The Rise of the Winter Wolf - Book 6 - Chapter 54 - The Cursed Bar

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Wolf

“Okay, so what am I looking at here?” I mutter out loud as I stare blankly from within the large cubic room that I now find myself in at the rather unexpected sight in front of me. With that sight being some sort of bar. One with a bartender behind it.

Sapphire appears next to me with just as much confusion on her face as there must be on mine and says, “Your guess is as good as mine.”

Then a notification appears in my vision.

Beta Administrator Dungeon Notification

Welcome to the Cursed Bar!

This is a bar created by the Centurion Boss to share his beloved wine and other alcoholic beverages with the universe so wrongfully ruled by The Reaper! Also known as the bastard who made a clone of the Centurion Boss!

A lottery is currently underway to allow random people all across The Reaper’s universe to enter the bar and mingle with each other and the lone Beta Tester while trying out the lovely beverages here for free!

Meanwhile the Beta Tester himself can use this as a chance to take a break from his hard fought battles now that he has proven himself within the temple!

System Favor: Minor alterations may or not have been made to the lottery drawing to tip the hand. You are welcome.

Huh.

I don’t know what I was expecting touching that door, but this is definitely not it.

Also, what’s with that System Favor message…? Did the System do something for me with the lottery?

I frown at that thought.

And why does it sound like I should be thanking it for that?

I look around for a few seconds before eventually just shrugging and walking over to the bar. Where I find the bartender mixing some sort of cocktail.

As for the bartender himself? He looks like a bug person, if I’m being honest.

Which is very on-theme with this Centurion Floor Theme.

He has ten eyes and an amalgamation of body parts from other bugs. Yet despite that, it all mixes together to form a rather cool appearance. With sleek black, purple, and some hints of dark green in his carapace’s coloring, along with his eyes. And a single scorpion’s tail that is actually helping him grab drinks from the bar.

The bug man’s identify also doesn’t show any results when I try.

Which is just odd. But whatever.

This guy is probably a noncombatant made for this place.

Said noncombatant suddenly speaks, startling me in the process as he asks, “Any requests?”

I stare at him for several seconds, and for a moment wonder if I should actually have anything. But then I remember that I’m pretty much immune to poisons. So I might as well try the alcohol here to see how it tastes.

After all, it’s not like I can get drunk.

“Surprise me,” I tell him while sitting down on a stool at the bar.

My thoughts halt the moment I see a list of names appear in my vision on another notification.

Beta Administrator Dungeon Notification

The Lottery has been drawn!

Welcome the following ten users to the Cursed Bar!

They will have half an hour to spend within the bar, following which they will be kicked out and another lottery will be drawn. This will continue for every half an hour the Beta Tester is within the bar.

The Beta Tester may stay within the Cursed Bar for as long as they like so long as they do not piss off the bartender and get kicked out.

Aiko Tanaka

Ronan Dark

Rafael Delgado

Astrid Larsen

Aelric Goldenflame

Katie Adler

Mirael Duskwalker

Kaelithra Nightshade

Liora Celestara

Nyvra Solarii Prime

Wait, I can stay here for as long as I want?

That’s nice to hear.

I take a moment to read the names on the notification, only to be surprised at one of them right as a flash of green light shines from the entrance of the bar a ways behind me.

“Wolf!” I hear a familiar voice shout, making me turn around on my stool to find Katie racing past all of the other people who won the lottery straight at me. Clearly planning on tackling me in a hug.

So I turn myself into lunar ice element and move a stool over, making her crash into the bar instead.

Then I pat her on the head as she’s trying to get up before saying, “Nice to see you again.”

She narrows her eyes on me for a second, only to move forward and hug me again. This time without the tackling.

So I let her while glancing at the other lottery winners, all of whom look both surprised and confused at what’s going on. Probably because they were expecting to meet me and be able to talk only to find my sister here taking my attention away.

Or something like that.

Probably.

“It’s really him!” “He’s here!” “I can see him in person!!!” “Can I touch him?”

My eyes briefly narrow on the person who asked if they could touch me. Which is some woman with a rather fancy name and expensive looking clothes. But I eventually turn my attention back to Katie again as I realize that the System Favor must’ve been saying that it tipped the odds of the lottery to make it so Katie wins it and makes it here.

Which is nice.

Especially since I haven’t seen her or our parents for years now. Ever since getting stuck in the dungeons in the first place.

And holograms and calls don’t count as seeing them.

This is the first time I’ve actually been physically in the same place as one of them since Aegis.

A faint smile spreads across my face, only for Sapphire to start slurping some drink, making me glance at her to find her drinking a blue beverage.

Okay, what is she drinking?

I stare for a few seconds while glancing at our bond to see if it’s hurting her. But after a few seconds, I find nothing happening.

So I decide to turn a blind eye to it.

She’s a spider anyways. Not a human. And I’m pretty sure most poisons don’t work on her just like me.

I turn my attention back to Katie again as she backs away and sits on the stool on the other side of me from Sapphire.

“How have you been?” I ask her while the bartender places a drink in front of me. One that is the same blue color as the one Sapphire has.

Time to catch up a bit.