45 Tension : Perspective

While Krone's [Mimicry] seemed to be a truly envious Blessing, Linnaeus quickly learned that, while some Blessings seemed exceptionally useful, the reality was not always what it appeared to be.

Along the way to meet up with their prospective members, the trio encountered several individuals and a few small groups of monsters. This was largely due to how the noise of three people was far greater than what would have otherwise been generated.

Even when Linnaeus tried to scout ahead and mark potential noise hazards, both Krone and Eliza would invariably trigger them. This caused Linnaeus to feel like he was developing the twitch characteristic of drug users as, every time they broke a twig or passed through rustling brush, his body would convulse slightly.

One of the very first monsters they encountered was a large behemoth of a creature known as a Rynadon. It was around 3m tall, standing on stump-like legs, while its body was around 4m in length. At the center of its large and extremely durable head, a large horn that extended upwards of 20cm in length could be seen. They used this protrusion to dislodge rocks and scrape away at tree bark but, if you antagonized them, they would not hesitate to charge with surprising speed in an attempt to impale you.

As the Party's Vanguard, Krone wasted no time in putting himself directly in the charging line before adopting a wide and stable stance. While this seemed to be commendable behavior, Linnaeus paled slightly when he saw this because there was simply no need to take the hit directly.

What Linnaeus hadn't really thought about previously was that, while Krone's Blessing seemed to be one of the most versatile, it actually required several seconds of direct contact to take full effect. This had caused him to develop a habit of trying to deflect charges and latch on to monsters, using his [Grappling] Skill and durable physique to the fullest.

Fortunately, due to Linnaeus' support, Krone was pleasantly surprised when the Rynadon slammed into him but, rather than impale or push him back, a blue membrane just flashed across his body. At the cost of nearly 700 of Linnaeus' SP, he had been able to completely stop the monster's charge.

Krone released a loud 'Ha!' as if he were about to laugh but, after that outburst, his face became a mask of pure exertion as he grabbed the monster's ears and began rocking its head to the side in an attempt to imbalance it. The ears were very important for most creatures when it came to staying upright so, by yanking on them, the head was inclined to follow the path of least resistance.

Seeing a 200cm tall man knock over a 3m tall monster, which had to weigh at least a thousand kilograms, was quite a sight to behold. The Rynadon struggled for a bit but it was the type of creature that actually slept standing due to the inflexibility of its legs. This allowed Krone enough time to absorb its trait, gaining thicker skin and bulkier muscles as he began punching under the eye socket of the monster in an attempt to at least blind it before it managed to recover.

The best way to describe how Krone fought, at least in Linnaeus' opinion, was 'excessively violent'. It would have been much easier to deal with the Rynadon by dodging its charge as it took them a long time to turn around and line up for a second attack. Their belly and backside were much weaker than the veritable armor around their head, back, and shoulders. If they had fought smartly, he wouldn't have needed to expend a chunk of his SP in one go as Eliza's Blessing was the ultimate counter to most heavyweight monsters.

Despite all of this, Krone was still able to take down the monster largely on his own as, with his high Strength attribute, enhanced by his absorption of the Rynadon's traits, he was leaving dents in its head with each successive blow. Before the monster was able to recover, the right side of its head had caved in, leaving behind a bloody mass of pulpy flesh before it ultimately dissolved away into ash.

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When the brutal scene came to an end, Krone heaved a few times in an effort to calm down as there was always a rush of extra adrenaline when he absorbed the traits of violent monsters. In truth, while his combat style may not be the most efficient, it was largely due to this enhanced emotional state that he fought like a berserker.

Noticing how Linnaeus and Eliza were looking at him, Krone just averted his eyes before remarking, "Your Blessing is very compatible with my own. It protects my body without interfering with my own abilities..."

After finishing his words, Krone left the distribution of items to Linnaeus as it was one of his duties as Party Leader. He needed to decide who held onto what and, in the case where they could not take it all with them, he had to choose what was left behind.

Once the item distribution had completed, Linnaeus took a moment to address Krone, looking up at the much taller man as he said in a calm tone of voice, "I will not tell you how to fight. You seem far more adept at direct engagements than I am. All I want you to keep in mind is that our reserves are not without limit. I'll do my best to prevent any harm from coming to you but you shouldn't develop a dependency on my [Barrier Aura]..."

Krone just rubbed the back of his head in response until Eliza crossed her arms and glared at him with her violet eyes. After this, Krone released a grumbling sigh before giving an understanding nod as he passed by Linnaeus to begin blazing a trail through the underbrush.

Linnaeus felt like Eliza was going too far in her support of his position but, as she was doing it for him, he didn't want to correct her at the moment. When they returned to the den, later on, he would speak with her in private as, while it might earn him a bit of respect from Krone, it might also cause the latter to lambast him while also damaging his peculiar relationship with Eliza.

Eliza just answered his stare with a smile before pulling him along so that Krone didn't get too far ahead of the Party. She was the most aware of her own behavior but, as she noticed the look in their so-called Vanguard's eyes when he first received the monster's charge, her distrust for him had only grown. Mid-combat was not the time for rumination but she noticed his eyes become thoughtful for a brief moment, just like when someone suddenly came up with a scheme.

For the time being, Eliza was still going to allow Krone to remain in the Party but, if he did anything to sew discord or undermine Linnaeus' position, she would campaign to have him expelled. Even if it created problems all its own, she would rather build a Party of all women around Linnaeus if it meant they could avoid some of the more troublesome aspects of having multiple men and women in the same Party...

Without understanding what each member of their Party was thinking, the trio continued on their way at a steady pace. Krone seemed to consider Linnaeus' words a bit so, rather than just take on a full-frontal charge, he would try to tackle the monster's flank. Since Linnaeus would also trip them up or divert the force of their blows, most of the battles ended almost as soon as they had begun. If not for Krone's refusal to use weapons, as he preferred to use his body itself as a weapon, things would have gone much faster.

In less time than anticipated, the group reached an area with a hovel that had been formed from natural materials. It was mainly comprised of sticks and shrubbery but, to keep it all together, some kind of clay and mud had been used as a binding agent.

Upon seeing the cacoon-like structure, Eliza had an awkward expression on her face as she lightly mumbled, "How did this girl survive here on her own...?"

Since aboveground structures with no defensive capabilities were like painting a target on you for a monster attack, most schools taught children to seek elevated or subterranean shelters. The former was the most preferred, as it provided a good vantage, but the latter could be extremely useful when the elements were against you. After all, it was difficult to build atop a ridge while the only thing you had to do to expand an underground shelter was dig.

In response to Eliza's question, Linnaeus slowly surveyed the surroundings while explaining, "This is an area that serves as a neutral zone of sorts. The Territorial King to the west had been killed a little more than a month ago. There has been a bit of fighting since then but it mostly takes place away from this spot..."

Looking back at his two companions, Linnaeus could see that his explanation wasn't enough so he then added, "Since the stronger monsters are butting heads, the weaker monsters have avoided this area. A few stray in every now and then but there hasn't been anything particularly dangerous from what I have seen."

Eliza wanted to ask why Linnaeus didn't claim this territory for himself if that was the case but, as she had spent the last few days with him, she already understood why. He wasn't the type to try and take advantage of others just for his own benefit.

While Eliza's impression of Linnaeus was gradually improving, Krone stared back at his new Party Leader for several seconds before remarking, "You're the type that plans out everything...tell me, how long were you aware of our positions before coming into contact with us...?"

Linnaeus and Eliza both knew what Krone was implying, causing the latter to frown slightly. Linnaeus, however, kept his composure as he plainly stated, "I hadn't been specifically observing anyone. If you think I had come up with some grand scheme to try and form a Party, you are wrong. The only thing that crossed my mind at the time was making sure there were no threats around my own den. It was only after I had secured my own position that I began to think about allying with other people to try and reach the top of the Crucible..."

Though Linnaeus remained calm through his explanation, his expression became exceptionally sharp at the very end. Killing so many people had certain effects on an individual so, when he wanted to, it was possible to focus his killing intent to the point that people would feel as if they had a blade at their neck. This caused Krone to tense up and take a step back, all while Linnaeus stood his ground and added, "It wasn't even a few hours ago that you agreed to stop jumping to conclusions. Is this what your word amounts to...?"

Krone hadn't expected the petite boy to suddenly give off the impression of a feral tiger so he was at a loss for several seconds as to how he should respond. His first instinct was to fight, as his instincts told him that Linnaeus was very dangerous, but he was kept at bay by the icy glare of the woman at his side.

After swallowing audibly, Krone averted his eyes once again as he mumbled, "Sorry...I just can't trust other people so easily...I'll get better after a few days. I swear it..."

While neither Eliza nor Linnaeus accepted Krone's words at face value, the latter gave a nod before pulling back his killing intent and turning his attention back to their surroundings. He still didn't even trust Eliza so he couldn't really blame Krone for not trusting him after only a few hours. Rather, the man seemed predisposed to distrust him so, for the time being, Linnaeus would allow him time to acclimate. This was his first time leading a Party that consisted of more than just himself and another person so he needed to practice dealing with the more difficult members of a Party before it became a bigger issue in the future.

Krone visibly relaxed when Linnaeus pulled back his killing intent but his body was still tense due to the fact that Eliza continued to glare at him for several seconds longer. She had rarely killed so, while she was much stronger than Linnaeus, her 'presence' seemed minuscule in comparison. This put a lot of things into perspective for Krone, including the fact that his obstinance may very well result in his second untimely death...