Alex sits on a bench inside the Realm next to another man who is about 1.80m (5'11'') tall and looks to be around 30 years old. As usual, the man in question has a bright smile and is quite social, making Alex constantly worry about him.

“Don’t fuck this up… I’ll see you after this shit is over, okay? Take this. I don’t have much use for it, but your stats are low enough that it’ll be helpful,” Alex says, handing his good friend Stephen a couple of White-quality dishes.

“Thanks! You take care as well. Once we’re inside the main Realm and have some time to relax, you have to visit me in the US. I’ll give you the full luxury tourist treatment. Before all this, I was a NYC tour guide for visiting tourists,” Stephen replies with a grin.

“You know what? I’ll hold you to that. See you soon,” Alex says, shaking Stephen’s hand and wishing him the best of luck.

1337, how much time is left until we’re supposed to meet up?Alex thinks.

[Host has promised his teammates to meet up in exactly 21 minutes and 18 seconds. The distance needed to walk to the meeting point is around 10 minutes.]

Guess I’ll walk toward the portal then. Let’s do this. I’m raring to go wild. Harry Potter? I’m a friggin Floor Master—I’ll stomp anyone into the fucking ground who stands in my way. Especially that old manipulator, I couldn’t wish for anything else than to give him a little punch with Ko,Alex tells himself, hyping himself up for the mission.

Alex arrives in front of the Player Portal in the center of the Realm, taking one last look around the tutorial Realm—a place he won’t be seeing again.

“Alex, you’re late,” Rishi says with a smile, Tereza, Menchi, Perlah, and Roja standing beside him.

“I’m actually too early,” Alex replies, his tone not sarcastic but firm. He’s always hated when people set a time only to expect others to arrive earlier out of some fake, dishonest politeness.

Alex joins the group, excitedly discussing the possibilities for the mission. While they chatter, Alex decides to check his Status screen one last time, ensuring everything is in order. He glances at his available recovery items, paying particular attention to something he specifically requested from Menchi. It’s made from a generic MP-recovering item he’s always ignored because of its low efficiency and relatively expensive price:

[Energizing Potion]

World: Fantasy Realm

Quality: White

Effect: Instantly restores 10 MP. Can only be drunk once every 12 hours. May reduce the effectiveness of similar MP-restoring items.

Note: Basic MP recovery item

Price: 1500 FC

Menchi managed to purchase a large quantity of Light Green-ranked fruits and, using her cooking expertise, created a special fruit shake by combining the fruits with various spices, expensive Realm ingredients, and the[Energizing Potion].

[Superior Dish: (Energizing Shake)]

World: Toriko, Fantasy Realm

Quality: Green

Effect: Restores 25 MP over 10 minutes. Instantly restores 15 MP.

Note: A superior dish in the form of a shake, containing fruits, various other ingredients, and [Energizing Potion].

Note: This dish is the result of excellent preparation and synthesization, achieving results similar to actual medicine.

Alex smiles, feeling satisfied with Menchi’s ability to take even mediocre ingredients and turn them into something genuinely useful.

Alex Kerber: Lvl 4

HP: 252/252, MP: 212/212 AURA: 192/192

STR: 14 (+3), AGI: 14 (+3), PHY: 14 (+2), SNS: 14 (+2), CHA: 14 (+5), MNA: 14, INT: 14 SPR: 14 (+5), LUK: 14 (+1), NEN: 14 (+1)

Available Stat Points: 0

Followers: Menchi (Purple) lvl 12

Innate Skills: Nen Prodigy lvl 4 (Genius Conjurer lvl 4, Basic Nen lvl 4, Advanced Nen lvl 4), Statistical OCD lvl MAX

Arcane Medieval Armory: Annihilation Grenade lvl 4, Sealion’s Icewing Embrace lvl 4, Mustrano’s Malice Mauler lvl 4 (Claw Proficiency/Poison Resistance) / Toxic Breakthrough lvl 4

Free Skill Slots: 0/3, Free Basic Skill Slots: 0/8

Basic skills: Basic Close Combat Prowess lvl 4, Basic Footwork lvl 4, Basic Endurance lvl 4, Basic Long-Range Combat Prowess lvl 4, Basic Eloquence lvl 4, Basic Concentration lvl 4, Basic Meditation lvl 4, Basic Mana Control lvl 4

Passive Skills: Pistol Proficiency lvl 4, Alexandrian Royal Swordsmanship lvl 4

Active Skills: Black Magic (Fire-Blizzard-Thunder-Series) lvl 4, Sword Magic lvl 4

Fantasy Coins: 140,000 Soul Crystals: Small x7 Medium x1

Current Weapons: Mr. 5’s Revolver (Deep Blue), Sword of Pluto (Deep Blue)

Current Equipment: Commander Shepard’s Dog Tag (Deep Blue), Sealion’s Might (Deep Blue), Shield of Pluto (Deep Blue), Armor of Pluto (Blue), Visor of Pluto (Blue), Cuisses of Pluto (Blue), Gauntlets of Pluto (Blue), Sabatons of Pluto (Blue), Nimbus Cloak(Light Purple), Champion Belt (Blue), Cave Spider’s Essence Ring (Light Blue), Destiny Watch (Light Purple), Sacred Emerald Copper Earring (Purple), Hunter License (Deep Green), Noble Shirt+ (Light Blue)

Recovery Items: Lurkwort (Deep Green),Infused Superior Dish (Kulu-Ya-Ku Hamburg Steak) (Green) x12, Superior Dish: (Energizing Shake) x4 (Green), Ordinary Dishes (White) x20

Miscellaneous Items: Jack’s Spare Silvery Mask (Light Green)

Special Items: Pluto’s Ceremonial Blessing (Deep Purple), Baroque Works Invitation (Purple), Player Contract (Tereza Řezník), Destiny Supporter Token (Purple), VIP Invitation (Deep Purple)

Potions? Medicine? Who needs those?Alex firmly believes, appreciating Menchi’s dishes and trusting in the potential of his supporter. He looks forward to the day she can go beyond synthesizing dishes that merely recover resources.

Alex walks over to Menchi and pulls her aside. “We don’t know how the supporter system works yet, Menchi. It could be that you can’t outright join me for now. 1337 explained that you can join and stay in settlements, but who knows where we’ll end up? So I’ll use the first opportunity to call you so you can check out whatever settlement is available. Don’t worry if it takes a while, okay?”

Menchi wraps her arms around Alex and calmly says, “I’ll trust you. Just make sure to use the first opportunity to call me. I can’t wait to study that world’s dishes. Also, keep your eyes out for any ingredients I can use.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll act according to plan,” Alex responds, clearly pleasing Menchi, who gives him a quick kiss before letting go of him.

“Damn, did you see that? That’s Menchi, the supporter of that Alex guy. I hate him so much! I wish I had a beautiful supporter like that,” Alex hears someone loudly complaining nearby.

The man continues, his voice full of envy. “I also heard she’s constantly selling high-quality dishes that are White-quality and sometimes even Green-quality. This damn system is so unfair. I would give 10 years of my life to have someone like that as my servant. I bet she’s serving him in bed as well.”

Servant? Servant my ass! If that guy only knew…Alex fumes inwardly, feeling the strong urge to confront the man. However, he restrains himself and silently adds the guy to his mental blacklist, waiting for the right moment to settle things if they ever end up on the same mission.

“Looks like we’ll be the only ones joining this mission after all!” Perlah says with a smile.

“That would indeed be the best,” Roja responds, but Alex notices a faint hint of contempt on Rishi’s face.

Why?Alex wonders.I guess they’re wrong about something. Normal people can’t read Rishi’s poker face at all, but I’ve been paying so much attention to people lately that I can catch a few subtle hints, even in someone like Rishi, who keeps a smile or neutral expression almost all the time. So, what’s wrong with Perlah’s conclusion?

Unable to hold back, Alex blurts out, “Just because we’re the only ones from our tutorial Realm joining doesn’t mean people from other tutorial Realms can’t be joining the same mission as well.”

“That’s true, Alex. I didn’t think about that possibility,” Roja responds, her face showing mild surprise. Perlah, standing next to her, also looks enlightened by Alex’s observation.

“Who cares? Whoever stands in our way will die,” Tereza says coldly.

Despite being warned by Alex and Rishi not to underestimate others because of her newfound power, her confidence is still obvious, and it shows in her tone.

Rishi maintains his poker face, but Alex, once again observing him closely, imagines seeing a small hint of appreciation flash across his expression.

Seeing Rishi’s expression, Alex recalls the rare item Rishi picked up and has been keeping for the team. It’s the same item he spent his entire remaining fortune on, paying for it all by himself so that Tereza could use her resources to upgrade her Devil Fruit all the way to level 4. Rishi had even refused any resources from Alex, firmly stating that he already owed Alex enough.

[Mobile Skill Station]

World: Fantasy Realm

Quality: Purple

Effect: For the cost of 10,000 FC, create a temporary Skill Station that is active for 24 hours. This effect can be used once a month.

Note: Old, clunky, uncomfortable, slow. These pathetic second-rate products are made accessible to players who can’t do without the miracles of the Realm, even on missions.

Note: You still have to pay the regular fees to upgrade and unlearn skills.

[Mission starting in 0 Days, 0 Hours, 0 Minutes, 10 Seconds]

Guess it’s time. See you soon, 1337!Alex thinks, silently saying goodbye to his ever-friendly system.

[Good luck again, Host!]

Alex sees the mission portal opening in front of him. Without hesitation, he and the rest of the group step through together, knowing that avoiding entering voluntarily would bring "quite uncomfortable" consequences, as Roja had warned them.

[Player is now entering Level 4 Mission…]

[Players gathering... Total number of players: 30]

[World selection: Harry Potter]

[Starting Location: …

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com