The settlement space felt unusually still after the Hunter × Hunter node. Ethan sat alone in the lounge, legs folded under him, the faint blue of the Panel ribbon hovering in the corner of his awareness like a heartbeat he could ignore or summon.
He had returned.
He had survived.
And he had come back stronger.
PP: 4,615
Enough to buy something dangerous.
Enough to buy something he would need for the world he knew was coming.
Bleach.
A place where even minor spiritual pressure could crush weaker beings. A place where the unprepared simply ceased to exist. And he wasn't going there unarmored.
He opened the shop.
Rows and rows of abilities, filters, rarity tiers.
But he scrolled straight to Legendary.
Full Shift — Lycan Form (Alpha)
Legendary — Permanent — Toggleable
Cost: 3,800 PP
The tooltip unfolded in cold precision:
> Massive Strength, Endurance, Perception boost while active.
Physiology adapts for short bursts of extreme conflict.
Regeneration enhanced.
Toggle form mentally.
No cooldown.
Warning: Aura output spikes drastically during use.
He studied the last line.
Aura output. Energy signature. Spiritual noise.
Going into Bleach, a world built on spiritual perception and sensing, this wasn't a drawback — it was prep work.
He needed a form that could withstand reiatsu pressure, that wouldn't crumble under hostile spiritual signatures, that could match a Shinigami's physical power when needed.
This was the right buy.
He didn't hesitate.
— PURCHASE CONFIRMED
PP -3,800
Remaining PP: 815
There was no supervision, no sterile bay, no techs watching monitors.
Just silence.
Just him and the Panel.
The bind hit instantly.
A burning line traced down his spine, a low rolling growl under his skin — not audible, but felt, like a memory of instincts he'd never owned before.
His fingers curled.
His breath deepened.
His pulse doubled and then steadied.
The Panel chimed in his mind:
"Full Shift — Bound."
A new line appeared in Skills:
Full Shift — Lycan Form (Legendary)
• Toggleable — ON/OFF
• Enhances Strength, Endurance, Perception dramatically
• Active form generates high-energy signature
• Regeneration boosted
Ethan exhaled.
His body felt… primed. Quietly coiled.
Not transformed — that required activation — but the potential sat inside him like a loaded spring.
He tested the toggle.
Just a thought.
ON.
The world sharpened.
Edges glowed with clarity.
His heartbeat became a bass drum of power thudding steadily in his chest.
His muscles felt tight enough to break metal restraints.
The floor under his feet vibrated against heightened perception.
He checked the private HUD:
Full Shift (Active)
• Strength: 32 → 82
• Endurance: 37 → 80
• Perception: 48 → 85
• Will unchanged
• Regeneration +400%
• Reflex speed nearly double baseline
A low, dangerous thrill threatened to run through him.
He shut it down immediately.
OFF.
The heightened world closed like a lens snapping back into place.
The hum of the settlement returned.
He stood there breathing evenly, reminding himself: control first. Always.
The Panel flickered again:
> Talent Calibration: 95%
Projected: milestone within two nodes or one major mission.
Good.
He would need that milestone before the Bleach world tried to break him.
---
The Mission Prompt Arrives
As if the System had been waiting for him to bind the last piece, a new holo-pane slid open above his palm uninvited.
NEW MISSION AVAILABLE — HIGH-DANGER ARC
WORLD: BLEACH (PRE–SOUL SOCIETY EVENTS)
MISSION TYPE: INTEGRATION-LAYER ENTRY
OBJECTIVE: SURVIVE FIRST 72 HOURS
BONUS OBJECTIVES: UNVEILED LATER
RECOMMENDATION:
"Host power level now meets minimum physical threshold."
Minimum.
Meaning barely enough to not die.
Meaning he'd have to break into a new tier quickly.
He closed the prompt.
The glow faded.
His mind did not.
Bleach meant:
• Spiritual pressure
• Hollows
• High-speed combat
• Environments that crush non-spiritual beings
• Sensing, concealment, and pressure adaptation
He needed one more thing before stepping through that gate.
He browsed the shop again, slower this time.
Looking for anything defensive.
Anything that could help him adapt.
A mid-tier purchase flashed into existence:
Spirit Buffer (Rare)
Passive — reduces spiritual pressure damage by 40%
Cost: 600 PP
He bought it instantly.
PP: 815 → 215
A cool veil settled over his body — almost like an invisible armor woven into nerves and bone.
Bleach would hurt less now.
Not safely…
But less.
Ethan stood, stretched once, and rolled his shoulders.
His body felt ready.
Prepared.
Dangerous in a way he hadn't been before.
He had no supervisor.
No safety crew.
Just himself, the Panel, and the work ahead.
"Alright," he muttered to the empty settlement.
"Bleach it is."
The gate shimmered open in front of him, reiryoku lines flickering along its edges.
He stepped toward it without hesitation.
End of Chapter 44.