Fantasy Realm – Infinite Worlds Adventure-Chapter 284: Reconciliation, Dark Paths, and World Domination
Alex stares at Melissa, dumbfounded.
It takes him less than a second to respond. “No way in hell. Whatever you think about me, I don’t care. There’s only one situation where I’d ever consider ‘selling’ Menchi—not that she’s something to be sold in the first place.”
“Oh? And what would that be? You want even more FC or some rare items?” Melissa retorts with a knowing smile. “Name your price, scumbag.”
Menchi chimes in, wrapping an arm around Alex’s shoulder. “The only situation where he’d ‘sell’ me to another player is if I asked him to. Frankly, that option might as well not exist, because I’ll never ask for something like that.” She looks at Melissa, her voice firm. “You seem to be under the wrong impression here. I’m perfectly happy. In fact, I couldn’t think of anyone I’d rather be with—so please, drop this, okay?”
“You… are you sure?” Melissa eyes her with concern. “This scumbag might force you into all kinds of perverted acts.”
If she only knew…
Alex sighs loudly while Menchi bursts into laughter.
“I think you’ve got it backwards,” Menchi says, still giggling. “I don’t know why you have such a bad impression of my cute ‘owner,’ as you call him. I’d say it’s the other way around. He’s my adorable student—always obeying my whims and taking very good care of me.”
“Really?” Melissa looks at Alex with a hint of doubt. “But he insulted Misty… How can you like—no, even defend—someone like that?”
“I already told you—I don’t like the damn anime character. And honestly, I don’t even know your Misty. There are, like, a dozen different Mistys in Pokemon, and she looks at least six to ten years older than the one I remember. Please, calm down…” Alex exhales. “Also, I’m sorry for snapping at you. I was kinda stressed, worrying about other stuff… Menchi being one big reason.”
A long pause. Then, begrudgingly, Melissa crosses her arms.
“…Fine! Apology accepted. But don’t think I’ll forget! I’ll remember your face!” She huffs before turning to Menchi. “And Menchi—whenever you get tired of hanging out with this guy, come to me!”
“Goodbye!” Misty chimes in cheerfully. “I think Melissa had a lot of fun—thank you for that!” She grins as she waves.
“MISTY! Come on already!” Melissa’s frustrated voice echoes from down the street.
Still smirking, Misty gives a final wave before strolling after her.
“In anime, people like her are called tsunderes,” Alex comments. “In any case, I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful about what I say in the future. Seems like this place is filled with all kinds of nutjobs—probably from all the stress.”
“You sure seem like the type who likes tsunderes, though, Alex,” Tereza teases, placing a hand on his shoulder.
“I’ll show you a game later with my favorite tsundere!” Alex declares. “She’s got dyed blonde hair, twin tails, and is… well, let’s save that for later.” He doesn’t even care how silly the topic is.
Michiru is the best!
After a moment of thought, Alex looks at his friends and shares his decision. “I think it’s time to head home for now. There’s still tons of stuff I wanna do—upgrading my skills, checking out how guilds and item ranks work, and, most importantly, looking at the market. But that can wait a day or two, right? Also, Jewel is still asleep. I want her to rest first.”
“I need to leave as well,” Rishi replies dryly. “It’s been a few weeks, and business doesn’t take care of itself. I’ll need all the funds I can get. I’ve got some grand ambitions—not just in the Realm, but in the real world, too.”
“I don’t particularly care either way,” Tereza shrugs. “But I’ll stick with you, Alex. Don’t think that just because you tore up my contract, you’ll get rid of me! You’re never shaking me off… I’ll haunt you for the rest of my life and should you seek escape in death, I won’t be far behind,” She smirks mischievously. “I also have to show my gratitude for everything you’ve done for me, after all.” Her eyes gleam as she watches him like a predator eyeing prey.
“…You can act tough all you want,” Alex responds with a small smile, “but after everything we’ve been through, I know you better than that.”
After that night in the Forest, she’s getting cuter and cuter—she can do her best to appear like she’s in control, but it’s just a facade.
The group makes their way back toward the Player Tower—an unmistakable landmark due to its sheer, overwhelming height.
“This tower looks impressive,” Menchi comments, eyeing the structure. “However… it’s built rather strangely.”
“What do you mean?” Alex and Tereza ask at the same time—only to glance at each other, both slightly blushing as they realize, yet again, they’ve shared a single brain cell.
“Is it about the floor construction?” Rishi asks, a slight knowing smile on his lips.
“Yeah. The way it’s built is weird,” Menchi says, crossing her arms. “The lower floors are much taller, taking up three to five times as much space as the middle floors. But when I look at the top floors, my brain just… can’t comprehend the structure at all. The tower looks like it gets slimmer the higher it goes, but at the same time, the top floors feel like they’re actually the thickest. I know that sounds contradictory, but I can’t describe it any other way.”
“Floors 0 to 4 are large community floors,” Alex explains. “Like we experienced in the world of Harry Potter, the space inside the tower is way bigger than it looks from the outside. Some kind of space manipulation is at work.”
“Exactly,” Rishi agrees. “The top floors should only have room for a small number of players, realistically speaking, but there’s bound to be some hidden mechanics we don’t know about. The only way to find out is to reach them.”
“Couldn’t we just ask other players?” Tereza scoffs, shaking her head. “This is silly.”
“Boring approach,” Menchi declares with a grin. “Let’s find out for ourselves! Hunters always have a target!”
As they reach the Player Tower and ascend back to the fifth floor, they make a surprising discovery—their rooms are all next to each other.
“That’s convenient!” Tereza cries out in delight.
“Well… let’s talk later. We’ll use the app Rishi built to keep the connection secure,” Alex suggests.
“I’ll be busy for a while,” Rishi announces in a chillingly calm voice. “This Realm has inspired me to work harder and act more decisively. I’ll be… occupied writing a few names a day. There are certain people standing in the way of my business.”
“…”
“…”
“…”
Menchi’s playful demeanor vanishes. Her expression darkens as she speaks with the weight of her experience as a single-star Hunter. “It’s not my place to intervene in your private life. However…” She pauses, her gaze sharp. “You better think carefully about your goals—not just rationally, but in a way you can live with for the rest of your life. Once you truly step onto this path, there’s no turning back.”
“Even if you don’t believe me now, you will understand it later. The moment you kill for financial gain—not for something gray like survival or advantages in the Realm, but pure profit—you’ll feel it. Your entire being will be permanently changed… warped… twisted. And usually, for people who go down that path? Their stories don’t end well.”
Rishi smirks, completely unfazed. “Well, you rather naively assume I haven’t done these things before. Anyway, thank you for the advice. I’ll take it into consideration. If I can just control their minds, I’ll spare whatever husks of their bodies remain. Only those I can’t control will end up in my notebook.” He turns away. “I’ll talk to you soon.”
Without another word, he enters his room.
Alex watches him disappear, a storm of thoughts brewing in his mind.
“I seriously hope he doesn’t turn into a real-life Kira,” Alex mutters under his breath. “Though, unlike Light, he wouldn’t be some nihilistic idiot who wants the world to know about it. And despite his method being limited to heart attacks, if he uses it wisely—say, taking out both pilots of a certain CEO’s private jet—the bodies will probably never be found if the plane goes down over the Atlantic.
“With his IQ, he’d get away with it.” Alex concludes.
Alex swallows, equal parts worried, scared… and a little bit intrigued by the possibilities.
Rich people are usually bad people…. Not like I’d go out of my way to save his business rivals. Still, this is not a path I’d ever consider for myself. Anyway he’s always honest with us. I like that… he might go down a terrifyingly dark path, but his position and loyalty to the group remain unshaken.
“Let’s forget about it for now. Let’s go home, Alex!”
Tereza pulls him into a long, intimate kiss before quickly retreating into her room.
“…Well, looks like I’m no longer her target,” Menchi comments with a grin. “She only told me bits and pieces of what happened, but whatever you did, thanks for it.” She stretches, looking more relaxed than she has in days. “I had fun playing around for a bit, but that kind of thing isn’t really for me. It was an interesting experience nonetheless. Let’s go home too.”
Alex nods. With a still-sleeping Jewel on his head and Menchi at his side, he enters his room.
“See you later, 1337!” he calls out as he and Menchi hold hands and step onto the portal.
[See you soon, Host.]
