3 Skulking

With the intent of saving money and ensuring the survival of himself and his sister, Linneaus spent each day following a similar, yet adaptive routine. In the slums, having a pattern that others could easily follow made you a soft target so he would always vary the times he left, where he would go, and the route he took to return.

Because of his habits, the constantly fluctuating population, and the fact that most people lived in a similar way as himself, Linneaus very rarely met the same people twice. The only exceptions to this were the gang members belonging to various factions and the few businesses and stalls that operated around the orphanage.

Though it was rumored that children within the megacity were friendly with each other, forming small social cliques as they romped around the paved roads and freely entered shops without having to worry about getting beaten, Linneaus didn't particularly care about such things.

Linneaus was more focused on saving up money for his sister's treatment and, with 'friends' just increasing the chances he would be backstabbed, it was better to avoid forming any relationships with other children around his age. It didn't help that he was an outlier even within the slums due to his focus on surviving in the present rather than focusing on an arbitrary goal like climbing the Tower.

It was for reasons such as this that Linneaus was surprised to see a familiar face a few days after the incident involving the rat. He had been walking down a side-alley, one of the thousands that made up the complex maze-like structure of the slums, when a bristly yet soft paw founds its way around his neck, lifting him from the ground and slamming him hard into the stone surface in an instant.

By instinct, Linneaus found himself reaching for the hidden pocket inside his sleeve, forgetting that his knife had been stolen from him previously. This action didn't go unpunished, causing a set of sharp nails to pierce into his arm before his attacker confirmed he didn't actually have a weapon.

Seeing his health take a sizeable chunk, Linneaus gave up trying to resist, appearing as harmless as he was able while chokingly asking, "Wh..at...do you...want from...me?" This question was given a prompt response in the form of a fist burying itself into his abdomen before he was left to crash to the ground immediately after.

Since it was hard to tell at times, the girl, the same Vulna woman he had encountered previously, lifted him by the hair so that she could see his face, asking, "How old are you, brat?"

Hearing her question, Linneaus did his best to resist the pain in his diaphragm as he answered, "I turned eight this year..." before curling up as she slammed his face towards the ground.

Though murder wasn't that uncommon, especially in the slums, there were few who would go out of their way to kill a child before they were of age. In Lumen, there was a value known as enmity which, if you accumulated, gave pretty much everyone the right to kill you. Killing children would earn a large amount of enmity, especially if you were the attacker, so the girl could only grit her teeth as she warned, "I have remembered your scent. If our paths cross again in the future, I will peel the flesh from her body as bait for the rats..."

With her warning issued, the woman left the alleyway by vaulting up the walls and bounding atop the roof. You could get in a lot of trouble for moving across the roofs of buildings, as that was the territory of the various gangs ruling the slums, but the Vulna girl didn't seem to care. From this, it could be assumed she was either a member of the local gang or confident enough to deal with any enforcers who tried to deal with her.

As Linneaus waited for his health to recover, he recalled that she had previously run through the alleys on foot so, if his intuition was correct, she had been 'scouted' after that rat incident. This was likely the reason she was so angry with him as, with very few exceptions, this meant she was now either a prostitute or the 'relief' for the gang's crew members.

Linneaus was really hoping she was just wantonly ignoring the rules as, if she was really part of the local gang, his life would be endangered in the future. Being marked by a Vulna was the same as being marked for death if you weren't stronger than they were. From how fast she moved, and the strength she had shown, Linneaus knew he wouldn't be her match unless Akasha, the name of the system everyone used, granted him a powerful Blessing on his tenth birthday...

After waiting for a half-hour, Linneaus' health had recovered enough that he wouldn't have any difficulties moving around. He quickly lifted himself from the ground before, once again, setting off for his destination. Today, he was intending to travel a few kilometers east, a region he hadn't visited in a few months, to see if he couldn't earn any spoils.

Fortunately, after the sudden attack and subsequent beating, Linneaus, for reasons he could only guess at, noticed his Luck parameter had increased from 3~4. Since Luck, along with Charisma and Spirit, couldn't be invested in, even small increases were meaningful. It was rumored that, if your Luck was high enough, it greatly increased your fortunes and, within the Tower, those with high Luck stats were heavily sought after.

Feeling a little better about his odds of success, Linneaus quickened his pace, darting through the alleyways while simultaneously trying to conceal his presence. When he reached his destination, he immediately tried to put his Luck to the test, casing each person within the small marketplace, his golden eyes glimmering with renewed vigor.

As if driven by some divine cue, Linneaus saw another Street Urchin attempt to snitch the contents of a man's pockets in passing. Since Inventory space was limited, and reduced your maximum SP, most people filled their slots with junk, a countermeasure against [Steal], while only keeping a few important items inside.

With this being a marketplace, goods obviously exchanged hands and, in that brief moment, the most keen-eyed opportunists saw their chance. As for Linneaus, he focused more on the people doing the snitching than those they snitched from. Since there was always a chance his target was far more powerful than himself, meaning he could lose his life with just a swat of their hand, he would rather steal from other thieves. Though this didn't guarantee his safety, sometimes leading to rather fierce beatings, he found it was safer than the alternative while also providing slightly more experience than normal...

Just as the unfamiliar Street Urchin activated his [Steal] skill, his hand filling with a small pouch, Linneaus' eyes flashed as he activated his own. Pouches generally indicated cereal or money so it was a mark he couldn't pass up, irrespective of the situation.

With the other boy being around his age, Linneaus assumed he only had between 2~3 slots in his Inventory, meaning his chances were around 33%, assuming he was successful at all. This was a lot higher than normal, however, and, with a weight filling his hand, Linneaus plopped down on the ground inconspicuously as if he was still casing a target. If he ran at this point, he would draw a lot of attention to himself and, if the pouch truly did have money in it, confirming this in the open assured he would lose it.

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As could be expected, the boy that had snitched the pouch didn't get far before a group of three dropped down from the roof. These had to be the Enforcers that 'protected' the market and, due to the massive difference in strength, it wasn't long before the unfortunate Street Urchin suffered a beating before they took turns using [Steal] until he had nothing in his Inventory.

From his perch next to a pile of rubbish, Linneaus could see the larger of the three men kick the Street Urchin rather viciously before they left him to regenerate. It didn't take the Enforcers long to figure out what had happened but, having missed the moment when Linneaus used his [Steal] skill, they didn't waste their time searching before returning to the roofs above.

In order to make sure that he didn't lose the pouch, Linneaus didn't keep it in his Inventory and instead tucked it into the rubbish pile next to him. He assumed his actions were being watched at some point so, in order to remove any suspicion they would have, it was necessary for him to try his luck at snitching a few items. So long as he didn't get anything too valuable, they would just overlook him as he skulked away in the aftermath.

Though 4 Luck didn't sound that impressive, Linneaus felt like it was a qualitative increase. His efforts to [Steal] had gone unrewarded but, much like the Old Crone a few days ago, an elderly man with eyebrows extending past his chin smiled at him in passing. There were so many wrinkles on his face that his eyes could hardly be seen through the aged flesh but this didn't seem to affect him as he looked directly toward Linneaus and pulled out a small potato.

With his last meal nearly a week ago, Linneaus didn't waste any time before accepting the potato and pressing his head to the dirt. This earned him a light chuckle for the man who, understanding how the slums worked, kindly stated, "Go ahead and eat, child. I can tell you are on the verge of starving. Don't worry, I will not allow anyone to take it from you..."

Since it was exceptionally rare to live into your twilight years, the elderly were both respected and feared. Even within the slums, anyone that looked sufficiently advanced in their years was given a wide berth as, despite their frail appearance, many of them were in their late twenties while some were even over level thirty. Age did provide debuffs to attributes but, despite this, they were all very powerful compared to normal citizens.

Without worrying if the food he was given contained poison, as few people were foolish enough to waste such herbs and chemicals on a random Street Urchin, Linneaus quickly downed the small potato. He was surprised to notice there was a bit of salt and other spices that had been used to season the outside, giving him a strong urge to tear up as he licked his dirty fingers clean.

Issuing another chuckle, the old man rose to his feet before saying, "Stay strong, child..." as he walked toward another youth perched in a different location. There were a number of Street Urchins in the area and, after seeing the man give away food, each of them had hungry eyes as the watched the elderly man make his rounds.

They knew better than to crowd him, understanding well the repercussions if they managed to offend someone kind enough to pass out free food. Not only would they likely lose the chance of getting any free food in the future, but their fellow Street Urchins would severely beat them for ruining their own chances at a meal...

With his previously empty stomach filled with a bit of warmth, Linneaus felt it was as good a time as any to make his way back. It was considered an unwritten rule that, if you received a handout, you should quickly vacate the area to allow others a chance. Since this wasn't his turf, Linneaus didn't want to make any enemies so, after bowing his head toward the man's direction once again, he stealthily snatched the pouch before taking a new path towards the orphanage.

Resisting the urge to check his spoils until he was beyond the threshold of the orphanage's door, Linneaus felt like a marionette with its strings cut the moment he saw the aged face of Rebecca. She smiled in response to his antics, asking in a kindly tone, "I take it you had a good day, little Lin?"

Hearing the question, Linneaus honestly answered, "I'm not sure..." before moving into a seated position and pulling out the pouch. Even if it ended up being completely empty, he was already happy enough just to have received a seasoned potato.

Feeling the weight of the pouch, Linneaus felt that today was the luckiest day of his life. He quickly emptied the contents into his palm, not worried in the slightest that Rebecca would rob him. She was actually the one keeping his money stashed away from him and, with her reputation and the way she treated all of them, he believed she wouldn't betray him.

With the characteristic sound of metal against metal, Linneaus couldn't help smiling, even before his mind processed just what exactly he was holding. When it finally hit him, he nearly dropped the small coins to the ground as, instead of a few dozen coppers, he saw a bit of murky silver in the mix. Though he would have normally counted each coin with care, Linneaus prioritized the few bits of silver in his palm which, much like his Luck, totaled four small silver, giving him more than enough to buy a simple Panacea for Gwen...

Just as an urge to cry began to overwhelm him, Rebecca had soundlessly moved from her chair, appearing next to Linneaus in an instant. She gently placed her palm against his head, the same kindly smile she always wore adorning her face as she whispered, "It is okay to be happy, little Lin. Just remember you pay this fortune forward in the future..."

Following this reminder, Rebecca collected the coins from Linneaus' hand before placing a small vial into his palm. She then pushed him towards the girls' room before sitting back in her chair, a thoughtful glimmer in her eyes. As for Linneaus, he didn't even quest why Rebecca already had a Panacea on her, assuming she had intended to give it to Gwen or himself on their next birthday. In truth, she had numerous potions and other valuables in her Inventory but, understanding that the children would only become victims if she pampered them too much, Rebecca silently supported their efforts unless it was absolutely necessary for her to intervene...