Babel

After viewing Eliza's Status, a lot of thoughts ran through Linnaeus' mind simultaneously. First and foremost, he recognized the last name Evendoom. It belonged to one of the stronger of the Eight Heavenly Families, simultaneously explaining why Eliza acted sheltered despite being so powerful.The second thought to run through Linnaeus' mind was that, despite giving off the feeling that she was much weaker than him, the truth of the matter was the complete opposite of his expectations. He had expected her Level to be higher, as she had reached the 13th Floor, but he hadn't expected her to be above the Level of Rebecca while also being a better specialist than himself...While these two things were of extreme importance, for a variety of reasons, the thing that stood out the most, at least to Linnaeus, was Eliza's Skills. Though she didn't have the Blessing for it, having the [Mixing] Skill would be very useful when it came to making medicine and salves. The rest of her Skills were also rather important as, despite having grown considerably, Linnaeus was still looking for ways to grow stronger.As Linnaeus was looking at her Status, Eliza was obviously doing the same in regards to his Status. It didn't bother her that Linnaeus was only Level 26 as, when she first entered the Tower, her Level had been around the same. She was only Level 33 by the time she reached the 10th Floor so, if anything, he was ahead of the curve since she was the 9th Ranked Fledgling in her clutch.What did surprise Eliza, however, were Linnaeus' [Pain Tolerance] and [Charm] Skills. Unless someone intended to become a frontline Vanguard, most people did not put in the arduous amount of effort to gain the difficult to acquire Skill. It was obvious that he leaning towards the path of a Thief, Scout, or Assassin so, to have obtained the Skill, the delicate-looking boy must have experienced a lot of pain in his life.If not for the fact that Linnaeus had the [Charm] Skill, Eliza would have been able to empathize with him a lot more...[Charm] was another difficult to acquire Skill as you needed to have unnaturally high Charisma just to obtain it. There was nothing wrong with Linnaeus possessing the Skill, as he might have received it without trying, but the training method for [Charm] was rather infamous within the megacity. A lot of the people who obtained it were arrogant despots who toyed with women's hearts so, unless the person was of significant social status, anyone with a significantly developed [Charm] Skill was often demonized quite a bit.Eliza's mother had always warned her about not being taken advantage of by other people, both as a daughter of the Evendoom house and as a woman. Thus, while she did not intend to abandon the Party at this point, a lot of the appreciation she had for Linnaeus had vanished. His [Charm] wasn't that high yet but, remembering how some of her peers had trained the Skill, Eliza didn't want to be the person he trained the Skill on.Linnaeus had preserved his life by developing the habit of constantly observing the expressions and body language of other people. Though he had been focused on Eliza's Status, he hadn't missed the tensing of her body as she moved a little further away from him. When he looked over, she suddenly felt more distant from him and, rather than avert his eyes in a demure manner, she was staring back at him with caution.There were any number of things in his Status that could have put Eliza on guard but, with how she was behaving, it felt like she was afraid he would take advantage of her. Considering the difference in their Status, he didn't believe for a moment she was afraid he would attack her so the most likely cause for her concern was his [Charm] Skill.Since he had thought to use his [Charm] to ingratiate himself to her, despite not wanting to exploit her, Linnaeus couldn't blame Eliza for her sudden caution. Instead, he released a subdued sigh as he pulled up the makeshift wolf-fur hood to obscure his features. He also turned his head away, though not enough that she was outside the periphery of his vision.Seeing how Linnaeus had reacted, Eliza was more than a little surprised and, for a brief moment, the guilt she had felt previously resurfaced. Since she still had his Status in front of her, Eliza turned her attention towards his age and, seeing how young he was, she felt like her assessment of him might be a little unfair. Still, she couldn't ignore the lessons of her mother as, despite not being one of the prettier girls, there were no end to the number of people who had tried to take advantage of her.Having already decided to join Linnaeus's Party, at least for a short while, Eliza felt she owed him the chance to prove her wrong. Not only had he helped her when she was caught off guard, but the way he acted was almost the opposite of how others with the [Charm] Skill behaved. He didn't swagger around with a crooked and possessive smile on his face. Instead, he seemed nearly as delicate as she was, albeit with a cold and calculating feel to him. This made him seem more like an adorable little kitten, rather than a hungry wolf with an insatiable appetite...The most important factor in her decision to trust Linnaeus was the recognition that she had already died. She had never heard of the Crucible of Souls before, even after reaching the 10th Floor and gathering information. This implied it was one of the most well-kept secrets of the Tower or, as she had already started to suspect, a complete farce.For all she knew, the Crucible of Souls was the place where all souls went when they died and, rather than allow them to return to the surface, this was already their second chance at life. The fact it was impossible to Level, combined with the physical changes she had undergone, made it seem less and less likely that there was a way to actually leave. Even if she could leave, the fact that nobody even mentioned the Crucible of Souls meant they had to sign a very powerful contract in order to be revived. Because of this, Eliza suspected that, at the very least, her identity as a daughter of the Evendoom family would be stripped from her...After letting her mind wander to more depressing thoughts, Eliza suddenly felt a need to bare her heart and soul to another person once again. The main reason she had approached Linnaeus was due to her loneliness and, as he seemed like a quiet and kind person, she felt safer around him than most members of the Eight Families. Her previous Party had essentially been one man's attempt to create a harem for himself on the pretense of working together as children of the Eight Families...The more she thought about her past life, the more depressed Eliza felt in the present. She buried her face into her knees and fell silent for several minutes until a hesitant voice asked, "Hey...are you okay...?"When she looked up, Eliza's eyes were slightly puffy and, though she didn't really trust Linnaeus, she could see the concern in his gaze and the apprehension in his voice. Still, she was embarrassed that such a young boy was worried about her so, after wiping away her tears and lightly slapping her own cheeks, Eliza tried to psyche herself up before saying, "I'm fine. I was just...reminiscing. Anyways, we shouldn't stay here for too long. I can show you to the shelter I built or we can return to yours. You are the Party Leader so I will follow your decisions unless I feel there is something wrong."Linnaeus knew that women could be temperamental but, seeing how much Eliza had changed in a short few minutes, he felt the future might be a little more troublesome than he expected. At the same time, however, he could empathize with her as, seeing how she behaved, he was reminded of Saht. Unlike most women, she was a stable existence and, though she was prone to ripping people apart, Linnaeus had grown very fond of her unchanging, borderline obstinant, nature.Not wanting to change Eliza's mind once again, Linnaeus gave a small nod before saying, "My den is underground, borrowed from a fox-like monster. It might not be the safest place, but it is good for storing goods, provides ample protection from the elements, and is insulated against the cold."Having received survival training in her youth, Eliza was familiar with making underground dens so, rather than instantly refuse Linnaeus' decision, she gave a small nod. Her own abode was just a small ledge beneath a large boulder. It always gave her the impression that it would suddenly fall, crushing her into meat paste, so Eliza at least wanted to see Linnaeus' den before making a decision.With Eliza's assent, Linnaeus carefully guided her towards his den but, as he never entered directly, he turned to her and explained, "I'm a very cautious person. Before we go inside, I like to check the area to make sure I wasn't followed. Will you come with me...or would you rather stay here?"For a brief moment, Eliza had a sinking feeling in her stomach. It was similar to how she felt when her mother had first dropped her off at school when she was a young girl so, rather than just idle about, she answered in a subdued tone, "I will follow you..."Linnaeus gave a small nod of understanding before slowly trekking through the forest without making a sound. Eliza followed close behind him, breaking twigs underfoot and brushing against practically everything that could possibly alert enemies to their presence. He knew she wasn't doing it on purpose but, by the time they had circled the area twice, Linnaeus had a very strong urge to order her to sit still and wait for his return.Fortunately, despite making a mind-numbing amount of noise, Eliza was very obedient and attentive. They hadn't coordinated any hand sings or anything but, whenever he would gesture for her to stop, she would become absolutely silent before bringing her palms closer together in preparation for an attack. This showed that, while not the most subtle person, she was at least competent enough not to be extra baggage.After finally reaching the den, Linnaeus showed Eliza the different entrances and how to check for any signs of entry. Then, after checking the inside and moving a few things around, he gave her to okay to come inside. This took her some time but, as he knew she was still a little cautious of him, Linnaeus didn't try to rush her.Eliza was surprised by how spacious the interior of the den was but, after learning that the monster inhabiting it had been around 3m long, she accepted it. The only downside was that, much like her previous abode, she had the feeling the large rocks sheltering the den would fall down on them at some point. Ever since she had learned her [Crush] Magic, Eliza had always felt like it was only a matter of time until she was crushed herself...Linnaeus had modified his schedule to account for a familiarization period between himself and his new Party members so, while part of him wanted to try and hunt down the King immediately, that would come after Eliza trusted him more. He intended to take her hunting with him so they could improve their teamwork and, once he felt they were ready, they would try and recruit the absorption man to their cause. With his help, they would only need someone with a support-oriented Blessing to have a cohesive Party.With this in mind, Linnaeus decided the best thing to do, at least for the time being, was to just talk with Eliza. Because of her earlier reaction, he felt she would be apprehensive about discussing herself so, once they had settled in, he quietly stated, "I'm not sure how long we'll be in the same Party...if it were up to me, we would remain together until we reached the top of the Crucible. As you've seen, I'm not exactly the strongest person so I won't deny that your [Gravity Rule] would help me a lot..."Eliza was listening closely to Linnaeus' words and, though she didn't have much of a reaction, she was a little surprised about his honesty. After seeing his Status, part of her had been thinking about broaching the subject of making her the Party Leader. For the time being, however, she felt that he was a better Party Leader than her as, for a variety of reasons, she didn't like to tell people what to do.Just as Eliza was getting ready to tell Linnaeus a bit about herself, as this seemed to be the way the conversation was going, she was surprised yet again when he suddenly said, "I don't have any way to really make you trust me. The most I can do is try and earn your trust through my actions. With that in mind, I'd like to tell you more about myself. There are some...unpleasant parts to my past. Please withhold judgment and determine for yourself if I'm someone you can trust..."After seeing that Eliza was paying close attention to his words, Linnaeus took a deep breath to calm himself. Since she was a daughter of the Evendoom family, he was more self-conscious around Eliza than he should be. He also knew she would be able to flatten him into meat patty if she wanted to so, while it was a little dangerous, Linnaeus decided to be honest with her. To that end, he started his account from the very beginning, averting his eyes from her steady gaze as he said, "I was born in the slums..." before detailing his struggles over the last fifteen years...

Though he had given a similar account to Ryuuna, Linnaeus quickly noticed that Eliza was paying a lot more attention to what he was telling her. She seemed attentive and, at times, even empathetic to the experiences he had growing up. He wasn't really trying to earn her pity but, having someone just quietly listening got him to talk a lot more than he had intended...Linnaeus started off his story in a solemn yet disinterested manner, stating in a dull tone, "Though I have bits and pieces of memories from an earlier period, the first cohesive memory I have is being hungry. I remembered crying out for my mother instinctually but, due to the nature of her work, my cries were answered, not with kindness, but cruelty. You see, my mother had been a harlot, someone who made a living by selling her body. She had been a beautiful Manalyte woman so it wasn't really her fault as, in the slums, most women do not have a choice in how they live..."Without realizing it himself, Linnaeus' face had formed a deep frown but, rather than wait for Eliza's questions, he unhesitantly added, "My father had been a low-tier Enforcer for a gang called the Blue Ivy Noose. They were a group that specialized in trading slaves and running brothels in one of the middle districts of the slums. He had been assigned as my mother's keeper and, though I can't really say much about their relationship, he took good care of her after especially difficult clients...I'm can't say with certainty that there was any love between them but, as they lived together, they at least had some kind of bond..."Linnaeus could remember his father much better than his mother, despite hating and fearing the former a great deal. This was because, as he explained to Eliza, "My first real memory is crying out, only for my own father to try and smother me with a blanket to keep quiet. I remember fearing for my life and desperately struggling only for him to repeat words like, "Be quiet you little rat" and "You're bothering the customers!" as he unhesitantly deprived me of oxygen..."As he mentioned his father, Linnaeus' tone was largely emotionless and, rather than the focused gaze he normally had, his ruby-red eyes had dulled over slightly. Still, he intended to continue his story so, after shaking his head with a crooked smile on his face, he added, "After that, I learned not to cry. I kept as quiet as possible, regardless of how hungry, cold, or lonely I was. If I had known it was an option at the time, I might have just readily accepted my death...hahaha..."Shaking his head once again, this time in self-ridicule, Linnaeus then adopted a more natural smile as he continued in a happier tone, "It was during these lonely times that the only truly good thing in my life appeared. One day, another infant was put into the same box-like crib that served as my bed and prison. This was my sister and, after only knowing loneliness and brief periods of comfort, she became my reason for living. Her warmth and presence gave meaning to my life so, no matter what happened to me, I decided I would do my best to protect her..."During the earliest periods of Linnaeus' life, the memories that were most clear were the moments when he had been taking care of his sister. She was so tiny and frail but, despite being born into the same cruel world as him, she was a lively and cheerful baby. Her smile gave him strength and, much like how some children would become dependent on toy animals and dolls, his developing mind could not imagine life without her...With his mood becoming melancholic once again, Linnaeus took a deep breath before releasing a sigh and saying, "Though she was only an infant, my sister had already been claimed by one of the cadres of the Blue Ivy Noose. She was born as an unnaturally beautiful girl and, after she reached adulthood, her fate was to become the personal sex slave of that middle-aged piece of shit. To make matters even worse, my parents were fully in support of the idea as it made their own lives a little easier to have the favor of a cadre. My mother was even..."Just as he was about to mention his mother's attempts to educate Gwen, Linnaeus found himself at a loss for words as a cocktail of negative emotions surged forward. He managed to largely suppress them before ultimately deciding that it wasn't really pertinent information. With that in mind, he just skipped over it, stating in a deflecting tone, "When I was around six years old, my parents suddenly vanished into motes of bluish-white light. According to Rebecca, the kindly caretaker who had taken us into her Orphanage, they had been given the opportunity to enter the Tower. My sister cried a lot but, knowing what kind of future awaited us under the care of my parents, I believed that fate had been on our side..."Linnaeus had very confliction emotions regarding his parents but, despite having been a little upset at their sudden appearance, he had been genuinely grateful to fall into Rebecca's care. She not only began training Gwen to be able to protect herself but, when time allowed, she also provided a basic education to help the boys survive as Street Urchins. Some might say that her treatment was unfair between the boys and girls but, in the slums, just being given free shelter was a boon most could only hope for. If not for her teachings, he wouldn't have been able to survive and, no matter what anyone else said, Linnaeus was grateful for the acceptance Rebecca had shown him after his first series of kills...Since the years leading up to his tenth birthday blended together quite a bit, Linnaeus only gave a brief accounting of his daily life and the training he had underwent to survive his encounter against Skaadi, the Vulna woman. He talked about the daily beatings, his attempts to earn even a pittance in order to treat his sister, and how he would often go days, or even weeks, without a meal. All of these things were rather jarring to Eliza as, being born a daughter of the Evendoom house, she had been left wanting for very little in life.The story got decidedly more interesting after he reached the point where he received his Blessing. It wasn't the most stable period in his life, and he was still haunted by the memories, but Linnaeus had a simple smile on his face as he recounted his journey westward before his inevitable return to the orphanage.Linnaeus' journey wasn't all bad as, in between being hunted down and gathering information, there were some happy moments mixed in. He talked about some of the interesting sites he had seen but, what had left the deepest impact on Linnaeus were the times when he would help others walking the same path. Though he couldn't do much for them, Linnaeus tried to help out any Street Urchins he came across, so long as they did not seem to have been completely corrupted by the darkness of the slums.It was his helping people that led to Linnaeus earning the [Charm] Skill as, knowing what kind of life they were forced to live, he had saved a fair number of young girls in his travels. Not everyone was patient enough to wait until a female Street Urchin matured into an adult, especially when it came to other Street Urchins.When there was a girl in a group, she was almost always the experimental plaything of the boys in that same group. Some Enforcers even took great pleasure in goading the children to try and do terrible things to each other, baiting them with food and medicine as a means to pass the time. It wasn't even that uncommon for such acts to be carried out in broad daylight but, rather than do anything to interfere, some pedestrians would just stop to enjoy the show...Though he could not save as many people as he'd like, Linnaeus couldn't ignore it when such acts were taking place right in front of him. It had gotten him into a lot of trouble at times but, as he had been on a warpath at the time, the vast majority of his kills were the result of him trying to protect other Street Urchins. As a result, some of the girls he had rescued wanted to follow him but, as he couldn't even protect himself, Linnaeus could only try to take them to a relatively safer area before having to leave them behind...Eventually, Linnaeus' story reached the point where his sister obtained her Blessing and, as could be expected, Eliza was quite surprised. She even interrupted his story for the first time, asking, "You are the brother of the Saintess of the Southern Slums, Lady Finnian...?"Since Saints and Saintesses were important existences that were few in number, Linnaeus wasn't too surprised that Eliza had heard of his sister. Still, it brought a smile to his face knowing that even the daughter of one of the Eight Heavenly Families showed genuine awe and surprise when mentioning Gwen.What Linnaeus didn't expect was for Eliza to immediately follow his nod by saying, "There is no way that is true...it's impossible..."At this point, Linnaeus realized there was a deeper meaning to Eliza's reaction, causing his mind to buzz with anxiety as he asked, "Do you know something about my sister? Please, tell me...!" Since it was much easier to imagine something terrible happening, Linnaeus was beginning to panic after seeing how Eliza was behaving.With Linnaeus suddenly invading her personal space, Eliza instinctually brought her hands together without thinking about it. As a result, his body was suddenly pressed to the ground as a wispy purple field appeared beneath him. He could feel his bones creaking but, what made matters much worse, was the sensation that his blood vessels were bursting while his eyes felt like they were going to fall free from their sockets.Almost immediately after activating her Blessing, Eliza separated her hands with a fluster, waving her hands from side to side as she exclaimed, "I'm so sorry! You surprised me...!"Linnaeus was in a lot of pain so, rather than respond, he just stared blankly at the notification asking if he wanted to expel Eliza from the Party and penalize her for attacking an ally. Part of him was very tempted to confirm it but, knowing he would likely die shortly thereafter, he managed to resist the urge. Instead, he blamed himself for getting riled up before dismissing the notification and focusing on recovery...Seeing Linnaeus fall silent with a dull look in his eyes, Eliza began to feel extremely guilty. His story had actually affected her a great deal so, seeing him having to suffer in silence, she suddenly felt like all the terrible people he had talked about. Since the only times he smiled were when talking about his sister, she tightly clenched her fists before mustering up all of her courage...Linnaeus noticed Eliza moving but, as he didn't feel any real threat coming from her, he continued to lay on the ground in silence. He would soon come to regret this as, moments later, Eliza was pulling his body into her embrace, an easy feat with her Strength. She squeezed him tightly but, rather than pain, Linnaeus felt an indescribable softness as her disproportionately large breasts pressed into his back. She also rested her forehead against the back of his head before whispering in an apologetic tone, "I'm sorry..."A lot was going through Linnaeus' mind when Eliza hugged him but, before he could find the words to say, his body had already moved to extricate himself from her embrace. He was breathing a little faster than normal as he backed away from her and quickly stated, "I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me. I'm used to pain..."Once again, Linnaeus quickly came to regret his words and actions as, after mentioning he was used to pain, Eliza's expression turned even more empathetic and concerned. At the same time, he heard a small ding in his head, followed by his [Charm] increasing in proficiency. This wasn't his intention at all so Linnaeus was beginning to grow a little flustered as he tried to deflect, asking, "Did you know something about my sister? If you do, please tell me. It has been more than three years since I heard anything about her..."Eliza came back to her senses when she heard Linnaeus' words but, rather than recover completely, her expression turned apologetic as she explained, "I know your sister...she...she was in the same Party as me..."

Following their introductions, Linnaeus and Eliza talked a bit about their circumstances. He didn't ask her any personal questions but, perhaps needing someone to talk to, Eliza herself broached the subject.According to the demure girl, she had actually made it all the way to the 13th Floor, surprising Linnaeus quite a bit since she didn't seem especially powerful. As for how she ended up in the Crucible of Souls, even she wasn't entirely sure what had happened.The last thing Eliza remembered was participating in a group challenge when, out of nowhere, a column of light had enveloped her body. She wasn't quite sure, but she recalled feeling intense pain for a brief moment before finding herself crashing hard into the craggy black ground of the Crucible of Souls. Then, much like him, she encountered another person almost immediately but, unlike Linnaeus' case, they were able to work together for a few hours before lamenting their fate on the Eighth Floor.Since she hadn't formed a Party with the other person, they had been separated after the transfer to the Seventh Floor so she had been doing her best to survive. Though her Blessing allowed her to defeat most monsters without much difficulty, she had been very stressed out knowing that she had already died. This had prevented her from sleeping well and, as the days passed, things had only been getting worse for her.When Linnaeus was listening to her recounting of events, he had the impression she was trying to make him pity and feel bad for her. She seemed to be the type of person that was very reliant on others and, though she was actually very strong, had almost no confidence in herself. According to her own accounting, the only reason she had been able to reach the 13th Floor is because the leader of their Party had been trying to make her his woman.Linnaeus felt like she was trying to seed this idea into his mind but, while he didn't have any issues Partying with her, he wasn't intending to pamper and pander to her. She was obviously very used to being taken care of, drastically increasing the chances she might betray him in the future if it meant she would have an easier time.Despite realizing this, Linnaeus still intended to team up with Eliza as, unless she began scheming behind his back, she wasn't particularly dangerous. He grew up in an environment where people lived by exploiting and backstabbing others so her behavior wasn't even surprising to him. She was also a very sheltered person so, unless it was initiated by a third party, her nature prevented her from taking the initiative to betray him.During her recounting of events, Eliza had sat down next to Linnaeus. She had been hugging her knees throughout the entire conversation and, by the end of it, lowered her head so that he was unable to see the tears in her eyes.Though he had the distinct impression she was trying to trick him, there was something off about the way Eliza was acting. Thus, after measuring her behavior for a few tense seconds, Linnaeus decided to take a small gamble by gently placing his hand on her shoulder.In response to the unexpected touch, Eliza's body tensed up but, when she looked at Linnaeus through her dense bangs, she noticed he was looking away from her. This brought a small smile to her face and, after turning her own face to wipe away her tears, she asked, "How did you end up here, Lin...?"Since he didn't want to go into too many details, Linnaeus put on a dejected look as he released a tired sigh and answered, "I froze to death on the Third Floor...I wanted to be the last one to leave but only made it down to the final five people....hahaha..."The first part of Linnaeus' statement had surprised Eliza quite a bit, as it was rather pathetic to have died on the Third Floor. However, when she heard his remark about being one of the few remaining people to leave, she was, admittedly, a little taken aback. She had only spent six days on the Third Floor but, after hearing stories from those who had stayed much longer, Eliza knew it was not easy to be one of the final few people.With her curiosity getting the better of her, Eliza bit her bottom lip for a few seconds to build her courage before asking in a demure tone, "Can...can I ask what your Blessing is...?" Then, as if to allay any concerns he might have, Eliza added, "Mine is called [Gravity Rule]. I have the power to reduce the weight of anything I touch. If I bring my palms together, I can create a field that can crush almost anything...if I have enough SP..."For a brief moment, it looked like Eliza was going to show him how her power worked but, just as she was about to bring her palms together, she quickly separated them in a fluster. This was due to the fact that, when he saw what she was doing, Linnaeus' body began to react defensively as, if she had decided to target him, the fight would have immediately been over before it began.After breathing a sigh of relief, Linnaeus adopted a wry smile as he pats his chest and said, "Sorry, but you should know better than most how scary Gravity can be. To answer your question...well, I have the [Barrier Master] Blessing. I can create nearly indestructible barriers on myself and other people, so long as I have enough SP to maintain them. I can also create anchored barriers in thin air, which can serve as platforms. Using the same spell, I can create dynamic barriers in the shape of various weapons and armor to aid me in battle..."Even before Linnaeus had finished his explanation, Eliza already understood why he had been able to survive for so long on the Third Floor. She had already met another [Barrier Master] and, though they didn't seem to be able to create weapons and armor, their [Barrier Aura] skill had been an enviable ability. During the Tournament that took place on the 9th Floor, a man with the [Barrier Master] Blessing had taken fifth place in the overall rankings.Since the unique ability had left quite the impression on her, Eliza adopted a sincere smile on her face as she whispered, "That is a very useful Blessing...if you found a proper Party, you would be able to pass the 10th Floor without any difficulty..."Linnaeus was a little taken aback by Eliza's sudden sincerity, causing him to feel an incongruous feeling in the back of his mind as he averted his eyes from her kind gaze. When he turned away, he could hear her giggle, exacerbating the incongruous emotions he was experiencing.Before he could lose the tempo of conversation, Linnaeus decided to use Eliza's words against her, asking, "Do you want to Party with me, Eliza? I would like to learn more about the higher Floors from you and, though I may not be the most powerful ally, I'm good at surviving..."By the time Linnaeus had finished speaking, his words were barely a murmur as, considering where they were, talking about his survival skills didn't seem all that convincing. Eliza had picked up on this fact as well, causing her to giggle at his expense while covering her mouth in a cutesy manner.Linnaeus coughed a few times to cover his embarrassment, something he wasn't really used to feeling. He quickly buried the peculiar emotions before firming his expression and saying, "My death on the Third Floor wasn't entirely related to my own capabilities. I had been in a Party with another person but, in order to get me killed, they abandoned me in the snow to fend for myself. If I had been given the opportunity, I would have moved on to the Fourth Floor instead of freezing to death..."Eliza's playful mood vanished entirely when she heard Linnaeus' words. She could easily imagine him curled up in a ball of furs, desperately trying to resist the cold as it sapped away his strength. Though she had indeed been trying to make him pity her, she now felt a little guilty as, based on his somber expression, it was clear that he had been far less fortunate in his Party members.Seeing the way she was looking at him, Linnaeus felt the urge to avert his eyes but, rather than look away, he just shook his head and said, "None of that really matters. Unless we can reach the top of the Crucible of Souls, we may as well be dead to the rest of the world. I still have a goal to reach so I'd like it if we could Party together. You seem like a kind and gentle girl so I'd be happy to be in the same Party as you."Though Linnaeus felt he wasn't that good at smiling, Saht had always told him it made her feel happy whenever she saw him smile. He wasn't sure if it would have any impact on Eliza but, as she almost immediately averted her eyes, Linnaeus felt it had been somewhat effective. He was less handsome than girlish but, for someone like Eliza, he managed this would make her feel more comfortable around him.Without looking back at him, Eliza pressed the tips of her index fingers together as she whispered in a voice that barely reached his ears, "I...I also want to Party...please invite me..." Having followed others, as she fundamentally lacked leadership capabilities, Eliza didn't even consider being the Party Leader if they were to actually group up.Linnaeus' smile turned more genuine when he heard Eliza's words. Then, without any hesitation, he quickly sent her the Party request before hearing a ping in his mind that indicated she had accepted.The moment Eliza joined his Party, Linnaeus was given access to a small window of sorts that allowed him to modify a few things, such as what information was available to the members and their position within the Party. There were a lot of other options as well but these were unavailable to him until they had a full group of four people.Since he wanted to ingratiate himself to Eliza and gain her trust, even if only temporarily, Linnaeus enabled the option that allowed each member of the Party to view each others' Status. This was an option that required the consent of everyone in the Party but, as she was very curious about his Status, Eliza didn't hesitate at all to accept. From Linnaeus' perspective, this showed that she was either very trusting or, as he already suspected, she was simply too used to being taken care of by other people...----------------------------------------[Status]Name: Elizabeth Illustri EvendoomTitle: Mage(+5 Int, +3 Wis, +3 Spi per Level)Race: FelbornAge: 25Gender: FemaleLevel: 41(4519/10500)Health: 3098/3098Soul Power: 7677/7677Strength: 61Constitution: 113+41.9Agility: 69Dexterity: 123+5Intelligence: 219+249.9Wisdom: 134+88.4Spirit: 101+80.8Charisma: 21+4Luck: 13+1Free Attributes: 0Skills: [Kinu Comprehension:(-)], [*Gravity Rule:LV61*], [Healthy:LV38], [Magus:LV44], [Wizard:LV29], [Arch-Wizard:LV7], [Resilient Mind:LV45], [Sage Mind:LV27], [Heroic Spirit:LV9], [Sense Danger:LV54], [Abnormal Status Resistance:LV48], [Acrobatics:LV47], [Study:LV51], [Mixing:LV51], [Iron Stomach:51], [Memory:LV34], [Drawing:LV53], [Painting:LV35], [Perception:LV33]Abilities: [Focus:LV55], [Blessing of Night:LV56]Magic: [Enhance:LV58], [Weight Manipulation:LV57], [Crush:LV60]----------------------------------------(A/N: It was at this moment, Linnaeus knew, he fucked up. (UwU). Also, AUX chapter updated with new Skills/Abilities/Magic~!)

Chapter 39: Acquiesce