Life in the 80th District of North Rukongai isn’t easy.
Though, who am I kidding?
Life in the 50th or 60th districts might be “not easy,” but here, the level of hardship is downright masochistic.
No sane person would wish this on anyone, not even in their worst nightmares.
I’ve been through a lot over the past ten years: hunger, running errands, stabbings, theft, unjustified massacres, contract killings, Hollow breakouts, power shifts between gangs, “cleansing” of criminals by the hands of shinigami…
In short, I haven’t had a dull moment.
Figuratively speaking, of course.
Actual entertainment is scarce around here.
Drink hooch and roll the dice; that’s about it.
So, what helped a typical product of 21st-century society (namely, me) survive?
And in the scrawny body of a teenager, no less?
First, a sword I took from a dead Shinigami after yet another Hollow breakout.
It’s a truly rare trophy, since the blades usually shatter into fragments when their owner dies.
And God, or the Soul King, forbid the patrolling Reapers catch you with one!
They’d hack you to pieces without a second thought.
That’s actually why owners in Rukongai have a reputation for being creative types of suicidal maniacs, but it’s worth it.
I’m not exactly sure what Asauchi are made of, but they slice through ordinary metal like butter.
Second, footwear…
Yeah, that’s fucking important!
It’s one thing to walk barefoot or in burlap foot-wraps, and something else entirely to wear actual goddamn sandals.
Even so, unless your name is Kenpachi Zaraki, surviving in the worst slums of ancient Japan is going to be incredibly tough.
Much to my regret, I’m not him.
But then…
who am I?
Well, I don’t remember my original name and it’s unlikely I’d have any use for it here anyway.
Besides, the “new me” has surely long since grown out of it.
What makes me say that?
Well, that brings us to point number three.
Let’s get back to the question.
As far as I know, you can’t acquire Fullbring without a physical body, but you can carry it over after death.
Following a simple chain of logic, that means I must have lived in the World of the Living as a Fullbringer for some time.
Perhaps even in the modern era, given that my Fullbring has taken on such a bizarre form.
What’s even more surprising, though, is that the Shiba clan remains one of the Five Great Noble Families.
At the very least, I arrived long before Kaien’s death and Isshin’s escape.
Perhaps even before the Visored’s Hollowfication.
How is that possible?
I don’t know.
Personally, I blame the Kototsu.
Why do I remember my past life but not my time in the World of the Living?
The Kototsu again.
This whole thing is the fault of this…
train-cleaner-ram, I don’t even know what to call it.
It’s a shame I’m not Aizen.
I’ve got a few grudges I’d love to settle with that contraption.
Anyway, I tend to get sidetracked when I start complaining.
My Fullbring… Well, here it is:
Fullbring: “Hero’s Diary”
First Name: Kaoru
Last Name: [Enter last name]
Age: 16 (details)
Class: Swordsman
Title: “Novice Mercenary”, “Of Zaraki”
Profession: Mercenary
Strength: C
Endurance: D
Agility: C
Spiritual Power: B
Luck: C
Perception: D
Charisma: E
Yes, not in numbers, but everything is easy here.
So far, I only know the ranks: F → E → D → C → B, with X standing in a league of its own.
It’s somewhat reminiscent of the system from the «Fate Something/There» series, but not quite.
That’s not the full list yet, though.
We’ll see what comes next.
By the way, I don’t have a character level, which I’ve lamented more than once.
Nor do I have any cheat-like mechanics such as dungeons, illusory barriers, or a gacha system with a shop.
Alas.
In any case, I have only myself to blame, seeing as this is my power.
But even so, I still have an inventory, quests, and… attention, attention!
A self-filling journal that records everything, right down to my last thoughts.
Sometimes wading through that dense stream of consciousness is a chore, but at least I don’t run the risk of forgetting anything important.
And just look at my stats!
When I first arrived here, almost all my attributes were Rank E, except for Luck, which was C.
I’m a lucky son of a bitch, even if I’m not exactly charismatic.
Then again, it’s just the wrong audience.
Far from it, you’ll see.
Active Skills:
Bringer Light — C (47/100)
Soul Matter Manipulation — C (29/100)
Spiritual Energy Control — D (65/100)
Killing Intent — C (17/100)
Retreat — C (76/100)
Meditation — D (11/100)
Absorption — C (54/100)
Passive Skills:
Presence Concealment — D (87/100)
Presence Detection — E (31/100)
Sword Mastery (Katana) — E (67/100)
Hand-to-Hand Combat Mastery — E (24/100)
Spiritual Shroud — D (85/100)
Collector — E (3/100)
Instinct — D (87/100)
Detachment — E (67/100)
Regeneration — D (11/100)
That’s what the 80th District does to people.
Zaraki Training Camp is 10 out of 10, I recommend it to everyone.
But seriously, before I only had three lowest-ranked active Fullbringer`s skills, and the only passive one was the same F-rank Collector.
Just so you understand: a skill’s rank only increases when it hits level 100.
You can master a skill from F to E in less than a year, but beyond that, the time required grows exponentially.
Of course, I’m not yet ready to go up against the First Kenpachi, but the results are more than respectable.
Still, the Diary calling my skills “Mastery” was mostly a joke.
Mockery even.
It’s literally just “proficiency”.
There isn’t even a hint of true Mastery there yet.
And no, I’m not ashamed of the Retreat.
Equipment:
x1 Dirty Hairband (Head) – F
x1 Torn Beggar’s Rags (Body) – F
x2 Torn Shinigami’s Socks (Legs) – F
x2 Worn-out Shinigami’s Sandals (Legs) — F
x1 Inactive Zanpakuto (Right Hand) — C
x1 Soul King’s Nail (Soul) — X
x8 Dirty Cloth — F
x34 Kan — E
Man, my footwear is about to fall apart completely…
And I have neither the desire nor the patience to wait for the next Hollow breakout or “clean up” just to scavenge again.
Well, I’ve been stuck at Rank B spiritual power for years now, and the Absorption progression bar doesn’t budge when I kill them anymore.
Looks like it’s time to head to Seireitei.
If there’s anywhere with a denser concentration of spiritual energy, that’s the place.
Sure, people die less frequently there…
but they also possess far greater power.
Okay, okay…
I’ll reread the description of Soul King’s Nail again.
Just in case?
Maybe it was today, at this very second, that its status changed and bestowed upon me an imbalanced power.
Item: Soul King’s Nail
Rank: X
Properties: Grants the ability to achieve Fullbring.
Unknown.
Description: Something that present within the soul of every Fullbringer, as well as in a number of random souls.
It is known that Sōsuke Aizen extracted such a nail from Rangiku Matsumoto’s soul to complete the Hōgyoku.
This act was the reason Gin Ichimaru dedicated his life to taking revenge on Aizen.
No, nothing has changed.
Life has its disappointments, doesn’t it?
I actually struggle to recall if that even happened in the anime.
It’s a fact that Aizen extracted a piece of Rangiku’s soul, but did he know back then that it was specifically a Soul King’s Nail?
Anyway, that doesn’t matter.
It’s time to change my life, and the first step will be…
“One.
Two.
Three,” I counted off the seconds, and a semi-transparent panel appeared before my eyes.
Quest: The Start of a New Life I
Description: Survive, accept your fate, gather strength, and finally conquer your fear of a future that isn’t quite so unknown.
Various prospects loom on the horizon, but first, you must get out of Zaraki.
Objectives: Leave Zaraki (the 80th District of North Rukongai)
(Optional): Say goodbye to someone, who you see fit
(Optional): Stock up on supplies
(Optional): Finally settle old scores with the “Red Vultures of the North” gang
“Vultures, huh?
I’d actually forgotten about those bastards…” The scar on my back began to itch the moment I voiced that lie.
“They’ve got money, and their clothes ought to be decent enough.”
And I don’t want to wander through the forests, and the only direct access to Kusajishi is held by these scavengers.
I jumped down from the branch and landed almost silently.
Oh well, I’ll get the hang of it sooner or later.
Maybe they’ll teach me in the Second Squad, although I’d prefer the Eleventh.
Then again, I haven’t planned that far ahead yet.
I’d just be happy to unlock my Shikai at this point.