*Well... This is interesting.*
As Jisha continued her dash through the forest, the layout of the terrain piqued her curiosity. To a new player, there was nothing substantially different from the forest thus far, but to trained eyes, a clear path seemed to be carved through the air.
To her, everything from the towering tree limbs to the shrubs on the ground seemed to be pointing in a single direction.
*A mana anomaly this early in the game? Does this mean that mana triangulation is already possible?*
Mana triangulation came in several forms; the one currently present was a type of navigation. In the future, it would be discovered that "mana" was an omnipresent substance in Synergy. Like quantum fields, it was one of the fundamental fabrics of this virtual world.
*And it'll remain virtual for quite a while.*
Since it was a fundamental fabric of the universe, clumps of it could form all sorts of phenomena like how atoms could bond and form molecules.
Before the true nature of mana was discovered, these phenomena were referred to as "mana anomalies", and they came in a myriad of forms.
The one she was witnessing now must have been something akin to a "life force", as all plant life seemed to be expectantly facing an energy source.
This was a highly unusual discovery; in other words, it was akin to "life force" for a front runner!
*I can't *not* check it out now.*
Jisha sprinted towards this newfound discovery.
*Navigation tools... Are still in check.*
Her map seemed to be intact - a good sign.
Mana abnormalities in the atmosphere, sometimes known as "subsystems", could sometimes alter the state of being of physical objects. When venturing into one, it was of utmost importance that one's health and sanity were still in check.
Jisha was always aware of the state of her body; she didn't need to focus to confirm that she was still completely fine.
In addition to this, Tier 0 players could not truly interact with mana, so any "mana storms" could not affect her anyway.
The next step was to check navigational options. If maps, compasses, or other navigational tools were altered, one should immediately leave the area unless there was a 100% chance they knew what they were doing.
Sometimes, the space within a subsystem didn't follow the laws of physics of the outside world. It was possible to become trapped in one, as sometimes one's sense of direction, or even the very concept of direction itself, became distorted.
Fortunately, it didn't seem like this "mana anomaly" was the home of such a "subsystem". And even if it was, Jisha was confident that she could still make her way around an early-game subsystem without any tool assistance.
But the farther she traveled towards what seemed to be the center of this anomaly, the more something seemed off.
*Ugh, I can't exactly tell what's going on, though...*
It was just a gut feeling. Since she was currently Tier 0, she shouldn't be able to detect any mana in the atmosphere. But the strange feeling wouldn't subside.
Everything still looked... relatively normal. The biome was the same. The forest was still quite simple to traverse through; the trees and shrubbery weren't out of the ordinary for a level ~10 area. Monsters' attack patterns were still geared towards absolute beginners. But everything in the area seemed to be converging on a single point.
*If this is what I think it is... No. It should be impossible.*
A particular mana phenomenon she had in mind lined up with what she was currently witnessing. But this phenomenon would only be discovered 10 years later.
Jisha stopped running. Her mind felt strange.
*Even as a Tier 0 player? Impossible... What's going on?*
The strain on her mind caused her to drop to one knee and hold her head in her hands.
What she was experiencing could only be the product of a mana anomaly: a disruption of mana in the atmosphere. However, Tier 0 players didn't truly interact with mana, nor did they have any sensory perception of mana. There were a few possibilities here.
1. The game was different this time around, and Tier 0 players could use true mana.
2. Fae Sol wasn't truly a Tier 0 player.
She gritted her teeth in frustration.
*The mysteries just keep piling up...*
Something was definitely wrong with people’s current perception of the world. In a mere few hours, three of the world's fundamental properties were challenged. It was akin to one's understanding of gravity, time, and space being completely flipped on its head.
*Unless... I'm somehow in a completely different world altogether?*
Though this was a likely scenario, there was no way to prove it. She wasn't sure if these fundamental properties were truly changed, or she was the only one to experience them.
*I could just ask someone... But I'll have to do that later. If there even is a later.*
There was a more pressing concern. Immediately after she felt the strange sensation in her mind, escaping from this mess had become a top priority. But...
*Hahaha... I think I'm screwed.*
Jisha was feeling an emotion she thought was impossible in the current state of the game. Franticness! She was unable to keep her mind under control as these jumbled thoughts ran through her head.
She was an experienced player with millions of hours in the game who had traveled back to the day of the game's launch. From her perspective, there was no way she should feel any sort of stress today. However...
*This has to be a practical joke. A mana black hole appeared here? In an area for beginners?*
One of the most extreme phenomena of the universe had appeared here. What was a mana black hole? Like a physical black hole, it was an object with a strong "gravitational" pull. However, physical black holes bent space-time towards their centers. A mana black hole bent the mana field towards its center with respect to time.
In other words, while physical black holes dragged physical objects towards its center, mana black holes dragged mana towards its center. And the main thing that was affected by mana was consciousness!
It didn't matter what you were. If you existed within the mana field, crossing the event horizon of a mana black hole meant you could never leave.
*What's the point of this thing being here??*
Nobody in the current game could perceive this mana black hole nor could they interact with it. Since true mana didn't quite exist in the world yet, nobody could interact with "magical" existences. In other words...
*Is someone targeting me directly?*
Jisha was currently the only person in the world who knew what mana truly was. Because of this, she likely existed within the mana field. If this was true, she was the only person in the world who this applied to. She was the only one this mana black hole could affect. If the mana black hole was placed here on purpose by someone, it essentially meant they knew the truth about her!
*Ah... It's too late.*
She realized she had already crossed the event horizon. Like a physical black hole, it was absolutely impossible to tell exactly when one crossed the event horizon. Her consciousness was being dragged towards the center.
*This can't be the end. It doesn't make sense.*
The world began to warp in a strange way. At first, everything appeared to become smaller. If her consciousness were a camera, it was akin to "zooming out" from the singularity. Then, at a rapid pace, the world began to rush by.
The sky, the trees, the ground, the miscellaneous flora and fauna... Everything began to accelerate past her at a ridiculous pace.
Everything expanded radially outward. The future of consciousness was the center; the future of everything beyond the event horizon lay in the singularity.
The singularity - the only thing that appeared to matter. It was the only thing left.
*I'm not dying here. There's no way. There's simply too many mysteries left unsolved!*
Her feisty thoughts and best efforts to escape were futile.
She approached the center. The center accelerated towards her.
And shortly after... She was gone.
---
"... You're saying that you were planning to kill her this whole time??"
"Of course. Surprised?"
Castle was furious. He'd just been scammed out of top-tier information. As mechanically gifted as he was, he was still a bit naïve when it came to interactions like these. The worst part was, there was nowhere for him to vent his frustration.
He thought he had a perfect plan and persuaded a clan to do his bidding, but in the end, he was the one who was wrung dry...
If his offer had been an item, he could at least yell at them to "give it back", albeit futilely. However, how could he just tell them to "forget the information" he had told them?
He almost completely lost his mind; he considered leaving this party and beating everyone up, but he knew that was impossible. It would be a 1v10. It was an impossible fight to win. But even the concept of "impossible fights" was driving him mad at the moment as a certain player appeared in his mind...
"Ahhhhhhh! F*ck all of you!"
Castle swung his arms rambunctiously at his party members. Friendly fire wasn't permitted in the same party, but the simple act of punching someone with a VR avatar was cathartic.
"Yeah, yeah. Where's the dungeon?" Stein asked, ignoring Castle's tantrum.
This question immediately abated Castle's heated mood.
"Uh, it should be around here..."
Currently, Castle was just as confused as Asunder was. He was certain that he had seen the entrance of an instance dungeon in this area. And not just any dungeon - it appeared to be something that didn't exist in the beta.
Castle had claimed the dungeon was "tough", but this was only to sweeten the deal with Asunder. He had no idea if this dungeon would benevolently dispense rewards or not. But now, the dungeon was gone!
*Shit, shit, shit! I'm so screwed!*
Castle's mind was racing a mile a minute. Stein had already told him about Asunder's current influence in the game. It was an organization that spanned across multiple starter hamlets and would likely be a dominant force in Orchid Town.
Since their current reach was so extensive, Castle was sure he'd be hunted down and killed back to level 0 if Asunder assumed he was lying to them.
*>Stein: What's the situation?*
*>Arcadia Black: Nothing. Just forest.*
*>Cargo Biscuit: Same here, nothing to note.*
*>Stein: Keep looking.*
*How do I get out of here??*
He was safe for now. But at the current rate, his doom was inevitable. He couldn't just run off, either. He'd be killed quickly.
*>Name: Jade Charm*
*>...*
*>Cooldown: 49 minutes, 12 seconds.*
The item he'd used earlier wasn't going to be any help, either. It was an item with a powerful ability, but its drawback was its high cooldown.
*There's no way I'm gonna last 49 minutes. Someone, help...*
As if the heavens heard his plea, a message appeared in the group chat that drew Stein's attention.
*>Quaterniana: Uh...*
*>Stein: Yana, status?*
*>Quaterniana: I've lost her.*
*>Stein: ...*
Apparently, "Yana" was a player they'd stationed in the Village to keep an eye out for a certain suspicious player. She was tasked with reporting this player's whereabouts, but a problem had clearly arisen.
*>Stein: Well, that was to be expected. Where was the last place you saw her?*
*>Quaterniana: She left via the eastern gate and continued due east. Her mob grinding speed is unprecedentedly quick. I tried to capture a recording, but the file was unplayable. After about 15 minutes of sprinting, her heading shifted to vector three-zero-zero, and this was the last time I saw her. I've tried scouring the area to no avail.*
When he saw this message, Castle had an ominous premonition.
"That's..."
"Hm? Spit it out," Stein demanded. "You're not off the hook here. You're not lying about this dungeon, are you?"
"Ah! Not at all. It's just... Doesn't that location seem awfully close to here?"
Stein looked at Castle with incredulity.
"Perhaps?"
Since there wasn't an exact coordinate system in the game yet, positions could only be estimated like this. It was clear that Castle's sense of direction was astute, and even Stein seemed impressed by this ability.
But before they could continue that train of thought, they heard footsteps quickly approaching.
"Tch... On guard, everyone," Stein said.
*Ok, this is it.*
While everyone else was distracted by the source of the footsteps, Castle was prepared to make a run for it. To not raise any suspicions, he pretended like he was following orders as well.
He was expecting a fight to break out and was going to flee in the midst of chaos... but the source of the footsteps left him sorely disappointed.
"... Yana?" Stein asked.
"So you were around here as well?" the player called Quaterniana responded.
Castle was dumbfounded. His chance to escape vanished.
"Castle, you're in luck," Stein suddenly said.
"Huh?"
"Even if you've lied about the location of the dungeon, your girlfriend is probably around here. We'll let you off for now."
"Girlfriend? Who..."
When Castle figured out who Stein was referring to, he nearly passed out from anger.
"SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!!!!"
Castle threw a tantrum once again.
"... Yeah, you're probably as young as you look..." Stein sighed.
But as he was flailing around, something in the air caught Castle's eye. He immediately stopped screaming and turned to look.
"That's...!"
Castle was overwhelmed with relief; the space he was looking at was where the entrance to this dungeon should have been. His change in tone was so abrupt that everyone turned to look at what was going on.
At this point, all 12 sets of eyes were trained on the same spot.
A ripple protruded through the air as if a pebble were dropped into a pond. And out of this ripple... stepped a player.
Castle almost went into another frenzy.
Quaterniana was dumbfounded.
Stein had a gleam in his eyes.
"This is the 'dungeon', huh, Castle? What a genius you are."
"..."
By some stroke of luck, the "dungeon" and "player" they were seeking were in the same place!
Stein wasted no time.
"Rejoice, Castle. Everyone, engage!"
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