A long time ago, there was a simple man in a world that was quite ordinary. He had no distinct features, wealth, or qualities that might make someone look twice at him. He never longed for a life of fame and fortune, nor to have a good wife. He was a good honest man who never expected anything from life, but always smiled with every new day.
He never married. He was a man who could barely pass for handsome, but easily overlooked in a crowd. If it wasn't for his kindness and gentle nature, maybe he would even be called unappealing.
He worked as a coffee shop manager for 40 years and saw many children grow up in front of him.
The truth was, this man was nothing special in the eyes of the world. But he was content with his life. He enjoyed every morning at work and evening at home.
Until one day, this man caught the attention of a powerful and malicious being. It could be called a Demon by all descriptions and its power was great. Its only fleeting interest in this ordinary man was a passing thought as it destroyed the world with a snap of its claws. It noticed this mediocure human soul because its last thoughts were of peaceful gratitude. It held no resentment for the destruction of its world. And seeing that, filled the demon with jealousy and hatred.
It hated this soul because it reminded itself of what it had lost and what it was not.
"How dare you?! How dare you resist me?" It screamed.
Then it had an idea. A twisted and malicious idea that only a demon could have. It wanted this soul to distort. He would watch it grow and become indifferent to life just as it had once done. As if this would justify its own conscience for being a disgusting, evil, twisted thing.
It would take this 'good man' and watch him wither into apathy, just like it once did.
And so, this man's journey began with a demons curse; Broken Reincarnation. This ability was engraved on the man's soul like a tattoo's ink on skin. He would continue to be reborn in different worlds, but always in the lowest, poorest, or most desperate class.
No doubt this was the plot of the demon. It hoped to see the man's heart harden when faced with the cruelest of human nature and most difficult circumstance. The insidiousness of its plan was to force suffering onto the man, while providing a 'way out' by gaining personal power of his own to change the situation.
But that's the trap. As long as the man committed to gaining personal power a difference would form between him and normal people and his heart would change. No longer would he be filled with a smile of gratitude each day, but instead a face filled with resolved to achieve his goal. That's already one step on the ladder of apathy. As long as he continues to be reborn, endlessly, what will he think of the humans next to him?
Can he relate to them and empathize if he becomes powerful? Maybe once or twice, but what about 10 times, 100 times, a million?
In the demon's view, this man was destined to degenerate at his hands. It had put forth a perfect open conspiracy with its terrifying intelligence.
However, it didn't expect just how determined this 'average good man' was in avoiding his conspiracy.
After hundreds of years, reincarnating in different world as cannon fodder, the man remained steadfast in his values. Even, he pushed himself further in refining his heart, treating each life as a trial or goal to 'be a better person'. And through it all, a tiny version of the demon followed him and watched it all.
It would occasionally stir up more trouble for the man, causing exhausting situations to occur or thousands of unlucky coincidences to befall him. But the man's infuriating gratitude for life never faded and continued to grow stronger.
Eventually, the man accumulated an ability of his own. Completely his and born through the repeated tempering of reincarnation.
[Increment]
A strange ability that could 'increment' a 'value' by 1 whole. It would remain during the life of that world, before returning to him in the next life to allow him to increment again.
At this time, the man was reborn into a new world. A world of hunters and adventure.
...
Meteor Street.
An abandoned baby was left at the front of a dilapidated church. It was thin and malnourished, struggling to breathe.
Warm hands picked up the baby as the robed priest brought him inside to feed him.
Time passed as the baby managed to survive with the priest's help. Years went by as the boy became a man, wearing the same priest robe as the priest before him, who had now passed away.
There was nothing outstanding about the young priest except for his noticeable eyes. They had small (+) and (-) at the center of them. It didn't make him handsome, just... strange.
On the left shoulder of the priest, a hideous looking imp sat. It remained completely invisible to anyone else, but its eyes were filled with extreme intelligence.
"How interesting... haha-HAHA." The demon imp muttered to itself.
Its eyes shifted to the priest's face, flickering.
"Finally something new!" The demon's eyes gleamed in anticipation.
"I've been waiting for so long, Valor... finally, haha." The demon laughed happily, squinting its eyes as it imagined the future.
The priest, Valor, felt the warm glow of Nen cover his body. It happened naturally and without any form of seeking on his part. Perhaps, due to the strong soul and many coincidences, power that he had always avoided had thrown itself into his arms.
'It's not like I'm afraid of having power. It just matters how that power is gained.' Valor answered the demon's laughter in his heart.
The moment he gained Nen, he could feel his Hatsu already formed. Normally, it would take Nen users a long time to build an ability which is in line with their desires. But Valor was not a normal person and the long reincarnations filled with suffering and single minded goals lead to it being built almost instantly.
[Feast of the Victim]
That was his Nen ability. It materialized all kinds of foods on a table which permanently granted effects to the eater. These effects would be what the eater needs most and would help make up for personal defects. The strength of these effects are directly proportional to the suffering the eater has experienced as a victim.
Valor shook his head slightly before closing the door to the church. He sat in a wooden pew and watched the raindrops from the rain race down the church window.
'It seems, this life won't be easy.' He thought.