Going to sleep just after dark had the benefit of allowing you to get a full night's rest while still allowing you to wake before dawn. This was generally the best time for hunting as most of the nocturnal predators would be preparing to conclude their hunt and, feeling safe, animals would begin to emerge from their burrows to take advantage of the twilight hours.
As was often the case, Linnaeus was the first to awaken and, after he sensed movement from the girls' room, he knew Emilia had awoken a few minutes after him. Shortly after that, she poked her head inside their room and, finding him already awake, poked her tongue out before retreating to prepare for the day.
Linnaeus was slowly beginning to understand Emilia's nature so, while he was already a light sleeper, he needed to be extra diligent while she was around. She might not be directly challenging his place as Party Leader but it always felt like she was evaluating and observing his actions to form her own determinations...
Once everyone was finally awake, they escaped the relatively muggy and humid air from inside the den to enjoy the crisp, early morning, air.
The last to emerge was Eliza but she was a bit of a heavy sleeper due to taking longer than almost everyone else to actually fall asleep. This made it clear that she wasn't completely comfortable with the situation but that wasn't something that could be rushed.
With everyone gathered, Linnaeus broke the silence, explaining, \"From the information I've been able to gather, I believe the best option would be to head north. We'll pass through an area that is filled with a pack of wolf-like monsters. Fighting against them can improve our cooperation as a Party before we reach the territory across. Once we reach our destination, Krone will face off against the ape-like monster that rules the region further to the north...any questions?\"
As the most experienced when it came to hunting a variety of prey, Emilia didn't have a question but, rather, explained, \"Bipedal and ape-like monsters can be very dangerous. Some are even capable of using tools so we shouldn't underestimate them. They also have abnormally high Strength so-\"
Before she was able to finish, Krone grunted in annoyance before saying in a stern tone, \"I'll be fine. I am best against monsters that use brute force. Don't look down on my [Martial Arts] and [Grappling] Skills...\"
Emilia flared her nostrils a few times in response to Krone's statement but, before she could escalate matters, Linnaeus stepped in, explaining, \"I chose the ape specifically because I believe that Krone is capable of defeating it. He has the highest Strength parameter amongst us should be able to adapt the traits of the monster for his own use. If their power is something unique to their species, there shouldn't be any issues when it comes to absorbing their Strength for himself.\"
Krone nodded in affirmation, somewhat surprised by the thought Linnaeus had put into the proper use of his Blessing. This wasn't exactly something new but, over the last week, there hadn't been too many opportunities for him to make full use of it. After all, it wasn't exactly efficient to absorb the traits of weaker monsters as, the moment they died, he would lose the benefits. This meant it was a lot easier to just kill the monsters outright, saving both effort and SP...
With Linnaeus stating his case, Emilia didn't have much room to say anything and, with Eliza giving her a warning look, she ultimately decided to just see how things went. If it was just one monster, it most likely wouldn't be an issue as most of the points she had made pertained to fighting against groups of ape-like monsters.
---
After formulating a basic plan of action, Emilia was sent to scout ahead of the group while Linnaeus did his usual of teaching Eliza and Krone how to move through the forest silently. Until they had the ability to pass through the woods without alerting everyone in a 50m radius, the effective range of most Blessings around their Level, he would not stop insisting that they improve.
Fortunately for Eliza, as she really didn't care much for sneaking around, they heard a loud whistle that indicated Emilia had located an enemy. Since it was a two-tone whistle that increased in pitch towards the end, they knew she had encountered several enemies all at once.
Without delay, Linnaeus gave the order to close the distance between themselves and Emilia. He took the lead to make sure there were no traps while Eliza followed close behind with Krone taking up the rear. This was due to his Agility being the lowest and, while he was their Vanguard in active engagements, his duty during travel was protecting the rear to prevent Eliza from getting sneak attacked.
As they always stayed within a few hundred meters of each other, it took less than a minute for Linnaeus and co to reach the spot where Emilia was fighting. There, they found her skirting between a few trees, using her spear to prevent large wolves from attacking her. They were forced to try and go around the tree to get to her but she would always move to either keep it between them while never repeating the same pattern.
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At this point, there were already several corpses of large wolves on the ground and, while Emilia didn't really seem too troubled, there were still thirteen three-meter long wolves in the area. She would likely be able to defeat them without endangering herself too much but it was still much safer to call upon the Party.
Without wasting any time, Linnaeus pulled out his shortsword and dagger, taking a defensive stance to protect Eliza while Krone caught up and assumed his own position. At the same time, he recast his [Barrier Aura] on Emilia before creating a bean-size spherical barrier in the path of a leaping wolf. As it didn't have nearly as momentum as the Territorial King he had fought, the wolf was only slightly injured by the sudden obstacle as its small size also made accurate interception difficult.
Linnaeus knew he had a long way to go before he was proficient in using his barriers offensively but this didn't deter him in the slightest. Rather, his mind raced to think of ways to use his Blessing, all while he surveyed the battlefield and attempted to grasp the movement patterns of every single wolf.
While this was going on, Eliza and Emilia weren't exactly idle as, with the [Barrier Aura] protecting her, the latter had essentially become a tiger with wings. She no longer relied on obstacles to try and protect her body and instead began to fight with ever-increasing ferocity. This was her attempt to try and increase her Agility and combat sense through actual battle, one of the most useful qualities of Linnaeus' [Barrier Aura], at least in her opinion.
A stark contrast to Emilia, Eliza stayed relatively close to Linnaeus, her palms close together as she looked for the best opportunities to use her Blessing. When she found one, whatever unfortunate monster that happened to be in her sight was immediately turned into meat pulp, often without the opportunity to even cry out...
By the time Krone showed up, less than ten seconds behind the rest of the Party, there were already three more wolves killed. He didn't want to miss out on another battle, as they often ended in a very short period of time, so he unhesitantly charged towards the biggest wolf while releasing a loud war cry.
Though they were a little startled by the enraged man charging at them, the largest of the wolves and its two protectors bared their teeth as they adopted low pouncing stances. The moment he was in range, they immediately moved to attack him, the leader aiming for his throat while the other two moved to bite his right ankle and left wrist.
Rather than evade, Krone used his right arm to protect his neck while letting the smaller wolf bite his left wrist. Their teeth were both met by a seemingly frail blue membrane that completely nullified the effects of their fangs. At the same time, Krone had barreled into the wolf trying to bite his leg, his foot angled to try and crush its neck as he willingly allowed himself to tumble with the wolves.
Krone wasn't able to keep the leader of the pack pinned, as it quickly separated from him, but the two smaller wolves ended up getting brutalized by the grey-skinned man. He literally used nothing but his hands and feet to pummel them, each strike breaking bones and crushing organs. It was a rather intense sight to behold but, after fighting alongside Saht for a few years, Linnaeus only looked over to make sure he wasn't in danger before splitting his attention between Emilia and Eliza...
After only two minutes, the only surviving wolf was the one that spontaneously fled just after Krone crushed the pack leader's head by squeezing it with his bare hands. The others were much slower to react so the final kill count was in favor of Emilia, killing eight, while Eliza was close behind with six kills. As there were twenty wolves in total, four were taken out by Krone and, as they were afraid to attack two people standing close together, Linnaeus was only able to take out two.
Linnaeus was used to having the least number of kills but that didn't mean he wasn't bothered by it. He was determined to become much stronger in the future but, as his primary objective was to be a good Party Leader and leave the Crucible of Souls, there was time for him to improve. His battle with the Territorial King showed that he wasn't exactly weak so, by focusing on his strengths, he could still grow much stronger even without increasing his Level...
Once everyone had finished collecting the loot, Linnaeus said, \"We'll move a little slower from here onward. This was only a small group of the larger pack so there is a good chance the Territorial King of this area will lead an ambush against us. Emilia, stay within fifty meters as much as possible. You should be able to tell by the small flicker whenever your legs brush against the grass and twigs...\"
Emilia nodded her head in affirmation but, before setting out again, she explained, \"My nose isn't that far off from an actual wolf. Even though their bodies have disappeared, the smell of blood and pheromones still lingers on our bodies. Your [Barrier Aura] can block most of it but I agree that there will be an ambush once the enemy realizes what happened. Good call, Lin~\"
Linnaeus was slightly surprised to hear Emilia say supportive words as, in most situations, she would just go with the flow. It felt like she was slowly beginning to recognize him as an actual Party Leader, most likely due to the previous night's conversation. This emphasized the importance of proactively communicating with your allies so Linnaeus felt a small amount of vindication as he answered with an affirmative nod and a very slight smile.
With a much larger smile of her own, Emilia giggled for a brief moment before turning around and moving ahead of the group. This left Linnaeus staring at her retreating figure, at least until Eliza gave him a not-so-gentle nudge, saying, \"Don't gawk. Come on, we should get going.\"
Without waiting for his response, Eliza began to pull him along somewhat forcibly. This left Krone standing alone, his silver eye reflecting various complex emotions before he ultimately shook his head and began lightly jogging after the rest of the Party. He didn't envy the situation Linnaeus had found himself in but, after observing him over the last week, he had at least confirmed the boy was not using his [Charm] against the two girls...