Chapter : 6
“Ghk!”
Before I could even finish reading the contents of the status window, my vision spun violently. At the same time, a crushing headache slammed into the back of my skull, so intense it felt like my head was about to split open.
I had never experienced a headache this severe in my life—and to make matters worse, my entire body suddenly went limp and heavy. I couldn’t even process what was happening.
I think I saw something about energy… and debuffs…
As if on cue, another system window appeared before my eyes.
When Energy falls below a certain percentage, a debuff is activated.
(Debuffs stack.)
When Energy is below 5%
– Severe fatigue accompanied by an intense headache.
When Energy is below 3%
– Difficulty maintaining posture, with a 50% chance of a nosebleed.
When Energy is below 1%
– The body becomes unable to move, with a 20% chance of fainting.
* Debuffs can be removed through sleep (07:59:99).
* Debuffs may be weakened using an Energy Drink (once per day).
* Improper sleep does not restore Energy.
* Perfect sleep grants bonus Energy.
* If Energy depletion (below 5%) occurs 4 times per week, debuffs will intensify.
* In severe cases, this may lead to death. Please exercise caution.
“…This is insane.”
A curse slipped out before I could stop it.
Shouldn’t you explain that there are debuffs in advance, you crazy game?!
“Haah…”
I let out a long breath and reread the system window floating in front of me. As I went through the explanation, I instinctively pressed a hand to my forehead.
“This is driving me crazy.”
So, to summarize—
Once Energy drops below 5%, debuffs begin.
Debuffs can be negated with a proper eight hours of sleep.
Energy drinks can remove debuffs, but they’re limited in use.
The way this works is way too similar to real life…
And yet, the most chilling part was still left.
In severe cases, death.
…Guess I can’t even joke about trading stamina for lifespan anymore.
I let out a hollow laugh.
So even though it’s a game, it’s telling me to take care of my health?
Hidden behind the scary word “debuff” was basically a demand to get eight hours of sleep.
Something I never managed to do in real life…
The conditions were strict, sure, but—
I closed my eyes tightly, then opened them again.
“Fine. Why not?”
It’s not like they’re telling me not to sleep at all!
If anything, being told to sleep for eight hours feels generous.
“Then… shall I try getting some proper rest?”
Though, given this environment… it’ll probably just be the act of ‘sleeping’ and nothing more…
I looked around, searching for a suitable place to lie down.
And then—
“Huh? Where did Hyu go?”
Only then did I realize Hyu was nowhere in sight.
“I feel like he said he was going somewhere earlier…”
I must have been so busy dealing with customers that I couldn’t even remember properly.
I should at least tell Hyu I’m going to sleep…
That way, if something happens later, he’ll know what to do.
Just as I turned my head to look for him—
A piercing sound hit my ears, and my knees nearly buckled.
Beep—!
⚠ WARNING ⚠
Energy has dropped to 3%!
– Debuff activated.
Please immediately enter sleep mode (07:59:99).
…No, seriously, what the hell?
Is it supposed to drop this fast?!
Indignation rose to the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t voice it.
Thud!
My body collapsed straight onto the ground.
Every inch of me hurt as if I’d been beaten. The headache that had been lingering grew even worse, making it hard to think straight.
A metallic smell filled my nose—was I bleeding? The nausea churned in my stomach.
My vision blurred, my hearing dulled, and all sounds stretched as if submerged underwater.
In short, everything was a disaster.
This won’t do. I need to sleep—now.
Survival comes first!
Even if this game had my life as collateral, I couldn’t die this pathetically before even starting the café.
Cause of death: Energy depletion? Absolutely not.
I forced myself to exhale deeply and sprawled out flat on the floor.
Broken wood fragments poked painfully into my back, but I squeezed my eyes shut anyway. This was the moment to use my special talent—falling asleep the instant my head hit the ground.
Drowsiness washed over me, my thoughts turning hazy.
That was when—
“Hey. If you sleep in a place like this, people might mistake you for a corpse.
Ah—are you already one?”
A strange voice reached my ears.
Even through the muffled sounds around me, that unfamiliar voice came through clearly.
Who is this? Who dares walk into my café without permission?
Even if it’s basically a construction site right now!
I should teach them a lesson about the law—
But I couldn’t.
My eyes wouldn’t open. Worse, my condition kept deteriorating. At this rate, I was going to pass out right in front of this mysterious stranger.
…This is bad.
Cold sweat trickled down my spine.
Or maybe I should endure just a little longer and make him leave.
If he’s going to report a body, he’ll have to exit the café.
Then I can use every last ounce of strength to escape upstairs.
As I was hastily forming this plan—
“Hm. Not a corpse, then. Just unconscious?”
He sounds conscious, though.
The voice, now even clearer, was right beside me. The stranger paused in thought, then spoke again.
“Hey. Can you hear me? I think I can help you. I happen to have a potion on me.
If you want help, nod your head once. If you don’t trust me, that’s fine too.”
Nope. Don’t trust you.
They say the only things you can trust in this world are yourself and money.
Not even blood relatives are safe—so why would I accept help from a stranger?
I stayed perfectly still, pretending I hadn’t heard him.
He continued anyway.
“Ah, come to think of it, I don’t have time to wait. I need to ask you something.
So I’ll help you first.”
This really doesn’t suit my temperament at all.
He muttered quietly, then pressed something cold against my lips.
Even without opening my eyes, I could tell he was being extremely careless about it.
“This is an expensive potion, so make sure you drink it all.”
With that, liquid seeped through the gap between my lips—leaving me no chance to refuse.
And then—
This taste felt familiar.
…Hot6?
Was the potion actually an energy drink?
It was already in my mouth. And honestly, it’s not like I had the strength to spit it out. I barely managed to swallow the liquid pooling inside.
Then—
Energy Potion used. Energy restored by 50%.
Current Energy: 55%
The pain wracking my body and the splitting headache vanished completely.
My eyes flew open.
“Hah—!”
I gasped like someone who had just clawed their way back from the afterlife. As I panted, I rolled my eyes to look at the stranger who’d given me the potion.
And there he was.
Squatting right beside me, openly observing.
Silver hair gleaming in the rising morning sun.
Cold blue eyes that seemed to hold frost within them.
Sharp, refined features that perfectly matched his chilly presence.
A man draped in a navy cloak—like a massive glacier roughly carved into human form—looked down at me.
His gaze was utterly indifferent.
“….”
Just meeting his eyes made me feel overwhelmed.
Not in a bad way.
It’s like… we’re on completely different levels.
And yet, among all the game images I’d seen, there was no NPC with an appearance like his.
Neither I—Leila Token—nor this man matched anything I remembered.
…What is going on?
As I stared at him silently, he stood up.
“If you’ve come to your senses, stop staring and get up.”
“Ah.”
“And shouldn’t you greet me first?
Something like ‘thank you for saving me,’ or ‘how should I pay for the potion’?”
“…Huh?”
I blinked as I stood and brushed the dirt off my clothes.
Of course I was planning to say thank you.
But asking for potion money? After forcing it down my throat?
Seeing my bewildered expression, he smiled smoothly.
“Don’t worry. Since I forced you to drink it, I’ll take gold instead.
I’m very strict about calculations like this.”
He shrugged, holding up two fingers.
“Let’s say… 200 gold.”
He even added that there was no such thing as free help.
Right. Nothing in this world is free.
Honestly, this was easier to deal with. I smiled and pulled 200 gold from my pouch.
It hurt to hand over money I’d earned through sheer suffering.
“Thank you for helping me. Even if it wasn’t exactly the help I wanted, I’ll pay for the potion. Fair accounting, right?”
“A good mindset.”
He accepted the gold with a satisfied smile.
My precious money…
I clenched my teeth behind my smile as I felt my now-empty pouch.
“By the way, who are you? I’m Leila Token. The owner of this café.”
“Oh? Then you’re Vasha’s granddaughter?”
“You know me?”
He stared at me for a moment, then let out a short laugh.
“Of course. You’re exactly who I came to see.”
…Excuse me?
