if there are level boosts in FF i am unaware of them. I know they are so common in Guild Wars that they are pretty absurd. I think i have enough of them to level at least 10 new toons to max level immediately.
For me it isn't really even a question of "this is dumb to gain levels" so much as I don't really understand the point of it existing at all. There are tons of other ways to gain levels such as doing dungeons over and over (which is fun) but you can't access those dungeons until you go through the system of being granted access to them and hence, the NPC run-around.
I'll look into this MUD stuff as this is all a new thing for me. I am completely unaware of what it is.
Ahhh, if you decide to try AardwolfMUD, contact me from within the game. My character's name is Kristoff. I will be happy to answer whatever questions you have.