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Figuring it wasn't a good idea to spend too much time underground, at least until there were used to it, most of the Quests procured by Linnaeus ended up being on the surface.

Though there were fewer valuable materials on the surface, it was much easier to both fight, and, in the event things went south, run away. It was also significantly less claustrophobic, so, compared to how he had been fighting the previous day, Krone was cutting loose, tearing through Monster Ants like a scythe through wheat.

Every time he looked over to make sure Krone wasn't getting surrounded, Linnaeus would always see a rather shocking scene. There was even one moment where Krone was using the head of one Monster Ant, still twitching in the throes of death, to bash the head of another over and over, using its sharp and durable mandibles to cause devastating damage...

With everyone becoming increasingly efficient at killing Scouts and Workers, Linnaeus was free to focus on mastering the use of an arbalest crossbow. Though he still intended to replace the heavy weapon with a lighter variant in the future, that wasn't an excuse to simply abandon it. If he could learn to hit targets at a distance with one weapon, it would undoubtedly increase his accuracy with future weapons due to the correctional bonus of the [Archery] Skill.

Currently, Linnaeus' limit was accurately striking a target at around 20~30m. Unfortunately, this was predicated on the basis that the target was immobile or distracted, a rare occurrence in the midst of combat.

The problem with hitting targets at a greater distance was accounting for factors like wind direction, speed, resistance, and, most importantly, gravity. These variables were the bane of anyone lacking a Blessing related to archery, as, without a considerable amount of experience, striking distant targets was little more than a pipe dream.

Conversely, if you had a Blessing such as [Archery Master] or [Child of Wind], striking distant targets was your greatest strength. There were even 'legends' of some people being able to shoot through the loop of a key at distances greater than 300m, blindfolded.

Blessings didn't mean other people couldn't emulate your accomplishments, but, if both sides put in the same amount of effort, the one with the Blessing would greatly eclipse the abilities of others.

Even if you had never drawn a bow or fired a single arrow, you functionally became a prodigy the moment you received a Blessing. This was true for all Skills, including forging, swordsmanship, and, perhaps most notably, healing.

So long as you put in an exorbitant amount of effort, anyone could learn to use Healing Magic if they were devoted to the task. However, compared to the most basic spells used by Blessing holders, it would always pale in comparison. This deterred the majority of people away from learning the rare and coveted Magic, elevating it to its current status as the most highly sought after Blessing.

It was this knowledge that served as the basis for Linnaeus' motivation, as, due to the fate that had been assigned her, Gwen was bound to suffer a similar fate to the Bapho. To many people, she was nothing more than a prize to be won, a convenient tool that would allow them to advance further than their peers.

Though it was unlikely he would be able to liberate Gwen from her fate, this wouldn't stop him from doing everything in his power to protect her. There were bound to be at least a handful of kind and caring people that were willing to accept guardianship over her, but, before any of that, he needed to become much, much, stronger...

With such thoughts serving as the basis for his motivation, Linnaeus lay flat against the ground, tall grass serving to cover his position. He regulated his breathing to the point he was taking fewer than five slow and steady breaths every minute. He would use the interval between breaths, where his body became stillest, to gently squeeze the trigger of his arbalest...

Once the lever holding the metallic tendon taut breached a certain threshold, it would snap forward with tremendous force, firing a 70cm bolt forward with enough force to pierce cleanly through the body of a Monster Ant. Though this also left a rather fierce bruise on Linnaeus' collar bone, he didn't even flinch before silently pulling another arrow from the large leather sheath at his side, his [Stealth] still active in spite of the loud noise generated from the previous arrow's release.

Though he wasn't quite sure how it worked, Linnaeus readily exploited the 'guaranteed critical' that was provided by his [Assassination]. This turned simple arrows into devastatingly powerful projectiles that, at times, would even blow away large chunks of a Monster Ant's body on contact.

With his [Stealth] and [Presence Concealment] allowing him to easily blend into the surroundings, combined with the fact Monster Ants had terrible eyesight, Linnaeus was able to turn his inaccurate strikes into crippling, or outright lethal, blows. Though this made it impossible to shoot anywhere near his Party members, for obvious reasons, he was able to practice his [Archery] with impunity, his Skill Level increasing to LV7 by the time they were preparing to return.

Unfortunately, perhaps as a result of his reliance on other Skills, Eliza's [Archery] had developed to LV16, even though she spent a fair amount of time gathering and organizing materials. This was due to a fundamental difference in the emphasis they placed on mastering the Skill, as, without anything to modify her damage output, Eliza had to focus on precise strikes to be effective.

Changing your mentality was one of the hardest parts of learning new Skills, so, while he could close the gap in the future, Linnaeus wasn't actually that keen on doing so. Their Skills might be the same, but their methods of fighting were fundamentally different from each other. If he stopped advancing his other Skills for the sake of mastering a supplemental combat style, he would be undermining the years he had spent developing his current skill set.

Through and through, Linnaeus' combat style revolved around quickly and efficiently dealing with his opponents, ideally without ever revealing his position. He wanted to push this to the extreme as, despite the versatility of his [Barrier Master], there would undoubtedly be opponents with the ability to counter, or outright ignore, the functionality of his Blessing.

Unless they had a powerful defensive Blessing, there were few people that could survive a surprise arrow to the back of their head, especially if it also dealt a 'critical' hit. While some might consider this a cowardly combat style, the fact those same types of people often freely exploited others made it exceptionally difficult to care about their opinion on things like pride and honor...

---

With the sky beginning to darken, Linnaeus had everyone regroup, asking, "Have we been able to collect any mandibles over 30cm?"

In response to his inquiry, Krone pulled out a single black mandible, approximately 33cm in length, saying, "I received this one after killing a Soldier Ant. The Scouts fail to drop anything over 25cm in length."

Supporting Krone's statement, Emilia nodded her head, adding, "I haven't been able to obtain any over 30cm. There aren't many Soldier Ants in this region so we'll probably have to move deeper if we want to complete our secondary objective."

Though he agreed with Emilia's assessment, Linnaeus spent a few moments staring at the sky above before saying, "We should return for the day. We have completed most of our gathering Quests so it isn't necessary to stay outside on behalf of the Guild. Tomorrow, we'll discuss venturing deeper into the mountains or delving underground before taking the day after as a rest day."

Hearing Linnaeus' words, Eliza's eyes immediately came to life, followed by her closing the distance between them to ask, "Will you accompany me that day? I want to walk around and visit a few shops that have caught my eye. I feel like I'll spend less if I have you around..."

Though he knew she was only making excuses to spend more time together, Linnaeus only had one thing planned for that day so he didn't mind accompanying her for a few hours. Thus, without taking too long to reply, he offered a polite smile, answering, "Of course. I have a few things I want to take care of in the afternoon but that still gives us a few hours between breakfast and lunch..."

Even before Linnaeus had finished speaking, Eliza pumped her fist in a victorious gesture, a smile on her face as she glanced toward Emilia. This caused the latter to raise her brows slightly, but, instead of insisting she also come along, a mischievous smile spread across her lips.

Seeing Emilia's reaction, Eliza couldn't help but swallow a knot that had formed in her throat as she wondered what her counterpart could be plotting...

Linnaeus' eyes still functioned properly so he wasn't ignorant of the silent exchange between the two girls. Rather than comment on it, however, he lightly shook his head, saying, "Let's return..." in a casual tone. At the same time, he passed his gaze over Krone, earning a dismissive shrug from the grey-skinned man before he hefted a large rucksack filled with supplies.

---

After her afternoon encounter with her sister, Renka was in an even worse mood than she had been during her morning shift. As a result, her line was practically empty, excluding a bold few who, over the years, had been trying to court her. She was quite popular among the various Adventurers, but, knowing the majority of them only sought her as a result of her status, Renka rarely gave them more than a few teasing remarks to keep them working hard.

Unfortunately, there were also a few Adventurers who thought too highly of themselves, so, in spite of the fact she gave several hints that she wasn't interested, they were annoyingly persistent. Among this subset of people, the worst was a Namur man named Kano, a cocky Adventurer who possessed the tiger-like features that his tribe was known for.

Worst of all, Kano had inherited his tribe's most famous Blessing, [Byakko], allowing him to reach Level 51 before he lost his life through 'mysterious' circumstances. He would never tell anyone what had killed him, but, based on how he would often look around overhead, many speculated he had been the unsuspecting victim of a falling object.

Renka didn't particularly care about Kano's past, or anything relating to him for that matter. Despite this, she was forced to tolerate the man's courtship as, due to the rarity of individuals over Level 50, their branch needed him in their employ. Kano seemed to understand this, so, while others knew not to pester her when she was annoyed, he unhesitantly swaggered over with a smile on his face...

Seeing the rather handsome man with a muscular figure, striking blue eyes, and windswept white hair, Renka couldn't help but release an exasperated sigh. Others might be fond of Kano's handsome looks, especially with his fluffy round ears and thick striped tail, but, no matter how he looked on the outside, Renka knew he was completely rotten on the inside.

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The one time she had humored Kano's persistence, the man had tried to slip a powerful, highly addictive, aphrodisiac into her drink. If not for the information her agents had gathered, painting Kano as an irredeemable womanizer, she might not have noticed his blatant attempt to turn her into a drug-crazed sex slave...

As if he had never done anything wrong in his entire life, Kano maintained a natural and confident smile on his face as he unhesitantly approached Renka's desk. Then, despite the fact it was against the rules of the Guild, he placed his elbow against the countertop, leaning against the surface as he asked, "I heard there was a fire in the nearby bazaar, yet, even after a day has passed, nobody seems to know who set it off. I wonder if the Guild's agents have been able to discover the identity of the culprit~?"