Babel

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~!)

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...

An additional three weeks had passed on the Seventh Floor and, though there had been some close calls when his confidence outgrew his caution, Linnaeus was now making his final preparations for a battle against the 'Dragon King'. He had already come up with a strategy he believed was viable and, though his plan had a good chance of getting thrown out the window as soon as combat began, it was better than going in unprepared.At this point, Linnaeus had hunted a total of 95 monsters, earning himself a sizeable 4,351 Soul Kindling in the process. He wasn't sure if this was a lot but, compared to having only a few hundred, it certainly felt like a lot.With the combination of physical training and hunting, Linnaeus' Skills, Abilities, and Magic had all experienced a qualitative improvement compared to his past self. Though his attributes had only increased by a few points, primarily as a result of bonuses, it still felt good to have strengthened his foundation.Now, before his climactic battle, Linnaeus had decided to take a gamble by trying to recruit a few other people to his cause. During his exploration of the Seventh Floor, he had located the abodes of seven others, the majority of which gave off the impression that they were much weaker than him.Though his plan could be enacted without assistance, Linnaeus wanted to start building his Party now as, if he started scouting in the higher Floors, there was a good chance he would be refused. This was not only due to the fact that stronger people than him should exist in the higher Floors but, after staying in the Crucible of Souls for an extended period of time, he expected that the majority of people would have formed a team by then.Of the seven people he had tracked, the two that interested him the most was a tall man with pale grey skin and a sturdy build. As for the other, she was a petite woman with purple hair that could only be described as fluffy.The sclera of the former was pitch black, giving him a rather scary vibe, while his eyes were a vibrant shade of silver. What made him exceptional, at least in Linnaeus' opinion, was his ability to absorb the traits of anything he was in contact with.Linnaeus had watched as the man wrangled with a Bear Rabbit using nothing by his physique to overpower the cute, yet ferocious, monster. A few seconds after the fight had started, the man's body had become covered in a layer of light-brown fur and, though it was hard to tell at a glance, the muscles of his back and legs had become more pronounced. Shortly after that, he had pulled off the right arm of the Bear Rabbit before using it as a makeshift club to finish the unfortunate monster off.Though his Blessing could have been misconstrued as just another transformation ability, Linnaeus had been surprised to see the man enter into a small pond after his hunt came to an end. After a few seconds had passed, his body began to turn transparent and, by the time a minute had elapsed, his form had completely disappeared into the water. Even with his [Perception] enhanced to LV28, it was impossible for Linnaeus to sense the man after he had become one with the water.While the man's Blessing was a truly envious ability, as Linnaeus could think of a conceivably infinite number of ways to exploit it, the purple-haired girl was actually his primary target. Though he had a small trauma after his experience with Ryuuna, she seemed to be a far more agreeable person than the pale-haired Dwelf.What made the purple-hair girl so important in Linnaeus' mind, besides her seemingly quiet and demure nature, was, as could be expected, her Blessing. She had the ability to exponentially increase the amount of gravity within a given area by simply bringing her palms together. Though he knew very little about it, Linnaeus had heard the rumors about Gravity Magic having almost no counter, making it would of the most powerful types after Lightning and Destruction Magic.It wasn't the girl's offensive capabilities that made Linnaeus want to scout her, however. Instead, it was her potential utility and support skills as, when she retreated to her own abode, the girl would use what he could only assume was a spell to reduce her own weight. This allowed her to leap well over 50m in a single bound, giving her the ability to scale massive cliffs without any difficulty. Even more useful was the fact that, even if she leaped down from her rocky residence, she would suffer no damage from a fall that would have killed, or at least seriously injured, most people.If things worked out, Linnaeus could secure the absorption man as their Vanguard while the gravity girl would serve as their offensive ace and support specialist. His role would be as the secondary attacker, fighting from the mid-line with his limited ranged capabilities while using his [Barrier] and [Barrier Aura] spells to help dictate the flow of battle.With his Agility, Intelligence, and Wisdom being his highest attributes, Linnaeus knew he wasn't much of a front-line fighter. He was better suited to the position of supporting others and, after working with Saht for several years, he was able to grasp the situation of a battlefield without too much difficulty. Though he might not exactly have leadership qualities, this wouldn't be an issue unless the other party was as obstinant as someone like Ryuuna and himself...After making his final preparations, which had been ongoing for the last few days, Linnaeus made his way to the known hunting grounds of the gravity-wielding girl. They hadn't talked at all but, over the past few weeks, he had made his presence known to her by helping out when she was in a relatively dangerous situation.Linnaeus had witnessed the girl being struck by a charging Axtola, the deer-like monster he had hunted in the past. She had apparently cast her weight-reduction magic on herself as, when the monster hit her, she was launched like a cannonball into the tree line. As a result, she suffered a few moderately serious injuries so, before things could get further out of hand, he had appeared in a flash to decapitate the Axtola.As could be expected, the girl had been shocked by the sudden appearance of another person. She immediately assumed a defensive posture, even though she was using the tree as support. With a fretful light in her eyes, Linnaeus knew there was some past trauma weighing heavily on her mind so, rather than stick around, he just set down a few cooked foodstuffs before backing away slowly and disappearing into the underbrush.If he was lucky, the girl would have been thinking about him over the past few days so, unless her trauma ran deeper than he expected, they should be able to at least talk with each other. She was very important for his plan to recruit the absorption man so, if he failed to obtain her, there was a good chance he would be fighting against a King on his own.After reaching an area where the grass had been flatted due to persistent crossing, Linnaeus decided to sit and wait patiently. It was very obvious that the girl hadn't been born in the slums as she made the foolish decision to repeat the same route almost every time she went hunting. This was the kind of habit even Street Urchins knew better than to repeat so, combined with how she had been caught off guard by the Axtola, it was apparent that she had lived a relatively sheltered life.Linnaeus didn't even have to wait all that long when his [Perception] picked up the signs of a person slowly approaching. They stopped around thirty meters from his position, likely after spotting him, but Linnaeus showed no signs of having done the same. He waited until she approached him of her own volition as, given the nature of most people, they were far less likely to run away if they were the ones to decide on a set of actions.Several awkward minutes later, Linnaeus found himself staring up at the purple-haired girl as she stood in the shadows of a tree. She had a rather unassuming appearance and, if not for her violet purple hair, she wouldn't have stood out in a crowd. The only thing that really stood out about her, besides her vibrant hair color, was the fact that her hair formed a roughly spherical shape due to how fluffy it was.If another person were to set eyes on her, however, Linnaeus had no doubt there were two very notable features that their eyes would be drawn to after first eyeing her hair. This was due to the fact that, despite her relatively short stature, she had a pair of abnormally large breasts that stuck out like a sore thumb with her skin tight bodysuit. She had made an obvious effort to try and hide them by patching together a few furs but, due to the lack of sewing materials, it was impossible to make any complex clothing.Knowing she was likely self-conscious about her bust size, Linnaeus made a point of staring directly into her lavender-colored eyes. He didn't say anything at all as, if he spoke too soon, his instincts told her that she would either run away or outright refuse his request to Party up. It was best if he got her to broach the subject herself as, while she would still have inhibitions, it made her far less likely to suddenly abandon the Party at a later date.Linnaeus was the type of person who could stay holed up inside a pipe for several days without moving so it was a given that his patience greatly exceeded the purple-haired girl's. After nearly twenty minutes of awkward silence, she ultimately broke eye contact with him before asking in a demure tone that barely reached his ears, "Why...why are you here...?"While it was undoubtedly a scummy thing to do, Linnaeus continued to stare at the girl with an unwavering gaze as he stated, "I was worried about you..." He could tell from her body language that, despite her clear apprehension, this was very close to the answer she wanted to hear from him when she asked her question.In response to his words, the girl lowered her face to obscure how flushed her cheeks were but, due to his seated position, Linnaeus had been able to see it relatively clearly. He had no intention to treat the girl poorly and exploit her vulnerabilities to cause harm so, while it made him feel like a piece of scum, Linnaeus was, for the first time, taking advantage of his gentle and disarming looks, combined with his high Charisma and [Charm] Skill.After another long period of silence, the girl made momentary eye contact with him again before immediately turning away and murmuring, "My name is Eliza...who...I mean, what is your name...?"At this point, Linnaeus was tempted to put on a false smile but, as his instincts told him she would be able to see through this, he kept a relatively plain expression as he answered, "My friends call me Lin. My actual name is Linnaeus Finnian."Though it might have been more prudent to pay her a few compliments, such as remarking about the beauty of her name, Linnaeus didn't want to trigger Eliza's trauma by coming off as too fake. He didn't have the confidence to mislead and manipulate a woman and, knowing some of them had a scary amount of intuition, his primary focus was just to cement the idea in her mind that he didn't mean her any harm.What Linnaeus had done was to set a bit of 'bait' out for her, giving Eliza the opportunity to either distance herself or ingratiate herself to him by providing two ways in which she could address him. Much to his relief, she seemed to muster up a great deal of courage by balling her hands into fists before turning her gaze to match his as she said, "It is nice to meet you...Lin."

Chapter 38: Cooperation