I Died and Became a Hollow, But I Get Stronger by Being an Idiot Chapter 19: The Great Quartz Tree Climb

Current EP: 11,500 / 1,000,000

Back in Hueco Mundo, things went back to the usual.

Endless night.

Endless sand.

Endless dumb Hollows eating each other like it was an all-you-can-eat buffet with no rules.

I, however — being an intellectual (relatively speaking) — had a better idea.

Climb a Quartz Tree.

Now, you might be thinking, "Why the hell would a 20-ter tall Gillian want to climb a giant, brittle tree made of spiritual crystal in the middle of a desert?"

Well.

Because no one's done it.

And because my Bonus EP for Stupidity system said dumb ideas paid well.

And frankly… I wanted those points.

I stomped my way to the biggest quartz tree I could find.

It towered over the desert like a glittering, jagged tower of doom.

The other Hollows gave a wide berth.

Not because I was scary — but because they figured any Gillian about to climb a damn tree had lost his mind.

They weren't wrong.

"GRROOOOH!"

(Translation: "I'M GONNA DO IT!")

I wrapped my massive clawed hands around the trunk and started climbing.

Crack.

The tree groaned.

Snap.

A branch shattered under my weight.

Dust rained down.

A few smaller Hollows panicked and ran, thinking the sky was falling.

Halfway up, I slipped and almost faceplanted.

[SYSTEM NOTICE: Perford 'High Altitude Idiocy' — 600 EP]

Current EP: 12,100 / 1,000,000

Nice.

I kept going.

Climbed higher and higher until Hueco Mundo looked like a cracked fish tank from above.

At the top, I did what any self-respecting Hollow would do.

I roared.

A big, echoing, idiot's roar.

"GRROOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!"

The sound made the tree shake.

A few nearby rocks exploded for no reason.

[SYSTEM NOTICE: Perford 'Echoing Roar of Pointless Triumph' — 700 EP]

Current EP: 12,800 / 1,000,000

I laughed.

Which, as a Gillian, mostly sounded like a series of demonic grunts and wheezes.

Then, of course… the branch beneath snapped.

I plumted six stories down, hitting branches, snapping quartz limbs, and stirring up a cloud of sand.

I hit the ground with an earth-shaking BOOM.

[SYSTEM NOTICE: Perford 'Gravity Testing' — 500 EP]

Current EP: 13,300 / 1,000,000

I lay there, staring at the endless night sky of Hueco Mundo, my huge Gillian body half-buried in sand.

And for a mont, I questioned my life choices.

…Just kidding.

I don't think that far ahead.

"GRROOOOOH!"

(Translation: "TOTALLY WORTH IT!")

And then, naturally, a passing Hollow tried to nibble on my foot.

I kicked it like a soccer ball, sending it flying over a dune.

[SYSTEM NOTICE: Perford 'Hollow Soccer' — 400 EP]

Current EP: 13,700 / 1,000,000

The grind continues.

One stupid idea at a ti.