30 Separation

Linnaeus knew that Ryuuna would take exception to his words but, as it concerned the principle he had lived by his entire life, he couldn't just swallow his words and remain silent. He did not consider himself a prideful person but, after everything that happened, he knew he would head down a dark path if he gave in to the whims of others just to avoid pain.

For several seconds after his outburst, Ryuuna glared at him, her expression growing progressively darker as pale-golden energy began to form around her fists. Despite this, Linnaeus didn't retract his statement as, no matter how angry she was, Ryuuna couldn't cripple or kill him while they were in the same Party. She would have to wait upwards of twenty-four hours to attack him if she wanted to avoid being cursed by the Akashic System. There was a very high chance she would beat him but, having grown up as a Street Urchin, beatings were more familiar to him than eating.

Ryuuna's fury eventually reached the critical level and, though there was a lot she wanted to say, the urge to pummel Linnaeus was too strong for her to resist. She had spent her whole life suppressing herself so, after entering the Tower, she swore to never tolerate slights against her. Even if she knew there was some truth to Linnaeus' words, she still believed he was a fool so she refused to apologize for her abrasive remarks.

Despite her fury, Ryuuna stopped channeling her aura into her fists as she charged forward like a phantom and slammed her palm against his chest. Without her [Aura Pulse], his barrier prevented him from being knocked backward but this was her intent. She used this shock mitigation to string together several attacks all at once, fueled by her growing frustrations.

Linnaeus realized what Ryuuna was doing from the moment his body wasn't sent flying backward. Even then, he decided to stand his ground without moving from his spot. Though he was quite a bit shorter than most, he was nearly a full head taller than Ryuuna. This allowed him to look down at her with a resolute light flashing across his eyes, despite making no attempts to defend himself.

Just as Linnaeus' barrier began to fracture and flicker, Ryuuna cocked back her fist in a telegraphed manner as she shouted, "Don't you look at me like that you bastard...!" Following this outburst, her seemingly powerless fist barreled toward the barrier with just enough force to shatter it. She wasn't foolish enough to violate the laws of the Akashic System so, holding back as much as possible, she began to thrash Linnaeus' body like a ragdoll until his health neared the Critical Health threshold.

With Linnaeus making no effort to defend himself, Ryuuna was growing increasingly frustrated as a very strong urge to tear his eyes out began to well up inside her. His obstinance actually reminded her a lot of herself, as she was no stranger to beatings, so beating him caused a variety of conflicting emotions that she could only channel into anger and indignation.

By the time Ryuuna had finished with him, Linnaeus' eyes had swollen up considerably as a constant stream of blood flowed from his nostrils. In spite of this, he continued to glare at her, their golden eyes fixed on each other as a myriad of emotions were silently communicated between them.

Despite the fact she hadn't really exerted herself all that much, Ryuuna was breathing heavily after her violent tirade. She felt like her mind had ants crawling over its surface as an overwhelming desire to break something had seeded itself in her heart. Since she couldn't break the resolve of the boy in front of her, she turned on her heels and, speeding up with a pale-golden aura around her, slammed into the collapsed rubble of the cave like a high-speed projectile.

With the pressure and heat differential between the cave and the outside, a backdraft was formed as a result of Ryuuna's furious charge. Much of the heat that had built up inside vanished in a matter of minutes as a potent chill settled within.

Even when Ryuuna had disappeared for several minutes, Linnaeus continued to watch the entrance of the cave in silence. He knew what she was trying to do so, while the cold certainly contributed, his body was shaking from rage and frustration.

By leaving him alone in the cave, Ryuuna had practically given him a death sentence, circumventing the laws of the Akashic System by exploiting a common loophole. He could chase after her, but this would likely just further incentivize her to evade him until he was in a near-death state. There was no way he could keep up with her speed so she would be able to toy with him at her leisure, deciding his life and death as she pleased.

Despite knowing this, Linnaeus didn't regret his decision so, after recuperating his Health and SP, he wrapped his body in a dense layer of fur-covered pelts before venturing out himself. The night was now pitch-dark, without any light to guide him along his path. As for the temperature, it was so cold that he had to nearly solidify his [Barrier Aura] just to resist it. This caused his SP to constantly drain but he refused to just stay holed up in the cave hoping that Ryuuna returned.

With the awareness provided to them by their Party, Linnaeus and Ryuuna continued to move away from each other. The latter had paused for a moment when he first began moving in the opposite direction but, moments later, her speed increased once again until her presence was like trying to suss out the light of a single candle several hundred kilometers away.

Fortunately, other than a few Frost Slimes, Linnaeus' path of retreat had been relatively safe. Only the elements were slowing his progress, as a thick layer of snow now blanketed the area, but Linnaeus tolerated the biting chill until he reached a familiar canyon.

Though there was a very strong wind flowing through the canyon, which now seemed like an endless abyss, Linnaeus wasted no time in leaping down after finding the location of his former abode. With his [Barrier] Magic, he was able to form a few steps while his [Barrier Aura] blocked the strong winds. This allowed him to keep his balance and, after a few hectic moments, Linnaeus reached the hollow that had served as his home prior to seeking out Ryuuna.

There were still furs lining the walls of the hollow but, due to the constant exposure, they had frozen solid. Linnaeus tried to pry some of them away but, having no luck, he ultimately just spread out an extra layer of furs before using his [Barrier] to seal off the hollow. This produced a small amount of light but, considering how few Fledglings remained, he doubted there were any foolish enough to be wandering around like him and Ryuuna.

It was practically impossible to do anything about the cold but, by staying awake and periodically eating warm rations, Linnaeus was able to tolerate the perpetual chill that felt like daggers stabbing into his bones. If not for the fact that the Green Gel could temporarily remove the Hypothermia and Fever afflictions, he likely would have turned into a frozen status by the end of the first night.

---

Unlike Linnaeus, whose survival knowledge was largely based on his personal experiences, Ryuuna had received a proper education while attending school in the Megacity. Though she had rarely ever seen snow, she knew it had insulating properties so, after traveling far enough that she could hardly sense Linnaeus, she wasted no time in creating a burrow in a large hill of snow.

It would have been better to make an igloo, a hemispherical structure formed of compact ice and snow, but her body was already so cold that she couldn't feel her fingers and toes. She wanted to complain to whatever entity designed the bodysuits as, for whatever reason, they did not cover the hands and feet at all. As a result, the pinky toe on her left foot had started to blacken slightly so she was forced to cut it off after digging several meters through the snow and permafrost below.

Frostbite was a troublesome affliction but, with the regeneration provided by her high Constitution, it wouldn't take long for the toe to grow back completely. She just needed to keep her health above 50%, something that was relatively easy considering she regenerated more nearly 750 per minute. It also helped that she had the [Abnormal Status Resistance] Skill as, even if she got afflicted with Fever and Hypothermia, they would fade away after a few minutes.

Even if she didn't have the means to treat Hypothermia, however, Ryuuna wasn't too worried as her regeneration would still be enough to fight off the effects of the cold. Hypothermia only reduced a person's mobility and health regeneration by half, so she still regenerated around 375 per minute during the brief moments it took hold of her.

At this point, Ryuuna was determined to just wait out Linnaeus until he either died or came running to her once again. She knew her actions were more than a little petty but this was the only way she could deal with her frustrations at the time. Now, even though she wanted to return, her pride would not allow her to do so. She would rather deal with the biting cold than lower her head and apologize to someone, especially when she felt he was just as much to blame as she was...

While steeling her resolve and using what few supplies she had to form a cocoon of sorts, Ryuuna's nose turned sour when her stomach suddenly grumbled. She had eaten just a few hours prior but, after running such a long distance, she was suddenly hungry once again. Unfortunately, all she had on hand were a few pieces of frozen meat stored away in her Inventory for emergency situations.

Unlike Linnaeus, Ryuuna rarely went long periods of time without eating as her Blessing required her to expend Health as a resource. Since she exerted her body an arduous amount, she generally ate up to five meals a day, interspaced by small snacks here and there. Now, due to her haste, she was left without any real food to subsist upon. This caused Ryuuna to form a deep frown and, even though it was her own decision to abandon Linnaeus, she couldn't help blame him for hoarding all their food.

Ryuuna conveniently overlooked the fact she had forced Linnaeus to use up some of his SP just to keep her meals warm. Being angry made her at least feel warmer so, while periodically stretching to increase blood flow to her extremities, she continued to brood and blame Linnaeus for her current predicament. If he somehow managed to survive this Floor, she swore to get even with him the next time they met. At the very least, he would need to prepare her a feast or she would pummel him until his face looked like a pig...

---

While curled up in a ball of furs, Linnaeus suddenly sneezed hard as a dribble of snot escaped his reddened nose. Almost immediately thereafter, the small trail of fluid froze solid so he had to break it free before burying his face into the slowly freezing furs. This was a miserable experience for him but, as it reminded him a lot of his first winter after leaving the orphanage, it wasn't intolerable.

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Linnaeus kept himself focused by glaring at the information panel like it was his sworn enemy. There were only 9 Fledglings remaining by the morning of the sixteenth day so, if he was patient, he would be able to reach the Fourth Floor without having to chase after Ryuuna. He knew this was what she wanted to he refused to give her the satisfaction of seeing him in a desperate state. Fortunately, he had all their food and supplies so, whenever he felt especially frustrated, Linnaeus could pull out a skewer of seasoned meat before engorging himself with a petulant sneer on his face...