6 Chapter 6: Mission complete, head to the Shinōreijutsuin!

Rangiku walked over, brushing her blond hair out of her face as she looked Grayson up and down, also noticing his sword.

"We had reports of a strong hollow who had appeared in the area, did you defeat it?" She asked, placing her hand on her hips.

"Quest complete, meet Rangiku. You earnt 500 exp." The system said.

Grayson took a moment to answer, not being able to help watch as her large breasts bounced a little every time she moved.

"Y-Yes." He spat out, regaining his wits about him and looking her in the eye.

"What is your name, and where did you get the sword?" She then asked, looking impressed.

"My name is Grayson... And it was given to me." He said, not giving away too much information.

Rangiku looked around the area, seeing the bodies that lay there in the hollows wake.

"I take it these were your friends." She said, trying to get a read on him.

Grayson nodded.

"You could say that."

Rangiku sighed as she realised he wasn't going to give her anything.

"Look, I know it doesn't look like it, but we are here to help. If there is anything you can tell us about this hollow, we might be able to stop it from killing more people." She said, seeming genuine.

Grayson was impressed by her honesty and how she spoke to him, not treating him like trash like the others.

"Alright," Grayson said, deciding he would co-operate.

Grayson told them all about the hollow. How it spoke, how it looked and how it had been coming to this same spot over and over. Of course, he left the part out about him getting paid to kill it, after all, she didnt need to know everything.

Rangiku was shocked.

"It spoke you said?"

"Yeah, why is that a bad thing?" Grayson asked.

"Report this back to the captain at once," Rangiku said as she turned to another soul reaper seeming on edge.

She then turned back to Grayson, taking one last look at the sword in his hand.

"You're lucky to be alive you know." She said placing her hands on her hips again.

"If you are strong enough to hold your own against a hollow, you should apply to join the Shinōreijutsuin."

Grayson nodded slowly before asking.

"What's that?" He asked.

Rangiku had a questioning look on her face before she laughed.

"You really dont know?" She said as she leaned forwards to look at him, exposing her large cleavage.

"It's the soul reaper academy, where people with a high reiatsu go and train to become soul reapers. I have a feeling you should apply." She then added, looking him up and down.

"Lueitentat, what should we do about the Asauchi?" One of the men asked as he stepped forwards, interrupting her conversation.

Rangiku took one last look at Grayson and then to the Asauchi.

"Leave it, that Asauchi belongs to him now." She said with a smile.

The other soul reaper was stunned, to say the least, but obeyed her orders.

"Well see you around," Rangiku said as she waved goodbye before she and the other soul reapers disappeared into a Senkaimon.

Grayson couldn't help notice that the soul reapers had left the bodies of the others on the ground, not seeing it as their responsibility to clean up after they were too late to do anything.

Although he was weak and tired from his fight with the hollow, Grayson did the noble thing and gathered what was left of them to bury on the hillside where they had lost their lives.

He didnt say any words as he finished filling the last of the graves, standing in the heat of the midday sun.

"May you rest in peace." He said, bowing his head a little before walking off heading back to town.

On his walk back Grayson opened his stats and took a look, seeing what he had to play with as he was exhausted.

Name: Grayson.

Level 8. (1000/2300).

Class: Human Plus.

Health: 80/145

Stamina: 50/145

Reiatsu: 55/135

Skills-

Strength: 55/100 (0/10)

Speed: 35/100 (0/10)

Intelligence: 45/100 (0/10)

Enhanced skills -

Zanjutsu: 3/10 (0/10)

Hakuda: 2/10 (0/10)

Kidō: 0/10 (0/10)

Skill points available: 3.

"Man, I'm so hungry..." He thought as he looked at the three skill points he now had.

He also looked at his stamina that was getting low, thanks to him digging the graves. He had a rough idea of what would happen if he ran out, knowing that it wouldn't be a good thing.

"I should head back to the boss and let him know what happened with the hollow." Grayson thought as he made his way along the road that leads back towards town.

Sometime later...

"So you defeated the hollow?" The boss said wide-eyed.

Everyone in the room could see that Grayson was exhausted and covered in blood that had now dried from the heat of the sun.

"Yeah, I did." He said, leaning back on the chair.

The boss nodded as he lit his cigar, something he couldn't seem to go without.

"Excellent... Excellent!" He shouted as he raised his hands into the air.

Grayson had expected a warm welcome, but not this.

"With that Hollow dead and out of the way I can finally proceed with the rest of my business!" He shouted getting over-excited now.

"Yeah, yeah. As long as I get paid you can do whatever you want." Grayson said as he placed his hand on the table.

The boss calmed down and nodded to one of his men as he looked Grayson in the eye.

"I'm a man of my word." The boss said as one of his men placed the bag of money onto the table.

Grayson nodded as he took the bag and threw it over his shoulder before he stood to his feet.

"Going so soon?" The boss asked with a questioning look.

"Why not hang around a little? Besides, I could use a man of your talents." He then said as he blew the smoke from his cigar into the air.

Grayson looked at the boss for a second as a thought entered his mind.

"There is one thing you could do for me." He asked.

The boss raised an eyebrow.

"What is it?"

"You can tell me how to apply to the soul reaper academy," Grayson said, getting a shocked expression from everyone in the room.

The boss had a hard expression on his face as he looked down at the table, interlocking his fingers as he became deep in thought.

Grayson got a bad feeling from his aura, but suddenly he raised his head with a smile on his face.

"Well, that makes sense! After all, you defeated a hollow already!"

The boss took his cigar out of his mouth and put it out on the table before blowing the smoke into the air.

"I tell you what, I'll make the application for you. After all, it's the least I could do!" He said as he too stood to his feet.

"But, dont forget your old pal Leach once you become a famous soul reaper!" He said before he extended his hand.

Grayson smiled as he took his hand and shook it.

"Thank you, I won't." He said as the two shook hands.

Afterwards, Grayson returned to the small hut that had belonged to Hogi, Koga, Bonsai and Stump. He didnt have anywhere else to go and he guessed that now it belonged to no one he might as well use it.

Grayson also stopped off along the way at some of the market stalls, buying a large pot of water and as much food as he could carry, mainly being bread.

Normally one would have to watch their back in an area like this while carrying so much money and food. However, the word had already spread about Grayson defeating the hollow and he could tell everyone was keeping out of his way, plus the blood-covered kimono he was wearing helped.

Once back at the hut Grayson collapsed onto the makeshift straw bed simply lying there as he looked at the roof.

He could see that his stamina bar was starting to flash now that it had dropped under a quarter of its max, indicating that he needed food and rest.

With that said, Grayson ate the food he had and drank plenty of water to quench his thirst before he finally passed out from exhaustion, entering a deep and dreamless sleep.

The next day Grayson woke up feeling refreshed, seeing that his health, stamina and reiatsu had all fully recovered.

"Good morning, you have awoken feeling well-rested. You have gained 200 exp." The system said, greeting him.

"Again? I thought I already got 200 exp for that?" Grayson said as he finished stretching.

"Answer. Every time you wake up feeling well-rested you will gain 200 exp as a reward."

Grayson nodded as he thought about it.

"So it's kind of like passing go in monopoly." He said jokingly to himself.

Grayson took another look at his stats as he sat on the edge of the bed.

Name: Grayson.

Level 8. (1200/2300).

Class: Human Plus.

Health: 145/145

Stamina: 145/145

Reiatsu: 145/145

Skills-

Strength: 55/100 (0/10)

Speed: 35/100 (0/10)

Intelligence: 45/100 (0/10)

Enhanced skills -

Zanjutsu: 3/10 (0/10)

Hakuda: 2/10 (0/10)

Kidō: 0/10 (0/10)

Skill points available: 3.

"So I have three skill points to spend..." Grayson said as he studied his stats.

"The only question is, where to put them." He said, becoming deep in thought.

"I could put all of them into one skill... What about strength? I wonder how strong I would become all of a sudden?" He thought.

Grayson then noticed his sword that was lying on the ground next to the bed.

"Or what about Zanjutsu? Would putting another three points into it make me an even better swordsman?" He thought.

"Well whatever, it's probably best if I take my time and save my points just in case I need them." He said out loud as he stood up.

Grayson looked down at his clothing and noticed that his robe was covered in blood. He had been so tired yesterday he had forgotten all about it.

"I guess I had better get some new clothing first though, and some shoes wouldn't hurt either!" He then said as he picked up his sword and a small pocket full of money as he made his way outside.

To his surprise, a man was stood outside waiting for him. Grayson didnt recognize him as he looked him up and down.

"Can I help you?" He asked.

The man hadn't realized Grayson was there and jumped to his feet before bowing.

"Yes, sir sorry for the intrusion! I have been sent by boss Leach to give you something." He said as he held his hands out, presenting a scroll of paper.

"For me?" Grayson asked as he took the scroll.

"Y-Yes sir, good day." The man then said as he turned around and bolted off.

"Strange..." Grayson thought as he watched the man run off.

He then turned his attention to the scroll and opened it, taking a look at what it was about.

Grayson opened the scroll to find another piece of paper inside with more writing on it.

Thankfully the writing was in English, something he had not expected.

"Grayson, as you asked I have put an application into the soul reaper academy for you. This scroll is proof of your invitation to attend the entrance exam. Your pal, Leach."

Grayson smiled as he then took a look at the scroll, seeing that it detailed everything he needed to know, such as location and time.

Grayson was starting to worry about how he would even get there but then noticed at the bottom of the letter Leach had written said.

"P.S, I have hired a coach to come and collect you today. It will get you there safe and sound."

"Well, that certainly makes things easier. I didnt know you could even do that here." Grayson thought.

"Well if that's the case, I had best get some clean clothes! After breakfast of course." He said as his stomach rumbled.

Grayson soon found himself wandering the streets, seeing what the shop vendors had to offer.

Of course, most sold simple trinkets, water and other items of value. Only a small handful of the stalls sold food as only a small handful of the people around here needed any.

"Hey stop you, little thief!" One of the vendors shouted from behind Grayson.

Grayson turned around to see what was going on and watched as a group of kids ran past him holding a few jugs of water.

"Well, I can't blame them. Poor kids must be starving." He thought as the shop vendor stopped out of breath next to him.

"Damn brats, if I get my hands on you!" He said.

"Hey, how much would that have cost?" Grayson said.

"And who's asking!" The shopkeeper shouted before he got a good look at him.

"A-A-Ah, it's you, please forgive my rudeness." The shopkeeper said clearly recognizing who Grayson was.

"It's alright, but tell me how much did they steal?" He said, letting his tone slide.

"About twenty Kan." He said waving his hands in front of him looking nervous.

"Here, I'll pay for them." He said as he pulled out the money.

The shopkeeper was gobsmacked and let his arms drop to his sides.

"You would do that?"

"Sure, I just have one request," Grayson said with a smile coming to his face.

"O-Of course." The shopkeeper said agreeing.

Grayson handed over the money and in return had asked the shopkeeper if he knew anywhere to get some new clothes.

The shopkeeper told him there was only one place around here that sold clothes and told him exactly where it was.

Grayson could see why there was only one shop in the area, knowing that most around here couldn't afford new clothes and had to make do with whatever they could get.

Grayson made his way to the store to check out the merchandise. He could see only the most basic robes and kimonos in a different range of colours.

"Welcome." The old woman whose shop it belonged to said noticing the dried blood that covered his kimono.

"I can see why you are paying me a visit. Blood never washes out easily."

Grayson smiled at the old lady and nodded in agreement.

"Well, she's not wrong." He said as he looked at what she had to offer.

Grayson ended up picking a short blue kimono, much like the one he already wore, but blue with a white sash.

"Excellent choice. That will be 300 Kan." The lady said.

Grayson could see why no one could afford new clothing if this was the price, but he paid it nevertheless. Thinking it best to look presentable for the exam at the academy.

"Thank you and good luck young man." The lady said as she waved him off.

"Quest complete, buy some new clothes. You have gained 300 exp." The system said in his head.

Gray smiled as he stopped to check his new appearance out in a half-broken window he was passing.

"Not too shabby." He thought.

Grayson walked back through town and to his little shack where there was a rather impressive horse and carriage waiting for him with a well-dressed driver.

Kids from all around town had gathered to see the carriage, looking at it with amazement.

"I take it this is for me," Grayson said as he walked over to the driver.

The man took a good look at Grayson and noticed his Asauchi.

"Yes sir, I have been waiting." The driver said nodding his head before he opened the carriage door for him.

"Thanks," Grayson said as he hopped inside the carriage.

"Hey, ummm, quick question." Grayson then said before the driver shut the door.

"Yes?"

"Just how long does it take to get to the academy from here?" He asked.

The driver smiled as he replied to Grayson's question.

"On foot, it would take a few months at least. However, we shall be using a special Senkaimon and will only take an hour at most." The driver said.

Grayson was amazed and had no idea that the soul society was so large. It made sense that there were Senkaimon used to travel long distances across the soul society though, otherwise it would take forever for people to get to places without cars or planes.

With that the driver shut the door and hopped onto his seat, giving the horse a gentle whip as the Senkaimon appeared and opened its doors.

"Alright, looks like I'm off to the soul reaper academy!" Grayson thought as the carriage entered the Senkaimon and disappeared from the rukongai district.

Alright going to end the chapter there!

Now there are two ways this could go...

First is Grayson will head to the soul reaper academy and go from there.

The second is something could go wrong and he could end up in Hueco Mundo (world of the hollows) and this story could flip drastically as our MC is turned into a hollow...

I will let the readers decide the fate of our MC, either way, I plan to continue the story and make it interesting!

Thank you for reading!