Babel

Since the time he turned ten-years-old, Linnaeus could count the number of times he slept under a roof on both hands.Being constantly hunted down made you quickly realize that confined spaces were dangerous so he would generally find a location where other vagrants gathered. This allowed him to blend in a little better but, no matter how much time passed, it wasn't something anyone could ever get used to.Linnaeus was such a light sleeper that the subtle change in a person's breathing was enough to stir him awake, his nerves tensing as his fight or flight instincts took over. This habit was ingrained so deeply into his character that, even when he lived alongside Saht, it was impossible to ever lower his guard enough to get a good night's rest. In fact, unless he had been knocked unconscious, sleeping for more than fifteen minutes at a time was a rare occurrence.Now, Linnaeus was in a familiar scenario, the warm body of another person pressed snugly against his own as he stared aimlessly at the back of his eyelids.When Linnaeus had left to gather information the previous night, Eliza had moved their individual beds together, forming one large, shared, bed. As it didn't matter to him, either way, Linnaeus had ultimately given in to her pestering as, for reasons he was only vaguely aware of, her presence was very calming to him.Linnaeus knew that Eliza put on a pretense of being a big sister but the truth of the matter was that she seemed to be trying to act as his surrogate mother. While she didn't show it much around Emilia and Krone, she would hug him tightly when they were alone together. There had even been a point where she caressed his head while humming a lullaby but, after failing to lull him to sleep, she began using more direct methods to try and get him to relax.Though he had come to know her better, Linnaeus didn't completely understand why Eliza acted in such a way toward him. He speculated that she missed her own mother and, learning he had grown up without one, wanted to help ease both of their burdens slightly. The only other reason he could think of was that she showed him empathy so that he became more reliant on her, effectively tying their fates together and ensuring he would do everything in his power to protect her.Ultimately, it didn't really matter why Eliza behaved this way as her presence did actually help him relax. He still couldn't fall into a deep sleep but, with a warm body at his side, something deep inside him appreciated the gesture of kindness and affection. It also helped that she had particularly large breasts so, even if she was squeezing him a little too tightly, it wasn't uncomfortable...---As was the case every time they slept together, it was Linnaeus' duty to stir Eliza awake as she wasn't exactly a morning person. He had to practically drag her out of bed and, for the briefest of moments, their roles were reversed.Fortunately, Eliza had enough sense to wear her bodysuit at all times so, even in her most slovenly state, she wasn't exactly indecent. Though the skintight suit left little the imagination, it was better than being completely naked as, despite what she might say, he knew it would be impossible for them to have a completely platonic relationship if things developed to that point.Linnaeus wasn't a child and, while Eliza herself was still a maiden, he already had a bit of experience, even if it was derived from 'necessity' more than lust. This was an inherent truth so, no matter how much she tried to coddle him, his innocence had died a very long time ago.Eliza, unaware of the thoughts going through Linnaeus' mind, released a long yawn while the latter used a simple comb to untangle the curls in her hair. It had gotten a little out of hand as a result of her having to rough it for more than a month so, while he was out last night, Linnaeus purchased a small jade comb as a gift.To her credit, Eliza managed to pretend she wasn't annoyed by the many times the comb got caught on a knot. This was something that caused pain regardless of Endurance and [Pain Tolerance] but, to avoid a situation where Linnaeus never combed her hair again, she lightly clenched her teeth while pretending to be half-asleep.Linnaeus was, of course, aware of this fact. However, he wasn't the type to ignore the efforts of other people. They had a strange synergistic relationship going on so, while it had an illusory quality, he was willing to keep it up as long as she was.When he finally managed to comb through all the knots, Eliza's previously 'puffy' hair had become considerably more manageable. It still curled naturally but, compared to the bird's nest it had been before, it was a significant improvement.As it was his honest feelings, Linnaeus used the opportunity when their gazes met in the mirror to smile slightly and comment, "Your hair looks a lot nicer like this. Before moving on to the next Floor, I'll make sure to pick up some hair care products and soap..."Hearing Linnaeus' remark, Eliza rolled her eyes but she couldn't hide the smile on her face due to the two tiny dimples on her cheeks. She knew he was just being nice and, while his words sounded like a compliment, it was more-so a statement of basic fact than anything else. Still, it made her happy just knowing he showed at least a basic level of consideration for her as, compared to the scheming and pretentious nature of the people she had been forced to associate with, his honesty was a breath of fresh air.Eliza knew she wasn't a beautiful woman by any means. While she wasn't ugly, her plain looks had always been a sore spot as a result of being born in the Evendoom family. She hated hearing people compliment her with words they didn't mean so, while Linnaeus was still a little awkward, his honest and straightforward remarks, combined with his own inordinately beautiful appearance, dealt critical damage to her heart.In order to hide her embarrassment and happiness, Eliza stretched her body and, before he could get away, she pushed Linnaeus into the chair and said, "Comb." in a stern tone. This made him frown ever so slightly but, after a moment of consideration, he ultimately relinquished the comb, allowing Eliza to return the favor from before.Unlike her own naturally curly hair, Linnaeus had a propensity to grow straight while forming small, gently flowing, locks. He had his [Barrier Aura] active at almost all times so dust, humidity, and other stressful factors for any woman had no effect on him whatsoever. This gave his hair a natural, silky smooth, quality that honestly irked Eliza more than a little.With his hair far more agreeable than her own, Eliza managed to comb through it in less than a minute. He had cut it short the previous night so it was a lot easier to deal with than it otherwise would have been.Once his hair had been combed through, Linnaeus managed to extricate himself from the chair and say, "We should get ready. I'm certain Emilia is already awake so we'll knock on Krone's door before heading down for breakfast. There is a lot we need to discuss and I'd rather get it out of the way sooner, rather than later..."Eliza had given Linnaeus a hard look when he escaped her grasp but, by the time he was finished speaking, she returned to her usual calm and collected self. There would be plenty of time for the two of them to bond in the future so she wasn't going to pressure him too much. Rather, she was very curious to know what he had learned since he was unwilling to divulge everything the previous night.With Eliza behaving, Linnaeus fixed his own equipment before making his way out into the hallway. At nearly the exact same moment, Emilia's door opened and, with a smile on her face, she poked her head out and asked, "Sleep well~?"Understanding she was trying to tease him, Linnaeus maintained his usual calm as he nodded his head and answered, "It was very comfortable. How about you, did you sleep in long...?"Eliza had been just behind Linnaeus when he made his remark so her face turned scarlet as several thoughts ran through her mind. She didn't have to imagine what part of her was 'comfortable' so, before Emilia could recover from her surprise, Eliza balled her hand into a fist before lightly smacking Linnaeus' shielded head.As Eliza wasn't actually trying to hurt him, Linnaeus' [Sense Danger] didn't activate so, upon feeling an impact against his [Barrier Aura], he quickly rolled to the side before bounding up, daggers drawn as his red eyes came into focus. This caused Eliza and Emilia to stare back at him, their expressions a perfect representation of their loss for words.Realizing she had made a mistake, Eliza quickly recovered her senses and, with a genuine expression of concern, she muttered, "I'm sorry, Lin...I shouldn't have hit you, even if I knew it wouldn't do any damage..."Understanding what had happened, Linnaeus forced himself to calm down. He realized his words could be misinterpreted the moment he said them but, without consideration for how Eliza herself would react, he made a thoughtless remark just to catch Emilia off guard. In essence, it was his fault that Eliza had struck him so, while part of him couldn't reconcile this, Linnaeus' rationale allowed him to hang his head slightly as he apologized in turn.Eliza could tell that Linnaeus hadn't completely forgiven her as, when she stepped toward him, his body had visibly tensed. Despite this, she continued to slowly close the distance between them, her steps slow and measured until she was right in front of him. Then, at a very slow and easy to avoid rate, she wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly as she repeated, "I really am sorry, Lin. Please forgive me..."Hearing the pained undertone to Eliza's voice, Linnaeus slowly began to relax his body as he took a few deep breaths. This was extremely awkward for Eliza, as she was hugging his face near her bosom but, not wanting to spook him any further, she tolerated the fluttery feeling in her stomach. It helped that Emilia was still present as she had someone to glare at...Emilia was also feeling a little awkward as, with her enhanced senses and the thing walls of the Inn, she knew Eliza and Linnaeus hadn't done anything. She only wanted to tease him a bit since he was always so serious. His response had nearly brought a smile to her face but, seeing how he reacted when Eliza lightly struck the back of his head, it was very apparent that Linnaeus still hadn't opened his heart to any of them.Not wanting to be the only one left out, Emilia did something inexplicable to both Linnaeus and Eliza as she moved to a seated position before laying down on her back. She had her head angled toward them and, after moving her hands up to her chest, she cocked her head to the side while turning her eyes up at the duo and saying, "I'm sorry..." in a sheepish tone.Seeing the rather ridiculous display, Linnaeus' tensions seemed to release all at once and, while still in Eliza's embrace, he released a light chuckle. This caused the tense atmosphere to quickly dissipate, just in time for Krone to come out of his own room, a dull look on his face as he saw the trio putting on some kind of play...

Linnaeus had already noticed this the previous night but the food cooked by the Inn's workers was truly phenomenal. Even though they had been served relatively staple foods, such as sausage, eggs, and pancakes, it was all much higher quality than anything he had ever eaten before. This sentiment seemed to be shared by everyone else seated at the table so, her curiosity getting the better of her, Emilia outright asked the Proprietress what the [Cooking] Level of the chef was.What none of them expected was for her to plainly answer, "Oh, that is Sherry's cooking. She's been at the mastery bottleneck for the last few years so her [Cooking] is Level 99. A lot of the people here in the central district are in the same situation as it is impossible to surpass the Level 99 bottleneck in the Crucible."This was the first time any of them were even hearing about such a bottleneck so Linnaeus couldn't help but fork over a few Soul Kindling, asking, "Please, tell me more about this mastery bottleneck. I want to know everything you know about it."As most new arrivals in the Crucible were pretty young, Sara, the Proprietress, wasn't at all surprised that Linnaeus' Party didn't know the finer details about the Tower. Even she had been unaware of the information prior to nearing the bottleneck herself, a common occurrence unless you had surpassed the Twentieth Floor.In order to encourage the new Party to pursue their dreams, Sara happily accepted Linnaeus' gesture before explaining, "I doubt I need to explain to you all about the Level 50 restriction prior to entering the Tower. This is referred to as the Incubation Phase by those who like the Tower's system but, more often than not, people just call it the Apprentice Levels. Everything beyond that, until you reach Level 100, is known as the Fledging Phase or, to simplify, the Journeyman Levels. This is the period where you begin to work on the foundation you built as an Apprentice, shaping how you climb the Tower for the rest of your life. Some argue that this is the most important phase as, when you reach Level 100, becoming a Skyfarer or Master, your path has already been determined. Though nobody knows what the maximum Level is, it is rather common knowledge in the higher Floors of the Tower that it is impossible to have more than 10 Skills, Abilities, and Magic over Level 100. Everything else will be frozen at Level 99 and, unless you use certain treasures or items, you are stuck developing the Skills you had chosen to master."Listening to Sara's explanation, Linnaeus' mind had already started to race as this was extremely important information. He had already assumed there were further evolutions and thresholds for Skills and Abilities but having confirmation was extremely important. Now, he would need to focus on a specific combination of Skills, Abilities, and Magic in order to maximize his potential.Most importantly, Linnaeus realized another one of the Crucible's 'traps' as, with this information in hand, he knew a lot of people would be tempted to maximize their Skill and Ability growth while it was impossible to increase their base Level. After all, you received a significant increase in attributes based on the Level of your Skills and Abilities even at LV20 and LV50. He imagined the bonus at the next threshold was even more powerful so, if he wanted to protect the things that mattered, early mastery would be necessary.Realizing this, Linnaeus gave up even more of his Soul Kindling to inquire about the surrounding regions. He had already learned about the Familia that ruled the five districts from Baro but there was never any harm in getting a second person's perspective. Sara undoubtedly had her own set of experiences in the Crucible so any information she could provide would be extremely beneficial for them in the interim.True to her word, Sara didn't mind answering any of their questions as she quite liked conversing with attentive listeners. Though the others weren't nearly as focused, Linnaeus hardly even blinked as he waited on her every word as if it was a precious resource that he dared not squander. She knew it required a lot of focus and resolution to overcome the Crucible so, seeing how determined he was, she couldn't help but bare her heart to the young boy in the hope that he would succeed where she had failed long ago.From Sara, Linnaeus learned about a few of the hunting grounds surrounding the five districts, many of which she had visited in the past. Unlike Baro, she had a combat-oriented Blessing so, when she was still active, Sara had ventured outside the relative safety of the city, risking life and limb to earn the necessary Soul Kindling to purchase her life from the Goddess of Darkness, Tenebrae.According to Sara's information, the best option for people that had just arrived on the Floor was to first head South as, after exiting the city and traveling for half a day, you would reach the Southern Forests. There, a small settlement had been established where you could get some rest while, in the surrounding areas, various plants, animals, and relatively weak monsters could be found. This was an area where Slimes spawned regularly so, while not ideal for increasing your proficiencies, their Gels could be exchanged for a few tens of Soul Kindling each.For those more confident in their capabilities, they could travel to the East and, after five days of travel, you would eventually reach a large mountain range. This was the territory of a Monster Ant colony and, if you could reach the innermost regions, highly sought after materials could be found. There, near the brood chambers, extremely valuable Golden Honey could be found while each of the Majors, the larger variation of Monster Ants, had gemstone-like eyes. Both of these materials were used in the synthesis of extremely valuable Elixers so there was a constant demand for them.Fortunately, due to this constant demand, a Guild had been established near the outskirts of the mountain range. There, you could sign up for one of their monthly expeditions and, while the total payout would be significantly reduced, it was a relatively safe option for those with higher combat proficiencies. The ants themselves provided a decent challenge so people would generally train in that area until their Levels reached around 70.These were the two places Sara suggested Linnaeus' Party should visit but, knowing they would want more information, she told them about the other major hunting and gathering areas. This included a frozen wasteland to the north, where Frost Wolves, Snow Yeti, and Ice Drakes could be found. Most people outright ignored this region as the combination of cold, troublesome enemies, and difficult to find materials made it largely unpopular. Only those that accepted commissions to visit the region dared venture inside as, near the center of the region, a Frost Dragon had established its territory...A little bit to the Southwest of this tundra, however, you could find a deep chasm that was filled with toxic fumes, brimstone, and acid geysers. The conditions were similar to those of the Eighth Floor so it was an extremely inhospitable environment that invited only the bold into its depths. Those that managed to enter the lower layers of the region could find Salamanders, Fire Wisps, Magma Slimes, and, most importantly, extremely valuable mineral deposits. If you had the necessary capabilities to venture even deeper, even resources like Mithril, Orichalcum, Jade Malachite, and Magnanium could be found in small deposits. Just a single kilogram of the latter could be auctioned off for upwards of 100,000 Soul Kindling so the truly desperate often met their end trying to probe the infamous 'Hell Hole' to find their fortune.When Linnaeus heard about the Hell Hole, he couldn't deny that he was highly tempted to pay the region a visit. His Blessing was almost perfectly suited for the environment but, with four people, it would be extremely taxing on his reserves, even outside of combat. Still, depending on how things turned out, he may very well be forced to enter at some point so it was useful to know the option existed...What surprised him even more, however, was the next region Sara talked about as it was the only territory where you needed permission to enter. This area was known as the Western Kingdom of Vale, a vast expanse of forests where, in the distant past, the various Elvaan tribes had made their home. They typically only allowed those with more bestial traits to enter the region and, unless you had permission to hunt inside, you yourself would be hunted.The reason for Vale's establishment was due to the existence of a unique type of flora known as a Genesis Tree. It was a massive natural structure with a maze-like interior that could reach upwards of six kilometers in height. This tree produced extremely rare materials that were highly nourishing to a certain subset of tribes while, in the surrounding areas, various plants and animals benefitted heavily from its presence. In fact, the region was so rich in resources that wars had occurred in the past over control of the region as it was one of the few places viable for agriculture.This wasn't the biggest reason behind the conflict, however, as the region was also the sole producer of the most important item on the Fifth Floor, the sap of the Genesis Tree. As for why it was so highly sought after, this was due to pregnancy, regardless of a race's natural fertility, being nigh-impossible to achieve within the Crucible. After all, everyone inside had already died once, something that could be confirmed by their pale complexions, muted hair colors, and unnatural eyes. Even Linnaeus' light blue hair and golden eyes had turned pale white and dark red respectively, giving him a somewhat ghoulish yet ethereal quality...By consuming medicine produced from the Genesis Tree's sap, you could regain enough Life Essence to achieve fertility and completely offset the need to consume Soul Kindling. This made it highly sought after since children were an extremely important component of a peaceful society. As a result, conflict regarding the coveted medicine was extremely common, to the point that small-scale skirmishes would regularly break out when the Western Kingdom reduced exports of the sap.According to Sara, however, this was largely a ploy by leaders of both factions as, without a means to cull the population, things could become even more chaotic after a certain period of time. After all, there were a limited number of resources on the Fifth Floor and, as more people failed to reach the top Floor of the Crucible, it became necessary to reduce their numbers a bit. This was something that everyone was secretly aware of but, understanding the necessity of the arrangement, those that had lived in the city for a few hundred years would often volunteer during the campaigns.Fortunately, the last conflict was only thirty years ago so there were close to seventy years before the cycle would repeat itself. Since Linnaeus and co only had a little over ten months to exit the Crucible, they didn't really have to worry about being involved in the large-scale battle unless they, like many others before them, gave up trying to return to the surface. Still, Sara encouraged them to at least give it their all as, when you lived for centuries after the fact, you would regret not doing everything you could have.Linnaeus was extremely grateful that she had said this part as, from the previous night's dinner, he could tell that Eliza, Emilia, and Krone seemed less inclined to continue their climb. Though Emilia would obviously keep trying, as exiting the Tower was kind of like a Coming of Age Ceremony for her species, Linnaeus was very aware of the fact that Eliza wasn't nearly as determined. As for Krone, he had made it clear from the start that he considered his life in the Crucible a penance so, while he would stick with them until the end, his desire to leave was non-existent at the present moment.Now, with Sara's guidance and wisdom regarding the matter, he could sense a discernible change in the trio. They suddenly seemed marginally more focused and, considering it was only one year out of potential centuries of their life, it was all but guaranteed they would have regrets if they didn't do their best with the one chance they had. Thus, after a delicious meal and a life-changing discussion, the group began making plans for the challenges to come. Since they could still return to the Fifth Floor even after reaching the First, there was literally nothing to lose...after all, they had already lost their lives...

After leaving the weapons shop with two new daggers stowed away in his Inventory, Linnaeus began searching for his next destination, an armorsmith. He had noticed that most people had forgone the use of their self-repairing bodysuits so, if he wanted to avoid standing out, he would need to change his clothing.For now, Linnaeus decided to stick close to buildings and alleyways, using the skills he had acquired in the slums to get a better grasp of the territory around the Inn. He knew the importance of having a proper grasp of the terrain around one's home as it could allow him to escape pursuit and drop a tail if he was being followed.Fortunately, while most people went about their business without paying much attention to their surroundings, Linnaeus made eye contact with several others in the same 'profession' as him. They too kept to the places where people didn't typically look and, while they didn't seem as active as the thieves in the slums, it was obvious the timeless trade had continued in the Crucible of Souls.Had there been fewer thieves, Linnaeus wouldn't have been able to relax as he couldn't fathom the existence of a society that functioned in perfect order. He believed that the more peaceful a society appeared to be on the surface, the darker the shadows laying underneath. This was the conclusion he had come to after his discussion with Eliza and, after changing his perception slightly, Linnaeus had started to notice things he had previously overlooked as a result of the incongruous feeling that had plagued him since entering the Fifth Floor.The blacksmith with a beard, who Linnaeus had come to know as Baro, had mentioned that this city was protected by the Lord's Familia, Caulder. They were a large organization of powerful individuals who, failing to exit the Crucible in time, formed a contract with the Lord of the Crucible, the aptly named Goddess of Darkness, Tenebrae.Though the terms of the contract were not made public, it was an inviolable truth that, in the central district of the Fifth Floor, the Caulder Familia reigned supreme. They worked tirelessly to keep order over the last 800 years and, despite many powerful figures passing through over the centuries, their rule had been largely uncontested.From Baro, Linnaeus learned that the members of the Caulder Familia all wore a similar emblem somewhere on their body. With this information, he was able to glean some insight into the means used by the Caulder Familia to keep order as, during his skulking about, Linnaeus noticed that nearly every thief he came across had the identifying mark.Eliza had mentioned that a structured society was very orderly but, from what he could tell, Caulder and his Familia were just a very organized gang. The only thing that made them 'good' was the fact that they were the strongest faction as, in the endless annals of history, the victor was justice while the losers' reputations were dragged through the mud...Fortunately, Linnaeus had come to learn much about the Fifth Floor through Baro so, even if Eliza and Emilia pressured him to stay for an extended period of time, he should be able to convince them to spend their time productively.The Fifth Floor was a vast plane of various different environments, each rich with both monsters and resources. There, you could earn more Soul Kindling for yourself and, if you obtained rare materials, converting them into greater wealth, weapons, or armaments was an option.Linnaeus realized that the Fifth Floor was one giant trap but, considering what awaited them in the Fourth through Second Floors, they needed to be prepared. They only had a year since the time of their entry into the Crucible to reach the surface so, if they became complacent and used to living on the Fifth Floor, there would be no escape. From then onward, they would be bound to the Crucible of Souls until their bodies turned to ash.While this may not seem like the worst fate, as living on the Fifth Floor seemed rather comfortable, the truth of the matter was that the longer you spent in the Crucible, the more of yourself that was lost. You would slowly begin losing your memories and, after a few decades, even your basic senses would begin to fade away. This could be tentatively treated by consuming Soul Kindling but, from that moment onward, you would need an ever-increasing amount to keep yourself functioning.Linnaeus wasn't fond of the idea of being trapped inside the Crucible until his very existence began to fade away so, in order to return to the Tower and reunite with Saht and his sister, he would gather the necessary Soul Kindling to purchase a new life from Tenebrae.According to the information he had obtained from the inordinately kind Baro, reaching the First Floor alone granted you the right to make a contract with Tenebrae. There, in exchange for 100,000 to 1,000,000 Soul Kindling, you would be allowed to return to the world of the living. This value was based on how long you had been inside the Crucible of Souls and, according to Baro, how much the temperamental Goddess favored you...Though Linnaeus had yet to meet Tenebrae directly, he had the distinct impression that the Goddess was over-fond of him based on his conversation with his fellow Party members. They all had similar experiences with the lascivious-sounding Goddess of Darkness and, prior to hearing her interact with him, her voice had been distant and cold when they had to interact with her.Linnaeus had no idea why Tenebrae was so taken with him but, from what he was able to glean, she apparently just picked people at random to show favor to. He didn't believe this in the slightest bit, until he could meet with her directly, there was no way to ascertain why she was so fond of teasing him.What mattered at the moment was that Tenebrae's 'affection' was a costly burden to bear as, rather than make the price more affordable, the Goddess hiked up the cost for those she favored. This was so that she could keep them in the Crucible and, while it was frightening to imagine, Linnaeus heard the Goddess kept a vast collection of the people she cherished the most back in her palace on the First Floor.In order to avoid this ridiculous end, Linnaeus would need to earn upwards of 4,000,000SK as his instincts told him the Goddess would extend the same 'favor' to the rest of his Party. There was a good chance that Krone wouldn't want to return to the Tower but, so long as he was Party Leader, Linnaeus would always look toward the 'best' route forward for his entire Party.This was where the Fifth Floor came in as, even if you weren't a powerful combatant with a high Level, you could still earn a fortune. There were various materials that could be found in the vast wilderness surrounding the five major districts circling the central region dominated by the Caulder Familia. Some of these could be exchanged for thousands of Soul Kindling at a time and, if you were fortunate, obtaining a rare artifact that auctioned for several hundred thousand wasn't impossible.The caveat to this system was that, in order to pass through the Fourth, Third, and Second Floors, the number of Soul Kindling you possessed determined the difficulty of the trials you would face. If you did not possess adequate willpower and resolve, passing through would be impossible as Tenebrae would not so easily allow you to simply move on whenever you'd like.Linnaeus assumed that she used the first three Floors as a metric to determine the type of person you were so, after hastily moving on from the Sixth Floor, he imagined she was eager to force him into a difficult position. Fortunately, at least according to Baro, most of the challenges on the next three Floor weren't strictly combat-oriented as it would otherwise be impossible for those with non-combative Blessings.Without having to be asked, Baro had regaled for Linnaeus the tale of his own ascent through the Crucible so, unless the middle-aged man was lying to him, the information should be trustworthy.From this story, Linnaeus learned that Baro had been required to forge one-hundred high-quality weapons back-to-back with the only rest afforded to him being when he was polishing the edges of various blades. If he stopped for more than a half-hour at any point, the room he had been forced into would begin to rapidly decrease in size, threatening to skewer his body with the very weapons he had forged.This seemed to be an impossible task in Linnaeus' mind but, from how Baro talked of the event, it apparently hadn't troubled him all that much. Rather, it was the challenge on the Second Floor that was his undoing as he had been forced to clear nine rooms, each containing a progressively stronger Doppelganger of himself. He was only able to clear up to the fifth room before he was forced to give up, a right that was allowed to everyone at the expense of never being able to leave the Crucible in the future.After failing his challenge, Baro was sent back to the Fifth Floor and, with no way to move upwards, decided to settle down. It was rumored that, if you lived a good life on the Fifth Floor, you would be given the chance to reincarnate into a better standing in your next life. There wasn't any evidence for this but, after being sent to the Crucible of Souls upon their first death, many of the residents on the Fifth Floor believed in things like reincarnation.Linnaeus felt that this was just something the ruling families came up with to keep people in line but, as there was no harm in believing in an ideal that made people live better lives, he didn't mention his opinion. Rather, he eventually realized that Baro thought he was a girl when the man told him that, if he failed to leave the Crucible, he could always return to the weapon's shop. After that, he began to talk up how 'kind' and 'hardworking' his grandson was, alerting Linnaeus to the misunderstanding his appearance had caused...Fortunately, Baro seemed rather amused by the fact that he was a male and, towards the latter half of their conversation, he began droning on about eating more meat and exercising frequently. He even tried to convince Linnaeus to purchase a warhammer and a battleax, claiming they were the types of weapons used by men to build strong upper bodies and toned back muscles.Though it was a uniquely 'frustrating' conversation, Linnaeus appreciated Baro's advice as the man had given him a lot of information for no real cost other than a bit of his dignity. He was actually a little inspired to take advantage of his looks more often but, remembering the fate of many women in the slums, Linnaeus had no intention of following through on this urge. Though he might be able to trick a few people, there was a chance he would trick someone he had no hopes of defeating and, as a result, suffer an extremely terrible end.To avoid this, Linnaeus had found a relatively affordable clothing shop before purchasing distinctly male clothing. He also used his newly acquired dagger to give himself a haircut as, without any real need to maintain it, his bangs had grown near eye level while the back of his hair had nearly reached his shoulders. In hindsight, it was easy to understand why some people would mistake him as a girl, especially with his small stature and thin frame. Unfortunately, cutting his hair actually made his face stand out even more so, after returning to the Inn for the night, Eliza pestered him for more than an hour before he was finally able to rest...

Chapter 61: Bonding