Inkling Village was much larger than either of the hamlets Jisha had visited thus far; it took her almost 10 minutes of sprinting simply to reach the eastern border. The eastern gate appeared to be guarded more heavily than its western counterpart; this was because the eastern border was deemed more dangerous, if not the most dangerous, border of the Village. After all, this was the side that faced the center of the continent. Mobs, terrain, and other conditions would naturally be more dangerous on this side.
Exiting the Village was much simpler than entering it since Jisha already owned a "visa" that allowed simple passage through the gates. With another smile and wave at the border guards, she stepped foot into the frontier once more.
The wilderness between Villages and Towns was more arduous than the one between Hamlets and Villages; this was only natural. The serene, lush plains near Uval would never be the standard again. If one came across lush plains in the late game, it was either a massive blessing or a severe curse.
As Jisha ran through the forest, the density of trees began to thicken. And with the terrain increasing in difficulty, the number of mobs attacking her increased as well. Compared to facing less than one mob per minute out of Uval, the several mobs per minute around Inkling was definitely a change of pace. However, Jisha only needed several shots at most to dispatch each of the Common and Uncommon mobs in the area.
*>+7 Copper*
*>+14 Copper*
*>+8 Copper*
...
And this time, she wasn't conservative with her ammo. She'd stocked up on some cheap slingshot pellets; the Golden Slingshot's generous Attack Damage easily made up for the cheap pellets' mediocre quality.
Her experience bar steadily climbed.
95%...
96%...
97%...
98%...
99%...
*>System Message: Level up!*
*>Name: Fae Sol*
*>Class: Slingshotter*
*>Level: 7 -> 8 (+1)*
*>HP: 111 -> 113 (+2)*
*>MP: 111 -> 113 (+2)*
*>AD: 11 -> 11 (+0) + 50*
*>AP: 55 -> 56 (+1)*
*>AS: 1 - 0.5*
*>AR: 0*
*>MR: 0*
Every time Jisha saw this notification, her heart would flutter with excitement. In the future she was from, seeing this notification was a rarity. She wasn't used to seeing it happen so often.
*Gotta relish this feeling... It'll only get less common from here.*
In the end game, even leveling up once a week was a spectacular feat.
Jisha sighed when she contemplated this. The changes the world went through in the coming decade were so radical that this current existence seemed nearly unrecognizable.
*>+16 Copper*
*>+9 Copper*
*>+14 Copper*
...
Grinding low-level mobs was easier than breathing for Jisha, so she had ample time to contemplate her existence.
It was easy to forget things that happened in the past; reliving it in the moment was a completely difference experience than simply reminiscing.
The world didn't feel the same. The game didn't feel the same. Even her body was quite different. "Piloting" her current body felt restricting and awkward.
Why was she sent back in the first place? How was it possible? In the current era, or rather, 11 years later, it was common knowledge that time travel wasn't possible. After all, the simple act of traveling back in time could create paradoxes and impossible events. Even in the pre-Synergy era, it was a widely accepted theory.
The only way these paradoxes could be resolved was the worldline theory. It stated that traveling back in time and altering outcomes created a separate timeline that could not affect the original. In this way, paradoxes within the same world were prevented.
However, not long ago, or rather, around 10 years in the future, the worldline theory was debunked by top-level elemental explorers. Jisha didn't understand the details, but this was the nail in the coffin. It was hard proof that traveling to the past was not possible.
Yet Jisha was here. Unless this was still an extremely vivid dream or afterlife scenario, Jisha truly had been sent back to the past. This meant that one of the fundamentals she thought she knew about the world was either false or not completely explained.
The fact that spirits couldn't interact with high-level technology and the fact that time travel wasn't possible - these two statements couldn't coexist.
A paradox.
*I shouldn't be thinking about this stuff. I'm not a scientist. But what else can I do right now...*
*>System Message: Level up!*
*>Name: Fae Sol*
*>Class: Slingshotter*
*>Level: 8 -> 9 (+1)*
*>...*
*Let's go!*
Another system notification gave Jisha an endorphin rush. To her, leveling up was almost like a drug. It was an addicting feeling. Though she had utmost control over her body and mind as to not be swayed by worldly pleasures, leveling up was an exception.
She understood the dangers of these addictions; there would be many examples of those who succumbed to Synergy's newfound wonderlands. Yet no matter how hard she'd tried, the feeling of leveling up was as addicting as ever.
What if, one day, she was unable to control herself from this desire? The mere thought shook her to her core.
*These thoughts are the only excitement I have right now. Gotta keep them in check before I go insane. But there's nothing else to do! Hopefully I find some people or a dungeon or... literally anything!*
---
*>System message: Level up!*
*>Name: Stein*
*>Class: Neophyte Battle Magus*
*>Level: 6 -> 7 (+1)*
*>...*
According to his party window, it seemed like most of his crew was now around level 7. Asunder was making good progress raising their experience levels.
*What's the leaderboard looking like?*
*>Global Level Leaderboard:*
*>1. Daisy Chain - 8*
*>2. Cross King - 8*
*>3. Swarm - 8*
*>4. Rogue Bandit - 8*
*>5. Hutian Crest - 8*
*>...*
*Hmm... Not bad.*
They were only a level behind the leaders. This was nearly the best-case scenario, but Asunder wasn't going to stop grinding. Anything could happen in the early game - luck could easily boost one to the top of the ranks. However, if one put in steady, arduous effort, they could trail slightly behind even with bad luck.
"Keep looking around. There's bound to be an instance around here."
But luck wasn't something Stein was willing to bet on. As a beta player, he knew there was an instance dungeon in the area. As far as he could tell, the terrain near the players' spawn location was identical to the beta. He was going to use this knowledge to try to get even further ahead.
*>Arcadia Black: I've found it.*
*>Stein: Good! Decide among yourselves which three of you will be joining us in this dungeon. Max party size is 5 players. The rest of you can enter as a separate party.*
One of his underlings found the dungeon before he did; this was the way. Delegating menial tasks to less skilled individuals was the optimal form of yielding output from an organization.
Once three more members of Asunder were gathered, the five of them got a clearer view of the dungeon entrance. Even from this distance, its splendor visibly contrasted its surroundings.
When one thought of a "dungeon", they would most likely assume it was an enclosed space. However, this was not the case for many beginner-level dungeons in Synergy. Though it resembled an instance dungeon similar to other MMORPGs, the entrance of this "dungeon" was merely a wooden gate with particles of white light emanating from its passage.
Due to its size - as it was easily at least 10 metron wide and even taller than that - and its grandeur, it was simple to spot it even from a large distance. As far as Stein knew, these dungeon entrances were indestructible, so players wouldn't be able to sabotage others' chances of reaping its rewards.
"Alright, is everyone ready?"
Once Stein confirmed his crew was ready to venture inside, he turned towards the entrance. But to his surprise, a rippling animation appeared in the gate's passage; this was an indicator that another party was exiting the dungeon.
*So someone got here before us, huh?*
*>Stein: Everyone, move in. Remain on standby!*
One message to the group signaled a clear command. Prepare to engage!
Stein knew that killing many players in the frontier resulted in a karma realignment to "evil", but the exact number was unknown. It was safe to say that engaging in combat with 5 players would have no adverse consequences.
The group closed in on the gate with bated breath.
A second later, a player emerged from the gate.
*He's stepping out by himself? That's...*
In addition to the dungeon entry points being indestructible, it was also impossible to camp outside the gate and ambush the players leaving it. After completing a dungeon, the system would most often teleport the dungeoneers to a safe location in the vicinity of its entrance.
This meant that the players leaving the gate were fully prepared to deal with the so-called "ambush" waiting for them outside.
However, only one player emerged from the gate. This was highly unusual. If one were a beta player, they would know that leaving a dungeon through its main entrance alone was essentially suicide; there was a high likelihood of other players lying in wait outside. Because of this, many parties would vigorously appear from main entrance as a team fully prepared for battle.
One player leaving the gate in a leisurely manner suggested his lack of knowledge of this tactic.
*Is he not a beta player? That's impossible. There's no other way he'd make it to this dungeon before us. And... level 8? That's an even faster leveling progression than us! Maybe some unforeseen circumstance kicked him out?*
Whatever the reason was, this battle was heavily skewed in Asunder's favor.
*>Stein: Ranged units, engage!*
As they hadn't approached melee range yet, only the ranged players were allowed to attack.
A flurry of projectiles poured forth, and all of them were aimed at the lone player.
And these weren't paltry offensive efforts, either.
Everyone in Stein's group was twice-evolved. There were six possible classes to choose from at level 5, and Stein's group had at least one of each.
Slingshot pellets, throwing pellets, and basic element-less magic attacks assaulted the lone player.
Stein's group wasn't stupid. The culmination of these attacks could easily slaughter a single player with no movement options. The projectiles covered all spaces nearby. No matter how this player moved, he would be killed.
*... Thought so.*
But it was clear that the lone player wasn't stupid, either. Somewhere along the way, he must have acquired a powerful defensive item. A protective energy radiated from him, and all attacks were nullified. No one was surprised by this outcome. Asunder prepared to launch another round of attacks, but...
"Wait! I have a proposal for you!"
*>Stein: ... Halt the offense.*
"As you can see, I just used a powerful item to block your attacks. It's on cooldown now, so I really will die if you attack me again! Please hear me out!"
*Is this guy crazy?*
It was an inane risk. At this point, it was clear that this player had no immediate way to counterattack. Judging by his getup, this player appeared to be of the Fracasier class: a melee class that excelled in quick but relatively weaker attacks.
It was also possible that he was buying time, but Stein, who was flummoxed at this development, decided to humor the lone player.
Stein stepped forward to distinguish himself as the leader.
"So? Don't waste our time."
He wasn't being unreasonable with this statement; this subsection of Asunder existed to level up as quickly as possible. Stein wasn't bluffing; he really would kill this guy if he took too long.
"Okay, okay. I promise I'm not buying time for allies to come. I swear on the Goddess."
"..."
"Ugh. You probably don't believe me... Anyway, the proposal is simple. Did you hear of what happened in the Uval Hamlet only a couple of minutes after the game's launch?"
*>Arcadia Black: Hahaha! This is interesting.*
"... Elaborate."
Of course, Stein likely knew what this player was referring to. But he wanted to be 100% sure.
"There is a 'War Zone' in the starter hamlet of Uval, and it immediately became a PvP hotspot. Seven players, likely skilled at VMA and/or martial arts in real life, were trampling everyone. A few large groups attempted to take them down, but they prevailed."
"Hmm."
"No one was brave enough to step into the Uval Cemetery after that. Massive groups going into the War Zone was probably going to end up in a free-for-all battle anyway. It was clear that everyone was scared of these seven players... and of each other."
"What do you have to do with those seven players?"
"Well, nothing. The thing is, if those seven sounded impressive, they were defeated."
"Even though you said no one wanted to enter this 'War Zone'?"
"Yeah. No one. Except one player. One versus seven, and she won!"
"So what?"
"... So what??? 1v7 with only sticks and pellets? Are you telling me you don't realize how crazy that is? I thought it was impossible. I was SO SURE that it was impossible, and I'm never wrong about this kind of stuff. After seeing the battle with my own eyes, I left right away. I couldn't face anyone after that. And I'm going to find a way to kill her!"
"... You were proved wrong, and you want her dead. You want to kill that player because your stupid pride is tattered?"
"... Say what you want. But this my proposal to you. You guys are probably a little skilled if you came out this far already. Help me kill Fae Sol!"
"Hahaha..."
Stein laughed and the rest of Asunder awkwardly looked at each other. What a coincidence this was!
"What's in it for us?"
Of course, Stein could have immediately accepted. After all, their goals were aligned. But this player didn't know that. To take the risk of offering this proposal, it was likely he could offer some form of compensation. And Stein wanted to hear what it was.
"I have the location of a dungeon that's not too far away that didn't exist in the beta. And it looks to be pretty tough. There's no doubt that it'll offer some great rewards."
"Oh?"
Stein was genuinely intrigued.
"But what if you're wrong?"
Stein's taunt visibly frustrated the lone player even through Synergy's not-quite-perfect facial features.
"I'm not wrong. She's the only one who's made a fool out of me. I'm gonna kill her!"
It was likely he was being honest about his situation. He didn't look like the type of person that could swindle others, but the looks of a virtual avatar didn't betray anything. It was quite the old-school tactic for people to set up an innocent-looking VR avatar to conduct scams.
But beyond surface-level looks, Stein could genuinely feel the frustration exuding from this player's soul. Unless he was an A-list actor, this situation was real.
"Alright, sounds reasonable to me. It's your lucky day; I'm an org leader and soon-to-be guild leader of Asunder. The proposition of your reward is greatly tempting, and we have the manpower to grant your wish. If you are willing to join one of our parties, this will go much more smoothly."
"Deal!"
Stein smiled.
"Welcome to Asunder, even if it's as a temporary member."
"... Thanks, uh... Stein."
"It's our pleasure. We're looking forward to working with you... Castle."
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