Author's Note: So this is what happens when I read fanfiction at one in the morning and come across a challenge. I have little to no self-control, as some of my dear readers may already know, and it's an interesting challenge that I've already been thinking of doing for a while now anyway.

Disclaimer: I own neither the Bleach franchise nor The Gamer web comic. It's fanfiction, folks. It's right there in the website name.

Warnings: This story assumes you, the reader, possess good knowledge of Bleach and The Gamer. Spoilers will more than likely happen, so watch out for those if you haven't caught up with either of the story lines. I have a pretty filthy mouth in real life, and as the main character of this fic is modeled after yours truly, the swear words will likely fly freely, as well as controlled substance use/abuse. You have been suitably warned.

Chapter 1: Death is Cheap, Ramen is Cheaper

Sitting cross-legged under a tree in a park, I can't help but frown with my thoughts all scattered. For one thing, I have no idea where I am, which is most definitely a big problem. Another thing that worries me is that I'm a lot younger than I remember being before I woke up in this strange place; I know this because the beard I'd spent the last six months growing has vanished entirely (with only a pitiful excuse for a mustache remaining), along with the fact that my curly hair has grown down past my shoulders (something I haven't had since I was in my teens) and the much slimmer physique I now possess (and boy is it good to not have a beer belly anymore. Finally, and perhaps most concerning, is that I don't know how I got here in the first place.

That, in and of itself, isn't quite unique; I've gotten black-out drunk and wound up in some pretty interesting places before, but I don't remember drinking too heavily before this. In fact, my last memories involve pushing someone out of the way of oncoming traffic, intense pain, and then...nothing. It's still fuzzy, but I know that much.

The people around me are almost all Asian, probably Japanese, but I've never really been able to tell the difference between the various eastern nationalities on sight alone. My cousin used to live in Japan, teaching English there before coming back home with a brand-new bride, so I've got a vague understanding of the language, but for all I know, I'm just in some city's Japan-town.

So, either I'm in a coma, which is quite likely, given my recollection of an intimate encounter with an eighteen-wheeler's front-end, or I've been hit so hard I wound up in another country. For now, I think I'm just going to go with the coma theory, not least of which because everyone I see seems to have floating words and numbers above their heads.

It reminds me of something, but I just can't put my finger on it. A lot of my memories from before this place are garbled, like looking at a channel on a television that still uses rabbit-ear antennae to pick up signals. I remember the big stuff, my name, my family and friends, but the details still elude me. Hopefully, they'll come back in time; already they're much clearer than when I woke up here.

The bag I'd been carrying at the time of my accident is lying next to me, with everything I had in it, and all that I had in my pockets are still there. Unfortunately, my phone isn't picking up a signal and the emergency call function doesn't work. The money I have in my wallet is also worth about as much as the paper it's printed on here in the good old Land of the Rising Sun, and the only thing I have in my bag are a change of clothes, a couple books, a bottle of tequila, and a pouch that carries my weed supplies.

With a sigh, I lean back, pushing my bag under my head as a pillow, and stare up at the light filtering through the leaves above me. I've sure gotten myself into quite a pickle this time, that's for sure.

As I lay there, more memories trickle back into my consciousness. I was at a Halloween party, I remember now, which makes sense considering I'm dressed as a cowboy. That's what the tequila and pot was for. Someone had invited me to the thing, and since I had nothing better to do after taking my sister trick-or-treating, I figured it would be better than sitting at my computer reading fanfiction like I normally would have. It was a good time, that was for sure, and most of my small circle of friends had been there, which was a definite plus; I never got out much anymore, so seeing them and horsing around was always fun.

We'd been walking home, since we were all fairly buzzed, when the accident had happened. That was clear now. My best friend, who I had known since before I could remember, had been trailing behind the rest of the group, and had drunk more than the rest of us. He hadn't noticed the big semi barreling toward him, and I had acted on instinct, shoving him out of the way.

It was just as well, I suppose. He was a family man with a kid and a wife, while I had been single for years with not a prospect in sight. My family would miss me, I knew, but they had each other; they'd get through it, if I was actually dead and not in a coma. My littlest sister would take it the hardest, though. I'd practically raised her when our mom had proven (once again) that she wasn't exactly fit to be a caregiver. But our grandma would look after her from now on, and our other siblings would keep her steady.

I'm startled out of my thoughts by a soothing blue rectangle popping into existence above my face with words in a neat font emblazoned across it.

Through deep contemplation of your life, your WIS has increased by 1!

For a while, I just read through it a couple times. That niggling at the back of my head due to the floating words above everyone's head has now become a cacophony of realization, and the coma theory just got a lot more plausible.

Because how else would I have suddenly gotten the ability of the protagonist of that Korean web comic I enjoy from time to time?

Well, in for a penny...

"Status," I croak out, hardly able to believe my eyes when a larger window, this time colored a neutral beige blinks into existence.

Name: Ricky Jimenez
Job: The Gamer
Level: Lv 1 Next Level: 0%
Title: None

HP: 100/100
MP: 200/200

STR: 5
VIT: 5
DEX: 5
INT: 10
WIS: 11
LUK: 10

Points: 0
Money: ¥3206

Huh.

I suppose this makes sense, me being in a coma and all. My mind would naturally construct a scenario to play out while my body heals (if it ever does). The statistic spread is about right, too. I've always been more intellectually-inclined, but my physical attributes were never really terrible either. Before, I was sort of a jack-of-all-trades type of person, pretty good at a lot of things, but exceptional at nothing. I guess my grasp of the English language was always above-average, though again never truly stood out. As for the LUK stat...well, I've always been pretty lucky, so that seems about right, too.

So, I've apparently gotten myself trapped in a coma dream where I'm somehow in Japan with The Gamer ability and a naturally magically-inclined build from the get-go. Well, it could be worse. I do have a fondness for A Song of Ice and Fire; my mind could have conjured up Westeros for me, and wouldn't that be all kinds of fun.

Next, I decide to check and see if I've got the same starting skills Jee Han had. "Skills," I mutter softly, not wanting to draw attention to myself as a schizo.

The Stat screen is replaced by the Skills window, and to my pleasant surprise, not only are Gamer's Mind and Gamer's Body present, but Instant Dungeon Create and Instant Dungeon Escape are there as well. The Gamer skills are both maxed, as expected, but the ID skills are each at level one.

Okay, time for the final check. "Inventory."

And there it is, grid-like rows of empty boxes, and a blank outline of myself on the left with more boxes to denote what I've got equipped. Glancing around as surreptitiously as I can to make sure no one's watching the weird foreigner, I pull out the extra shirt I have in my bag and touch it to the window. A ripple goes through it like a rock dropped into a pond as my shirt is absorbed, and when it's done, a cartoonish drawing of the same shirt is right there in the first box.

Despite this being a coma dream, it's still pretty amazing. Man, this is really cool. I'll probably think otherwise if I ever wake up with atrophied limbs and brain damage, but for now I think I can indulge a little.

Pants, underclothes, and shoes go into the Inventory next, followed by the books, tequila, and marijuana pouch. The bag itself I'll keep around for now, but I put my cowboy hat in as well, since I've been getting some odd looks from the locals. Thankfully, I never go all out when it comes to Halloween costumes; I've got some sturdy work boots and a fur-lined brown coat to go with the hat, but otherwise, I'm dressed as I normally would in a button-down flannel and some jeans.

Well, now that I know what's going on, more or less, I figure it's about time I find a place to stay, if I'm right in assuming I'll be here for a while.

Looking around, I try to puzzle out who would be most likely to speak English. From what I can remember, most schools in Japan have an English class, so anyone really. As I scan the people around me, another blue box pops up.

Through continuous observation, a skill to find the target's information, "Observe", has been created.

Oh, that's right. I'd forgotten about this particular skill in the comic. Might as well test it out.

"Observe," I mutter, focusing on a middle-aged jogger with the words Lv 10: Akiyama Kensuke, and a beige box reveals itself.

Akiyama Kensuke Lv 10
HP: 210, MP: 10
A salaryman with an enthusiasm for fitness, Kensuke particularly enjoys watching women using the Stair-Master machine at gyms.

Wow, that was a little too much information, even if I've done the same from time to time n the rare occasions I've visited gyms. A glance at the sun tells me that it's only about one in the afternoon, so there's really no rush to find some shelter.

I decide to do something productive and work on my stats. I remember that various exercises can be done to increase STR, DEX, and VIT, and since they're my weakest stats at present, I'd do well to grind them up. As a child, my great-grandpa signed me up for the Young Marines, a sort of pre-military organization that tried to teach children discipline (I was a real little shit as a kid), and I remember the basics fairly well.

I start off with some push-ups and sit-ups, then emulate Kensuke and jog around the park once while Observing anything that catches my attention, then start it all over again. It takes about four hours by my estimation, but I manage to gain three points in STR and VIT, along with four levels in Observe. I can't remember what DEX requires for gaining points in, but I figure I'll find out soon enough.

With a sigh, my gaze moves toward the setting sun. I probably should have come up with a place to stay beforehand, but I'm a procrastinator by nature. This real-life (or coma-dream, I should say) grinding is a lot more difficult than I'd anticipated. So, steeling myself, I set off out of the park I'd woken up in and into the city.

After a few minutes of walking, I notice something incredibly odd. I hadn't paid any particular attention to the signs before, since I couldn't read Japanese if my life depended on it despite a few of my cousin's lessons, but when a flashing neon storefront caught my eye, I somehow knew it said Iroyama Sushi Bar.

Frowning, I cast my gaze around me and realize with a start that I can understand every billboard and street sign in sight. A thought occurs to me, and I wave down a passing twenty-something woman.

"Excuse me," I say with a slight bow (I really have no clue about Japanese customs or culture besides my limited knowledge of a few anime, so I decide to err on the side of caution). "But could you tell me what city I'm in?"

She raises an eyebrow, but nods with a gentle smile. "Sure, you're in Karakura Town. Your accent is really good for a foreigner, by the way."

"Ah, thanks," I reply, smiling rather mechanically as I try to process her words; at least I can understand her. "Have a nice day."

"You too," she answers, turning and heading on her way.

I keep walking, letting my feet switch to autopilot while I think. Karakura Town is a place from the Bleach anime. Is my brain mixing and matching genres to make a more interesting coma dream? It must be, since I'm pretty sure Karakura Town doesn't exist in real life.

Vaguely, I remember seeing a map of the place on the Bleach Wiki, but it was a while ago, and my memory was shoddy even before I started messing it up with booze and weed. I know that most of the main characters lived fairly close to one another close to the Karasu River, and that the Kurosaki Clinic was somewhere between that river and the Onose River, a little south of the old train station. On the other hand, the Urahara Shoten was way on the opposite side of town in the Mitsumiya district.

I suppose if anyone could help me, it'd be Urahara Kisuke and the band of exiles there. But do I really want to get mixed up with that crowd, especially considering the fact that Urahara was originally slotted to become the series' main antagonist?

Fuck yes, I did. It's not like there's anything else to do in a coma dream than go with the flow. First, though, I'd need something to pique the supernatural scientist's interest; I couldn't just show up at the shop empty-handed, after all.

So, I turn around and head back to the park. I hadn't realized how far I'd gotten until dusk began to settle down around the city. As I walk, I get an itch on the back of my neck, like someone's watching me, but when I turn around all I see is the early-evening foot traffic. I'm about to dismiss the feeling when a pink box pops up.

Your Gamer-Senses are tingling! Through a special action a new skill, "Danger Sense", has been created!

I swipe the box away, now quite aware of my surroundings. I try to be as nonchalant as I can as I keep heading toward the park, crossing the street a couple times. Each time I do, I scan the crowds as casually as I can, and note three guys each time as they try not to look suspicious and avert their gaze whenever my eyes pass them.

It's only natural that they'd single me out; my dark skin instantly labels me as foreign, and tourists are more often than not easy marks. Unfortunately, they didn't take into account any supernatural abilities I might have.

Honestly, I'm a bit curious to see how my new (old?) body will handle a good old-fashioned street fight. Once upon a time, I took martial arts lessons, and managed to get all the way to the half-black belt rank before life got in the way, so I know how to handle myself in combat. However, there's always the chance that these guys have a weapon of some sort, not to mention the fact that I haven't practiced those self-defense moves in over a decade.

Then again, this is just a coma dream, so why the hell not?

Ducking into an alley, I lean against a wall beside a metal trash can and wait for them to catch up.

A quest has been created!

Say what? My very first quest!

Of All the Dark Alleys in All the World, You Had to Walk into Mine.

Objective:
Defeat the three muggers who have targeted you.

Success:
50 Exp

Failure:
- ¥3206

Bonus Objectives:
?
?

Accept/Deny

I can hear footsteps approaching, and quickly hit Accept.

The first one to come around the corner is Lv 2: Watanabe Shinji, a slim guy about my height with light brown hair. Next comes Lv 3: Kato Ryunosuke, built like a tank and carrying a skateboard. The two of them take flanking positions to the last one, Lv 4: Yoshida Hiro, who looks like he the oldest of the three with dyed red hair and a self-important demeanor that would have had me pegging him as the others' leader even without the deference Shinji and Ryunosuke showed subconsciously.

"Hey, fellas," I say with a careless little wave. "How they hanging?"

My carefree attitude instantly sets them on edge, but Hiro quickly regains his smug expression.

"Oi, looks like we've got ourselves a feisty one, guys," he tells his mates. "Look, man. We don't want any trouble, so just give us your wallet and bag, and we'll have no problems."

Nodding, I pretend to think it over. "You three are awfully considerate," I acknowledge. "Back home, muggers would just shoot you in the back and leave you bleeding. I respect that. However, that being said, I can't just give you my stuff without a proper fight. I'm just not that kind of person."

Hiro smirks, withdrawing a blade the size of my whole hand, and the other two follow his lead. Shinji pulls out a butterfly knife, flicking it open with expert movements, while Ryunosuke hefts his skateboard like a two-by-four. "Can't say we didn't warn you," Hiro scolds, stepping forward.

I make my move just as he gets within stabbing distance, kicking the trash can up into his face and knocking him back into Ryunosuke. As Shinji turns to look at his buddies in astonishment, I ram the heel of my palm up into his chin while his guard is down and his teeth click shut loudly. Not giving him any opportunities, I shove my elbow into his gut, doubling him up, and finish with a punch to the back of his neck, dropping him like a sack of potatoes.

By the time I'm finished dispatching Shinji, though, the other two have recovered, and are looking pretty pissed. I swipe up the butterfly knife Shinji dropped and held it in front of me, hoping it appears like I know how to use it. I can use a staff pretty well, and I'd just recently gotten back into practicing with nun chucks, but knives and daggers were never my thing.

"You're going to regret that," Hiro grinds out, a vicious glare twisting his features. He lunges forward, leading with his blade, but when I dodge to the side, Ryunosuke blind-sides me with his board, and pain explodes across my face.

Stunned, I fall to the ground, barely keeping a grip on my pilfered knife. My thoughts whirl as I struggle to my hands and knees. You're not supposed to feel pain in coma dreams, are you? But if it's not a coma dream...

A sense I've never felt before screams at me to roll forward, and I obey instinctively, only just avoiding a second skateboard strike to the back. The side of my face throbs angrily, but I manage to ignore it, as well as the blue box that blinks open, swiping it closed as I lurch to my feet.

Ryunosuke charges at me, board raised, and this time I notice when Hiro follows in his wake, knife at the ready. As Ryunosuke takes his swing I feint left, and Hiro darts toward where I would have ended up. Instead, I spin the other way, raising my arm and taking the skateboard blow, using the butterfly knife to stab the big guy so deep into his upper arm I can feel the steel point scrape against his bone. A notification dings, but I shove it away; these things can really mess with a guy's concentration.

I fight the urge to wince in sympathy as Ryunosuke howls in pain, instead landing a kick to the back of his knee. When his patella hits the concrete with an audible crack, I do wince, and almost fail to spot Hiro coming in with an overhand cut.

Without thinking, I dive down, grabbing hold of his legs and pulling upward, sending him off balance and right to the floor. His back hits the ground first, and his breath leaves him all at once in a mighty whoosh of air. Before he can react, I punch him square in the temple, knocking him clean out.

Three more notification boxes pop up, but I shove them away again, turning toward Ryunosuke, who's whimpering as he tries to staunch the bleeding from the stab wound I gave him while curling up to hold his shattered knee cap. I kind of feel bad, but they had come at me with lethal weapons, and Ryunosuke decked me with...well, with a deck.

Still, I can't quite squash the pang of sympathy I feel, and slowly edge toward him. He tries to scramble away, but his busted knee won't let him.

"Look, I'm not going to do any more damage, bro," I say in as soothing a tone I can. "Here..." Using the butterfly knife, I rip the bottom portion of Shinji's jacket off and hold it out toward Ryunosuke's arm. "Is it alright if I wrap this around your arm?"

After a moment of hesitation, the big guy nods, sitting up closer to me. With my basic first aid knowledge, I use the makeshift tourniquet to stop the blood flow and then wipe the wound clean with the remainder. Another blue square appears, and again I wave it away.

A soft groan alerts me to Hiro's return to consciousness, and I quickly grab his knife and pocket it. Off to the side, Shinji stirs as well. Standing, I help Ryunosuke to his feet and help him lean against the wall in a way that doesn't cause more pain to his broken knee, then move to stand over Hiro and arrange my face in my best stern expression (and I can do a pretty good stern).

Hiro looks much less confident now that I've handed him and his partners their asses single-handed. I'm honestly pretty surprised that I was able to do that. His gaze skitters across to Shinji, who is rolling onto his side, then to Ryunosuke before returning to me.

"Have you learned your lesson?" I ask solemnly, making sure he can see the butterfly knife I still have clutched in my hand.

Slowly he nods, then grimaced and rubbed his temple. "You gonna call the cops now?" he grumbles dejectedly.

"No." My simple answer confuses all of them, and I hold my other hand out to him. After a moment, he takes it and I haul him to his feet. "I've done stupid shit myself over the years, and it'd be hypocritical of me to call the cops on anyone.

"Instead, I'll let you off with a warning." I pierce each one of them with a glare that must look pretty intimidating, as they all flinch away from it. "Don't throw away your lives doing this shit. Study, get good grades, do something with yourselves."

I move further into the alley and pick up Ryunosuke's skateboard from where it rolled after I dropped the big fella and hand it to Hiro. "Use this to help your buddy there to the closest hospital; he got it worst of all, and probably can't make it on his own." I then show him the butterfly knife and the larger knife he had used. "I'm keeping these as insurance that you stop with this foolishness."

I pause long enough to make sure they all understand, then jerk my head to the alley's entrance. "Go on."

It doesn't take Shinji and Hiro long to load Ryunosuke onto his skateboard and push him out as fast as they can, and I breath a sigh of relief. That had taken a lot more out of me than I'd thought.

Quest Complete: Of All the Dark Alleys in All the World, You Had to Walk Into Mine!

Objective:
Defeat the muggers who have targeted you: Completed.

Bonus Objectives:
Patch up at least one of your muggers after defeating them: Completed.
Give the misguided boys a lecture that will turn their lives around: Completed.

Reward: 50 Exp

Bonus Reward: 100 Exp (50 Exp per bonus objective completed)

Well, that's embarrassing. At least my little speech has made them rethink their life choices. Another box, this one smaller and blue, appears.

You have leveled up!

Remembering all those boxes I'd dismissed, I call up my stat screen and get greeted by new information.

Name: Ricky Jimenez
Job: The Gamer
Level: Lv 3 Next Level: 19.34%
Title: None

HP: 122/160
MP: 200/200

STR: 8
VIT: 8
DEX: 5
INT: 10
WIS: 11
LUK: 10

Points: 10
Money: ¥3206

The first thing I notice is that my overall HP had increased, and it took me a while to realize that each point that went into my VIT raised the HP bar by 20 hit points each, which was good to know. Extrapolating from that, each point in INT gave me the same for MP. Good to know.

So one of those boxes had been me leveling up due to Exp gained during the fight. But there had been five altogether, hadn't there?

"Skills."

[Gamer's Body (Passive) Lv MAX]
Grants a body that allows the user to live the real world like a game. Sleeping in a bed restores HP, MP, and all mass effects.

[Gamer's Mind (Passive) Lv MAX]
Allows the user to calmly and logically think things through. Allows peaceful state of mind. Immunity to psychological status effects.

[ID Create (Active) Lv 1 Exp: 0.00%]
Used to create instant dungeons (illusion barriers). Stronger instant dungeons may be created at higher levels.

[ID Escape (Active) Lv 1 Exp: 0.00%]
Used to escape instant dungeons (illusion barriers).

[Danger Sense (Passive) Lv 2 Exp: 16.03%]
A natural survival instinct. It allows the user to sense when something bad might happen. The higher the skill level, the earlier the user can sense danger.

1.1 second of early warning.

[Dagger Mastery (Passive) Lv 1 Exp: 63.92%]
Allows the user to freely handle daggers.
10% increase in attack damage with daggers.
5% increase in attack speed with daggers.

[Physical Endurance (Passive) Lv 1 Exp 12.43%]
The body's durability increases and the user take less damage.
3% decrease in damage.

[Dodge (Passive) Lv 1 Exp: 0.00%]
Allows the user an increased chance of moving out of the way of an attack. The higher the skill level, the easier it will be to evade.
5% chance of evasion.

[Basic First Aid (Passive) Lv 1 Exp: 0.00%]
Allows the user to more effectively use healing items.
2% HP increase when using healing items.

Well, that answers that question. Three of the remaining boxes had been the creation of Physical Endurance, Dodge, and Basic First Aid, while the other one was Danger Sense leveling up. Curious, I decide to check out each one of my skills, since I didn't do so before.

The first four are about what I expected, changing my basic physiology and psychology to fit that of a video game character's while the ID skills were exactly what they said on the tin.

Danger Sense is probably going to be the one I rely on most often. If I can level it up properly, it will likely become a form of battle precognition, and no one will be able to touch me, especially in conjunction with Dodge when it was leveled. Physical Endurance, Dagger Master, and Basic First Aid are also very useful. All these passive skills will start stacking up nicely, and I'm sure that more would come.

Then I look down at the two weapons I'd gotten out of the fight. Would these be considered loot? Well, I'm going to classify them as such regardless.

"Observe."

[Butterfly Knife Tanto Blade (Rank-Normal)/Type: Dagger]
A well-made flipping blade taken from Watanabe Shinji, who received it on his sixteenth birthday from his uncle.
Req. DEX: 5
Armor Piercing

[ZK Zombie Killer Death Dagger (Rank-A little special)/Type: Dagger]
A wicked blade modeled after the fearsome Western L77 Blade, taken from Yoshida Hiro.
Req. DEX 10
Armor Piercing, +50% damage to Undead

Holy shit, I just unknowingly hit the jackpot! Certainly, I'll need to raise my DEX a bit before I can use Hiro's dagger, but hell, fifty percent damage increase to undead monsters? Man, I can't believe I got this lucky. My first quest turned out way better than I'd hoped. I leveled up twice, created three separate passive skills that would only become more valuable with time, and gained two weapons to boot.

A sting of pain reminds me that I'd been clocked in the face by a skateboard, grip-side up unfortunately, which brings my mind back to the horrifying realization I'd almost made mid-battle. Pain isn't supposed to happen in dreams, be they of the coma variety or otherwise. I'm no stranger to pain; as a kid, I was a dumb-ass and got into more than my fair share of accidents and mishaps. I know what it felt like to hurt, and I am definitely hurt.

That means...that means that I'm not dreaming, or in a coma. And that means that I died getting hit by a truck in the act of saving my best friend's life. The natural conclusion is that I'd been knocked into the Bleach universe, however absurd that may sound, gaining the powers of Han Jee-Han in the process.

Resisting the urge to rub the bridge of my nose, I lean my back against the alley's wall, sliding down into a seated position. Okay, I need to think this out logically. Thank God for the Gamer's Mind skill.

So if I'm in the Bleach universe, the first thing I need to figure out is where in the timeline I am and go from there. If it's before the main plot kicks off, I might have a chance at leveling up enough to help the main characters, but if it's anywhere beyond the first arc, I probably won't be able to get stronger quickly enough to manage anything beyond annoying someone enough to murder me horribly.

Dying once is bad enough; I don't want to do that again and possibly wind up in some other work of fiction.

For now, I guess I'll go on the assumption that I've landed myself before everything kicks off and try to gain power as fast as I can. If I can level ID Create at least once, I should be able to make the Zombie and Ghost dungeons and grind up. For now, I need to get to the park. Urahara can wait until tomorrow.

Through intense thought concerning your current situation, your WIS has gone up by 2!

With a grim smile, I store the ZK Dagger in my Inventory, then start jogging toward the park. I pass a ramen bar, and after a moment's deliberation use a bit of my meager fortune to buy some take-out bowls.

When I make it back to the park (after a plus one to my VIT thanks to the jog), I settle myself beneath a tree and Observe one of the bowls.

Pork Ramen Bowl
Made by Honsho Chisame

A delicious bowl of ramen topped with succulent pork slices.
+ 50 HP
+5 STR, +2 VIT (Buffs last 20 minute)

Hm, so food not only restores health, but certain dishes also grant stat buffs. I'll need to find a stove soon and create a Cooking skill. With a shrug, I wolf down the meal, savoring the tasty flavor, then store the rest of the bowls in my Inventory as well. Hopefully they'll keep.

Then I stand up, dump the empty bowl and chopsticks into a nearby trashcan, and raise my hand into the air. "ID Create!"

I instantly feel a wave of energy rush down my arm, through my hand, and into the world at large. If I focus enough, I can see a slight shimmer in the night sky, like a heat mirage as it expands up and out.

The noise of the town around me quiets down, and I can't stop the grin from pulling my lips upward. Sure, I might be dead in my original world, and I'll miss my family and friends dearly, but having this ability somewhat makes up for it.

"ID Escape!" Fractures appear in the sky, and my illusion barrier shatters, letting the sounds of Karakura wash over me once more.

It takes nine more creations and escapes before they both level up, but it's totally worth it. I access my stat window and dump five points into DEX, then equip a knife in each hand before calling out, "ID Create: Zombie!"

This time, as the illusion barrier unfolds, a fog rolls in low to the ground, accompanied by a chorus of groans.

Glancing around, I spot the first zombie. It was likely a businessman, judging by the torn and bloodstained suit, but half his face is hanging by a bit of skin, revealing the decaying musculature beneath. A shudder of revulsion crawls up my spine, but I suppress my disgust and move forward.

It hasn't noticed me yet, so I creep up silently around toward its back. "Observe," I whisper as quietly as I can.

Zombie Lv 8
HP: 800(800) MP: 50
A walking corpse no matter how it died. It hates the living, attacking and eating their flesh. Although it is slow, its strength is twice what it had been while alive.

So even zombies are higher level than me. Well, at least it lines up with what I remember from the web comic. Time to see how much damage I can do.

First, I attack with Shinji's butterfly knife, aiming for the top of the head. The blade stabs straight through decomposing flesh and bone easily, and a little -92, Backstab! floats away from the zombie.

The Z howls in rage and turns to face me, arms outstretched. My Danger Sense picked it up, though, and I deftly swerved to avoid its grasp, cutting into it again across the ribs and taking -40 HP. Okay, so Backstab grants either fifty-two additional damage or about a hundred and ten increase in damage, or thereabouts. Mathematics were never my strong suit.

Once again, I find myself behind the zombie, and this time I stab it right between the shoulder blades with the ZK. A whopping -242, Backstab! flies off the walking corpse, and as it turns, I turn with it, reaching around to shove the dagger into its chest and drag it over to the back.

-105!
-105!
-105!

Alright, so I know now that Backstab is a little over a hundred percent boost to attack damage, and the ZK does about two and a half times the damage the butterfly knife does when attacking zombies. Pretty damn good, if you ask me.

The zombie snarls at me and lurches forward, but I land a vicious kick to its leg that sends it crashing to the ground, and while it's fighting to get back up, I drive both daggers home into its skull.

-242, Backstab!
-92, Backstab!

Before my eyes, the zombie dissolves into nothing, leaving only a little tooth behind. I pick it up and put it in my Inventory.

Double your pleasure, double your fun! Through a special action, a new skill, "Double Stab", has been created!

[Double Stab (Active) Lv 1 Exp: 0.00%]
The user strikes with two weapons simultaneously to inflict massive damage.
Must have two weapons with points equipped to use.
20% increase in critical rate.
70% increase in attack damage.

Sweet Jesus, now that's what a real skill looks like! I'm no math whiz, but even I know that a seventy percent increase in attack damage is nothing to scoff at.

With a grin, I spin and head for the closest zombie. I don't bother trying to sneak up on it this time, and it gives me a vicious glare as it shambles at me. I pick up speed and leap forward, knives raised.

"Double Stab!" I shout, punching forward. Both daggers seem to glow with a green light as they puncture the zombie's eyes.

-136, Critical!
-358, Critical!

Over half the zombie's HP drains away in that single strike, and a few extra stabs as I weave around its grasping hands finishes it off. Another tooth drops to the ground as the zombie disappears, and it quickly finds its way into my Inventory. Man, killing zombies is kinda fun!

Several inhuman moans alerts me to more zombies behind me, and I turn to find myself face-to-face with about a half-dozen of the things coming toward me in a tightly-packed group. I feel myself frown, wondering how I'll manage these fellows. Using my advanced mobility is a given, but even with the Double Stab, it'll take me a few hits each and in doing so I'll be leaving myself open to one of the others in the group. I'm going to need to come up with a ranged skill after this is over.

By working out a viable tactic, your WIS has increased by 1!

How was it that Jee Han had created the mana bullet? Something to do with him learning to use his mana when figuring out ID Create, if I recall correctly. So, should I just...?

Shifting the butterfly knife so I'm holding both daggers in one hand, I try to bring up the recent memory of making and breaking the illusion barriers earlier, and more specifically how it felt when the energy rushed through my hands. I feel it happening now, and make sure not to think about anything except making a ball of light appear in my free hand.

At first, it's just a pinprick of light, but it swiftly swells up until an orb of softly glowing green energy is floating about an inch above my palm.

You've got the powah! Through a special action, a new skill, "Energy Bolt", has been created!

[Energy Bolt (Active) Lv 1 Exp: 0.00%]
A skill that attacks by emitting mana.
Attack power increases with INT
Range: 10 m

Alright, nicely done, Rick. Focusing on the miniature zombie horde, which has only gotten about ten feet closer to me in the time it took me to learn a new skill. Turning my hand outward, I take aim at the foremost zombie's head and fire off the ball of mana.

It streaks forward and crashes into the undead creature's face, flaying the flesh and muscle right off and knocking it onto its back, where a -60 floats off. I do the same for the next four, and then grab the butterfly knife and circle around the last zombie standing.

"Double Stab!"

-212, Backstab!
-557, Backstab!

Another stab from the ZK finishes the wretched thing off, and I set to work on the rest of the zombies who are just now struggling to their feet. Dancing around their grabs is kind of fun, to be honest, a game of keep away with a splash of danger.

Dodge has leveled up!

Four of the six zombies give out a tooth, one gives me a rib, and the last relinquishes a shiny pink stone that has me grinning from ear to ear. Other zombies start coming towards me, so I roll up my sleeves and go to town.

By the time the moon is directly overhead, I'm thoroughly wiped out. My MP ran out about an hour ago, and my HP has about a quarter remaining. I must have killed over a hundred zombies, since I've got 40 Teeth of the Dead, 23 Ribs of the Dead, and 15 Soul Stones in my Inventory. Not all of them gave out a drop item, but they sure did give out some good Exp.

I leveled up once more, and just about every skill I have except Basic First Aid got at least two levels.

"ID Escape!" I grunt, and the zombies disappear with the fog. I allow myself to flop down onto the cool grass, where I lay for a few minutes, just recovering my strength. "Stats, Skills." The two windows pop up side-by-side.

Name: Ricky Jimenez
Job: The Gamer
Level: 4 Next Level: 53.20%
Title: None

HP: 49/160
MP: 4/200

STR: 8
VIT: 9
DEX: 10
INT: 10
WIS: 14
LUK: 10

Points: 10
Money: ¥1206

[Gamer's Body (Passive) Lv MAX]
Grants a body that allows the user to live the real world like a game. Sleeping in a bed restores HP, MP, and all mass effects.

[Gamer's Mind (Passive) Lv MAX]
Allows the user to calmly and logically think things through. Allows peaceful state of mind. Immunity to psychological status effects.

[ID Create (Active) Lv 2 Exp: 0.00%]
Used to create instant dungeons (illusion barriers). Stronger instant dungeons may be created at higher levels.
Currently available IDs:
1. Empty ID-monsters: none
2. Zombie ID-monsters: zombies
3. Ghost ID-monsters: ghosts
4. Mixed ID-monsters: zombies, ghosts

[ID Escape (Active) Lv 2 Exp: 0.00%]
Used to escape instant dungeons (illusion barriers).

[Danger Sense (Passive) Lv 5 Exp: 16.03%]
A natural survival instinct. It allows the user to sense when something bad might happen. The higher the skill level, the earlier the user can sense danger.
1.4 second of early warning.

[Dagger Mastery (Passive) Lv 6 Exp: 63.92%]
Allows the user to freely handle daggers.
13% increase in attack damage with daggers.
8% increase in attack speed with daggers.

[Physical Endurance (Passive) Lv 4 Exp 12.43%]
The body's durability increases and the user take less damage.
6% decrease in damage.

[Dodge (Passive) Lv 8 Exp: 0.00%]
Allows the user an increased chance of moving out of the way of an attack. The higher the skill level, the easier it will be to evade.
9% chance of evasion.

[Basic First Aid (Passive) Lv 1 Exp: 0.00%]
Allows the user to more effectively use healing items.
2% HP increase when using healing items.

[Double Stab (Active) Lv 5 Exp: 0.00%]
The user strikes with two weapons simultaneously to inflict massive damage.
Must have two weapons with points equipped to use.
30% increase in critical rate.
80% increase in attack damage.

[Energy Bolt (Active) Lv 6 Exp: 0.00%]
A skill that attacks by emitting mana.
Attack power increases with INT
Range: 40 m

All in all, I'd say it was a pretty good first day for a loser like me. After a quick meal of two bowls of ramen, I indulge in a long, languorous yawn and rest my head in my hands. Closing my eyes, I surrender myself to the hands of the Sandman and dream of my old life.

After-Action Report: And there you have it, folks. Yes my name is, in fact, Ricky Jimenez, and yes I am going to a Halloween party later on today (Happy Halloween, by the way), so if you never hear from me again, I've probably been struck by a truck and living the life of The Gamer in Bleach Land.

All jokes aside, this was actually pretty fun for me. I've never written an SI story before, and I've got to say it's a lot more enjoyable than I'd expected. The challenge this story is using as a base requested that I not use any Spear or Chain weapons, so I went the route of dual-wielded Daggers, which are always fun. I think I might have my SI become the Rouge of the group, since Ichigo's the main, Chad's the Tank, Orihime's the Healer, and Uryu's the Archer. Makes sense in a party-based sense.

All of the skills which are canon in The Gamer have been thoroughly researched (by which I mean I checked the wiki a few times to make sure it wasn't too wrong), and the ones that are of my own creation (i.e. Double Stab and Basic First Aid) are as simple as I can make 'em.

Like the SI said in the narrative, I really am terrible at math, so any mistakes with the numbers should be pointed out to me immediately. Maybe if someone were to offer some help on that front, things would go a lot smoother. I tried to make everything as kosher as possible when it comes to leveling up both the stats and skills, but if anything seems too overpowered, let me know.

The two knives Rick snatched from those would-be muggers are real-life knives (obviously I don't know if the ZK actually does extra damage to the undead, and I don't recommend going to find out yourselves), and can be found using a quick Google search.

I think that's it for now. Reviews are appreciated, flames are welcome, and I'll see you all next time. Have a good day!