*I may have broken the system.*
Another aspect of Synergy that was more refined than its counterparts was NPC behavior. They were practically indistinguishable from real people. Because of this, quests that were acknowledged by the system were granted by NPCs, not the other way around.
Jisha exploited her previous life's knowledge to break into a chain quest - a quest with multiple parts. Originally, one was supposed to speak with Razor's descendants in the center of the continent, learn about Shahar's adopted daughter, Lilliana, and retrieve the items she kept in Shahar's stead.
This was not a combat-based chain quest, so Fae Sol didn't have to raise her level to gain strength. In fact, the hardest parts of the quests were gaining access to Razor's descendants and raising Lilliana's favorability which Jisha either neglected or breezed through.
One might wonder why Razor or his descendants didn't give anything tangible to those who completed the first parts quest to verify completion. This was because Razor's values lay in mind over matter; he was basically a monk who valued unorthodox knowledge concerning strength. His teachings were obscure bits of knowledge and strange martial arts techniques.
Lilliana bombarded Jisha with questions and conversation topics related to Razor and Shahar, and Jisha navigated through the interrogation with ease.
"Looks like Father was right. I've waited for so long for someone worthy enough to show up, and in the end, you came. Here is the key to one of Father's greatly treasured items. I'm sure you can keep it safe."
With that, Jisha received a circular token with the engraving of a phoenix flying towards a crescent moon. It was Shahar's emblem.
*>System message: Quest Received.*
*>Name: Grave Robbery*
*>Description: The adopted daughter of the late Shahar has given you the key to a certain tombstone. Open it to see what's inside.*
*>Rating: F*
"That token unlocks a tombstone in the cemetery. I'm sure you can figure out which one it is."
"Thanks. It was a pleasure to speak with Shahar's daughter. Oh, and here's 4 Copper for the meal."
"No, don't worry about it. It's on the house. It's only 4 Copper after all."
"Alright, then. We shall see each other again some time."
After their long conversation, Jisha left the eatery.
*I'm glad I didn't have to pay for that.*
As a freshly spawned account, Fae Sol was quite poor. That one meal would have depleted 40% of her bank account. Even if she had to pay for it, though, it would still be worth it. Because...
*This is exactly what I needed.*
The token she had received was worth far more than 4 Copper. In fact, it would be difficult to put a price on it at all. Without delay, Jisha rushed to find the cemetery.
As she walked, Jisha looked over her direct messages. Syny was still bombarding her inbox.
*>Synycal: Uval Hamlet?*
*>Synycal: Where even is that? Let me check the map...*
*>Synycal: Wait. You selected the Uval Hamlet as your spawn location?*
*>Synycal: Do you even know how far that is from the Erian Hamlet?*
*>Synycal: You and I. Literally decided to choose the Erian Hamlet. And you run off and choose that on your own?*
*>Synycal: Do you realize it's almost NOT EVEN IN THE SAME COUNTRY, YOU IDIOT???*
Honestly, Jisha had no response to this question. Before Synergy was released, the developers leaked the map of the known world. It had no information on it except for the names of every major location. It was purely for social purposes so people could decide their spawn points together. However, Jisha had ignored it in both lives. Even this made her feel nostalgic.
*This... is just classic Syny, huh?*
The bombardment of messages was even more proof she truly went back in time, and she was overcome with more emotion.
*>Fae Sol: Thanks.*
*>Synycal: What?*
*>Fae Sol: You're a good friend.*
*>Synycal: ... Are you serious? You pick a location that will take me OVER EIGHT HOURS TO TRAVEL TO and you say I'm a good friend? Saying these things won't make me not mad at you, you know!*
*>Fae Sol: Relax, it'll only be eight hours if you travel by foot. You should eventually meet me in Orchid Town. I'll have something good for you there.*
*>Synycal: Orchid Town? ... Wait. That's almost even farther away! You want me to waste valuable leveling time and travel over eight hours to meet you in a random town????*
*>Fae Sol: Don't worry. Make sure to at least buy a map before you start traveling, and get to a nearby village so you can find some transportation. Anyway, I just got a really important quest so I'll talk to you in a bit.*
*>Synycal: Wait, don't ignore me! How am I gonna do that? Also how did you get an important quest when we literally just spawned here?*
With a sigh, Jisha closed her messages. Syny wasn't dumb; if Jisha babysat her too much, her development might be stunted instead.
*She'll be able to figure out the basics on her own. Now, where was the cemetery again? Hm... Ah, it's this way.*
The cemetery of the Uval Hamlet was an unordinary one - it was well-hidden from sight. Coming across it accidentally was unlikely, so only those who knew of its location were bound to be there.
But why did Jisha know where this cemetery was if it was a random one near a starter hamlet?
In addition to the eidetic memory she retained from her past life, this cemetery was not one to be forgotten. The rules that dictated the inside of the cemetery weren't the same as they were on the outside; they allowed famous players in the future to battle fairly inside it. Views and streams of this location were endless.
As she traversed the hamlet, there were far more players walking around than before.
*Looks like most people are finally done customizing their avatars.*
Not everyone was an artist that had a custom model ready to go. But now, the relatively empty hamlet was teeming with life.
*It really is a bit overpopulated here.*
The Uval Hamlet was a small starter one. If everyone that spawned here decided to live here, the place would likely collapse. However, many of these players would only purchase a few essentials and meet up with friends before venturing out into the wild.
As hamlets were generally very small, even Jisha was surprised to see this current population density.
Despite this, there was no one she recognized.
*I'm solo again...*
In her first life, she'd failed to make any real friends before meeting up with Syny.
Being a shut-in and a loner, Jisha found it difficult to make friends. Syny was the polar opposite - a social butterfly. Around her, making friends was a piece of cake for even the most reculsive hikkikomoris.
And... of all the skills Jisha had gained in her first life, making friends was not one of them.
But just as she was thinking this...
"Um... Sister?"
"Huh?"
Jisha turned around to find a small girl tugging at her arm.
"Oh, sorry!! I thought you were my sister!"
This girl's hair was chromatic blue and white, and her pupils had an icy aesthetic as well.
Jisha glanced at the girl's nametag above her head.
*Abandoned Snow?*
"Hey, don't worry about it. But... why did you pick such a sad-sounding name?"
"Uh... I... couldn't think of anything else..."
The shy girl's voice tapered off as she struggled to finish her sentence.
"Abandoned Snow" wasn't a username Jisha recognized from her previous life. If she came across a future skilled player, she would undoubtedly socialize with them. However, she had an important quest to complete right now!
"Well, I hope you find your sister. I'm busy, so I've gotta go."
"Wait!"
Before Jisha could walk off, Abandoned Snow grabbed her arm.
Jisha didn't want to waste any more time, but Abandoned Snow spoke up before she could complain.
"Can you... help me? I don't know if I picked the right starting location, so... can you stay with me until I find her?"
Jisha was about to reject her again, but as she stared at Abandoned Snow's pitiful face, some memories of her first life came back to her.
How had Fae Sol been on her first day? Her circumstances were the same - shy, lonely, and solo.
How confused had she been? How lost had she gotten? How many times did she get scammed?
For just the first day... it was far too many times.
Since Synergy had no tutorial, starting the game alone was like being stranded on a deserted island. If you had a friend, at least you could be stranded together.
*...*
Jisha really wanted to get on with her quest. After all, it was related to Shahar, one of the continent's legendary NPCs. However, she couldn't stand the sight of a newbie struggling for no reason.
Jisha sighed.
"Well... If you really need to..."
When she heard this, Abandoned Snow perked up. Facial expressions in Synergy were indistinguishable from real life, so even this small change in expression didn't escape Jisha's eye.
As she continued staring at this avatar, she couldn't help but ask another question.
"And by chance... did you make your avatar? It's pretty."
Abandoned Snow's aesthetic avatar was not one that could be created without extreme customization, so Jisha was naturally curious.
"Yes!"
When her avatar was called "pretty", Abandoned Snow's eyes lit up even more.
"A fellow artist, I see. I guess I've got no other choice. I'll help you out, Miss Snow."
Hearing this confirmation, Abandoned Snow leaped at Fae Sol and wrapped her in a bear hug.
"Hey..."
Jisha didn't expect such a strong reaction to this small of a favor.
*Haah... I can't let her struggle like I did on my first day, can I?*
And from her mannerisms, Jisha guessed that Abandoned Snow was even younger than her (physical) self. Though the avatar looked like a late teen, the way she spoke was like that of a child.
At this point, it would be cruel to refuse anything else.
Jisha struggled to break free from the young girl's embrace without upsetting her.
"... Let's go look for your sister."
"Yes!"
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