SSS Awakening: Starting With Infinite Soul Copy

"An Interchange Mission is a simple event that happens after an academy competition."

Vice Amora said, continuing.

"After the End Duel Competition, each school temporarily sends its best students to another school it competed against, while receiving theirs in return."

"It’s a controlled, peaceful exchange between academies, hence, an Interchange Mission."

She explained, and White understood things a bit better now.

"You’re being called here for two reasons."

"Firstly, to be taken to the Interchange Academy, and secondly, to learn about the new academy that you will be transferred to."

"The latter is of more importance, right now."

She said, and each student refocused on their seat.

"The academy name is... Aether Beyonders."

She said, and White immediately noticed the change.

In the 2nd years, the scholarly-looking dude shot up straight from his seat, his glasses almost falling off.

Even the third years who kept a neutral expression visibly sat up straight, with clear shock in their eyes.

Safe to say that school wasn’t ordinary, and no one expected them to be going there.

"Let me tell you more about Aether Beyonders."

This time, it was the white-haired Vice who had yet to speak a word that stepped forward, looking at each of them with her unusually cold eyes.

"Aether Beyonder Academy isn’t like Xtremecybers, nor is it like Mutantgnomes or the United Earth Federation."

"They might not be renowned as we, the top three, but the power they possess is enough to outmatch all three academies combined."

She explained, and while it sounded like an unbelievable lie, her cold expression begged to differ.

"They’re not ranked at all simply due to one thing: their way of cultivation goes against Humanity’s Code of Ascension."

"Let’s talk about how they cultivate. They do so in two ways, and the first is the Supernatural Genome Fusion."

"That means they fuse supernatural parts with themselves."

"WHAT!?"

The green-haired second year shouted in disbelieve and a minor uproar followed.

"Fusing supernatural parts with themselves, to cultivate!"

"That’s madness."

"Yes! They do!"

Vice Mimora said, her voice ringing so loud that those murmuring were instantly silenced.

"Werewolves, Vampires, Banshees, Draugrs, Titans."

"All of these supernatural creatures would have their genomes and body parts extracted, then implanted into a human body."

"It’s an overwhelming power once the surgery is successful. So overwhelming that the Humanity Ascension decided to leave them alone, even with such extreme practices."

"It’s simply because they were not worth the effort of destroying, especially since they’re still on humanity’s side, and still help fight against the Supernaturals."

She explained, answering the unasked question of why the world would allow such a thing to exist.

"But that’s not the only way Aether Beyonders cultivate. There’s still one more way."

She said, drawing their attention.

"Otherworld Dream."

She said, leaving most in confusion.

"As all of you may know, Humanity’s sole way of power is through Essence Cultivation."

"We awaken abilities, then cultivate them using essences, going up clear realms of power, but..."

"Has any of you ever wondered how this was possible?"

"Who taught humanity, a race that used to be solely focused on technology, how to harness essence energy and break through realms?"

"How did they even come by the realms in the first place?"

She asked, leaving them in silence, and then proceeded to answer.

"It’s a single cultivation manual called The Essence Origin, discovered exactly 40 years ago in an ancient ruin."

"Humanity’s entire system of cultivation was gotten from this manual."

"However, The Essence Origin is not the only cultivation manual in existence."

’Huh?’

"Are you saying that, apart from the abominable fusion with Supernaturals, there are other purer and technical ways to cultivate, that is not essence energy cultivation?"

The spectacled boy asked, and Vice Mimora nodded.

"Yes, and the Aether Beyonders are an academy that uses a different cultivation manual, and in it is a completely different way of gaining power, that has almost nothing to do with essence energy."

"This way is called Otherworld Dream, and while I won’t get into the specifics, I can summarize them in a couple of sentences."

"Otherworld dream is simple. You lie asleep inside a cave covered in special runes."

"These runes act as a bridge, allowing your unconscious soul to access another reality, the Otherworld."

"You dream into the otherworld."

White mused beneath his breath, though it still echoed clearly through the silence.

"Exactly!"

Vice Mimora said.

"You dream into the otherworld, and in the otherworld, you’ll have to find an Otherworlder, and fuse with him or her or it."

"The Otherworlder will then share with you your soul and give you his power."

"This is essentially how the Otherworld Dream of cultivation works."

"But why...How?"

The bespectacled boy asked.

"How do you carve runes that lead into another reality?"

"The otherworld sounds like a stronger reality, which therefore will hold stronger inhabitants, the Otherworlders, but...why would they bother to give an ordinary human their own power?"

"Fusing with a human’s soul, how does that help them at all? What do they gain or seek to gain?"

"Besides, a human soul is just one."

"How can it be shared with creatures that are not even from our reality?"

"Won’t that create a clash or an instability of some sort?"

He asked a question that none of them knew the answer to, except the Vices.

"That’s as much as you need to know."

Vice Amora said coldly.

"Mind you, when you get to the academy. Each one of you will have your essence core sealed away."

She dropped the news, and they all froze.

"In short, you all will be ordinary humans when you get to Aether Beyonder Academy, and your abilities will be inaccessible to you."

"WHAT!?"

Even White screamed in shock.

Seal away their awakening core.

Deny them access to their abilities?

"Then how are we supposed to defend ourselves from people who have fused with supernatural creatures and Otherworlders!?"

The 2nd year girl asked.

"What if we get in trouble and need to fight?"

The green-haired boy asked.

"Don’t tell me fighting is against the rules over there?"

"Actually,"

Vice Mimora said, continuing,

"Unlike our academy, where killing students will get you kicked out or killed in return."

"In Aether Beyonder Academy, students are only fined for killing other students."

"WHAT!?"

"Want to hear it again? Okay, here you go:

"Killing is Absolutely Allowed,"

Vice Mimora said, her words clearer than ever.

"So, forget getting in trouble and needing to fight, you all have a 99.99% chance of dying in there and never making it back."