Though it was impossible to know who spread it first, there was a famous story that circulated both within the megacity and the slums surrounding it. This story spoke of a godly bird whose wingspan could even cover the sky. One day, it grew bored of the planar world below and, seeking something beyond the endless sky above, flew with only the sun as its guidance. The sun, feeling as though its pride had been offended, cast down blazing rays of light, consuming the arrogant bird for daring to venture too close.

The most curious thing about this story was, rather than a single tragic end, there were two different versions. One stated that the majestic bird, unrivaled in all the lands, was able to overcome the sun's flames and, rather than be burned alive, it used those same flames to refines its body. By sacrificing its flesh and overcoming death itself, it was reborn as a completely new existence, known through all of Lumen as the Legendary Phoenix. However, this was only one outcome as, in other instances of the story, the mighty bird met its end as a result of its curiosity, lack of preparation, and hubris.

Linnaeus never thought he would be able to empathize with such a powerful creature but, at this moment, he was suddenly reminded of the story. He felt like he had ventured too close to the sun before he was ready, despite having spent his entire life skulking in the shadows. As for the cause of his peculiar state of mind, it was due to the presence of a familiar figure who, currently, stared up at him with a predominately blank expression. Despite this, Linnaeus felt like he was a small animal who had just wandered into the den of a predator a thousand times its size, despite the fact she was little more than two-thirds his own...

The person Linnaeus was looking at, named Ryuuna Flaskbrand, was the same child-like girl he had witnessed slaughtering several people on the First Floor. She had been bold and brazen enough to rinse her body in the river without a care in the world, punishing any who dared interrupt her bath with death. Now, as she looked up at him with her pale-gold eyes, Linnaeus felt like he would be the next person on her long list of victims.

As if reading his mind, the expressionless girl seemed to blur as a cloud of dust expanded outward from where she had previously been standing. He couldn't even follow her movements with his eyes as she bounded between the walls and pipes like a rubber ball. What shocked him the most was, in one of the areas where she had kicked off, the seemingly indestructible pipes had a small footprint.

Unfortunately, Linnaeus didn't have time to marvel at this sight as he formed a barrier between him and his would-be attacker purely by instinct. At that same moment, time felt like it had been slowed to a halt as, less than a meter from his own face, separated only by a thin blue membrane, Linnaeus saw the little girl staring right back at him. Her forehead had contacted the barrier and, as if it gave no resistance whatsoever, he could see it fracturing like glass as she successfully completed her charge.

This was the downside to his [Barrier] as, if he didn't put enough SP into the cast, it could be broken by a significantly powerful attack. Linnaeus was fully aware of this so, hoping to just slow her down, he put a full 500 SP into a single cast. This didn't seem to matter at all to her, however, as the next moment was celebrated by a powerful force slamming into his chest, the result of the girl's forehead impacting his diaphragm.

Two things happened immediately following this sudden impact. The first was Linnaeus being sent flying backward several tens of meters before slamming into a series of pipes as he tumbled toward the ground below. At the same time, he saw his SP decreased by nearly 1700 points, meaning her single attack had burned through more than 2200 of his reserves. The resultant fall ate through the majority of the remainder and, by the time he landed against the ground, the blue light around his body was flickering pathetically as only 38 of his SP remained.

Despite taking no physical damage, Linnaeus couldn't see or think straight due to the overwhelming headache he was currently experiencing. This was one of the downsides to using a large amount of SP in a short period of time so, having burned through more than 98% of his reserves in a short few seconds, Linnaeus felt like a metal pipe had struck the back of his head. His ears were ringing as a terrifying darkness had already started to creep in from the edge of his vision.

Resisting the urge to pass out, Linnaeus climbed to his feet but, before he managed to get more than a few steps, a tiny figure blocked his path. He suddenly felt like his blood was on fire as, rather than go down without a fight, he burned the majority of his health and remaining SP as he extended his hand. Though he couldn't see it, this action caused the girl's brows to rise slightly as, against her expectations, she found her body surrounded by a barrier that restricted her movements.

Linnaeus had done his best to harder the [Barrier Aura] as much as possible, cutting off the girl's air and restricting her ability to move. He then fell to his knees as blood poured out from the orifices of his head due to the backlash of the overdraft. Then, as his vision turned to pinholes, Linnaeus began pulling out all of his food and supplies as he began to madly engorge himself, praying it would be enough to bring him out of the Critical Health status while he was unconscious.

Looking like a madman who had been starved for days, Linnaeus continued to devour food until he collapsed, hunching forward with a piece of unchewed meat hanging from his mouth. While this had been happening, the girl watched him with a deadpan expression on her face. Then, for the second time, she was surprised by the fact he had been able to keep the barrier active, even after having lost consciousness.

Since not being able to breathe was annoying, the girl began to strain her body and, like an ice sculpture breaking under pressure, the barrier around her body fragmented into pieces. When she was freed, the first thing she did was to take a deep breath of fresh air before looking down at the boy who had desperately clung to life. She wondered how someone with such a strong drive to live could be so weak but, as his body had been somewhat illusory earlier, she rationalized that he must be a prospective Thief.

Though the [Barrier Master] Blessing wasn't particularly rare, it was a very useful support ability that provided quite a number of benefits. It was more than a little odd for a Thief to have such a skill but, considering how he had been able to survive one of her blows, plus the subsequent fall, it was clear he had mastered it to a commendable degree. The most impressive part, however, was his use of the Blessing to restrict her movements and, despite being on the verge of collapse, his almost instinctual drive to survive.

Out of curiosity, the girl lifted her foot as if she were going to crush Linnaeus' head. Instead, she only brought it to rest probingly against the back of his head. When a thin blue membrane prevented her from contacting him directly, she blinked in surprise for the third time. His tenacity reminded her of the bugs she used to squash when she was younger. Some of them, despite being stepped on over and over again, continued to struggle desperately for their lives.

While thinking this, the girl began to put more strength into her foot as a smile began to creep its way onto her face. The entire reason she had stayed on the Second Floor for so long was due to the fact she wanted to eliminate as much of the competition as possible. Even if it might be necessary for her to team up with others in later Floors, she enjoyed crushing the hopes and dreams of those who sought to compete against her. This was especially true if her opponent belonged to one of the Eight Heavenly Families as, for the past seventeen years of her life, she had been forced to serve as little more than a slave to their whims.

It was because of this that, despite her desire to feel Linnaeus' blood and brains against the bottom of her foot, she ultimately decided not to squash him. Rather than a threat, he was closer to the bugs she had taken her frustrations out on as a child. Even this, however, made him infinitely better than the egotistical wastrels that had suppressed her prior to entering the Tower. She could use him as a lackey and a cook as, much like others of Dwelven heritage, her skills lay more in crafting than the culinary arts.

Looking around Linnaeus' body, the girl could see various foodstuffs, fruits, and herbs. This showed he was both resourceful and had relatively decent survival skills. Considering he had been the last to leave the First Floor, he also had a cautious nature. Though it could be misconstrued that he was a coward who feared conflict, his eyes showed absolutely no hesitation as he tried to counterattack. It wasn't the look of someone who had never killed but rather someone who only killed when it was required.

After deciding to give the boy a chance at life, the Dwelven girl sat down on his back and began to eat some of the food that surrounded his body. She would have him reveal his Status to her and, if the numbers weren't too pathetic, she would spare him. At the very least, she could use him as a punching bag one last time before moving on to the next Floor. She was a little curious to see how he would fight for his life the second time around as, even after slaughtering nearly sixty other Fledglings, very few had managed to surprise her, much less three times. If he could surprise her a few more times before his death, she would try to commit his name to heart, at least for a few days.

While thinking about the boy's identity, the girl hopped off his back before kicking Linnaeus over to his side. Then, squatting down close to his face, she tilted her head sideways before falling silent for a few seconds. She had seen him up-close before but, now that she got a good look at him, the girl was, once again, surprised.

Though she had never touted her looks over others, she had the distinct impression the boy lying next to her, despite having his face covered in blood, was more attractive than her. He couldn't be described as handsome, especially with his frail and lithe figure, so the only words she could think of to describe him were delicate and beautiful. This made him seem even frailer than before and, rather than a bug, she suddenly felt he was closer to a winter rose, something to be admired, not crushed.

For a brief moment, the Dwelven girl began to imagine dressing up Linnaeus in various outfits, most of which were only intended for females and a few individuals with unique tastes. She felt he would look cute in a Maid outfit or a pale-blue dress with white frills. At the same time, she imagined him glaring back at her, golden eyes burning with the will to live, despite being akin to a small animal in front of her. This image caused a smile to spread across her face and, while Linnaeus continued to wander in the abyss of unconsciousness, she began to pat his head while musing, "I hope I don't have to kill you~."