Ren's POV
"AHHHHH—!"
I jolted upright in bed, screaming as my heart slammed wildly against my ribs. My breathing came out ragged and uneven, sweat soaking my forehead as a splitting headache throbbed through my skull. I frantically scanned my surroundings, my vision still spinning.
It took a while—but once everything settled, my memories finally clicked into place.
And the first thought that crossed my mind was—
Shit.
I'd been reincarnated.
Not only that, but just now, my memories from my previous life had completely unlocked.
And out of all the worlds I could've been reborn into…
It had to be Bleach.
How did I know? Simple.
My middle school classmate was Ichigo Kurosaki.
Yes. That Ichigo Kurosaki—the orange-haired protagonist of one of the Big Three anime. The guy practically blessed by fate itself, stacked with cheats upon cheats.
Even in high school, Ichigo and I went to the same school. We were even in the same classroom as the main cast. To everyone else, it was just another normal school life.
The canon hadn't started yet, but it wouldn't be long before it did. Before long, Ichigo would become a Substitute Soul Reaper, and things would start to change.
Until then, everything was still quiet.
And as if that wasn't bad enough, the future of this city was an absolute nightmare.
Sōsuke Aizen was going to pull off something insane here.
And then there was Mr. Moustache himself—the fancy Quincy king, Yhwach, who wanted to drag the entire world into chaos and destruction.
Just thinking about all the disasters waiting ahead made my head hurt even more.
"…Please tell me I have some kind of power," I muttered, taking a deep breath.
I closed my eyes, forcing myself to calm down.
When I opened them again, my brows furrowed.
Floating in front of me was a blue, glowing holographic screen.
....
[Notification]
[The System has been activated]
[This System is designed to assist the Player's growth and strengthen them]
[Failure to comply may result in severe penalties]
[Daily Reward Delivered after completing the mission]
[Daily Mission: "Steps Toward the Strong"]
.....
My eyes widened.
"…A system? Seriously?"
Was this finally my stroke of luck?
There it was—my golden ticket.
The thing that could either make me the strongest… or lead me straight to my second death.
I inhaled deeply, steadying both my excitement and my nerves. I couldn't afford to lose my cool. Every step from now on had to be cautious.
This was my cheat.
And not just any cheat—a System.
It could be the most overpowered thing imaginable… or the most ridiculous.
Please be the first one.
"This is…" I muttered, brushing my fingers through the floating windows as the messages flickered.
"Alright, I've watched Solo Leveling. I kinda know how this works."
"Open mission," I commanded.
The screen responded instantly.
.....
[Mission Info: "Steps Toward the Strong"]
Objectives:
Push-ups: 0 / 100
Sit-ups: 0 / 100
Squats: 0 / 100
Running: 0 / 10 km
[Warning: Failure will result in punishment]
.....
I swallowed hard.
I wasn't stupid—the System wasn't joking. If I failed, there would be consequences. And I had absolutely no interest in finding out what kind of punishment it had prepared.
I glanced at the timer.
Three hours.
Three hours to complete all that… with this average, rusty body.
That was practically a death sentence.
And I had zero interest in dying a second time.
Without another word, I jumped out of bed and dropped to the floor, determination burning in my chest.
This wasn't going to be easy.
An image suddenly popped into my mind.
A certain partner of justice:
"That's hell you're walking into, kid."
"…let's not think up we are things," I muttered, shaking my head and starting the exercises.
"One… two… three… four…"
My body burned almost immediately, exhaustion creeping in fast. Still, I pushed on.
Thankfully, in this life, I'd practiced karate when I was younger.
Though after my parents died in a car accident during middle school, I'd abandoned it entirely.
At least they'd left me a large inheritance—and a nice two-story villa.
"Come on… I can do this… I will do this…"
I repeated the words like a mantra, sweat dripping down my face as I forced my body to keep moving.
Two Hours Later
I collapsed onto a park bench after finishing the ten-kilometer run.
My entire body was drenched in sweat, my lungs burning as I struggled to breathe. Exhaustion weighed heavily on me, reminding me just how rusty I'd become—even with my past training.
Just as my vision steadied, another blue screen appeared.
....
[Notification]
[Daily Mission Complete]
Push-ups: 100 / 100
Sit-ups: 100 / 100
Squats: 100 / 100
Running: 10 km / 10 km
[Reward: Full Recovery, +4 Stat Points]
[Info: Stat points can be allocated freely]
...
Without hesitation, I selected Full Recovery.
A cool sensation flowed through my body, relaxing my muscles and restoring my stamina completely.
I let out a long sigh of relief.
Then I checked my status.
.....
[Name: Ren Toshiki]
Job: None
Title: None
HP: 200 / 200
MP: 40
Strength: 11
Speed: 10
Agility: 9
Endurance: 10
Perception: 10
Recovery: 11
Intelligence: 15
Fatigue: 0%
...
"…Wow. That's trash."
I stared at the numbers with a mix of frustration and acceptance. Not surprising—but still depressing.
If I wanted to survive what was coming, I had a lot of grinding to do.
"Well, I've got four points…" I muttered.
After a moment's thought, I put two points into Strength and two into Endurance.
Speed was tempting—but endurance meant lasting longer, recovering faster, and surviving harsher training. Strength was obvious. Brute force mattered more often than people liked to admit.
The moment I confirmed the allocation, warmth surged through my body. My breathing steadied, my muscles felt denser—stronger.
"…Now this makes sense."
At least I finally had a foundation.
Sooner or later, the System would probably force me into dungeons.
Thankfully, I remembered something important.
My father had a real katana displayed in our home—an heirloom passed down from my great-great-grandfather. Hopefully, it was still in good condition.
I stood up and began walking home, glancing up at the full moon shining brightly above.
This time…
I clenched my fist.
No regrets. I'll survive. I'll grow stronger.
Under the moonlight, I made a silent promise to myself.
To be continued.