You’ll know it when you see it, indeed. That said, he calmed down and reread everything, with a few key words making him feel complicated.
"The user will experience intense muscle spasms, accelerated heartbeat, and temporary blackouts.
"Has a 30% chance of death for the physically weak and has a 40% chance of insanity for the weak-willed. Possibly both."
"..."
Damn. That is terrifying .
He closed the panel and stared at the sky outside the window—which was made of glass, by the way—next to him. The curtains were tied by default, allowing natural light inside, and this allowed him to see the blue skies even from where he sat.
Should he really do this?
With his inn and barrier and possible strong customers to clear out the monsters for him, it was a question whether he really needed to rush and drink the potion or if he could just take his time to gather those cores and try to awaken naturally, even if it was unlikely.
Technically speaking, he could take it slow and just sleep with the essence stones he collected over the days. Maybe a miracle could happen, right? At least he didn’t have a one-is-to-three chance of dying , and basically half a chance of going insane .
But, in the end, the answer was...yes.
He really couldn’t do anything as a dormant person. He wouldn’t be able to protect himself, protect his inn, or even lift his freaking weapon. The execution of the rules was also not automatic. What if someone flicked his forehead so quickly before the system could react—and crack
At this, he gathered his courage to open the [Potions Tab] again. Unlike the equipment and stuff, there didn’t seem to be much of a purchase limit with the potions, possibly because it was a consumable.
It was only here that he noticed the small note underneath, indicating that there were only 1/1 items sold. Not to mention, the selection could also rotate the next day, and he might never see it again.
This meant this might be his only chance. Would luck be kind to him?
He looked back at his life and wondered if he was considered lucky at all.
One, both his parents died when he was seven years old, at the same time, leaving him alone to face the world when he could barely understand it. The grandma who showed him kindness after rescuing him from the beggar life also perished early on.
Second, he worked his ass off for nearly twenty years, far from growing the same way as others. Then...he was thrown out of a ship...for a place in a reality show .
And even here...he went through tribulation after tribulation. Even getting decent meat was a challenge. In contrast, him being the meat happened way too often.
Now..., if you ask him, that was not a very good track record.
Would his bad luck streak continue with this, or would this be a sign that his horrid luck had come to an end? Who knows? He’d find out soon though.
He looked at Pang. "If I die or go insane, what would happen to the inn?"
"If you die, it will disappear too. I would, too," Pang said. "Unless I will be recondensed to serve as the spirit of another inn, in the far future."
"You seem very nonchalant about it."
"Pang is a Spirit. Pang will merely join the cosmos again," Pang said, but his facial expression flickered a bit. "But the cosmos doesn’t have a sense of taste..."
He was referring to eating. Somehow, the panda had grown to become a legitimate foodie.
It was actually the first time the panda felt afraid of (his own) death, though he wasn’t quite aware of it yet.
Finn took a deep breath, slowly cementing the decision.
Of course, he wouldn’t just depend on courage. He was in the Hearth Inn for goodness sake—naturally, he’d find a way to increase his chances and reduce those ominous percentages.
Heading back to the kitchen, he made a bit of everything. He would make sure he filled his stomach with the highest level of essence food (E-Class, at least) that he could make. He also made a few more and placed them in space, and made a few more dishes for Pang (as per request).
He also prepared a pitcher of water and a pitcher of juice (the kitchen had two) to rehydrate himself after the inevitably horrid experience.
He entered his room and made himself comfortable on the bed. If he was going to do this, he had better be as comfortable as possible.
[Purchased! Awakening Potion. -20 Gold, -200 Hearth Points]
A magic circle appeared on his palm and it hovered above it for a few moments until a bottle appeared. It was a glass bottle with a glowish red liquid, and it felt both awe-inspiring and terrifying at the same time.
Finn held on to the bottle carefully, but also felt it was much heavier than it actually was. He was about to open it but suddenly felt a bit cowardly.
He looked at Pang, who was sitting at the threshold of the door (he did not lock it, so Pang could go in and out as needed). Anyway, customers wouldn’t be able to enter even if they were able to see him.
"Drink everything in one gulp, la! Drinking slowly is more painful; you could die from the pain instead. I’m already embarrassed for you."
The panda looked at him in genuine concern. "And it will be more painful since you’re so old."
"..."
He’s only twenty-seven! If one considered the longer years here, maybe he’d be a few months younger, okay!?
He meditated (i.e. prayed ) a lot before finally lifting the bottle with a hardened heart.
When he opened it, he immediately felt its ambient warmth. It was almost comforting, as if comforting him in a possible 30% chance of death.
He took a deep breath and prayed to all the gods he knew of before finally placing the rim against his lips.
"Well," he paused. "Here goes everything... "