Fantasy Realm – Infinite Worlds Adventure
Chapter 337: Risk and Reward

[Dream Ticket]

Quality: Deep Purple

Type: World Item / Quest Item

Effect: If activated, forcefully selects an unsuitable world as the next mission target and applies three very serious restrictions on the user, further increasing difficulty. The mission in question will be a solo mission.

Effect: Upon completing the mission, this item will turn into the true Dream Ticket, allowing you to visit a world to fulfill your wish. The wish must be named before activating this item.

Requirements: None

Note: Before Heaven comes Hell.

Note: How far are you willing to go to fulfill your dream?

Note: After activating this item, it will be bound to you.

No Soulmate! This item is too risky!

Oh come on, Jewel… did you think we could just casually select the perfect place for your evolution? This kind of risk is expected. We’re getting this!

As long as it’s not too expensive, of course…

As Snazzik presents the item, the hall falls quiet.

“Now this is a super rare mission item! You see the quality? Have you ever seen an opportunity like this before? Of course, the price reflects it—we’re starting at 300,000 FC!”

Let’s wait and play this carefully… I don’t want to overpay.

Glimmerwhisk turns to look at Alex, giving him a meaningful stare.

“You’re willing to take on these risks, right? I know you are. My advice—don’t bid right now. I don’t think many will pay that price. There’s a good chance you’ll get it cheaper. Trust me.”

“But… if he stops the auction, I’ll miss my chance,” Alex replies, not yet convinced.

“He won’t. This item is a deathtrap for most players. You’re probably the only one really interested in paying hundreds of thousands of FC for the privilege of getting yourself killed. Still—I approve. Investing in your pet is smart. Also, the general rule still applies: the harder the world, the greater the rewards. If you don’t take risks early, you’ll never make it through the Realm. I like your decision. Just don’t disappoint me by dying early, or I’ll get angry.”

Get angry all you want. I’d be fucking dead—not like I’d care at that point. Well… let’s follow her plan then….

“Are you silly players still sleeping? THE BIDDING HAS STARTED! Only 300,000 FC for this Deep Purple [Dream Ticket]—a literal ticket to your dreams!”

The hall stays silent. Veterans in the audience clearly aren’t interested in a high-risk solo mission, while the ones fooled by Snazzik don’t have the FC to be able to afford it.

“Let me caution you. This is a unique opportunity. Your foolish fear and doubts are holding you back. You’re making a huge mistake! This item is priceless! In fact, let me tell you—” Snazzik continues ranting, trying to rouse interest.

Not a single player takes the bait—his tricks clearly not working.

“Fine. 250,000 FC! You’re lucky no one here appreciates this priceless treasure!”

Still no response.

“...”

“...”

“...”

“You know what? 200,000 FC! Last offer! I swear on my name—I won’t go any lower! This is your last chance. Take it or leave it!”

Glimmerwhisk turns back toward Alex. “This guy may act like a fool, but his self-perceived pride is real. I think this is it,” she says with a serious expression.

“1337, bid 200,000 FC. This time keep it anony—!” Alex begins, before catching sight of Glimmerwhisk again.

“Wait,” she says, raising her hand. “If you can openly claim this item, activate it, and make it back—you’ll benefit greatly. You’re already known in the Realm. Build your fame. It’ll serve you well. I’ll handle any fallout or people scheming against you. Trust me—you don’t have to fear anyone yet.”

I trust her… okay, let’s do this then.

“1337, bid 200,000 FC. No need for secrecy,” Alex commands.

“Oh?! We finally have a bid!” Snazzik announces, sounding excited as the number 200,000 FC and 1337 appear over the item.

“Oh, now this is a surprise! A genuine thrill-seeker—a madman among us! Our friend player 1337 is back at it! You might laugh at him, but I’m genuinely impressed. You’ve got to take risks to reap rewards! If you cower in fear like the rest of these pathetic people, you’ll never make it far. Anyone else want to step up?”

“Going once… going twice… fine. SOLD! 200,000 FC to Player 1337! Congratulations! If you survive, I expect a solid contribution to the next open auction—around seven months from now!”

You have lost 200,000 FC.

You have received Dream Ticket.

“Now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for! A Light Gold item that grants a unique innate skill. Looks like One Piece is still riding high in popularity! The third Devil Fruit of the night! Please give it up for our final bid—and our most treasured item: the [Moku Moku no Mi], or the Smoke-Smoke Fruit! Starting bid is 1,500,000 FC. As usual, only those who bid get to see the details. Beggars can cry all they want! We’ll bid in steps of 10,000 FC.”

That’s Smoker’s fruit! A Logia, no less! I need to see the details! Only bidders get to view them—1337, FAST, bid the minimum!

[Understood, Host.]

“Oh? Our friend Player 1337 is bidding again! Will he snag another rare item?”

[Moku Moku no Mi]

World: One Piece

Quality: Light Gold

Requirements: None

Effect: Grants a new innate skill that automatically levels up.

Effect: Allows the user to generate, manipulate, and become smoke, giving the user access to various supernatural abilities. Using these abilities consumes MP, Stamina, or ??? ??? ???.

Effect: As a Logia fruit, this fruit allows the user to become immune to various physical attacks by turning their body into smoke. This ability does not work against special means of attack or spells.

Effect: ???

Effect: ???

Note: Are you willing to accept the curse of the sea?

Note: Don’t get greedy—eating more than one of these fruits is a bad idea.

Note: The devil within does not accept outside help, whether from other fruits or anything else entirely.

I bid on it, yet I still only see a fraction of its effects. I know the general idea, so I can guess what’s hidden—but still. This auction doesn’t let you learn everything about the rarest items for free.

The bids quickly shoot up to 2 million FC, making it impossible for Alex to compete for it further.

Finally, it sells for an astounding 3.6 million FC.

The buyer remains anonymous, so the auction ends on a slightly anticlimactic note.

“Thank you, everyone, for participating in this exciting auction! I’ll see the higher-level players in a few months—and the rest of you in seven months, if you survive that long, haha! Get back to earning those precious FC and be ready to spend them next time—you just might make it far!” Snazzik yells joyfully, clearly still riding the high of selling the fruit for such a staggering sum.

“Glimmerwhisk, if you stumble across an item that would be helpful, please send me a message,” Alex says, a little embarrassed.

“No problem,” she responds casually, not appearing the least bit offended.

Alex exits the venue alongside Glimmerwhisk, bidding farewell to her and her father. Then he walks towards floor 0, planning to meet up with Rishi, Tereza, and Menchi.

While waiting for them, he notices several new messages in the guild chat.

[Player 895: Congratulations 1337! You like to play with fire, huh? I think you fit just fine into this guild.]

[Player 99: Whichever nightmarish world awaits you… I’m still in need of Gold Quality items! Bring them to me! I can pay you with top-tier gear, and I also know a lot of things.]

[Player 17: I concur. Your next mission will be quite difficult. Remember—I’m always in need of various organs and bones. I foresee death and carnage, which suits me just fine. Bring me as much as you can carry!]

[Player 41691: You’re new to the Realm, 1337, right? Let me warn you: don’t hold back. You’re in for a real challenge this time.]

[Player 1337: Thanks, everyone. I’ll be just fine. You’ll be the first people I trade with after my mission!]

Soon after, his friends arrive. They find one of the last remaining free rooms—barely squeezing in, as the Realm is packed today.

“Congratulations, Alex! You earned a fortune!” Tereza says, clearly excited, though a hint of sadness lingers in her voice.

“What’s wrong? Don’t tell me it’s still about the fruit? Yeah, I know it’s worth a fortune—so you better use it to grow as strong as possible. I expect you to glow gold the next time you enter our guildhouse,” Alex says with a grin.

Tereza meets his eyes and smiles, her expression warm and proud. “You bet I will! Still… I’m grateful. You won’t regret giving me that fruit.”

She’s grown a little more confident. I like it.

“Well… two things. How the hell am I ever going to spend all that money? I could give some to Menchi, but…”

“I have enough FC myself. In fact, I’m constantly earning more and investing into new foods, though nothing worth sharing with you yet. I wanted to give you 20,000 FC since I’m slowly building up a little fortune,” Menchi says with a weak grin.

“Yeah, those 20,000 won’t help me much… keep them and keep going, you are doing fine.”

“There are various guilds and players who’ll try to sell you rare—but overpriced—items. I’ll keep an eye out, it might be worth overspending this once,” Rishi informs Alex.

“I guess I could buy skills for Jewel or try to find upgrades for Menchi. Her armor’s still Light-Blue, so that could use some improvement,” Alex considers, unsure what to do.

“Before that… your mission item. I’m interested,” Rishi says.

“I have to activate it. It’ll lock me into a world that’s unsuitable for me, with three extra restrictions. But the reward? The most suitable world for Jewel to evolve! Let me show you the details again,” Alex explains, showing the [Dream Ticket] to the others.

“I guess you’ll have to activate it to learn more. You still have time left. By the time you go, I’ll hopefully be done with my mission. Same for Rishi,” Tereza says, sounding a little nervous.

Alex steps outside for a minute and loudly yells:

“1337! Use the [Dream Ticket]! No need to hold back now that I spent 200,000 on it!”

[Acknowledged, Host. However, activating this item will forcefully lock your next mission, and you can’t avoid it. Do you want to proceed?]

“Not a good sign if 1337 is warning me… but I need to do this! Go ahead, 1337!” Alex says with determination.

The Dream Ticket in Alex’s hand glows, dozens of players witnessing it. Immediately he returns back into the room as he reads the notifications appearing in front of him.

[Dream Ticket activating]

[Selecting World: Mass Effect]

[Restrictions:

Restriction 1: No pets are allowed on board. Your pet will be limited to the Citadel and can’t accompany you to different worlds. Jewel will be treated as a Non-combat Supporter for this mission alone.

Restriction 2: No combat Supporters. You can’t designate any Supporter as a combat Supporter for the next mission. If already set, that effect will temporarily deactivate and re-activate after the mission is completed.

Restriction 3: Primitive Soldier – Additional malus when using any type of firearm, further reducing accuracy.]

“Well, fuck!” Alex blurts out, unable to summarize his situation any other way.

“I’d like to think I can still use pistols just fine… with my stats, I’ll be okay. But I guess I won’t be an ace shooter,” Alex mutters.

Soulmate!! Jewel is so sorry! Soulmate has to complete this mission all alone!

“I’m fine… I was fine on my own before too. Being protected by you and Menchi made me soft. It’s time for a solo trip. I’m actually kinda excited. And you two will still be in the same world. Looks like you’ll both stay on the Citadel. Don’t get lazy—you’ve got jobs to do.

“Menchi, Mass Effect is a highly advanced scientific world with tons of unique alien species. This is your shot to improve your skills. It might be your only one. Compared to Naruto, this place offers endless opportunities.”

Also no cock block around this time, hehe.

“Focus on your mission. Jewel and I won’t laze around. We’ll gather as many resources as possible. Don’t get all weepy, Jewel. If you’re grateful to Alex, then work your spider-butt off and support me!” Menchi says firmly.

Princess Jewel understands…

“Now… I’ve got some stuff to do before it’s time to go!” Alex says with a grin.

Time to spend that money!