The Synthesis Magician

With Super Concentration active, I swung the practice sword repeatedly, focusing entirely on my technique and my Gift.

"Activating Inquiry. Further analyzing the Gift: Swordsman."

"Haa... haa... yeah, I'm getting the hang of this..."

Progress: 25% analysis of Gift: Swordsman.

Later, while mopping the East Dormitory floors—a cleaning job Aida-san had secured for me—I found myself analyzing my own movements like never before.

"If I shift my weight here, my center of gravity becomes unstable... but if I use that instability to my advantage..."

Progress: 41% analysis of Gift: Swordsman.

As the day turned to evening and Aida-san left for the day, I stayed behind, tirelessly swinging the blade.

"Haa... haa... haha... HAHAHA!"

The more I swung, the more I felt my body improving.

"HAHAHAHA!"

Joy? Excitement? No... those words didn't do justice to the overwhelming surge of elation coursing through me.

Progress: 64% analysis of Gift: Swordsman.

Other geniuses using the training grounds began to eye me warily, whispering among themselves.

"Uh... is that guy okay?"

"He's been swinging that sword for hours... and grinning like a lunatic the whole time."

"I think he's finally cracked."

Their mutterings didn't faze me. Nothing could. Because with every swing of my sword, I felt progress deep within my being.

Progress: 75% analysis of Gift: Swordsman.

Error. Insufficient technical resources.

"Haa... haa... so that's the limit, huh?"

It seemed 75% was as far as I could go through solo practice. Inquiry demanded something more than repetition—it required real-world experience.

I smirked, wiping the sweat from my brow.

"Sorry, Mikoto... looks like I'll have to break my promise."

The Talent Dispatch Agency was always teeming with work requests, most of which revolved around monster extermination. Menial jobs like cleaning dorms weren't standard fare—Aida-san had been pulling strings to secure them for me.

But with today's cleaning job completed, I needed something else. Something more dangerous.

It was time to take on real work—the kind the agency was truly meant for.

"Thank you for the request. This is a patrol mission in the managed zone, correct? Will you be going alone?"

"Yes, I'll handle it myself," I replied confidently.

While I knew about these patrol missions, I'd never taken one before. The receptionist didn't seem to recognize me, which wasn't surprising—I rarely came to the agency at this hour.

Patrol missions, at least for lower-ranked geniuses, were straightforward. They involved monitoring areas near large Portals—interdimensional gateways that sometimes led to dungeons.

These missions didn't require working with the police or other agencies; the Talent Dispatch Agency handled them independently.

The twist? Low-ranking geniuses' patrols were often less about monitoring and more about extermination.

Portals were spontaneous gateways to dungeons where monsters emerged or where geniuses ventured to defeat bosses. To streamline operations, the agency adopted a unique approach:

They left specific Goblin Dungeons partially unsealed. Instead of closing these Portals, the agency fenced off the areas and controlled the flow of goblins emerging from them.

The setup allowed low-ranking geniuses to practice fighting goblins freely within a safe, managed zone. It was a win-win:

Magic Stones: Goblins had magic stones in their brains, which could be sold for 1,000–3,000 yen each.Training Grounds: The zone provided a controlled environment for training lower-ranked geniuses.Government Grants: The system secured funding from the government for "management."

It was the ultimate match-pump scheme.

For someone like me, this patrol mission was perfect. With each goblin yielding enough for a day's worth of food, ten goblins would make my cleaning jobs obsolete—though I'd have to explain my change in plans to Aida-san later.

Patrol missions offered no direct monetary rewards; instead, the profit came from selling magic stones. They were open to geniuses ranked E and below. Higher-ranked geniuses were restricted from participating, as their strength could potentially wipe out the entire goblin population.

"Well, I'll just grind here for a while until I hit E-rank. Not that patrol missions count toward rank advancement, but..."

I trailed off as three goblins came into view in the distance.

"Goblins, huh. My practice sword should be enough to handle them."

Larger monsters would require proper weapons—meaning I'd need to save up more money.

"This world sure makes things tough..." I muttered, stepping forward to face the goblins.

"Activating Inquiry. Acquiring target's Gift..."

"Success. Conditions met. Acquired target's Gift."

"Acquired Goblin's Gift: Strength G."

I stared at the notification for a moment, blinking in disbelief.

"...Well, it seems my Gift isn't so stingy after all."