Does that mean, this is all a waste of time and kills won't get her zip? Or, is it still accruing and she'll receive all the earned xp when she's finally able to? If it's the first: that's annoying af😮💨. When they make a character unable to grow, the story also takes a long time to grow. Because the story takes a long time to grow, the many frames used just bleed-out with uninteresting, monotonous and static filler.. which, makes the subplots and all the story leading up to the ending feel very drawn-out and unappealing. The overall story ends up becoming "meh". No one really wants to invest all that time JUST to end up with "MEH"😅.
If she can get stronger, she can explore all those new areas. She could make foods from gathered ingredients found in those explored areas. Doing it this way opens the worldbuild, and, most of all... it's interesting😄! The interactions she has during this time become meaningful & progessive plots and builds since they're about these areas and the people surrounding her and sticking by her throughout it all. Characterbuilds become more rounded and the subplots are far more engaging and progressive. As an added bonus, we get to see her go through all that growth without the NEED of a knight in shining armor. It's 2024 and the KISA concept is long dead, buried and into its new life as "Ms. Independent"😂! (Keeping up with the times is also part of a writer's job😅)
Between 1 and 2, it's easy to see which paragraph builds a better story😁. So, for our reading sake, I really, really, reeeeeeally hope they don't keep her weak... FR!