Ch.91Hypnos 1

“Sis, nothing happened at the bar today, right? I’ll definitely come tomorrow.”

I rubbed the phone screen with my thumb.

Today was the day Misha went to see Dr. Park and would return late.

In other words, after work hours, only four Counters rankers remained at the research facility.

04, 06, 08, and 09.

If I could just deal with them, I could escape from here with my sister.

After escaping, we’d go far away.

As the time for action approached, my hands trembled uncontrollably.

To suppress it, I clasped my hands together and prayed.

After finishing my prayer to an unnamed god…

I simply prepared the glasses.

I began bartending with my usual reverent mindset.

One ounce of golden liqueur, Galliano.

One ounce of Triple Sec with its strong orange aroma.

One ounce of freshly squeezed fragrant orange juice.

And 10ml of smooth cream added to a shaker filled with ice.

Then, shake for 10 seconds.

After straining out the ice and pouring it into a chilled glass…

<Golden Dream>

Rank: ★★★★★ (Legendary)

Effect: Puts the target into a sleep state for 30 minutes. After waking, all stats increase by 30 for 1 hour.

Information: A cocktail with exquisite sweet and smooth flavor. Its creamy orange color is eye-catching. The taste is so comforting you could drink it before bedtime.

On the surface, it’s a beautiful and delicious cocktail.

Even its effect is perfect.

But the key point to note here is the long 30-minute “sleep.”

While they drink this and fall asleep, I’ll escape with my sister.

I wanted to extend the sleep time somehow, but with my abilities specialized in buffs, it was impossible.

I should have studied debuffs earlier…

So I prepared a separate poison to add.

A small glass vial I’d been preciously keeping.

<Absinthe>

Rank: ★★★☆ (Cursed)

Effect: Puts the consumer in a state of hallucination for 10 minutes.

Information: A liquor that drove countless artists to their deaths. Also called the Green Fairy. This is a custom version made by Siho that causes fatal physical defects when consumed frequently.

The Green Fairy.

I’ve been adding small amounts of this to every cocktail I’ve served them.

Thanks to that, their bodies have accumulated large amounts of absinthe.

Now, no matter how high their resistance, they’ll eventually fall asleep.

I swallowed deeply.

Then carefully dropped the green liquor from the vial into the Golden Dream.

The golden drink gradually began turning light green.

Like a viscous poison…

<Hypnos>

Rank: ☆☆☆☆☆ (Artifact)

Effect: Puts the consumer into a deep sleep state for 30 minutes. After waking, permanently reduces composure and judgment by 70.

Information: A cocktail named after the Greek god of sleep. In truth, it’s closer to poison than a cocktail. A masterpiece created from one human’s resentment and hatred.

“Done…”

After completing the drink, I carefully looked around.

There was no sign of anyone in the lounge bar.

Only soft classical music played in the background.

I carefully placed the four completed cocktails on a tray.

Then I headed toward the rankers’ quarters with calm steps.

On the way, the Eel Boy trapped in Lab 1 stared at me intently.

I had always ignored him whenever I passed by this place.

The boy’s staring eyes were quite eerie.

But this time was different.

I turned my head and stared straight back at him.

Electric currents flowed through his blue eyes.

I put my finger to my lips, signaling him to stay quiet.

The door to Lab 2 was open as usual.

And from Room 6, music played as always.

I knocked on his door naturally.

Soon he shouted that it was open and to come in.

“Oh, the bartender’s here?”

The bald man greeted me while lifting dumbbells.

I bowed politely to him.

Then I placed one Hypnos on the treadmill.

“I’ll leave it here.”

“Thanks, appreciate it.”

06 was so focused on his workout that he didn’t even notice the changed color of the cocktail.

He treats my potions like protein shakes anyway.

He’ll probably down it in one shot after exercising, without even tasting it.

I left his gym indifferently.

Next was Room 04.

04, who had been lying in her gaming chair, jumped up at the sound of me entering.

I’d already become close enough with her to earn the “special privilege” of entering her room without knocking.

The girl was watching YouTube while fidgeting with one leg.

It looked like a gaming tutorial video.

“Why are you so late? I’ve been waiting.”

She seemed happy to see my potion, getting up from her seat to take the glass.

I always gave 04’s potions a concentration buff.

She had been waiting for this time every day before playing competitive matches.

“Sorry~ Today I prepared something ‘special’ with double the effect, so enjoy it to the fullest.”

“Really? No wonder it looks greener than usual. Like an energy drink.”

The girl didn’t suspect anything despite the changed color.

She couldn’t help it after enjoying buff effects for the past month.

I had prepared meticulously to remove their suspicions.

That’s how alcohol works.

Drink moderately and you feel good with no health issues.

But drink steadily for a long time, and your body gradually deteriorates without you realizing it.

And today was that day.

04 hastily gulped down my potion and settled into her gaming machine that looked like a massage chair.

She put on VR goggles and immediately launched her game.

“Well, I’ll be going now.”

“Okay~ Have a safe trip home.”

04 waved at me with one hand while holding her controller.

Enjoy yourself, little one.

I left the room holding the remaining two glasses of Hypnos.

Next was 08.

I lightly knocked on his door.

“Come in.”

The voice of a boy who had just hit puberty greeted me.

I opened the door and gracefully entered his room.

As if by design, 08 was sitting at his desk reading a book.

Unlike usual, he was wearing glasses and cleared his throat, blushing as I entered.

“Thanks as always.”

“No, thank you.”

I smiled softly and bowed my head.

My now-grown hair tickled the boy’s cheek.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

I gently brushed my fallen hair to the side.

Then shyly placed the glass on the boy’s desk.

“Hey.”

The boy seemed uninterested in the potion I gave him.

His eyes were focused solely on me.

“Are you free this weekend?”

“This weekend?”

“Yeah, I’m having my ranker debut match at the Association.”

I put my hands behind my back.

And looked away teasingly.

“It’s fine if you don’t want to. I just wanted to get a potion from you before the match. Nothing special.”

“I’ll think about it after you finish this drink~”

The boy flinched at my sweet words.

He hurriedly picked up the Hypnos and sipped it.

“I finished it.”

He held out the empty glass to me.

I smiled slightly at 08.

“Good job~”

“So you’ll come with me now, right?”

“Hmm~ I don’t know. I said I’d think about it, not that I’d go with you.”

“You have to come. It’ll be worth watching.”

The boy muttered in a small voice.

I turned my head and smiled brightly in response.

As I was about to leave the room, I noticed a book wedged between his blankets.

The cover read “The Discovery of Love.”

I looked down at the book with cold eyes.

Then left the room without looking back.

With an expression as if I’d seen something disgusting.

The smile I had shown him earlier was long gone.

Now all that’s left is…

The main culprit behind all this.

I headed to 09’s room.

Her room was filled with loud noises from the entrance.

A woman’s screams pierced my ears.

Was she watching a horror movie?

Since it was obvious she wouldn’t hear my knock anyway, I boldly opened the door.

As I entered, 09, who was lying on the bed, glanced at me.

The source of the noise was the phone in her hand.

On 09’s phone, a brutal broadcast showed a ranker hunting lower-ranked hunters.

My tear ducts twitched at the sight.

“Oh, it’s you. Just leave it there.”

The sound of flesh being stabbed with a knife was clearly audible.

That cruel sound jabbed at my side.

I took a deep breath to hide the pain.

“Um… 09.”

“What.”

“I need you to drink it now so I can clean the glass and clock out…”

I muttered while pressing my side.

Meanwhile, the broadcast echoed with the screams of a female hunter begging for her life.

Even worse…

Her voice sounded similar to my sister Jisoo’s.

Maybe that’s why.

I felt like I was losing my mind.

I wanted to smash that woman’s head with the glass I was holding.

I somehow suppressed that feeling.

Get a grip.

How did I make it this far…

“Oh, is that so.”

09 put down her phone reluctantly.

This revealed the clear image of hunters being killed by a ranker.

The red-eyed woman took the Hypnos without taking her eyes off the screen.

Then she sipped the glass like coffee.

I stared at her lips.

Then suddenly caught 09’s gaze and became frightened.

The ranker’s expression frowned as if displeased.

“It tastes a bit rich today?”

“Ah… that’s because of the cream. But it’s good for you.”

I said with a bright smile.

09 tilted her head and returned the empty glass to me.

“Well, if you say so…”

I avoided her gaze but ended up looking at her phone again.

The hunter who had been screaming was now lying cold on the ground, presumably dead.

The broadcaster searched through her clothes.

He made a fuss while waving the money he found in her pocket.

“Wow, gentlemen! Look at this jackpot, today’s yield is good!”

“That bastard… hit the jackpot.”

09 snickered at the broadcaster.

She asked me as I stared at the screen.

“Do you watch him too?”

“No…”

“This is fun. I’ve learned a lot from watching him.”

09’s sinister face grinned.

Unlike 08, she seemed to hide nothing from me.

“I see…”

I held the glass and slowly backed away.

Then fumbled with the doorknob.

“Are you sick? What’s wrong?”

“Ah, no… I’m just tired because it’s time to clock out.”

“You’re so weak. Just go.”

I bowed politely.

Then quickly left Lab 2 with hurried steps.

In Corridor 1, I barely managed to lean against the glass wall.

“Haah…”

My heart was beating too fast.

I almost screamed when I saw 09’s eerie smile.

It took so much effort to suppress that urge.

Let’s calm down…

Just 30 minutes to go.

Let’s wait for everyone who drank Hypnos to fall asleep.

That’s when my revenge will begin.

I looked up while catching my breath.

Through the glass wall, I could see a man gradually turning into crystal.

He was sleeping peacefully in his chair, affected by the sleeping gas.

Soon the Counters rankers would be like that too.