Due to the fact they showed up around noon, it would be some time before the girl with the water Blessing returned to her abode. She wasn't very proficient when it came to hunting and, due to the ongoing territorial dispute between local Kings, the majority of suitable monsters had migrated to less tumultuous regions.

Since it would probably scare her away if they just idled around the girl's encampment, Linnaeus guided the group to a region where they could lay low while waiting for her return.

Once everyone had settled in, Linnaeus pulled out a bundle of twigs that he had harvested recently. Eliza had taught him how to make cord and rope using plant fibers so, with nothing better to do, he decided to add to his ever-growing stockpile of supplies.

Krone wasn't the most sociable person so, after seeing Linnaeus busy himself, he decided to pull out some of his own tools to perform routine maintenance. Though he used his body as a weapon for combat, he had developed a few tools to make his life a little easier. This included a pick made from the curved horn of an Axtola and a bone hatchet produced from the shoulder blade of a monster that Linnaeus couldn't identify.

Seeing her two companions at work, Eliza didn't want to be the odd one out so she pulled out a simple pestle and mortar to grind down some medicinal herbs. This had been her primary interest outside of the Tower so she could easily produce a few simple medicinal pastes. If she had the proper instruments, she could even create various potions, some of which could even regrow lost limbs in a very short period of time.

Despite being much weaker than Eliza, Linnaeus took it upon himself to be the one to hunt for most of their food. He also gathered the majority of their supplies as, with how much noise even walking produced, it was less efficient for them to go together. The only time they hunted together was to improve their teamwork and cooperation, something that was relatively easy considering the versatility of her Blessing.

During the moments when Linnaeus went out by himself, he would gather up anything that seemed remotely useful as, over the course of her lifetime, Eliza had committed thousands of different plants and other materials to memory. Even if he brought back something she didn't understand, it didn't take long for her to discover its properties.

It was at times like this where [Iron Stomach] showed its true prowess and, while it seemed extremely dangerous, most people that grew up in the megacity had trained the Skill during their primary education. As for Linnaeus, he didn't have the skill at all as it typically required you to ingest a few potent poisons before awakening. This was also how the [Abnormal Status Resistance] was learned, meaning he was at a distinct disadvantage when it came to poisoning and other ailments.

Fortunately, Linnaeus had a few innate abilities that had escaped his notice before entering into the Tower. Though his Hume side didn't really provide him too many boons, his Manalyte blood allowed him to perceive the flow of Spiritual Energy better than most. It was because of this reason that most Manalytes born inside the megacity became proficient Mages or Artificers, two things Linnaeus had never even considered while struggling int he slums.

Linnaeus didn't know how to identify each kind of plant but, with his extrasensory abilities, he was able to feel whether or not something should be useful. This had come as a surprise to Eliza as, even with the ability to view his Status at her leisure, she had never put a lot of thought into his race.

While some tribes hated each other to the core, most people didn't discriminate due to the existence of Blessings. There were rumored to be more than 1500 different tribes and, while you may have an advantage against one, you might be at a distinct disadvantage against another tribe. Weaker tribes often bred with those much stronger than themselves and, though there were some restrictions, a few powerful hybrid races had come into existence over the years.

What surprised Eliza wasn't the fact that Linnaeus had a dual heritage but, with very few exceptions, everyone with Manalyte blood was female. They were one of the dozen or so races that were wholly female and, though they could interbreed with other races, the result was almost always a member of the Manalyte tribe, not a true hybrid.

When he heard Eliza's explanation, Linnaeus was also a little surprised but, as it really didn't matter all that much, he decided not to mind it. After all, it wasn't like he had any choice regarding his own race so, while it may be exceptionally rare, it ultimately had no bearing on their situation. Still, if he had the opportunity in the future, Linnaeus wanted a compendium of all the tribes so that he could make better decisions. After all, knowledge was one of the most intrinsic parts of power and, if you knew the strengths and weaknesses of everyone else, there were few enemies beyond your means to defeat.

---

After around four hours, the light in the sky began to dim and, with it, a distant rustling reached the ears of the trio. They had only moved a few tens of meters away from the small hovel so, while it was almost inaudible at first, it didn't take long for the sound of movement to reach them.

Deciding to take the initiative, Eliza hopped up to her feet and, after dusting off her backside, she looked toward Krone and said, "You should stay here. Lin and I will go and try to recruit our next Party member. Since you have a scary face and a cold demeanor, it is better to wait until we get an answer before she has to meet you."

Krone just shook his head without comment, earning him a pointed glare from Eliza as Linnaeus rose to his feet and added, "Eliza is right. Sorry, but you do have an intimidating appearance. For better or worse, mine is pretty disarming...the chances I'll scare someone off are pretty slim."

Hearing Linnaeus' words, Krone snorted through his nose while Eliza released a pleasant-sounding giggle before pulling the former along by his hand. She wanted to comment that, if he was wearing thicker clothes, it would be almost impossible to determine his gender but, as most men wouldn't want to hear such a thing, she ultimately resisted the urge to tease him.

As could be expected, Eliza made a lot of noise while walking through the forested area so, by the time they reached the small hovel, the girl they were intending to recruit had already exited. She had a long spear formed from some kind of bone in her hands which, curiously, had an orb of water near the base of the sharped point. It would move around with the spearhead and, though it was hard to imagine just what purpose it served, Linnaeus' imagination ran rampant with possibilities.

Despite how amicable Eliza and Linnaeus appeared at a glance, the woman didn't drop her weapon as, even outside of the Tower, appearances could be deceiving. It was possible for a petite woman like Ryuuna to obliterate boulders and overturn trees while, in some situations, even the burliest men could be overpowered by an opponent with greater physical attributes.

Stopping a respectable distance away from the girl, Eliza pulled Linnaeus to her front before giving him a supportive smile as she lightly pushed against his back. This caused him to take a few awkward steps forward and, due to the peculiarity of the situation, even the spear-wielding woman tilted her head to the side slightly, confused.

Linnaeus did his best to put on a smile while raising both of his hands in a placating gesture, palms forward and fingers wide. This actually caused the woman to grip her spear a little tighter but, rather than attack, she asked in a hesitant voice filled with the pretense of courage, "W-Who are you? Why have you come here...?"

In response to the woman's question, Linnaeus answered in as calm a tone as he could manage with a spear angled toward his neck, "My name is Linnaeus...my friends call me Lin. The one behind me is Eliza...my friend and companion. We also have another person waiting for us. His name is Krone. He has a pretty scary face so we had him stay back so you weren't spooked..."

Hearing that there was a third person, the woman began to breathe a little quicker but, as Linnaeus seemed to be forthright with her, part of her subconscious mind began to relax. If they had wanted to attack her, it wouldn't take much effort for three people to overwhelm a single person so, at the very least, she could assume they came with good intentions.

Even without being asked, the woman took it upon herself to say in a subdued tone, "My name is Emilia..." before following it up by, once again, asking, "Why are you here...?"

Understanding that the girl was beginning to drop her guard, Linnaeus slowly lowered his hands as he answered in the same calm tone as before, "We wanted to scout you for our Party. Our ultimate goal is to reach the top of the Crucible of Souls. For now, however, we're looking for people that can help us survive on each successive floor."

The moment Linnaeus mentioned scouting her for his Party, the woman released a tired sigh as she aimed the tip of her spear to the side. She didn't completely drop her guard but, as the two people before her seemed friendly enough, Emilia didn't want to antagonize them.

Without taking much time to consider her options, Emilia simply asked, "What kind of position do you want me to fill in your Party? My Level isn't that high and I don't like fighting..."

In response to the question and subsequent remark, Linnaeus kept his calm as he answered, "I would want you to stay in the back-line to support Eliza. Most of the fighting will be handled by myself and Krone. I can't promise that you won't have to fight but, in this world, you rarely have the opportunity to completely avoid conflict..."

Hearing that she wouldn't be forced to fight up front, Emilia didn't take any extra time to think as she answered, "I'll join you. I'm tired of living in this forest on my own...I feel like every day brings me closer and closer to death..."

Despite having numerous inhibitions, Emilia still wanted to join the duo's Party as she had become very lonely over the past month. The only other person she had met tried to attack her and, if not for the fortunate intervention of a large Bear Rabbit, she might not have had a choice in how she spent her second life. At the very least, Linnaeus and Eliza put on a pretense of being good people so, for the time being, she would rather entrust her fate to them than continue living alone.

Linnaeus and Eliza both saw through Emilia's intentions but, as the latter could empathize with her, she wasn't going to say anything. As for Linnaeus, he knew loneliness was a very painful thing for most people and, though he had grown accustomed to it, being apart from Saht for such a long period of time had weighed heavily on his heart and mind...

Without much of a delay, Linnaeus extended a Party invitation to Emilia who, after accepting the terms, removed the makeshift hood she had been wearing. This allowed Linnaeus to get his first full view of her features and, even without looking at her Status, he knew her Charisma had to be rather high.

Eliza promptly frowned when she saw Emilia with her hood off, despite having already determined she was a beauty just based on what little of her face and body was visible. She had rather delicate features, a common trait among those with water-oriented Blessings, while her hair cascaded down in silky blue locks. Though it was very apparent she hadn't been able to care for it properly, it still had a healthy luster while, at the very top of her head, two pointed ears with tufts of white hair on the inside stood perched proudly.

Even without looking at Emilia's Status, Eliza gave a small sigh of her own before muttering, "She is a Vanargandr of all things...haaaa..."