hey saw your post about cale's third ability (love that, can't wait to catch up) and i noticed that you mentioned it's finally confirmed so i just wanted to ask were there indications that it existed before? i feel like i must've missed them
Ah, yes, it was long time foreshadowed, but never once explicitly stated before this point: at chapter 600 of Part 2.
You see, there were multiple times – throughout hundreds upon hundreds of chapters of TCF – where Kim Rok Soo was specifically referred to as "MULTIPLE ABILITIES USER". So many times, in fact, that it was suspicious as hell that it was never stated he had TWO abilities. If it only happened once or twice it wouldn't have been nearly as suspicious, but I'm pretty sure there were at least five separate occasions, if not more.
For instance, take a look at the exchange between OG Cale!Kim Rok Soo and Choi Jung Soo (Side Story 2, Part 3):
“Her dream seemed to be becoming an ability user. Kim Rok Soo, the guy whose body you are in right now, is someone with quite the abilities.”
“I’m aware of that.”
“Really? You’re already finished analyzing the condition of that body?”
“No. I know what powers he possesses despite not finishing the analysis.”
“I guess Kim Rok Soo’s powers are not something you can figure out at once. That punk has multiple abilities.”
See?? Why word it like that if he only had TWO? It makes no sense.
If Kim Rok Soo really only had two abilities, they wouldn't need to say "multiple". That's just deliberate omittance of the true number. There is a possibility he even has four or more! But I don't think that will be the case, I think 3 is a nice round number, and there would need to be an explanation as to why he never mentioned nor used yet another ability before this point.
Record was easy to hide in the narration because all it took was Cale remembering things suspiciously well; and that was mentioned at the very start of the story. Cale got Sound of Wind to replace the "speed" power that was less self-destructive than Instant, so he did not need to use it before they were out of time and he needed to react fast to save millions of people. This new unknown ability is apparently even MORE self-destructive, which also explains why Cale "locked it up" and never brought it up, not even in his own thoughts; he doesn't even have a habit of using it.
My previous theory about the ability was that it needed a trigger to activate: a death of comrade, and since no ally of Cale has died in front of him so far (except Dragon Half-Blood, and they reversed that), he wouldn't have been able to use it. ....Which, actually, still might be close to the truth. No one ever died under Team Leader Kim Rok Soo. Maybe the one time they had a close call, the ability activated and nearly killed HIM instead, so he was unanimously forbidden by all witnesses from using it ever again. And since he doesn't actually want to die to save someone else (as he frequently states), he avoids even thinking about it. ...And furthermore, having a potentially life-saving ability yet refusig to use it would weigh on his conscience a bit, making him believe he was a selfish person and not a hero.... It would make a lot of sense.
