I Hate Systems

Dlon City; in a certain pub, people flocked over during the evening, filling their bellies with food and alcohol.

"Beauty, some alcohol here!" One of the customers shouted, grinning as he ogled the lady that poured him alcohol.

Upon seeing her leaving after pouring his fill, the red-necked man extended her hand, grabbing hold of the lady's hand as he said, "Beauty, why won't you accompany us? Alcohol tastes the best in the company of a beauty."

"We don't give that service here." The lady said calmly before pointing at the bar on the opposite side, "But, the establishment on the other side of the road has that. We can give you a discount coupon there."

"I'm not interested in the used bitches there." The red-necked man snorted before pulling the girl into his embrace, or at least, that was what he had tried to do so when a large man grabbed hold of his hand firmly, preventing him from exerting strength in it.

"Who the fuck are you?" The red-necked man shouted in anger, "You have a death wish?"

"Yeah, so what?" The large man said as he placed a hand on the red-necked man's shoulder, exerting force to cause him to be seated instantly, shocking him.

"This…bastard!" The red-necked man's face too reddened in anger and humiliation as he tried to get up but was unable to, incapable of going against the pressure the large man was exerting on him.

"Hahaha, another idiot that challenges the Boar!" The drunkards from the surrounding tables laughed raucously, jeering at the red-necked man, "Forget her, dumbass. She's out of your reach."

"Drink, and leave." The large man glared at the red-necked man from close up and then walked away. But for some reason, the red-necked man didn't say anything else and continued to calmly drink his alcohol.

"Beauty, some alcohol here too. Get me your cheapest one." An old man that resembled a beggar arrived at a table, raising his hand to shout.

"Hah!" The lady sighed as she placed a large jug full of alcohol, "You're the only one that orders this, old man. It'll be better if you drink water instead. There's no difference."

"Haha, at least, the feeling counts." The old man laughed, "This alcohol still gets me tipsy, and that's all that matters haha."

"Don't waste your money, old man." The lady couldn't help but say in concern, "You're already having a hard time getting by these days. Why waste your money?"

"Heh, a young'un like you wouldn't know." The old man sniffed the alcohol, gasping like it was vintage as he took a careful sip, saying, "I might drop dead any day now. So why should I worry about anything? I should just enjoy my final days and alcohol is what gives me that."

"Then, you should at least buy the general alcohol. Don't buy this water." The lady snorted before leaving.

"Hey, this might be the cheapest alcohol, but you don't need to call it water you know." The old man protested before continuing to drink happily.

"This old fart came today too." A customer commented.

"I'm surprised he's still alive considering how much he drinks daily." A fellow customer joined the discussion.

"That alcohol is no different from water. So of course, he would still be alive." A drunkard said, "Though, even if you're old, a man should tackle a strong liquor like me."

"When I was your age, the liquor I drank was pretty much poison." The old man boasted, "As compared to that, the liquor you're drinking is no different to my water here."

"Don't speak nonsense, old man. You can't compare liquor to a freaking poison." The drunkard retorted.

"Idiot, if it doesn't kill you, both are the same. They get you tipsy." The old man retorted.

"The old man's making sense though." Another drunkard contemplated his words, acting enlightened, "As long as it doesn't kill you, even poison is alcohol."

The customers continued to come in one after another throughout the night. Of course, things became rowdy from time to time, but the large man was there to suppress everything.

Eventually, it was almost dawn as most of the customers had left.

The old man was barely able to stand as he looked through his pockets, noticing that he was short of change, "Dear, can I pay tomorrow?"

"Not again…" The lady sighed, "Old man, you're making it a habit now. These days, even water has a price."

The old man surfed through his rags before taking out a tattered scroll, "Dear, I picked this from the roa…I bought this at a premium price from a merchant. It contains important information. I'm sure it's worth more than my alcohol."

"I'll have to check the contents first." The lady said as she opened the scroll, frowning as she looked for a moment before closing it, sighing as she gazed at the old man, "This isn't much, but I'll clear your tab. You'll still have to bring enough money to drink tomorrow, you know."

"Yes…yes…" The old man continued to hiccup as he crawled out of the pub, drunk until he had become stupid.

"Beauty…here too…" Another drunkard took out an item, handing it over as he said, "This is worth more than what I had drunk…"

The lady calmly appraised it, shaking her head, "Sorry, it's not enough."

"Fine…" The man said before taking out a ring, "This is my family heirloom…"

The lady observed the ring as her brows subtly furrowed as she pocketed it, "Alright, that'll do. These two items are enough to pay your tab."

As the customers left, some paid in cash while some bartered their items. The lady calmly accepted it while the large man stood nearby to intervene if necessary.

Finally, at dawn, they closed the pub as the large man was no longer able to hold back his curiosity, asking the lady, "Madam, we'll make a loss if we continue to accept items instead of money."

"Are you the owner or me?" The lady glared, causing the large man to flinch, shaking his head meekly.

"Remember that I only spared your life because I thought you would be useful. Don't stretch your boundaries." The lady said, snorting as she motioned for him to carry all the items inside.

She then opened the damaged scroll, gazing at the picture on it, "So, you're in the Gaider Realm, Compass Carburettor."

"That's good."