Chapter 16: Drinking? I Shall Gladly Down Three Hundred Cups!

Upon hearing these words, the crowd reacted with mixed emotions; some were delighted, others troubled. Those who had begun drinking silently from the start were pleased, for they now found themselves ahead at the starting line. Meanwhile, those whose tolerance for alcohol was poor, who had bought drinks merely to meet the minimum charge, were worried. Wang Chen belonged to the latter group.

He had grown up battling hunger and poverty, with no money to spare for alcohol. It could be said he hardly ever drank. Besides, judging by her appearance, this lady seemed to hail from the Dragon Empire; why was she emulating the customs of the northern barbarians?

“All for the sake of the mission...” Wang Chen muttered to himself, willing his resolve. Then, he lifted the thick-bottomed beer mug from the table and drank heartily. The others, after a brief moment of surprise, began to frantically sweep the table of drinks.

Wang Chen gulped down his beer like a beast, all the while observing the other contenders. The man who had just been ridiculed by the crowd stood up, stepped onto his chair, and whirled his drink furiously. He tore off his white tank top, tossing it aside, revealing his exaggeratedly muscular physique.

“There are professionals here—and definitely not just support or lifestyle classes!” Wang Chen thought, feeling a pang of anxiety.

He summoned his attribute panel, worried:

[Level: First Evolution, Level 10]
[Strength: 610]
[Agility: 609]
[Spirit: 630]
[Constitution: 640]

He had just reached level ten, and his attributes were far from extraordinary. Although his constitution, which was closely linked to alcohol tolerance, was his highest stat at 640, he wondered how long it would last him.

The drinking contest was in full swing.

“Bang!” Three full mugs of beer downed, Wang Chen slammed the mug heavily onto the round table. He braced himself against the table, shaking his head as dizziness began to seep into his mind.

“Something’s not right—this beer is off!” Wang Chen thought. His attributes weren’t that high, but surely three mugs shouldn’t leave him in this state. Was it drugged?

Pulling up his skill panel, he saw his constitution slowly declining, as if a debuff was at work. He quickly dismissed the idea; if it were drugged, more than one stat would be dropping. Besides, with so many patrons present—most of whom, judging by their hearty drinking, were likely strong professionals themselves—the tavern wouldn’t dare tamper with the drinks for fear of inciting their wrath.

“So, it’s just that this beer is particularly intoxicating?” Wang Chen sniffed carefully and indeed found its aroma unusual. Long Wushuang had invited him for beer a few times, but his father’s stinginess with pocket money meant those were cheap, store-bought brews—poor flavor, harsh taste.

But the large mug before him was rich with hops, smooth on entry, and sweet in aftertaste. Most importantly, its kick was enormous.

Even someone unfamiliar with alcohol would know that beer shouldn’t be particularly intoxicating; its reputation as “water beer” attests to that. Clearly, the beer served here was specially crafted—whether by unique ingredients or brewing technique, he couldn’t tell.

“No, I can’t just blindly drink!” Wang Chen’s mind raced as he reviewed his resources and formulated a plan.

He lifted another large mug, tilted his head back, and drank with swagger. In less than fifteen seconds, he emptied it, then poured another, downing it in quick succession. Empty mugs piled up on the round table.

The guest with round-framed glasses beside him, seeing Wang Chen’s drinking prowess soar—when he had seemed a poor drinker—fell into deeper despair.

“So he’s a drinking master! The first three mugs were just a warm-up; now he’s getting serious!”

Some guests, running their fingers through sweat-soaked hair, resigned themselves, feeling their chances slip away.

But was Wang Chen truly suddenly able to drink so much? Of course not.

If one observed closely, they would notice that Wang Chen grew increasingly clear-headed with each drink. The reason was simple: he had instructed the system to reverse his “drunken” status.

Every drop he swallowed now no longer induced drunkenness; instead, he felt ever more comfortable, clear, and composed.

For Wang Chen, armed with the Infinite Reversal System, even if he drank every drop on the table, it would pose no trouble at all.

...

The burly man, stripped to the waist, was desperately gulping down his drinks. His dark skin flushed red, like a steamed lobster. He set down an empty mug, his diaphragm spasming, and let out a long, involuntary belch.

“One more mug! The last one! I can finish it—Miss Nara is mine!”

His eyes were bloodshot, veins creeping across the whites.

Yet, as he reached for the final mug, a clear voice rang out:

“I’ve finished!”

The burly man turned, stunned.

A tall, upright young man was just now placing an empty mug upside-down on the table. All his mugs had been turned over in this way.

“Impossible. How could anyone out-drink me?” the burly man muttered in disbelief. He was a combat-class professional, not low-level either; how could he lose to a mere youth?

Wang Chen, meanwhile, deliberately feigned drunkenness, his shirtfront dampened, unable to stop dry-heaving and hiccuping. To onlookers, he appeared ready to collapse from intoxication.

“Kid! Did you cheat? How’d you drink so fast?” the burly man demanded, unwilling to accept defeat.

“Hic... I didn’t cheat. I can drink so fast, hic, because I’m a Life Shaman—hic! I can restore my own state,” Wang Chen replied, purposely slurring his words.

“I didn’t see any sign of spellcasting!” another guest in a suit interjected.

“This skill only works on myself, hic!”

“If you don’t believe me, hic! I’ll use another skill to restore you all!” Wang Chen secretly communicated with the system.

[Reversal effect activated. Life Praise restored to original effect.]

A cerulean wave of healing radiated from Wang Chen’s hand, sweeping through the crowd and rebounding.

[Life Praise!]

Wherever the healing wave touched, blue light merged into bodies, and the flush on the drinkers’ faces faded noticeably, their states improving.

Most guests, seeing that Wang Chen’s skill was genuine, chose to believe him.

But the bare-chested burly man remained obstinate.

“Damn it, isn’t that cheating? Using skills!”

Wang Chen, tired of his drunken act, let a blue healing wave wash over himself, instantly feeling reinvigorated.

He spoke, “Miss Nara only said to finish drinking; she never said skills couldn’t be used!”

He put on an innocent expression.

The guests recalled what Nara had said.

“Indeed, she never forbade skills; it’s just that I’m not a support class, and my skills don’t help with drinking.”

“I am, but I never thought of it. I regret it so much!”

...

Ding ding ding.

The brass bell rang.

Nara smiled and said, “I truly never said skills couldn’t be used, so this young gentleman should be the winner!”

With that, no one objected. Each beat their chest in frustration, lamenting their poor luck.