Future Plans

'I also know the risk of approaching her, but if I were given a chance to choose between an old man whose one foot is in his grave and a busty milf to choose as my master, I would choose the busty milf every single time.'

I replied to her before looking at the counter where Sylvia had brought my food with a smile on her face.

"Here's your food, and here are the keys to your room, second flour, last second room from the left."

Sylvia took out the keys and placed them on the table after placing the food.

"Thank you, lady?"

I asked, wanting to get her name from her mouth so I wouldn't accidentally reveal her real name.

"Just call me Sylvie; I didn't get to know your name as well."

She asked her own inquiry in response to mine.

"Neil. Simply call me Neil."

"Neil, that's a good name, and before I forget, there's a training ground behind the building. Please do not train in the room if you wish to."

She said that, but her smile didn't fade.

"Of course," I replied.

"Have a nice meal."

She smiled as she walked away, leaving me with my dinner.

[She smiles a lot.]

As Sylvie walked away, Edda began to speak again, albeit in my thoughts.

'That's her method of concealing her true personality,'

moving my mask slightly to eat, I replied to her as

 I poured a loaf of bread into the meat stew. Her cuisine wasn't spectacular, but it was adequate.

[She is far more deadly than she appears.]

'You're right,' I replied knowing she is right about her.

[But you're still came here; she would skin you alive if she ever got suspicious about you].

She replied, throwing another jab at my decision to come here.

'You already know it, Edda; she's the perfect individual to teach me spear technique and how to wield my fire and wind magic best of its capabilities. She learned fire magic from a phoenix, after all.'

I responded, trying to be as reasonable as possible, and I'm not lying. She is a legendary figure in this world; her spear art is something people will kill for, but she has withdrawn from the world, living in seclusion, hiding her identity so people don't flock to her door to be her disciple, but she, too, is lonely and is considering having a disciple of her own, and that's why I am here.

But I still have to be as cautious as possible when dealing with her; one wrong move and it will be the end for me, but that doesn't mean I won't try to hit on her.

[Don't you simply want to fuck your childhood crush?]

Edda's words made me flinch. I won't lie; a tiny part of me wants to do that, but only a tiny part.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about."

I replied, returning my attention to the food.

[How long do you intend to stay here?]

Edda inquired, changing the subject, which I appreciated.

'Until the Kraken Dungeon outbreak, that is.'

I responded, recalling an event that would take place in near future.

[Do you intend to take part in the outbreak event?]

She inquired once more, rather perplexed this time.

'Of course, that's already a given. I want to get as much XP as possible during the an outbreak; there are several items in the system shop that I'm interested in'.

There are so many things in the shop that if I had XP, I would have bought them long ago, and I also want to collect as much XP as possible before the game's event begins, so I am not gonna missing out on the opportunity to kill as many monsters as possible.

[Is that so?]

She responded as though she was deep in thought.

'Yes, and enough of your questions; it's now my turn,'

I replied, anxious to learn anything that could explain the thousand questions racing through my mind.

[Ask away].

She replied, and I couldn't stand the ceremony.

'Nothing would have happened to the princess if I hadn't gone to save her, right?'.

I asked the first question that has been eating me since yesterday. What I did could possibly lead to many wrong scenarios that could happen in the future, and I don't want that.

[No, the punishment for the quest was entirely appropriate; if you hadn't interfered, she would have perished, if not that day, then in the near future.]

She responded confidently.

'How so? Why would she die when her mother might have saved her on time and everything could have ended that night? 'How could she die later? Nothing like this happens in the game.'

I pressed on, attempting to get as much information as possible.

[Even a minor alteration can have a significant impact on the future; without your intervention, she would have perished without a doubt.]

She responded, and I believe she was speaking the truth, since I am fully aware of how messed up a scenario can be due to the butterfly effect.

'why, though?'

But I couldn't help but wonder why I had been handed that quest. That quest could be the catalyst for the butterfly effect.

[Get stronger, and you will get the answer.]

She replied, leaving me unanswered and frustrated.

'Fine, don't tell me, but what about you saying that night that "destiny cannot be erased; it can only be altered"?'

I changed the question this time.

[Destiny serve as means for maintaining the universe in balance. The three primary principles tasked with balancing everything in the cosmos are destiny, fate, and luck.]

She responded, and I put down my spoon; her comments made me think deeply.

'But what about me? Eden in the game has the destiny of the villain and the fate of dying so that the hero can get the princess, so what am I supposed to do ?'

I tried to acquire answers by asking honestly about my insecurity.

[Don't be too concerned; you won't die.]

She responded as if it were a fact.

'That's not the point.'

[You only need to be cautious until the end of the first game; after that, you will be free from your fate .]

'Can I change other people's fate, Edda?'

[You know the future, therefore to some extent, yes you can].

'Nice to know,'.

I responded as I resumed eating my food, I really need to kill some monsters so I can shift my focus away from my jumbled thoughts.