He had long, black hair that fell to his shoulders, and his eyes were a piercing black color. Ren was also noticeably larger than his contemporaries, his tall stature and broad shoulders making him appear older than his years. Moreover, he possessed unnatural strength, far surpassing that of others his age.

Ren, now 12 years old, sat at the corner of the public library of the Kai clan, immersed in his studies on vessels. Although he had been studying for the past two hours, one of his past memories suddenly surfaced in his mind. He saw himself, looking younger, perhaps in his teens, having a heated argument with his mother. The quarrel started because his mother was admonishing him for stopping his prayers to God. Ren had become an atheist due to his disillusionment with how politicians used religion to garner votes and how religious leaders employed their faith as a tool for unnecessary violence. He had witnessed in his previous world how some nations were hindered from developing due to certain rules and restrictions imposed by religion.

Ren came from a good family and had everything he wanted in his childhood. His parents had high expectations of him and he consistently scored good marks in his exams, typically in the range of 80-90%. However, despite his academic success, his parents were never satisfied with his results. They would compare him to other students or relatives, pointing out that his marks were lower than theirs. Ren grew fed up with his life, which seemed to revolve only around studying. He had a passion for boxing, and had even reached the district level, but his parents pressured him to quit, citing the impact it had on his marks, which were gradually declining. Initially, Ren wanted to pursue a career in boxing, and he trained hard for his matches. One night, he tried to convince his parents to let him continue his career in boxing.

Ren sat at the dining table with his parents, taking a deep breath before speaking up. "Mother, Father, I have something to tell you."

His father looked at him with a straight face, his expression unreadable. "What is it?" he asked gruffly.

Ren hesitated, then blurted out his words. "I want to pursue a career in boxing. I'm more interested in boxing than in studying."

His mother's face turned cold, her eyes flashing with anger. "No, no need to do boxing," she said sternly. "Just sit at home and study. Boxing is not a reliable career, it won't provide for you in the long run. Boxing can be a hobby, not a future."

Ren wanted to retort, but his father cut him off, "They're exceptions, not everyone's luck is good like them." He knew his son was about to cite examples of successful boxers. The conversation escalated into a quarrel at the dinner table.

After that, Ren slowly stopped attending boxing practice, and began planning his escape from his parents' house, seeking freedom to do whatever the fuck he wanted to do. In the midst of this planning, he met his friend Rayan, who earned a substantial amount of money, albeit illegally. Despite this, Ren was tempted to explore the opportunity and decided to meet with Rayan.

Ren sat on a bench in the park, his eyes scanning the surrounding area to ensure they were alone. His friend, Ryan, arrived a few minutes later, wearing a hooded jacket and sunglasses to conceal his identity.

"Hey, man," Ryan said, sitting down beside him. Ren said with a serious expression "I want to get into the business you're in."

Ryan said with a hint of nervousness, "Are you sure?"

Ren replied, "Yeah, 100% sure. You don't need to worry about me. Just tell me, I want to earn a little more."

Ryan leaned in, his voice low. "I've got a connection with an alcohol smuggling operation. Big money, big stakes. But we need to be careful; the authorities are cracking down hard."

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Ren understood now what kind of illegal business he was getting into, knowing that alcohol was banned in their state and that the smuggled alcohol would be sold at high prices.

Ren nodded, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "I'm in. When do we start?"

Ren smiled, a thrill of adrenaline coursing through his veins. "Tonight. Be ready."

As they spoke, they kept a watchful eye on the park surroundings, ensuring their illegal conversation went unnoticed by prying ears. The sun cast long shadows across the grass, and the sound of children playing in the distance seemed a world away from the dangerous world they were about to enter.

The smuggling operation went smoothly for almost a year with little ups and downs, and Ren and Ryan earned a substantial amount of money. Ren was able to move out of his parents' house and into a new place with Ryan. However, after a year, the police became aware of the increasing alcohol cases and cracked down hard, making smuggling almost impossible. Ren and Ryan had gotten a taste of the lucrative business and didn't want to be without a steady income for long. They considered shifting to other operations, leveraging their connections in the smuggling world. But Ren was hesitant to work under someone else, having realized how much more money seller and suppliers made.Middlemen like themselves also earned a significant amount, but their profits were heavily skimmed by their higher-ups, leaving them with a fraction of the actual earnings. Ren realized that if they were to start their own gang, they could keep the entire profit for themselves, without having to share it with anyone else, then he decided to tell his idea of opening their new gang.

Ryan intently listened to his friend's idea of starting their own gang, but he raised a concern: "We're only two members; we'll need more manpower. Some of our old acquaintances might join us for a bigger profit, but even then, we'll have to convince the suppliers. I'm sure they won't give us a deal on alcohol, especially now that most of their shipments are getting caught, and they're suffering huge losses."

A sinister idea was brewing in Ren's mind, and he smiled menacingly, 'I'm thinking of providing shelter to the runaway minors in our town and putting them to work for us. I'm sure the police won't suspect these minors of smuggling alcohol.' He added, 'And there's another advantage: even if they get caught, their punishment will be minimal.''

Ryan's eyes lit up, "What a sinister plan! Count me in.'"

Ren's eyes gleamed with a manic intensity, his mind racing with thoughts of chaos and deceit. 'I'll weave a web of lies, manipulate the innocent, and pull the strings from behind the scenes,' he thought to himself, a sinister grin spreading across his face. 'The game is afoot, and I'll stop at nothing to claim my prize...Ryan, my dear friend, will be my perfect pawn.' His eyes locked onto Ryan, his mind already spinning a web of manipulation. 'Yes, together we'll dance in the darkness, and I'll be the one calling the shots.'''

Ren and Ryan successfully formed their own gang, exploiting vulnerable minors to do their bidding. They somehow convinced a supplier to take a risk on them, providing a moderate quantity of products. The supplier was pleased when the goods were delivered without incident, thanks to the efforts of Ian, Jacob, and Viktor - three exploited children aged 15, 15, and 14, respectively. These kids were initially in a desperate state when Ren and Ryan recruited them, making them easy targets. As the gang's operations expanded, they recruited more runaways, homeless individuals, and children from impoverished families. Their numbers grew, and so did their sales, but their actions remained shrouded in darkness and exploitation.Ren expanded his criminal endeavors by teaching other children how to pickpocket, a skill he learned from senior members of the smuggling team. After several attempts, including two close calls where he had to flee at full speed to avoid getting caught, Ren honed his skills and became a master pickpocket.Ren had been stealing purses from travelers for the past 8 months, using his quick hands to take their money and valuables, leaving a trail of theft and deceit in his wake.

Suddenly, someone shook Ren, snapping him out of his daydreams. He looked up to see the librarian, clad in blue robes with his face partially hidden, saying, ''Ren, you should head home. Night is approaching, and your parents will worry about you.''

Ren nodded, 'Yeah, sure,' before leaving the library. The librarian sighed, "What a pitiful child. He's still trying to catch up to his younger brother, despite being older. He's not even comparable to him. There are rumors circulating in the clan that some elders are taking notice of his brother due to his intelligence, thinking he might possess high-grade talent.''

With that, the librarian returned to his work.