Babel

As the 'weakest' region on the Fifth Floor, the Southern Forests were relatively safe, regardless of the nature of your Blessing.So long as you avoided venturing too far South, traveling for well over three days, there weren't any particularly dangerous enemies. Rather, there was an overabundance of Slime-Type monsters, to the point it was nearly impossible to find an area without at least one Slime present.Other than the Blue, Green, Rock, and Metal Slimes he had previously encountered, Linnaeus quickly came to learn that there were a variety of Slimes outside his existing knowledge. This included types with light purple skin, capable of producing electrical impulses, a type with dark purple skin, capable of spitting corrosive venom, and various elemental Slimes capable of using very basic Magic spells.Linnaeus was honestly a little surprised at the variety of the creatures and, if time allowed, he would have liked to better understand the nature of their existence. Instead, his main focus was harvesting the coveted Slime Gels, a stable source of income due to the constant demand. They were used in everything from Alchemy to Blacksmithing so there was never enough to flood the market.The only gripe Linnaeus had about the current situation was the fact many of the elemental Slimes looked almost indiscernible from their much weaker counterparts. Water Slimes looked like Common Mountain Slimes while Windswept Slimes looked indistinguishable from Green Slimes. If you weren't on your toes at every moment, there was a non-negligible chance you would eat a Water Bullet or an Air Blade, each capable of causing extreme damage depending on the area hit.Fortunately, after absorbing the properties of the metal in his gauntlets, Krone was largely immune to weaker Magic spells. He also had extreme resistance to physical attacks, albeit at the cost of more than half his total Agility.With Krone acting as the Vanguard, the Party only needed to be cautious of the dark purple variety known as Toxic Slime. Its corrosive venom had the ability to melt minerals so, with his body being comprised mostly of refined steel, Krone was extremely susceptible to this particular variety. In fact, he had half his left arm melted after crushing a Toxic Slime with his bare fist, something he quickly learned was a bad idea.If not for the inherent ability of everyone to heal from wounds, so long as they were not in a Critical Health state, Krone may have actually lost his arm to a Slime. This seemed to prick his pride a bit so, from that moment onward, he focused on being reactive and observing his opponents rather than charging them directly. Had he stayed within the effective range of Linnaeus' [Barrier Aura], the Toxic Slime's venom wouldn't have been able to affect him in the slightest...In this manner, the Party continued to refine its cooperation while simultaneously building trust in each other. They spent much of the daylight hours gathering materials and exchanging them at the Hunting Guild while, in the evenings, Linnaeus would gather information.Since the preliminary attack, three days had passed without incident but, from experience, Linnaeus knew this was likely the enemy's attempt to lull them into a false sense of security. There was a good chance they were still being 'tested', likely to determine how patient or paranoid they were, so there was no way Linnaeus would drop his guard. If they thought he would become a soft target due to complacency, they severely underestimated him, a person who had lived for years without dropping his guard for more than a few minutes at a time...The downside to this kind of mentality, however, was that Linnaeus became increasingly silent and anti-social. He was always tensed so, when Eliza would try to get in his personal space, he wouldn't allow her to hold him for more than a few seconds.As a result of Linnaeus' behavior, Eliza was already pushing to have the Party to leave the Southern Forests. She, like everyone else, was in a tensed state but, seeing how 'serious' Linnaeus was, it was beginning to stress her out.Unlike Linnaeus, she had learned the importance of relaxing your mind and body when given the opportunity to do so. It was impossible to stay in a reactive and alert state forever and, the longer you tried, the more unhinged you would become. While this may not be a big issue when you were alone, or perhaps with one other person, it wasn't behavior suitable for a Party Leader.Ultimately, Eliza pulled Linnaeus aside when they retired to their room, explaining in a stern yet guiding tone, "I'm not telling you to drop your guard but your tension is affecting everyone else in a negative way, Lin. A Party Leader needs to be calm and confident at all times in order to ensure that the Party's morale is in high form. Seeing you become this...machine-like creature...none of us are able to relax..."Having seen the changes in his Party members, Linnaeus knew there was some truth behind Eliza's words. In fact, their change had been weighing heavily on his heart and mind but, with the enemy having someone that could literally move through shadows, he couldn't relax. He would even stab his own shadow periodically as, even with [Shadow Step], a person could be injured if you hit the shadow they currently inhabited.Since he couldn't ignore her advice, Linnaeus answered Eliza's words with a curt nod before relaxing his shoulders a bit and saying, "It's just...I would never forgive myself if something happened due to my own complacency. I'm not trying to stress the three of you out...I just want to protect the things I want to protect..."Hearing Linnaeus' words, Eliza turned her eyes up at him with a slight smile on her face. She reached her hand out to gently stroke his head, saying in a light murmur, "That is very good, Lin. Wanting to protect things is a commendable trait to possess. Just remind yourself that there is more to protect than just the physical body...if the mind breaks, it doesn't matter how a person appears to viewers. In many cases, the thing you should do your best to safeguard is the person's mentality...wounds heal and scars fade...remember that, okay...?"Linnaeus blinked in surprise after hearing Eliza's words. He could understand the truth contained in them as, during his time as a Street Urchin, the thing he focused on preserving, more than anything else, was his sense of self and his desire to protect. This hadn't changed even after he obtained his Blessing, rather, even after being separated from his sister, the one thing that kept him from straying onto a much darker path was imagining how she would react upon their reunion...No matter how much physical torture he experienced, regardless of how much mental anguish he had to go through, Linnaeus was determined to keep the seedling Rebecca had placed in him from being crushed by the immense darkness he was exposed to. He desperately wanted to be a good person, someone that broke free from the cycle that was endlessly perpetuated within the Slums...Without realizing it, a gap had formed in Linnaeus thought processes but, rather than harm, he came back to his senses when Eliza hugged him tightly, his face smothered by her disproportionately large breasts. It was only then that he realized his vision had become a little blurry as, for a brief moment, Linnaeus felt as if he had failed to preserve himself. He had killed so many people and, even though he tried to help people when the occasion arose, he couldn't help feeling like a hypocrite that just took advantage of the situation.Realizing Eliza was yet another person he was taking advantage of for his own ends, Linnaeus felt an extreme amount of guilt. Despite this, he didn't vocalize his thoughts and, though it made him feel even worse, he ultimately returned her hug in silence. He was too weak to stand on his own and, as she had put herself in a position to prop him up and support him, Linnaeus couldn't be completely honest with Eliza just yet...What Linnaeus didn't realize was that Eliza was having similar thoughts as, from the moment they began to interact with each other, she decided to make herself into an irreplaceable existence to the young boy. She would do her best to be everything he needed, not because she outright wanted to manipulate him, but because she feared the loneliness that had eaten away at her mind during that month of solitude.When she was at her darkest moments, Linnaeus had appeared like a gentle ray of moonlight. He didn't put on pretenses, acting like some 'holier than thou' person who was incapable of admitting wrongdoing. Instead, he simply existed as he was, a boy who experienced the darkness of the world at a very early age without being completely consumed by it...While Linnaeus and Eliza were having their moment, Emilia was sitting cross-legged on the bed with a meat skewer in hand, her eyes curiously watching their interaction. With her enhanced hearing, she could easily hear everything they were saying but, as it didn't really matter all that much, Emilia only listened out of general curiosity.As could be expected, Emilia had her own thoughts about the current situation and, though it was a little awkward, she was happy to see the bonds between everyone strengthening. In her mind, those who fought alongside each other were comrades while those unhesitantly risked their life for each other were family.Linnaeus gave her the impression of someone who would go to any lengths to protect the things he had sworn to protect so, while she felt he had a long way to go as a Leader, she already considered him family. If she wasn't willing to protect the people that would risk life and limb to protect her, the spirits of her Ancestors would scorn and admonish her.Prior to being thrown into the Crucible of Souls, Emilia believed she had failed her tribe and unborn descendants by losing her life in such an unceremonious manner. Now, however, she had a unique opportunity to prove herself, not once, but twice over. She would fight to regain her life and, with a few trustworthy allies at her side, fight to reclaim her honor and become a proper adult.The Vanargandr were a tribe enamored with fate, family, and food so Emilia didn't believe it was a coincidence she had met Linnaeus, Eliza, and Krone. They all had their quirks but, deep down, she could tell they were the type that would fight for others. The past few weeks had been a testament to this as, despite ongoing tensions, they had quickly familiarized themselves with each other.Emilia's only real complaint was that Linnaeus was still a little weak, despite having proven himself as a capable leader in his own way. She felt he was someone that needed to be protected, not a leader who could protect others and inspire confidence in his pack. He didn't give off the impression of an Alpha in the slightest, something that made Emilia feel uncomfortable at times.Despite this, she had come to trust Linnaeus' judgment and potential as, while he seemed weak and frail at times, there were certain moments when his aura alone would trigger her instincts. When he wanted to protect something, he gave off an aura that could rival even the strongest warriors from her tribe. During those moments, Emilia would feel very excited and, if not for Eliza's presence, she would have tried to secure Linnaeus as her mate. Her people believed that the will of the parents was transferred to their children so, with his strong desire to protect others, Emilia believed Linnaeus was a suitable father for at least one batch of cubs...

Though he would have liked to take Eliza's advice and relax for a bit, Linnaeus was still wide awake by the time darkness had fallen over the small forest settlement. This was what he had been waiting for so, after extricating himself from Eliza's clutches and signaling to Emilia to stay back, he departed the Inn in the middle of the night.Nothing had happened in the last couple of days so Linnaeus took a gamble by assuming that their enemies were trying to avoid damaging any of the businesses. If they were an operation supported by the Hunting Guild, it would significantly reduce the prestige of the latter if they were to damage the property of the various business owners. Some of these individuals were extremely powerful so, while they obviously wanted to put pressure on new faces, they seemed to be avoiding causing too big a scene...Hoping that his deduction struck at the heart of the matter, Linnaeus did his best to muster up his confidence as he ventured out under the cover of night.Unlike Central City, the Southern Forest Settlement wasn't particularly well lit so it was easy to move, mostly, unseen. Linnaeus couldn't really pretend that he had gone completely unnoticed as, despite there being a number of people out and about, there would be long periods of time where he didn't acquire any experience in his [Stealth] and [Presence Concealment].When you managed to evade detection from higher-level individuals, the system rewarded you with drastically increased experience. Thus, long periods where he gained no experience whatsoever were a dead giveaway that 'someone' had noticed him.Without being dishearted by this fact, Linnaeus did his best to move with purpose, believing most of the people that had taken note of him were just curious individuals wondering what he was up to. So long as he continued on his way without causing any trouble, they would quickly lose interest since most people couldn't really be bothered to poke their nose into other people's business.This was something Linnaeus was banking on as, if someone continued to tail him after others had lost interest, their intentions could be assumed. They were either someone who had been assigned to watch him or someone that had taken notice of him and decided to seek trouble. In either case, both were people Linnaeus would have to deal with so he moved closer to the outskirts while trying to drop the tail.It was unfortunate that the settlement was distinctly different from the slums he was used to as, even if he wanted to be sneaky, the distance between buildings made it very difficult. This was one of the reasons behind why he drew so much attention as, in some cases, the distance between buildings could have easily fit another building in between...it was very annoying.Despite this, Linnaeus eventually dropped all his tails after about an hour of traveling by essentially pretending he was just training his Skills and Abilities without any actual purpose. Since being a Thief was one of the primary Classes, at least according to the information he had obtained, it wouldn't be difficult to convince people he was just trying to polish his techniques even if they stopped him.Unfortunately, other than brief periods where he would get a decent chunk of experience, Linnaeus was still being followed by at least one person. He could deduce this from the fact that, when he did get experience, it was usually the same exact value. Since this was determined by the level difference and other factors, the likelihood that two people gave the same exact amount was relatively slim.With the intent of luring his pursuers out, Linnaeus began to follow a complex route that, if you knew the layout of the settlement, clearly indicated his intent to return. If they had any intention beyond simply observing him, they would be compelled to act before he could reunite with his allies so this was the best way to bait them out after leading them around for more than an hour.Though he didn't doubt there were people as, or even more, cautious than himself, Linnaeus quickly learned that his degree of caution was abnormal. People weren't nearly as patient as he could be at times, something he had cultivated due to his weakness and the fact that everyone around him, for a period of time, could have been considered an enemy.Meeting his expectations, Linnaeus found his way blocked by a petite figure wearing a black cloak. It was a little silly to see her hiding her identity, especially considering the two holes that had been cut in the hood to allow for her horns to protrude freely...Seeing that Linnaeus wasn't even startled by her arrival, the girl giggled playfully as she mused, "You aren't half bad, are you? The real question is, what are your intentions in luring me out like this~? Do you really intend to fight me...?"At the moment she finished her words, the hooded-girl pulled out a set of six throwing knives, each held between her fingers in a fan shape. As for Linnaeus, he tensed up considerably but managed to appear calm as he adopted a half-battle stance and asked, "What are your intentions? Why is your group interested in my Party...?"In truth, Linnaeus had already done a bit of information gathering so he had a decent understanding of the group's purpose. Still, he wanted to know how the girl would respond as information could be manipulated freely, especially in an area where one organization had most of the power.With a pretend pout, the girl pursed her lips before placing her throwing knives away and answering, "It's simple, really. Our group is one of the more powerful forces in this region. We may not be that strong compared to foreign organizations but we work hard to keep order within our territory. You really don't have to worry all that much as, when you leave the settlement behind, our forces will no longer target you."Hearing the girl's response, Linnaeus was actually a little surprised, even if it didn't show on his face. This caused the girl to nod in approval, apparently mistaking his silence as comprehension since she turned away moments later and disappeared into the shadows.Though it was possible there was some elaborate scheme going on, the girl's departure seemed to indicate that her words were the truth. This left Linnaeus at a loss as, while it wasn't that far from his initial speculation, it was so much 'tamer' than he expected...Linnaeus had assumed the girl's organization worked with the Hunting Guild and, while this was still very likely, their purpose seemed to be pressuring outsiders. If his Party decided to stay and settle in the area, they would undoubtedly try to pull him into their fold. If they only stayed for a few weeks, however, it didn't seem like the group would try to stop them at all. Rather, their actions seemed to be measured in order to gather information and keep outsiders from causing trouble by pressuring them during their stay...Realizing he may have genuinely been stressing over nothing, Linnaeus rested with his back against a nearby building as he slouched to the ground. He suddenly felt extremely fatigued and, while he still kept his guard up, it suddenly felt as if all his previous actions were driven by paranoia.If he really thought about it, there would be no way to keep actual order in such a distant settlement if there was some evil power machinating behind the scenes. Though there was undoubtedly a fair amount of corruption in the upper echelons of the organization, they would have been eliminated by stronger powers if they truly acted with impunity.Now that he looked back on the past few days, Linnaeus noticed that most of the actual residents were rather lackadaisical regarding the very obvious actions of the secretive organization. Just the fact that the Proprieter gave them a discount and a free meal indicated that he was very used to such incidents taking place. Otherwise, he would have been a lot angrier as the Inn was his primary source of income, not some roughshod shack that could be found within the overpopulated slums...After sitting in silence for the better part of half an hour, Linnaeus finally pulled himself to his feet and began making his way back to the Inn. Along the way, he thought about how Eliza, Krone, and even Emilia had reacted upon first entering the Fifth Floor. They behaved as if the sight of thousands of people living alongside each other without conflict was completely normal and, while he had been doing his best to accept this inherent truth, Linnaeus' past experiences made it difficult to change his behavior in a short period of time.During the relatively short walk, Linnaeus observed his surroundings from a different perspective than the one he generally used. He tried to view the people going about their business, not as future enemies, but people that simply wanted to live a life without hardship. Some of them had immense power at their disposal but, instead of using it to suppress others, they became business owners who happily served their customers with smiles on their faces, the complete opposite of expectations.Though it would take him a long time to truly understand the thought process of such individuals, Linnaeus was beginning to understand how people like Rebecca, and the various other elders in the slums, came to live there. They would have easily found a place for themselves within the Megacity yet, as if power and authority were completely meaningless to them, they chose to live the final few decades of their lives helping others.Linnaeus was beginning to realize that he had always viewed the world from the perspective of a Street Urchin, someone constantly looking to escape a terrible situation. He realized that there had actually been a number of people throughout his journey that harbored no ill will towards him but, as a result of his anti-social nature and over-cautious mentality, he had never even given them the chance to help him. The only exceptions to this were people like Rebecca but, at the time, he didn't really have a choice in the matter...Before he realized it, Linnaeus found himself back at the Inn and, as a result of his dazed state, he nearly bumped into a middle-aged drunkard with a wiry red beard. This startled the man and, for a brief moment, it seemed like he was about to explode in a drunken tirade. Instead, immediately after he saw Linnaeus cautiously standing a few meters away from him, the old man actually apologized before laughing as he walked off, accompanied by a few of his friends as the night was still young.Seeing a drunkard showing simple courtesy was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back, at least within Linnaeus' mind. He dragged his feet up the stairs, each step heavier than the ones that came before. Then, after entering his room, Linnaeus made brief eye contact with Emilia, giving her a simple shake of the head to indicate there were no issues before ultimately plopping down face-first onto the bed. Afterward, for the first time in a long while, complete darkness claimed his mind as he slipped off into a deep state of unconsciousness...albeit only for an hour...

After a relatively uneventful night, Linnaeus was performing maintenance on his equipment when an incongruous feeling passed over him. At the same time, Emilia, who had been sleeping at the side with Eliza, twitched awake and, a stark contrast to Eliza, seemed completely awake in an instant.Without the need for words, Linnaeus made a small hand sign before using a small cloth to wipe the oil from his daggers. He pretended not to have noticed the presence outside while Emilia, following his orders, snuggled up next to Eliza, albeit with a tense body...Just as Linnaeus was considering whether or not he should take proactive action, a loud knocking was heard against the door. Immediately after, a slurred yet feminine voice shouted, "Hey, ey tol' you notsch to locksh the doooooooor~" while wiggling the doorknob.Though it seemed like a misunderstanding, Linnaeus didn't drop his guard at all. Rather, the feeling on incongruity was even stronger than before and, never doubting his gut, he stood up silently with both daggers in hand as he stared back at the door.Eventually, the abrasive and annoying noise awoke Eliza and, as if she had no sense of tension at all, she shouted in an even louder voice, "This isn't your room you dumbass...!" in a sleepy tone.In response to Eliza's outburst, the shaking of the door ceased in an instant. Then, after several seconds of silence, an awkward laugh rang out from the hallway. Based on the sound, it could be inferred that the person outside was walking away but, even after the sound had faded entirely, Linnaeus kept in a battle-ready stance as Emilia helped Eliza come to her senses.It was only when she was wiping the sleep from her eyes that Eliza realized the state Linnaeus was in. This caused her to stare at him for a brief moment before all the tiredness faded from her body and mind. She became significantly more serious as she asked in a low whisper, "What happened? That knocking...did someone try to break into our room...?"Without taking his eyes away from the door, Linnaeus lightly shrugged his shoulders as he didn't really know the other person's intent. He couldn't even be certain she was a female as it wasn't all that difficult to mask your voice if you put a bit of effort into it.Realizing that Linnaeus and Emilia weren't saying anything, Eliza ultimately decided to stay quiet as well. She quickly readied her own equipment without bothering to fix her hair. It was only when she was prepared that Linnaeus finally moved from his position, his steps absolutely silent as he stalked toward the silent door...Once Eliza and Emilia had fallen into their own positions behind him, Linnaeus reached for the door's knob after deftly disabling the series of locks. Then, with a single motion, he swung the door open as he lifted up the dagger in his left hand, the point facing outward as a young girl with pale blond hair set into two parted braids walked by with a pile of linens.Seemingly very surprised, the young girl startled like a cat with its tail stepped upon, the linens in her hand being thrown upward like an eruption. At the same time, Linnaeus formed a barrier to separate his body from the young girl just as a thin-bladed weapon, much like an ice-pick, stabbed toward his neck.As if his barrier was completely useless against the highly penetrative weapon, Linnaeus twisted his body to the side as the thin blue membrane shattered like a piece of glass. At nearly the exact same moment, Emilia emerged from behind him, spear extending outward toward the seemingly young girl with an average and homely appearance.Rather than try to defend against the attack, the young girl rolled in the opposite direction from Linnaeus. This was around the same time that the linens began to settle so she grabbed one in a single swift motion, throwing it between herself and Emilia as she tumbled several times in a deft and controlled manner.Since bundled cloth was surprisingly difficult to cut through, Emilia's spear tip ended up being wrapped by the fabric but, rather than hold on to an entangled weapon, she placed it back into her Inventory before pulling out a second one without any delay. This caused the homely girl who, upon closer inspection, had two curved horns at the side of her head to muse, "You all aren't bad at all~."Knowing the foolishness of communicating with an enemy mid-combat, Emilia largely ignored the girl's words as a ball of water formed at the base of her spearhead. She moved fast enough to vault over a thin piece of metal that had been thrown out by the girl then, using the roof as a footstool, lunged down with lethal momentum.Now with a smile on her face, the homely girl squat toward the ground as if she wasn't even going to try and dodge. The hair on Emilia's neck stood on end in response as she had yet to identify what kind of Blessing the opponent had before charging into her range.As if having read her mind, a thin blue membrane appeared in front of Emilia's trajectory, allowing her to quickly change direction in exchange for considerable discomfort and a bit of joint pain. At the same time, the girl released a light chuckle as, instead of attacking, she sank into the shadows beneath herself...With the incongruous feeling fading away in an instant, Linnaeus furrowed his brows while Eliza, having just left the room moments prior, muttered, "So much for laying low." in an annoyed tone.Hearing her remark, Linnaeus shrugged his shoulders before placing his daggers into the sheaths at his lower back. There was a lot he wanted to say but, seeing several people exiting their rooms while the Inn's owner quickly ascended from the lower floor, he knew it wasn't really the time to talk about the identity and purpose of their attacker.Unlike the kindly Sara, the owner of the Inn was a mountain of a man with a 'mane' of blazing red hair. The muscles on his body rippled with each of his movements yet, despite his rather bulky figure, he moved with precise and smooth movements. It would be impossible to run a business if you lacked connections and individual power so most established business owners were retired Hunters or high-level craftsman.Fortunately, the man didn't immediately accuse Linnaeus' group of causing trouble as there was no reason for them to stay behind if that were the case. He could tell they were all extremely tense so, while he did question them, it wasn't difficult to guess they were the victims. Since this type of event wasn't all that rare outside of Central City, he even offered them a free meal as an apology for the inconvenience.Linnaeus was honestly surprised by this reaction as he was used to people using any opportunity to con others. If not for the casual demeanor of Krone and Eliza, he would have refused the offer as he would have instinctually assumed the owner of the Inn was related to his attackers...Once the questioning had come to an end, Linnaeus and co were gathered around a circular table at the corner of the Inn's floor room. They had a massive amount of food piled before them, much to the satisfaction of Emilia, but Linnaeus elected not to partake as he quietly explained, "I believe the purpose of our attackers was to collect information, not assassinate us. That girl was extremely swift and it's not the first time I've seen someone use [Shadow Step]. If her purpose had been to kill us, it would have been easier to attack us a few hours before sunset. There would have been no reason to use such a roundabout method..."With her cheeks stuff with food, giving her an appearance similar to a small rodent, Emilia nodded in response as she added, "She was watching us all closely. Her speed was also similar to mine but she chose to keep a distance, despite having short-range weapons. Based on her movements, she wasn't inexperienced in intrapersonal combat. If she was serious, fighting inside of my range would give her a big advantage."Though she didn't disagree with Emilia's analysis, Eliza picked at the food on her plate as she lightly muttered, "We can't dismiss the possibility that she fought in such a way as a result of not knowing our capabilities. Like Lin said, it is obvious they were just feeling us out...if I'm not wrong, we'll learn her intentions in the near future...haaaaa...."Eliza was actually very accustomed to people targetting her and the people around her but, now that she was living a second life in the Crucible of Souls, it was disheartening to have people targetting her again so soon. It hadn't even been two full months since she died yet, despite making an effort to lay low, people came seeking trouble with her...Unaware of the fact that Eliza had essentially condemned the people targetting them to death, Linnaeus mulled over the event within his mind. He considered everything Eliza and Emilia had said before hanging his head in a thoughtful manner and whispering, "It is impossible to be certain but the most likely motive seems to be recruiting people. If we're weak, they would probably suppress us and force us to pay a protection fee. Now that they've confirmed we're able to protect ourselves, the odds of a secondary force being sent to...negotiate...are pretty high."As they had already come to similar conclusions, Eliza and Emilia nodded their heads while, at the side, Krone had his usual stern expression as he remarked, "If we leave the Southern Forests for another region, I doubt they would follow us. To use these kinds of methods, our enemies must be cowards who rely on a few powerful individuals to exploit anyone weaker than themselves. Staying here will just make us a target, either for recruiting or showing off their power..."Linnaeus could understand Krone's point but, considering they had traveled more than half a day just to reach the Southern Forests, combined with the fact they had diminishing Kindling reserves, it would be extremely detrimental to leave so soon. There was also the simple fact that, if they couldn't even move freely in the 'weakest' territory, how could they expect to carry themselves confidently in other, markedly more powerful, regions?In spite of his usual caution, Linnaeus shook his head, not to disagree with Krone but to deny the underlying suggestion contained within his words. Then, crossing his arms to put on a confident air, Linnaeus explained, "I don't want to stick out too much but, if we hang our heads and let people push us around, even living on the Fifth Floor will be made difficult. I say we focus on our original purpose while coming up with a solution to this problem...based on how the Proprieter behaved, this isn't the first time something like this has happened."Remembering how the man had acted, Linnaeus was certain this was an arranged scheme, one that was directly supported by the Hunting Guild. They likely had a shadow organization that dealt with any troublesome elements that threatened the Guild's interests. For now, it was clear their intention was to simply gather information but, depending on how things developed, they may very well be targetted for elimination.For now, Linnaeus wanted to gather information and, if possible, recruit people in a similar situation as them. Unfortunately, this would be very difficult as, if they approached people immediately after they were attacked, the logical conclusion was that they were the perpetrators behind the attack.With this in mind, Linnaeus began to lay out a plan with his Party, one that focused on playing the part of bait as he gathered what information he could. They would keep Eliza's power concealed for as long as possible and, in order to trick the enemy into mislabeling his ability, Krone would only absorb the traits of his gauntlets. There were very Blessing that allowed a person to change the basic composition of their body so it wasn't difficult to mislead observers...

Chapter 65: Rising Tension