80 Grasp

Though Blacksweed was relatively common along the periphery of the Monster Ant Colony, that didn't mean it was easy to gather. Hidden beneath the surface of the palm-sized leaves, there were vicious thorns that would afflict a painful numbness if you managed to prick yourself.

To further complicate matters, Monster Ants communicated primarily through the use of pheromone trails but, when under duress, they emitted high-frequency shrieks that did a number on those with sensitive hearing. As a result, Emilia could be seen with a pouting expression, her ears laying flat as she cut through the reinforcements lured in by the shrieking Ants.

In total, it took more than two hours to collect the 25kg of Blacksweed required to complete their assessment. This was primarily due to Eliza being the only one proactively harvesting the herb as, while anyone could pick it, quality could only be guaranteed by those skilled in their handling.

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Eliza's LV51 [Mixing] wasn't just for show so, despite never having worked with Blacksweed before, she was able to skillfully harvest them using a small sickle and a piece of tanned leather. The reason it took so long was due to the fact she also had to properly wrap and store each herb as, if they just threw them into a bag, there was no way the Guild would accept them. Not every Blacksweed was to be put to immediate use so, depending on the circumstances, high-quality herbs could be in storage for several months before being processed into their powdered form.

Fortunately, Scouts and Workers relied purely on numbers to drive away enemies so, while Linnaeus, Emilia, and Krone were under a fair amount of pressure from the 1.5m long arthropods, it wasn't too much for them to handle. If they couldn't at least deal with these relatively weak ants, there was little chance they would be able to deal with the stronger variants as, from Soldiers onwards, many Ants were able to regurgitate pungent acidic bile that could cause crippling injuries and ruin weapons and armor.

With his [Barrier Aura] to protect them, Linnaeus' Party wouldn't have to worry too much about the acidic bile. However, this required them to always be aware of each other's positions as, if the battle brought them more than 50m apart, he would be unable to shield them. This could lead to all kinds of issues as, if you assumed you were protected, there was less of an inclination to dodge dangerous blows...

Though 50m seemed like a fair distance, it didn't amount to much when people could cover several hundred meters in a few seconds. During the chaos of battle, it was difficult to maintain a formation without a lot of practice and coordination as, more often than not, you were forced apart by enemy magic attacks.

While it wasn't all that likely, there was a non-negligible chance they would come across someone with a similar Blessing to Eliza's in the future. Though she was required to strike a pose in order to activate her Magic, the actual effects took place almost immediately thereafter. This wasn't the only example of 'instantaneous' Magic so, in preparation for the future, Linnaeus had everyone fan out while taking into consideration everyone else's position. It was an extremely frustrating process but, as this was something every Party needed to master, none of them openly complained about it...

Once Eliza had collected about 30kg of Blacksweed, just in case the quality of some didn't meet the Guild standards, Linnaeus used the Party Menu to issue a ping. This caused a chime to sound in all of their minds and, as a result, Emilia immediately pulled back while Krone, due to his transformation, only returned after dealing with the group of seven Scouts that had surrounded him.

Though his Blessing allowed him to become a walking tank, the severe reduction in mobility, even after forming alloys, was something the Party would need to work around in the future. It was for this reason that Linnaeus, during their formation training, set Krone as the central pivot for all of their movements. Since he was the least agile amongst them, he was the least likely to accidentally wander outside of everyone else's range. It also helped that he stuck out like a sore thumb due to his height and the fact that, more often than not, he glistened with a metallic sheen.

Once everyone had reformed, Linnaeus allowed Krone to set the pace while he and Emilia carried two large bundles of neatly folded herbs. As for Eliza, she followed closely behind, free from having to carry a load as she had been tasked with picking off the Ants trying to follow after them. Her use of the heavy crossbow had allowed her to reach LV4 [Archery] in just a few short hours, a testament to her keen eyesight and spatial awareness.

Linnaeus suspected that Eliza was driven to become a competent archer so that he wouldn't need to scout a new member of the Party but, as two archers were better than one, his opinion on the matter hadn't changed. His SP reserves had been fluctuating considerably throughout their battle against the relatively weak Scouts and Workers so, when they faced off against Soldiers and Majors, it would be better to have as many ranged options as possible.

Every Blessing had strengths and weaknesses and, through his use of [Barrier Master], Linnaeus had come to realize the least effective way to use his was in close quarters. Though it could easily catch people by surprise, those with considerable strength and speed could easily overwhelm him, taking large chunks out of his SP reserves with each blow.

Where his Blessing truly shined was against ranged attackers and magic-users as, by simply placing a weak barrier in the trajectory of their attack, it was easy to deflect or interrupt their spell. Most Magic spells 'erupted' on contact, giving them great area-of-effect damage, so even a paper-thin barrier, if skillfully used, could completely offset their damage potential.

While he would never abandon the skillset he had already accumulated, Linnaeus was beginning to realize his true specialties were support and control. He needed to get to the point where he could use his Blessing freely, erecting barriers to protect his allies while viewing the entire battlefield from a central point. To this end, he would need to master some form of ranged weaponry. If he played his cards right, it was even possible to reach a point where he could protect his allies and defeat his enemies from a distance, all without ever revealing himself.

Though it was a relatively rare classification for anyone without a Blessing related to archery, there was a Class commonly referred to as the Sniper. These people were usually hunters outside of the Tower and, after spending years concealing their presence in order to hunt dangerous game, they had become specialists that fit the positions of Scout, Archer, and Assassin.

Previously, Linnaeus had made good use of his small frame, enhanced mobility, and quick reflexes to excel at using daggers in both hands. This was extremely useful against humanoid opponents but, as the size and strength of monsters continued to increase, short-bladed weapons became less and less effective. He could cover for this by mastering the spear but, as this required considerable balance and finesse, it would take years for him to reach an adequate level in its use.

Though he didn't intend to abandon learning the spear from Emilia, Linnaeus knew he wasn't the type that liked to fight enemies up close and personal. He was the type that did everything in his power to create gaps in their mentality, exploiting momentary weaknesses to kill in the quickest and most effective manner. He hadn't gotten his [Assassination] to LV40 by accident so, in order to make use of the Skill to its fullest, he needed a way to silently strike his enemies from a distance.

Heavy crossbows were too loud and their recoil, though he would never admit it, caused him a fair amount of pain. The fact he had to use his [Barrier Aura] just to prevent his shoulder from bruising wasn't pleasant so, while it was still a viable option, he would need to purchase the highly expensive long-range version which, fortunately, made use of a small kickstand that could even penetrate hard stone.

His only other options, besides training his [Throwing] Skill, were learning how to use a bow or one of the much smaller single-handed crossbows. The latter had very high penetration within a few meters but, once you moved beyond its effective range, the damage output and accuracy fell off drastically. As for standard bows, they had much greater range but, due to the nature of arrows, affected by drag, wind speed, and other factors, it took considerable skill to hit anything beyond a few tens of meters. He also lacked the Strength to draw the more powerful bows so, while it was the most economical choice, Linnaeus knew there was only one real option among the three.

Once they returned to the settlement and registered with the Guild, Linnaeus decided he would find a set of one-handed crossbows to supplement his current loadout. Though neither he nor Eliza could replace someone with a Blessing related to archery, it could potentially increase their earnings by a considerable amount if he became proficient in hitting the nucleus located at the back of a Monster Ant's cranial plating.

Like all monsters within the Crucible of Souls, Monster Ants turned into ash upon being killed so, if you were able to kill them in an instant, it was possible to prevent them from swarming you. As they were resistant to most physical and magical attacks, however, it required precision strikes to deal a lethal blow to them. This left crippling them as the only viable method as, unless you had enough raw power to simply crush their heads, like Krone, their numbers could become a very serious issue to inexperienced Parties.

Linnaeus had learned a lot of the two hours they had been fighting so, once they returned to the Inn, he had a lot of things he wanted to discuss with everyone. This had become a routine for them after every major battle and, as they only had thirteen days to accumulate achievements, cooperation and coordination would be their keys to success. He was even willing to spend all of his remaining Soul Kindling to purchase equipment and supplies, knowing they could easily recoup the losses in under three days if they put in an earnest effort.

One of the things Linnaeus had learned about being a Party Leader thus far was that his motivation and behavior greatly affected everyone. If he was cautious and reserved all the time, they would lose confidence in his decisions, just like in the Southern Forest. Inversely, if he showed a willingness to do whatever it took for the entire Party's success, they would act in kind. After all, nobody wanted to be the one behaving frugally when everyone else was spending in support of the Party.

Linnaeus' acts of obtaining a spear for Krone, acquiring a heavy crossbow for Eliza, and procuring various foodstuffs for Emilia were all 'seeds' he had planted in the hopes of reaping greater returns, not simply for himself, but the entire Party. It also helped to reduce the feeling of distance between them as, by showing his attentiveness and willingness to invest in each member of the Party, he was hoping to build a strong foundation for future unity.

Though his life in the Slums had proven that there were no lengths people wouldn't go to in order to take advantage of others, Linnaeus wanted to believe that, if he put in an earnest effort, those closest to him would reciprocate. If he couldn't achieve this, leaving the Crucible of Souls was nothing more than a pipe dream so, in order to return to the Tower and reunite with his sister and Saht, Linnaeus, for one of the few times in his life, chose to proactively compromise his personal gains for the benefit of others...