The Tavern Is Closing [Infinite]

[Blurb]

The ground in Chengnan No. 1 was blanketed with osmanthus petals, their rich fragrance as heady as aged wine.

When night fell, a little bar appeared in the human world.

Lu Jiyue had been fired by her boss, and a friend she’d arranged to drink with until they dropped had stood her up. Carrying a bottle of liquor, she followed the fragrant scent...

A cozy little bar glowed with warm light. But when she pushed open the door, everything inside was pitch-black. A bartender whose face she couldn’t see spoke in a clear, pleasant voice. “Miss, our bar is closed.”

“I don’t care. I want a drink!”

“Miss, we really are closed.”

“What time do you close? You might as well shut down for good!”

“Miss, I’ll say it again: we’re closed!”

“I don’t believe you!”

“Let her in.”

–

The next day, Lu Jiyue’s friend found the phone she’d dropped beneath an osmanthus tree in Chengnan No. 1. The spot was an empty lot.

–

Lu Jiyue stepped into a void. When she woke, she was in a booth at a bar, surrounded by thundering music and swaying bodies on the dance floor.

Lu Jiyue was stunned. “Wasn’t the bar closed?”

Then, a second later: “Woo! Let’s party!”

The deafening music crackled a few times, then a crisp announcer’s voice came through.

[Welcome, player Lu Jiyue, to the instance Blood Mary (The Maimed Bride).]

[Number of players: 8]

[Countdown to death: 7 days]

[Mission progress hint: Mirror]

Lu Jiyue: ?

She turned around. The graceful figures dancing on the floor had been severed at the waist and turned into chunks of flesh. Blood mixed with liquor to make a Bloody Mary, which the host NPC elegantly prepared and served to Lu Jiyue.

Chu Qinghan: “Care for a drink?”

Lu Jiyue nearly threw up. She swung her hand and smashed his head in. “Drink this, you motherfucker!”

System prompt

[NPCs, please do not deliberately frighten players.]

Chu Qinghan: “Tch~”

[Failure to follow the rules will result in being sent into an instance escape.]

Chu Qinghan: “I don’t believe you.”

–

When Lu Jiyue entered the second instance, [Blue Margarita], the team member list showed: Chu Qinghan.

Lu Jiyue: …

1. A True Record of Tales from the Human World: Those who drink too much, waste their lives, and have nothing to do will be pulled into the bar’s escape game immediately.

2. The bar appears near entertainment venues and residential neighborhoods at 1:15 a.m., and it specifically targets drunks.

3. The bar monitors how often players get drunk each month and issues appropriate warnings. If the warnings don’t work, they’ll enter an instance.

4. Current instances: Blood Mary (The Maimed Bride), Blue Margarita, Angel’s Kiss...

*Mild horror, two powerful leads. They kill ghosts when ghosts come, and gods when gods come.

*The male lead is a rebellious NPC who manages to turn himself into a player.

–

At the hour of the ox, watch for places where osmanthus fragrance drifts. The bar’s closing call will sound, and a new instance will begin.

Theme: Be someone with dreams. Don’t waste your life.