Night deepened.
Naruto once again clicked on the post that had changed his life. After thinking for a moment, he began to type seriously.
@The One Who Stands Above The Heavens
"Thank you very much for your suggestion. I followed your method today and found that the way everyone looks at me has really changed!"
"You were right. To gain recognition, one must first recognize oneself. I will keep working hard!"
At the end, he attached a new selfie of himself wearing black-rimmed glasses and sitting at his desk. Although the background was still a bit messy, there was now a light in the boy's eyes. After sending the thanks, Naruto felt like he had accomplished something important.
Then, he switched interfaces and posted a new request for help.
"How should I improve my physical fitness? I need specific training methods that I can stick to. Please help!"
After the post was sent, Naruto began to memorize basic content while waiting for a reply. After putting on Aizen's glasses, the usually restless Naruto easily entered a flow state, as if the world consisted only of the words in the book. Before he knew it, two hours had passed.
[Ding! Phase one mission completed]
It had to be said that even Naruto could quickly memorize the most basic parts.
[D-rank treasure chest obtained, stackable]
[Would you like to stack them? Every three low-level treasure chests can be synthesized into one high-level treasure chest]
"Stack."
Naruto said without hesitation. After these two days of exploration, he had realized that the higher the level of the treasure chest, the better the rewards. So whenever he had the chance, he would definitely upgrade the chests.
[Phase Two: Long-term Reading]
[Mission Requirement: Read and memorize all books]
[Mission Reward: D-rank treasure chest, stackable]
"Phew."
Naruto took off his glasses and let out a long breath. Without realizing it, he had already finished the mission. This sense of fulfillment gave him a significant feeling of accomplishment.
"Let's see if anyone replied to me."
He remembered the post he just made and opened the light screen again, finding that there were indeed many new replies.
Floor 1 [The Strongest Sorcerer]:
"Physical fitness? What a worry for the weak~ Listen up, kid, the fastest way to get stronger is to face death!"
"Find a Special Grade... ah, no, find someone powerful to fight. When you're about to be killed, you might awaken some strange ability!"
"Of course, there's a higher chance you'll just die~ Hahaha!"
[Suggestion recorded: Face Death]
Naruto's mouth twitched: "...Is this guy a lunatic? He's definitely a lunatic, pass!"
Floor 2 [Overlord]:
"Mortal bodies are indeed fragile. If you want to improve quickly, the most efficient way is to perform an Undead Transformation Ritual."
"As long as you choose to discard your humanity, although you will lose some ability to feel pleasure, you will gain eternal life and infinite stamina."
"Do you need me to provide the ritual? The fee is very cheap; you can use your soul as collateral."
[Suggestion recorded: Transform into Undead]
Naruto broke into a cold sweat and shook his head frantically: "...I'll die. If I follow these suggestions completely, I'll definitely turn into a monster."
He couldn't help but sigh; there were indeed many weirdos on the forum. Just as he was about to give up, a reply with a completely different tone appeared.
Floor 3 [Charcoal Seller]:
"Hello, it's great to see that you want to work hard to get stronger. This is very good."
"I used to be very weak too, unable to even protect my family. But with everyone's help on the forum, I finally succeeded in protecting what is precious to me."
"As long as you're willing to work hard, the human body has infinite potential. If you don't mind, you can try the basic training for Water Breathing."
"Although I don't know what the energy in your world is called, the source of all power comes from the heartbeat and breathing. This Breathing Technique will make your body tougher and your movements smoother."
This was followed by a large section of images and text. As if afraid he wouldn't learn it, there was a bonus video at the end of the text. In the video, besides the explanation of the breathing rhythm, a boy with a scar on his forehead was holding a huge gourd and eventually blew it until it exploded. Naruto watched the gourd explode in the video and subconsciously touched his chest.
"Getting stronger through breathing? It looks difficult, but at least it's more reliable than turning into an undead."
Naruto could feel an indescribable sincerity and warmth from those words.
[Long-term Mission: Water Breathing - Total Concentration]
[Mission Requirement: Increase proficiency in the Breathing Technique and blow up a Hot Water Bottle in one breath]
[Progress: Hot Water Bottle Explosion (0/1), Breathing Technique Proficiency (0/1000)]
"Alright!"
Flames of determination ignited in Naruto's eyes. "I don't understand the principle, but I just need to blow up the bag in one breath, right? I'll go buy some after school tomorrow!"
...Hueco Mundo, Las Noches.
On the cold throne, Aizen Sōusuke rested his cheek on one hand, his gaze calmly scanning the forum's light screen before him. The Hōgyoku fusion was perfect, and the Soul King Palace was in ruins. With the forum's help, everything in his timeline was under control, and all things had returned to silence. However, absolute power brought absolute boredom. To him, this world was like a book that had already been read through, with no more novelty.
"Thanks... recognize oneself..."
Watching the clumsy thanks sent by the blonde boy on the light screen, it was like a trivial pebble thrown into his dead heart-lake, creating a slight ripple. A faint, indiscernible curve appeared at the corner of Aizen's mouth, a half-smile. He hadn't expected that a casual action of his at the time would actually bring him a hint of amusement.
"So similar... Kurosaki Ichigo."
That orange-haired Substitute Shinigami who had once brought him some fun. However, Kurosaki Ichigo was just a sword that only knew how to slash. This kid named Uzumaki Naruto seemed to be a purer piece of blank paper.
"If it's you, what kind of fruit will you bear?"
Aizen was like a bored deity observing ants in a glass box. Watching how they carried food and how they exchanged information. And this little fellow named Uzumaki Naruto was, in his eyes, the most interesting specimen among them. He wanted to see what kind of fruit this seed with a sunny core would bear if watered with shadows and schemes. Would it be a savior who only shouted slogans? Or a... Ruler, just like him.
So, he sent another message.
"Thanks? A boring emotion. However, you have indeed taken a decent first step."
"But true recognition does not lie in letting others see you, but in being able to see through them. Appearance is only the shallowest form of camouflage."
"The next step is to open your eyes to observe and understand the desires, fears, relationships, and weaknesses of everyone around you."
"When your understanding of the environment surpasses everyone else's, you will have the preliminary qualification to have others recognize and look up to you."
[Suggestion recorded: Information Collection and Analysis]
[Mission Requirement: Create a "Character Dossier" and analyze the basic information of at least 10 people around you]
[Mission Reward: D-rank treasure chest]