Alex and Menchi slowly descend the tower. The sights are the same as always. From time to time, they see a few players walking around, either alone or in small groups. The lower they go, the more people they meet.
As they reach the ground floor, they head towards the exit. Finally, they walk toward the city center, seeing the various buildings in the distance.
They reach the Supporter Hub close to the center. As they're about to enter, they get stopped by a bunch of players camping in front of it.
"Hello there, I see you have a fine Supporter with you! Menchi, from the Hunter world, right? We're willing to buy her for 250,000 FC, and we'll even pay for the transfer," a man says, appearing to be interested.
Fuck off. Flies!
Alex ignores him and enters the building, the man gnashing his teeth in anger but resigning himself to Alex's rejection.
Inside the building, he doesn't see any players—or Supporters, for that matter. The only person is the very same elderly gentleman, dressed as a butler, whom he encountered last time.
"Welcome back, sir. I see you and your Supporter are doing well," he says, slightly bowing.
"You remember me?" Alex asks, slightly surprised.
"The Realm is large, with tens of thousands of players—however, do not think just anyone is able to recruit a Supporter. Especially someone like your lovely companion is the exception. Of course I remember you. I hope you are doing fine, milady," he says, bowing.
"Hehe, yes, I am! Thank you!" Menchi says with a grin.
"What is the reason for your purpose today, sir?" he finally asks.
"..." Alex sighs. "I guess I want to pick up my new Supporter."
"Congratulations, so you recruited another Supporter? Is it the one that arrived just a few moments ago?" the butler asks.
Should be!
Alex nods.
"I will bring him to you shortly, just a second," he says, disappearing.
"Wait—him?!" Alex asks.
Moments later, the butler returns, accompanied by a short, fat, bearded man.
"Tonpa!" Alex says, clearly surprised.
"It's that fat cheater from the exam!" Menchi notes with a laugh.
"Who are you people?! Wait, you're that examiner!" Tonpa says, looking confused.
Alex turns toward the butler. "Uhm, excuse me… You moved a little too fast. I didn't recruit this idiot. He's probably just a Green Quality Supporter."
"Light Green," the butler states, slightly ashamed. "But the only other Supporter is… Lady Benezia?! Let me check your data!"
The butler opens a system screen and then looks like he's seen a ghost. "Sir… you are quite the accomplished player. A Deep Purple Supporter… at the current market price, you could sell someone like Benezia for around 10 million FC. An impressive accomplishment."
"How… how is she? You said last time Menchi was waiting in a luxurious room," Alex says.
"She is fine, sir. Still not used to her new body, but aside from that, she looks composed," the butler says.
"New body?" Menchi asks.
"A few Supporters, depending on their Rank and circumstances, appear different in the Realm than in the world you recruited them from. Not all characters revert to their prime condition, however—arguably, that's the case for Benezia. Her mind was heavily brainwashed, and her body was in bad condition. She is now a few decades younger, with a body and mind that are in their best condition. All wounds, blemishes, or injuries have also been removed. I have to say, this Supporter, like Menchi, has never appeared in the Realm. You have achieved something great, sir."
Body… Princess Jewel does not like the sound of this!
"Excuse me, I'll escort her to you," the butler finally says.
A few moments later, a slightly younger-looking Benezia, wearing her black Matriarch gown, appears—reminding Alex of his previous encounter with her on Noveria.
Alex can't help but stare at her. Her face looks visibly younger, with an even light-blue tone. Her previous blemishes, most likely due to age, are nowhere to be seen. Her eyes also look more youthful and curious.
Alex sighs as he feels Jewel's legs shaking on his head, making him feel like he's being assaulted by a cactus, wildly rolling on his head.
"Cut it out, Jewel," Alex whispers, holding back his annoyance.
Benezia curiously eyes Alex, Jewel on his head, and then Menchi, who behaves weirdly, just staring at her in shock, not moving at all.
Alex clears his throat and begins to speak. "It's nice to meet you… again. Do you remember me?"
"Yes, I do," she replies calmly.
"Are you… okay?" Alex asks. "This situation must be overwhelming for you. I don't know how much you've been told by the gentleman running this place." He then glances at the butler.
"Merely a few details. I'll leave it up to you to tell her the situation. In any case, do you wish to proceed in claiming your Supporter?" the butler asks.
"Go ahead," Alex says.
[Congratulations, Host, Benezia has become your Supporter!]
[Supporter Benezia (belonging to player 1337) has joined the guild]
[Player 41691: What?! This guy actually made it? You better pay me for my earlier advice! I also got a few more leads on secret stores to sell!]
[Vice-Leader Ziyou: Welcome!]
[Guild-Leader Qingfeng: Welcome, it is a pleasure to meet you. Once you have settled down, I'd love to get to know you, Lady Benezia.]
[Player 99: Are you back 1337? That went faster than I anticipated. I told you to bring me Gold-Quality items and not expand your Harem, have you been listening?]
[Player 1337: Shut up with your gold quality items 99, if I find any I don't need, I'll call you… and sell it to you for twice the market price!]
[Player 99: …]
[Menchi: Player 17, I've got something for you! Let's meet in a few days!]
[Player 17: Good child, I'm eagerly awaiting your message.]
[Player 895: Damn, you are on fire 1337. That is impressive! I'll send you a message later. I have a request. You see, it was always my dream to … you know … do it with an Asari.]
[Player 895 has been muted by Guild-Leader Qingfeng. Duration: 48 hours.]
[Player 895 has been fined 5,000 FC. To regain guild privileges, please pay the fine.]
[Player 6543: Hey, 1337, I have a request!]
[Player 6543: Oh… Never mind…]
Alex sighs, ignoring the chaotic guild chat.
Looks like Rishi and Tereza are not in the Realm. I'll call them later.
"Sorry about that… this must all be weird and surprising to you. Let's leave this place and go to my place." Alex says, eying Benezia curiously, reading the messages on a screen in front of her.
"You are planning to take me to your place, Human, do I hear correctly?" Benezia responds, staring at Alex.
"...For now, please trust me. You'll be fine, and nothing bad will happen," Alex responds.
"Your words are not persuasive. Trust is earned. For my people, it takes decades to even begin building something resembling the trust you speak of," Benezia says, staring into Alex's eyes. "However, your case is special. I have seen what you did to fight Saren and what you did for my daughter. I will trust you… for now."
Menchi slowly approaches Benezia and smiles. "It is nice to meet you, Lady Benezia. I am Menchi. Not too long ago, I was in exactly the same position you find yourself in. I'd love to help you get used to life in the Realm! You can trust me, the possibilities are endless. You can trust Alex; whatever laughable reputation he had is completely false and made up. You'll realize this if you take just a single objective glance at him."
Benezia eyes her and nods. "I'll take you up on your kind offer then, child. Please lead the way."
Menchi's face flushes with joy. "Yes, Mo— Matriarch!"
"..."
"..."
"Are you serious now?" Alex mumbles.
Princess Jewel is not sure how to react to this situation, Soulmate.
…You know… just roll with it, Jewel. This absurdity is not going to change. Tomorrow will probably be even crazier. I think I'll lock myself in my room for a couple of days once we're home.
Together with Princess Jewel, of course! Right, Soulmate?
"…"
As they head back to the player tower, Alex briefly checks out his Supporters' Stat Screens. Menchi has successfully leveled up to Level 13 and has slightly advanced her Potioneering skills. However, she is still stuck at the Advanced Realm in her other skills.
[Menchi]
Level: 13 (0%)
Rarity: Purple
Free Skill Slots 1/2
Skills: Potioneering (Advanced+)
Support Skills: Cooking (Advanced +), Dismantling (Advanced +), Synthesizing (Advanced+)
Weapon rank: Purple
Armor rank: Light Purple
[Benezia]
Level: 19 (0%)
Rarity: Deep Purple
Free Skill Slots 3/3
Skills:
Support Skills: Diplomacy (Master -), Teaching (Expert +), Trading (Expert +)
Weapon rank: Deep Purple
Armor rank: Deep Purple
How? How is her Weapon and Armor rank so high? Is that only the case in her own world? Surely she can't use any Armor and Pistol in most worlds… I need to talk to her about that later. Also, she only has skills at Expert or Master level! Incredible! She specializes in Trading, Diplomacy, and Teaching. I've needed someone like that anyway, but that Teaching skill looks pretty useless to me… is she gonna open a school, huh?
As they slowly walk through the city and toward the tower, many players stare at them. Benezia, with her eye-catching robe and appearance, is, of course, drawing the attention of every single player.
Despite her fame, she remains calm and acts like nothing of interest is happening, quietly walking alongside Menchi.
Finally, they reach the first floor of the tower, and Alex suggests, "Let's take the stairs… I don't want to go through the other guilds' territory. Maybe they'll think I'm showing off. I don't want any more bullshit drama."
"A weak, lazy, and submissive attitude that will accomplish exactly the opposite of what you are trying to aim for, Human," Benezia says. "My appearance is already known to everyone in the Realm. That information will spread regardless of this decision. So instead of cowering and trying to hide and dodge the issue, we should proudly act like this doesn't affect us. This is what I'd call a show of strength and confidence."
Alex shrugs. "Makes sense, I guess."
Benezia stares at him, her look not hostile, but stern nonetheless. "Take this opportunity to learn. I am not like your Commander, who is just going to order you around. I expect you to calmly analyze every situation and make the correct decision. If you can't, you will listen to my argument and try to follow it as best as you can and learn. Your attitude needs adjusting as well."
Menchi looks a little torn, "she is not exactly wrong, Alex… this applies to me and Jewel as well. It never hurts to improve yourself. You can always learn. A little bit of mentoring could be useful for us."
Alex sighs. "You might be onto something there. Especially for a certain Princess, a strict education might be warranted. I am currently very tired, so give me a break, please."
Princess Jewel disagrees!
"Understood," Benezia replies calmly.
To Alex's relief, the first floor is not quite full, and even the Guild zone—where all the guild houses are located—appears to be more or less empty.
They quickly enter their own guild house.
Without hesitation, they head toward Alex's room.
"This is our guild house. It's mostly empty but acts as a useful hub to enter the Realm. For now, we'll leave the Realm and calmly discuss the situation," Alex explains.
"Understood," Benezia says, staring at the glowing portal on the ground.
"Ladies first," Alex says.
Looking just a little unsure of what to do, Benezia hesitates—only for Menchi to grab her hand and slowly pull her with her into the portal on the ground.
Alex, with Jewel on his head, quickly follows.
Back in his apartment, Alex immediately steps outside onto his large balcony.
Menchi and Benezia follow him, standing on his right and left side, respectively.
"It's good to be back!" Alex says, looking at the familiar skyline of his city in the distance.
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