Seriously? I’ve reached Jōnin level, and the system’s only shows up?

Yamanaka Shinno stared at the long list of traits on his personal interface.

Red Trait Conversion opportunities didn't come easy.

It would be a waste to use one on a regular trait. Naturally, the best candidates were high-concept traits, Fate-related traits, or those with special effects.

Among them, the purple trait [Divine Duel of Takamagahara], the blue traits [Fate Weaver] and [Great-Granny Club], and the white trait [Fragile but Tenacious] all fit that category.

From a purely cost-effective standpoint, upgrading the white trait [Fragile but Tenacious] to red would yield the best return.

It would eliminate the downside of attracting powerful enemies and constant life-or-death situations. From the angle of sudden breakthroughs and survivability in critical moments, this trait was basically a protagonist's fate.

But what if the upgrade didn't go the way he hoped? What if it didn't make him a fated hero, but instead a destined villain?

In that case… should he activate it or not?

After mulling it over, Shinno decided to eliminate [Fragile but Tenacious] as an option for now.

Too risky.

He'd revisit it later if another chance came around.

That left three remaining traits. The blue trait [Great-Granny Club] had a decent effect, but an upgrade would most likely just enhance the bonus effect.

Right now, with the golden trait [Boundless Weapon Realm] backing him, he wasn't lacking in offensive power. It could wait.

As for [Divine Duel of Takamagahara], its current effect was already more than sufficient.

He guessed that upgrading it would probably just let him manipulate stronger opponents or adjust the balance of power in battle more drastically—which didn't hold much value for him at the moment.

"System, use the Red Trait Conversion Card on [Fate Weaver]."

His gaze landed on [Fate Weaver], a trait that hadn't stood out much, but had consistently proven useful.

Ever since he got it, his luck had taken a noticeable turn for the better.

He had just started plotting to slowly gain control within Root when Danzo suddenly served himself up on a silver platter.

And then there was Black Zetsu.

Shinno hadn't expected to find that sneaky troublemaker so quickly.

But just after taking down Rasa on the battlefield and getting a power spike, Black Zetsu had practically rushed in to deliver himself—and conveniently handed over control of Kirigakure to Uchiha Hikari in the process.

If he took this kind of luck to a casino...

Tsunade would probably break down and cry on the spot.

[Conversion complete. Congratulations, Host has obtained the red trait: 'Clockwork of Fate']

Clockwork of Fate (Red): Allows insight into the destinies of humans, spirits, and other entities. View karma, fortune, blessings, calamities, lifespan, and prosperity. Grants a probability-based ability to foresee personal fortune and disaster. Actively interfere with or alter the fate of others. When another's fate undergoes a drastic shift, absorb the unclaimed power of destiny to enhance personal luck. Within a 100-meter range, observe detailed values of karma, fortune, luck, lifespan, and prosperity via the Clockwork of Fate.

As the system chime faded, Shinno's vision blurred slightly. A strange sense of dizziness washed over him, followed by a torrent of knowledge forcefully flowing into his mind.

He felt completely overwhelmed.

A Fate-type red trait... this effect was absurd!

After taking a moment to fully absorb the new information, Shinno looked toward Seramu and Sara, the mother-daughter duo standing by the stone chamber's entrance.

Under the effect of [Clockwork of Fate], several unusual lines had already appeared around their bodies.

He raised his right hand. In his palm, rich purple luck energy rapidly condensed into a palm-sized compass-like construct—the Clockwork of Fate.

Seramu and Sara's information was laid out clearly before him.

Karma—essentially sin—was nearly nonexistent for both.

Fortune—akin to merit—was extremely high for Seramu and a bit lower for Sara.

Luck? Roughly equal.

Lifespan? Thirty-five for Seramu, thirty for Sara. Both were shockingly short-lived.

Prosperity, which represented wealth, had two values. The larger numbers were impressive, but the bracketed values were pathetically low.

According to the knowledge from the system, this meant they had access to significant financial resources—but hadn't spent any of it on themselves.

"You've got money, and you gave it all to the people of Rōran?"

Shinno gave the two, standing hand in hand at the stone door, a look filled with mixed emotions.

They hadn't done anything wrong—quite the opposite, they'd done plenty of good.

Their luck was average, their lifespans tragically short, and they lived tight, frugal lives.

This... was the Queen of Rōran?

No, this was a certified martyr!

"Lord Shinno? Is… is something wrong with us?"

Seramu's voice was tentative, seeing the strange expression on his face.

"What's the average lifespan in your family?"

Shinno glanced again at the values shown by the Clockwork of Fate.

Soon, the military forces across the shinobi world would be unified under his control. The chance that Seramu or Sara would die in war or by accident was practically zero.

In that case, the short lifespan probably came down to something genetic.

"...It might be because we're connected to the Dragon Vein," Seramu replied with a faintly helpless smile. "Since hundreds of years ago, very few queens of Rōran have lived past forty."

She gently patted her daughter Sara's hand, which had tightened slightly.

"I'll check your bodies later," Shinno nodded. He wasn't surprised.

The Dragon Vein's power was immense, but it came with side effects.

For someone without overwhelming strength, using it always came with a steep price.

...

"D-Do you really need to check both of us?"

Seramu's cheeks flushed a gentle pink.

She knew Shinno was just being kind, but still...

"Just a basic chakra scan, nothing invasive."

Shinno couldn't help but think of the landlord character from that old Earth movie. The "checkup" he meant, and what Seramu had assumed, might've had a slight difference in tone.

Ah, such a heart-thumping misunderstanding!

His moral compass was still way too strong. He hadn't even tried to take advantage of the situation.

"V-Very well. T-Thank you for your help then, Lord Shinno."

Seramu's face went crimson, blushing all the way down to her neck. She quickly covered Sara's eyes and took several deep breaths.

So embarrassing!

She was the queen of Rōran—why did she keep having such bizarre thoughts?!

She seriously wanted to hit reset on her memory.

...

"It's fine. Just give me a minute—I have something else to take care of first."

Knowing Seramu needed time to calm down, Shinno turned away, sat cross-legged in front of the Dragon Vein's control switch, and closed his eyes.

Using the power of his golden trait [Multiverse Traveler], he channeled the Dragon Vein's energy to search for the gateways to other worlds.

Buzz...

A surge of energy far more intense than either of his previous world-jumps exploded outward!

Seramu and Sara were instantly pinned against the stone chamber's wall by the sheer force.

From beneath them, the fully liquefied Dragon Vein energy rose like water being sucked skyward, pouring into Shinno's body—only to be rapidly consumed by [Multiverse Traveler].

Five minutes passed. Then ten. Twenty...

More than an hour later—

He finally sensed them: one large, one small—two distinct "rifts" floating in space.

"So this... is a gateway to another world?"

Shinno moved fast, marking both rifts with his own energy using [Multiverse Traveler].

The smaller one was easily imprinted.

As long as he supplied enough energy, he could use that mark to cross over into that world at will.

The larger one, however, only took a faint imprint on the first attempt.

"A world with a higher power level?"

Shinno narrowed his eyes and, with the Dragon Vein's energy flooding in, sent out mark after mark.

After several minutes of effort—

He finally left a stable, complete signature on it.

The gateway was now officially recorded and saved!

A satisfied smile spread across his face as he exited the world-sensing state.

The surging Dragon Vein energy in the stone chamber slowly settled.

He noticed that the energy level, which previously sat barely ten meters below the floor even after two jumps, had now dropped to over fifty meters deep.

Yikes.

Good thing the Dragon Vein was linked to the entire planet—it could gradually regenerate.

Otherwise, no way this kind of usage would be sustainable!

----------------

Pls Drop some Power Stones

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