It so happened that, with something like death looming over your head, time seemed to flow a lot faster than normal.

Though each day had been filled with small events and minor achievements, Linneaus was far from the goals he had set for himself, despite the fact he had managed to level up once again. Better yet, he managed to officially be recognized by the Akashic System as 'Little Ghost', granting him a few small perks.

Even with these significant boons, however, he had no confidence in being able to survive against Skaadi as, two days prior to his tenth birthday, Linneaus noticed she was dressed better than normal and, rather than walk around unarmed, she now carried a dagger that looked like a long ice pick. He had even gotten to experience its sharpness as, presumably on the day she had received it, Skaadi tracked him down and stabbed him clean through the thigh.

As if he hadn't already been fighting an uphill battle, Linneaus learned she was no longer a relief girl within the Greyhounds, for reasons he could only speculate. Regardless, she was now a full-fledged Enforcer, meaning the threat to his life had increased exponentially.

Because of these rapid changes, Linneaus had a dull look in his eyes during the days leading up to his tenth birthday. If he failed to obtain a Blessing that would give him an edge in combat, his death was all but assured. Though he wouldn't give up until the very end, to the point he was considering running away to another region to lay low until his sister's tenth birthday, it was hard to imagine she wouldn't simply track him down.

Despite these concerns, Linneaus did his best not to alert his sister to the impending threat to his life, even though she had shown signs of inferring the truth. Since she didn't want to worry him even more, they both pretended that the secret remained, all the way up until the small celebration on the eve of his tenth birthday.

With the clock striking midnight, amidst the glimmering eyes of his fellow orphans, Linneaus felt powerful energy flowing through his body. It was like a rush of adrenaline, unlike anything he had ever experienced, giving him the illusion he would be able to take on any enemies. Despite this, the pillar of light from his body only extended to a meager six meters, the same as his level.

Though it was slightly above average, Linneaus felt as if the pressure on his body had increased by several-fold, even as the children of the orphanage congratulated him. Then, without wasting any time, he looked at his Status, praying against all odds that his Blessing would make up for his lack of potential...

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[Status]

Name: Linnaeus Finnian

Title: Little Ghost(+2 Agi, +2 Dex, +1 Wis per Level]

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

Age: 10

Gender: Male

Level: 6(497/600)

Health: 280/280

Soul Power: 165/165

Strength: 6~8

Constitution: 11~14

Agility: 12~19

Dexterity: 16~21

Intelligence: 6~7+0.7

Wisdom: 12~15+1.5

Spirit: 5~8+0.8

Charisma: 9~13

Luck: 5

Free Attributes: 19

Skills: [Kinu Comprehension:(-)], [Knife Mastery: LV4->LV5], [Sense Danger: LV15->LV17], [Presence Concealment: LV9->LV10], [Acrobatics: LV5->LV8], [Pain Tolerance: LV2](new), [Barrier Master:LV1](new)

Abilities: [Steal: LV15->LV18], [Stealth: LV4](new)

Magic: [Enhance: LV5->LV10], [Barrier: LV1](new), [Barrier Aura: LV1](new)

[Pain Tolerance: LV2(11/200)]

Passive: Ability to resist spontaneous and persistent pain while remaining clear-headed.

[Barrier Master: LV1(0/100)]

Passive: Allows the user to manifest their Soul Power and give it physical form. (+3 Int, +3 Wis, +2 Spi per Level. Additional 10% bonus to Int/Wis/Spi every ten Levels.)

[Stealth: LV4(33/400]

Cost: 10 SP per minute

Active: Allows the user to blend into the shadows and dull the sound of their footsteps.

[Enhance: LV10(227/1000)]

Cost: 20~40 SP

Active: Empower a single attribute by 10~15%

[Barrier: LV1(0/100)]

Cost: Variable(Cost dependent on the size and durability of the barrier. Base: 50SP)

Active: Create a barrier that is able to defend against both physical and magical attacks.

[Barrier Aura: LV1(0/100)]

Cost: 10 SP per minute. Additional cost dependent on amount of damage sustained.

Active: Create a membrane to protect the body from both physical and magical attacks.

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Seeing his Blessing was [Barrier Master], Linneaus didn't know whether to laugh or cry as, though it was somewhat rare, it wasn't considered particularly useful outside of the Tower. While it certainly increased his survivability in short fights, the drain on his SP would make it almost impossible to use other spells in conjunction and, from what he knew, the external barriers produced only lasted for half the duration of his Spirit attribute.

With Linneaus Blessing being rather tame, the children all felt awkward congratulating him but, as if to cheer him up, Rebecca had her usual kind smile as she explained, "For those that want to protect others, there are few Blessings better than [Barrier Master]. You should also keep in mind that there are no bad Blessings, little Lin. The determining factor for how useful a Blessing is depends entirely on the creativity and willpower of the user..."

Understanding her words might not get through to him, especially given his situation, Rebecca kept her smile as she did something none of the children had seen before. She began to move her boney finger in a nimble and dexterous manner that none of them could follow directly, causing a few small blue flickers of light. Then, with a smile on her face, Rebecca explained, "My Blessing was [Sewing], a Skill that most can learn rather easily but...when applied creatively, anything is possible~."

After she finished speaking, Rebecca twitched her fingers, surprising all of the orphans as she forced Linneaus to take a step forward. As for the boy in question, he was completely paralyzed and, if you looked closely, there were blue lines binding his arms to his sides as nearly invisible strings caused him to move forward at Rebecca's behest. It was an admittedly terrifying experience, at least until she began to gently pat his head, allowing the strings of Soul Power to dissipate as if they had never existed in the first place.

To give the boy one last push, Rebecca looked directly into his eyes, her smile causing the wrinkles of her face to increase exponentially as she said, "I once knew a man who was able to form his barriers into weapons. He could change their shape freely, becoming one of the most versatile fighters I ever had the privilege of Partying with..." Since she didn't want to set him down the same path as another person, this was the limit to what Rebecca was willing to say as, ultimately, the form and function of a Blessing depended on the individual.

Hearing Rebecca's words, Linneaus' eyes began to blaze as he hadn't even thought about using the barriers offensively. He felt the Skill was only useful for defense but, with her hint, he suddenly felt like his Blessing was far more powerful than he realized. At the same time, he kind of felt guilty as, without her advice, he would have fallen into a state of self-pity, believing his fate had already been determined.

With a confident nod, Linneaus met Rebecca's gaze before answering in a firm tone of voice, "I will not look down on my own Blessing. Thank you for your guidance..." Then, after looking toward his sister, Linneaus had a smile on his face as he said, "Please continue to take care of Gwen."

The moment she heard her brother's words, Gwen began to tear up and, without wasting any time, she jumped toward him with enough force to tackle him to the ground. Since he was now ten years old, it meant he could no longer stay in the orphanage. He needed to set out and find his place in the world, giving other children the opportunity to be cared for in his stead.

While Gwen was sobbing in his chest, Linneaus continued to lightly stroke her hair, doing his best to coax her by saying he would still visit often. He also promised to try and save up enough money for them both to live inside the megacity in the future, even if this was a near-impossible task. The best he could hope for was that Gwen's Blessing and potential far outstripped his own so that she could enter the megacity and avoid the terrible fate that awaited most females in the slums...

Though the celebration had taken place at midnight, the hours leading up to sunrise felt both long and short. Linneaus had eventually managed to calm his sister down enough for her to fall asleep, albeit only lightly as she would periodically wake up to confirm if he was still there. Then, when it was actually time for him to leave, she began crying once again, fearing that the moment he left the orphanage, she would never see him again.

Linneaus didn't know what to do with his sister in this state so he could only look toward Rebecca and Saht, the only two who had remained after the other orphans went to sleep. When the latter saw him look over, she gave a curt nod of understanding, even though he hadn't tried to communicate anything to her. Following this, Saht came over and wrested Gwen from his arms, an easy feat given her greater than average strength.

Gwen began to panic at the unexpected separation but, before she could begin thrashing around, Saht suddenly shouted in a harsh tone, "If you keep him here, your brother will die! Be strong or you will insult everything he has done for you!" As she shouted this, Saht continued to hold Gwen in a reverse bear hug, lifting her off the ground slightly so that she could only struggle by thrashing her legs.

Fortunately, her words seemed to have a big impact on Gwen as, instead of struggling, she bit her lower lip as tears continued to pour down her face. Linneaus did his best to put on a strong front for her, maintaining a calm smile, even though his heart was beating as if he had just sprinted more than a dozen kilometers.

While Saht continued to hold his sister, Linneaus extended his hand to remove a few pieces of stray hair, a smile still visible on his face as he promised, "I swear to you. I will not die. I will not disappear. Until you are able to live a safe and happy life, free from the darkness of the slums, I will continue to protect you...always and forever..." With that said, Linneaus gave his sister a kiss on the forehead, causing her tears to more than double in intensity as he turned to walk away.

Waiting near the door, Rebecca had two small pouches in her hands, one filled with enough small coppers for him to rent a room somewhere while the other was filled with rice. She handed them over to Linneaus before pulling him into a warm embrace as she whispered, "You are a good child, Linneaus. Do not let the darkness of this world taint your heart. I will look after your sister...now go, and may Akasha bless you..."

Though he was very grateful for the kind words, Linneaus almost wished that Rebecca hadn't given him anything as he now felt an overwhelmingly sour sensation in his nose. It was fortunate that he had his back to Gwen and Saht, leaving only Rebecca to see the tears pouring down his face as he gave a curt nod and exited the orphanage. He now had thirteen months to come up with a solution to protect his sister, assuming he could even survive the next couple of days...