Once Shin decided on his course of action, he voiced out, "However, I can make him stronger in an entirely different way. This method is only possible because you wield the One For All quirk, and I imagine it would be a massive upgrade."
This immediately caught the attention of both All Might and Izuku, who had been a little downcast after Shin's earlier statement about not helping Izuku create new ultimate moves. Before they could even ask for details, Shin explained the existence of multiple quirks contained within One For All. However, he deliberately omitted the part about the vestiges—he knew that, given their kindness, they wouldn't approve of the method he planned to use to unlock them.
Their eyes widened in shock upon hearing this revelation. It was evident they had no prior knowledge of it. After some discussion, they agreed that pursuing this path would be beneficial. All Might even suggested that it could serve as a contingency plan in case Shin's warnings about All For One proved to be true.
With their approval secured, Shin stepped forward and placed his hand on Izuku's head. "You might experience a strange sensation—just ignore it and consider it part of the process. Though, you'll have to explain what you feel later."
Shin sent his Force Pulse into Izuku's body as he closed his eyes. He could have done this without physical contact, but he needed absolute concentration for what he was about to attempt. Shifting his focus to perceive the spiritual aspect, a new world opened before him.
What he saw was different from anything he had observed in ordinary people. In front of him was a white soul—Izuku Midoriya's soul. But connected to it were several small, translucent orbs, which he quickly deduced to be the individual Quirks stored within One For All. Among them, however, was something even more distinct—a much larger orb linking all the smaller ones together. That had to be One For All itself.
Inside each of the smaller orbs, faint grey wisps floated, and Shin could sense a slight resistance emanating from them. He instantly concluded that these were the vestiges—the remnants of the previous wielders, clinging to their respective Quirks. However, the larger orb, representing One For All as a whole, was different. Instead of grey, it contained a white presence, larger than even all the vestiges combined.
Seeing this, Shin couldn't help but smile. He already knew what this was. The white presence wasn't just another remnant—it was something else entirely. It had to be the half-soul he had uncovered information about through his Revelation skill. The half-soul of Seraphina Morningstar. The very person he had come to interact with.
Before taking any action, Shin first focused on the smaller orbs. At a glance, he couldn't identify which Quirk each one contained, so he decided to leave it up to chance.
And why was he relying on chance, you ask?
Well, he wasn't planning to unlock every single one of them—at least, not yet. There was always a possibility that he'd need to do this again in the future, depending on how his interaction with the half-soul unfolded. Having a legitimate reason to look into Izuku's soul again would be useful.
Of course, he could peer into Izuku's soul at any time using his Force Pulse without anyone noticing. However, he had no idea what kind of reaction his interaction with the half-soul might trigger. It could cause a sensation or even pain in Izuku, making it more likely that he'd notice something was off. And that was something Shin wanted to avoid. If Izuku did experience anything unusual, Shin could simply attribute it to the process of unlocking a quirk. That way, there'd be no suspicion.
With that in mind, he decided to unlock only two of the seven orbs he could currently perceive.
Metaphysically, he reached out with his Force Pulse and grasped the closest two of them all. The moment he did, he felt an immediate increase in resistance from the vestiges—the remnants of the past wielders, struggling against him.
Shin smirked at this struggle. With a mere exertion of his vast reserves of Eth, he crushed the resistance entirely.
The grey matter inside the two orbs began dissolving at a rapid pace. As it faded, Shin started receiving fragmented impressions—vague insights into what these quirks were and glimpses of their previous owners. As he processed this information, he noticed something else happening—Izuku's Eth, which flowed naturally around his soul, began to react instinctively. It started seeping into the two orbs, replacing the grey matter that had just been erased.
Within ten seconds, the transformation was complete. Now, the two orbs contained the same kind of energy as before, but they felt completely different. Instead of the lingering presence of their previous wielders, they now carried Izuku's essence.
Shin smirked, satisfied that his method had worked. Without wasting time, he shifted his focus to the larger orb—the core of One For All.
However, he had no clear idea of how to approach it. He couldn't just flood it with his Eth like before—doing so would not only be pointless but also incredibly risky. If the being responsible for this split soul reacted badly, it could result in an early death for him. That was a risk he wasn't willing to take.
Since he lacked a direct method, he decided to probe it first. The moment he sent his Force Pulse into the orb, a crushing pressure slammed into his soul. The attack came instantly—sharp, precise, and relentless.
It wasn't a single overwhelming force but a barrage of countless needle-like strands of Eth, piercing at him from all directions. Each strike was small, but their sheer number made them deadly. There were many of them—far too many for an ordinary person to produce. This indicated that the attacker's Eth was large in quantity, but Shin could tell immediately—His own reserves were at least three times greater. Though this still suggested that the attacker has lived for about four to five hundred years making him wonder if his attacker was at Rank 3. After all there was no way, a normal person can survive that long in this world even if they become rank 2.
Anyway, rather than meeting the assault head-on, he let his Eth flow in waves, constantly shifting and dispersing the attacks upon impact. The needles kept coming, adjusting in an attempt to find an opening, but it was futile. They couldn't break through. Bit by bit, he crushed them, each thread of resistance erased the moment it reached him.
The intensity of the attack lessened, but Shin didn't stop. He pressed forward, overwhelming the remnants of the assault, tearing through the last traces of opposition until nothing remained. Then, finally—silence. The attack had been completely destroyed.
Shin exhaled slightly, lowering his hand but keeping his focus sharp. He allowed himself to relax just slightly, but caution remained.
[Oh! You survived that?] A surprised feminine voice entered Shin's mind. [And without much harm to yourself, no less. How did you do that?]
Who are you? Where are you speaking from? Shin immediately questioned, unable to determine the source. However, from the Eth imbued in every word, he was certain that she was the one who had attacked him earlier.
[Don't you have any manners? Aren't you supposed to introduce yourself before asking for someone's identity?] The voice chuckled with amusement. [Still, I'll forgive you since I don't sense any ill intent from you.]
I don't think I'd like to introduce myself to someone who just tried to kill me, Shin responded with a scoff.
[That was nothing more than a self-defence mechanism,] the voice replied with a metaphorical shrug. [Blame yourself for trying to probe my soul without permission.]
Shin felt a flash of irritation at her response, but that quickly turned into shock as he realized something crucial from the information she had accidentally revealed. The one who had attacked him and was now speaking to him was none other than Seraphina Morningstar—the half-soul residing within the One For All quirk. That realization led to another. He was in the presence of a Rank 3 being—albeit a much weaker one due to her soul being split. But that only raised more questions.
Who could possibly be strong enough to split the soul of someone like her?
He was just about to ask when the voice spoke again.
[Anyway, that self-defence mechanism took a lot out of me in my current state, so I'm quite tired,] the feminine voice sighed. [So, get out and don't disturb me like that again.]
The moment she finished speaking, Shin felt a powerful force push against him. His Force Pulse was abruptly ejected from Izuku's body. He opened his eyes in bewilderment. When he attempted to send his Force Pulse back in, he found that Izuku's soul was completely concealed. He immediately knew who was responsible and, with some reluctance, withdrew his ability.
Just as he did, the voice spoke once more.
[I know you have a lot of questions, but we can talk later. After all, I have plenty of questions about you as well. And don't worry—we can communicate like this no matter where you are, now that I've placed a bit of my Eth inside your body.]
Shin let out a small breath, his expression settling as he pulled his hand away from Izuku. Without wasting time, he activated his Force Pulse for an internal scan and quickly found what she had mentioned. A faint trace of her Eth was inside him—harmless, but definitely there.
He wrapped his own Eth around it, keeping it contained but deciding not to erase it completely. It wasn't a threat, and it could serve as a way to communicate with her. How that worked, he had no idea, even with his expertise in the matter. That was something to figure out when she decided to talk again.
Pushing the thought aside, he turned his attention to Midoriya, who was watching him eagerly. It was obvious he hadn't felt a thing during the process. Realizing this, Shin gave a small nod before finally speaking. "It's done."
Midoriya's eyes widened before a huge grin spread across his face, his excitement clear. He didn't waste a single second and started attempting to use his newly unlocked quirks. Watching for a moment, Shin gave him a few pointers on what the quirks were and how to use them properly. He kept his explanations brief, making sure Izuku had at least some grasp over them before stepping back.
With nothing more to add, he turned away and walked off towards Momo who had already finished her part and waiting for him.
…
Watching Shin from a distance, Momo noticed that he had just finished giving his suggestions to Midoriya, who she assumed was the last person he needed to assist for the day. She had been waiting for him for about half an hour now, a clear indication of how slow he was being. But she had no reason to blame him—nor did she have any complaints—since teaching and mentoring others was something he genuinely enjoyed.
That was something she simply couldn't resonate with. She didn't understand why he liked it in the first place. From her perspective, all he was doing was helping others improve with little to no benefit for himself. Well, maybe he gained some insights here and there, but they were nothing compared to what he was giving away. Based on what she knew about him, she wouldn't exactly call him a kind person. Sure, he had his moments, but for the most part, he was an opportunist—someone who always sought to turn situations to his advantage. He wasn't the type to willingly take a loss.
As she contemplated this, she noticed Shin suddenly stop. His gaze lifted into the air, as if he were watching something unseen. She knew that look—it meant he was reading a system window. Just as she was wondering what it could be, a notification popped up in front of her.
[The peerage head has fulfilled all the necessary conditions. You may now begin cultivating with your TrueSoul. For more information, visit the TrueSoul tab in the main menu.]
Momo blinked in confusion. She glanced back at Shin, who stood motionless, eyes closed, and immediately understood—he must have received a similar notification. And since her system was merely a secondary one, any changes to Shin's primary system naturally reflected onto hers as well.
She had plenty of questions, but she decided to check the TrueSoul tab first. The moment she opened it, a flood of information surged into her mind.
It detailed the first three major levels of cultivation, along with a breakdown of the process itself. And to her surprise, it was entirely different from what she had previously understood based on the system's explanation of Shin's original plane's cultivation method. In fact, most of the process here was automated—the system would handle nearly everything, and all she had to do was desire for it to happen.
But what really caught her attention was the cooldown period. TrueSoul cultivation could only be performed once every five years.
Five damn years.
Momo shook her head at the absurdity of it all while trying to process the rest of the information. Some aspects of the process still didn't make complete sense to her, so she decided there was only one way to fully grasp it—by experiencing it firsthand. After all, there was no better teacher than experience itself.
She turned her attention back to the screen and saw two tabs.
------
CULTIVATE
SKILL UPLOAD
------
"Hmm…!" Momo's eyes widened as she noticed the second tab.
"Finally! About time we had a way to upload our chosen skill. I'm sure Shin would be overjoyed about this—he was always so curious about how it worked. And the fact that this option appears under the TrueSoul tab likely means it's more of an automated process than anything resembling cultivation."
"Anyway, I'll leave that for later. First, I'll try cultivating."
A smirk played on Momo's lips as she mentally selected the cultivate option. The moment she did, her surroundings shifted. The training hall vanished, and instead, she found herself levitating in the middle of a vast, cubic, white space. She had absolutely no control over her body, but strangely, that didn't make her anxious. Under normal circumstances, the lack of control would have unsettled her, yet here, she felt an overwhelming sense of peace—calmer than she had ever been.
As she floated in this unknown place, her instincts sent her a warning. Something was about to happen. Bracing herself, she remained still.
Slowly, she started to feel drained.
Yet, she couldn't pinpoint exactly what was being drained from her. If she had to put it into words, it felt as though everything that made her who she was—her stamina, her body, her skills, her soul, her memories, her time, her karma, her fate, her very existence—was being siphoned away. It was all being converted into a form of energy she couldn't quite comprehend, yet she could feel it accumulating around her. And not just feel—it was visible. A shimmering mass of shifting colors surrounded her, a mesmerizing spectrum that pulsed and twisted in ways she couldn't describe.
Slowly, an eerie sensation crept over her. She felt as though she was fading into nothingness. As though she was ending. Yet even then, fear did not take hold of her mind. The process continued, draining her further and further, until she reached the brink—until there was nothing left to take. She was on the verge of vanishing completely.
At that moment, she felt a thin string connected to her. And along with that feeling came an understanding—it was linked to the entire plane she was currently in.
From that string came a heavy downpour of energy, which Momo instantly recognized as ki, the natural energy resource of her plane. The energy was somehow converting into everything that had been drained from her, restoring her completely. In less than an instant, she was whole again, as if nothing had happened. But she knew what she had experienced was real. The proof of that reality lay in the incomprehensible energy still lingering around her, visible and tangible in its shifting spectrum of colors.
Slowly, the energy surrounding her began to rotate faster, and bit by bit, it started entering her.
Immediately, a sudden insight hit Momo. She wasn't sure where it came from, but she knew she had to act fast. Closing her eyes, she focused on sensing her TrueSoul—the very first step of cultivation.
As more and more of the spectral energy poured into her, she started perceiving the outline of her TrueSoul. She could now trace where it began and where it ended. It was clear that her TrueSoul was absorbing all this energy, and because of that, she was able to see it. She immediately understood that once it had absorbed enough, she would be able to perceive her entire TrueSoul, which was exactly what the first cultivation level was about.
Right now, though, all she could make out were its faint outlines, and even that wasn't fully clear.
Yet, the more she saw, the more euphoria filled her. Completely immersed in the experience, she lost awareness of everything else. Unconsciously, she shifted into a cross-legged position, floating mid-air, focusing entirely on perceiving her TrueSoul.
The process continued for a long while, until, finally, the last of the surrounding energy was fully absorbed into her. Momo let out a deep breath and opened her eyes, a triumphant smile forming on her lips. She was clearly pleased with the progress she had made. But before she could even celebrate, she found herself back in the training hall. Everything looked exactly the same as it had before she entered that strange space. Nothing had changed.
In an instant, she understood—either time had stopped completely while she was in that plane, or the space she had entered was unaffected by the concept of time. Both assumptions were absurd. But for the system, either was entirely possible.