Alex opens the Chest, not only his own but also Tereza’s and Rishi’s expectations sky high.


    Alex spots just a tiny dark glowing item inside, not even FC.


    [Quintessence of Corruption]


    “...” Rishi is speechless and just shakes his head.


    “I think we probably shouldn’t consume it,” Alex jokes.


    “Fifteen stats for ten minutes… That’s a major buff. With that kind of boost, I wonder if we could even take down the strongest characters in this world!” Tereza imagines.


    “Someone like Snape, Moody, or Crouch acting like him? Yeah, I think so. They wouldn’t stand a chance if I used it. But the big three baddies? No way. Stats alone don’t make you strong; they’re just your foundation,” Alex says.


    “Why is Dumbledore a baddie?” Tereza questions him


    Rishi ignores Tereza’s question and says with a serious tone: “don’t even think about using it. You might find a way to get rid of the corruption if you use a simple [Essence of Corruption], but this [Quintessence of Corruption] is clearly a higher form of item… It’s made of 100 normal Essences. If you use this, you might as well die, because there won’t be a way back.”


    “This doesn’t change our plans, right? We planned on showing the Centaurs the normal Essences—might as well show them this too. Though we could always take it with us… This seems extremely useful. Many NPCs, especially villain types in different worlds, would kill for this. It’d probably be a great bargaining chip for a trade,” Alex says, thinking about all the possibilities this item brings them.


    “You think so? I guess… yeah, if that world involves demons, for example. But Essences aren’t rare at all. We’ve all seen them and even sold them, since they can be bought even in the tutorial realm.”


    Rishi just smiles and looks at Alex, clearly expecting him to answer.


    “What am I, your replacement for easy questions while you answer the hard ones?” Alex complains, but still answers. “First of all, I hadn’t seen any [Essence of Corruption] before coming to this world. We saw [Essence of Frost], [Essence of Poison], [Essence of Fire], [Essence of Earth], and countless others on the market from time to time, but not this one. Also, there’s a major difference. The base Essences we saw were just Green quality. This one is a higher quality, meaning it’s rare and not easily obtainable. Plus, we don’t even know how to turn Essences into a Quintessence. Sure, maybe you need 100 of them, like the note says, but I bet there are other costs and requirements too.”


    “Thank you. I like your explanations, Alex. They don’t make me feel stupid like Rishi’s do. I could have figured that out myself,” she says.


    “The only thing I’d like to expand on is that the Essences themselves don’t hint at the existence of Quintessences. So, it’s highly likely that transforming 100 Essences into a Quintessence isn’t something easily available. At best, it’s a system store that just demands payment in FC or Soul Crystals. At worst, it requires a skilled Support character—like Menchi, but focused more on Alchemy or even more esoteric skills. In this regard, our group has an insane edge, especially if your plan of letting Menchi learn Potions from Snape succeeds,” Rishi says, looking calm.


    Tereza pouts and says, “I’m kinda envious. First, you got Menchi as a supporter, and now you’ll even get a pet to help us in combat! And you still have an item for one more supporter! Also, Rishi! How about you set up your [Mobile Skill Station]? I want to learn my new skill! I barely have enough Crystals and FC to do so!” she demands.


    “Sure, you’re paying the fees, of course,” Rishi says nonchalantly, making it clear that Tereza has to cover the 10,000 additional FC it costs to set up the skill station.


    “I’d suggest waiting until we’ve seen what the Centaur tribe is like. Maybe they sell skills that we might need?” Alex suggests.


    “Hmmm, I guess you’re right. Let’s go then!” Tereza says excitedly.


    “I need some prep time. I want to take stock of my inventory, and I might as well drink the [Supreme Strengthening Potion] now,” Alex says.


    “I want to think about some things too. Let’s meet in an hour?” Rishi offers.


    They look at each other and agree. Everyone heads to their rooms, but Alex immediately turns back and knocks on Rishi’s door.


    “Come in,” Rishi says, looking at Alex with an expectant expression.


    “Hey… I don’t want to bother you for long. I just wanted to apologize for this morning and how we’ve been acting in general. It’s pretty disrespectful, and while I’m rarely the one starting it, I’m not shutting it down either. I’ll do my best to stop it, and I’ll tell the same thing to the bat,” Alex says, looking a bit embarrassed.


    “Hmmm, I don’t care either way. It’s partly my fault for dumping the contract on you immediately. I saw through her character right away, and I just didn’t want to be bothered. Just do whatever you feel like. You’re smart enough to focus on the mission when it counts, don’t worry about me,” Rishi says.


    “Are you sure? This must be awkward for you,” Alex asks again.


    “This actually lightens the mood, and honestly, it’s kinda funny watching you get pulled into Tereza’s and sometimes Menchi’s pace. Don’t worry about me. I have certain needs as well, but none of you can fulfill them,” Rishi smiles.


    Alex pauses for a few seconds, but before he can even ask, Rishi preemptively answers, “If you’re interested, we’ll talk about it once we’re back in the Realm.”


    Alex nods, closes the door, and already feels better now that this issue is addressed as well.


    He enters his own room, feeds a tiny amount of blood to his egg, and caresses it a little, strangely addicted to touching this shiny, brilliant-looking egg. He feels a bit of heat leaving his hand, transferring into the cool shell. S~ea??h the Novёl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Alex lies down on his bed, takes the egg into his arm, wraps a blanket over it, and then casually drinks his [Supreme Strengthening Potion].


    [Supreme Strengthening Potion]


    Alex can’t help but smile for a few seconds, feeling like someone who just found a gold nugget after taking a casual walk through his backyard.


    He then decides to open his inventory, checking out his gains since entering this world, most of which have been invested into Menchi and Tereza.