The socially awkward villain's furry superpower

William's life hasn't been going too well.

From a young age, he had always longed to be one of two roles: either a dashing hero or a dashing villain.

From the moment he was able to begin practicing, he has been honing his skills.

Clearly, he wasn't stupid. His expectations were realistic. His goal was to join the Hero Emergency Response Team so he could work alongside the heroes he admired.

Perhaps he could join a hero team as a non-superpowered assistant? But that's just wishful thinking.

So he persisted in exercising, studied hard, and made various preparations diligently.

That day finally arrived, and like every "Superpower Day," he was filled with anticipation.

Becoming a rogue was never in his plans, but since it was the way it was, he had no choice but to accept it. Of course, this role might actually suit him better than those more heroic options.

He went along with it.

His superpowers aren't the strongest, but they're versatile, which sometimes makes up for his weaknesses. While flashy superpowers are nice, staying alive is more important.

William groaned, leaning against a damp wall in the tunnel, his hand clutching his still-aching side. He thought to himself that flashy superpowers weren't all bad; they had certainly given him a good beating.

Before setting off, he had, of course, researched "Glamour Woman." He had done his homework. The guy with the chains, however, wasn't in the information he had gathered.

Now, after checking, he learned that the person was someone who, while not exactly a villain, was called "Chains." William didn't even know the person's name.

Too many chains, plus those sudden bursts of intense light—he was now certain that the light contained some kind of interference, because even though he tried to restrain himself, all his premonitions would still involuntarily make him look towards the light—all of this cleverly suppressed his own superpowers.

His superpower is simple. He can accurately predict what will happen one minute from now. In that minute, he can choose to act more easily, precisely, and skillfully than usual.

It's not that he's not agile enough, it's just that under the influence of his superpowers, his movements become unusually nimble.

If he chooses to act according to the predicted path, then in that instant, he can move with the same graceful demeanor.

This means that his fighting style is both graceful and deadly. He acts as if he knows what will happen before it even occurs, because he truly does.

The problem lies in how to initiate a fight. He usually has to simulate the situation three or four times before he can find a scenario in which he can win, which means there will be a few seconds of hesitation before taking action.

With more practice, the situation should improve.

But as things stand, it's going to be very difficult to practice right now.

His last battle was a disaster. His superpowers are quite useful when he's on the offensive, but they're not so effective when he's forced to evade a menacing enemy who's determined to attack him.

The combination of "Glamour Woman" and "Chains" is the worst possible situation for him. Now, he is suffering from his own incompetence.

Stop dwelling on this. His image on social media isn't actually that bad. He suspects that "Glamour Woman" or one of her henchmen is constantly posting and sharing GIFs of their battles to grab attention.

In those GIFs, he looked pretty good as he weaved through the chains and dodged the attacks of "Glamour Woman".

He quite liked the look of his rapier, and several videos even captured him looking dashing.

He rubbed his mouth. The tape used to create the mustache he needed for the role had caused a skin irritation. He'd have to find another way to maintain that part of the disguise.

He also noted that he needed to find a way to add padding to the costume. His back was bruised from rolling around on the bare asphalt road.

There's so much to deal with.

Thinking about these things is better than getting caught up in his overall situation. In his current injured state, he can't go back to the dorm.

His costume didn't cover his hair properly, so if he went to the hospital, his injury would definitely be easily recognized.

He sighed, straightened up from the wall, and continued walking forward.

These tunnels run through a large part of the city. He roughly knew where the next exit was, from where he could sneak off to his grandmother's house.

His grandmother was a kind old lady, and a retired nurse.

To be honest, he only came up with this idea because he was really out of options.

He heard a commotion ahead and looked up, but he had already encountered several rats. Usually, the rats would quickly run away as soon as they saw him and go off to do what rats are supposed to do.

At the next long bend in the tunnel, he realized that what he was hearing was not the sound of rats, but by then it was too late.

He made eye contact with a figure standing in the darkness. The figure's eyes glowed, shimmering with a faint green light in the nearly dark tunnel illuminated only by the small flashlight in his hand.

"Hi." A girl's voice rang out in the darkness, echoing. Honestly, at that moment, no other sound could have been more chilling.

“You probably shouldn’t be here,” she said.

He straightened up, switched the flashlight to his other hand, and then carefully gripped the hilt of the rapier. "Is that so?" he asked.

"Yes. I'm going to tell Sienna you're here. Don't move, okay?"

“I really hope you don’t tell anyone,” he said.

The child blinked, his eyes disappearing for a moment. "It's too late. Besides, I don't need to listen to you; I only listen to Sienna."

Danger signals, a whole host of danger signals.

“Then where is this Sienna?” he asked.

Footsteps answered his question. Many footsteps, and the light deep in the tunnel grew brighter and brighter; a group of people were walking this way.

He considered running away, which would have been the wiser course of action.

The problem is that the nearest exit is far away, and in this one-way tunnel, tracking him won't be difficult. Moreover, given his current injuries, he can't run away at all; if he did, his injuries would definitely worsen.

Therefore, his only option was to hold his ground.

He quickly took off his coat, turned it inside out, and then pulled a mask from his pocket and put it on. This wasn't his complete disguise.

It would take some time to complete the disguise, and he would need a mirror, as well as the kind of skin glue that he was starting to suspect he was allergic to.

He moved to the middle of the tunnel, stood with his back straight, and placed one hand on the hilt of his sword.

The question is, can he defeat this group?

He knew how to test it.

A single thought activated his superpowers.

The remarkable Fabian charged forward, passing the leading girl, but circling her as he went and kicking her behind the knee.

The girl screamed, fell backward onto the tracks, and then shattered into several pieces.

Another girl who looks exactly like her appears next to her... Is it a superpower of cloning?

He was back in the middle of the tunnel, but he hadn't actually left his original spot. The girl he had kicked was still in front of him, and everything around him remained unchanged.

Let's try again then.

He charged forward, and his sword was drawn from its scabbard with a whoosh (this sword was custom-made for him, and the sound of it being drawn was just like in the movies).

He struck the first girl in the face with the hilt of his sword, spun around on the track in the middle of the tunnel, and then lunged at the only man in the crowd.

He tripped over something and ended up lunging at his own sword.

He blinked. He'd never messed up so badly before. Usually, superpowers made him more graceful, not more clumsy.

Unless... it's a neuro-control type of superpower? Or perhaps a probability-based superpower that can make an opponent clumsy?

William gritted his teeth. Two superpowers had been confirmed. Next… the girl in the middle of the crowd, the one staring at him with a look that made him a little nervous. Was she the leader of this group?

He stepped to the side, leaping over the tracks onto flatter ground, then charged forward, his sword drawn once more.

One of the girls stepped forward and blocked his path, then transformed into a roaring bear and charged straight at him.

Understandably, he was taken aback, but managed to dodge in time.

But he only managed to avoid the bear; three small figures rushed up and hugged his legs, refusing to let go.

He fell to the ground, trying to roll away, only to find another girl standing above him. She had large eyes, and a smile on her face like that of a predator seeing an injured mouse fall out of the bushes.

His vision began to blur, and the surroundings gradually darkened—

No, this won't work at all.

Then we'll have to think of another way.

He placed the flashlight down, letting the light shine on himself, creating a small spotlight beam from below. Then, despite the pain all over his body, he gave an elegant bow and introduced himself: "I am the great Fabian, and I am at your service."