Stat allocation isn't just about power. It's about appearance.
And I'm not trying to look powerful.
After my meeting with Aizen, I sat on the edge of my bunk, staring at the glowing panel.
[Unallocated Stat Points: 70]
That's a damn lot of points.
Too many for someone supposedly struggling through beginner classes.
If I boosted Kido or Reiatsu Control right now? I'd be flagged immediately. High-rank energy readings would get picked up by sensors during class. Instructors would start looking closer. People would notice.
And that's the last thing I need.
So I did what made the most sense.
I leaned into the physical.
---
[Stat Allocation Complete]
+20 Strength
+30 Endurance (+10 training boost)
+50 Perception (+30 Aizen meeting boost)
Woah, I didn't know I could receive some bonus points!
[Updated Stats]
— Zanjutsu: C
— Hakuda: F+
— Hoho: E
— Kido: F
— Reiatsu Control: E
— Strength: A-
— Endurance: B+
— Perception: A+
Remaining Points: 0
---
The change hit me immediately.
Muscle tension relaxed like coiled springs unbinding. My body felt light and I could feel energy surging throughout my body, not reiatsu, but raw physical energy.
Every breath pulled in clean, unfiltered air. I could hear the shuffle of footsteps from three rooms away. I could feel the difference in weight when someone carried their Asauchi instead of strapping it to their waist.
Perception A+ wasn't just better vision.
It was everything.
A shift in how the world felt
Like I'd been wearing a blindfold over my senses this whole time, and someone finally pulled it off.
---
I clenched my fist. No energy flared. No flash of power. No spark of spiritual pressure.
Just controlled strength. Internalized. Hidden.
This was the kind of power I could use without being seen.
If I had to strike, I could end a fight in one hit and make it look like a lucky blow.
If I had to dodge, I'd sense danger a second before it came.
If I had to vanish?
I already had Kage.
The rest was just application.
---
In class the next day, nobody noticed anything.
I moved the same. Walked the same. Responded the same.
But now, when Daigo lunged during partner drills, I saw it before he even shifted his weight. I adjusted my grip. Let him overextend. Tripped him without even swinging.
"Damn," he muttered, getting up. "You got fast all of a sudden."
I shrugged. "Just focused more this time."
He bought it.
They all did.
Because they're looking for spiritual talent — fancy Kido moves, Reiatsu flares, big sword swings. No one suspects the quiet kid with decent posture and average scores.
And that's exactly what I need.
---
That night, I sat cross-legged beneath the paper window of my dorm.
The moonlight filtered in just enough to paint the hilt of my blade in silver.
Kage hummed faintly.
Not a voice.
Not yet.
But a presence.
Shadow didn't crave glory. It waited. It watched. It struck only when unseen.
And now?
So would I.
---