I Died and Became a Hollow, But I Get Stronger by Being an Idiot Chapter 22: The Gillian’s Quest for More EP

The sand beneath was warm, but that didn't matter.

Today's adventure would be grand.

I had the perfect idea.

The Great Sand Ball.

I stood tall, towering above the desert landscape, casting a long shadow. My six-story fra creaked as I shuffled across the sands, awkwardly twisting my massive body to pick up mounds of sand with my gigantic claws. I began to roll them into a ball, slowly but surely. It took forever, of course, but when you're a Gillian, ti doesn't really matter.

"Grroohh…?" I muttered, testing the weight.

(Translation: "It's… coming together!")

The huge sand ball I was trying to make was the size of a small hill, and I had no idea why I thought it was a good idea. Maybe it was my instinct as a Gillian to build things. Or maybe I just wanted to prove I could do sothing remotely impressive.

Either way, the ball was done.

Now the fun part:

Rolling it.

I crouched down — well, more like half-squatted — and started pushing the massive sand sphere with all my might.

It creaked and groaned as I huffed and puffed, using my weight to nudge it forward. With every movent, the ball tilted and swayed, threatening to topple, but I kept going. There was no turning back now.

[SYSTEM NOTICE: Perford 'Sand Rolling Challenge' — 350 EP]

Current EP: 16,200 / 1,000,000

It was a success!

The sand ball didn't collapse.

I took a deep breath, satisfied with my work. But, of course, I wasn't done yet.

That would've been too simple.

"Now for the grand finale!"

I stepped back, scanning the horizon.

In the distance, I spotted a large rock outcrop — a natural ramp of sorts. Perfect for my plans. I could launch the sand ball off it, and maybe, just maybe, it'd roll down and crash into a hollow nearby. If I could impress a Hollow with this, I'd get even more EP. It was all about making a spectacle. And nothing was more spectacular than sending a giant sand ball tumbling toward a confused opponent.

"Here goes nothing!"

I lined the sand ball up with the outcrop and shoved with everything I had, sending it barreling toward the rock.

[SYSTEM NOTICE: Perford 'The Rolling Boulder of Doom' — 500 EP]

Current EP: 16,700 / 1,000,000

It was glorious. The ball rolled down the ramp at a speed I didn't think it could reach. The sheer force of it kicked up sand into the air, creating a cloud of dust. I watched with a grin as it rumbled toward a distant cluster of hollow skulls scattered across the desert.

Then, just as it was about to crash into them—

BAM!

It hit an oddly placed boulder and exploded into a shower of sand.

I blinked.

There was no Hollow in sight.

For a mont, I just stared at the ss I'd created, wondering if the ball had been a little too much. But it was too late to regret it now.

[SYSTEM NOTICE: Perford 'Sand Catapulting' — 450 EP]

Current EP: 17,150 / 1,000,000

I wasn't going to get discouraged.

I couldn't.

The world of Hueco Mundo was a place where power ruled, and I had no choice but to keep going.

I was close to my next evolution — but it felt impossible to reach with every EP reward barely reaching a hundred. What was I even supposed to do when I needed 1 million EP to get to Adjuchas?

I paused.

Was it really worth all the crazy, stupid things I was doing?

Would it really make a difference in the end?

Then, I saw sothing that made forget everything else.

A small, lone Hollow was scurrying across the sand. Its head was bowed, minding its own business — completely unaware of the giant idiot that had just launched a sand ball toward a pile of skulls.

I blinked.

"Well…" I muttered to myself, grinning underneath my mask,

"Ti for sothing new."