"Soul Society, huh...? Well, at least I didn't wake up to a guy in a lab coat telling me the surgery was a success. I guess that's a small win in the middle of all this bad luck…"
Inside a somewhat shabby wooden hut, Nagasawa Masaru rubbed his temples, still dizzy. He muttered under his breath, half in disbelief, though not entirely shocked.
As a modern-day young man, he'd imagined scenarios like this countless times before. So while he was surprised, it wasn't too surprising. He even had the mental bandwidth to pull open his pants and peek inside.
Hmm… not quite the same as when Diao Chan was wrapped around his waist in his past life, but close enough.
Looking around, "bare-bones" didn't even begin to describe this place. The hut was empty to the point of desolation. There wasn't even a basin of clear water for him to catch his reflection.
Not that he needed it. When he'd inherited the original host's memories, he'd already learned about the current situation.
Souls sent to Soul Society are distributed to the Rukongai based on their time of death, sorted sequentially. Rukongai itself is divided into four directions: North, South, East, and West. Each region is further split into eighty districts. District 1 has the best security and living conditions, with plenty of food. District 80, on the other hand, is barren, plagued by famine, and a place where souls kill one another just to survive.
West Rukongai, District 64 — "Akegami."
That was where he was now. While it wasn't quite as desolate as District 80, for a soul like him—alone and powerless—poverty was the defining reality.
Still, the inherited memories gave him a clear idea of what he looked like.
"Other than being a little skinny, not much to complain about…"
He looked about sixteen or seventeen, stood around 180 cm tall, and had a face almost identical to his past life's. The kind of face readers could easily project themselves onto. He was, frankly, very pleased.
Sure, he didn't even have a bowl to his name at the moment, but as a lifelong fan of Bleach, Naruto, and One Piece, and a connoisseur of fanfics, Masaru was confident. With his knowledge stockpile, even if he couldn't reach god-tier status, becoming a Soul Society noble with a slow-motion pose in each hand on the daily wasn't out of the question.
Unfortunately, fate didn't roll out a red carpet for him.
It ran him over instead.
Both his Shakketsu and Hakusui—the spiritual core and energy flow nodes—were critically damaged.
To put it in wuxia terms: his dantian was shattered, and his meridians were severed.
For a normal Soul Reaper, injuries like this would result in total loss of spiritual power, and in severe cases, instant death.
This was exactly what Byakuya Kuchiki did the first time he met Ichigo Kurosaki.
But for an ordinary soul like Nagasawa Masaru...
The options were grim: either die slowly in agony or lose one's self completely and turn into a Hollow that devours everything.
Hollowfication inside Soul Society, especially at the Gotei 13's doorstep? Even if he'd lost his mind by then, Masaru didn't even want to imagine how that would end. Getting cut down and turned into reishi to nourish Soul Society would probably be the best-case scenario.
The original host couldn't accept that fate. So, he sold off everything of value in the house and used the money to buy a lethal poison—one that promised a painless death. He chose to die quietly at home… which gave Masaru the chance to take over.
But really now, what kind of transmigrator only gets this much luck?
[Ding. Binding System... initializing. Would you like to activate it?]
[In sixty seconds, the system will automatically bind to the unit with the highest cultivation potential within a 500-meter radius and synchronize the host's strength to match.]
A binding system?
Hearing the mechanical voice in his mind, Masaru's eyes lit up—then immediately dimmed, like a deflating balloon.
He knew this type of system. His favorite author, "Not Tower Sauce," had written an entire novel around one just like it. But still...
Sure, getting a system after transmigrating was exciting. But Masaru could only let out a bitter laugh.
Find a top-tier genius within 60 seconds in this ghetto of Akegami? Dream on.
And even if the system did bind him to someone like peak Aizen Sōsuke, with his Shakketsu and Hakusui broken, what would it matter? You can't apply the same solution to every person.
[Ding. Binding system canceled. Activating "Strongest Shinigami System"... loading... Trial version activated. Newbie pack granted.]
[Beginner Mission: Participate in this year's Shino Academy graduation ceremony and join any one of the Gotei 13 squads.]
[Mission Reward: Fully restore damaged Shakketsu and Hakusui, remove all negative conditions, and unlock the full system.]
So the heavens haven't abandoned me after all!
The name "Strongest Shinigami System" might've sounded a little corny, but when that prompt hit, Masaru's pupils practically shook from excitement!
As for joining the Gotei 13?
If he could survive, then with his knowledge base, he could easily flip the tables. Hell, even joining Hueco Mundo wouldn't scare him.
But soon, he calmed down.
Soul Society had a strict class hierarchy. Even though Rukongai and Seireitei technically existed within the same plane, and souls could move between districts, there was only one legal way to leave Rukongai and enter the upper-class Seireitei:
You had to possess spiritual power, enroll in the Shino Academy, and graduate to become a Soul Reaper.
In his current state? Forget spiritual power—his reishi was basically leaking out through his broken spiritual veins.
His eyes turned to the system's [Newbie Pack].
Come on, this thing's called the Strongest Shinigami System. Even if it can't let me stomp Aizen and punch Yhwach into orbit, it should at least let me smack around some random seated officers, right?
[You have chosen to open the Newbie Pack.]
[Newbie Pack opened.]
[Congratulations. You've obtained: Marlon Brando's Peak Acting Skill.]
[Congratulations. You've obtained: Peak Shinigami Experience Card – valid for 10 days.]
A Peak Shinigami Experience Card!
He hadn't even used it yet, but the name alone screamed overpowered.
As for the 10-day duration? Masaru didn't even bat an eye.
With both Shakketsu and Hakusui ruined, if he couldn't join the Gotei 13, he probably wouldn't live ten days anyway.
And based on the original host's memories, today was the graduation ceremony at Shino Academy. If not for those injuries, he'd originally planned to sneak outside Seireitei to at least watch the grand event.
Now that he understood his situation fully, Masaru suddenly felt... optimistic.
And what if he reverted back to his original self after joining the Gotei 13?
Sure, the Gotei 13 didn't have a resignation system, but wasn't there that one guy from Squad 6 who resigned from his Lieutenant position just because his eyeglass shop exploded in popularity?
Squad 6, being responsible for the noble districts, was arguably the most relaxed of all the squads.
Even Kyōraku Shunsui, a high-ranking noble's second son, enjoyed his "rosy path of pleasure novels." Clearly, Soul Society was in dire need of better entertainment.
With his cultural literacy and Marlon Brando-level acting, Masaru could totally fake it under the guise of "recovering health." Becoming the Gotei 13's official paid slacker—one of the five White Lefts of Soul Society—was just around the corner!
After that, he'd just bribe the old men of Central 46 with his earnings, and voilà—dream achieved.
No time to waste.
Masaru, with barely ten days left to live, went all-in. With a loud snap, he activated the Peak Shinigami Experience Card.
[Peak Shinigami Experience Card activated.]
[Congratulations. You've obtained: Unohana Retsu's Peak Swordsmanship.]
[Congratulations. You've obtained: Yoruichi Shihōin's Peak Hakuda.]
[Congratulations. You've obtained: Tenjirō Kirinji's Peak Shunpo.]
[Congratulations. You've obtained: Ōetsu Nimaiya's Peak Kidō.]
[Congratulations. You've obtained: Aizen Sōsuke's Peak Reiatsu and Spiritual Control Techniques.]
[Congratulations. You've obtained: Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's Zanpakutō – Ryūjin Jakka.]
[Card Duration: 10 Days]
Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Shunpo, Kidō—check.
Plus Aizen's Reiatsu, and Ryūjin Jakka.
Holy hell. I'm invincible.