I Became an NPC That Rankers Are Obsessed Over

Chapter 9 - Black Velvet 3



Grade: ☆

Effect: None.

Info: A cocktail made by pouring black beer and champagne in a 1:1 ratio.

However, the proportions failed, causing it to overflow.

A truly ‘ruined drink’ with a messed-up ratio.

“I present you Black Velvet.”

I handed the sticky cup to Anna nonchalantly.

Anna stared intently at the dirty plating and asked me.

“Are you seriously asking me to drink this?”

“Yes.”

I said quietly while wiping my hands with a cloth.

From the look on her face, it seemed like she couldn’t clearly recall the happy moments of her past.

That made sense.

The girl she remembered back then still had some rationality left.

She wasn’t the kind of psycho who killed people without hesitation, like now.

“A cocktail made with cheap champagne?”

She had every reason to ask.

As Ji-wook had mentioned, she must’ve visited numerous inns and tried every expensive drink available.

But none of the shops survived after her visits.

From the start, the ‘delicious drink’ she sought wasn’t determined by its price.

“Sometimes, you miss drinking soju with a friend more than enjoying expensive liquor alone.”

That was the last thing I could say to her.

Now, the result was all that mattered.

All I could do was silently pray.

Anna brushed her elegant silver hair aside and brought the glass to her lips.

The more she tilted the glass, the harder my heart pounded.

Please, just drink it all…

“—!”

But Anna set the glass down abruptly after barely touching it.

She drank such a small amount that it was doubtful whether she even took a full sip.

Seeing this, the debt collector and the father-daughter duo turned pale.

“How is it…?”

I asked Anna, staring into her cloudy white pupils.

Her eyes, far from resembling those of a living person, stared blankly at me.

Even Angelic Hand couldn’t reach her.

There was no way to know if my drink had touched her emotions.

Eventually, the killer stood up silently from her seat.

She picked up the sword she had set on the floor.

“—!”

The staff gasped in shock and retreated further.

They backed up so much that they were soon pressed against the wall.

“We have nothing to do with this. She’s the one who made the drink horribly!”

Anna didn’t react to their outcry.

Instead, she slowly leaned her face closer to mine.

As if she was observing me.

Her smooth, pale skin filled my entire vision.

A faint scent of soap lingered at the tip of my nose.

“It’s a mess.”

Anna murmured softly.

Soon, her shadow, cast by her sword, loomed over me.

My eyelids trembled.

I closed my eyes, resigned.

It felt as if all the blood in my body drained away in anticipation of death.

Bracing myself for the inevitable pain, I held my breath.

“—?”

However, no matter how long I waited, the blade never pierced my neck.

Instead, I felt a sensation I had never experienced before caressing the tip of my chin.

Her gentle fingers grasped my chin and tilted it slightly to the side.

As if she were inspecting a doll she intended to buy.

“Why?”

Her emotionless voice whispered in my ear.

“Why… why what?”

“Why did you give me this, of all things?”

Avoiding her gaze, I clasped my hands together and answered softly.

“I thought you might’ve tried beer before but never champagne.”

When I said that, a faint ripple appeared in her murky eyes.

Summoning all my courage, I looked up at her.

Facing those ripples, I smiled faintly.

“Because when mixed, they taste good.”

Anna’s small lips trembled slightly.

She bit her lip to suppress the tremor.

Turning her head away, she concealed her expression.

Her cold hand fell away, and only then could I breathe again.

“It’s an unpleasant taste.”

The dull sound of her boots echoed as she walked away.

The silver-haired killer left those words behind as she exited.

The loud slam of the front door reverberated throughout the shop.

There was no sound of the door swinging back.

The door remained broken from slamming into the wall.

The woman, usually indifferent to everything, had slammed the door hard enough to break it.

“Hah.”

The sound released the tension that had constricted my entire body.

My legs gave out completely.

I collapsed onto the floor like a newborn fawn.

At least I survived…

I never thought I’d feel such terror again.

My limbs refused to obey me.

“Is she gone…?”

Ji-wook cautiously peeked out from the kitchen.

Even as he emerged, he double-checked to ensure Anna wasn’t there.

“Yes… it seems so.”

“How did you manage to satisfy Anna?”

Was that satisfaction?

She smashed the door on her way out.

Well, since she didn’t kill me, maybe it was her twisted form of acknowledgment.

“Sometimes, you crave homemade meals more than dining out.”

“What does that even mean?”

“It’s just… a thing.”

I grabbed his hand and struggled to my feet.

By then, the shop was in complete disarray.

Thanks to Executor’s interference and Anna’s appearance.

“You didn’t run away either, senior.”

“I’m owed three months of pay here.”

I chuckled weakly.

Yeah, money was important.

Especially for insignificant ability users like us.

Come to think of it, that woman didn’t even pay.

She’s a mercenary, so she must’ve had plenty of money.

Even after such a harrowing experience, my first thought was about money.

I guess I’ve fully become an NPC now.

“I couldn’t bring myself to leave you here alone.”

“That’s kind of touching.”

Ji-wook stepped forward and started cleaning up the broken chairs and bloodstains.

I staggered toward him to help.

“No, you should go rest. Leave the cleanup to me.”

“But this is going to take a long time to clean up.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll do it as payment for saving my life.”

He raised his thumb confidently, signaling me to trust him.

He wasn’t the only one expressing gratitude toward me.

The debt collectors, who had been glaring at us like they were about to kill us, approached.

Having been thoroughly terrified by Anna, they no longer had any bravado to display.

“Hey, how the hell did you persuade that crazy killer?”

“That performance was incredible. Did you learn that at some famous bar?”

The burly men bombarded me with questions, their faces brimming with excitement.

Their loud, booming voices made my ears ring.

“Do it for us sometime too! The overflowing drink was hilarious!”

The noise level in the shop shot up like crazy.

One of them, who appeared to be their leader, cleared his throat loudly.

Finally, the bear-like men clasped their hands together politely and fell silent.

A middle-aged man with a scarred face spoke to me calmly.

“Well, thanks to you, we’re alive.”

“Right, that’s true.”

I chuckled lightly.

After facing that insane killer alone, seeing them actually put me at ease.

“I don’t know what you did to Anna, but you managed to drive her away. That’s impressive. The boss would’ve been pleased.”

He glanced at the Executor’s severed head hanging from his belt as he spoke.

“He thanks you for keeping his subordinates alive. He even said he’d visit again sometime.”

What kind of nonsense is he spouting while holding his dead boss’s head?

This guy doesn’t seem normal either.

The massive men bowed deeply to me.

Feeling burdened by their politeness, I scratched my head.

It would’ve been better if they just canceled the debt instead of coming back.

Ji-wook watched the scene with his arms crossed, looking proud as if he had been the one to handle everything.

In a leisurely voice, he guided them out of the shop, saying, “Ah, it’s fine. You can leave now.”

Next in line were the only actual customers in the shop.

The father and daughter, who had almost met a gruesome fate, spoke to me with flushed faces.

“Thank you for today. Thanks to you, we’re alive.”

“Thank you, unnie! You were so cool!”

The girl, who was much prettier than me, said with a smile.

Though it was clearly a compliment, it made me feel strange.

Unnie?

That’s the first time someone’s ever called me that…

The thought made me feel itchy all over.

“The food in this shop was really delicious too. We’ll come by often.”

With those words, the father and daughter left the shop.

The girl, in particular, kept glancing back at me and even waved as she exited.

“I’ll help promote the shop! Hang in there!”

I waved back at her with a thankful smile.

But deep down, I thought this.

There’s no way they’d come back after seeing all this chaos.

The girl’s words were probably just a polite expression of gratitude.

With loan sharks and killers frequenting the place, we’d lose customers entirely.

Well, that’s fine by me.

With the boss in hiding, fewer customers would make the work easier.

When he eventually returns, I can just collect my pay and leave.

The next day.

I headed to work, expecting a quiet shop.

The debt collectors were dealt with.

The shop was still a mess with bloodstains, so I assumed there’d be no customers.

I looked forward to taking it easy, eating Ji-wook’s stew, and going home.

That is, until the shop came into view.

“…?”

What is this…

Why is there…

Why is there a line of people in front of the shop?

Hunters and civilians alike were queued up from the entrance to outside.

There must have been at least ten of them.

Pushing my way through the crowd, I finally entered the shop, only to be greeted by Ji-wook’s pitiful face.

“Si-ho! Why are you so late? Get to the counter now!”

“What’s going on? Why are there so many customers?”

“I just found out. Our shop is apparently famous online right now.”

“What? Why?”

“I don’t know either! Just get the drinks ready!”

He shouted while frantically shaking a wok.

I hurriedly tied on an apron.

The counter was packed with hunters.

They touched, licked, and photographed the bloodstains where the Executor had been cut down.

Why are they licking that…

As I stared at them with confusion, I locked eyes with a female hunter.

“…?”

“Oh, don’t tell me it’s you!”

The red-haired woman leaned toward me with a beaming face.

“You’re the bartender recognized by Ranker Anna, right?”

At her exclamation, every customer’s gaze turned toward me.

That was the moment my peaceful innkeeper life… was shattered.


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