Chapter 28
“Lee Sena!”
Chris shouted at Lee Sena, who was moving away.
It had all happened too quickly for him to stop it.
If there was a silver lining in this misfortune, it was that the giant insect hadn’t immediately devoured Isena.
‘Planning to feed her to its young instead?’
That meant there was still some time left.
“Damn it.”
Lee Sena wasn’t a precious existence to Chris. He had resolved not to have any such existences anymore.
That said, she wasn’t an ordinary person either. He was grateful to her for saving his life, but that was about it.
However, he had noticed that Lee Sena chose not to retreat alone, even when she could have.
“Haah, humans are so damn soft.”
He had threatened that he wouldn’t let her get away if she fled alone, but he didn’t expect her to miss the chance to escape.
Having experienced countless betrayals, Chris found Lee Sena’s decision more pitiful than noble.
It was a stupid, nonsensical choice.
Whether royalty or slave, one only has a single life.
And she wasted her chance to save herself to rescue someone else?
Slash!
Even while thinking, Chris continued to tear apart the giant insects.
‘If only I had a dagger.’
All he had was a fork he secretly took from Lee Sena’s bar.
But it didn’t matter. He had fought in environments where weapons were a luxury.
The human body could become a weapon depending on how it was used.
Without weapons, one could bite, claw, and strangle with their bare hands.
Chris trampled the ferociously attacking insects and ran in the direction Lee Sena had been taken.
Even with his breath catching in his throat, Chris assessed the situation calmly.
‘She’s surely dead by now.’
Too much time had passed. What could someone like Lee Sena, whose only ability was mixing drinks, do against monsters?
By now, she had probably been devoured by the insects without a trace left behind.
As much as he understood this logically, Chris found himself unable to stop his feet.
‘The kind-hearted ones always die first.’
Those who betrayed and backstabbed others were the ones who endured and survived.
No matter how physically strong you were, if your mental strength didn’t hold up, you would crumble quickly.
A participant once called the Mercenary King died because he grew soft towards a girl who reminded him of his daughter.
The participant once hailed as a saint betrayed others repeatedly just to survive.
A world where mere survival was the utmost goal.
That was the reality of the death game Chris participated in, where only one final person could remain alive.
This place resembled the harsh world Chris came from, more so than Lee Sena’s peaceful cocktail bar.
Still, at the very least…
‘I should retrieve something to bury.’
After all, if Lee Sena was gone, Chris would be unable to return to his original dimension.
To think that the result of his bone-crushing efforts would be this, it was utterly futile.
‘I did whatever it took to survive.’
To obtain the miracle called the ‘wish’ granted to the last person standing.
Chris had something he absolutely had to achieve, even if it meant becoming the devil’s plaything.
“Out of my way.”
Chris stabbed his fork into the carapace of a giant insect blocking his path. Ignoring the thick fluid that splattered, he kicked away the monstrously screeching creature and kept running.
“Haaah…”
Catching his ragged breath, Chris looked up at the jagged rocky spire.
‘That’s…’
At the very top was something resembling a nest, and precariously hanging off the edge was the shoe Lee Sena had been wearing.
‘So this is where she ended up.’
The moment he spotted it, the shoe tumbled down.
Chris instinctively snatched it out of the air.
After a brief hesitation, Chris began climbing up the stone tower. His palms became cut and bloody, but he had no other choice.
Why was only her shoe left behind?
Chris forcibly cut off those thoughts. He was used to ignoring someone’s death.
He had witnessed so many deaths, and knew dwelling on them would drain his mental energy excessively.
Reaching out again and again, he finally made it to the top.
“Damn, why is this so high?”
Unexpectedly, a voice answered his muttering.
“Huh? Perfect timing.”
That voice…
“I was about to go back but couldn’t find you. Good thing you showed up just in time.”
“……”
Chris stared at Lee Sena in disbelief.
She looked completely unharmed, without a single scratch.
Her pink hair, sweet as spun sugar, was still tousled and fluffy. Her violet eyes, like lilac petals, sparkled delicately.
In contrast, the nest was filled with lifeless insects.
Remarkably, the insects didn’t have a single scratch on them.
“What on earth did you do?”
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What did I do, you ask?
To explain that, we need to go back 15 minutes earlier.
As the insects opened their maws wide, advancing to devour me.
Ding!
<Notice> Quest Triggered!
Hungry monsters have discovered you.
To avoid being eaten, find some way to divert their interest.
Reward: 1,500 coins, Store Name Change Token (1 use)
<Notice> Failure: Death
The system that had been urging me to retreat changed its strategy.
‘To offer the shop name change voucher I’ve been wanting now.’
Did it think I had given up?
Unlike Chris, I didn’t have the strength to fight the insects. I couldn’t outrun them either, especially not ones with wings.
So when facing the insects, there was only one approach for me.
“Summon cocktail making kit.”
I’m a bartender, so I know no other way.
Without taking my eyes off the insects steadily closing in, I took out a heavy liquor bottle.
A liqueur blending whiskey, honey, and herbs.
The quintessentially honey-flavored Drambuie!
“Kkreukk……”
The insects approached, making an eerie sound.
Reflected in their hundreds of compound eyes was not me, but the Drambuie.
‘As expected, they’re showing interest.’
Given how bees had swarmed when I accidentally spilled Drambuie once, this was the natural outcome.
If you mix Scotch whisky with this, it creates the sweet ‘Rusty Nail’ cocktail.
But for the insects, the Drambuie itself was enough.
Kwal-kwal.
As I poured it out, the insects took out long tube-like things and savored the liquor.
Tuk.
Enchanted by the fragrance, the intoxicated insects began to collapse one by one.
Yet even then, they struggled to the very end to suck in a little more, looking no different from die-hard drunkards themselves.
Only after the last one fell could I finally breathe a sigh of relief.
“Whew, I really thought I was going to die there. System, give me the name change token.”
I waved my hand in the air. Surely someone was watching over me from somewhere.
<Notice> Quest Complete!
You survived the insects unharmed.
Reward: 1,500 coins, Store Name Change Token (1 time use)
“Of course, it’s a one-time use token.”
I was going to hastily choose any name to get away from the ‘I don’t know. Stuff like that.’
But this means I have to live with it until I come up with a decent name.
“What should I name the store……”
Unable to think of a plausible name, I could only scratch my head.
I vaguely wanted to have my own store, but I hadn’t thought about the name itself.
So, for now, let’s put that on hold…….
“Huh?”
At that moment, a large hand rose up and Chris appeared.
“What on earth did you do?”
The answer was simple.
I lured the insects with the sweet liqueur and made them drink. The end.
After hearing my explanation, Chris brushed back his silver hair with one hand. His piercing red eyes beneath his silvery eyelashes held a sense of relief.
“Not bad, I guess?”
“By the way, Chris, how did you deal with all those insects?”
“Tore them apart.”
“That’s intense.”
Tearing them apart, huh? He might look like an aristocrat, but his actions were anything but noble.
Tearing them apart? Despite looking like a noble, his actions were more like a scoundrel’s.
Still, we each dealt with the danger in our own way.
“Shall we head back now?”
I gently took Chris’ arm. I tried to ignore the firm sensation I felt through the thin fabric of his clothes. It couldn’t be helped if we were returning together.
“Return.”
The view went dark and then became bright again. We were back at the cocktail bar.
“Haaa.”
Unlike me, who collapsed over a table, Chris leisurely sat in a chair and slowly crossed his legs. Even a simple action like that somehow exuded elegance.
“How do you have the guts to go to such dangerous places?”
“I just trust in the return system.”
“What if you encountered a monster?”
Chris asked pointedly.
I had thought that I might face such dangers someday.
But I had only thought about it, nothing more. I didn’t make any preparations.
Because I wasn’t that enthusiastic about it.
“If I’m unlucky…I guess I’ll just die.”
“Are you treating your life as a joke?”
Well, not exactly a joke…..
But I couldn’t firmly say no, either.
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⋆｡‧˚ʚ Translator Note ɞ˚‧｡⋆
Drambuie is not a cocktail itself but rather a whisky liqueur made from Scotch whisky, honey, herbs, and spices. However, it is often used as an ingredient in various cocktails. One of the most famous cocktails made with Drambuie is the Rusty Nail.
The Rusty Nail is a classic cocktail that showcases the unique flavor of Drambuie, combining the smoothness of Scotch whisky with the sweetness and complexity of the liqueur.
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Thank you for reading! ♡
