Chapter 1 - Chen

Central India— A revolutionary country that fought for every kind of rights against the hegemony named Global Federation.

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In the world of 'traits', the need for military dominance has never been greater until the rise of the revolution. The higher-ups realized that their 'stock' of men and expendable individuals was simply... low. They fell not to an army of angered and indignant troops.

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The federation fought within itself, weakening the power altogether. Traits had only ignited human greed and humanity does one thing the best— accepting their own greed and perverse desires.

Heavy downpour covered Tyrana— The most impoverished city of the Central India also marked as the most important project of the revolution to develop. The lack of tall buildings and metropolitan areas made the city as a whole look quite dilapidated.

"Sir, what do you think? My guess is that the city will be flooded in... hmm, eight hours. What's your guess?"

In a two-storied building, a youthful figure sat across a redwood desk. His well-developed body leaned against the revolving leather chair. Drops of rain continuously slid down the window while the temperature of the room grew slightly colder.

"Sir, you look gloomy. We won. The federation is no more," The youth swept his black hair back and looked towards the middle-aged figure sitting across him. The desk was without any stationary or decorative object or the youth feared that he may already be attacked by the gloomy figure sitting in front of him.

Even the room had a bare minimum of furniture. The paint seemed to be chipping away from the wall in thin, crispy layers.

"The leader of the Federation... Briana Regis. Did you know it or not?"

The middle-aged man had grey sideburns and a burly body carefully tucked away by a set of grey suit. He didn't wear a tie and had two of his shirt's top buttons unbuttoned. A thick but trimmed beard carpeted his chin and jawline while a curving mustache covered his upper lip.

His rugged hand was placed on the edge of the table and his index finger tapped on the table.

"Know what exactly?" The youth smiled.

"That she is my daughter," the man didn't beat around the bushes.

"Yes. If I didn't know this, it would have shamed all your teaching," the youth sighed softly.

The man's lips trembled and his gaze turned complicated. His dark pupils matched the youth's green pupils.

"Just a child?" The youth inquired with a sad expression.

"Sir... teach, if you think that I was excited to kill your daughter then... maybe we shouldn't talk anymore. I just want to let you know that... I lived up to your ideals. Others think that 'Cowl' is an aged man, but I'm barely 19. They think that the 'Cowl' is a divine tactician but I'm just a boy with nothing to lose. The boy you nurtured and raised," the youth gave a hollow chuckle, "For fuck's sake. I didn't know my 'trait' was so amazing until you helped me."

The more the youth spoke... the more his expression brightened, the more the middle-aged man's nose soured up. What he saw wasn't a teenager that shook the federation. He only saw a boy trying to fight off a group of indignant pursuers for a stolen wristwatch.

"You could have spared her..."

"I couldn't," the youth stood up from his chair and walked towards the middle-aged man. Leaning against the edge of the desk, he dazedly gazed at the door before continuing faintly, "Not after I discovered that she fought for the position to lead the fed only to turn her back on the truth. Teacher... do you want to hear her last words?"

The youth inquired with a slightly cold expression.

"I think I already know," the man whispered.

"She expressed her gratitude before passing away. She had a sweet smile on her face... she praised you for your mercy," the man replied.

"Yeah. She had the galls to say that she couldn't do anything. That her trait wouldn't let her do anything. I knew I had to kill her. If it isn't me, then someone else, a stranger, would have completed the task. What then, teach?

You wouldn't be able to avenge your daughter then, right? You'd have to find that bastard. And... how would you have avenged a stranger in case that rebellious soul died instead of your daughter?"

The youth's question made the middle-aged man sigh deeply and regret filled his eyes.

"Only an idiot wouldn't," the 'Cowl' smiled.

"You raised an ambitionless youth with an ideal. The world can be changed. And I believe it. But... why would a father lead a rebellion against his beloved daughter?

Or at least, a condition of your trait. This made me investigate her mother and the results actually... fell under my scope of prediction. Your wife died in the most torturous situation. Taken by underground slavers, used and broken thoroughly before being sold to even more twisted individuals.

You killed them all. Each kill marked a substantial increase in your strength.

That's your trait, isn't it? Avenging someone to gain strength. A trait tutor like you must be harsh even to yourself. You could let your wife bear all the torture and you reaped the rewards. But not with your daughter, no.

Papa loved the girl, right? Too much to let her go through that torture. So, you took another approach. Ending her life quickly. At the hands of your own disciple to the boot."

"Then you know... what will happen in the next few breaths. Do you have any last words?"

Humming an amused tone, the youth sat back in his chair and then leaned back with a careless expression. His fingers scratching the back of his head.

"I have a last wish, yeah. Once you're done with me, kill everyone from my group."

"Why not?" Cowl shrugged, "I'd rather not have my rebellion turn into the next leaders. We don't even have educational background for it... we're just a bunch of losers who huddled together. There are much better individuals and besides, even if it is the rebellion who rules, I guess that it won't even take 20 years before they become the second federation."

"You've always been an astute one," The man slowly stretched his hand forward while a pitch-black gun with silver markings appeared in his hand.

"I will give them an easy death," the man nodded. He hesitated for a moment before gritting and inquiring softly.

"Hubert... do you regret it? Following me?"

Giving a loud chuckle, Hubert smiled widely.

The youth's brain splattered against the window in an instant.

[Congratulations! Trait Maker 766618 is the first to reach the Mythical Trait Maker! Divine Evolution Commencing.]

The middle-aged man's skin slowly turned purple. His pupils turned red surrounded by golden irises. Two horns tore out of his skull and the blood turned pitch black. A furious gust rose from his body and a red, malevolent mist appeared around his body.

As the mist touched Hubert's body, his body shriveled at a pace visible to the naked eye and the man glanced at the corpse with a complicated expression.

"For what it's worth... I do regret training you for all to end like this. But... I'm way past the line. I will only go down deeper," the man narrowed his gaze before he roared.

His entire being trembled as an inexhaustible force of energy swept out from his body, destroying everything around him.

"Nnngh, consider that debt paid," a youth in dark robes stretched his hands up with a satisfied expression.

'It looks like I really got another chance at life. Nice.'

'Oh, oh! Ohhhh!' The memories that seemed to be filling his mind like gentle drops of water suddenly stormed in, making Hubert clutch his head slightly in anguish and pain.

His back was once again pressed against the thick trunk of the tree but this time, out of pain instead of relaxation.

"Aghh... the physical pain isn't even worth the pain of my name. Chen? Isn't it just Hubert? My bland name follows me, huh, I guess, I forgot to take that reincarnation 101."

'Chen... I understand the language clear enough. It means grandson, huh. I guess that's kinda sweet. But... why would an orphan actually be named 'grandson'?'

Chen took a moment to recollect his bearings. He had died to his teacher's hand and since the man saved his life, Chen didn't feel the least bit angered by the fact that he also took his life.

'I just hope that he gets others... I die and they get to live? When did life start shitting rainbow?' Chen smirked without an ounce of shame in his heart. Anyway, the rebellion wasn't a holy group. It was an underdog and that's why it was supported by the masses. Soon enough, the rebellion's true face would be revealed which wasn't any better than the federation.

'But I guess that hoping to be a rich scion with a ton of babes was just a dream for this grandson. An outlaw back then and an outlaw even now. Good thing that this world is primitive and the said 'law' is just the words of an organization,' Chen traced his chin.

"Anyway... no need to hide. The original body was quite passive despite having such good things. But, let's give it a try..."

Chen took a deep breath. He searched for an extremely intimate and familiar connection. The connection and power that made him the most resourceful individual of planet Trait Maker. More resourceful than his teacher itself.

After all, who can plan their own death calmly and even aim for an escape of death through reincarnation?

"Set Mission," Chen whispered and his eyes glazed instantly.

In front of him, a small, black translucent screen appeared— Set the Perimeters.

"Find a settlement. Time limit— 1 day."

[Objective: Find a Settlement with a population of more than 5000.

Rewards: Li Feng's poetry.

"Accept," Chen mumbled.

'My trait came along... so traits must be supported in this world, too. But, this world doesn't seem to have any traits.'

Chen stood up and stretched his waist.

His nose twitched as he sighed deeply.

'I need a bath. A cold, refreshing bath.'