Seeing the steady ways to earn achievement points, Oguro's gaze shifted. His original plan to summon subordinates immediately faded.
After all, the one-time 90% discount only applied once!
Spending it on a blue-tier summon felt like a waste.
Golden Legendary cards were out of the question, even with a discount—they required far too many points.
But the Purple Epic tier needed just 1,000 points… maybe he could save up for it!
According to the system, a Level 1 Divine Kingdom earned daily achievement points that fluctuated between 1 and 10 depending on its prosperity.
Prosperity was mostly determined by territory and population.
Territory was hard to expand, but he could still recruit more subordinates.
More people meant higher prosperity!
Over the next few days, Oguro went all out, recruiting wherever he could. Finally, his number of subordinates surpassed twenty.
Now, he could reliably earn 4 points per day plus the 1 point from patrolling the kingdom.
Even better, when he decided to sell some of the hunted meat to the villagers, the system recognized it as foreign trade for his Divine Kingdom and unlocked a hidden quest:
Quest Name: The Divine Kingdom Renowned Across the Seas
Quest Requirement: Maintain a powerful kingdom with unmatched prestige. Continuously increase your kingdom's renown. Achievement points are awarded based on prestige.
Current Daily Bonus: +2 Achievement Points
Oguro was momentarily stunned, then ecstatic.
This was pure luck!
According to the system, there was no upper limit to the achievement points from this quest.
Even a Level 1 kingdom, if prestigious enough, could generate tens of thousands of points a day!
Perfect for his small but steady growth strategy in the early stage.
At present, he could earn 7 points daily. To reach 1,000 points, it would take roughly four months.
Done!
For the next four months, Oguro had his little subordinates patrol the forests daily under the pretense of hunting game. It looked proper and diligent.
Finally, the day came—he had accumulated 1,000 achievement points!
"Come on! Let's make this summon count!"
Oguro washed his hands carefully, took a deep breath under the sun to gather luck, and shouted in his mind:
"System! Summon from the Purple Epic pool!"
According to the card pool description, Purple Epics guaranteed at least a seat officer-level Shinigami.
And every pool was upward-compatible. If luck was on his side, a White-tier summon could even yield a Golden Legendary!
Ding ding ding!
After a series of sound effects, a dazzling purple light flashed before Oguro.
Well, no luck this time. No Golden Legendary.
The purple light condensed into a card depicting a figure.
Oguro frowned.
It was a youthful Shinigami, eyes drooping, body slightly curled—a timid, uncertain look.
Not exactly what he expected…
"Ding! Congratulations, host! You have summoned Gotei 13, 4th Division, 7th Seat: Yamada Hanataro. Summon immediately?"
Oguro recognized him immediately.
Although he seemed weak at first glance, in the original story, Yamada Hanataro was highly reliable.
As a medic in the 4th Division, his combat ability was low, but his healing skills were top-notch.
Even Captain Retsu Unohana praises his abilities. Later, he became the Co-3rd Seat of the 4th Division—a rare professional talent!
"Not bad! Summon him!"
A purple star appeared before Oguro, solidifying into a humanoid figure.
Dressed in black Shihakusho, with his personal Zanpakutō at his waist, Yamada Hanataro knelt on one knee.
"7th Seat of the 4th Division, Yamada Hanataro, pays respects to the Soul King!"
In that instant, Oguro felt a strange power surge within him.
Even his Zanpakutō, Gen, felt slightly different.
Checking the system interface, he saw:
> Host: Sith Oguro
Title: Soul King
Divine Kingdom Template: Soul Society
Kingdom Level: 1
Territory: Unnamed forest, Paparo Island
Abilities: Spiritual Pressure (Beginner), Swordsmanship (Beginner), Hand-to-Hand (Beginner), Flash Step (Beginner), Kidō (Beginner)
Zanpakutō: Gen (with Hoemaru awakened)
Subordinates: Yamada Hanataro (Epic), …24 others (Common)
Achievement Points: 0
The interface now looked far more complete.
"So this is Spiritual Pressure?"
Feeling the power coursing through him, Oguro was fascinated.
Additionally, he had received some combat and healing experience from Yamada Hanataro—though only at an introductory level.
Still, it was enough for him to feel satisfied. At least now, he had some real power!
With Hanataro onboard, the kingdom's daily achievement points rose by an extra 1 point.
Excellent!
Oguro confidently entrusted the day-to-day management of the kingdom to Hanataro—essentially, taking the kids to patrol the mountains and hunt game.
With this seat officer-level Shinigami around, ordinary beasts were no match.
Oguro meanwhile focused on learning about this world's unique powers—Haki.
Yes, even with Spiritual Pressure, he wasn't satisfied.
Many Devil Fruit abilities were too overpowered. Without Haki, he wouldn't feel secure.
The problem? He had no idea how to train Haki!
The East Blue was the weakest sea; few people could use Haki.
The only person known to be proficient was Zoro's master, Kōzuki Kengoro—but he was across the sea!
At this point, it wasn't time to venture out.
"Hmm… the only Haki training I know is what Garp did—punching mountains."
In the original story, Garp smashed eight mountains barehanded, awakening his Armament Haki through sheer repeated training.
Before, Oguro wouldn't dare try that. His small frame would likely destroy himself before Haki awakened.
But now, with Yamada Hanataro as a healer, it was feasible.
As long as he didn't die instantly, Hanataro could probably heal him.
Such a resource was too valuable to waste.
After Hanataro returned from patrol, Oguro explained the Haki training plan.
Unsurprisingly, Hanataro opposed it immediately.
As a 100% loyal subordinate, he couldn't agree to self-harm.
But Oguro insisted. Hanataro had no choice but to provide full medical support.
Bam!
At the foot of a mountain near the village, Oguro smashed his fist into a stone wall.
Though wrapped in protective bandages, the intense pain still made him grit his teeth.
Ignoring Hanataro's attempts to intervene, he punched repeatedly, carefully analyzing his body as he went.
Haki, he realized, was about channeling your will to unlock hidden potential within your body, releasing immense power.
With proper guidance, Haki could awaken much faster—Marine Sixth Style was a prime example.
Oguro might not know that technique, but he had Spiritual Pressure.
As a manifestation of soul power, it gave him a natural edge in willpower and body control.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The monotonous training continued until nightfall. The bandages on his hands were now soaked in blood.
As soon as he paused, Hanataro flashed over using Flash Step, carefully removed the bloody bandages, and applied healing, green light flowing between his hands.
Oguro felt a cool relief and the pain eased immediately.
His bloodied hands visibly healed before his eyes.
"Heh… this summon was totally worth it," Oguro thought proudly.
From then on, he alternated mountain-punching and healing, maximizing his training time.
He even drew another subordinate from the White-tier pool to replace Hanataro for daily patrols.
The new recruit, a common 10th Division member named Ōura, returned to his division's original duty—patrolling the kingdom.
With Hanataro providing full-time medical support, Oguro's training efficiency multiplied several times over.