38 Cooperation

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.

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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...

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[Status]

Name: Elizabeth Illustri Evendoom

Title: Mage(+5 Int, +3 Wis, +3 Spi per Level)

Race: Felborn

Age: 25

Gender: Female

Level: 41(4519/10500)

Health: 3098/3098

Soul Power: 7677/7677

Strength: 61

Constitution: 113+41.9

Agility: 69

Dexterity: 123+5

Intelligence: 219+249.9

Wisdom: 134+88.4

Spirit: 101+80.8

Charisma: 21+4

Luck: 13+1

Free Attributes: 0

Skills: [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]

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(A/N: It was at this moment, Linnaeus knew, he fucked up. (UwU). Also, AUX chapter updated with new Skills/Abilities/Magic~!)