My OP Minion System in the Apocalypse

The inside of the bar was decked out with wooden tables and chairs, with a central bar area which was stocked with various different types of alcohol. The hustle and bustle were quite vibrant, there were lots of big groups of elves, either partying or drinking away their sorrows. From what I could see, there weren't a lot of seats available so I was forced to sit beside some other elves near the central bar.

I looked up and saw that there was a restaurant menu plastered behind the various different drinks on the back counter. I was starving at this point so everything on the menu sounded good. In the end, I decided to just buy some chips to start off with and a porterhouse steak with sauce as the main.

I signalled the bartender who made his way to me.

"What would you like?" he asked.

"Just some chips and the steak please."

"How would you like your steak made?"

"Um... medium rare?"

"Alright, was that all?"

"Yeah."

"Are you sure you don't want any drinks with that?"

I looked at the various different bottles of alcohol stashed behind him. Part of me wanted to try some but I didn't really see that much intrigue in the concept of alcohol. It wasn't like I never tried it in the past.

I looked around to see if there were any other drinks.

"Uh, do you have any drinks aside from alcohol?"

"We've got juice or mocktails or basically anything."

"Erm, I'll just have an apple juice with that then."

The loud noise coming from the nearby table drowned out the sound of my voice. I was forced to increase my tone so it almost sounded like I was shouting. However, the bartender was able to understand me well enough so he made his way around and began pouring my drink.

The prices were pretty steep but I received quite a lot of money for participating in the defences and also I still had plenty of reserve from the initial payment. I looked around at all the elves who were happily partying with each other.

It was a feeling and experience I had never really experienced before.

Maybe here, I'd be able to change things.

"Your drink's ready."

"Ah."

He placed the freshly-poured apple juice in front of me. There were a few ice blocks floating on the surface with a straw sticking out of the cup. I wasn't that thirsty yet so I took a few sips before moving it to the side.

The bartender was still standing in front of me.

"So, how's your day been?" he asked.

"Eh? Um, it was pretty good."

"You're a human right?"

"Yep, that's me."

He seemed to be somewhat intrigued by the fact that I was a human. I thought that we were relatively common within the city but it seemed that our existence was still somewhat foreign.

"You guys have this leaderboard ranking system don't you?"

He must have been talking about the Global Rankings.

"Yeah."

"Ah, how does it work, I've always wanted to know."

"Um, to be fair, I'm not that sure myself. Everyone has something called an estimated progression score and then you're ranked based on that. Everyone can see the top 10 leaderboarders."

"I see, what is the estimated progression score based on?"

"Honestly, I have no idea, it's just that stronger people generally have higher scores."

"Hm, alright."

The bartender turned around and looked at something in the distance before turning back over.

"I haven't seen many humans come to this place," he commented.

"Really? I thought that we're pretty common around here now."

"Yeah, that's what I thought but it seemed that you guys don't really hang around this area."

Hmm, I think I saw what was happening.

Based on some prior experiences, it seemed that humans, well, at least the weaker ones, struggled to get a decent amount of money. They likely lived in the slum-like areas which I saw around the outskirts of the city. I guess I was lucky to be such a high-ranked human, otherwise, I'd probably be subject to a similar fate.

Just looking at the prices, it didn't really seem like anything a poorer human could afford. Just my meal was over 30 Krena. If my experience at the bank was anything to be considered, there weren't exactly a lot of people who could freely eat here.

A few minutes later, the bartender brought over a small basket of chips.

The appetising smell instantly filled my nostrils as the vapour from the hot chips radiated upwards. I couldn't resist salivating as I took down the nourishment. I was starving due to how long I had to wait.

As soon as the basket was placed in front of me, I quickly stuck my hand in and grabbed a nice, crunchy chip. The flavour dispersed through my mouth, giving me more happiness than I'd ever felt... well, figuratively. After scoffing down a few, I slowed my eating pace and looked at the bartender who was still standing there.

"How's the job?" I asked.

,m "It's alright, the pay's good and I get to talk with others which is pretty fun."

"Mhm."

I continued snacking on the chips.

"The steak should be done soon so you won't have to wait too much longer."

"Ah, that's good."

There weren't enough chips to fully satiate me so I was still looking forward to the steak that I'd ordered. Just that dish was 22 Krena so I hoped that it'd be worth it. I finished the rest of my chips and the bartender collected the empty container.

When he came back, he was holding my steak dish in his hand.

After placing it in front of me, he continued the small talk.

"So what do you do as a job?" he asked.

"Well, I guess I'm part of the military to some extent."

"Oh, so you're in the fight against the vampires?"

"Yeah."

"I've heard about them, although I've never seen a vampire in person though."

After a little while, I finished my meal and made my way back home.

~

It was the latest I had slept since I came here.

I felt more tired than usual.