My Talent's Name Is Generator

Steve let out a satisfied sigh and flopped onto the couch, sinking into the cushions.

”Hell yeah. Finally, some soft cushion for my butt.”

Shaking my head, I joined him on the couch.

I leaned back on the couch, rubbing my chin. There was a lot to cover, and I wasnʼt sure where to start.

Instead of deciding, I figured Iʼd let Steve pick.

”So, what do you want to hear first?” I asked. ”My talent, my secret meeting with Arkas, what I did inside the volcano, or what Iʼm planning next?”

Steve let out a low whistle.

”So many secrets, bro. So many secrets.” He grinned. ”Alright, letʼs go with your talent first.”

I shrugged and started explaining my talent to him.

For once, he actually listened in silence. Normally, Steve had the attention span of a goldfish, especially when a topic didnʼt interest him. He even refused to celebrate birthdays mine or his. His reasoning? ”Why waste time celebrating the year we lost?”

When I finished, he let out a slow breath.

”So, you have access to Essence, which, mind you, most people wonʼt get until level 100. And even then, not like the way you have it.” He shook his head. ”Thatʼs… thatʼs a crazy talent, dude.”

I grinned, my excitement bubbling up.

”Right? I knew it! Just imagine how high I can push my stats! And when I hit level 100, using Essence is gonna be effortless.”

Steve nodded.

”Yeah, the stat boost thing is bonkers. But you know whatʼs even better? The fact that your class is gonna be centered around Essence. Your laws will be insane. And on top of that, your shitty talent can evolve too.”

He suddenly paused, his eyes narrowing.

”Hey… why does this sound like a conspiracy?”

I tilted my head.

”What do you mean?”

Lowering his voice, he leaned in.

”I mean, this is too good to be true. Youʼre not exactly a saint. If weʼre talking about merit, out of the two of us, Iʼm obviously the good one.”

”Hey! What do you mean youʼre the good one?” I shot back. ”Youʼre too lazy to get something this good.”

Steve shook his head.

”Youʼre getting distracted. What Iʼm saying is, I smell a conspiracy.”

I rubbed my chin, playing along.

”Okay, letʼs assume for a second that youʼre not just jealous. How could talent distribution be a conspiracy? Are you saying someone intentionally gave me this talent? Who the hell has that kind of power?”

Steve didnʼt even hesitate.

”The System.”

I blinked. Then blinked again.

”…Youʼre kidding, right?”

”Fucking idiot.” He rolled his eyes. ”The System assigns talents to everyone. What if it gave you this on purpose? What if youʼre supposed to be something bigger? Think about it. Why would a weak guy from a weak world get something this overpowered?”

I opened my mouth to argue, then shut it.

I didnʼt have an answer.

Steve held my gaze for a few seconds before shrugging.

”I donʼt know, man. Just a hunch. But I smell a conspiracy. Call it a swordsmanʼs intuition.”

I sighed heavily.

”Dude, since when did you become a swordsman—”

A knock on the door cut me off.

I stood up and opened it. Our food had arrived.

The delivery staff stepped in and neatly arranged everything on the dining table. Seventeen dishes in total, all different kind of meats.

Both of our eyes lit up at the sight of the feast.