Fantasy Realm – Infinite Worlds Adventure

Before Rishi or Tereza can react, Alex speaks decisively. “We should just leave. It looks like we can’t help them. According to the contract, that would be life-threatening for us since we’d have to fight the spiders for their prey.”

The two cocoons suddenly struggle violently, clearly having heard Alex’s comment.

“This is the cycle of life… we obtained treasure, and it’s only fair that something gets left behind. You are, of course, right, Alex. I’m glad—and surprised—you realized it this quickly,” Rishi muses, his voice carrying an amused tone. He throws Alex another curious glance, his eyes lighting up as if he’s just discovered something new about him.

Tereza looks a bit shocked but then nods along, clearly agreeing with her comrades.

The three of them give a respectful nod toward the giant mutated Thornback Matriarch before turning to leave. The cocoons continue to struggle.

Alex stops. He turns back toward the two trapped figures and the Queen, who curiously stares at him.@@novelbin@@

NO! I can’t leave like this! There’s one thing I need to do… one thing I owe!

Stepping forward, Alex walks a little closer to the Queen and, to everyone’s shock, lowers his head—almost bowing. His expression is softer now, free of the earlier fear and disgust.

“Thank you for the help, Queen. I learned a lot about myself and others during this encounter. I wish you the best.”

Rishi and Tereza are visibly stunned. They had clearly noticed Alex’s earlier skepticism—his outright hatred and fear of spiders.

Alex turns back and walks toward his comrades, nearly reaching the small tunnel, when something unexpected happens.

The Thornback Queen lets out a loud, determined sound, and the surrounding spiders stir once more.

The group turns back, and Rishi carefully observes her from a distance.

“She’s displaying joy, appreciation, and most of all, respect… I think,” Rishi analyzes.

Alex notices the shift as well.

From beneath the Matriarch, a Thornback Warrior carefully moves forward, carrying a single large egg. It looks pristine, almost like a massive diamond, glittering under the dim cave light.

The spider, as if carrying something sacred, moves with extreme caution. Lowering itself before Alex, it gently presents the egg to him.

What???

It’s like being handed a football-sized diamond. Alex is instinctively drawn to the sparkling, beautiful egg, reaching out carefully and picking it up.

The moment his hands touch it, he feels an immediate connection—deep and undeniable. Holding it in his arms, he cradles it instinctively, as if it were his own child.

[Royal Thornback Matriarch (Mutated) Egg]

World: Harry Potter / Wizarding World

Quality: Light Gold to Gold

Quality (Spawn): Light Blue to Gold

Type: Egg

Effect: Contains the spawn of a Mutated Thornback Matriarch. Due to the mutation, there is a chance that the Royal egg won’t contain just a common Thornback Matriarch.

Effect: The creature inside will be automatically soul-bound to you if it accepts you as its master. A specific skill is not required. You will obtain a Pet-class helper should you accept the soul-bond.

Effect: There can only be one Pet-class helper, even if you find another pet that does not require the corresponding skill to tame.

Note: The Royal egg of a Mutated Matriarch that surpassed the very limits of its species. This Royal egg, containing an heir to the Matriarch, has the potential to evolve into a new Thornback variant, simply be born as a common Thornback Matriarch or receive random mutations, like its mother.

Note: This egg is bound to you, it can neither be traded, sold, nor taken out of the world.

Note: Due to the rarity of pets obtainable without incredibly rare skills, this item is classified as Light Gold, even if the pet hatches as a Light Blue Matriarch pet.

Alex shares the item details with his friends, who look at it with curious eyes.

“What is this…? Why is the quality so high? Also, I feel like this egg is different from the others we got earlier—not just because of the description… I already feel connected to it,” Alex says.

The spiders, including the Matriarch, finally stop paying attention to them, shifting their focus toward the two freshly caught humans. The group stands at the entrance to the small tunnel, watching as countless spider eyes settle on Roja and Perlah.

“Color me surprised, Alex. You managed to impress her; your success with the ladies is indeed not just a coincidence,” Rishi jokes, a rare moment of humor from him.

“Hehe, he can be a charmer sometimes. I love it when he gets all nervous and riled up, it’s kinda cute seeing him struggle. Though I hate being compared to a giant spider,” Tereza jokes.

…I need to get some help if this is how I’m perceived by women.

“Let’s leave… my thoughts are all over the place,” Alex mutters.

The group slowly makes their way back to the small tunnel. Just before reaching the exit, Alex grabs a small bottle and carefully places a few relatively normal-sized spiders inside.

“Collecting spiders, Alex? I thought you hated them,” Tereza asks, raising an eyebrow.

“If I’m expected to raise a damn monstrous Thornback Matriarch, I might as well get used to spiders early… starting with the almost normal-sized ones. I still don’t feel equipped to handle whatever is coming out of that egg….” Alex admits honestly.

The group rushes out of the cave, leaving the small ravine behind. As they step into the open, Alex suddenly notices a new, exclusive quest appearing in his system.

[Unique Hidden Quest Accepted:

Mission: Carefully hatch the [Royal Thornback Matriarch (Mutated) Egg]

Reward: Light-Blue to Gold-ranked Pet, Increased Mission Rating,]

“I just got a quest to hatch the egg! We should return to Hagrid, and while we’re walking back… how the hell are we going to explain what happened? I think we’re in for it now. Roja and Perlah… by now, they’re surely….” Alex stops, imagining what happened to his former teammates.

“Don’t worry, Alex,” Tereza interrupts. “You’re the kindest man I’ve ever known. Those traitors simply got what they deserved! After all the stunts they pulled, and with the hint we got from the Matriarch, we had to let them go. Who knows what kind of shit they were trying to pull? There are so many skills and items out there, maybe they would have sacrificed us to some evil god to pull of whatever scheme.”

"You were the only one of us who even considered saving them. Rishi and I knew instantly what we were going to do, and honestly? I’m glad you let it happen. You’re a big softie, and deep down, you really respect women, even when you see our bad traits, you somehow find them endearing. Even to a fault,” she says, throwing her arms around Alex.

“You even care deeply for someone like me… forget those traitors, I’ll take care of you… forever,” she says softly, whispering the last part, her face slightly blushed.

“Your strong-willed servant is right, Alex,” Rishi adds. “You made the right decision. Remember what you said earlier about sharing items with those who deserve them, and refusing to do so with people who are just holding out on you? The same logic applies here.”

"Traitors should be abandoned. True allies are the ones worth risking your life for. I’d risk my life for you two without thought, but I wouldn’t even lift a single finger for a traitor,” Rishi says.

“I know this. You’re right, and I’m fine. Still, I’m not happy about being put in a position where I had to do this. Well… it’s fine. I made my decision, and I’ll stick by it. I think I reached it after a fair amount of consideration. I won’t regret this… however, Roja was someone special,” Alex reminds them.

"It’s publicly known that we went into a world with her. Her guild is going to be fucking livid! I think we just became a target. They’ll never believe or understand the circumstances,” Alex says, looking slightly worried.

“Hehe, don’t worry. If Roja was someone important in her guild, then her guild must be completely irrelevant. I was sorely disappointed with their combat abilities; they were useless. If those pathetic guildmates try to take revenge, they’ll without a doubt suffer an even worse fate than Roja did,” Rishi says, almost excited at the thought of facing them.

The group makes their way through the forest, surprisingly encountering no corrupted beasts, no players, and only a few harmless animals.

As they finally reach Hagrid’s hut, they are met with an unexpected sight, Dumbledore himself, standing next to the half-giant, watching them with a worried expression.

His sharp eyes scan over them, immediately noting their dirtied appearance, evidence of a hard-fought battle.

Hagrid stares as well. “Yer lookin’ mighty beat up… wait a minute—where are yer two comrades?” the half-giant asks.

Alex shakes his head. “I’m afraid they didn’t make it… we didn’t expect the corruption to be that bad. We barely managed to take down a single corrupted Thornback Nest, and even that turned out to be too much.”

Dumbledore’s piercing gaze locks onto Alex. “That’s the reason I’m here. I sensed part of the corruption disappearing from the forest. I am grateful for your service, and sorry for your sacrifices and loss. I didn’t expect the corruption to be this dangerous as well. Can you tell me exactly what happened?” Dumbledore asks, seemingly worried about Alex and his team.

Alex suddenly feels a strong compulsion to answer. His mind urges him to speak, to spill everything.

Is he using Legilimency?! This bastard!

“Our group went into the forest to explore the corruption. We first encountered wolves—” Tereza begins.

“Let me explain, Tereza. You tend to be a chaotic narrator, and I’m sure the Headmaster doesn’t want to waste his time,” Rishi interrupts, clearly realizing what Dumbledore is doing—and that Tereza isn’t fully in control of what she’s saying.

Rishi carefully recounts the events, telling the entire truth, only omitting a few details, such as specifics about their combat styles, abilities, and rewards. The only outright lie is that he claims not to know Roja and Perlah’s exact fate, only hinting that they saw blood trails when they left the cave.

As the explanation ends, Alex suddenly remembers his quest and presents the [Corruption Crystal] to Dumbledore.

“After we slew the corrupted Matriarch, she unleashed a huge wave of corruption and dropped this. The corruption disappeared afterward. Can you tell us more about this crystal? It could be a hint,” Alex asks, for once genuinely seeking the Headmaster’s insight instead of just playing along.

“Curious indeed. This crystal holds traces of dark magic, that much is certain. It could very well be one of the sources of corruption, but since much of the corruption remains, it’s obviously not the only one. Sadly, I can’t tell you much about it myself.

"But you should ask the Centaurs. They’re also affected by the corruption and are undoubtedly studying it. The Forbidden Forest has been their home for centuries, and they will never abandon it,” Dumbledore says.

“Hagrid, fetch one of the older maps of the forest. I’ll try to mark down the location of the Centaur tribe. You should ask them about the crystal if you’re still willing to fight, despite the loss of your comrades,” Dumbledore suggests.

As Hagrid steps inside his hut, Rishi speaks up. “Can you tell us about the wall of corruption inside the forest?”

“Ah, you mean the Acromantula nest. Their lair is surrounded by a massive wall of corrupted webbing. They’ve carved out their own territory, claiming nearly a fifth of the entire forest. They were among the earliest creatures to fall to the corruption. Thankfully, their nest is far from the school.

"You might as well ask Hagrid about them, he knows quite a bit. He can also tell you more about the forest’s layout. But that’s all I can share for now. If you discover anything more, report it to me immediately,” Dumbledore says, his face as warm and kind as ever.

Yet Alex senses something beneath the surface. He’s frustrated.

Probably annoyed that his attempt to pull more information from us failed.

[Side Quest Updated:

Mission: Find out more about the [Corruption Crystal] by asking the centaurs in the Forbidden Forest.

Reward: ???, Increased Mission Rating]

As Dumbledore leaves, Hagrid returns, holding a worn, aged map in his massive hands.

Spreading it out, he explains the general layout of the forest, using a thick finger to trace over key landmarks. Then, he takes a quill and carefully draws a line, outlining the wall of corruption that surrounds the Acromantula nest.

He looks at them sternly, saying in a serious sounding voice:

“Never—ever, venture near that wall, let alone inside the nest. That’s a death sentence. Acromantulas are already dangerous enough… now imagine adding corruption to the mix,” Hagrid warns.

“Didn’t Dumbledore say the Acromantulas were the first creatures in the forest to be affected by corruption?” Alex questions. “Logically speaking, that means their nest could be ground zero for the corruption itself.”

“Ground what now? Ah you mean the corruption started from there? That might be true lad,” Hagrid admits, “but yer can’t enter it. Even Dumbledore won’t go there. Yer best bet is fightin’ the corruption in the forest; maybe that’ll weaken the nest over time. If yer still dead set on going there… at the very least, take the rest of yer hired wizard troop,” Hagrid says firmly.

The group talks a bit longer with Hagrid before Alex finally says, “Hagrid, we’ve got a bunch of things to exchange for Contribution Points. Also… I have a serious question for you. Can you keep a secret? This must stay between us… it’s about beasts. More specifically… eggs.”

Hagrid studies Alex’s expression carefully. Then, a massive grin spreads across his face as he says:

“Yer talkin’ to the right person!”