Boom!
With a deafening crash, Hao was sent flying backward. While in midair, he twisted to regain control and landed smoothly, retreating several steps to disperse the force before finally skidding to a stop across the dojo floor.
He glanced at the bamboo sword in his hand—now broken clean in two—then casually tossed it to the ground. Rolling his sore shoulder with a grin, he said:
"Sensei, that didn't feel like Level Seventeen Reiatsu to me."
Instructor Fujimoto looked slightly embarrassed. Indeed—at that critical moment, his instincts kicked in, and he unconsciously used his full Reiatsu to guard his vital points. That's what had launched Hao across the room.
Only now did he realize his back was drenched in cold sweat. That brief clash just now felt like a brush with death.
Even though Hao's actual spiritual strength was relatively low, in that split second, Fujimoto had felt a suffocating pressure—a reckless intensity that overwhelmed his nerves and triggered his body's natural defense mechanisms.
"Hao-kun, you're very impressive.
Have you had formal training in swordsmanship before?"
Fujimoto adjusted his mindset and asked with curiosity. As an instructor at the Shinō Academy, he wasn't so petty as to take offense at being challenged—in fact, he was deeply impressed by Hao's raw skill with the blade.
"Swordsmanship? Never learned it."
Hao shook his head, answering truthfully. He had never studied this world's version of "swordsmanship." But blade techniques? That was another story.
According to the specialization system in the Terminal Space, he was rated as having master-level blade technique proficiency—which was… decent, he supposed.
In his original world, martial artists had become extremely rare.
As much as he hated to admit it, the sad truth was this: the people he had killed represented the very peak of that era's martial arts.
Even the so-called "Sword King", who had enhanced his physical abilities with an exoskeleton and wielded a company-custom alloy blade—had lasted only ten moves against Hao.
That guy had brand-name steel.
Hao had used a common butcher's knife.
After slaughtering all those so-called masters, Hao had lost all hope for the martial path in that world.
Back in the present, hushed whispers filled the dojo—everyone was stunned by the outcome of the spar.
Amid the crowd, Aizen, behind his black-rimmed glasses, observed quietly, his eyes flickering with a subtle gleam. He found his new roommate… unexpectedly interesting. Looks like these years at the Shinō Academy weren't going to be boring after all.
"Wait… you're saying you've never studied swordsmanship?"
Fujimoto was shocked by Hao's answer. But thinking about it, it made sense—Hao was just a street urchin from the outer districts. He wouldn't have had any formal access to training.
But that made Hao's talent all the more terrifying.
No formal training, and yet he had just defeated a professional sword instructor in a head-on clash at equal Reiatsu levels. This boy that Captain Unohana had brought back might just be a once-in-a-century genius.
Seeing Hao give a quiet, expressionless nod, Fujimoto grew even more excited… and at the same time, a little disheartened.
Excited because he had discovered a prodigy.
Disheartened because he realized… he might not be able to teach this kid anything.
Yes, even if he hadn't let his guard down earlier, even if he had kept his Reiatsu suppressed the whole time—he would've still lost.
What had truly blown Fujimoto away wasn't Hao's first strike.
It was his second.
That second move used the recoil of the clash to retract the blade, absorb the force, then, like water redirecting a stream, spun the energy around and re-launched the sword from an entirely unexpected angle.
The precision, the fluidity, the mastery of kinetic control—this wasn't something even Fujimoto could do.
In fact, no sword school in Soul Society taught this kind of technique. Perhaps the theory existed somewhere in writing, but the execution? Only one in a million could ever pull it off.
So this… is why Captain Unohana values him so highly…?
"Hao-kun, go ahead and take a seat.
We'll start with some theory today before we move on to sparring."
Fujimoto took a moment to collect his thoughts. No matter how shaken he was, class still had to continue.
Under the stares of awe, curiosity, and disbelief, Hao walked calmly through the crowd and sat down next to Aizen.
"Hao-kun is really amazing.
I've never seen anyone beat Instructor Fujimoto in a sword class before," Aizen said, seemingly in admiration.
Hao looked at him with a grin.
"Not even you, Sōsuke?"
Aizen's expression remained calm and composed.
"What are you saying, Hao-kun?
My swordsmanship grades are decent, but I'm still far from being able to spar with Instructor Fujimoto. I'll be relying on your guidance going forward."
Hao couldn't help but feel slightly irritated.
He never really understood the satisfaction Aizen seemed to get from playing dumb. What was the point of hiding his strength? Was he already scheming for the throne even at this stage?
Perhaps to accommodate Hao—who claimed to have never studied swordsmanship—Instructor Fujimoto spent the rest of the class going over the most basic principles of the art.
Still, Hao didn't tune out. He listened carefully and discovered that this world's "swordsmanship" wasn't without merit. The problem wasn't with the art—it was with Fujimoto.
That led him to wonder: if Captain Unohana had mastered every sword style in the Soul Society, just how terrifying would her technique be?
The mere thought excited him.
Of course, he wasn't suicidal. He had no intention of challenging Captain Unohana. Their difference in Reiatsu levels was like heaven and earth—if you translated it into game stats, she probably had dozens or even hundreds more points than him in every category.
Right now, his focus had to be on getting stronger—so that one day, he could face those powerful opponents and truly enjoy the thrill of battle.
At this moment, he had already completed the first stage of his Main Quest. The second stage had now been issued:
---
[Main Quest Stage 2: Speedrun the Shinō Academy]
Objective: The Explorer must complete all courses in the Shinō Academy within three calendar months, and graduate early via academic acceleration.
Achieve the fastest graduation in the entire history of the Academy.
Difficulty: Hard ~ Nightmare
Reward: 3000 Terminal Credits, a Zanpakutō, Return Eligibility
Failure Penalty: Erasure
---
This difficulty rating was no joke.
Hao was no stranger to games. The word "Nightmare" alone meant it would be anything but easy.
Looking at it logically, the Shinō Academy didn't seem dangerous per se. But if he wanted to graduate early, he couldn't afford to follow the conventional path.
The Soul Society was vast, and in all the years since the Academy's founding, there had been no shortage of geniuses. And yet—not a single one had ever pulled this off. That alone meant "fast-tracking graduation" was practically impossible under normal circumstances.
Yes, your average Gotei 13 foot soldier might only need Level 20 Reiatsu to qualify.
But that didn't mean that once you reached Level 20, you could just walk out with a diploma.
If a student showed exceptional promise, the Academy was even more likely to hold onto them, nurturing their growth to the fullest before sending them to join the Gotei 13. It was about polishing raw gems, not rushing them out the door.
As Hao watched the other students begin their paired drills, he sank into thought.
What would be the biggest obstacle
in completing this mission…?