The Synthesis Magician

Incredible. Just having Strength G made the practice sword in my hands feel noticeably lighter.

With my current lineup of Gifts—Inquiry, Super Concentration, Swordsman, and Strength G—it almost felt unfair.

"Giii! Gyaa-gya-gyaa!"

The goblins spotted me and immediately charged, armed with stone knives, axes, and even a crude slingshot.

Goblins were known for their teamwork, though their individual strength barely matched that of a grade-schooler. For an average person, defeating one wouldn't be impossible—assuming they could stay calm.

But when it came to a life-or-death battle? Few had the courage to stand their ground.

"Tch... let's go!"

I took a deep breath, channeling my Gifts.

The enhanced agility of Swordsman allowed me to weave through their attacks.

Super Concentration pinpointed their weaknesses instantly.

And with Strength G, even the practice sword felt like a weapon of steel in my hands.

"Haah!"

The three goblins fell silent, their cries snuffed out in mere moments.

Defeated.

I stared at my trembling hands. Was I shaking out of fear for having killed?

No.

This wasn't fear. It was exhilaration—a thrill from realizing the potential of my own strength.

If I'd had these abilities back then, even the Goblin General wouldn't have been a problem.

"Progress: 83% analysis of Gift: Swordsman."

"Alright!"

I pulled out the skinning knife I'd bought during high school with money saved from a part-time job. I'd originally intended to use that money for college tuition... but dwelling on the past wasn't going to help now.

"Hmm, this one's about 3,000 yen... this one's closer to 2,000... and this one's probably 1,000 yen."

The magic stones embedded in goblins' skulls varied in size and value. A stone the size of a pinky nail would fetch around 1,000 yen, a middle finger's nail would get 2,000, and a thumb-sized one could go for 3,000.

"Activating Inquiry. Further analyzing Gift: Strength G."

"Huh?"

"Progress: 60% analysis of Gift: Strength G."

"Error. Insufficient combat resources."

"Analysis halted at 60%."

"'Combat resources'? Another strange requirement..."

But I was starting to understand the nuances of my Gift.

So far, I'd identified three conditions for activating Inquiry:

Observation under focused concentration: By focusing on a target, I could analyze its Gift.Growth through training or combat: My own Gifts developed based on experience gained from practice or battle.Defeat of a target in combat: Defeating an opponent allowed for further analysis of their Gifts.

"Got it... though the third condition is still a bit vague. If this works the way I think it does, could I just farm goblins endlessly to eventually acquire Strength SSS?"

I chuckled at the absurdity of it.

"Well, no use speculating. Time to test it."

With that, I resumed my hunt for more goblins.

"Gyaa?!"

By now, the Swordsman Gift had fully integrated into my body. Moving against a handful of goblins felt almost natural.

When I defeated my tenth goblin of the day, something remarkable happened.

"Analysis complete. Progress: 100% for Gift: Swordsman."

"Congratulations. Your Gift has evolved."

"Acquired Gift: Swordmaster."

"Haha... incredible!" I exclaimed, marveling at the transformation.

Normally, Gifts only evolved after reaching E-rank or higher. But here I was—already holding an advanced combat Gift.

The newfound power coursing through my body was astounding.

"Tch... what was that movement just now?"

I'd barely registered what happened, but the evidence was clear. My body had moved in ways I couldn't consciously comprehend.

Weaving through the narrowest gap between goblins, I pivoted mid-step, delivering a precise blow to a weak point before they could react.

This... was the power of Swordmaster.

And yet... Mizutani Yuri had achieved even greater mastery as a Sword Saint.

What kind of monsters must she have faced to reach such heights?

"Analysis complete. Progress: 100% for Gift: Strength G."

"Congratulations. Your Gift has evolved."

"Acquired Gift: Strength F."

"Not bad... but still not enough," I muttered, clenching my fists.

The journey with Inquiry was just beginning.

No longer would I leave my markless struggles behind. From this moment onward, I would climb higher—step by step.

"Observe. Uncover. Defeat. Acquire."

I would shatter the notion that "one person can only have one Gift."

"I can do this," I whispered, determination swelling in my chest.

With that resolve, I turned back to harvesting the goblins' magic stones. One at a time.