What next? Was he going to unlock
[Hangover Mitigation]
at Level 2?
He groaned, rubbing his face before shutting the water off.
The screen faded after a few moments, but the headache was still there, dull and pounding.
The nausea had lessened slightly, but he still felt like
someone had rolled him down a hill full of angry dwarves
.
Dragging himself back toward the bed, he flopped onto the mattress with an exhausted sigh. He was
so
tempted to close his eyes and pretend the world didn't exist for another few hours.
But fate had other plans.
Just as he was about to drift off, the door creaked open.
"Zayn?"
His brain barely registered the voice before his eyes cracked open — and what he saw woke him
right up
.
Standing in the doorway was Elisse — the soft-spoken, ever-gentle nun. But this time, she wasn't in her usual modest robes.
No.
This time, she wore a loose, slightly oversized black shirt that clung to her
very
generous curves.
Zayn's brain, still suffering from the aftereffects of the alcohol, short-circuited.
The shirt was definitely not meant to be provocative, but due to the
size dis
parity
, it did very little to hide the fact that she was
blessed
— and not just in the holy sense.
And then —
Then she took a single step forward.
And they
jiggled
.
Her bountiful bosom jiggled!
Zayn
immediately
averted his eyes.
"Y-you're awake!" Elisse said, sounding relieved. "I thought you were still sleeping, so I came to wake you up."
Zayn swallowed hard, trying to focus on
anything
else.
The ceiling. The floor. The existential crisis that was his
[Alcoholic Resistance]
skill.
He cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, I'm up."
Elisse tilted her head, a small smile playing on her lips. "Are you feeling alright? You drank a lot last night..."
Zayn hesitated.
Was
horrible
an acceptable answer?
"Yeah, I — " he started, but before he could finish, Elisse walked over and leaned in
way
too close.
His entire body stiffened.
"Your face is a little red," she murmured, placing a hand lightly against his forehead.
Zayn was certain that the
alcohol
was no longer the reason for his flushed face.
He swallowed again, feeling like a man clinging onto the edge of a cliff.
"Uh, yeah," he said, his voice slightly higher than usual. "Probably from the hangover."
Elisse hummed thoughtfully, pulling back with a nod. "I can make you a purification tea if you'd like. It should help with any lingering nausea."
Zayn barely processed her words.
His mind was still stuck on the way Elisse leaned in way too close and the fact that jiggle physics should be illegal in a holy woman's attire.
"That... sounds good," he managed to say, shaking himself out of his daze.
Elisse beamed at him. "Alright! I'll bring some in a bit." She turned toward the door but paused. "Oh, and Tobias said we need to gather downstairs soon. Something about splitting the loot."
Zayn groaned internally.
'Of course.'
"Got it," he said.
With one last gentle smile, Elisse left the room, closing the door softly behind her.
The moment she was gone, Zayn flopped back onto the bed and
stared at the ceiling
.
Elisse returned not long after, carrying a small wooden cup with both hands, a gentle smile on her face.
"Here," she said softly, stepping closer. "This should help with the hangover."
Zayn sat up, still feeling like
he had been run over by a war horse
, but at least the nausea had mostly subsided a bit .
He reached for the cup, but the moment he peered inside, his expression
dropped
.
"...This is water."
Elisse blinked. "No, it's purification tea."
Zayn squinted at the liquid. It was
clear
. Completely and utterly transparent. Not even the faintest hint of color or the usual steam rising from a freshly brewed cup. It didn't even
smell
like tea.
He looked back up at Elisse, skeptical. "This is just water."
The nun simply smiled, unbothered by his lack of faith. "Drink it."
Zayn frowned but hesitantly took the cup from her. He gave it one last suspicious glance before sighing and taking a small sip.
The moment the liquid touched his tongue, his face contorted.
BITTER.
This was
not
normal bitterness. This was
elderly alchemist who hates the world
levels of bitterness.
He
coughed
, nearly spitting it out. "
What the hell is in this?!
"
Elisse tilted her head, completely unbothered. "Purification herbs. It's supposed to cleanse your body."
"Cleanse?! This is straight-up poison!"
She giggled. "Don't be dramatic."
Zayn glared at the cup like it had personally insulted him.
He weighed his options. If he
didn't
drink it, the hangover would keep gnawing at him. If he
did
drink it, he might
die
from the bitterness alone.
In the end, he pinched his nose and downed the rest in one go.
The
moment
the last drop slid down his throat —
FWOOSH!
Steam
erupted
from his ears, his eyes, and even his mouth. It felt like his body had turned into a malfunctioning teapot.
Zayn flailed slightly, but there was no pain — just
warmth
radiating through every inch of him. His limbs tingled, and in the span of a few seconds, his exhaustion, nausea, and the last remnants of his hangover
vanished completely
.
He blinked.
Then flexed his fingers.
Then patted his chest.
"...Huh."
Elisse smiled. "See? Told you it would work."
Zayn exhaled, finally accepting that,
somehow
, that horrifyingly bitter drink had
actually
fixed him.
Just as he was about to thank her, however —
He
froze
.
Because that was the exact moment he noticed something.
A
very
particular
something
.
Pressed against his
back
.
Soft.
Plush.
Warm.
His body locked up as his brain
screamed
.
Elisse, still standing close, had leaned in slightly while handing him the tea earlier. And now, thanks to that innocent movement —
Her absolute weapons of mass destruction were pressed
against him
.
Zayn could feel them
through his shirt
.
His mind went
blank
.
It was like staring down a high-level spell he had
no
counter for.
Elisse, completely oblivious, tilted her head. "Are you okay?"
Zayn's soul
left his body
.
"I — " His voice cracked. He cleared his throat. "I-I'm fine."
She smiled, her gentle presence making the whole situation
so much worse
.
"That's good." She took the now-empty cup from his hand and stepped back, the warmth against his back disappearing. "Make sure you wash up before heading downstairs. Tobias and the others are waiting."
Zayn nodded
mechanically
. "Right. Will do."
Elisse gave him one last warm,
holy
smile before turning and leaving the room, closing the door behind her.