“I see... So you now have two abilities.”
When I told him the current situation, the team leader folded his arms and explained the gravity of it.
“You know this already, but... if this gets leaked to the media, or even reaches the ears of the Black Lion, things will get quite complicated.”
“At worst, it could even escalate into an international issue.”
“I know.”
In a world where ability users were rare, what would happen if someone appeared with two abilities?
Not only would the Black Lion bastards find out, but other countries would start applying pressure little by little, and all sorts of problems would arise.
“Hoo... So, what are you going to do?”
“I think I’ll have to join the Tigers.”
“I want to find out the mysteries behind my abilities.”
At first, I had intended to join with the simple desire to become stronger in order to protect what was precious to me.
But ever since another ability appeared, it was no longer such a simple feeling. An unfathomable anxiety had begun to weigh down on my heart.
“I told the chief team leader about it.”
“However, he refused.”
—One week ago—
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
When the man with golden eyes answered the knock, the door opened, and Team Leader Kang Suhyeok came to see him.
“What brings you here, Team Leader of Team 2?”
[ Tigers ]
◆ Combat Unit Chief Team Leader — Jeong Minhyeok —
“I would like to scout an ability user.”
“I see. Have you come to get permission?”
The Tigers did not accept every ability user.
Even if someone with the rank of team leader scouted them, they had to report it to the higher-ups and then verify their skills through a test.
“Yes. The problem is that he is still seventeen, so I came to obtain permission.”
“.....”
At the mention that he was a minor, the chief team leader put down the documents he was holding and answered firmly.
“I will not permit it.”
“Chief Team Leader.”
“I’m sorry, but I cannot allow that.”
The Tigers were a frontline organization that fought the Black Lion with their lives on the line,
and he said it was not right to bring in an ability user who was only seventeen years old to such a place.
His position was that, at the very least, qualifications could only be discussed after he became an adult at twenty.
“I already know who you are trying to bring in.”
“I also think he is a good talent, but I do not believe the time is right yet.”
“...Understood.”
The chief team leader did not permit Lee Suhan to join the Tigers.
***
“But if I report this fact, I’m certain the chief team leader will change his mind.”
“Because we’ll need to bring in an ability user with multiple powers as soon as possible before he falls into the hands of the Black Lion.”
Now that there was justification, Team Leader Kang Suhyeok would take care of the rest.
“So, if you fulfill certain conditions, you can obtain abilities, and depending on the situation, you either gain them automatically or choose them yourself?”
“That seems to be the case.”
“Hmm... All right. Let’s end the discussion here for today.”
“If anything happens, contact me immediately.”
“Yes, understood.”
After some time passed and I returned home, I locked my bedroom door,
sat down at my desk, and thought about how I could bring up the system window.
“Hmm...”
“Status open!”
“.....”
“Status window!”
I tried using knowledge from comics, but the system window did not appear.
“Hmm.”
“(What if I consciously try to make it appear in front of my eyes?)”
Flash!
“It works?!”
The method to bring up the system window was not that difficult.
All I had to do was imagine the window’s appearance and consciously make it appear before my eyes.
“Let’s see... Conditions... Defeat one normal enemy?”
“Does fulfilling this condition give me a new ability?”
I did not know what the exact standard was, but it seemed I would gain a new ability if I defeated one normal enemy,
and I felt regretful, thinking that if I had killed that monster back then, I would have gained an ability.
“Hmm... These seem to be locked.”
There were several buttons on the window, but as if they could not be used yet, all of them were locked, and in the left column were the names of the abilities I currently possessed.
“What’s this question mark?”
Then, when I pressed the question mark button in the upper right corner, the window changed, taking me to a section where I could ask questions.
[Please ask what you are curious about.]
“It even answers questions?”
Finding the peculiar function fascinating, I decided to try asking a question.
“Is this system window my ability?”
Would it really answer my question?
[This system window is indeed your ability.]
“As expected... So this is my ability.”
Next, I asked what the name of the ability was, but the answer came back that no name existed.
“What? It has no name...?”
I had always been curious about what the name of my ability was, but when I was told it had no name, the anticipation I had built up sank all at once.
“Haa... An ability without even a name.”
“By the way, how are you answering my questions?”
“Do you have a self-awareness or something?”
When I asked, a short silence passed.
[I cannot answer that question.]
“What’s the point of telling me to ask what I’m curious about if you won’t answer...?”
“Then what is the standard for a normal enemy?”
[You have exceeded the question limit.]
[Please ask again after some time has passed.]
“What?! Hey, you should’ve told me something like that earlier!!”
“I still have so many things I want to ask!”
Deflated, I erased the system window and lay down on my bed.
“Haa... Forget it.”
“I can just ask again tomorrow.”
The number of questions I could ask in a day was three.
If that was the case, I had to decide what to ask first.
“Aah... My head hurts...”
“Now I even have to agonize over questions...”
Still, I had learned that the system window was my ability and that I could ask three questions, so it was not a bad harvest.
***
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
After some time passed, Team Leader Kang Suhyeok visited the chief team leader’s office once again.
“What is it this time, Team Leader of Team 2?”
“I came to speak to you again about the matter I mentioned last time.”
When he brought up scouting Lee Suhan, the chief team leader let out a sigh and answered.
“Haa... You really are unwavering.”
“I’m sorry, but I cannot permit that matter.”
“At the very least, you will need to bring me a justification that can persuade me.”
At those words, Kang Suhyeok raised the corners of his mouth and said,
“I came back because I have that justification.”
When he answered like that, the chief team leader turned his chair and said,
“Very well. Let’s hear what sort of justification it is.”
Kang Suhyeok told him about the conversation he had with Lee Suhan.
“...Is that true?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Is there a possibility that he lied?”
“Do you think someone who saved a citizen would lie?”
The chief team leader rose from his seat and said,
“Well, that is true. An ability user with such power would certainly be a talent we need.”
“I will grant permission, but reporting to the chairman comes first.”
“If the chairman does not give his permission, there is nothing I can do either.”
“Understood. Then I will wait.”
After Kang Suhyeok left the office, the chief team leader looked out the window
and wondered whether they truly should bring Lee Suhan into the Tigers.
***
As I was spending time in my room, Siu came in along with the sound of a knock.
Click.
“Um... Suhan hyung.”
“Hm? What is it, Siu?”
“I have something to talk to you about for a moment...”
“Sure, come in.”
Siu entered the room and slowly closed the door.
“That... you know Subin, right?”
“Ah, you heard about it?”
“Yes. Thank you so much.”
“I never imagined... that you would be the one who saved Subin.”
“I didn’t know Subin was your friend either.”
“What an incredible coincidence.”
Talking with Siu for the first time in a while, I asked him this and that about whether he was getting along well with Subin at school.
“That... The truth is....”
“Hm?”
“I... like Subin.”
“...Is she your first love?”
“Yes... But when I’m with Subin, I can’t really talk properly...”
“Hmm....”
Coincidence or not, what was I supposed to do with a younger brother who had fallen in love?
“Are you going to confess?”
“I want to, but... I don’t think it’s the right time yet...”
“Exams are coming up soon too...”
“Does Subin have a lot of guy friends around her?”
“Not that many, but there are a few.”
I told him those kids could become rivals and that he should confess before someone took her away,
but Siu answered that if he could have done it, he would have done it already, and that he was like this because he couldn’t muster up the courage.
“Then should I ask Subin for you sometime?”
When I said I would visit the shop later, Siu nodded and said he would appreciate it.
“Ah! You absolutely can’t tell her that I like her! Got it?!”
“Yeah, yeah.”
I had to listen to worries like this now.
Later, I probably would not even have time to listen.
***
Tap.
Ta-at!
The next day came, and I spent time running across rooftops as exercise.
I thought about what question I should ask today, and practiced using my newly gained power little by little so I could handle it perfectly.
“Should I go a little farther?”
I usually stayed around the area near my house, but today, I decided to go somewhere farther.
Ta-at!
Ta-at!
After crossing several buildings, shops and buildings I had never seen before began to appear,
and in the distance, the shopping mall I had gone to with Jiyeong came into view.
“E-Excuse me...!!”
“?”
Just then, I heard someone calling me,
and when I looked down, I saw a woman with long hair reaching her shoulders and round glasses
waving her hand at me with all her might.
Ta-at.
Ta-at.
Did she need help?
I descended along the outer wall of the building, landed on the ground, and asked what was going on. With a hesitant expression, she asked me,
“Um... by any chance... are you an ability user?”
“Ah, yes, I am.”
When I answered that I was an ability user, she became even more hesitant and said,
“C-Could I... maybe... have your phone number...?”
“Pardon?... My phone number?”
“Y-Yes.”
“If you don’t mind, may I ask why?”
When I asked her the reason, she answered with an embarrassed expression that her wish was to become friends with an ability user.
“Well... I do have a lot of time, but are you sure you’re okay with it?”
“I’m still seventeen.”
“Ah, that’s fine!”
“I’m a college student too.”
“Um... All right.”
No matter how I looked at her, she did not seem like a suspicious person, so I decided to talk with her for a while and headed to a nearby café.