The point of linker-thauma is to gather mobs and connect your attack with join penalty under the swell body buff, so when all mobs die the swell body buff will give you double drops.
As long as you can kill all swelled mobs (mob hp increase) under the duration of swell body buff then it’s OK. (But it’s hard and take time to kill swelled mobs one by one)
IMO it’s easier and faster with a linker.
Join penalty>Hangman’s Knot>Swell body> Kill