327 The "Water of Life" (1/2)

Reo failed as well.

The black-veiled woman was able to throw snowballs swiftly and accurately. There was no way for a little girl like Reo to compete against her. After failing, she was forced to go back twelve spaces, just like Kaede and Shika.

It seemed that it would be difficult to defeat her, but Seiji had no choice but to try.

'My turn, draw! Whoops, I meant to roll the die…'

Seiji tossed the die and moved to a space containing a drawing of men drinking together.

The black-veiled woman appeared once again. Seiji was sitting across from her, with a wine flagon placed before each of them.

The wine flagon was approximately the size of two baseballs. It was open, but no smell of alcohol emanated from it.

The rules were quite simple. The first to finish the flagon of wine before them would be the winner.

'It's time to duel!'

Seiji and the black-veiled woman simultaneously brought their flagons of wine to their mouths and began drinking!

With Seiji's first gulp, he didn't feel anything. It tasted like water to him.

However, right after that, he felt his lips going numb, and a fierce sensation welled up in his mouth, throat, and even stomach. It felt like there was a fire raging inside him—an unpleasant experience to say the least!

'This flavor; this feeling…' Seiji recalled a type of alcohol that he had tasted out of curiosity in his previous world—Spirytus Rektyfikowany!

The alcohol with the highest alcohol content in the world! It was 96% alcohol and bore the nickname ”Water of Life!!”

What was the meaning of a 96% alcohol drink?

Even the disinfecting alcohol used by hospitals was only 75% alcohol, yet this was an entire 21% higher! It could be ignited simply by a lighter!!

This was basically pure alcohol; it certainly wasn't something a person could drink directly.

Seiji had only tasted it one time in his previous life. It left him a deep impression; it was a similar feeling to the flagon of alcohol before him.

'Just one gulp is already so unpleasant…' In reality, Seiji would never even consider finishing an entire flagon.

But this wasn't real. It was merely an illusion.

In that case, Seiji decided not to worry about it. Not only could he finish a flagon, he could even try finishing an entire crate as long as he maintained his consciousness in this fantastical illusion!

As for the ”Water of Life,” it appeared quite commonly in a comedy manga as the male lead and his companions' daily drink.

That's right—a daily drink.

Treating the ”Water of Life” just like water… just this alone would make anyone want to comment on it. Seiji recalled that the manga had the same author as Baka to Test, and that it was quite amusing. Its name was…

Seiji suddenly returned to his senses and discovered that he was back in his living room.

”Did I win?” he said uncertainly.

Before anyone responded, he heard a voice in his mind.

He had won. He managed to defeat the black-veiled woman in the drinking contest!

”I won,” Seiji said, ”and apparently I can even roll my die again.”

If he rolled a four, he would reach the finishing point.

If he rolled anything higher than four… well, he hoped that this board game didn't have a rule like starting over from the very beginning again if he passed the finishing point.

'It's time for the critical moment of the duel! Come, heart of the cards… whoops, I meant dice roll.'

”It's gotta be a four!” He tossed his die.

With everyone watching, the die rolled and rolled and finally stopped, showing a… four!

It was just the number he needed to reach the finishing point. Seiji smiled as he picked up his player piece and moved to the finishing point.

Everyone entered another illusion.

They saw… cherry blossoms covering the sky.

They were in a large cherry-tree forest, where countless flowers were blooming. The endless flower petals seemed just like clouds, beautiful and romantic.