Chapter 7: The Drunkard's Hangover Awakening
The Eleventh Division, the only squad among the Gotei 13 dedicated purely to combat, also bore the responsibility of maintaining order and security in Soul Society. Any souls—or even Shinigami—who committed offenses were often held temporarily in the Eleventh Division's detention room (sealed chamber) before being sent to Central 46 for formal judgment.
"Ugh… my head's killing me…"
Shiba Kuroha had no idea how long he'd been out. He rubbed his throbbing temples and groggily woke up. A strange, refreshing coolness suddenly rolled through his body. All the usual hangover misery—nausea, dizziness, aching joints—vanished in an instant. He felt instantly re-energized, full of vigor and clarity.
If Shunsui Kyōraku—the notorious sake-loving captain—saw this, he'd probably shout in disbelief at the sheer miracle.
"This system is so stingy," Kuroha muttered. "Can't even sober me up on demand? Has to wait until after the hangover to fix me? What if someone as good-looking as me gets taken advantage of while blacked out? That'd be a disaster."
He shook his still-heavy head and opened the system interface again.
Host: Shiba KurohaLevel: DrunkardEXP: 50/1000Zanpakutō: NoneKidō: NoneHohō: NoneHakuda: ExtremeSystem Skill: Alcohol God's Hand (Beginner)
Kuroha scanned the simple panel in one glance. Seeing "Hakuda: Extreme" made him grin—this blackout drinking session had been worth every drop. But his attention quickly locked onto the new entry: the system skill.
"System, pull up the full details on Alcohol God's Hand!"
A cold, mechanical voice chimed in his mind, and a detailed explanation appeared.
Alcohol God's HandDescription: Allows the user to instantly convert any contacted object into sake through the system's power. Conditions: The higher the quality/difficulty of the converted substance, the longer the skill cooldown.
Kuroha's eyes widened in surprise at the final line.
He had originally thought this "get stronger by drinking" system was a complete joke. Not only did drinking knock him out cold every time, it left him vulnerable—blackout drunk, easy pickings for anyone who wanted to take advantage. He figured that as long as he stayed safe, the system was fine… but with his handsome face, the risk factor shot through the roof.
Worse: the better the alcohol quality stayed the same, the less EXP he gained—and eventually, he'd build tolerance. To push past the novice stage and reach "Drunkard," he'd stolen Ganju's ceremonial sake, then even chugged the kitchen's cooking wine. After downing the last of the cooking wine, he'd only gotten two or three measly EXP points and still ended up wasted for nothing.
If Rukia hadn't shown up with those two bottles of top-shelf sake this time… He'd never have broken through to Drunkard level—and he'd probably have died at the hands of those mutated oni.
Kuroha gave the panel one last look, sighed, and exited the mental space.
Right now, he was dying to test out this new skill and see what kind of chaos it could cause.
Ding! Host permission insufficient. Cannot currently convert living targets into sake.
The ethereal voice chimed again.
Kuroha froze. He glanced down—his sacred left hand was currently scratching a very sensitive area. A chill ran straight up his spine.
He'd just come dangerously close to turning a very important part of himself into sake. If the permission hadn't blocked it… he might have accidentally made himself into some kind of "jade ice burn" special—triple-steamed, triple-filtered, supposedly delicious.
The system later clarified: Converting living beings into alcohol was currently impossible for him. He'd need to raise the system level to its absolute peak before that became feasible.
Kuroha immediately vetoed the idea. The mental image of "human tonic wine" made him want to retch.
After closing the skill description, he calmed down and began checking his physical changes.
After breaking through to Drunkard, his once-soft abdomen had transformed into a perfect washboard—eight clearly defined abs, packed with explosive power. The rest of his previously loose muscles had hardened like stone. With just a light flex, his physique could rival any professional bodybuilder. If he went back to the living world now, he was confident this body alone could let him live as a high-end "kept man" pulling in thirty thousand yen a day.
Ahem… getting off track. "But damn, no wonder this is the number-one cheat for transmigrators. Just drinking causes changes this dramatic. If I keep going… the results are going to be insane."
Kuroha cleared his throat, pushing aside the unrealistic fantasies, and finally took stock of his surroundings.
The room was roughly three to four meters wide and seven to eight meters long. Walls, floor, and ceiling were built from special black stone. The massive door in front was made of the same material—seamless, imposing, almost unnaturally solid.
"Looks like I screwed up again," he muttered, scratching his nose. He remembered the first time he got blackout drunk—Ganju's face swollen red and puffy. And the fragmented memories from earlier… Drinking really does cause trouble.
But then again—getting stronger just by drinking? A little trouble was worth it. He could just erase it like chalk on a blackboard.
Thick skin makes you invincible! After tasting the system's benefits, Kuroha had already decided: go all-in on this black path.
"No one's around. Let's try opening the door first." His stomach was growling in protest after the hangover.
He fixed his gaze on the black-stone door. With his newly upgraded physique and Extreme Hakuda, he was confident he could punch through steel plating now.
He pushed. Nothing.
He pushed harder. Still nothing.
Kuroha's brow furrowed. He clearly remembered one-punching a mutated oni into paste. Was this door really tougher than an oni?
More importantly—he could feel the black stone slowly draining his faint reiatsu.
This stuff was definitely special.
A gleam appeared in Kuroha's eyes. He'd just been wondering when Alcohol God's Hand would come in handy. Now… a very bold idea was forming in his mind.
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