"Which of these three abilities would you want?"

A common query on internet forums, where idlers indulge in such fantasies.

But what if it were real? What would you do?

━━

I killed. A human.

Surprisingly, I felt nothing.

I couldn't become a protagonist.

The opposite of those who are stripped away isn't those who strip away.

It's those who give.

That is the protagonist.

A hero.

If I can't be a protagonist,

If I'm only destined to keep losing things.

If I can't be one who gives.

Then perhaps, I'll at least become "one who takes"━━━

Ginji Minase doesn't pray. Instead of praying, he decided to kill.

His research in graduate school was truly groundbreaking, capable of artificially reconstructing the entire "circulatory system," starting with the heart.

He should have saved many, been praised by many, and the world should have "acknowledged" him...

...or so he thought.

His research was swiftly stolen. To make matters worse, he was expelled from the university, accused of stealing it *from* his *professor*. Abandoned by his parents, and struggling to find food for the next day, he stumbled upon a trivial forum thread.

"Which of these three abilities would you want?"

It wasn't trivial. But now, he had an irritatingly vast amount of time to spend on trivial things.

"I guess I'd choose liquid metal."

────

This is not a story about someone who suddenly gains superpowers and dominates battles against other ability-users.

Can a person who has acquired immense power truly "remain human"?

This is a story about "humanity."

[Over 3 million PV and 34,000 total points achieved! Ranked 8th in the Low Fantasy Quarterly Ranking! Achieved a peak of 1st place in the Daily Low Fantasy Ranking! Ranked 30th in the Annual Low Fantasy Ranking!]

This is all thanks to your support. If you have even the slightest interest in hard-boiled ability-user battles, please take a look!

Also available on Kakuyomu.