As promised, Linneaus shared his stories with the children of the orphanage and, though he could not stay longer than a single evening, he still enjoyed reuniting with his fellow orphans. Since he had saved up quite a bit of money on his journey, he even treated them to a feast, earning the gratitude of the newer orphans as well.

By the time morning had come, Linneaus felt like a heavy weight had been removed from his heart as Rebecca, Gwen, and Saht escorted him outside. The latter's physical appearance hadn't changed much since the last time he saw her, making her seem shorter than he remembered. Despite this, she was strong enough to nearly defeat him in an arm-wrestling match, stunning Linneaus and the other children when she revealed her 17 Strength.

What had surprised Linneaus the most, however, was that Saht wasn't acting as cold and distant as he remembered. By the time he had finished talking about his journey, she was seated next to him, asking various questions and even challenging him to contests of physical strength. Since it helped put things in perspective for the children, Rebecca allowed them to do some light sparring, resulting in Saht being tossed to the ground a few times before she ultimately gave up and started lingering around him.

Linneaus was familiar with the Ba'haat race from the lessons Rebecca had given them in the past, so he had a basic understanding of what was going through her mind. It wasn't just him either, as Gwen kept teasing them both throughout the long night. Though this didn't seem to bother Saht at all, as her expression rarely changed, Linneaus was only able to calm down after leaving some money with Rebecca and departing the orphanage.

After moving to a relatively isolated area upstream, Linneaus washed his face off as he began to consider what it would take to protect not just Gwen, but all the children of the orphanage. The way Saht was behaving made him feel pressure for a variety of reasons, primarily as a result of his lack of strength.

Though he was much stronger now than a year ago, Linneaus had nearly lost his life after trying to move closer to the megacity's walls. The sobering part of this was the fact his attackers were just normal Enforcers from a medium-sized gang. He hadn't even experienced how powerful those in a large gang were. Since they were rumored to have connections inside of the megacity, it didn't take much in the way of imagination to know they had to be much stronger.

Saht had said she wanted to join him when she received her Blessing as, according to her, she had no other kin besides Gwen, Rebecca, and himself. As the Ba'haat were very selective in the people they placed their trust in, it meant a lot to know she saw him in such a light.

Because of this revelation, Linneaus couldn't help but feel a similar kinship towards the young pink-haired girl. The problem was, he wasn't even certain he could protect Gwen who, far more so than himself, had begun to blossom into a delicate flower. When she was finally required to leave the orphanage, there would be no end to the number of people trying to claim her for themselves. If he wasn't strong enough, the only fate that awaited both of them was death, something Gwen herself was fully prepared for...

Releasing a tired sigh, Linneaus looked towards the infinitely vast sky above, the sounds of running water and pedestrian traffic creating a never-ending cacophony in his chaotic mind. In the end, it felt like the only thing he could rely on was fate, hoping that Gwen and Saht would both be able to enter the megacity when they came of age. He simply didn't have enough time to grow strong enough to protect them as, if he dropped his guard for too long, he might not even be able to protect himself.

As if to drive this point across, a flicker of light appeared in the periphery of Linneaus' vision, causing his eyes to sharpen in an instant as he rolled backward. Faster than his eyes could follow, a silver bolt passed where his head had been previously before, less than a second after the first, another struck against his abdomen.

Seeing a blue ripple spread across Linneaus' body, the assailant immediately disappeared into the complex maze of alleyways, moving like a phantom to escape any potential counterattack.

Knowing the futility in giving chase to a cloaked figure, as they could just place the garment into their Inventory to blend in with the crowd, Linneaus just looted the two metal bolts before heading south until he was outside the Greyhounds' territory. He couldn't just linger in the area while waiting for his sister to come of age as, the longer he stayed in one place, the more danger they were all in. There was even a chance the Greyhounds would mobilize in full force to eliminate him, something he would rather avoid since their leader should be around Level 20.

Thus, while paying close attention to the passage of time, Linneaus began wandering through his old skulking grounds. He was determined to grow even stronger in the seventeen days leading up to his sister's birthday, even if this was nowhere near enough time to increase his strength to the point of being able to protect them both...

---

In the blink of an eye, Linneaus had increased his kill count to a total of 333, a uniquely auspicious number, though he wasn't sure why. For some reason, it felt more meaningful than it actually was but, rather than focus on that, he was more concerned about what Blessing his sister would receive. Fortunately, Rebecca had once again allowed him to stay the night, the result of her trust in him and the fact he brought an entire sack full of apples for the children to partake of.

This turning the evening into an even more festive event than normal, even though Linneaus felt like his brain was buzzing due to anxiety. Not only was he worried about his sister's Blessing but, in the short few weeks he had been away, Saht seemed to have grown more affectionate of him.

While everyone awaited the sound of the clock striking midnight, Linneaus was fettered to his spot by the small figure sitting in his lap, treating him like the most comfortable piece of furniture in the entire orphanage. He also had to deal with the embarrassment and teasing of the other children on his own as, regardless of what was said, Saht continued to occupy his lap, completely unflustered.

Eventually, despite the fact time seemed to have slowed to a crawl, midnight finally came, bringing with it a tense atmosphere as Linneaus watched with unblinking eyes at the pillar of light formed by his sister's Blessing. It was actually substantially large than his own, reaching between ten and fifteen meters, earning an approving nod from Rebecca.

Seeing this, Linneaus felt as if the tension of his body drained away and, with Saht still seated in his lap, he couldn't help but hug the girl weakly as he rested his head atop her's. She didn't seem to mind this at all, adopting a rare smile on her face while patting the top of his head with her hand.

After the light faded away, Gwen was in a stupor for several seconds until Rebecca began to chuckle after saying, "Child, tell us what Blessing you received. I'm certain everyone wants to know."

As if broken from a hypnotic spell, Gwen nodded her head before opening her Status and freezing once again. This could be a good or a bad sign but, with her potential being so high, it shouldn't matter what Blessing she got. At least, this was the thought process Linneaus had before Gwen managed to stammer out the words, "I...I...I got the H-H-Healer Blessing...!"

Following Gwen's announcement, absolute silence permeated throughout the entire orphanage until Rebecca loudly clapped her hands and said, "Children, it is time for bed. Please return to your rooms and stay there until morning."

Once all of the other children were ushered away, Saht included, Rebecca quickly came to Gwen's side, saying, "Show me."

Though it was impossible to view another person's Status without [Observe] and [Analyze], two of the most highly sought after Blessing, there was an exception if the other party willingly showed it to you. This was very rarely ever performed, as a person's Status was their most closely guarded secret, but Gwen obediently listened to Rebecca due to her stern tone.

After confirming that Gwen did indeed have the [Healer] Blessing, Rebecca immediately pulled out a small stone tablet. It had the appearance of a piece of green jade and, at a glance, it was easy to see that it must have been very expensive. Despite this, Rebecca immediately shattered it into pieces before placing her hand on Gwen's shoulder, calming the panicking girl by saying in a soft tone, "It seems Akasha has truly blessed you, my child. In the future, please remember the pass on just a bit of your fortunes to other people..."

Gwen was still struggling to accept the reality of her situation but, hearing Rebecca's words, she gave a sincere nod before looking worriedly toward Linneaus. Before she could ask, Linneaus preempted Rebecca by smiling as he said, "Do not worry about me, Gwen. One day, I will enter the megacity and we will meet again. The only thing that has ever mattered to me is your safety and happiness. Please, for me, be happy..."

For the remainder of their short time together, Linneaus hugged his sister tightly until, a mere twenty minutes later, a middle-aged woman in a white robe appeared at the orphanage's entrance. Outside, a large group of individuals wearing ornate armor were present, all to escort the woman and Gwen. As awe-inspiring a sight as they were to behold, the most startling fact was, for the first time in his life, Linneaus couldn't hear a single sound from his surroundings, almost as if the slums themselves were hiding away...

After a few more minutes had passed, during which time Rebecca received a hefty reward and a new jade tablet, Linneaus could only watch as his sister was escorted away by one of the most powerful forces in all of Lumen, the Paladins. They were the protectors of the single most important group of people in the entire planar world, those with the potential to be Healers, Priests, and Priestesses. Not only was this one of the rarest Blessing but, at high enough mastery, it was rumored that a trained Healer could even resurrect the dead.

Throughout all of Lumen, there was a holy-trinity of Blessings, each representing the pinnacle of offensive, defensive, and utility Skills. These were the [Limit Breaker], [Aegis], and [Healer] Blessings respectively, meaning Gwen had immediately been elevated to the pinnacle of their society in less than an hour. Within the megacity, it wouldn't be long until she became recognized as a Saintess and, even though she didn't have any accomplishments to speak of, rumors of the miracles she had performed in the Slums would quickly propagate to guarantee her the Title.

Of course, as all of this was happening, Linneaus would not just sit idle as, fully intending to keep his promise, he set about increasing his strength and building up his reputation once again. Though it was clear that his and his sister's paths were fundamentally different, as he seemed fated to walk in the darkness, that didn't mean they couldn't run parallel to each other. If only to ascertain whether or not she was living a safe and happy lifestyle, Linneaus was determined to enter the megacity and, even if it was for just a single moment, he would reunite with his sister.

Thus, as the rumors of the slum-born Saintess began to spread, so too did a second rumor, this one far more sinister. It was said that a Golden-Eyed Demon had been born, almost as if to contrast the light produced by the Saintess. Then, a few months later, this Golden-Eyed Demon was rumored to have teamed up with another powerful figure, known to those unfortunate enough to encounter them as the Blood-Red Berserker. Together, they began to terrorize the people living in the area rumored to be the Saintess' origin. Then, slowly but surely, amidst a mountain of corpses and blood-red rivers, the duo began to move toward the tall walls protecting the megacity...