SSS Awakening: Starting With Infinite Soul Copy

"Is any of this comforting?"

He asked, sending a ripple through her heart.

"New awakeners made to fight savage beasts. Even if they’re mostly low-level, it’s not a comforting reality."

"But at least it was good, until it’s clear that Xtremecybers want the weaker students to die, leaving only the strong."

"Three days in a jungle crawling with savage beasts and every human being seeking the life of another to fill up a bar point."

"None of this is comforting, really."

White mused, seemingly talking to himself.

As much as he knew how fucked up the situation was, could he really blame Xtremecybers?

Asking newly awakened humans to fight beasts that had lived with their power all their lives... was suicide.

But see, that was the thing about awakening.

The awakening they had before with the awakening orb wasn’t a true awakening; it was just a recognition of potential.

That potential had to burn, and it burns best under pressure, under the smell of impending doom or death.

Only then do awakeners fully blossom, awakening true might.

But Xtremecybers took it too far, asking students to kill each other and face savage beasts with no help.

Back in the United Earth Federation, things weren’t done like this. It was more of an intense physical training that led to the slow bloom of their abilities.

"Unfortunately, this is one of those situations that you mostly have no choice but to adapt to, best as you can."

He said, slowly rising to his feet.

"Survive Nova. You have to survive these three days, harsh as they may be. I know the rules are ridiculous, but nothing changes if you die."

"If you live, you might grow strong enough to prevent an outcast like you, two or three years from now, from going through the same pain."

"The only choice is surviving."

He said, and she watched him walk deeper into the forest.

"Where are you going?"

"Some beasts are lurking nearby, probably attracted by the fire and the smell of the beast."

"I’ll do a quick roundup to make things a bit safe for tonight."

He said with a casual wave, quietly disappearing into the thick jungle.

She turned away, her gaze returning to the flame.

Silence was all that remained, broken only by the crackling of flames, but soon enough her eyes caught something out of the corner of her eye:

The steaming piece of meat he had cut.

He had placed it on the leaf.

She picked it up, staring at it.

It was repulsive, but even more so was the bloody scar in her palms.

"Survive. The only choice is surviving."

---

CRUNCH!

The sickening crunch echoed through the dark of the night as a punch slammed into a fur-covered chest.

The rib cage shattered under the force, one of them piercing into the heart and blowing it to bits.

The creature, an ape-like beast, was violently blown back before slamming into a tree and falling face-first.

White slowly rose from his punching motion, turning to his watch.

[POINTS: 70/1,000]

’That’s 7 Savage beasts down. It’s slow, but at least I can now kill most of them in three moves.’

He thought quietly, looking around him.

There were broken trees, along with about 5 creatures whose blood pooled around beneath the beasts.

He turned back slightly, seeing the vestige of dying flames in the distance.

He should be returning now, but

’If I keep up a normal schedule, hunting beasts only during the day...I might fall short of the mark and fail the test.’

’If there’s any chance of passing at all, I need to keep this up, all night. At least for the first night...’

He mused, and with that, walked forward a few meters before his hands reached up, grabbing onto a branch.

With a simple swing, he was thrown about 2 meters upward, landing on another branch before he crouched on it, then exploded into the air, launching 7 meters with the aid of the branch and landing on another.

From such a place, the aerial view was clear, and even though it was dark, the two curved moons in the sky provided good illumination.

He could easily see and feel the presence of savage beasts as they roamed around, but they were far from each other.

If he killed one, then had to run 2 miles to face another, that’ll be too time-consuming.

He needed a place where they could gather to make things easier, but that was a problem.

Savage beasts are very territorial. They only cross each other’s path during a hunt for food, cooperating only to eat another savage beast’s carcass.

With the passing of the knowledge, White’s eyes gleamed as he looked downwards.

There were seven carcasses on the ground below, and when he looked ahead, he saw a savage beast quietly approaching, nostrils flaring as it sniffed.

’That’s it!’

The realization hit him, and immediately he jumped down from the branch.

Grabbing the five beasts he had killed, he raced back towards the gathering he had created.

His brows furrowed when he couldn’t see Nova by the fireside, but he wasn’t worried.

He could smell her scent drifting into a random part of the forest.

That was even better.

He gathered all five beasts around the flame and then cut up more trees into the fire, forming billowing flames.

’Savage beasts have a strong sense of smell.’

’With five corpses in the same position, they would smell it, and the fire would lead them right here even quicker.’

’When they come, I kill them, and add to the corpse number, making the smell even stronger and attracting even more.’

The plan was formulated in White’s mind, a big grin on his face from the pride of his intelligence.

...Except that he grossly underestimated just how horrifyingly effective his plan was.