Writing another chapter while at the part-time job today~
When I finally opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was a desolate landscape—an endless expanse of white sand stretching toward the horizon. Since I was already intimately familiar with the manga known as Bleach, information about my current location flooded into my mind instantly.
"Ah, so I really have become a Hollow?"
Even though I had turned into a monster, no strange phenomena like a complete personality shift occurred. I had expected that becoming a Hollow would make me violent or hot-headed, possessed by an uncontrollable urge to slaughter and devour humans, but surprisingly, I felt none of that.
"My voice feels like it's changed a bit, too."
Perhaps it was because I was now a Hollow, but every time I spoke, there was a strange resonance to my words. It sounded like those ghost voices in movies, layered and echoing over themselves. Though I couldn't observe much else about my appearance yet, it seemed I truly had become a denizen of this void.
"Man, this is getting depressing. Does this mean I'm destined to be sliced apart by Ichigo and his crew or some other Soul Reaper?"
In the world of Bleach, Hollows were the quintessential villains, destined to be purged by the Soul Reapers—hardly noble heroes. If I were to cross over to the World of the Living right now, I'd undoubtedly be cut down the moment a Soul Reaper shouted, 'It's a Hollow!' But I wasn't about to let that happen without a fight.
"Fine! I'll just have to wreck the original plot! Once I've gathered enough strength, I'm going to find Ichigo and crush him first!"
I needed to cultivate my power here in Hueco Mundo, find Ichigo, and kill him. If I managed that, Aizen would likely take care of the rest of the Soul Reapers himself, allowing me to avoid my scheduled execution. The only problem was the high probability that Aizen, my supposed 'hope,' would eventually betray me too.
"I guess it's all or nothing."
Since this was all far in the future, I couldn't say anything for certain, but for now, I would follow my gut. According to the knowledge provided by God, Ichigo was still just a newborn baby. That was a relief; it meant I had roughly fifteen years to grow my power. After that, I just needed to kill Ichigo, devour his Reiatsu, and steadily evolve until I reached the rank of an Arrancar Vasto Lorde.
"But how do I grow stronger?"
This was the most critical factor for my plan. How was I supposed to build my strength?
"The most common way is to descend to the human world and hunt humans with high spiritual power, but if I mess that up, the Soul Reapers will kill me, so pass. Then the only other way is cannibalizing other Hollows. But that's not easy either; I don't even know how to fight. If I lose, it's over for me. Phew, no matter what I do, it's a death trap."
When I thought about it, I realized that gaining power required risking my life. Honestly, if God had given me some kind of 'Special Cheat' ability, I wouldn't be struggling like this. I was starting to feel a surge of resentment—why didn't he just make me a Munchkin from the start?
"Since every path is dangerous and involves a brush with death anyway, maybe I should try 'that.'"
There was one certain way to grow stronger faster than anything else I could think of. However, if I messed it up or failed, it meant 100% confirmed death. On the other hand, if I succeeded, my growth rate would multiply several times over.
"First, I'll grow until I reach the level of a Huge Hollow, and then I'll execute the plan."
I already had a method in mind to become a Huge Hollow. Once I figured out how to travel to the World of the Living, the rest would fall into place.
Please give me lots of recommendations, bookmarks, and comments~
The length is short because I'm at work!
This novel won't feature an OP protagonist right from the start. His 'Munchkin' traits will start appearing more as things progress.