Fantasy Realm – Infinite Worlds Adventure

Alex smiles, snaps into a military salute, and lines up like a proper soldier in front of Ben. “Soldier Kerber, reporting for duty!” he declares, his tone playful but respectful.

The soldiers, caught off guard by Alex’s antics, burst into laughter. Even Ben cracks a wide smile, clearly amused.

“Hehe, not bad! At ease!” Ben says, his voice warm and approving. “I like that. Despite your obvious power, you’re not arrogant. You’re definitely promising. If you’re looking for a guild, we should talk at the end of the mission. But right now, I’m interested in making a little deal with you and your team.” His expression remains friendly, but there’s a hint of seriousness in his tone.

Rishi and Tereza step forward, and Rishi immediately cuts to the chase. “Is this about your earlier offer? An equal exchange of information?”

“Yeah,” Ben replies, nodding. “To be totally honest, we did a little investigating. You tried to hide it, but we obviously know your female companion can transform into a giant bat. You know, that sounds like a Devil Fruit ability—pretty incredible to meet someone like you during the Tutorial Phase of the Realm. I’ve been told such items don’t exist here.”

Alex grins, his tone light but curious. “No offense, but I’m kinda surprised you know about this stuff. Looks can be deceiving, but it feels weird hearing you talk about it.”

Ben gestures to a young man in his late twenties standing beside him. The man wears glasses and looks fit, though leaner than the others. He raises his hand slightly, looking a bit embarrassed. “This is Richard. He’s a total nerd, gets endlessly mocked for it, but he doesn’t even try to hide it. Anyway, he’s our most important member, in charge of information. Trust me, there isn’t a world he doesn’t know about.”

Tereza tilts her head, her curiosity piqued but her tone carrying a hint of challenge. “So, you saw me flying around? What’s your point? Are you trying to blackmail us with that information?”

Ben holds up his hands in a placating gesture. “No, hold on a minute there, lady. Way more important than your ability is the direction we spotted you flying—deep into the forest. You took down a corrupted Thornback nest, right? I figure you must have a lot of information to trade by now, especially if you can fly through the forest like that.”

He pauses, his expression turning serious. “My group has some very valuable information, and we’d be willing to trade. Trust me, it’ll blow your mind.”

“Give us a minute,” Rishi says, gently lifting his hands and placing them on Tereza’s and Alex’s shoulders. He guides them a short distance away, out of earshot of the soldiers.

Once they’re far enough, Alex speaks up. “We should share our information about the Acromantulas and the Centaur camp, including its location.”

Tereza raises an eyebrow, her tone skeptical. “Really? That’s valuable intel. Most people would probably take a long time to discover the Centaur camp—if they manage to find it at all.”

Rishi looks at Alex with a knowing smile. “Alex, can you explain why you want to go that far?” His tone is casual, but his expression suggests he already has an idea of what Alex will say.

Alex chuckles, shaking his head. “I get the feeling you’re making a game out of guessing what I’ll say and do next.” Rishi just smiles in response, neither confirming nor denying.

Alex takes a deep breath, gathering his thoughts before explaining his logic:

“First of all, I like these guys. They’re no-nonsense types: honest, competent, and reasonable. Plus, the more people cleansing Acromantulas, the better our chances of completing the main mission and possibly unlocking a way into the Acromantula nest. We’ve already bought everything we need from the Centaurs, right? Any future [Champion’s Tokens] or [Warrior Tokens] will just go toward random items, giving us minor upgrades or stuff to sell. It’s not a big deal for us. Even if they deceive us, we lose nothing. They might gain something, but they’ll also lose the chance to team up with us in the future. I don’t think they’re bluffing. And honestly… my experience tells me that you should generally give people the benefit of the doubt. If you like them and they betray your trust, you strike back hard and never give them a second chance. The whole Roja situation made that crystal clear—once a traitor, always a traitor. These soldiers, though? They haven’t been overly friendly, but they were honest last time. I feel like it’s worth trusting them for now. If they deceive us, we’ll adjust our approach.”

“That sounds good, Alex. Looks like you’ve grown a little, huh?” Tereza says with a smile, leaning back against him and resting her head on his shoulder.

Alex can’t help but gently wrap his arm around her neck, resting his head on top of hers. Tereza smiles and closes her eyes for a moment, savoring the quiet connection.

“If you’re done flirting, I’d like to get back to our discussion. Also, the soldiers are watching your little performance,” Rishi says, his tone amused but pointed.

Tereza blushes, straightens up, and glances toward the soldiers, who are whistling and grinning at her.

Well, it’s not that embarrassing, honestly.

“Anyway, Alex,” Rishi continues, “what you’re saying isn’t wrong, but it requires a leap of faith. Contracts don’t work in this world, so my approach would be radically different. I wouldn’t share a thing. They’re most likely bluffing, and without contracts, this is just a gamble.”

“Sometimes, you need to believe in people,” Alex counters. “My gut says it’s a good idea, especially since we have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Even if we tell them what we know, it won’t hurt us. They might gain something for free, but it doesn’t outright harm us. These aren’t high stakes, in my opinion.”

“They’re complicated people,” Rishi says, his tone thoughtful. “Don’t be deceived by stereotypes. I can’t predict what’ll happen, so we might as well trust your gut, Alex. You do the talking, and I’ll focus on learning as much as my ability allows me to see.”

Alex nods at his two comrades, and they slowly return to the group of soldiers.

“You know,” Ben says, his tone teasing, “I thought you were discussing our offer, but were you just showing off your lovely girlfriend? That’s kinda disrespectful. I’m feeling a bit jealous, spending the next few months with these sweaty guys while you’ve got such a beauty next to you. No offense, Alex, but hey, girl, if you ever—”

“Rejected!” Tereza interrupts with a huge, slightly scary grin.

Ben sighs, muttering, “Would’ve been too good to be true…”

“Anyway, Ben,” Alex says, cutting through the banter, “enough bullshit. A lot’s happened, and we’re a bit tired. But we accept your offer. Why don’t you join us in our house? It’s quite spacious after… everything that’s happened.” His tone carries a subtle reminder that they’re not people to be taken lightly.

“Hehe, sure,” Ben says, signaling to his comrades to follow Alex and his group into the house.

Rishi, Tereza, Ben, and his group settle into the living room, sitting on a few chairs and the old couch. Alex heads to the kitchen and returns with a bunch of Butterbeers he’d bought in Hogsmeade, offering them to everyone.

“Thanks, man. This looks pretty good,” one of the soldiers says, accepting a bottle.

“Butterbeer! Thank you! I’ve wanted to try this so bad,” Richard, the nerdy soldier, says with a huge grin.

The group opens the bottles and takes a drink. Most of them have joyful expressions, but Ben and one other soldier look weirded out.

“What kind of children’s cocktail is this? This drink doesn’t deserve the name ‘beer.’ This is for women and kids,” Ben’s comrade says, his face scrunched in confusion.

“Yeah, is there even alcohol in it, this is just sugar and water,” Ben adds, though he takes another sip anyway.

“Better to stay sober while we’re talking business, right?” Alex responds with a shrug.

“Fair enough,” Ben says, setting his bottle down. “So, are you interested in exchanging info? The piece of information we have to offer is very valuable. Along with that, we’re also open to trading items. We’ll promise not to share the same info with the other teams. Trust me, right now, only we know this, and until a certain time passes, no one else can obtain it. That means you’ll be guaranteed to reap the benefits, and they’re huge. You’d cry if you reject this offer, trust me!”

“Sure, no need to act like a snake-oil salesman, I have… bad experiences. Just tell it like it is; I’ll trust you on this,” Alex says, leaning forward slightly. “We can offer you three pieces of information. Two of them aren’t that valuable but are still useful to know. The third, though, is very valuable.” He pauses, then adds, “Why don’t I share the two less valuable pieces first, and then you can share yours? After that, I’ll tell you the last piece. If you’re really unhappy, you can always decide to share it with the other teams. But I’ll tell you right now—you won’t. I’m pretty confident in the value of our information.”

Ben grins, clearly pleased. “Sounds fair. No bullshitting, straight to the point. We have a deal!”

“Okay, first of all,” Alex begins, “there are large Acromantulas all over the Forbidden Forest. They’re usually in the treetops, and they’re incredibly dangerous, with around 200 to 300 HP each, depending on their size. But they’re weak to fire, and as long as you work together and only engage one at a time, you should be fine. They always drop something called a [Gem of Corruption], which can be converted into a special type of currency. You can use it to buy a lot of high-quality items, including some Deep Blue ones. I’ll give you the details on that after we hear your piece of intel. Anyway, you’ll need to figure out how to lure them down or snipe them, depending on your fighting style. I’ll leave the method of extermination up to you.”

One of the soldiers leans forward, his excitement palpable. “That’s a good start. Interesting.”

Ben nods, his expression thoughtful. “It’s solid intel, but not quite enough. Go on with the second piece.”

“Killing those Acromantulas and exchanging their drops for the currency I mentioned slowly cleanses the forest’s corruption,” Alex continues. “If we can reduce the corruption to a certain level, we’ll not only complete the first part of our main quest but also unlock the possibility of exploring a secret dungeon.”

“The Acromantula Nest… behind that wall of corruption you mentioned,” Ben says, his interest clearly piqued.

“If we take it on and if things stay this cooperative between us, we might want to team up,” Alex adds.

Ben leans back, looking satisfied. “I’m good with this information. It’s our turn now, but… I pass!” He stands up abruptly and walks toward the door, as if trying to leave the house.

REALLY?!

Only to return five seconds later with a grin. “Gotcha! Haha, of course, we won’t go back on our deal.”

“...”

This guy's look and first impression are quite deceiving! He’s a joker.

Tereza crosses her arms, clearly annoyed. “You know, your type of humor is not quite what I expected.”

The other soldiers exchange awkward glances, some laughing nervously. “That’s our boss… his sense of humor is just… unique,” one of them mutters.

Ben chuckles, clearly unbothered by the reaction. “Anyway, our secret is a path to Diagon Alley,” he says with a smile, dropping the bombshell casually.