To save time on their return to the den, Linnaeus and Emilia had come up with a system to circle the perimeter in opposites directions. They will still have to complete a full circle and, by looking for the subtle signs each left behind, their tracking and attention to detail were steadily trained.

Once they had regrouped together with Eliza and Krone, the entire Party returned back to the den to prepare food and discuss their plans.

Needless to say, Krone was still in a bit of a dour mood but, once he started cooking, his mood gradually improved. He seemed to genuinely enjoy cooking and, as this was the only time he really interacted with the other members of the Party, his rough exterior would crack slightly.

This was largely due to the fact that Emilia was learning to cook from him and, with her Skill already being Level 51, she was a very quick understudy. As for why she helped out, this was to be expected since she ate more than the three of them combined...

With Krone's knowledge and experience, combined with Emilia's skill, the food they had been eating recently was better than anything Linnaeus had ever eaten. He was actually enjoying their little Party a lot more than he originally expected and, though it was very rare, a genuine smile would creep its way onto his face every now and then.

The only one who ever really noticed this was Eliza but, as she had slowly been learning how to not startle him, she had the wherewithal not to point it out. Rather, as the days passed, Linnaeus almost felt like she was training him to be more social and confident around other people...

---

Their bellies filled and the light of the den diminishing, Linnaeus, Eliza, Emilia, and Krone gathered in the largest chamber to discuss whether or not they wanted to leave after everyone killed a Territorial King.

None of them were really worried about the success of Eliza, as her [Crush] Magic was just unfair in most situations, so Linnaeus had turned to Krone, asking, "How confident are you in defeating one of the Kings...?"

A week ago, Krone wouldn't have been able to answer confidently but, after seeing Linnaeus and Emilia, both around ten Levels lower than him, he had a stern expression as he stated, "I will win. If I can't even do this much, I will not be able to raise my head in the Party."

Seeing the conviction in Krone's gaze, Linnaeus gave an understanding nod, saying, "I'm confident you will be able to emerge victoriously, even without my Blessing. With it, I can't imagine too many monsters on this Floor being able to get an advantage against you."

Though he crossed his arms after hearing what Linnaeus said, Krone didn't refute his words. He had learned over the last week that the compatibility between their Blessings was high. Linnaeus' [Barrier Aura] made it a lot easier to activate his own Blessing and, even when he became immaterial, it was still able to protect him somehow.

Eliza never liked the way Krone behaved around Linnaeus but, as the latter had asked her to stop pressuring the grey-skinned man, she just gave him a pointed stare before averting her eyes in the next moment. As for Emilia, she was leaning against the wall with a tired expression on her face, her hand resting on her belly after a very large meal...

Linnaeus observed the reactions of everyone in the room, his usual calm forming a mask that made it difficult for his thoughts to be seen through. He was doing his best to understand the character of every member of his Party so that he could establish a proper baseline for each of them. This would allow him to quickly realize if they were plotting something as, unless a significant event occurred to change their behavioral pattern, people were creatures of habit.

After a momentary silence, Linnaeus said, "I think it would be for the best if we finish hunting before noon tomorrow. Though it could be better to move up to the next Floor at dawn, we have no way of knowing what awaits us. It would give us more time to seek shelter but I feel we'll be more prepared to face potential threats after hunting a King. People are always a little slow when they first wake up in the morning...lacking the proper edge could cost us our lives..."

As usual, Eliza took it upon herself to support Linnaeus' decision, adding, "The longer we stay on each floor, the less momentum we will have for reaching higher floors. It will be a lot easier to leave if we've only spent a few months here. If we get too acclimated to life within the Crucible, it is only natural that our motivation to leave will diminish."

Using Eliza's words as a segue, Linnaeus nodded his head before explaining, "There is a chance that the rules will change in higher Floors but, for the time being, it is safe to assume we will not be able to increase our Levels. Unless the Crucible is designed to only allow those that are strong to return to the Tower, it must be possible for even low-leveled individuals to reach the top. Though the Tower has a lot of incongruous rules, I don't believe it will only reward those that were already strong prior to their deaths..."

Though he didn't often agree with what Linnaeus said outright, Krone issued a grunt that, over the last week, came to represent he was in agreement. After all, even amongst their own Party, there was a sixteen Level difference between their weakest and strongest member. If someone from the higher Floors ended up in the Crucible, they would be able to completely crush everyone else.

With even Krone in agreement, Linnaeus was tempted to smile but ultimately managed to keep his composure. Still, he used the opportunity provided to explain, "Our greatest strength will be how well our Party works together. We'll focus on information gathering and avoiding conflict until we are forced into a situation where we have no choice. If possible, we should consider expanding our Party into a Company in the future. That isn't really something we should focus on, however..."

Here, Emilia decided to add in her own input, saying, "If we find other members of the Vanargandr tribe, we should be able to safely recruit them. I can't speak for other races but my people have been able to coexist with the other tribes for thousands of years without any significant conflict. You still have a long way to go but you should be able to earn the respect of most Vanargandr Huntresses so long as you have the confidence to keep them in line~"

Hearing Emilia's remark, Eliza asked, "Oh? Does that mean you're finally learning to respect Lin? And here I thought you were going to continue being foolish until the very end..."

Rather than be offended, Emilia laughed off Eliza's words before saying, "It is just really weird for me to have a male in charge. I'm so used to them requiring protection and lowering their heads every time I make eye contact with them. I still don't understand why Lin is the one in charge but I can tell he is a good Party Leader based on his decision making. If he was a little stronger, I would be able to respect him more without it making my stomach feel fluttery and weird."

Eliza raised her brows in response to Emilia's words, asking, "Your entire existence revolves around that stomach of yours, doesn't it...?"

Smiling, Emilia happily pat her stomach a few times, boldly proclaiming, "Satisfying our hunger is the most important thing to ensuring we can live happy and healthy lives. Ever since I was just a pup, I've always trusted in my gut and it has never let me down! It tells me that Lin isn't bad but he still has a long way to go if he wants to be a real Leader. He currently feels like someone that still needs to be protected. If he were a Vanargandr, I might even make him one of my mates~"

Though she had a relatively neutral expression at first, Eliza deadpanned after hearing Emilia's final remark. She gave the smiling Vanargandr a hard stare, muttering in a dull tone, "If you try to lay your paws on Lin, don't blame me for being rude. He has people precious to him that he wants to protect. The last thing he needs is some senseless woman trying to influence him in a weird way...!"

Emilia's ears had lowered a bit after sensing the hostility in Eliza's tone but she didn't seem entirely deterred as she stated in a somewhat demure tone, "See, this is what I mean. If he was a real Party Leader, he wouldn't need others to speak for him. You are always protecting him, even though it is the duty of a good leader to protect everyone else..."

Here, Linnaeus decided it was time to step in before things got any further out of hand. He raised his hand to catch the girls' attention before calmly explaining, "There are more ways to protect people than simply relying on strength. Though it certainly helps, I believe that proper decision making is far more important than raw power. If you are clever and make the right decisions, it is possible to lead a small group to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. Still, I will never stop trying to become stronger so, if there is anything you think I could do to improve, please, let me know..."

With her ears now perked up once again, Emilia smiled radiantly as she exclaimed, "This is one of your better qualities. You are so eager to improve that it is hard to really fault you for anything. It is still a little weird to me though, as the leaders in our tribe are the type that have already worked to become strong. They rarely need other people to give them advice so I feel like you are a young pup that is still learning how to be a leader~"

Hearing Emilia's remark, Linnaeus shrugged his shoulders dismissively, reminding her, "Well, I am the youngest in the group. I'm certain that you would be able to give a lot of good advice to your past self if you were able to travel through time. I am not afraid to admit that I have a long way to go as a leader but, for the purpose of fulfilling my dreams and aspirations, I will never stop trying to better myself."

Feeling very proud of her 'little brother', Eliza had a happy smile on her face as she raised her chin slightly. As for Emilia, she bobbed her head a few times in an approving manner, saying, "You aren't wrong. If I could teach my past self, there is a lot I would want her to know. I will keep that in mind while we are in the same Party. In order to help you become a better Party Leader, I will do my best to try and give you good advice. I already know you will do the same if you think there is something I can improve on so I'm looking forward to seeing how far we can go~"

As it seemed like a good opportunity, Linnaeus did his best to adopt a smile as, in more ways than one, he was actually happy with how things had turned out. Eliza and Emilia were both sensible girls and, though the latter had a very unique way of thinking, she didn't completely resist new ideas. If you could word a concept into a way she could understand, it didn't take much effort to convince her to go along with your views...

With the light in the den steadily diminishing, Linnaeus decided it was about time for them all to turn in for the night. He gave his usual refusal to Eliza's offer to share the same room, something Emilia was seemingly okay with, before holing up in the smaller chamber that served as his and Krone's rest area. The girls naturally needed more space so he had elected to share a room with the brute after everyone had moved in together.

At first, Krone's presence made it very difficult to fall into even a light slumber but, over the course of a week, he had stopped giving off threatening vibes in the middle of the night. Tonight, he even rolled over, exposing his back to Linnaeus as if to emphasize that he no longer viewed the latter as a threat. This almost brought another smile to his face but, as there was always a chance that Krone was just trying to lure him into a false sense of security, Linnaeus sat in his usual spot with his back to the wall...