Though it was rare to celebrate anything but the changing of the year, especially within the slums, the evening of Linneaus' triumphant return and Gwen's treatment became a memorable event for the seventeen children living within the orphanage.

By the time the other children had started to return in the evening, Gwen had already taken her medicine and, though they rarely left their room except to do chores or train, all of the girls came out to celebrate. Before that, Rebecca sent Juanis, a rotund boy that was already 170cm, despite being only seven years old, to pick up a few vegetables from the local market.

Being of the Dahmpos race, a species known for their great strength and physical prowess, Juanis would have been even taller if not for being malnourished. At the age of ten, it wasn't uncommon for a Dahmpos to be well over 200cm tall, with some growing to well over 300cm by adulthood.

Since Juanis already worked as a laborer for a small shop within the market, he was one of the few children associated with the orphanage who wouldn't be kicked out and beaten if he attempted to enter a shop. He had also been scouted as a future Enforcer for the local gang, despite the fact he was a gentle and kind boy by nature.

When Juanis finally returned, carrying a sack of rice, potatoes, flour, and a bag of medicinal tea leaves, everyone was in high spirits. This was especially true for those who had been down on their luck in recent days, much like Linneaus had been previously, as some had already gone a few days without any solid foods.

Because it was thanks to his contributions they were able to eat so well, Linneaus was the center of attention within the orphanage, despite the fact they were celebrating Gwen's recovery. She didn't seem to mind at all, however, as she enjoyed seeing her older brother fluster with a rare smile on his face as Sasha teased him. He did so much for her that she often felt guilty so, seeing him happy made her happy...

After the festivities had come to an end, everyone went to sleep with full stomachs for the first time in months. Linneaus had to wash his face furiously after Sasha had snuck a kiss on his cheek but, despite how troublesome her behavior had been at the time, he now had a happy smile on his face as he looked towards the bunk above and listened to the silent sound of his brothers sleeping peacefully.

Linneaus was currently thinking about the future for the first time in a while as, previously, he thought it would take him nearly a year and a half to finish saving up for Gwen's treatment. Now, other than the lingering threat from the Vulna woman, he didn't really know what the future held. He needed a new goal and, in order to earn even more money in the future, Linneaus decided to talk with Rebecca about what he should do. She was the one who trained the girls and, as they were all a fair amount stronger than the boys, as they would need to be, he felt she would have the answer.

While thinking of what he should do next, Linneaus could hear the sound of someone crying to his right. This originated from the youngest boy within the orphanage, named Chen, who had only come to stay with them four months prior. He was currently five years old and, due to his parents being murdered, his nights were often plagued by nightmares while his days were largely fruitless.

Though there wasn't much he could do for the young Hume, Linneaus still shifted out of his bunk before crawling next to the young boy and hugging him. This helped Chen calm down a bit and, after a few minutes of whimpering sobs, he finally managed to fall asleep again. Shortly after that, Linneaus also felt rather tired and, though some of the other boys might tease them later on, they had all gone through something similar in the past...

Early the next morning, Linneaus decided to act on his decision the previous night, approaching Rebecca after everyone else had already left for the day. Generally, the boys were kicked out until later in the afternoon, giving the girls a chance to stretch their legs and conduct their training, but he wanted to ask for her advice before leaving.

Rather than send him away, Rebecca had a kind smile on her face before he even spoke, saying, "I imagine you need a new goal for yourself, yes?" Then, seeing him nod, she handed him a slip of paper, saying, "You still have seventeen months before you come of age. I can see goodness in you, little Lin. Become someone strong enough to protect others, yourself included."

Since Linneaus had talked to her about the Vulna girl marking him, Rebecca knew he would need to increase his strength if he wanted to avoid losing his life. She couldn't fight his battles for him and, as this world wasn't kind to the weak, Rebecca always encouraged the children in her care to seek strength and aim for something higher than the life of a slum dweller.

After accepting the slip of paper, Linneaus noticed there was an exercise routine that emphasized a focus on Agility and Dexterity. Though it would be impossible for him to match the attributes of a Vulna, known for their speed, it would allow him to at least react when the time came. So long as he prepared properly, it wasn't impossible for him to come out ahead as, just like Rebecca had taught them, everyone had a weakness...

From that moment onward, Linneaus dedicated his mornings to training his body by performing a series of pushups, crunches, and squats. In between sets, he would hone his agility by navigating the complex system of alleyways by sprinting at his maximum speed. Since there were all kinds of obstacles in his way, he would have to react quickly to avoid tripping or slamming into something. At the same time, he was able to hone his [Sense Danger] and [Presence Concealment] as, by running around, he drew a lot of attention from the gang members skulking about on the roofs above.

Over the course of his training, there were several instances where Linneaus suffered a beating but, as this also helped to train his Constitution and Spirit, he suffered them in silence. Because of this, the local gang members eventually stopped paying attention to him, so long as they didn't catch him directly trying to snitch something.

In this manner, nearly a year had passed when Sasha, having reached the age of ten, received her Blessing from Akasha. This was an important moment in everyone's life so, much like during the celebration of Gwen's recovery, everyone in the orphanage was present when the clock struck midnight.

Though it wasn't his first time seeing it, Linneaus' eyes were round as saucers when he saw a pillar of blue light radiate from Sasha's body. It was generally believed that the size of the light was an indicator of your potential and, if it reached beyond a certain threshold, it was even possible to become a citizen of the megacity.

On average, the pillar of light accompanying a person's blessing was around five meters in height, ignoring all obstacles as it extended into the night sky. Sasha's ended up being a little above average and, though he wasn't able to see it directly due to the ceiling above, Rebecca had a smile on her face as she stated, "Eight-hundred-and-seventeen centimeters...well done, Sasha. You have worked hard."

It wasn't enough to get her a ticket into the megacity, but Sasha was still happy to receive a bit of praise from Rebecca. Then, knowing everyone was waiting for the big reveal, she looked at her Status before jumping for joy as she exclaimed, "I got the [Cartography] skill!"

Hearing this, everyone present was quite surprised as, with the [Cartography] skill, Sasha could be a mainstay in a party and, despite her pillar of light not making the cut, she could still be groomed by a small to mid-sized organization. After all, if she managed to enter the Tower in the future, her ability to create a map of the floor was instrumental to the success of most parties.

Amidst the congratulatory remarks and applause from the children, Rebecca had a larger than normal smile on her face as she said, "I will send a message to an old friend of mine who stays within the megacity. She is part of the Cartographer's Guild and will help you develop your skill further. Congratulations, Sasha."

As becoming a student of a Guild meant being able to leave the slums, even if the treatment she received wouldn't be much better at first, Sasha still had a bright smile on her face. After all, it was almost impossible to leave the slums through normal means and, with Blessings taking on many forms, she was truly fortunate to have such an opportunity.

The following day, a young woman with long red hair, accompanied by a large man with two horns and windswept hair, arrived to retrieve Sasha. They even brought a change of clothes for her so that she wouldn't stand out as much after passing through the massive gate leading into the megacity.

By the time Sasha had changed, she looked like a completely different person as, compared to the rags and patchwork clothing from before, the tunic and trousers she had been provided were of incomparable quality. This even caused her to behave differently than normal and, though she said a few words of encouragement to the other children within the orphanage, there was already a glint in her eyes as if she looked down on them.

The only exceptions to this were when she looked at Saht, who was now much stronger than she was, and Linneaus. Even then, however, she only gave them a thoughtful glance before sparing the latter a smile as she parted with the duo. In truth, she had a crush on Linneaus since he first arrived in the orphanage but, as they lived very different lives, nothing had ever come of it. Now that she was going to live in the megacity, it was unlikely their paths would ever cross again, even if he also entered in the future. After all, there were more than three-hundred billion residents in the megacity so, unless you were part of the same Guild or Organization, you very rarely met the same person twice.

Seeing Sasha leave, everyone remaining in the orphanage felt a strong desire to improve so that they were also able to enter the megacity in the future. This included Linneaus, though he already held that conviction even before his training had started. After all, if he wanted to protect Gwen, it was necessary to gain access to the city, even if it was just to secure a place for her.

Unless he got one of the rare combat-oriented Blessings, there was little chance he would be able to protect his sister if they remained in the slums. Though he didn't develop an ego because of it, Linneaus knew his appearance was abnormal, to the point that he would sometimes be solicited by women, both young and old. Since his sister was even more beautiful, there would be no end to the number of people trying to claim her for themselves.

Knowing what happened to women and young girls who couldn't protect themselves, Linneaus was determined to do everything in his power to help her avoid such a fate. Hopefully, like Sasha, she would awaken a useful Blessing that allowed her access to the megacity without a fuss. If not, he prayed his own gave him enough power to protect them both as, on his tenth birthday, there was a good chance a certain Vulna woman would come hunting him.

At this point, Linneaus knew the woman's name was Skaadi and, as he had expected, she had indeed become one of the various women serving the Greyhound Gang. Worse still was that she had been able to get close to the leader of said gang as, much like her, he was also a member of the Vulna tribe. Thus, while others would ignore him unless he caused trouble, she would usually track him down at least once a week to give him a beating before asking him how old he was...

With eight months left until his birthday, Linneaus was determined to get as strong as possible before the penultimate moment. Fortunately, as she was beating him so routinely, he had a rough idea of how strong Skaadi was. He also knew what her Blessing was so, as long as he got any kind of combat-oriented Blessing, he was confident in his chances.

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[Status]

Name: Linnaeus Finnian

Title: Street Urchin(+1 Con +1 Dex, +1 Wis Per Level. Half Free Attributes Per Level]

Race: Hume(50%), Manalyte(50%)

Age: 9

Gender: Male

Level: 5(93/500)

Health: 220/220 (Critical Health)

Soul Power: 110/110

Strength: 4~6

Constitution: 6~11

Agility: 6~12

Dexterity: 11~16

Intelligence: 5~6

Wisdom: 8~12

Spirit: 2~5

Charisma: 6~9

Luck: 4~5

Free Attributes: 11

Skills: [Kinu Comprehension:(-)], [Knife Mastery: LV4], [Sense Danger: LV14->LV15], [Presence Concealment: LV7->LV9], [Acrobatics: LV5](new)

Abilities: [Steal: LV13->LV15]

Magic: [Enhance: LV2->LV5]

[Acrobatics: LV5(431/500)]

Passive: Able to navigate terrain quickly and agilely without losing balance. (+1 Agi per level)

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