Chapter 43 Title: Building Dreams (and Ugly Houses)

Becoming an Adjuchas had its perks. Sure, I was still a walking disaster, but there was one thing I could now rely on: my ability to heal. My body, though not entirely perfect, could regenerate faster than before. My missing limbs were already regrowing, and my torn-up body was quickly stitching itself back together. It wasn't the best healing ability ever, but hey, it worked for me.

As I sat there, watching the white sands of Hueco Mundo shift under the endless night sky, a thought began to bubble up.

I needed a house. A cool one. A big one. Not just a hole in the ground or a pile of rubble. A real house.

After all, I wasn't a Gillian anymore. I had evolved. And as an Adjuchas, I figured I deserved better than a rock and some sand. It was about time I had a proper place to hang out, rest, and of course, do my usual stupid things without being bothered.

I immediately set to work.

I didn't know what the hell I was doing. Not a clue. My "skills" in construction were nonexistent. But I did have limbs, and I could start building. The first step? Digging. Digging lots and lots of holes. So I did. I dug a pit the size of a small crater in the sand, which I then decided would be the foundation of my future mansion.

For the walls, I grabbed chunks of sand, rocks, and the occasional chunk of bone from fallen Hollows. Why not? It worked in theory.

By the time I was done, I had what could only be described as a giant, ugly sandcastle. The walls were uneven and crooked, the roof (if you could even call it that) was a haphazard mess of rocks, sand, and a few bones that didn't exactly fit together. But it was a "house" in the loosest sense of the word.

It was, however, my house. And the more I looked at it, the prouder I became. Sure, it looked like it could collapse at any second, but what did I care? It was big, it was mine, and no one else had one quite like it.

EP Reward: 4,500

Current EP: 734,950/100,000,000

"GUOOOH!"

(Translation: Look at this monstrosity, Aizen! This is my house now!)

Aizen, of course, wasn't impressed. He just tilted his head, wagged his tail, and then proceeded to scratch the walls with his claws. At least he was showing some sort of enthusiasm.

I stepped back, admiring my "work." Sure, I hadn't really planned for things like structural integrity or aesthetic appeal, but it was mine, and that was all that mattered. As I watched Aizen play with the house (he wasn't much help in actually building), I felt a strange sense of accomplishment.

And then, a horrifying realization hit me.

I had just built an ugly house.

"GUOOOH!"

(Translation: This thing is so stupid, I can't believe it!)

I looked around, realizing I might have just created the worst house in Hueco Mundo. No, scratch that—probably the worst house in all of existence. But before I could go into a full-on existential crisis about my architectural failure, I received another notification.

EP Reward: 2,000

Current EP: 736,950/100,000,000

I blinked at the notification. Wait a minute. Did I just... get EP for building this mess?

Huh. I guess even the system appreciated my effort, though I wasn't sure whether that made me feel better or worse.

I looked around again, surveying the ruined, half-built structure. Maybe it wasn't perfect, but it was mine. I'd heal, I'd rebuild, and at least I had a place to call home, even if it was just a very weird sandcastle.

Aizen, in his usual unhelpful way, decided that my house needed further "improvement." He started to chew on the bones that made up one of the walls.

"GUOOOH!"

(Translation: Aizen, stop that! This house will fall apart if you keep doing that!)

But of course, Aizen didn't care.

And honestly, neither did I.

It was a house. It was mine. And I had EP rewards to show for it. Even if they were tiny compared to the mountains I'd need to evolve again, I'd take them.

I could figure out the details later.

"GUOOOH!"

(Translation: This is my house. I'll make it great, eventually. But first... nap time.)

I plopped down in the middle of my unfinished creation, trying to ignore the sand pouring through the cracks. The winds of Hueco Mundo howled, but I didn't care. I closed my eyes, hoping that one day, my ugly house would turn into something far more respectable.