The True Trigger
One day before the changing people. Abel was grunting alone in the training grounds.
This isn't it either. Nor that.
He wondered if merely thinking could let him wield any ability. So he tried various imaginings and ran mental simulations. To describe them precisely, he kept recalling the abilities he'd seen—like Seria's, or Irshu and Tarshu's. He even pictured the four-man group's powers in full.
If a change occurred, it would be ironclad proof of an incredible ability: gaining anything desired through imagination alone.
But contrary to his hopes, simply picturing things in his head did nothing. His body had grown stronger, his swordsmanship deeper. Excluding the power absorption—which hadn't kicked in yet anyway—there was no sense of anything new or greater being added.
"So the trigger has to be something more than that…"
It wasn't just imagination or thought. Even wishing greatly fell short. It demanded his deepest longing. His strongest will. That was the key to unleashing everything—channeling purely the forces that had driven him thus far.
Abel thought as much. And that desperation couldn't be faked. It had to bubble up from the depths. Anything less, and the ability wouldn't respond. He felt that conviction surging from his chest.
A hypothesis, sure—but likely true with high probability. Physical Enhancement. Swordsmanship. Absorption. All had awakened at his most desperate, urgent moments—when he'd needed them most.
And what I crave most desperately right now…
To become an ability user with an even stronger body? Pass.
Having awakened, but wanting flashier abilities? Pass.
To absorb experience from the four-man group's rampage? That had been raw damage absorption anyway, and it worked—so pass.
Of course. It's that.
The foe he'd been forced to retreat from. The one he'd had to admit defeat to. Among the Supremacists, one with immense skill and a downright cheat-like ability: Jureung.
He'd played it cool, but his pride had taken a hit. He'd vowed to surpass him. To shatter him head-on. Sure, distractions had dimmed that fire temporarily.
And right now—that flame blazed hotter than ever.
I'll crush him. Definitely crush him. Smash him to pieces. Make it absolute.
Ability Seal? He'd overwhelm it so thoroughly it'd be pointless.
Abel thought so.
The problem? How to counter the Ability Seal itself.
Nothing clicks. I've got the reason, the passion burning. Everything's there—but no clear path forward.
Jureung had handled Flam, Portus, Kalligo, and even Abel with ease. Seria's intervention shook him briefly, but with time, he'd have adapted.
Fire. Water. Darkness. Raw strength. He countered them all.
A razor-thin win? Unacceptable. Enlightenment born of sacrifice? Absolutely not.
Realizing this awesome power late was maddening enough. Failing to take down even one villain? Disqualified as an ability user. Unworthy of the "strongest" title.
That's why Abel had holed up in his room, agonizing over the perfect move.
"…So that's why you've been holed up in here?"
"Yes. That's right, Seria."
She might not get it—and that was fine. This was a man's burden alone. Women had their topics; men had none greater. Win. Surpass. And do it with style and flair.
"Cool 고민."
"Manly 고민."
Irshu and Tarshu didn't seem troubled, thumbs up without hesitation. Apparently, northern men wrestled similar issues—different nuance from Abel's, but still chasing flashier, cooler results.
"…"
Seria glanced between Abel, Irshu, and Tarshu. Then she scooted next to him, plopping down and mimicking deep thought.
"Shouldn't you just go with what you're best at, Abel? If it can really beat that Jureung guy…"
"It's not that simple, Seria. Not about if I can win. It's how. And with what. That's the key."
"Sounds tough?"
Yeah, it was tough. But thanks to these girls, it wasn't anymore.
"Seria. Irshu, Tarshu. To the training grounds—now."
"Suddenly?"
"Already?"
"Necessary?"
Abel figured they'd feel awkward invading his room and leave soon. But oddly, none budged. They looked eager to linger.
"If we're caught, all four of us are in deep trouble."
"Won't get caught."
"Can't get caught."
"They're right. I checked everywhere."
Their thorough scouting was impressive—and a bit scary.
"More important than that: fighting the Ability Supremacists again, Abel."
"They'll resurface soon."
"Why think that?"
"Why so sure?"
"You've heard, right? Lord Phoenix and Master Sparrow fully retired."
It wasn't just the top pyrokinesis and hydrokinesis users stepping down. They earned respect beyond power—from those with utterly different abilities. Pillars of an era. Now gone.
That meant potential chaos. Or a new "perfect order" to quell it.
"The Supremacists won't miss that chance."
"Our shake-up is their golden opportunity to expand. See? Even the 'strongest' end up with titles and fame—nothing more. Why not build a utopia just for ability users instead?"
Too many buy it. Ability users bear heavy burdens for their power—seen as a yoke, not duty, by some.
"How can I help?"
Sensing she couldn't dissuade him, Seria spoke softly. Better to support than argue with the deaf.
"…Abel?"
Her next words left Seria baffled, echoing back. Irshu and Tarshu tilted heads: What?
"Seria. Irshu and Tarshu. Can we combine your three abilities?"
Absurd. Fire versus ice—opposites. Extreme cold weakens flames; intense heat melts ice. They can't coexist.
Team up? Sure, alternating turns. But merge? One would lose its essence.
"You're joking, right?"
"…Too much?"
"Impossible, Abel. How do you mix fire and ice in one place…?"
Suddenly, Seria recalled her butterflies. Flames, yes—but versatile. Armor last time; something new now.
"Thinking what we're thinking, Seria?"
"…Come to think of it, never tried embedding flames in ice."
It started as Abel's request. Now it was her imagination running wild.
Trap her butterflies in the twins' ice. Shape it into a massive ballista bolt, fire at the enemy.
As they block, gauging distance—explode the ice with butterflies. What happens to the shrapnel-hit foe?
Or reverse: cool the butterflies' heat, hide razor ice within. Deadly surprise.
"Not entirely impossible."
"Good."
Then gathering five abilities into one is feasible too.
Abel chuckled, grinning like he'd found his path at last.