Pain had a way of becoming normal.
Inuzuri didn't care about your suffering. It was too busy choking on its own misery. Hunger, blood, rot, and desperation weren't exceptions here. They were routine.
Katsu Joro adapted fast.
Not because he wanted to. Because he had to.
His second day in the Soul Society started the same as the first: in a pile of cold dirt behind a crumbling shed, with his ribs aching and his muscles screaming for mercy. He gave them none.
[Daily Quest Activated: Soul Foundation]
Progress: 0/4
The window blinked out as he sat cross-legged in the dirt and began meditating. Focusing the rhythmic pull of spirit energy from the air into his core.
It came easier now. Slightly. That flickering ember inside him had grown into something warmer: a tiny coal in his gut, pulsing with raw potential. Not enough to matter in a fight. But enough to feel.
[Quest Complete: Meditation]
+1 Stat Point
Next was sprinting.
The streets were broken, uneven, full of rubble and wandering souls too weak to get out of the way. Katsu dodged them all, barely, moving like a madman through the alleys of Inuzuri.
His lungs burned by the halfway point. His vision blurred by the end.
[Quest Complete: Sprinting]
+1 Stat Point
He collapsed next to a well. The water was rancid, but he drank anyway. Survival was survival.
Then it was back to the alley for push-ups.
He didn't count out loud. Didn't think. Just moved. One rep after another until his arms went numb and his chest was on fire.
[Quest Complete: Physical Training]
+1 Stat Point
Last was Reiryoku control.
He focused on the warmth in his chest, trying to guide it upward, through his arms, into his fingertips. It was like moving water through a sponge: messy, slow, and full of resistance.
But for a split second, he felt it flow.
[Quest Complete: Reiryoku Control]
+1 Stat Point
[Daily Quest Complete – Bonus Reward Granted]
+2 Stat Points
[Total Unspent Stat Points: 6]
He checked the screen again, lying flat on the ground and letting the wind dry his sweat.
---
[SOUL FORGING SYSTEM – STATUS SCREEN]
Name: Katsu Joro
Race: Soul (Human Origin)
Spiritual Power: F
Reiryoku Control: F
Zanjutsu: F
Hakuda: F
Hohō: F
Kidō: F
Stat Points: 6
---
He stared at the screen for a long time.
No obvious guidance. No recommended builds. Just raw stats waiting to be molded.
Katsu didn't spend a single point.
Not yet.
I don't know what's optimal here. Not until I understand what I'm working with.
Every RPG fan back home would have said the same thing: early investment decisions were permanent. And he wasn't going to waste growth on the wrong foundation.
For now, daily quests were enough.
Grind. Accumulate. Observe.
There were rumors drifting through the slums, whispers of an Academy far away that trained future Shinigami, where souls were taught to wield swords, cast Kidō, and walk through the sky.
That was his goal. Not because he wanted to play hero.
Because Seireitei had food. Structure. Power.
And more importantly… knowledge.
He needed to know why he was here. What brought the system. If it was fate, or something worse. And the only place that would have answers was behind those ivory walls.
But the Academy only opened once a year.
So he trained.
Days blurred together. Meditation. Sprints. Push-ups. Energy control. His body ached constantly. His stomach growled until he couldn't hear anything else. And still, he kept moving.
Because every day ended the same way:
+6 Stat Points Acquired
[Weekly Progress: 2/7 Days Complete]
The locals began to notice him, the quiet boy with the dead stare and bruised knuckles who didn't beg, didn't steal, didn't talk.
Some ignored him. Others tested him.
The first time he got jumped, he didn't fight back. Just took the hits and used the pain as meditation fuel.
The second time, he dropped a grown man with a single straight punch.
After that, they left him alone.
---
By the end of the first week, the system pulsed brighter than usual. A hum filled his ears: mechanical, ancient, cold.
[Weekly Quest Complete: Blade's Beginning]
All Daily Quests Completed (7 Days)
Reward: +10 Stat Points + 1 System Skill Unlock
[System Skill Unlock Available – Choose One]
• [Soul Tracker] – Reveals stat tier and danger level of targets
• [Spirit Conditioning] – Passively increases training effectiveness by 15%
• [Reiryoku Pulse] – Sends out a pulse of spirit energy to detect nearby lifeforms and hidden Reiatsu signatures
(One-time choice – Choose Wisely)
Katsu stared at the screen, sweat dripping from his brow.
All three were good. But only one gave him an edge right now, one that multiplied everything else.
He selected Spirit Conditioning.
[Skill Acquired: Spirit Conditioning – Passive]
Training effectiveness increased by 15%.
Your growth accelerates. Your edge sharpens.
Katsu let out a slow breath.
He wasn't a Shinigami yet.
But his foundation was set.
And the climb had officially begun.
---