Fantasy Realm – Infinite Worlds Adventure-Chapter 282: Insurance, Investments, Indecencies and Insults

As Alex approaches the counter, he notices a few workers behind it.

One of them immediately steps forward with a wide smile.

It’s a woman, seemingly around 40 years old, with the polished appearance of a seasoned secretary. Tall, with brown hair neatly tied into a teardrop braid, her expression is polite yet distant.

"Welcome, players. How may I help you today?" she asks professionally, seemingly quite experienced in her job.

Alex shrugs, glances around to make sure no one else is nearby aside from Tereza and Rishi, then gestures toward Jewel. "I’d like you to release my friend, please."

Inside the cage, Jewel’s red eyes glisten as if she’s been crying.

"Of course. Do I have permission to check your ownership details? Don’t worry—your privacy is guaranteed by the system," the receptionist assures him in a calm voice.

"Sure," Alex replies, deciding to trust the system.

A floating screen appears in front of her as she quickly scans through the data.

"Let’s see… Player Alex Kerber, level 5… and already a pet? That’s quite rare. This is a special case," she muses.

"Why is he a special case?" Rishi asks.

"Player Alex Kerber, do I have your permission to share details with your two comrades?"

Alex nods. "Go ahead."

"Typically, players are much higher level when they obtain their first pet. Pets can only be recruited using special items, which are usually acquired in higher-level worlds. These items either allow you to recruit a specific type of pet or, in rare cases, a pet of your choice. It seems you've obtained a special item of at least Gold rarity that allowed you to bypass these restrictions. Since this item appears to be world-specific, your pet isn’t registered with the Realm. The same principle also applies to followers by the way," the worker explains.

Alex sighs. His LUK stat is truly a double-edged sword.

My LUK is such a blessing… but it always finds ways to make things complicated.

"So, can I register her now?" he asks.

"Of course. Usually, pets need to be restrained in the Realm. However, I detect that your pet possesses an intelligence comparable to humans, which would warrant an exception and allow her free movement," the worker responds.

As she approaches Jewel’s cage, a screen floats in front of her. She scans Jewel, reading the details aloud:

Jewel: Lvl 5

Relationship: Worshipped (Maximum - Can’t be lowered or increased)

Rarity: Gold

HP: 280/280, MP: 230/230, AURA 232/232

STR: 15 (+3), AGI: 15 (+3), PHY: 15 (+3), SNS: 15 (+3), CHA: 15 (+3), MNA: 15 (+3), INT: 15 (+3) SPR: 15 (+3), LUK: 15 (+3), NEN: 15 (+3)

Innate Skills: Thornback Conquering Trailblaizer lvl MAX, Nen Prodigy lvl 5 (Limitless Legacy lvl 5, Basic Nen lvl 5, Advanced Nen lvl 5)

Thornback Legacy: Thornback Poison lvl 5, Thornback Poison Spit lvl 5, Thornback Web shoot lvl 5, Thornback Burrow lvl 5, Thornback Bite lvl 5

Free Skill Slots: 3/4

Skills: Arachmagic Eight-Spear Style lvl 0

Special Skill: Telepathic Bond lvl MAX

This peasant dares to treat Princess Jewel like a mere peasant pet? Princess Jewel is offended!

Please bear with it, Jewel… we can’t attack workers. Stay calm. We’ll be out of here soon. Oh, and congratulations on reaching level 5! Was it because we cleared the mission? Looks like there are different ways to level up.

Thank you, Dearest Soulmate. ❤️ Princess Jewel will try to stay calm, but only because you asked her to, Dearest Soulmate. ❤️

"I apologize for my earlier assessment, which was wrong," the worker says after a pause. "However, she is free to leave with you."

The moment the cage opens, Jewel immediately jumps into Alex’s arms. He catches her with ease, giving her a gentle hug and stroking her back.

Tereza, smiling, gives Jewel a polite tap, which she accepts happily before briefly jumping into her arms as well.

"You said you were wrong," Rishi interjects. "Then why is she still allowed to leave?"

"Hey, Rishi! Don’t question it when it works in our favor," Tereza chimes in.

"This pet’s intellect surpasses 99.9% of humans," the worker explains, her tone slightly surprised. "Naturally, she doesn’t need to be restrained, as she’s more than capable of making rational-informed decisions and can be held responsible for her actions, without disadvantaging her like other pets who depend on instinct alone."

"You really are something, Jewel," Alex comments. "Not that I didn’t already know, but being officially labeled as smarter than nearly all humans is insane."

The receptionist clears her throat. "Is there anything else you require, player?"

"Well… I’m not sure. What kind of services do you offer here?" Alex asks, genuinely curious.

"We provide several services," she explains. "Pets can level up their skills here, and we also sell a selection of skills, though they are limited to Green quality. Additionally, we offer the option to unlearn unwanted pet skills, but this service requires 25,000 FC. We also sell certain pets, provide top-tier pet care, and lastly, we offer pet insurance."

Alex recalls Jewel’s newest skill.

[Arachmagic Eight-Spear Style]

Requirements: Eight spears or spear-like objects

Quality: Light Gold

Leveling Requirements: 1 Soul Crystal, 2,000 Fantasy Coins + 500 per level

Effects: +20% accuracy, speed, and damage with spears or spear-like objects, with an additional 10% increase per level.

Effects: Allows the user to enhance any spear or spear-like object with magic, drastically increasing the offensive and defensive properties of the item by up to 20% + 5% per level.

MP Cost: 10 MP per minute + 1 per level.

Note: The natural, but practically impossible, evolution of a human combat style, requires eight spears.

Without hesitation, Alex immediately grabs five Soul Crystals and 15,000 FC, placing everything on the counter.

"Upgrade [Arachmagic Eight-Spear Style] to level 5!" he demands with a grin.

"Certainly," the worker responds with a polite smile.

She approaches Jewel, who looks a bit scared, and decides to quickly jump back onto Alex’s head. Shortly after, the worker activates her screen, and Jewel begins to glow before falling asleep. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

Princess Jewel… so sleepy…

"Your pet will stay asleep for a while. It shouldn’t take long," the worker reassures Alex, noticing his worried expression.

"I’m also interested in the insurance you mentioned. What’s that about?" Alex asks.

"If your pet dies during a mission, it will be permanently deleted from the Realm. Insurance allows you to revive it for a modest fee. The cost is 1,000 FC per pet level for each mission you take your pet on, and it must be purchased before the mission starts. Alternatively, you can buy lifetime insurance for 50,000 FC, which is a very reasonable sum in the long run," the worker explains patiently.

This isn’t even a question!

Without hesitation, Alex pays the 50,000 FC for lifetime insurance—Jewel’s survival is more important than anything else. He glances up at her, still sleeping peacefully on his head.

Jewel’s value surpasses that of a mere pet, and his bond with her runs much deeper. To him, she’s family, and if securing her safety only costs Fantasy Coins, it’s a price he’s more than willing to pay.

"In the long run, this is a no-brainer. You could’ve maybe waited for a mission or two, but I suppose it’s fine," Rishi comments.

"Before we leave, can you show me what skills you have available for pets?" Alex asks the worker, curious if he should invest a little more into his sleeping friend.

The worker brings up a list of available skills. Most are white-quality, with a few green ones. Prices range from 5,000 FC to 30,000 FC. Among the options, Alex sees generic skills like Bite, Sprint, and Harden, but also some more interesting ones, like Growl, which intimidates enemies into attacking the pet.

These skills are all mediocre and overpriced. They remind me of pet skills from World of Warcraft and Pokémon. Plus, I’d have to upgrade them five times, making them an even bigger investment. Unlearning a skill is expensive, too. Most importantly, Jewel already has access to far stronger abilities. I think I’ll pass on these lower-tier skills.

"Pass, Alex! These skills are trash!" Tereza says bluntly. Rishi nods in agreement.

"Yeah, I know," Alex says before turning back to the worker. "Anyway, thanks for your help. I’ll be back soon!"

“Thank you for your patronage,” she says and slightly bows towards Alex.

The group quickly leaves the Pet-Hub. Despite spending a fortune, Alex feels relieved. A weight has been lifted from his shoulders now that he knows Jewel can be saved—even in the worst-case scenario. It might cost him a lot, but it’s the best security he could hope for.

As they move on, Alex suddenly freezes in place, his eyes widening in shock.

Two young women walk past them, entering the large building right next to the Pet-Hub.

"DID YOU SEE THAT?!" Alex asks, excitement in his voice.

"Those girls?" Tereza replies. "Kinda cute. I liked the one with orange hair and the side-ponytail. She’s just perfect—but her tits are kinda small. Anyway, I’d love to tease her about it—verbally and physically." She smirks with a naughty expression.

"I loathe games this basic, but If my memory doesn’t betray me I think Alex’s point was that one of the women was a rather well-known Supporter," Rishi says dryly, ignoring Tereza’s joke.

"Misty from Pokémon! How the fuck are you guys so calm about this? Anyway it’s kinda awesome that you can recruit all these famous characters, at least in terms of popularity she’s destroying Menchi. Anyway, that has to be the Supporter-Hub. I need to get Menchi too, so let’s go inside."

"Careful," Rishi warns. "That player must be strong if she managed to recruit Misty. Best not to offend her."

"Really? What does she have aside from looks and fame?" Alex scoffs. "I think Misty is either Green or Light-Blue quality at most—not even worth recruiting, especially with her shitty personality."

The moment those words leave his mouth, the doors of the Supporter-Hub swing open. The female player who had been with Misty storms toward Alex, her eyes blazing with anger.

"You! How dare you talk down to my dear Misty?!" she shouts, pointing an accusatory finger at him.

Shit…