interfering with her challenges. Thus, when she had the chance to mess with him and Ryuuna, she simply couldn't resist the temptation. Her only regret being unable to watch the drama unfold directly but, as there were interesting Fledglings in every batch, she would soon forget he even existed.This was the same for every Guardian and, unless there was a truly exceptional Fledgling, they would soon forget them in the vast, seemingly infinite stream, of other Fledglings. There were an average of 48,000,000 Fledglings entering the Tower every day so it was very rare for any of them to leave a strong impression on Guardians who had witnessed nearly two-hundred trillion Fledglings during their service as Floor Guardians. For those like Ringo, who had held his position for more than 20,000 years, he had seen double that amount.The only Fledglings that were truly memorable were those who had been given the title of Daredevil and Frontier Explorer. These individuals usually left quite an impact on other Fledglings during their climb while the latter consisted of the top 100 Rankers in the entire Tower. Since the Tower was like a massive filter, the number of people on higher Floors exponentially decreased so, in the example of the 106th Floor's Guardian, they only had to keep track of a total of three individuals.Once a group of Fledglings reached the 10th Floor, they would be given two ranks, one showing how they matched up to people in their same groupings while the other showed their overall rank in the entire Tower. Currently, there were close to 13 trillion people actively climbing the Tower while, on the Floors where communities had settled in, the population skyrocketed to nearly thirty trillion. This made it exceptionally difficult to stand out so, for the time being, Linnaeus had no idea how lucky he was to have the attention of two Floor Guardians...at least for a short while.

Though he was unable to move onto the Fourth Floor early, there were certain benefits to being trapped inside the pitch-black cave alongside Ryuuna. They had nothing better to do so, while it wasted their oxygen faster than staying silent, Linnaeus used the opportunity after filling Ryuuna's belly to ask her various questions.At first, Ryuuna completely ignored Linnaeus' questions but, after nearly twenty hours in absolute darkness, she was the one to break the silence. It beat just waiting around doing nothing so, while the number of Fledglings continued to decrease, she found it was a good way to pass the time.Once given the opportunity, Linnaeus asked if there was any information she considered absolutely necessary to their climb, such as the boons. Since he only had a basic education provided to him by Rebecca, there were a lot of gaps in his knowledge. One oft he most important lessons Rebecca had ever taught him was that knowledge, in many situations, was even more important than power. If he knew the strengths and weaknesses of himself and his opponents, it would be possible to come out ahead, even if the odds were stacked against him.Ryuuna was gobsmacked by how little Linnaeus actually knew but, as he was an attentive listener and never interrupted her, she decided he wasn't completely hopeless. She could also see that he was a hard worker as, compared to before, his Level, Attributes, Skills, Abilities, and Magic were all increasing much faster than she had expected.----------------------------------------[Status]Name: Linnaeus FinnianTitle: Love Bird(+3 Spi, +2 Cha, +1 Luk per Level while in the same party as other Love Birds)Race: Hume(50%), Manalyte(50%)Age: 15Gender: MaleLevel: 23~26(91/4800)Health: 1460/1460Soul Power: 3971/3971Strength: 50-&gt;52Constitution: 52-&gt;69+4Agility: 79-&gt;85+25.5Dexterity: 56-&gt;63+1Intelligence: 91-&gt;121+101.8Wisdom: 90-&gt;110+93Spirit: 42-&gt;51+15.3Charisma: 28-&gt;36Luck: 13-&gt;17+1Free Attributes: 0Skills: [Kinu Comprehension:(-)], [Fleet-Footed:LV11-&gt;LV21], [Magus:LV14-&gt;LV22], [Wizard:LV17], [Resilient Mind:LV8-&gt;LV20], [Sage Mage:LV15], [Knife Mastery: LV21-&gt;LV24], [Throwing: LV15-&gt;LV17],[Sense Danger: LV30-&gt;LV38], [Presence Concealment: LV32-&gt;LV40], [Acrobatics: LV31-&gt;LV35], [Pain Tolerance: LV19-&gt;LV22], [Barrier Master:LV51-&gt;LV58], [Assassination: LV35-&gt;LV38], [Charm: LV8-&gt;LV15], [Trap Set: LV11-&gt;LV22], [Trap Disarm: LV6-&gt;LV15], [Perception:LV13](new)Abilities: [Steal: LV28-&gt;LV29], [Stealth: LV30-&gt;LV39], [Night Vision: LV19-&gt;LV26]Magic: [Enhance: LV26-&gt;LV28], [Barrier: LV51-&gt;LV53], [Barrier Aura: LV50-&gt;LV55]----------------------------------------Though she would never admit it, Ryuuna was surprised by how much Linnaeus had grown. He was still considerably weaker than her but his foundation was stronger than she had expected. Since she kept track of her growth, she knew there was only a ten attribute difference between them at the same Level.Linnaeus' total attributes didn't make much sense to her so, after answering most of his questions, she also asked several of her own. When she learned that he had been fighting for his survival since age ten, accruing more than a thousand kills against predominately stronger foes, she received her answer.It was common knowledge that attributes increased faster when you were fighting against stronger foes so Linnaeus, despite his weaker foundation and lack of education, honed his attributes through life and death battles. This fundamentally changed how Ryuuna looked at the strangely beautiful boy as, rather than a delicate flower that just anyone could pluck, he suddenly seemed to have a series of extremely sharp thorns hidden behind his pale-blue petals.When it finally came time for him to ask more questions, Linnaeus interrupted Ryuuna's rumination, saying, "You are one of the strongest people I've ever met..." This caused Ryuuna to perk up slightly but, when he followed his words by asking, "How do you compare to the progeny from the Eight Families...?", she immediately resumed her cold demeanor.Linnaeus noticed he had touched a nerve so he also fell silent after seeing how Ryuuna had reacted. He half-expected her to attack him so, seeing her brooding instead of lashing out, Linnaeus felt like he had been given a reprieve.After nearly an hour of silence, Ryuuna finally decided to answer, albeit in a venomous tone as she stated, "I won't lose against those brats. As long as it isn't one of the so-called prodigies, I'll tear any other member of the Eight Families apart with my bare hands...!"Ryuuna knew her claim only held out before reaching higher Floors but, as she wouldn't just lower her head to people she considered spoiled-rotten, she willfully walked toward potential destruction without hesitation. She knew it was only a matter of time before some random branch of the Eight began to target her but, for the first time in her life, her fate was her own to choose.Though he was tempted to ask about her history with the Eight Families, Linnaeus wasn't in a hurry to anger the Dwelven woman while he was trapped in a cave with her. Instead, he gave a curt nod before adopting a supportive tone as he said, "I do not share your hatred for the Eight Families but I believe you can do it. So long as your actions do not touch my bottom line, I will help you..."Rather than show any appreciation for Linnaeus' words, Ryuuna closed the relatively short distance between them before punching, hard, against his cheek. His [Barrier Aura] was able to mitigate the damage but it still sent him tumbling through the cave before his body crashed into the wall upside down.With her golden eyes glimmering in the dark, Ryuuna glared at him with a vicious expression on her face as she spat, "I already told you not to get any ideas! Don't try to coax me with kind words you flowery bastard...!"Hearing Ryuuna's outburst, Linnaeus finally understood why she had gotten upset at him, even if he found it ridiculous. She seemed to think he was trying to flirt with her, despite such thoughts never having crossed his mind. Though his actions could be interpreted as him trying to ingratiate himself to her, it was very clear she was still bothered by the Love Bird Title they shared together...Linnaeus ultimately chose to remain silent after extricating himself from the small pile of rubble that had cushioned his fall. He then moved to the far side of the cave, putting as much distance between himself and the unhinged Dwelf as possible. For a brief moment, he was even tempted to announce his departure from the Party but, imagining her tracking him down on the next Floor like a debtor, he wisely decided against it.Ryuuna continued to glare at Linnaeus until he pulled out a pile of pelts to form a makeshift bed. He didn't even bother to come and retrieve the ones nearest to her so, after a few minutes of silence, she claimed them for herself. Despite the interior of the cave being much warmer than the outside, it was still growing progressively colder with the passage of time.---After the violent spat, Linnaeus didn't bother conversing with Ryuuna. From that moment onward, he only interacted with her when she demanded food or water. Since his SP was much higher than hers, he was holding the majority of their supplies after she had practically forced them upon him. Though this relegated him to a glorified Mule, he actually preferred to have the supplies as, if the time came for him to leave the Party, he would at least be prepared...Due to Ryuuna's pride and Linnaeus' propensity to evade unnecessary conflict, the cave was largely silent for the better part of three days. Other than the sound of breathing, eating, and the stressful moments when Ryuuna had to relieve herself, there were no words shared between them. This had started to annoy the Dwelven woman quite a bit but, as he could easily go days without uttering a single word, Linnaeus spent the majority of his time regulating his breathing and getting rest when he could.Eventually, around noon of the fourteenth day, with only twenty-eight Fledglings left, Ryuuna was the one to ultimately crack. It had started to become harder to breathe within the cave so she had been growing increasingly frustrated with the silence. If not for the fact that the interior had become warmer as the oxygen slowly ran out, she would have already tunneled her way out of the cave to get some fresh air.Since he hadn't been using it on her, Ryuuna broke the silence by exclaiming, "Why do you get to have it easy while I'm forced to breathe your smelly air!? Cast your [Barrier Aura] on me or don't blame me for beating you until you develop some sense...!"Rather than waste his breath on Ryuuna, Linnaeus just cast his [Barrier Aura] without a word. He knew she was trying to use an argument as a means to segue into an actual conversation but, as he was obstinant in his own way, he refused to pander to her more than necessary. If being nice to her was rewarded with violence, he would rather remain silent indefinitely.As could be expected, Ryuuna was extremely annoyed by how dismissive Linnaeus was behaving, despite the fact he had listened to her demand. She no longer cared about their diminishing oxygen as, with the transparent membrane surrounding her, only breathable oxygen entered her lungs. This made her feel more energetic so, rather than let him continue to brood in silence, she rose to her feet before making her way over to his side and demanding, "Give me something to eat." as she sat down nearby.Linnaeus had an incredulous expression on his face as he couldn't understand what was wrong with this pale-haired woman's head. Despite this, he still proffered forth two skewers while reserving his opinion to himself.Ryuuna quickly snatched the skewers from Linnaeus' hands but, rather than let him stay silent, she began to tear away at the juicy meat while asking, "So, what were you up to before coming to bother me? Tell me about any monsters and Fledglings you encountered. With how much your Status had increased, you couldn't have just been hiding away in a hole the entire time, right...?"Though he was tempted to remain silent, Linnaeus knew Ryuuna wouldn't take him ignoring her too kindly. Now that she had directly asked him questions, he could only release a profound sigh before detailing his survival prior to their reunion. He kept the details of his discoveries and experiments a secret, as he didn't really feel like having her plunder his reserves of Blue Gels just because they were sweet and tart.While listening to Linnaeus' recounting, Ryuuna had various reactions, the majority of which could be organized into two categories: contempt and scorn. When she heard about his encounter with the Fledgling named Keith, she looked at him like he was the biggest idiot in the world, asking, "You let them get away without even taking some of their supplies? What the fuck is wrong with you?"In response to Ryuuna's ridicule, Linnaeus just snorted as he rolled over to his side and muttered, "Not everyone enjoys killing..." before pulling a layer of pelt to cover himself. This series of actions earned him a hateful glare from Ryuuna and, for a brief moment, killing intent flashed across her golden irises.Resisting the urge to thrash Linnaeus for turning his back to her, Ryuuna hissed through clenched teeth, "You are a gullible fool...if they had been in good health and encountered you while injured, do you think they would have shown the same kindness!?"Hearing Ryuuna's words, which held more than a few grains of truth, Linnaeus began to tremble slightly. However, this wasn't due to his acquiescence but his rage and indignation at the fact that a person he hardly knew thought they had the right to judge him. It was obvious that Ryuuna had a history of her own but, as he refused to become a vicious killer that arbitrarily killed others to get ahead.Glaring back at Ryuun, Linnaeus mustered up every ounce of conviction contained within his fragile body as he fearlessly stated, "I would rather die than become a monster that takes advantage of others during their moment of weakness. I don't give a damn how others might treat me in similar circumstances. That has nothing to do with me at all. I'll act however I damn well please without giving a damn about the consequences. At least I'll have kept my fucking integrity...!"

Chapter 30: Separation