LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 156: Goodbye x Return - Return to the Realm!
[Remaining Mission Duration: 3 hours]
Alex is pulled out of his sleep by a system notification. Three hours left? Damn, I must have slept for around nine hours. That's something new, he thinks, not used to sleeping that long anymore.
He wakes up in the enormous bed, the events of the previous night still fresh in his mind. A satisfied smile crosses his face as he thinks, That was awesome! I finally punished that arrogant woman and got my revenge! Not only that, now that I've come this far, I bet she'll be super nice to me and act like a cute girlfriend.
Getting out of bed, Alex pulls a few clothes from his inventory and gets dressed. As he stands up, a delicious smell wafts through the apartment. Curious, he stumbles through the insanely large luxurious space, searching for the kitchen.
When he finds it, he sees Menchi cooking breakfast. She's dressed casually, wearing only pants and a bra, her movements precise as she prepares the food.
"Good morning," Alex says cheerfully as he approaches her.
"Good morning," Menchi replies, her voice cold and distant.
Alex frowns, slightly confused. "Is something wrong, Menchi?"
"Oh, nothing at all…" Menchi says, her tone sweet but laced with venom. "You see, when I woke up today, I had some pain in a particular part of my body. You know, someone, for whatever reason, did this to me. But don't worry. This will not happen again, and the person responsible will pay dearly for it… over a very, very long time. You can be sure of that."
Alex gulps, a chill running down his spine. What the fuck? Cute girlfriend, my ass. She's out for revenge! Maybe I shouldn't take her with me after all… I feel like I'll regret this.
Despite Menchi's veiled threat, they sit down to eat breakfast as usual. As they talk, they both can't help but admire the apartment, its luxurious features even impressing Menchi.
They spend their remaining time visiting Liz, whom Alex tasks with managing the floor. They also invite Sua to help Liz and instruct the two of them to focus on simple, unproblematic businesses like renting out the extra rooms and unused sections of the floor.
"Use this floor to generate some income," Alex explains. "You can keep a small percentage for yourselves but save the rest for me whenever I return."
"It's a smart idea to let the floor earn money for you," Menchi comments, her mood visibly improved. "You never know when you might need it. Who knows, maybe you'll find a few more of your so-called 'treasures' if we come back here and need a lot of cash to afford them."
"Yeah, I figured it can't hurt to have some assurances. I don't need the money, but money's just a tool to get the things that truly matter to me… I hope I'll be able to explain it to you soon. Now that that's settled, we've got twenty minutes left. Let's head back to the apartment and sit on the balcony. I want to see that view one last time. Who knows when we'll be back."
They return to the large balcony inside the apartment and sit down, feeling the cool breeze on their skin as they look out at the breathtaking view of the city below.
Alex breaks the silence. "Menchi, I'm sorry for what I did last night. It was wrong of me. I suddenly had the urge to do this, seeing you trembling like that, I felt for once I should take the lead."
"Shut up," Menchi replies, cutting him off. "Don't talk about that again… Also, I didn't dislike it. Let's just say I deserved it, okay? You surprised me a little… that's all." Her face flushes slightly as she avoids his gaze.
"Great… now I just hope everything works out as planned. Are you sure about following me?" Alex asks, his voice turning serious. "To tell you the truth, I don't even know the full consequences myself. You might regret it, and there's probably no turning back. This is your last chance."
"I am sure… just… will I see Linne again?" Menchi asks, her expression a bit torn.
"I'm almost completely sure that you will," Alex replies confidently. "I can guarantee you that I'm planning to return, and Linne isn't going anywhere during that time!"
"Great. I can't wait for it. I'm seriously tired of hearing your vague statements already!" Menchi says, her conviction growing, looking fully convinced now.
"There is, however, one thing I need to make clear," Menchi continues, her tone turning serious. "Alex, I really quite like you. To be honest, this is unexpected even for me. However, I want to clarify that I'm not following you just to be with you. I have my own aspirations. I want to be the greatest cook in the world. I want to discover new ingredients, try out the craziest recipes, and go even further down the road of a gourmet hunter than my master ever has!"
"You've shown me a path I didn't even know existed, and for that, I'll be forever grateful. But I'm following you to achieve my dream. I don't know if I'll ever be interested in settling down or just being a wife or girlfriend. You need to know that I won't sacrifice my dream for anyone—not even you," Menchi says, her expression firm and resolute.
"Hehe, perfect! I like that about you, Menchi," Alex responds with a grin. "I loathe women—and men, for that matter, who just silently support their partner with no ambition of their own. I could never spend my time with someone who blindly follows me.
"I promise I'll support you in your dream, and I'm sure you'll make it! To be honest, the best way to support me is probably directly tied to your own goal. Let's talk more about it in a few minutes," Alex says confidently.
… … …
[Remaining Mission Duration: 1 minute]
… … …
[Remaining Mission Duration: 5 seconds]
Alex grabs Menchi's hand, clearly worried as he says, "It's time!"
… … …
Suddenly, everything goes dark, and Alex finds himself in a familiar void. To his shock, his hand is no longer holding Menchi's.
Out of sheer panic, Alex screams, "MENCHI!!"
Fuck, where is she? Did it not work? SHIT! Alex's mind races as he tries to understand what happened.
[Player has completed his mission]
[Main Mission Completed]
[Side Mission Completed]
[Hidden Missions Completed 2/2]
Overall Rating: S+
You have received 20,000 Fantasy Coins and 8 stat points.
Your player level has been increased to 4.
[Detecting numerous quest items - merging [Bushidora's Card], [Shalnark's Card], [Julius's Card] into [VIP Invitation]]
[VIP Invitation]
Quality: Deep Purple
Type: World Item / Quest Item
Effect: Allows the player to enter the World of Hunter x Hunter shortly before the beginning of the Yorknew City Arc. The player is free to associate himself with Bushidora, Shalnark, and accept a special invitation by Julius to participate in the auction as a VIP, entry fee already paid.
Requirements: Level 5-9
Note: A floor master of Heavens Arena is a welcome guest at any event.
Note: This item cannot be traded or sold. It will disappear after the effect activates or player reaches level 10.
Note: This item is a continuation item, and you will return to this particular world with memories of your person intact! A random number of players will be selected to join you on this mission.
[Destiny Supporter Token activating!]
[Checking for eligible targets …
…
… target found: Menchi]
"YES!" Alex screams. "It worked, after all!"
[Destiny Support Token checking for necessary conditions:
NPC willingness to join the player - conditions met
NPC rating - checking rating for [Menchi]: Light Purple - conditions met
NPC uniqueness - checking if the target already exists within the Realm: Target still available - conditions met
Menchi successfully joined as a follower]
Alex suddenly sees Menchi floating next to him and immediately rejoices, pulling her into a hug. "It worked!" he says, his voice filled with pure joy.
Menchi, completely baffled by everything happening around her, returns the hug hesitantly. Her eyes wander into the void, clearly trying to process the situation.
Suddenly, the darkness around them fades, and Alex, along with Menchi, finds himself standing in a familiar space—his private room in the Fantasy Realm tutorial.
[Welcome back, Host, new Subhost, and subjugated parasite. Congratulations on surviving even this particularly difficult mission. I am very pleased to be assigned to you. Despite the rocky start, you have turned out to be incredibly competent and frankly, lucky as well.]
"Hi, 1337, glad to be back! Hehehe, of course, I succeeded. I'm so damn glad to be back! This is Menchi." Alex's grin widens, but then his tone shifts as he asks, "And what the hell do you mean by subjugated parasite? Is it Mustrano?"
He activates Mustrano's Malice Mauler lvl 3, and the claw appears, moving curiously as it scans the room.
"This is so weird, I feel like we've traveled to an entirely different place. This room feels ancient like it's steeped in some kind of timelessness," Menchi says, clearly confused.
"Well, Menchi, Mustrano, wait until you see the rest," Alex says with excitement. "First of all, welcome to the Fantasy Realm! The voice you're hearing is my friend and personal system, 1337. I think it's best if I explain everything now."
[My name is FR-1337. Please don't forget essential details, Host.]
Alex sighs, pausing for a moment. Yep, things are back to normal, I guess.
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