18 Calm

In the thousands of years people had been climbing the Tower, there had been a select few to reap the most benefits. From amongst trillions of potentiates, they were the ones who had either returned with the greatest wealth or, due to belonging to a specific race or possessing a certain Blessing, were able to benefit the most from settling outside of the Tower.

Of these powerful and influential figures, there were eight families and three organizations that set themselves apart from the rest. These were known as the Eight Heavenly Families and, since the time of Heart's creation, they had controlled the territory closest to the Tower's base.

Over time, the Eight Heavenly Families had grown to monstrous proportions due to their wealth and influence. Some families had even grown well beyond a million members though, when compared to the three-hundred billion people residing within the megacity, these numbers were just a drop in a very vast ocean.

Despite this disparity, they still had a strong, almost unshakeable, foothold within Heart. This was due to the existence of the Party, Company, and Organization system, allowing them to groom the successive generations with greater efficiency. They also proactively engaged in alliances with each of the other Heavenly Families, exploiting a loophole within the Tower's seemingly random selection to guarantee their descendants had the highest chance at success when climbing.

By using unique markings and making sure each generation familiarized themselves with their peers, it was possible to greatly increase the chance of finding allies amongst the other Heavenly Families during your climb. This would further strengthen the bonds between the families as, without proper allies, it was virtually impossible to proceed to the higher Floors.

Those who managed to climb up often did so as a direct result of their cooperation with other members of the Eight Heavenly Families. Since each different family specialized in one of the core Classes that would be assigned to Fledglings upon reaching the 10th Floor, they were able to constantly strengthen the foundation of their families, guaranteeing none would overtake them.

At least, this was how things were supposed to go...

Though not impossible, it was very rare for any member of the Eight Heavenly Families to fall within the first ten Floors of the Tower as, compared to their peers, there was a vast difference in power and capabilities. They were groomed since birth to be the absolute strongest, possessing a compliment of Skills, Abilities, and Magic to ensure they had significantly higher attributes than the competition.

When a member of the Eight Heavenly Families did die, it was generally the result of interference from the Three Major Powers, consisting of the Sacred Order, the Shadow Guild, and the Alchemist Association. Only these three organizations, possessing even more power than the Eight Heavenly Families, albeit significantly less concentrated, had the resources to groom successors that could rival the descendants of the Eight.

Of course, there were outlier cases as, due to their upbringing, it was not uncommon for a member of the Eight to be rather arrogant and haughty. Though they often had the capabilities to back this kind of behavior, it was not impossible for their own hubris to cause their downfall. Because of this, the Elders of the Eight tried to remind their descendants not to overestimate themselves before they were able to establish a full Party, even if their advice was often ignored.

During the nightmares accompanying her fever, the Saxon woman, whose true name was Estelle El Andromeda, couldn't help but be reminded of the several old men and women who had advised her not to give in to her explosive temperament. She had been born as the 17th daughter of the Lord of the South, the leader of the Andromeda family, a member of the Eight for over seven-thousand years. Though not the most powerful amongst her brothers and sisters, she had always been treated well by her family, even during the harsh training all primary descendants were required to undergo.

Now, instead of the kindly, albeit wrinkled faces from her memory, their forms had become twisted and demonic. Instead of smiles, they had scowls of pure derision and contempt, replacing the pride, compassion, and love she had come to know. This caused her body to be covered in a cold sweat and, though she put on a strong front in almost every situation, whimpers began to escape her lips as she tried to refute the harsh words resonating within her mind.

While watching her companion suffer through intense fever dreams, the Lori girl, named Shuri von Silverlake, couldn't help but show concern as she lightly caressed the sleeping Estelle's head. She was also a daughter of the Eight Heavenly Families, though only the 83rd in a very expansive family. The Lori tribe wasn't exactly known for their power, as they generally obtained utility and support-type Blessings, but they more than made up for this with their rather prodigious ability to reproduce.

Despite being one amongst more than a hundred, Shuri had been considered a true prodigy among her generation, even though she did her best to avoid conflict entirely. Though most of her battles ended with her subduing her opponent, rather than harming them, she was often capable of coming out ahead against people much stronger than herself.

If not for the fact that Estelle had told her to stay out of the fighting after realizing she was a 'soft-hearted crybaby', the likelihood of Linnaeus being able to gain even a pyrrhic victory would have been reduced to nill. Her ability to bind and capture targets, combined with Estelle's ability to use ranged explosions, wasn't exactly something most would be able to deal with.

Linnaeus, of course, was completely unaware of this fact but, with his instincts that had been honed over a lifetime of living within the slums, he knew he wasn't the girl's match. This, combined with the fact he didn't want to become a ruthless killer, as he only ever desired the power to protect, made it impossible for him to deal the final blow.

Though Linnaeus felt extremely conflicted about his decision at first, this had faded away after more than an hour of squatting in the tree. With his health and SP recovered, he was no longer burdened with the characteristic headache and mental cloudiness that accompanied low reserves.

Now that he could think clearly, Linnaeus decided it was best not to stick around as, unless there had been some kind of complication, it wouldn't be too long before the Saxon woman recovered. He had the distinct impression she wasn't the most understanding individual so, rather than stick around to learn how she fought with full SP, he decided it was best to put as much distance between himself and the two girls as possible.

With one last look in their direction, he slipped down the opposite side of the tree before vanishing into the forest, this time moving away from the river. If he needed to, he could always rough it out for the remaining nine days, even without water. Since his Aether value was now at 231, as he had actually been able to gain a few points from using [Steal], Linnaeus was confident he could clear the Floor without exposing himself to even more danger.

The battle against the Saxon woman had taught him a lot about his status in the Tower and, though he wasn't the weakest, there was a vast gulf between himself and the strongest. Even the Vulcan he had fought during the first challenge wasn't much weaker than him, despite having a Blessing that related to forging equipment.

From this, Linnaeus could deduce that his power might actually be below average so, unless he used his advantages cleverly, there was a good chance he would lose his life. With this in mind, he wanted to continue observing other Fledglings to determine the veracity of his assumption, all while training his Skills, Abilities, and Magic to higher Levels.

Though he might not have the advantage in direct engagement, he doubted there were many born within the megacity who were adept in [Assassination] and [Presence Concealment]. So long as he had the element of surprise, he would be able to kill his enemies without having to worry about any kind of counter-attack.

The only problem with this method of fighting was, despite having honed the Skills to reasonably high standards, Linnaeus wasn't a cold-hearted killer. He wouldn't go out of his way to sneak attack an enemy unless he had already judged them as an irredeemable despot who was undeserving of his mercy.

If not for the interference of the Lori girl, he would have ended the Saxon woman without flinching in the slightest as, though she was quite beautiful, such sentiments would have gotten him killed a long time ago if he cared about such things. The only thing that held him back was the pleading of the rabbit-like girl and his convictions to never become the type of person that couldn't look the few people he cared about in the eye.

Linnaeus knew that this flaw of his was actually a major weakness but, so long as he avoided being wrangled into the affairs of others, he would be able to survive. Though he also knew it would be necessary to team up with others when trying to ascend to higher Floors, he wanted to make sure he had a full understanding of his potential allies before entrusting his back to them.

With this in mind, Linnaeus intended to observe the Fledglings on each successive Floor in order to determine if they were all moving together or being randomly assigned to certain regions.

Since a number of people were already forming small teams, he assumed there was a good chance that they would be competing against each other for some time. He might even come across the same Vulcan woman from his first challenge, which would be a godsend if she could be convinced to forge him a dagger.

Though creating makeshift weapons out of his [Barrier] could give him an edge, they were only useful for a very short period of time. Over the course of an extended engagement, his SP reserves would rapidly deplete, especially if the enemy was able to land a few direct hits on his [Barrier Aura].

In order to overcome this weakness, Linnaeus decided it was best to make a few weapons from tree branches and stones. He also discovered some sticky resin on the side of a damaged tree, indicating a battle had recently occurred in the area. Using this resin, he was able to cover much of the exposed parts of his body with leaves, allowing him to blend in with his surroundings better. He lamented the fact that, while his bodysuit was dark-blue, allowing him to blend in with the shadows, his pale-blue hair stuck out like a sore thumb against the green backdrop of the forest.

It took a while, but Linnaeus was able to create a makeshift hood and mantle using the hide that had been looted from the sleeping girls. Though he had been tempted to muck up his hair and face with mud, just the thought of it irritated him a bit as, even as a former slum dweller. He might be able to tolerate it for an extended period of time but, from experience, Linnaeus knew how unpleasant and itchy it would be to have mud flaking from his skin.

By the time he had finished his preparations, Linnaeus had moved several tens of kilometers away from the two girls. He now looked like a living bush skulking through the forest as he dealt with a few oversized animals and avoided conflict with other Fledglings.

Fortunately, as he had been moving away from water sources and any discernible landmarks, there had been very few signs of other people. As for the creatures he encountered, Linnaeus wasn't quite sure they could be considered monsters as, from what little he knew, they should be far more vicious and dangerous. Though it could be due to this being the First Floor, there weren't any particularly dangerous enemies and, so long as he used his [Stealth] and exercised proper caution, many could be dealt with in a single blow.

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In this manner, Linnaeus continued creating more distance between himself and others, only slowing when the sun had started to descend once again. He knew the twilight of Dusk and Dawn were the most ideal times to start a fire as, with the reddening of the sky, visibility would be severely reduced. This made it very difficult to discern flames and, so long as he avoided burning anything green, there shouldn't be much smoke either.

Though he had felt the availability of edible plants and fruits was already a blessing unlike anything he had ever experienced, Linnaeus couldn't help but salivate at the thought of eating grilled snake and whatever mystery meat he had stolen from the girls. Despite his desire to dig in immediately, however, he made sure to properly cook it through, so as to avoid any parasites, and only ate after moving far from the fire he had established.

The last thing he needed was for another person with [Stealth] capabilities to attack him while he was enjoying food so, until he was well away from the smell of cooked meat, Linnaeus tempered himself. Then, after climbing a tree, just as night had descended upon the land, Linnaeus enjoyed the flavor of cooked meat, eating his fill of the protein-rich and incredible juicy morsel for the first time in his entire life.