Fantasy Realm – Infinite Worlds Adventure

Time passes, and Alex finally opens his eyes, finding Menchi sitting in front of him, reading one of the new books he gifted her.

“Your aura is much calmer now. I think you really needed that,” Menchi says, closing the book. “Don’t forget this feeling—keep it up, not just during meditation, but try to hold onto this mindset all the time.”

“It’s already the middle of the night, and in a few hours, you were planning to check out the forest and visit Hagrid. Honestly, it wouldn’t hurt to take a few days off. This mission is long-term, and skipping a day or two won’t make much of a difference,” Menchi tells him.

“It might be the smart thing to do, but it would also feel like running away… I’ll try to get some sleep, and I promise I’ll be careful tomorrow,” Alex says, his confidence slowly returning.

Menchi turns off the rather primitive oil lamp and lies down in the bed, tugging Alex down with her.

What is she…?

“Good night,” Menchi says softly, giving Alex a quick kiss before wrapping her arms around him and closing her eyes.

Feeling her warmth, Alex hesitates for a moment but eventually hugs her back. Her familiar scent puts him at ease, and he shuts his eyes, pushing all his thoughts aside.

It only takes a few seconds for him to fall asleep, feeling safe and completely at peace.

Alex wakes up to sunlight shining through a small window. He opens his eyes and notices the room is empty. Menchi’s side of the bed is cold, but her familiar scent still lingers faintly in the air.

I feel calm and fully rested. Time to give it another go!

He doesn’t put his armor back on yet and leaves the room, ignoring the looks from everyone else. After greeting them quickly, he enters his own room, washes up, changes into fresh clothes, and finally equips his armor. Feeling refreshed and determined, he heads back to the living room.

“You’ve got a nice look on your face, Alex,” Roja says with a grin, pausing briefly before continuing, “and I heard you put that Mafia team in their place too! Keep it up, I think it’s been pretty effective.”

“I’m sorry, I won’t be able to do that anymore. I’ve done enough. From now on, I’m focusing completely on the mission,” Alex says, his tone firm and leaving no room for arguments.

Roja looks at Alex with a strange expression but eventually seems to accept his decision.

Perlah glances at Alex, then at Menchi, who smiles knowingly at him. Perlah blushes slightly and looks away, asking in a low voice, “Is this because of yesterday…?”

Now that my mind isn’t racing, I’ve actually noticed something. I’m not sure I should tell the group, but if my crazy hunch turns out to be right, I’d regret keeping it to myself.

“Are you feeling better, Rishi?” Alex asks, turning his attention to his friend and comrade.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry for making you worry. Tereza told me you wanted to talk to me yesterday, do you need help with something?” Rishi asks.

I’ve already found someone more suitable for that problem, I guess.

“No, I’m fine,” Alex says, glancing at Menchi with a warm expression.

“It’s about something else. It’s probably nothing serious, but there’s something I can’t help but worry about. It could be important.”

“What is it?” Rishi asks, clearly interested.

“Do you remember some of the comments Dumbledore made about us players? Specifically, the number he mentioned,” Alex asks, looking not just at Rishi but at the others as well.

“He said he invited five teams but was a bit surprised that six arrived,” Perlah replies.

“I remember that too, and I’ve wondered about it,” Roja says. “Characters like Dumbledore don’t share insignificant details just for fun. Are you suggesting there’s something off with the sixth team?”

Rishi nods, clearly catching on to Alex’s train of thought.

“I think that detail alone is just too vague,” Alex says. “But yesterday, I lost control and almost attacked another player. Thankfully, that won’t happen again. Still, the system issued me a warning.”

Alex repeats the exact words from the system:

“Warning: Player’s use of Nen is approaching the threshold of an attack. Please be aware that PvP is strictly forbidden and will be immediately punished should you attack one of your allied players. Please be aware of the risk before proceeding.”

“Allied players, huh?” Rishi says, raising an eyebrow.

“Roja, do you remember when…” Alex starts to ask, but Roja cuts him off.

“During Navalia, you accidentally killed another player,” Roja says. “But the system not only spared you, even though PvP was strictly forbidden in that PvE world, it actually rewarded you because that worm tried to betray the mission and allied with Baroque Works!”

“I remember you telling me about that too, Alex,” Rishi adds. “So, there’s that possibility after all, huh? I’ve been wondering why PvP is strictly forbidden in a mission like this. This was one of the scenarios that crossed my mind. But with just Dumbledore’s comment, there wasn’t enough to go on. Now, with your new information… that’s two clues pointing in the same direction.”

“This is all still very vague,” Alex says. “But it’s worth considering the possibility and paying attention to it, isn’t it?”

“I don’t know… This all sounds like a conspiracy theory to me,” Tereza says. “It might end up meaning nothing.”

“Still, the possibility is there,” Alex replies. “I agree with you, Tereza—nothing is clear. We shouldn’t jump to conclusions, but we should keep this in mind as a possibility.”

“What exactly are you suggesting?” Perlah asks, still unsure.

“That there’s a team actively trying to sabotage us, or even attack us,” Roja says bluntly.

Alex nods. “The best thing to do is keep moving forward, but stay aware of that possibility. I wouldn’t say we should get scared, but Roja, this changes my response to your idea yesterday. Splitting up might not be a smart move after all. If one of us gets ambushed by an entire team, I don’t think the odds would be in our favor.”

“So, let’s visit Hagrid together,” Alex suggests. “At least for now, let’s stay in the same vicinity.”

Everyone seems to agree. Even Tereza, usually the most confident, doesn’t argue.

“Now that we’re all on the same page, let’s go,” Rishi says.

As the others begin to walk out of their home, Alex steps closer to Menchi and whispers something to her. Her eyes widen, and she perks up.

“…That’s my idea,” Alex says quietly. “It’s a huge opportunity. I don’t know if it’ll work, but you’d have to deal with that guy. With your looks, your synthesizing talent, and your special Hatsu, I think you could really impress him. It’s worth a try—and most likely, you can move there by yourself, since the school should also count as a safe zone or settlement.”

Menchi smiles, her confidence shining through. “No problem! Thanks for the heads-up. Hehe, I’ll surprise you with the results!”

The group leaves the house, with Alex taking a moment longer before following. He walks steadily toward Hogwarts, heading for Hagrid’s hut, which is situated near the Forbidden Forest, away from the castle.

Unnoticed by the group, a green-haired woman also leaves their home. With a confident and determined look on her face, she trails closely behind them.

Alex breathes in deeply, enjoying the crisp air. I like this place. The air feels so fresh, and there’s no real civilization around—just Hogsmeade and, apparently, a few tiny communities. Maybe they’re remnants of those hamlets from Hogwarts Legacy, going about their business out here.

The group reaches Hagrid’s hut and immediately notices a massive cart parked next to it. The cart is nearly as big as the hut itself. Hagrid is sitting before it on a normal-sized stool, which looks comically tiny compared to his massive frame.

“Oh, it’s you lot,” Hagrid greets them with a grin. “You’re the third group to show up today. Come to see what Dumbledore’s prepared for you in exchange for what you find in the forest?”

“Yeah, can you show us?” Tereza asks eagerly, her excitement evident.

Hagrid stands up and walks over to the cart, which reminds Alex of a street vendor’s stall. The whole thing shakes violently as Hagrid climbs inside, eventually settling down once he takes a seat behind a small window.

“This is everything,” Hagrid says, gesturing to the items inside. “Feel free to take a look—but I doubt you’ll be able to afford much.”

Alex’s eyes immediately spot something peculiar. Some of the items are shared between all team members, meaning they disappear as soon as one player from their team buys them. Among the items, Alex quickly notices three skillbooks—exactly the ones Dumbledore hinted at earlier. All three are non-tradable, Deep Blue quality: [Transfiguration Skillbook], [Charms Skillbook], and [Defense Against the Dark Arts Skillbook].

However, Alex’s excitement is quickly tempered by the price tag. Each book costs an outrageous 3,000 contribution points, thirty times more than the 100 points he earned for dealing with Peeves.

That’s insane…

Alex remembers that Tereza already knows the Defense Against the Dark Arts skill. She had explained her skill to him in detail before, since he initially didn’t understand the difference between Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts without looking it up.

As Alex takes a closer look, his and Tereza’s earlier guesses are confirmed. The [Charms Skillbook] contains several spells that are useful in battle, like Incendio, but it also includes more practical, utility-focused spells like Lumos. On the other hand, the [Defense Against the Dark Arts Skillbook] includes combat-oriented spells like Expelliarmus and even Tereza’s Disillusionment Charm, spells she had used during Alex’s first encounter with her.

So it’s just like the classes, huh?It’s practically a treasure trove for Tereza. With the other two books, she’d have access to the majority of spells in Harry Potter—or at least the common ones from the movies. But what else is there? Wait… what’s this?!!

Before Alex can process the thought, Roja interrupts him.

“No potion-making skillbook, huh? I guess it wasn’t going to be that easy. Too bad!” Roja complains. “The spells aren’t really suitable for me anyway. Since they’re limited to one per team and Perlah and I don’t need them, feel free to aim for them if you want.”

Rishi walks over, grabs Alex and Tereza by the arm, and pulls them aside.

“Tereza, I know you want the two remaining skillbooks,” Rishi says quietly. “But you saw the real main attraction, didn’t you? If you can get that, you’d be practically unstoppable.”

Tereza nods in agreement. “It’s the most straightforward path to getting stronger, I need it. The only problem is the price!”@@novelbin@@

Alex knows exactly what Rishi is talking about. His eyes flick to the item in question, and he has to reread its description twice just to fully grasp its usefulness.

[Spell Mastery Skillbook]