Lee Shin-Woo smashed the grapes whole, including its skin and seeds. The gory-looking paste was then safely put in an oak barrel before a stopper was used to seal it. After that, he sighed and declared that their work was done. For now, that would be their last barrel.

"We don't need to worry about these for about two days. Bring all of them to the fermenting room."

[Understood.]

The hundreds of Golems moved the oak barrels to the fermenting room one by one. Due to the magical equipment set up by the winemakers, the temperature was thoroughly regulated twenty-four seven all year around, making it one of the two core facilities of the winery. The other was obviously the ripening room, which was used after the fermentation process was complete.

"The other processes are important too, but...if I master how to ripen and bottle the wine, I can just keep a few Golems here to make sure everything goes smoothly."

"That'd make it a real wine factory..."

At the very least, the Golems had a good grasp on how to copy a human's movements. Moreover, they were strong and possessed infinite stamina, so only a few Golems would be needed to manage this huge winery.

Furthermore, so long as Lee Shin-Woo had the Dryads' aid, he would enjoy an infinite supply of grapes, and keep the winery's equipment active semi-permanently!

"Let's say that we can sell that wine at a good price... What are you going to do with the money? Are you spending them in the Secret Shop?"

"Mm, you bring up a good point."

To be honest, there wasn't really much for Lee Shin-Woo to buy at the Secret Shop. Skill books were so popular that they were immediately sold whenever they came in, and he didn't need food. Bones... They might work on the Pauls, but Lee Shin-Woo and Jin had grown too much to develop further with bones sold at the Secret Shop.

How about equipment? Unfortunately, Lee Shin-Woo had already absorbed a variety of level 2, 3, and even level 4 equipment.

Of course, absorbing new and unique equipment would grant him some stats, but the more the characteristics of the equipment he absorbed overlapped, the less he could benefit from them. It wasn’t an ideal option, either.

What about finding a way to use Perium independently? Unfortunately, Lee Shin-Woo's abilities were still lacking for him to do so. He had already made up his mind how he would use the Perium from the start.

"I'm planning on buying materials for Golem cores since I want to start that process properly first."

"..."

"..."

"It'd probably be a good idea to buy other materials for their bodies as well. It would be best if the Pauls find a mine, though."

"A wine factory and a Golem factory..."

It was the business synergy of the century. If Lee Shin-Woo were to successfully create wine and sell it so that he could create Golem cores and then Golems themselves... What would that lead to? Even the very thought of it was intimidating, so he decided not to think about it.

"Kratia, let's begin in earnest."

"Hoo, I've been waiting for you to say that."

While the grapes were fermenting, Lee Shin-Woo studied Golems with Kratia. They had read all of the books that they took from the secret facility, and it was their top priority to remodel the techniques that were out of their reach.

Next, Lee Shin-Woo more thoroughly analyzed his transformed Bone Cores. He planned on modifying them too in his design and came up with a rough plan to create something that could work with whatever material used to make Golems.

"In the end, you're going to make them with bones, right?” asked Kratia. “The materials have the same core properties, so it shouldn't be very hard."

Lee Shin-Woo responded, "Let's assume I turn them all into bones. Then we won't need this part..."

"But I feel like this joint should be reinforced."

"How about making specialized armaments that are split into various patterns, depending on the characteristics of the transformed bone?"

"Ah, that sounds good. Cool."

"..."

Jin felt alienated as their uninterruptible conversation progressed; he saw Kratia's face, who was excitedly chatting with Lee Shin-Woo, and a feeling he couldn’t put into words hit him.

"If you do that, though, the movement formula over here is... Jin?"

"I'm going for a walk."

Jin felt like he was going to take his anger out on the innocent Lee Shin-Woo again if he stayed, so he went outside. Unlike the dungeon overflowing with life energy, the outside world was bleak with an omnipresent heavy air.

"Hoooooo."

The curse that permeated the Empire… While the element and mana Lee Shin-Woo had gained was similar to it, it had manifested in a completely different form. Wordlessly, Jin absorbed the curse. Lee Shin-Woo had taught him how, so he could absorb the curse four to five times faster than before if he wanted.

The curse's mana rushed into his body, which made him feel refreshed. Because of that, he was able to get a hold of himself.

"...Seriously, what the hell am I doing?"

He sighed, remembering how much he'd overreacted when he saw his partner interact with someone else.

No matter how preposterous Lee Shin-Woo's actions or words were, he was only ever focused on becoming stronger. That was the whole point of making wine as well as creating Golems.

And because Lee Shin-Woo was nothing more than a skeleton, he never thought anything about his relationship with the Dryads, Kratia, or the shopkeeper, Pleine.

Brooding about it doesn't help me at all. I have to work harder.

Jin had pledged several times that he wouldn't slow Lee Shin-Woo down, yet whenever he seemed to be catching up, Lee Shin-Woo would already be a step ahead, which made his efforts seem laughable. However, Jin couldn't allow that to happen anymore. They'd already taken down one of the twelve generals. All he'd contributed to that battle was running with Kratia and Lee Shin-Woo on his back.

Lee Shin-Woo had told him that it was plenty, but Jin couldn't accept that. If he was just going to run fast, he wouldn't be any different from his past life. He wanted to be a bit more helpful to his partner.

[If you've decided to give everything you've got to keep up with him, this ability will surely shine brighter. Mm, I'll make it an ability for you alone.]

Jin remembered what the goddess had told him. Lee Shin-Woo had acquired a new element from her; it only stood to reason that Jin had gotten something as well.

He'd wanted a powerful ability that would be effective against the powerful opponents Lee Shin-Woo faced, and the goddess improved one of his existing abilities, making it Jin's first high-rank skill.

Good. Let's surprise him.

He ground his teeth together and began to run. Because Lee Shin-Woo was busy with his winemaking, Jin decided to use the time to practice this skill so that he could use it freely in battle.

[High Rank Magic Breath Lv1]

[You draw mana into your body and change it into destructive energy before shooting it in a straight line. It can contain the power of an element, and if it does, the destructive force increases.]

It was one of the two skills he'd gained from the Treasure Eater's jawbone—the other was Lv1 High Rank Lightning Resistance—and the goddess had reinforced it with her power.

Because the skill was originally only usable by those who could wield lightning, it had been completely useless to Jin. The goddess made it so Jin could use it.

It's funny, an undead breathing... But alright, I'm gathering mana.

"Huwaaaaahk!"

[Kuhak!?]

Once Jin had gathered enough mana, he opened his mouth and shot out a highly-compressed soft-blue mana laser; after he emptied half of his energy, an undead panther roaming around the plains ended up completely melted away, leaving only a giant hole on the ground.

It's pretty weak for a high rank skill... It's like I'm firing a blank.

He could use the skill in its raw form, but its full potential could only be unleashed by using it in tandem with an element. Jin couldn't use the elements, but if Lee Shin-Woo were to help him a little, he would be able to use acid, fire, ice, lightning, and more.

Although it would be completely useless without Lee Shin-Woo, Jin had finally gained a good offensive skill. He'd grown significantly since he first arrived at the Empire, when he ran nonstop to escape reality.

Alright. Let's make sure I get it down and then go.

Jin steeled himself and began to move. First, he needed to be able to freely control the output of Magic Breath, and then he needed to be able to use it whilst sprinting, or at least several times in battle... He considered every application of the skill and went through intense training.

If it were Shin-Woo, he wouldn't stop until the skill feels like a natural part of himself.

Lee Shin-Woo was both hot-blooded and calm during combat. How should he contribute in a way that removed all the variables and ensured their victory…? Jin kept the thought in mind and trained, losing track of time in his concentration.

Three weeks flew by, and then Lee Shin-Woo contacted him.

[Lee Shin-Woo: We're about to make history here. Where are you? It's my fault, so come back.]

"Make history? Are you finally making a Golem?"

[Lee Shin-Woo: No, the wine's done.]

"..."

This guy, he's definitely making wine to get stronger, right...? But then Jin remembered Lee Shin-Woo had always been like this. He sighed and made his way back to the winery.

He had gotten into a level 3 danger zone as he ran around training his skill, but without Lee Shin-Woo on his back, he could run at a speed akin to light. He ended up back at the winery in a few hours.

"Just in time!" Lee Shin-Woo called out to him.

"What about the Golems?"

"We finished adjusting the basic equipment just yesterday, but the Pauls haven't come back yet."

Golem manufacturing was considered the most difficult field in magic engineering. It was thus quite impressive to Recreate the technique in a few weeks; Jin didn't really understand any of it, though, and simply nodded at Lee Shin-Woo.

"Let's put the wine into the bottles I bought from the Secret Shop..."

[As you command, Master.]

His assistants—the Golems—followed Lee Shin-Woo's demonstration and busily moved around, bottling the wine that had finished ripening. Lee Shin-Woo picked up the first completed bottle and checked its information.

[Kerr Century Elemental 451]

[This wine was created by Kerr Century Winery's successor out of grapes that thrived with the love and affection of spirits and an elf. It's still somewhat lacking in terms of technique, but the raw materials, which are extremely difficult to obtain, more than make up for the flaw with their rich smell and the right decree of acidity.]

[It is a masterpiece that shows the quality of the ingredients. Even after it was bottled, the magic within the materials causes the wine to ripen gradually, so the longer you leave it, the more valuable it becomes.]

"Huh?" Lee Shin-Woo gasped.

"Did you fail?"

"No... That's not it."

Lee Shin-Woo had put his heart and soul into smashing the grapes, as well as the fermentation and ripening processes, so there was no way he would’ve failed. Seeing the quality of the grapes, he knew they would make a great Nouveau, so that was what he had set out to create, yet...the completed product wasn't a Nouveau.

"Is it because they're grapes affected by the Dryads...?"

"It just means that you can sell them for more, right?"

"Yeah, you can say that."

Lee Shin-Woo tilted his head in bemusement, but decided to let it go since things had turned out well. Before that…

"Kratia, I'm counting on you to taste test it."

"...It's an honor."

Looking slightly anxious, Kratia held out her wine glass, and Lee Shin-Woo filled it. She took a sip with Lee Shin-Woo, Jin, the Dryads, and the Golems all focusing on her.

"How is it?"

"...If it sucks, you can spit it out."

[I want to try it too...!]

"...Good."

A brief moment passed. Kratia swallowed and quietly gave Lee Shin-Woo a thumbs-up before carefully pushing her glass forward once more; she seemed to like it a lot.

Through the power of spirits, the Kerr Century Winery had returned.