Goals Aligned (1)

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!*