The squad returned to the Main God Dimension, but Shin remained completely still, tilting his head to stare up at the vast, imposing void above.
His abilities had already far surpassed the rest of the team. Continuing to party up with them was entirely pointless.
The others had hoped to stick with Shin, but unfortunately, he had already decided to venture out and explore other worlds on his own. Staying tied to this squad offered him zero benefits.
Accepting a solo mission directly from the Main God interface, Shin departed immediately.
Soul Society, Rukongai.
This was the absolute lowest rung of the Soul Society. An extra soul appearing here wouldn't draw anyone's attention.
Shin manifested in Rukongai, briefly flexing his fingers to gauge his strength, clenching his fists tight.
Every newly departed soul arrived in Rukongai before being assigned to a specific district. The locals seeing him appear naturally assumed he was just another fresh soul, but Shin knew perfectly well he wasn't dead.
However, he couldn't be bothered to explain that to anyone. Letting them misunderstand was easier.
Rukongai was divided into four main quadrants: East, South, West, and North. Each quadrant was further subdivided into eighty districts, making a total of 320 districts.
The higher the district number, the further it was from the Seireitei, and consequently, the worse the living conditions and public safety became.
The Seireitei was exclusive to nobility and Shinigami. Shin had no intention of heading straight there. The place was suffocatingly feudal, governed by ancient, rotting traditions from millennia past.
He preferred the relatively fresher air of Rukongai.
Soon enough, someone approached Shin to evaluate his spiritual pressure. The procedure was standard: gauge their power and assign them a district accordingly.
Naturally, the most coveted spot was District 1, Junrinan, right on the doorstep of the Seireitei. The further out you went, the more garbage the district became. Every new soul, upon learning this, desperately wanted to be placed in District 1.
Too bad Shin didn't share that sentiment.
He opened his eyes, purposefully suppressing his aura until it felt pitifully weak.
The Shinigami in charge, clad in his black Shihakushō, threw a single glance at Shin and immediately stamped him as a worthless new soul.
He was so pathetically weak, the Shinigami doubted he'd survive more than a few days in the Soul Society.
"East District 80, Zaraki," the Shinigami announced flatly.
The moment those words left his mouth, the surrounding crowd shot Shin looks of profound pity, as if they were already staring at a walking corpse.
Shin accepted his identification tag, a faint, seemingly clueless smile on his face, acting as if he didn't quite grasp the gravity of his assignment. He scratched his head, playing the fool.
"So, how exactly do I get to East District 80?" Shin asked innocently.
He genuinely didn't know the way, but the answer presented itself rather quickly.
A hulking, brutal-looking man with a massive, chipped sword resting on his shoulder came striding over. Every step he took seemed to make the earth tremble, radiating an aura that screamed "do not approach."
This was the master of East District 80, Zaraki Kenpachi.
He was also the Captain of the 11th Division in the Gotei 13, the eleventh generation to bear the title of Kenpachi.
He wore an eyepatch over his right eye, and it was glaringly obvious he was in a foul mood.
Spotting Shin, Kenpachi flashed a terrifying, bloodthirsty grin.
"Why do they keep tossing absolute garbage into District 80? Trash like this... it'd be a mercy to just erase him right now. Listen up, kid. If you can survive one strike from me, I'll let you live in District 80. If you can't... Heh..."
Kenpachi chuckled darkly. The implication was crystal clear: failing to survive meant death.
"A soul this pathetic is better off dead anyway. There's no point in letting you live. District 80 is far more brutal than you can possibly imagine," Kenpachi declared.
"Instead of letting some random scum in District 80 kill you, you should be grateful to die by my hand."
This was the first time Shin had ever heard such twisted logic. His expression darkened considerably.
He had intended to keep his true strength hidden, but that was clearly no longer an option.
"Quest: Defeat Zaraki Kenpachi."
The System chimed in, issuing a new objective.
Shin remained motionless. The surrounding crowd had already scattered the moment Kenpachi unsheathed his blade. They knew exactly what kind of monster Zaraki Kenpachi was—a lawless, battle-crazed maniac who cared nothing for consequences once a fight started.
None of them wanted to be mistaken for his opponent, so they cleared out immediately.
With nowhere to retreat, Shin simply shrugged and stood his ground, looking helpless. The onlookers assumed he was paralyzed by fear.
"Poor guy, running into Zaraki Kenpachi on his first day."
"Rotten luck. But Kenpachi isn't wrong. For a soul that weak, being born into Rukongai is a tragedy."
"Better he experiences the cruelty of the Soul Society early. Maybe it'll push him to actually train and get stronger."
"Reward: Kyōka Suigetsu (Zanpakutō)."
Hearing the reward, Shin's eyes instantly lit up.
The crowd, noticing Shin didn't even have an Asauchi (Zanpakutō), figured he was a dead man walking. When Kenpachi said one strike, he meant one strike.
Shin stood firm and let out a dramatic sigh. Honestly, he really hadn't wanted to expose his abilities on day one. But in the Soul Society, being powerless meant you were just cannon fodder.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu! (Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!)"
Shin roared, exhaling a massive sphere of roaring flames.
He swiftly dodged to the side. Kenpachi was caught off guard, entirely unprepared for Shin to unleash what looked like a Kidō spell.
"Kidō? Kid, how the hell do you know that?" Kenpachi demanded.
Shin had no intention of explaining himself.
While he had technically "survived" the promised single strike, the System's quest wasn't just to evade—it was to defeat Zaraki Kenpachi.
Defeat Kenpachi?
If anyone else heard that, they'd think Shin was completely delusional. But for Shin, it was hardly an impossible task.
Receiving no answer, Kenpachi pulled his Zanpakutō back. He was actually starting to acknowledge Shin. That single display of "Kidō" proved Shin was already stronger than the vast majority of newly arrived souls.
Just as Kenpachi was about to turn and leave, a sudden chill ran down his spine.
Instead of fear, a surge of pure, unadulterated excitement flooded his veins.
"Are you provoking me? You've got guts, kid. Not bad. I like it."
Kenpachi spun around, his demeanor shifting into something far more serious.
That first strike might have looked terrifying to the onlookers, but for Kenpachi, it was just a casual, half-hearted swing.
But now? Now Kenpachi was thrilled. He finally saw Shin as a worthy opponent.
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