26 Persistence

Though it wasn't noticeable at first, there was a discernible difference in the difficulty of the Third Floor with each successive day.

At first, Linnaeus only had to worry about the stark contrast between the day and night temperature and a few monsters. Now, however, the evenings got so cold that a layer of ice would cover much of the forest. At the same time, monsters like Lesser Mountain Goblins, Slimes, and Horned Rabbits had started to vanish entirely. Instead, the most common monster he encountered were wandering bears and, infinitely more troublesome, packs of a monster called Lesser Frost Wolves.

The average Lesser Frost Wolf was around two meters in length and a little under a meter in height. They were covered in pristine white fur and had vicious jaws full of ivory-colored teeth that could easily tear apart the other monsters present on the Floor. Linnaeus had even seen a pack of more than ten take down the massive bear-like creatures without too much difficulty.

Though they were significantly weaker than the bear, the Lesser Frost Wolves were extremely agile and knew how to cooperate with each other. They would take turned targetting the back and legs of the bear, slowly wearing it down until it succumbed to blood loss. Then, when it could hardly put up a fight, the largest in the pack, lacking the Lesser prefix, would finish it off before enjoying the first choice bits for itself.

The most troublesome aspect of the Lesser Frost Wolves, besides their speed and pack mentality, was their excellent hearing and incredibly sensitive noses. Since Linnaeus was rewarded with more experience when the enemies were strong or had advanced detection Skills, he was quickly gaining proficiency in his [Presence Concealment] and [Stealth].

Unfortunately, it was almost impossible to actually evade their packs for a long period of time as, after a successful hunt, they would dutifully circle the area to spread their scent and watch for any other predators that might want to steal their meal. They were smart enough to take turns eating and keeping watch, often by using different footpaths than their predecessors to cover for any blind spots.

If not for his [Barrier Aura] protecting him from surprise and combination attacks, Linnaeus imagined he would have been torn apart during his very first encounter with the white-furred demons. He had actually thought they were kind of cool at first but, after having his arm yanked in one direction while another Lesser Frost Wolf pulled his leg in the opposite, Linnaeus had quickly lost any positive feelings for the monsters.

At this point in time, five days had passed on the Third Floor. The Lesser Frost Wolves had appeared during the evening of the third day, migrating from a snow-covered mountain to the north.

Before the Lesser Frost Wolves appeared, there were 392 Fledglings remaining on the Floor, a value that could be tracked through the information panel of the Akashic System. Now, less than two days after their appearance, only 146 Fledglings remained, meaning they had either given up or lost their lives to the skillful hunters.

As could be expected, Ryuuna was still alive and well, even if Linnaeus couldn't confirm her status due to the fact they had been separated since the start. All he really knew was that her Health would decrease at times, likely due to her own Blessing, before recovering a few minutes later without any issues.

Since he couldn't imagine even twenty wolves taking down Ryuuna, Linnaeus was more focused on his own survival than regrouping. He had already guessed her intentions at this point so, rather than lower his head and chasing after her, he was intending to survive for as long as possible without her help.

With this in mind, Linnaeus had made a home for himself in a canyon that spanned more than 50m across and several hundred meters deep. There had been a small ridge that formed a shallow hollow towards the back, located just behind a jagged rock structure. Though it was accessible to any sharp-eyed Fledglings that might discover it, such as Ryuuna, it provided adequate protection against the roaming bands of Lesser Frost Wolves.

To combat the cold, Linnaeus had collected dozens of different types of pelts to line his tiny hollow. He used the sticky residue from the trees to adhere the pelts to the cold stone directly and, in order to find some small comfort in the sub-zero temperatures, he had a veritable pile of blankets to shield himself from the chilling wind that passed through the canyon.

Linnaeus had noticed that the evenings were becoming longer with each passing day so, if this trend continued, he imagined perpetual night would descend upon the Floor by the tenth day. His current goal was just to survive until a week had passed or, at the very least, until the number of Fledglings had been reduced to less than 50 people.

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During his observations, Linnaeus noticed that many Fledglings had various tools and equipment, some of which they had graciously contributed to his survival efforts. What this told him was that, if he moved on to the next Floor early, he would be able to spend his Aether to obtain much-needed supplies and equipment. If he kept being the last person to pass through each Floor, the only way he could obtain supplies was by stealing them from others, something that became progressively more difficult with the passage of time.

Though there were a surprising number of people with support and utility-oriented Blessing left, as these types were readily sought by other Fledglings, there was a noticeable increase in the number of people that gave Linnaeus a bad feeling. They were infinitely more dangerous than the monsters on the Floor and, if he was unlucky enough to be discovered, it was almost certain he would meet his end.

While it might be possible to take out stronger enemies in a one-on-one situation, the vast majority of Fledglings had formed small Parties at this point. Many had even formed full four-person groups, generally consisting of 1~2 frontline members, a dedicated support, and a ranged attacker. They had a good balance of survival, tracking, and combat Skills, making it nearly impossible to defeat them on his own.

Still, Linnaeus had been rather fortunate thus far as, even when he encountered other Parties, there weren't any people who could detect him. Though he knew a few might have the [Perception] Skill, they had been unable to detect him if he focused on laying low. This indicated their [Perception] was lower than his [Stealth] which, due to his need to constantly keep it active, had reached LV37 in the five short days since his arrival on the Third Floor.

Though he had already been aware of this due to his rapid increases at early Levels, Linnaeus was increasingly aware of how quickly Skills developed when the enemies were stronger than you. At times, he would get ticks of 20 or more experience every ten seconds when he was using [Stealth] near large groups of Lesser Frost Wolves so it had been steadily growing. At this rate, he imagined he could even break through LV40 before leaving the Floor, if not higher.

These were the thoughts that passed through Linnaeus' mind as he clung tightly to the fur pelts in his desperate attempts to resist the cold. This was the only thing he could do to distract himself from the chill that seemed to be creeping into his bones by the time light, and its accompanying warmth, descended on his sixth day surviving on the Third Floor.

Though it was still unbelievably cold, as it took time for the ice to thaw out, Linnaeus stored his pelt blankets away before observing his surroundings. Once he was confident there were no enemies in the immediate vicinity, he created a few platforms using his [Barrier] magic, allowing him to easily scale the canyon's face without much difficulty.

At this point, Linnaeus' entire body was covered in furs that he had roughly strewn together in an attempt to keep the cold at bay. He had even fashioned a make-shift helmet from the large skull of a Frost Wolf, giving him a slightly intimidating appearance that would hopefully deter anyone who thought he was an easy mark. Since he also kept several horned-daggers around his waist, he hoped to at least give them some pause that he might be able to exploit.

More than anything, Linnaeus just wanted to avoid conflict entirely, at least against other Fledglings. He still needed to increase his own foundation and improve his strength, something he knew they were undoubtedly doing as well.

If possible, Linnaeus wanted to observe several different groups of Fledglings to determine exactly how his strength compared to theirs. He was confident in taking down those with support or utility Blessings but, as they were often protected by those with combat-oriented specialties, he needed to carefully plan any attacks.

This was how Linnaeus survived as, from his earliest memories, he knew how dangerous the world could be if you stuck your neck out thoughtlessly. The daily beatings when he first became a Street Urchin had hammered this simple truth into his bones time and again, to the point he would never forget the faces of his first attackers.

Though he was now much stronger than before, and had even killed over a thousand people, none of this had been done haphazardly. His method was to observe and understand the strength of his enemies, only attacking when he was confident of victory or when his position had been revealed.

If not for Saht, there were many times over the last three years where he would have lost his life due to his inhibitions about attacking others. She was far less hesitant than he was about taking a life so, whenever he had any doubts, she would always be the first to take action. This was something that bothered Linnaeus quite a bit but, as he wouldn't even be here if not for her proactive nature, he couldn't really complain.

Linnaeus knew he needed to either team up with someone or change his core nature but, as he had been this way for over a decade, it would take time. For now, he just wanted to focus on increasing his foundation and, once he was confident in moving forward, he would begin to raise his Level in earnest. He wanted to start closing the gap between himself and people like Ryuuna, setting her as his goal for what real power represented...

While Linnaeus was thinking about his growth, he heard slight rustling and the sound of ice crunch in the distance. He had already been actively using [Stealth] so he wasn't too worried, especially since the sound was several tens of meters from his location and moving away from him.

Between the gaps in the trees, Linnaeus saw the familiar figures of several Lesser Frost Wolves, each moving deftly through the trees as they chased after an unseen target. It wasn't until he heard the pained shout of a man that Linnaeus understood what was happening but, rather than try and aid the unknown Fledglings, he vanished into the underbrush as he slowly skulked forward.

If the Fledglings were smart, they would simply exit the Floor but, if they were obstinant, there was a good chance he would be able to reap a few rewards from their corpses. He had been able to gain a shortsword using this method and, though it had been bent, Linnaeus was able to straighten it out after wedging it between the nook of two trees.

Linnaeus had aspirations of becoming a predator, one that could take down foes without hesitation and fear. For now, however, he was nothing more than a scavenger that would do whatever it took to survive. He didn't mind fighting dirty or using underhanded means to obtain his goals, so long as he never compromised what remained of his integrity. So long as he clung to this basic semblance of goodness, something Rebecca had seeded inside of him long ago, Linnaeus believed he would never stray so far from the light that he could never return...