The streets of Edo were bustling, filled with people.
Stalls lined the roads, selling everything from performances to medicine, and snacks. People flowed by, brushing shoulders, seemingly all familiar.
Vendors hawked their wares, voices rising and falling. Lanterns swayed in the wind, illuminating faces brightly. The market was crowded, lively, and noisy.
BOOM—!
A loud explosion shattered the peace; people panicked, scattering, thinking it was an earthquake.
But from an unseen perspective, a massive black shadow rampaged through the streets like a skyscraper. Those in shihakushō, with swords at their waists, looked no different from regular people—fleeing as well.
Gusion, running for his life, glanced up at the monster chasing them, wondering how things had gone so wrong.
Chasing him and several Shinigami was a Gillian—a giant Hollow born of over a hundred Hollows devouring each other, a Menos Grande.
In the original anime, they looked imposing at first, but later on, they were fodder for Ichigo and friends.
But in canon, a Menos required at least a vice-captain to deal with safely—a seated officer at a minimum, with Reiatsu at least grade ten.
Gusion was visiting the human world for the first time, on a mission with new Fifth Division members. He thought it'd be sightseeing, but they ran into a Menos!
BOOM—!
The massive Menos smashed through rows of wooden houses. It was low on brains, and high on power and size. Gusion had no effective way to attack such a giant.
"Mama—!"
Amid the chaos, a little girl fell, reaching for her terrified mother.
The street was in total pandemonium. Cries and screams created a hellish scene.
His two Shinigami teammates were panic-stricken—they'd never seen anything like this at the Academy. Their Kido attacks on the Menos did nothing.
Gusion looked at the panicked crowd—they didn't know what was happening, just terror and despair.
They'd woken that morning thinking it was a normal day, never imagining it would be their last.
People clung to their loved ones as if that could give them courage in the face of death, but their twisted faces showed only fear.
Gusion checked his return time, turned, slashed out, and shouted: "Evacuate east! I'll cover and draw it away!"
Activating Shikai, he charged the Menos, leaving wounds on it as his shocked teammates watched.
He ran up the Menos' body to its head, luring it out of town.
"Damn it—how did we run into a Menos!? Gusion-kun's probably..."
One teammate, out of breath, looked at Gusion and the Menos getting further away, filled with regret.
In his mind, no matter how talented, Gusion's Reiatsu was too low—up close, he'd die quickly.
"No, Gusion-kun's still fighting! He's on the Menos' head!"
The other shouted fists clenched. "He's even wounded it!"
But the excitement lasted only two seconds before his face fell. Voice trembling: "Garganta... Oh no, it's going back, but Gusion-kun's still on it!"
As they watched, Gusion, like a mad war god, hacked away atop the Menos, but was dragged into the Garganta as it returned to Hueco Mundo.
Once a Menos entered the Garganta, Gusion was as good as dead!
One teammate slammed his fist on the ground, tears in his eyes. "Damn it, we were too weak—Gusion-kun had to cover our escape!"
But for Gusion himself, at the instant before the Garganta closed, his time ran out.
As the countdown hit zero, his body felt light, and his vision went white, as if traveling through a warm tunnel.
When he could see again, he was standing in a square, empty room. The voice of Endspace rang in his ears.
[Explorer has no obvious injuries or negative status and has cleared the trial world. Begin settlement?]
Gusion moved his limbs, marveling at Endspace's precision—pulling him out exactly on time, with no delays.
His master had once said, "The strong have no obligation to protect the weak, but the strong have the right to protect the weak."
As a child, that seemed abstract. Now, he still thought so, but perhaps he understood a little of how his master felt.
He simply wanted a clear martial heart.
He'd been ruined by the Company, left an orphan, so he knew the bitterness. If he could save a few families effortlessly, he'd do it.
Most importantly, being chased by a Menos was humiliating—if he didn't slash it a few times before leaving, it'd be a waste.
Endspace didn't disappoint—it forcibly pulled him out exactly as described.
"So, this is Endspace?"
Gusion looked around, thinking the space was tiny—just a 4x4x4 meter room.
[This is your personal space as official explorer 404040404. No one can enter without authorization. You can decorate it as you like. Expanding it or adding special items costs Endcoins. Basic furniture is free.]
Gusion realized this was just his personal room. Following the prompts, he set it up to look like his old martial arts hall.
"What changes are there now that I'm an official explorer?"
He asked, sitting on his chosen sofa.
[Endspace now unlocks the explorer's mark, representing your identity, with a storage function based on explorer rank.]
[Official explorers unlock more detailed system assistance, to better complete missions in each world. For more, check your explorer's handbook.]
Gusion looked at his wrist—a pale blue vine tattoo had appeared, encircling it.
With a thought, he found he could easily connect with the mark; it had a small space for storing items.
"Endspace, settle."
Ensuring safety and understanding his situation, Gusion turned to his trial rewards.
[Calculating derivative world rewards...]
Derivative World: Bleach
Difficulty: lv3 ~ ??? (Hard ~ Lethal)
World Exploration: 13.6%
[Calculating explorer 404040404's mission completion...]
[All mainline missions completed. Gained 3,500 coins, Asauchi x1 (converted to Mazuko).]
Outstanding performance—overall evaluation improved.
Calculating overall mission score...
Detected explorer's mark level far below world's difficulty—score boosted, experience gained.
Overall Rating: S- (Note: Ratings run E- to S+. Based on exploration and mission completion, influenced by explorer rank vs world difficulty.)
Gained S- Honor Medal. Can be traded for special privileges.
Explorer level up: now Level 3.
[Based on performance, choose 3 of 6 rewards:]
A. 5 free attribute points
B. 10,000 Endcoins
C. Rare random equipment chest
D. Rare random item chest
E. Inheritance Crystals (small) x3 (for upgrading skills, bloodlines, specialties)
F. Title: "The Fearless"