Resident registration card.
Right now, with the first and second Great Rifts occurring, it’s common knowledge worldwide that you need something to prove your identity.

Anyway, surprisingly enough, Shia had not drunk alcohol at all since returning to the modern world.
Of course.
Without an ID, she couldn’t prove her age.
No matter how big Shia’s Seongnyeok pouch was, technically, without an ID, the bar owners couldn’t serve her alcohol.

But to begin with, Shia herself hadn’t felt much regret about drinking.
She didn’t really care for alcohol; rather, Shia placed more importance on where and with whom she drank.

Anyway, Shia was finally going to have her first drink after her return.
Feeling a bit strange and not wanting to go home yet, she thought it would be quite nice to have a drink while chatting with Yeonhwa over some suitable snacks.

So, the two of them, walking through the night streets, headed to a cocktail bar in Jamsil.

The bar had a rather upscale decor with a subtle red hue. Since it was a weekday afternoon, there were no customers except for Shia and Yeonhwa.

No, to be precise, the moment Yeonhwa walked in, the bartender hung a “Close” sign on the door, indicating that Yeonhwa seemed to have bought the whole cocktail bar again.

“This is my first time at a place like this.”
When asked to describe her impression of the cocktail bar, it was the kind of image you’d find in movies or popular media – a bartender polishing fancy glassware.
There was also a sense that it could be a place where crime syndicates or violent mob leaders might meet, but in reality, it felt much more upscale and tranquil.

“Sis, is this your first time at a cocktail bar?”
“When I was 21, I got swept up in the Great Rift, so I’ve never had cocktails or anything.”

Shia nodded at Yeonhwa’s surprised question.
At just 21, Shia had resurrected as the Mangja Seongnyeo after the Great Rift occurred.
Naturally, even in the “previous world” where she awakened as the Mangja Seongnyeo, she had never been to a bar or cocktail bar, not even once.
Before she could say whether she liked or disliked alcohol, she had left reality too quickly. The only time she could leisurely drink in the previous world was after defeating the Mawang and expelling its corpse to That Bottomless Pit.

Of course, there were pubs and inns there, and Shia had gone a few times with Teresa or Menelapie.
But Shia was the right-hand woman of the Emperor Menelapie and the greatest Mangja Seongnyeo who killed the Mawang.
After winning against the Mawang, Shia’s rank had risen so high that instead of visiting pubs where other people could go, she ended up merely pretending to sip wine at social parties with nobles.

Though there were times she drank excessively, depending on the party’s atmosphere, it was her very first time coming to a quiet cocktail bar like this, just the two of them.

“Sounds like a good thing! Am I taking your first experience from you?”
“Look at you talking! Was that your intention?”
“Well, who knows?”

Yeonhwa wasn’t much of a drinker either, but today, she had brought Shia here, having rented out the entire cocktail bar, purely to lift her spirits.
Hearing about an unexpected past had also complicated Yeonhwa’s feelings.
Shia’s face, smiling with a carefree grin, didn’t quite match her internal feelings that even Yeonhwa could sense.

“I’ll treat you today.”
“You’re treating me way too often.”
“Consider it a fee for listening to your stories from the past. They’re not exactly pleasant, but still.”
“By the way… you know I eat a lot, right?”
“I saw you on your show; you devoured over 60 bowls of sundae soup alone. Do you think I can’t handle that much?”

Yeonhwa’s family had originally been wealthy, but now that she had become a confident A-grade Hunter, she was earning quite a bit on her own.
No matter how much Shia ate, it wouldn’t be too much for her to handle.

‘At least I have one good little sister.’
Shia shrugged her shoulders and sat down.
It wouldn’t be polite to keep refusing when someone offers to pay.
However, since it was her first time at a cocktail bar, she didn’t even know what to order.

“When I go to a meat restaurant, I just say what I want and order…”
“Take your time deciding. It is your first time too.”

Fortunately, the bartender skillfully handed Shia and Yeonhwa the menu and stepped back.
Seeing that he gave the customers enough time to ponder, he seemed to have considerable experience.

“Wow, there’s a lot on the menu…”
Tannin, Cloud, Sand, Bubble, Pure…?
What kind of names are these?
Oh! I know this one.
Aren’t they just like the Seven Deadly Sins from the Mawang domain?

“…It’s a texture variety cocktail. Simply put, these cocktails are developed by this bartender here, so don’t have any weird thoughts about it.”
“I was joking.”

Smiling playfully, Shia had never seen such menus before, so she could only stare at the menu blankly.
The dry tannic feel from grape skins and stems mixed with the bright floral scent of gin…
What kind of description is this?
I can’t even gauge what it might taste like.

And Cloud, huh?
A harmonious scent of calmness and richness, with the sensation of clouds on the lips and a sweet vanilla ice cream flavor.

‘…I’m starting to understand less and less…’
The Sand cocktail was a bit simpler.
Mineral sugar, earthy texture, and a savory taste of barley and chocolate.
I heard there’s a beer that tastes like chocolate milk; I guess I could think about it that way.
But if alcohol tastes like chocolate… wouldn’t that be good?
I’ve never tasted it, so I wouldn’t know.

“Excuse me?”
“………….Ah, yes?”
“Sorry, but if you’re having trouble deciding, how about trying the omakase menu?”

The omakase menu.
It means “I’ll leave it to you” in Japanese, where you leave the kind of dishes and cooking methods to the chef.
Here, they would be leaving everything to the bartender, but if it’s for a novice like Shia visiting a cocktail bar for the first time, it might not be a bad choice.
There are occasionally customers who end up ordering cocktails that don’t suit their tastes and end up retching after just one sip.

“Uh, um… then I’ll leave it to you!”
“Certainly. And what about the lady over there?”
“I’ll have a Black Russian, extra ice, and please add a bit more liqueur without stirring.”

Yeonhwa’s order was quite professional.
Perhaps because she was a lady, or due to her experiences in ordering at cocktail bars, she even used words Shia had never heard before.
Come to think of it, in the previous world, she had just relied on Teresa or Menelapie…
Though she had never tasted delicious cocktails, Shia recalled that she had hardly ever made the decision to actively drink on her own.

“Yes, please wait a moment. Would you like any snacks?”
“Ah.”

The cocktail bar’s menu was quite diverse.
Basically, there were meat skewers with sirloin, shrimp, and bite-sized fried quail eggs. Aside from that, there were assorted skewers.
There were also unique dishes like soba, ramen, and even rice cake soup with dried persimmons, probably as a reflection of diverse drinking preferences.
At the bottom, there was a separate menu for Hunters, which included edible Alraune flower petal salad and grilled orc pork belly butter skewers.

“Um…”
“What’s wrong?”
“Uh, no, this…”
“Orc pork belly butter skewers?”

Shia recalled the bitter memory of failing to cook it at her house once.
The disgusting fishy smell she remembered from grilling butter and orc pork belly was still vivid in her mind, so it was puzzling that it was being sold in such an upscale cocktail bar.
Could the cooking method be different…?

“Hey, do you want to try this?”
“Ah, no….”
“It’s fine. Don’t decline.”

Yeonhwa raised her hand to the bartender.
“Can we get ten of everything on the menu, please?”
“…..Excuse me?”
“It’s fine. We’re both Hunters, so we won’t be leaving anything behind.”

With Shia around, there would be no way they’d leave food behind.
Whatever the customer ordered, the bartender’s job is simply to follow the customer’s requests.
The seasoned bartender had seen all kinds of requests over time, but as long as he got paid, he would follow those requests without complaints.
But asking for ten of everything on the menu…?
Gulp, what kind of villainy is this…?
Even though she didn’t seem intoxicated yet, I wonder if Hunters could even eat everything on the menu.

Returning to the kitchen, the bartender urgently contacted his staff to prepare the food while he started crafting cocktails for Shia and Yeonhwa.
“I feel uneasy…”
“It’s okay. I’m sure you’ll like it.”

The first thing that came out was Yeonhwa’s Black Russian.
On the outside, it looked like ice americano mixed with coffee, but it had a much darker hue than regular coffee.
Black Russian is made primarily with a liqueur called Kahlúa, featuring a coffee flavor, usually without milk, tonic water, or juices – just alcohol and liqueurs, boasting quite a bit of potency.

“Customer, the omakase menu is ready.”
“Ah, thank you…”
“It seems like this is your first time at a cocktail bar, so I’ve made something that is easy for beginners to drink. I’ve based it on the Sand cocktail and added a little milk and more Kahlúa.”

Honestly, I didn’t understand what he was saying at all….
Shia glanced down at the cocktail with hints of chocolate and coffee aromas.
It should taste somewhat similar to Yeonhwa’s ordered cocktail, right…?

Gulp
“…!”
Shia, who generally valued both quality and quantity when eating, found herself more inclined to quantity due to her physical characteristics as a Malicious Entity.
Feeling a bit disappointed at just receiving a single drink, she also thought this must have been expected.
The first sip was sweet and smooth, but soon after, she felt the warmth of alcohol passing through her mouth and tongue, eventually disappearing cleanly at the end.
It was just one tiny sip, but it felt like a grand party of coffee and chocolate was taking place in Shia’s mouth.

“Ha, ugh…”
“Is it delicious?”
“Yeah…”
“Glad to hear it. This is olive chocolate. It pairs well with each sip of your cocktail.”

What the bartender handed to Yeonhwa and Shia was a white stick-like chocolate.
From the outside, it didn’t look like chocolate but resembled a white vanilla-flavored snack stick.
Crunch
Munch munch
The texture felt somewhat firm like the appearance of a chocolate.
It was quite faint for a chocolate flavor, but after one bite of the olive chocolate and a sip of the rich cocktail, it became quite a special treat.
Shia quickly devoured the olive chocolate and cocktail as if she were enchanted.
Though it shouldn’t be low in alcohol content….

“…It’s delicious.”
“Are you feeling a bit better?”
“Yeah! Yeah! Can I have more?”
“Of course.”

The bartender skillfully took Shia’s order and began preparing a new cocktail.
“Is this different from before?”
The new cocktail that came out looked nothing like the previous chocolate milk-like cocktail but instead had a blue hue, resembling fruit juice.
“It’s omakase, after all. If you only drink the same cocktails, your taste buds can become desensitized, making originally delicious drinks taste different.”
“Eh… but I wanted to eat more…”

Shia didn’t like to take risks.
After failing with the butter orc pork belly, she had only wanted to try well-organized recipes that the smartwatch provided.
She aimed to avoid wasting precious ingredients on experiments.
And she felt similarly about trying new foods.
If possible, she’d prefer to eat what she’s used to, as that’s safe and delicious.

“Sis, trust the bartender. That’ll be quite a treat too.”
Shia’s gaze slowly fell upon Yeonhwa as she gulped down the Black Russian.
“…Slurp…”
Unintentionally drooling, Shia hastily wiped her mouth, and seeing this, Yeonhwa smiled.
‘Shia, you also have a childish side.’
Especially when it came to food.

Hunters were generally tough with alcohol.
Their physical abilities were vastly superior to that of ordinary people, and their livers could detoxify much better.
And Shia was likely the same.
As a Mangja Seongnyeo who couldn’t even die, having a body that couldn’t be affected by poison meant alcohol shouldn’t pose a problem for her either.

After eyeing Yeonhwa’s Black Russian for a while, Shia eventually picked up the blue cocktail in front of her.
Right, in cooking and dining, a little adventure is necessary. Let’s trust Yeonhwa and the bartender.

Gulp
“…!”
Gulp, gulp
Slurp…
“Ah…!”
Typically, one should sip cocktails leisurely, but the moment Shia tasted the cocktail, it seemed she had fallen in love with it, as she quickly chugged it down in one go.
As a Hunter-exclusive cocktail, its serving size was quite large, and having downed it so quickly, Shia’s face turned slightly flushed, almost as if the alcohol was already kicking in.

“Hehe, it’s delicious…”
“I’m glad to hear it. What was that cocktail?”
“Ah, Hawaiian Blue as the base, mixed with a bit of milk and vodka. We only added the minimum amount of vodka to give it flavor, so the alcohol content shouldn’t be too high.”
“It’s delicious. So good…”

Shia seemed completely captivated by the charm of cocktails, her carefree grin growing brighter.
Seeing that smile, Yeonhwa sighed while lifting her glass to finish her Black Russian.
“Hey, you know…”
“Yes? Why are you… Hic!?”

At that moment, Shia stealthily grabbed the Black Russian Yeonhwa had intended to drink with a snake-like slow hand and leaned her face close to her.
With just a cocktail glass as a barrier, they were very close to each other, leaving Yeonhwa unable to do anything but simply stare back at her.

Ah, I can hear her breathing…
Sis, your eyes are really big…
So close that they could hear each other’s breathing, Shia blushed slightly while grinning, then tilted Yeonhwa’s cocktail glass towards herself.

Gulp.
“….”
What’s going on? That surprised me…
So this is what you wanted…
“Ugh, a bit bitter….”
“…..Was it not good?”
“No, it was delicious….”

Gulp, gulp.
“This is pretty strong…”
Despite Yeonhwa’s warning about the high alcohol content, Shia merely drank as if she were going to chew the cocktail glass.
“Ahh… tastes like coffee… The flavor was so strange.”
“That’s because it’s a Black Russian that hasn’t been stirred.”
“What difference does it make if it’s not stirred?”
“Kahlúa is thicker and heavier than vodka, so it sinks to the bottom. The top has the pure vodka flavor, the middle has a slightly blended taste of vodka and Kahlúa, and the bottom has the sweet flavor that includes Kahlúa. This way, with one drink, you can experience three different flavors. It’s a tasting method that’s appreciated by those who love it.”
“Hehe, our Yeonhwa… you really know a lot?”
“Well, in the past, after finishing a dungeon, there wasn’t much to do besides coming to places like this.”
“Heehee, alone? That must’ve been lonely.”
“No, not really…”
“Uh-huh, it was lonely.”

Shia gulped down the remaining ice in her cocktail cup and gently patted Yeonhwa’s head.
“Being alone, you know. It’s really, really, really lonely.”
“Are you tipsy already?”
“Heh, no way. I’m a Mangja Seongnyeo! Poison doesn’t work on me…”

Sure, poison doesn’t work.
However, Shia’s body didn’t mean it would neutralize poisons; rather, it meant she could survive even highly toxic substances.
So, alcohol would work the same way.
It wasn’t neutralized; it was enough to make Shia’s face and mind warm up.

“…From now on, call me. Yeonhwa, don’t eat alone.”
“Yep, yep.”
“I really hate being lonely. You feel the same way, don’t you? If you’re alone… If you’re alone, you can’t be…”
Shia’s slurring speech made Yeonhwa want to laugh without realizing it.
The person who seemed like such a pillar of support suddenly looked like a child whining.

“Hehe…”
How amusing.
The troubled Mangja Seongnyeo.
Sometimes, the scars carry on as unhealed marks, tugging at the hearts of those who observe.
But she herself was still muttering that she couldn’t be alone as she continued to drink cocktail after cocktail.

“Hehe, it’s delicious… bartender, give me more…”
“Yes.”
Gulp.
“Hehehe, Yeonhwa…”
“Are you sure you’re not getting tipsy too fast?”
“I’m not tipsy.”
Gulp, gulp… Phew.

There’s an old saying everywhere.
I’m not drunk.
I’m strong with alcohol.
How could anyone even say they’re drunk?
Everyone who utters those words is surprisingly similar.

“Hehe, heh…”
“Uh, sir? Please drink moderately…”
“…Eh, noooooo….”
The bartender sensed Shia’s mounting antics and attempted to dissuade her, but Shia vehemently shook her head with a flushed face.
Normally, her skin was pale to the point of resembling a vampire, but now Shia’s face was bright red due to the alcohol as she shook her head.
Artfully, every time she shook her head, the massive Seongnyeok pouch shook vigorously too.

“It’s okay. Just give me what I asked for.”
Typically, Yeonhwa would have advised moderation.
But today… wouldn’t it be a day meant for indulgence?
Drink up. Drink up.
One shot after another.
Gulp, gulp, gulp.

“Ahhh, Yeonhwa is the best….”
Gulp.
“Ugh, Hic… Yeonhwa.”
“Yes.”
Gulp, gulp…
“Aren’t I not alone?”
“Of course not. We’re eating together.”
“Ahhh, this is a Black Russian… I want to try it again….”
“It seems you’ve been wanting my drink for a while now?”
Gulp.
“Gosh, it tasted so much better. I don’t even feel like I’m eating alone. Hey, let’s just use one cocktail glass.”
“If we do that, I won’t get to drink any.”
“Hehe…. is that so? Gulp…”

Shia continued drinking.
Before they knew it, the bartender had served snacks, chocolates, chips, cheese, and various skewers, including orc pork belly skewers.
Ah, delicious!

“Why is it so good? I had a failed dish earlier… sniff, sniff.”
Is she really about to cry?
“It’s good, so why complain?”
“Hyahhh, I failed!”
“What did you fail at?”
“At the orc pork belly butter roast… mine wasn’t tasty, but this is good, isn’t it? sniff sniff.”

Yeonhwa gently patted Shia’s shoulder in comfort.
There must be plenty of things she wanted to express with her sorrow, but Shia never fully articulated them.
She just kept drinking, consuming more, confirming Yeonhwa’s presence beside her, and drinking again.
It was almost as if she was worrying that Yeonhwa might vanish at any moment.

“You’re fine. It’s alright.”
“Uhh, heh… sniff, sniff.”
“I’m right here. Here, have this Black Russian.”
“Ohhh, it’s delicious… gulp… ahhh, heh….”

Yeonhwa made a mental note about a new characteristic of Shia.
That ‘her sister was hopelessly terrible with alcohol.’
And that day, Shia finished off 218 cocktails.

“Hehe, let’s go for round two! Round two! Let’s go for round two with Yeonhwa~!”
“….”
Yeonhwa opened her smartwatch and sent a message to Yeonju, who was handling the administrative work for the Yeon family.

[Yeonju, I can’t go home today.]
[Why?]
[Shia is starting to go wild.]
[…What?]

“Hehe, heehee….”
“Alright, sis. Let’s go.”
“Hehe… let’s eat more, more together….”

The plea to ‘let’s do it together’ somehow sounded incredibly melancholic.