C7 Wine Gods Hand

The Eleventh Division, unique among the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, was solely tasked with combat and upholding the tranquility of the Soul Society. Errant souls and Shinigami who had erred were temporarily detained in the Eleventh Division's Sealed Room until their transfer to the Central 46 for interrogation.

"Ugh... my head is killing me..."

Taku had no idea how long he'd been out cold. Massaging his throbbing head, he slowly came to, a mysterious cool sensation unfurling within him.

The hangover-induced discomfort vanished in an instant, leaving him feeling revitalized.

If Kyoraku Shunsui, notorious for his love of drink, witnessed this, he'd surely proclaim it a miracle.

"This system is so miserly. Why can't it detoxify me on demand instead of waiting until after I've suffered a hangover? It's quite problematic, especially for someone as good-looking as me; I could be taken advantage of in such a state."

Shaking off the grogginess, Taku reopened the system interface:

Host: Shiba Taku

Level: Drunkard

Experience: 50/1000

Soul-Cutter Sword: None

Kido: None

Flash Steps: None

Barehanded Combat: Supreme

System Skill: Wine God’s Hand (Beginner)

Taku scanned the simple interface in an instant. Seeing his Barehanded Combat skill skyrocket to supreme, he marveled at how worthwhile the hangover had been. Yet, it was the description of the last skill that caught his attention.

"System, bring up the full details of Wine God’s Hand!"

He commanded swiftly.

A string of explanations cascaded before his eyes following the system's sterile prompt:

"With the system's power, you can instantly transform anything you touch into alcohol. The more complex the alcohol, the longer the skill's cooldown period."

Taku was taken aback. He had been skeptical of a system that depended on drinking to grow stronger, considering it unreliable.

More than just inducing drunkenness, it also risked disorientation, potentially leaving one vulnerable. However, Taku reasoned that with a bit more caution, the system would be flawless.

However, Taku was confident in his strikingly handsome appearance, aware that it significantly heightened the risks.

Moreover, as the quality of the alcohol remained constant, the system's accrued experience points would not only fail to increase but also lead to a higher alcohol tolerance.

Determined to advance from novice to the rank of a seasoned drinker, Taku didn't stop at pilfering the mature wine of Shiba Ganju—he even raided the kitchen's cooking wine.

Regrettably, after downing the cooking wine and earning a mere two or three experience points, he ended up drunkenly squandering his efforts.

Had he not fortuitously encountered Lucia, who brought two bottles of fine wine, Taku might not have achieved the drunkard level and could have perished at the hands of a mutated ghoul.

Reflecting on the system page one last time, Taku sighed deeply and exited his mental sanctuary.

He was now keen to discover the surprises that the Wine God’s Hand might offer.

"Dingdang, host authority insufficient. You cannot currently transform the target into wine."

The system's otherworldly voice echoed in his mind.

Taku was bewildered, looking down at his sacred left hand scratching at certain areas, sending shivers up his spine.

He felt as though he had narrowly skirted death's edge.

If not for the insufficient authority, he might have inadvertently turned himself into a frozen statue.

Taku had heard that the wine, intricately linked with meat and thrice-steamed and filtered, was exceptionally delectable.

Yet, the system later clarified that transforming living beings into wine was, for the time being, beyond Taku's capabilities.

Only by elevating the system to its ultimate level could he possibly achieve such a feat.

Still, the thought of distilling a human body into a tonic wine was so revolting that Taku immediately dismissed the notion.

After deactivating the Wine God’s Hand, Taku settled his mind to assess his body's transformations.

Having ascended to the drunkard tier, his abdominal tendons had morphed into a washboard-like six-pack, brimming with raw power, and his once slack muscles now resembled unyielding stone.

With minimal effort, his physique could rival that of the so-called Mr. Universe contestants.

If he could return to the present day, Taku was certain that his mere appearance could easily net him a cushy life, raking in thirty thousand yuan a day.

"Cough, cough... Maybe I'm overthinking it, but the system really is the ultimate hack for reincarnates. Just a bit of booze and such a dramatic change occurs. If I keep this up, the results could be even more astounding." Taku cleared his throat, dismissing those impractical thoughts as he took in his surroundings.

The space was modest, spanning three to four meters in width and seven to eight meters in length, enclosed by walls of special black stone. The door ahead, made of the same material, exuded an aura of being one with nature.

"Seems I've landed myself in hot water again." Taku ruefully touched his nose, his mind flashing back to Shiba Ganju's puffy, reddened face from his first drunken escapade, and the fragmented memories from his recent bout of inebriation. He sighed at the folly of alcohol-fueled mishaps.

Yet, the idea that drinking could actually enhance his strength made him quickly dismiss the incident as trivial—like chalk marks wiped from a board. A thick skin is invincible, after all!

Having had a taste of the system's benefits, Taku was now fully committed to following this shadowy path to its end.

"No one's around. Time to give opening this door a shot." His post-binge belly rumbled in protest as he eyed the formidable black stone door before him.

Empowered by his newfound resilience as a drinker, coupled with his extreme fighting prowess, Taku was confident that his current self could punch through a steel plate.

"Can't budge it?" He furrowed his brow at the immovable stone, recalling how he had once obliterated a mutated evil spirit with a single punch. Was this door truly more formidable than that ghoul?

What struck him most was the sensation of the black stone slowly siphoning his meager Spiritual Energy. This was no ordinary material!

A spark of excitement lit Taku's eyes. He had been pondering the right moment to deploy the Wine God’s Hand, but now, a daring new plan was taking shape in his mind.

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