Chapter 193: The Prohibition of Trait Use

Silence remained where the storm had passed.

The sky, once dyed red, had now settled into a calm blue, and the twisted streets and the abomination’s aura that had covered the sky were slowly receding. 

Amid the gradual restoration of Tokyo’s distorted structure, rays of light streamed through the gaps between the bones of collapsed buildings. 

Within that light, two people—Kim Si-won and Seo Jun—stood facing each other.

“…You’re alive.”

It was Kim Si-won who spoke first. 

His words carried more than mere relief. 

He looked at Seo Jun, whose uniform was torn to shreds, caught his breath for a moment, then approached and quietly placed a hand on his shoulder.

Creek.

Instead of answering, Seo Jun laughed. 

Like wind seeping through broken ribs, that laugh was a mixture of pain, relief, and the resolve that still remained.

“If it weren’t for that final realization, I probably wouldn’t have won.”

“But you endured, and you triumphed.”

After the brief exchange, the two stood in silence for a while, gazing at the ruins of Japan.

At that moment, space began to tremble slowly.

In that ambiguous gap—no longer the Tower, nor reality—a mysterious field spread out like a transparent panel before the two people standing at the center of the rift.

[Conditions for receiving reward fulfilled.]

[Reward type: Information.]

[This information concerns the source of fear and the purpose of the Tower’s construction.]

[From now on, the truth will be revealed.]

Kim Si-won’s eyes narrowed. He had heard the word “reward” countless times, but it had rarely been given as knowledge. The Tower always hid something; it was never an entity that easily surrendered the truth.

But this time was different. This might be the trace intentionally left behind by that being—Nepas.

And soon the reward began.

Slowly, their vision darkened. Yet it was not that they had closed their eyes—something was superimposing itself deep beyond their sight.

It was the past.

No, it was a memory from before the Tower existed, a remnant of the unconscious that held its origin.

What came first was a whisper.

「Grant power. To the chosen ones. Let them break the mold of humanity and harbor the possibilities beyond.」

A cold, resonant voice. That voice stabbed sharply into Kim Si-won’s heart—he who was no longer the Tower Administrator.

Then, like a video, yet with a clarity more distinct than any visual, a sensation was injected into the minds of the two men.

The deepest part of the Tower, the source of fear—the moment that being was born in silent stillness.

It had crawled out from the cracks of the world and quietly absorbed the desires and fears of the human race. Then, it made a decision.

It did not build the Tower; it seduced and drew out the architects of the Tower.

The Tower was not erected.

It was a breeding ground created by that being through those called architects. A tool to test, select, and filter the human race—a species with infinite potential—and ultimately incorporate them into the source of fear itself.

And the traits, the power, the Awakening—everything that had been considered a blessing was, in truth, a preemptive contract.

The Tower was merely an intermediary.

The true supplier of power was always that being—the source of fear.

[Truth: Most Awakeners have accepted a part of fear as the price for their power.]

[Truth: The Tower’s architect, pretending to seal the source of fear, was actually expanding it.]

[Truth: The Awakening system is a process of weaponizing humans while containing the potential for corruption.]

[Truth: The more traits are used, the stronger the source of fear becomes.]

Seo Jun’s breath caught as if it would stop.

Kim Si-won silently endured the stillness.

But beyond that expressionless face, a boiling rage surged.

The final sentence that appeared before them was short and decisive.

[You must now choose.]

[Will you completely cut off the source of this power?]

[Or will you delve deeper?]

Only after the information panel disappeared did the two return to reality.

Twilight in Tokyo. The city slowly reviving.

But that place was no longer just a space for reconstruction.

It was a battlefield.

A prelude to the decisive battle to come—a clash that would determine the fate of all humanity.

Seo Jun spoke first.

“…Master, this is…?”

“Yes.”

Kim Si-won nodded and re-sheathed his sword.

Conquering the Tower was not the end.

The Tower was merely a bottleneck; the real fight was only beginning.

Now, their enemy was not Nepas, but the true culprit hiding behind him.

“Traits. They were not a blessing, but a curse.”

Kim Si-won muttered lowly.

“Therefore, we must now correct the faulty framework.”

The more traits are used, the stronger the source of fear becomes.

With trait usage already universal, they had to shatter the framework that thing had created.

*

[World Awakener Association Headquarters – Emergency Special Briefing]

A high ceiling, transparent soundproof panels draped against a backdrop of dozens of national flags, and a red EMERGENCY alert flashing on the floor and walls alongside a giant world map.

At the center, on the podium, stood a man in a neat black uniform.

Kim Si-won.

The Chairman of the World Awakener Association and the strongest being of present-day humanity.

He quietly took a breath, then with calm eyes faced the gaze of the entire world.

Hundreds of cameras, live broadcast screens, hundreds of millions of viewers.

No one was smiling.

Kim Si-won opened his mouth. His voice was low and deep, carrying a clear resolve.

“Civilians of the world. The announcement I am about to make… is directly linked to the survival of humanity.”

Silence.

Then, a video projected on the screen.

The first nation eroded by the Tokyo Tower. The devastation there, the abomination monsters, and the incapacitated citizens.

All of it unfolded before their eyes.

And appended behind it, one sentence.

[Truth: Traits are weapons designed by the source of fear.]

At that moment, the world fell silent.

But that stillness soon raged like a storm.

“We believed traits were a blessing from God.”

“We thought Awakening was the evolution of humanity.”

“But that belief was thoroughly… manipulated.”

He reached his hand toward the screen.

The information obtained as a reward—the truth.

The source of fear had expanded its existence by absorbing human desires and fears.

The Tower was designed as a tool for that expansion, and traits are the contract of fear created by that being.

The more Awakeners used their traits, the more they were returning power to it.

The stronger we became, the stronger it became.

“Now, the time for choice has come.”

“We can continue to use this power.”

“But the price is the fall of humanity.”

“Therefore, from this moment on, the World Awakener Association prohibits all use of traits.”

“From now on, we will fight with the inherent strength of humans.”

“To prevent corruption and to correct this distorted structure.”

After that announcement, the reactions of each nation sharply diverged.

The United States, Russia, and India cautiously agreed with the Association’s decision.

But Brazil and Middle Eastern nations immediately opposed.

Some anarchist Awakener groups regarded this as a declaration of monopoly and began instigating large-scale protests.

Social media exploded.

#TraitsAreFreedom

#AssociationIsATyrant

#StepDownKimSiwon

#LetUsFightWithHumanWill

Even within each nation, conflicts deepened.

Some trait users refused government control and began forming vigilante or independent factions.

*

“The nations are splitting apart.”

Even at Kim Cha-un’s report, Kim Si-won only nodded.

“I expected it. The truth is always uncomfortable.”

His eyes remained calm.

Before him lay a map of the Tower’s spread.

Following Tokyo, into Southeast Asian waters, Eastern Europe, and the interior of South America.

The source of fear was infiltrating every corner of the world.

“It doesn’t take courage to speak the truth.”

“It takes courage to endure the truth and begin to prepare to fight.”

He stood up quietly.

And the sword at his waist was no longer aflame with trait energy.

It was the crystallization of will, blood, pain, and determination honed as a human.

“From now on, this is the real war.”

The enemy is not the Tower, Nepas, or the source of fear.

Humanity.

*

The war against humanity was about to begin.

The world was filled with the noise of falsehood.

“The Association is trying to monopolize traits!”

“Kim Si-won is a tyrant oppressing humanity!”

“Don’t let them take away our power! Freedom! Awakening is evolution!”

Broadcasting stations, social media, even street billboards.

Countless media outlets opposed the Trait Restriction Act. Particularly, some nations in South America and Europe outright nullified it and proceeded to establish awakened weapon units.

But there was no time.

If they delayed even a little longer, that thing would break through the seal and emerge.

Kim Si-won stood on the podium.

Behind him was Seo Jun.

And beside him, ten disciples he had taught—the elites of Siwon School—stood silently in a line, clad in black coats.

“I give the order.”

Kim Si-won’s voice was low, but its resonance crossed continents.

“From now on, we crush this false freedom. We break every voice of falsehood that feeds on fear.”

“We are the protectors of all humanity.”

Operation Silent Day was initiated.

Paris, France

The sky split open.

A black shadow fell over the traited protestors marching down the Champs-Élysées.

At the center of the shadow, Seo Jun descended.

In his hand was not the Soul Sword, but the Sword of Resolve.

“Here, there are no more options.”

Seo Jun reached out his hand toward those who tried to swing their weapons using traits.

Before the trait wave could even flare up, his sword tore through it.

A nullification wave that halted the trait circuits themselves.

That wave enveloped the entire city, and traited individuals across France were rendered powerless in that instant.

Paris fell silent.

São Paulo, Brazil

Siwon School’s third generation.

Ryu Jin, Lee Se-na, and Kang Yul descended from the air simultaneously.

They came down as if walking on clouds and engaged the abomination trait weapons that covered the city.

Kang Yul shouted toward the traited units in a state of trait rampage.

“We’re not here to kill you! We’re not here to take away your power either!”

“But that power, right now… is a disaster that’s collapsing the world!”

The moment his words ended, a formless barrier activated from Ryu Jin’s fingertips.

A noble wave that severed the trait circuits connected to fear.

São Paulo grew quiet.

As the false awakenings were neutralized one by one, the citizens wept.

But those tears were not of fear… but of relief.

Tehran, Iran

The place where the most intense resistance was expected.

Im Tae-seong, the top graduate of Siwon School’s first generation, infiltrated alone.

Thousands of awakened combat forces aimed their weapons at him.

But Tae-seong neither smiled nor fought.

He stretched out his hand.

And a heavy voice resonated.

“I sever the fear.”

인간답제 (Humanity’s Step) .

A technique inheriting Kim Si-won’s will.

The moment the tip of his foot pressed the ground,

the entire land began to reject trait-based circuits.

“What we want is order. A sacrifice for survival.”

With his declaration, Tehran was also purified.

That day, humanity’s freedom fell silent, and order returned.

Kim Si-won gave a speech after the operation.

Already, 14 nations and 23 cities had been converted into trait-use prohibition zones.

Siwon School’s students had created a legend of neutralizing people without killing them on all those fronts.

“We are not suppressing. We are reclaiming. The will to be human.”

Kim Si-won fastened his sword to his waist.

And then added one final statement.

“From now on, traits are banned by law. Anyone who violates this and connects the circuits of fear will face direct sanctions from the Association.”

The Complete Ban on Trait Use was sweeping the world under Kim Si-won’s will.