The pubs within the Adventurers City were usually chock-full in the evening, since this was when most Adventurers returned from their daily tasks.
Many wanted to relax and enjoy the evening atmosphere while sipping some ale, while others desired to blow off steam by ranting about their experience to any who would listen.
It was a nice mix of varying minds who desired different things.
As a result, most pubs ended up being chaotic—the later the evening got, the worse it became.
However, compared to the usual nature of such an establishment, the place where Jet, Lux, and Sherlock chose was completely silent.
Perhaps the absence of any other Adventurer—or any other living soul, save for the staff in the establishment—could explain the cause of the decorum. It was a strange sight, seeing a pub so empty despite it being evening.
However, when considering the status of the three Adventurers who occupies the pub, this occurrence couldn't be seen as overly strange.
"This is my favorite pub. It's usually very, very loud, though." Noah began, his friendly smile easily breaking the tension that existed among the three of them.
"I suspected you wouldn't be very comfortable with so much noise, so I booked it ahead of time."
That explained why there was no one else in the room.
"Perks of being a 6 Star, I guess. I don't think any other Adventurer would have gotten away with it, even if they had the money to pay." Noah added as he chugged down the foaming liquid on his massive jug.
Rey watched the boy gulp down its contents, and after a few seconds, he slammed the jug down and gave a heavy sigh.
"Haaa! Nothing beats a good drink after a long day!"
His beaming air of optimism was contrasted by the somewhat gloomy atmosphere that surrounded the other two.
"You… drink?"
"Hm? Why do you ask? What kind of Adventurer doesn't drink?" Noah retorted in surprise as he looked at Jet—or rather, Rey.
"You've not touched your ale, by the way. Hope nothing is wrong. I promise, you'll like it very much."
Rey felt a bit conflicted as he looked at the drink on his side of the table. It would indeed be rude not to refuse to drink anything, but he wasn't much of a drinker.
It wasn't like he hadn't tasted alcohol before, but…
'… I really don't like it.'
The smell alone made Rey sick to his stomach, and he really couldn't stand the taste. He would pick actual juice or fruit drinks to alcohol any day.
'I just don't see the appeal in taking alcohol, especially when it has such a bad side effect.'
Perhaps this was just his teenage brain speaking, but wasn't Noah also a teenager—a more fragile-looking one than him too.
'When did he start chugging down alcohol like a champ?'
Was it really a prerequisite for one to constantly drink alcohol if they were an Adventurer? Rey didn't want to believe it.
"Want to know a secret?" Noah said with a somewhat naughty smile.
He had a somewhat mischievous gleam in his eyes, enough to spark Rey's curiosity in whatever he was about to say.
"I…" Noah brought his face closer and used a hand to block his mouth. "I actually don't like alcohol very much."
'RIGHT?!' Rey's eyes widened as he beamed at the boy in front of him.
"It's so bitter and it tastes so weird. I hear it gives you a certain buzz, but considering how people get drunk, puke all over, and pass out so often after taking this stuff… I don't think it's worth it."
Rey couldn't help but nod and agree at that point.
"I agree. I personally prefer high-quality fruit juice." Rey responded, trying to sound as manly and elegant as possible.
"Indeed! I totally agree!"
Noah's nod and his smile also showed that he was trying to sound like some kind of informed gentleman. In actuality, they were just being kids.
Lux just sat there and watched in silence as the two interacted.
"Alcohol is so blehh!"
"Haha! Indeed, indeed! You are quite the enlightened one, Sir Jet." Noah's eyes gleamed with respect.
Unfortunately, Rey couldn't do the same to Noah.
After all, despite saying he didn't like alcohol, he ended up sullying his throat with the burning sensation of such disgusting-tasting liquid.
At some point, Rey couldn't contain his curiosity and ended up asking the question on his mind.
"Why…?"
"Why what?"
"Why do you drink alcohol…?"
"Ohh…" Noah's face fell a little, but he quickly picked it back up. "Because I have an image to uphold."
Rey raised a brow and waited for more elaboration on that.
Thankfully, he didn't have to wait very long.
"As you can clearly see, I have a small stature, and my face isn't the most intimidating. Other than my strength, many wouldn't really consider me a proper Adventurer…"
Noah's smile only widened more as he spoke, almost as if he was resolute in his desire and intention to overturn those perceptions.
"That's why I come to this pub regularly. It's why I drink alcohol. I maintain my image as a strong, but relatable Adventurer."
As a result, he could truly become 'one of them.'
"Besides, alcohol really does nothing to my body. One of my Class Privileges grants me high resistance against poisons and toxins, so other than the terrible taste, I have nothing to worry about."
Rey's eyes widened upon hearing the information. 'Ohh! That's super convenient!'
Once they finally resolved their discussion on alcohol, the food arrived and everyone dug in. Just as Noah said, it was amazing food.
'The food in the Royal Capital is far better, but this has a unique feel to it. Local and… slightly gamey.' Its unexplainable flavor worked to its advantage, as Rey enjoyed every bite of the steak and salad to go with it.
Once everyone was done eating, making slight jokes and jabs in the process, they finally had to move to the more serious issue.
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Thanks for reading!
I'll probably be too lazy to give a note in later chapters, so… yeah.
