"BOOM—!!!"
A massive explosion rang out.
Immediately following it was a small mushroom cloud rising into the air.
On the first basement level, the door to the newly built 【Potion Alchemy Room】 was blown open by the blast wave.
A thick, pungent billow of black smoke rolled out, accompanied by the choking smell of sulfur and something... like burnt sweetness?
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Two figures emerged from the black smoke in a sorry state.
Walking in front was Victor.
His white lab coat, which possessed a self-cleaning function, was now soot-stained and covered in unidentified multicolored slime.
His hair had been blown into an afro, and his face was entirely covered in black ash, leaving only his eyes flickering with an eerie light.
Following behind him was the newly appointed pharmacist, Viper.
This fashionable and cold Medusa had lost all her previous elegance.
Her sunglasses were crooked on the bridge of her nose, and the smooth, snake-like hair that had just received an ionic straightening was now standing on end like dozens of lightning rods.
The little snakes had been dazed by the explosion, their tongues lolling out and their eyes glazed.
"Director..."
Viper wiped the ash from her face, her voice carry a hint of grievance as if she were about to cry.
"I told you it wouldn't work, didn't I?"
"I make poisons! My specialty is making people bleed from their seven orifices, rotting their internal organs, and turning their bones into water!"
"Why do you insist on making me create... 'a potion that makes people feel happy'?"
She pointed at the bubbling ruins in the laboratory and said in despair, "Look, it exploded again! This is the eighteenth time!"
"That's because your formula was wrong."
Victor calmly patted the dust off his clothes and adjusted his soot-darkened glasses.
"What is happiness?"
"From a medical perspective, happiness is the secretion of dopamine, the release of endorphins, and the stimulation of the cerebral cortex by sugars."
"What did you just add? The stinger of an abyss scorpion?"
"That thing only makes people feel 'blissful transcendence into the afterlife,' not happiness!"
Victor walked into the lab, rummaging through the wreckage.
"What we want to make is a psychiatric drug... or perhaps a functional beverage that can relieve anxiety, eliminate fatigue, and allow people to feel a sliver of sweet comfort in this desperate apocalypse."
As a transmigrator, Victor knew all too well what kind of things were most profitable in this other world where entertainment was scarce and survival pressure was immense.
It wasn't healing potions.
Nor was it powerful poisons.
It was addictive consumer goods.
For example, tobacco, alcohol, and... sugar.
"Let's try again."
Victor exchanged a batch of new raw materials from the system mall and threw them onto the laboratory bench.
【Abyss Devil Chili (Extracting spiciness)】
【Arctic Ice Crystal Grass (Providing a cold mouthfeel)】
【High-concentration Brown Sugar Syrup (Providing caramel color and sweetness)】
And the most critical ingredient...
【Bursting Bubble Fruit】.
This was a strange fruit that grew near swamps. It had no nutritional value, and its only use was that it produced a large amount of gas when thrown into water.
"Listen to me this time."
Victor pulled out a massive cauldron, his eyes burning with the fervor of an alchemy madman.
"Less poison, more sugar!"
"Stir! Stir clockwise!"
"Press the juice from the bubble fruit into it! Seal it! Pressurize!"
"Viper, use your petrification magic... no, use your control to stabilize the air pressure inside!"
"Zoe! What are you doing just standing there? Record the data for me!"
Activities resumed in the lab.
Although Viper felt the director was messing around, seeing Victor's certain gaze, she still obediently complied.
After all, he was the benefactor who had made her beautiful.
Even if she had to help him blow up the entire laboratory, she would accept it.
Glub... glub...
The liquid in the cauldron began to boil.
The color gradually became deep and pitch-black, like a pot of ruined asphalt or the filthiest sludge from the abyss.
Occasionally, a bubble would rise to the surface and burst with a crisp pop.
A strange scent filled the air.
Sweet.
Cloying.
And carrying a hint of nose-tingling spiciness.
"Can this thing... really be drunk?"
Elizabeth, who had come to see the commotion, stood at the door covering her nose with a look of disgust.
"It looks like sludge from a sewer."
"And this color... are you sure it's not highly toxic?"
Alice also leaned in, poking the edge of the cauldron with her great scissors.
"Director, if you want to poison an enemy, it's actually faster to just use my scissors."
"Shallow."
Victor stared intently at the cauldron, thermometer in hand.
"Now!"
"Out of the pot!"
He abruptly shut off the mana heat source and poured the black liquid from the cauldron into a special glass vat enchanted with a 【Cooling Rune】.
Sizzle—!!!
The liquid hit the cold glass walls, instantly kicking up a massive amount of white foam.
The foam tumbled and leaped, making a dense rustling sound.
It was as if countless tiny spirits were cheering.
A few minutes later, the foam subsided.
The glass vat was half-filled with a pitch-black yet crystal-clear liquid.
Countless tiny bubbles rose from the bottom, bursting at the surface and splashing a fine mist.
"It's finished."
Victor picked up a beaker and carefully poured a cup.
The liquid was shiny and black, and under the pale shadowless lamp, it possessed an eerie allure.
"Who wants to test the medicine?"
Victor held up the cup and looked around.
Swish.
Everyone simultaneously took a step back.
Even the most obedient Mia flattened her ears and hid behind Elizabeth.
Was this a joke? That thing looked more poisonous than poison! Only a fool would drink it!
"A bunch of people with no taste."
Victor shook his head.
"Since you don't know how to appreciate it, I'll reluctantly test the poison myself."
In truth, he was also uncertain.
Although the recipe was a replica of "that thing" from his memory, the raw materials were all magic-modified versions of this world.
If it really turned out to be poison after drinking it...
'I have the system; I shouldn't die.'
Victor took a deep breath, looking like a martyr heading to the execution ground.
He raised the beaker to his mouth and took a large gulp.
Glug.
The ice-cold liquid entered his mouth.
The first sensation was cold.
Immediately after, it was sweet.
A rich sweetness with a hint of caramel instantly occupied his taste buds.
Then, just as he was about to swallow...
Boom!!!
Countless tiny bubbles exploded simultaneously in his mouth, esophagus, and stomach!
It felt as if thousands of tiny fists were gently and densely drumming against his nerves.
Stimulating!
Refreshing!
An indescribable feeling of clarity rushed from his crown down to the soles of his feet.
"Burp——————!!!"
Victor uncontrollably let out a long, loud, carbon-dioxide-filled burp.
The sound echoed through the silent laboratory for a long time.
As he expelled that breath, Victor felt as if he had lost several pounds.
The fatigue, anxiety, and mental numbness accumulated from staying up late doing experiments for the past few days vanished in an instant!
【Ding!】
【Detected intake of unknown alchemy potion.】
【Component Analysis: High sugar content, caffeine (substitute), carbonic acid gas...】
【Efficacy Judgment:】
Mental Soothing (Strong): Instantly restores 20% of Sanity, eliminating mild mental pollution.
Energy Supplement: Provides a large amount of calories, alleviating hunger.
Addictiveness: Moderate (will produce a sense of pleasure and dependency).
【System Evaluation: Isn't this just a bottle of "Happy Fat House Water" with magical special effects?】
【Congratulations, Host! You have invented a new potion!】
【Please name it.】
"Hahahaha!"
Victor looked at the remaining half-cup of black liquid and burst into wild laughter.
It worked!
It really worked!
And it was even more potent than the original version on Earth!
Was this just a drink?
This was the only "light" in this oppressive, dark, and despair-filled world!
"Is it tasty?"
Seeing Victor's expression as if he had ascended to immortality, Mia couldn't help but swallow her saliva, peeking out from behind Elizabeth.
As a gluttonous wolf, she had a natural intuition for food.
Even though that thing looked pitch black, the director seemed very happy after drinking it.
"Tasty? That word is too pale."
Victor swirled the cup, the sound of ice hitting glass was crisp and pleasant.
"Here, try some."
He poured another cup and handed it to Mia.
Mia took it cautiously, first sticking out her tongue to take a lick.
It was sweet!
And there were bubbles dancing on the tip of her tongue!
Her eyes lit up, and no longer hesitating, she tilted her head back and drained it in one go.
"Gulp, gulp... Ha!"
"Burp—!"
Mia also let out a loud burp. Her tail instantly stood straight up and wagged frantically.
"Tasty! Such a strange feeling! It's like a fight is happening in my mouth! But I'm so happy!"
She hopped excitedly on the spot, her face beaming with a silly smile.
"I want to try it too!"
Seeing that Mia was fine, Alice couldn't hold back either.
Then came Elizabeth.
Five minutes later, an extremely degenerate scene appeared in the Benevolent Heart Clinic's underground laboratory.
Three God-Chosen who were originally cold, fierce, and elegant were now slumped in chairs without any semblance of dignity, each holding a cup of the black beverage.
"Burp... another cup."
Elizabeth's cheeks were slightly flushed. The stimulation of the bursting bubbles was actually more intoxicating than drinking blood.
"Director, there are little spirits dancing in this water."
Alice smiled like a child as she watched the bubbles rising in her cup.
"Tasty... want more..."
Mia was already on her third cup, her belly bulging and her face filled with satisfaction.
"Business opportunity."
Victor looked at this group of "addicts," the gold coin symbols in his eyes flashing wildly.
In this land of exile filled with slaughter, curses, and mental pressure—even in the entire human kingdom—was there anything more madness-inducing than this potion that could make someone forget their troubles, restore their sanity, and provide an ultimate mouthfeel with just one sip?
This was simply a dimensional strike!
"Viper."
Victor turned his head to look at the chief pharmacist, who was still in a daze.
"Record the current formula, precise to the gram."
"This will be our clinic's flagship product in the future!"
"As for the name..."
Victor looked at the black liquid in his hand, a mischievous smile curling on his lips.
"Let's call it—"
"【Dark Soul · Happy Water】."
"When we promote it to the public, say it's a 'Hero's Drink' brewed from the saliva of an abyss magic dragon and hellfire."
"Remember."
"This thing isn't sold by the bottle."
"It's sold by the drop!"
Victor waved his hand grandly, as if he could already see countless gold coins raining down on him like raindrops.
"I want the entire Ogriss continent to be immersed in the fear... oh no, the joy of being dominated by bubbles!"
"Prepare for mass production!"
"We are going... public!"
Rate on N.U.
