The first thing Leo registered was the weight on his chest. The second was the sound—a loud, insistent, ear-splitting **CROW** that seemed to come from inside his very skull.
He jerked awake, flailing, and found himself staring into the beady eye of a large, irate rooster perched squarely on his sternum. Its feathers were a riot of rust and gold, its comb a vivid crimson, and its beak was open wide as it let out another triumphant **COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO** directly in his face.
"What the—" Leo scrambled backward, but the rooster dug its claws into his thin blanket and refused to budge. It crowed again, this time with what seemed like smug satisfaction, as if it had been waiting all morning for this exact moment.
Leo's room at The Salty Mare was small and cramped, with a single grimy window that had been left slightly ajar the night before. The rooster must have squeezed through the gap, drawn by the warmth of the straw mattress or perhaps by some divine cosmic joke. It strutted across his chest, pecked at his nose, and then hopped onto the wooden headboard, where it proceeded to preen its feathers with an air of supreme entitlement.
"Get out!" Leo shouted, swatting at it. The rooster squawked indignantly, flapped its wings, and launched itself at his face. He ducked, rolled off the mattress, and landed in a heap on the floor. The rooster, now perched on his pillow, crowed again—a triumphant, mocking sound that seemed to say, *This is my room now, human.*
Leo scrambled to his feet, grabbing a worn blanket and holding it like a shield. The rooster eyed him with obvious contempt, its head cocked, its beady gaze unblinking. They stood there, locked in a standoff, the morning light streaming through the grimy window.
And then, an idea struck him. A ridiculous, impulsive, utterly mad idea.
*What if I give it the mana sense?*
The thought was absurd—roosters didn't have magical cores, did they? They were animals, creatures of instinct and appetite. But Leo's mana sensing had shown him that all living things carried some trace of energy, faint as it might be. If he could bestow the gift on humans, why not on a bird?
Before he could talk himself out of it, he reached out with his mana sensing, feeling the rooster's energy signature. It was there—a tiny, flickering ember, barely a whisper of magical presence. But it was real. It was *there*.
"Alright, you feathered menace," Leo muttered, stepping closer. "Let's see what happens."
The rooster eyed him warily but didn't retreat. Leo extended his hand slowly, palm open, and concentrated. He focused on the skill of mana sensing, the ability he'd bestowed on thousands of humans, and he *pushed*—not toward a person, but toward the bird.
The pulse of energy flowed from him into the rooster. For a moment, nothing happened. The rooster blinked, tilted its head, and let out a confused-sounding cluck.
Then its eyes went wide.
The rooster's entire body stiffened, its feathers ruffling as if a gust of wind had passed through the room. It let out a strange, almost melodic sound—not a crow, but a questioning trill. Its head swiveled, darting from one corner of the room to another, its gaze suddenly sharp, *aware* in a way it hadn't been before.
Leo watched, fascinated. The rooster was *sensing* mana. He could feel it through his own connection, the faint, flickering energy that now pulsed in the bird's tiny core. The rooster hopped off the pillow, strutted to the center of the room, and stopped. It stared at the floor, then pecked at a spot—a spot where, Leo realized, a faint residue of mana lingered from his own practice sessions.
The rooster pecked again, then looked up at Leo with an expression that could only be described as *astonished*.
"Okay," Leo said slowly, a grin spreading across his face. "That actually worked."
The rooster puffed out its chest, let out a triumphant crow—but this one was different. It was longer, more complex, almost like a phrase in a language Leo couldn't quite parse. And he could feel the mana vibrating through the sound, a resonance that made the air itself tingle.
"What have I done?" Leo muttered, half in wonder, half in alarm.
The rooster strutted to the windowsill, paused, and looked back at him with an expression of profound understanding. Then it hopped out into the morning light, leaving behind only a single rust-colored feather.
Leo stood in the middle of his room, heart pounding, the feather drifting lazily to the floor. He stared at the window, then at his own hands. He'd just given a rooster the ability to sense magic. The thought was simultaneously absurd and exhilarating.
*That rooster is now the most magical bird in the world,* he thought. *And it probably has no idea what to do with it. Neither do I, for that matter.*
He shook his head, laughing despite himself. The adrenaline was fading, and the familiar hum of mana began to reassert itself, the circulation moving in its steady loop, the regeneration replenishing his reserves. Despite the rude awakening, he felt surprisingly refreshed—the mana had been doing its work even as he slept.
He sat on the edge of his mattress, the straw rustling beneath him, and rubbed his eyes. The rooster's crow still echoed in his ears, but a wry smile tugged at his lips. *I bet Elara would find that hilarious,* he thought. *She'd probably say I've started a new trend—magical farm animals.*
He pushed the thought aside, but the smile lingered. Today was important. Today marked another month in this world, another opportunity to grow stronger.
The blue-tinted window materialized before him, its glow soft and reassuring in the morning light.
**[SYSTEM: SKILL SELECTION AVAILABLE]**
**[UNIQUE SKILL: ANALYTICAL MIMICRY – ONE SELECTION REMAINING THIS MONTH]**
**[PLEASE SELECT YOUR SKILL]**
Leo stared at the screen, his mind turning over the possibilities. He'd been thinking about this moment for weeks. The regeneration skill had been transformative, allowing him to recover quickly from expenditure. The storage skill had expanded his capacity, giving him room to hold more power. But he'd reached a plateau—his reserves had grown as large as they could, and he couldn't seem to push past that limit.
*What I need is capacity expansion,* he thought. *The ability to increase the maximum amount of mana I can hold. To push beyond my current limits.*
"I choose Mana Capacity Expansion," he declared, his voice steady and clear.
**[ANALYSIS: "MANA CAPACITY EXPANSION" CONFIRMED]**
**[SKILL ABSORPTION IN PROGRESS...]**
**[COMPLETE]**
The sensation was unlike anything he'd experienced before. It wasn't warmth or clarity or flow—it was *growth*. His magical core, which had felt like a fixed container, suddenly expanded, stretching and flexing like a muscle being exercised for the first time. He could feel his capacity increasing, the amount of mana he could hold growing with each passing moment.
He closed his eyes, focusing inward. His core was... *larger*. Not just physically—he could feel the volume of his reserves expanding, the space for holding mana increasing dramatically. Where before he could hold a cup of magical energy, now he could hold a pitcher. It was still small compared to what he'd need for a fireball, but it was progress. Significant progress.
*This is what I needed,* he thought, a smile spreading across his face. *The ability to hold more power, to push beyond my limits. To prepare for the more advanced skills.*
He experimented, channeling mana into his expanded core. The energy flowed in easily, the capacity expansion skill accepting it like a vessel opening to receive water. He could feel the mana accumulating, the reserves building, the power growing with each passing moment. And best of all, he could feel the *limits* of his capacity shifting—the ceiling rising, the maximum amount he could hold increasing.
*If circulation is the river and storage is the reservoir, capacity expansion is deepening the reservoir. I'm not just storing more water—I'm creating more space to store it.*
He let out a long, slow breath, feeling the mana settle into its new rhythm. He was still a long way from a fireball—dozens of skills still lay between him and that goal—but this felt like a fundamental shift. A true expansion of his potential.
He glanced at the window, half-expecting the rooster to poke its head back in for another round. But the window was empty, the morning sun streaming through the grimy glass. He chuckled to himself and stood up, stretching his arms above his head.
*Time to start the day.*
The walk to the docks was different now. The capacity expansion skill gave him a new awareness of his own limits—he could feel the ceiling rising, the maximum amount of mana he could hold increasing with each practice. It was like having a gauge in his mind, a measure of his potential.
The docks were already in full swing, the chaos of the waterfront washing over him. Ships were arriving, crates were being loaded, and the familiar cacophony of the harbor filled the air. Leo fell into his usual routine, but his mind was elsewhere—on Elara, on the network, on the future he was building.
"Leo!" Borin called out, his gruff voice cutting through the noise. "We've got a shipment from the Northern Provinces that needs unloading. I want you on the docks today."
"Got it," Leo said, already heading toward the loading area.
As he worked, he thought about Elara. It had been three weeks since she'd left on her missionary journey, and he hadn't heard a word from her. The silence was gnawing at him, a constant worry that lurked beneath the surface of his busy days.
*She's fine,* he told himself. *She's just traveling. The roads are long, and there aren't many messengers who come this way.*
But the worry persisted, a quiet hum of anxiety that accompanied him through his work, his practice, his meetings with the merchant guild.
The evening market was its usual chaos. Leo's network of bestowers had grown to over five thousand, their stalls scattered throughout the square and beyond. The merchant guild had expanded operations to two dozen cities, and the flow of silver was constant.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from NovelPhoenix; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
But Leo's mind was elsewhere. He'd been thinking about Elara all day, wondering where she was, how she was doing, whether she was safe. The worry had grown into a constant companion, a shadow that followed him everywhere.
He was just closing up his stall when a young messenger boy ran up to him, his face flushed with excitement.
"Master Leo! Master Leo!" the boy called out, waving a bundle of letters. "These just arrived for you! From the missionary! There's a whole stack of them!"
Leo's heart leaped. He grabbed the letters, his hands trembling slightly, and tore open the first one. It was written in a spidery, but determined hand—Elara's handwriting.
*Dearest Beloved,*
*I hope this letter finds you well. I've been traveling for three days now, and I've already reached the first village on my route. It's called Oakhaven—a small farming community about fifty miles east of Aridia. The people here are simple and kind, and they've welcomed me with open arms.*
*I've already begun bestowing the gift of mana sensing. The village elder was my first customer—he was skeptical at first, but when he felt the mana flowing through him, he wept. He said he'd been waiting his whole life for something like this, and he'd never known what he was missing.*
*The villagers are eager to learn. I've been teaching them the basics, showing them how to sense the energy in the world around them. It's incredible, Leo. I feel like I'm making a real difference here. These people would never have had this opportunity without us.*
*I miss you terribly. The nights are quiet, and I find myself thinking about you, about the time we spent together in the Warrens. I can't wait to come back to you, to share everything I've learned, to hold you in my arms again.*
*I'm sending this letter with a traveling merchant who's heading back to Aridia. I'll send more as soon as I can.*
*All my love,*
*Elara*
Leo read the letter twice, then a third time, a smile spreading across his face. She was safe. She was thriving. She was doing exactly what she'd set out to do.
He opened the second letter, which was dated a few days later.
*Dearest Beloved,*
*I've moved on from Oakhaven and reached the next village—a place called Willowmere. It's smaller than Oakhaven, but the people here are just as kind. They've been struggling with a drought for the past few months, and the crops are failing. I've been using the mana sensing to help them find underground springs. It's amazing what you can do when you can feel the flow of energy beneath the earth.*
*The village elder was so grateful she gave me a goat. I've named him Herbert. He's very grumpy, but he's good company on the road.*
*I've also been teaching some of the younger villagers the basics of mana sensing. They're quick learners—I think goblins have a natural talent for it. Or maybe I'm just a good teacher.*
*I think about you constantly. The road is long, but knowing that you're waiting for me makes it bearable. I can't wait to see you again.*
*All my love,*
*Elara*
Leo laughed out loud at the mention of Herbert the goat. Elara had always been full of surprises, and it seemed that her mission was bringing out even more of her adventurous spirit.
He opened the third letter, then the fourth, then the fifth. Each one was a snapshot of her journey—the villages she'd visited, the people she'd met, the lives she'd touched. She'd traveled to a dozen villages, bestowing the gift of mana sensing on hundreds of people. She'd helped farmers find water, settled disputes between neighbors, and even performed a small miracle by sensing a hidden vein of iron ore that saved a blacksmith's business.
*She's remarkable,* Leo thought, his heart swelling with pride. *She's doing exactly what I hoped she would.*
The weeks that followed were a whirlwind of activity. Leo's capacity expansion skill allowed him to push his limits further than ever before. He practiced constantly, filling his expanded core to the brim and then pushing past it, expanding his capacity again and again. The regeneration skill kept his reserves topped up, and the circulation skill moved the energy through his body with increasing efficiency.
But the best part of each day was the letters. Elara wrote to him regularly, her letters arriving every few days in bundles of three or four. Each one was a window into her journey, her struggles, her triumphs.
*Dearest Beloved,*
*I've reached the mountains. The villages here are isolated—cut off from the rest of the world by the rugged terrain. The people have never seen a magic-bestower before. They were suspicious at first, but when I showed them what I could do, they were amazed.*
*I've been staying in a small village called Stonehearth. The villagers are miners, and they've been using the mana sensing to find new veins of ore. It's incredible, Leo. They're making more money than ever before, all because of what you taught me.*
*I miss you terribly. The nights are cold in the mountains, and I find myself dreaming of you, of the warmth of your arms around me. I can't wait to come home.*
*All my love,*
*Elara*
*Dearest Beloved,*
*I've moved on from Stonehearth and reached a village called Frostfall. It's the most remote place I've visited yet—nestled in a valley between two peaks. The snow here is deep, and the villagers live in underground homes to stay warm.*
*They've been wonderful to me. The village elder invited me to stay with his family, and they've treated me like one of their own. I've been bestowing the gift of mana sensing to everyone who wants it, and the response has been overwhelming.*
*I'm also learning something new. The villagers here have their own traditions—a form of magic that's different from what you taught me. It's based on the energy of the earth, on the flow of heat and cold. I've been studying it, trying to understand it. I think it could be useful for our network.*
*I can't wait to share it with you.*
*All my love,*
*Elara*
Leo read the letters with a growing sense of wonder. Elara was discovering things he'd never imagined—new forms of magic, new ways of using the skills they'd developed. She was becoming more than just a missionary; she was becoming a pioneer, a researcher, a student of the world.
*I need to learn more about what she's discovering,* he thought. *These new traditions could be the key to expanding our network even further.*
The month was drawing to a close, and Leo was preparing for his next step. He'd been thinking about his magical development, about the skills he'd learned and the ones he still needed. The capacity expansion skill had been transformative, but there was still so much more to learn.
*What's next?* he wondered. *Mana Purity, to refine the quality of my energy? Magical Core Strengthening, to make my foundation more solid? Or perhaps something else—something I haven't even considered?*
He was still pondering the question when something caught his attention—a familiar rustle of feathers at his window. He looked up, and there it was: the rooster from that morning, perched on the sill, its beady eyes fixed on him with an expression of unmistakable expectation.
"Back again?" Leo said, raising an eyebrow. "What do you want now?"
The rooster tilted its head, then let out a series of crows—each one different in pitch and rhythm, almost like it was trying to communicate. Leo focused his mana sensing, and he could feel the energy vibrating through the sounds, a complex pattern that seemed to carry meaning.
*It's trying to talk to me,* he realized. *It's using mana to shape the sounds into something like language.*
The rooster crowed again, then hopped down from the window and strutted across the floor. It stopped at Leo's desk, pecked at a piece of paper, and then looked up at him expectantly.
"Are you... asking me to write something?" Leo asked, incredulous.
The rooster crowed once—a short, sharp sound that seemed to mean *yes*.
Leo stared at the bird for a long moment, then burst out laughing. "This is the strangest thing that's happened to me in this world," he said, shaking his head. "And that's saying something."
He picked up his quill, dipped it in ink, and looked at the rooster. "Alright, tell me what you want. I'll write it down."
The rooster strutted over to the paper, pecked at a spot, and then began a series of crows—long and short, high and low. Leo listened, his mana sensing translating the patterns into something he could understand.
It was a story. A simple story about a rooster who woke up one morning and could see the energy in everything—the warmth of the sun, the pulse of the earth, the shimmer of magic in the air. The rooster had realized that it was now part of something bigger, something beautiful, and it wanted to share that wonder with others.
*It's telling me its story,* Leo thought, his quill moving across the page. *It's sharing its experience of the mana sense.*
When the rooster finished, it hopped onto Leo's desk and looked at the written words with what seemed like deep satisfaction. Then it turned to Leo and crowed softly—a gentle, almost grateful sound.
"You're welcome," Leo said, genuinely moved. "I didn't expect this, but... you're welcome."
The rooster strutted to the window, paused, and looked back at him one last time. Then it hopped out into the night, leaving Leo alone with the story on his desk.
The last day of the month arrived, and Leo sat at his desk, the candle flickering low, a stack of letters before him. Elara's latest batch had arrived that morning, and he'd been saving them for the evening.
He opened the first one, a smile spreading across his face.
*Dearest Beloved,*
*I've reached the coast! I'm staying in a fishing village called Tidewater, and the people here are wonderful. They've never seen a magic-bestower before, but they've welcomed me with open arms.*
*The fishermen have been using the mana sensing to find the best fishing spots. They say they've never had such successful hauls. The village is thriving—all because of what you taught me.*
*I've also been learning more about the local traditions. The villagers have a form of magic that uses the energy of the tides, the ebb and flow of the sea. It's beautiful, Leo. I've been studying it, trying to understand how it works. I think it could be integrated with our network.*
*I can't wait to show you.*
*All my love,*
*Elara*
*Dearest Beloved,*
*I've been thinking about you a lot lately. I miss you more than I can say. The nights are long, and I find myself dreaming of the Warrens, of the time we spent together in the darkness. I can't wait to come back to you.*
*I'm planning to return to Aridia in a few weeks. There's still so much to see, so many people to reach, but I need to see you. I need to hold you, to tell you about everything I've discovered.*
*Please wait for me, beloved. I'm coming home.*
*All my love,*
*Elara*
Leo read the letter twice, his heart swelling with emotion. She was coming home. After months of travel, of hardship, of discovery, she was finally coming back.
He looked out the window at the sleeping city. The stars were out, scattered across the sky like diamonds on black velvet. Somewhere, a night bird sang.
*She's coming home,* he thought, a smile spreading across his face. *She's coming back to me.*
The month had been one of growth, of discovery, of connection. Leo had expanded his magical capacity and received letters that filled him with joy and hope. The network was thriving, the money was flowing, and his foundation was growing stronger with each passing day.
He looked at the letters on his desk, each one a testament to Elara's journey. She'd seen things he could only imagine, learned magic he'd never heard of, touched lives he'd never meet. She'd become a legend in her own right—the goblin missionary who brought the gift of mana sensing to the far corners of the world.
And he'd given a rooster the ability to sense magic—and the rooster had given him a story in return. It was a strange, beautiful reminder that his skills could be used in ways he'd never anticipated. Who knew what other possibilities lay ahead?
He looked at the story he'd written for the rooster, the simple tale of a bird who'd discovered wonder. He decided to keep it, to add it to his collection of writings. It was a reminder that magic wasn't just about power—it was about connection, about seeing the world in new ways, about sharing that vision with others.
*I can't wait to see her,* he thought. *I can't wait to share everything I've learned, to hear everything she's discovered. We're partners in this—partners in building something that will outlast us both.*
He blew out the candle and lay back on his straw mattress, staring up at the ceiling in the darkness. The mana hummed in his chest, circulating in its steady, endless loop. The storage skill held his reserves, the regeneration skill replenished them, and the capacity expansion skill pushed his limits higher and higher.
He thought of Elara—her green skin, her sharp eyes, her warm smile. He thought of the network, the legacy, the future they were building together. He thought of the fireball that still awaited him, the ultimate goal that seemed both impossibly distant and tantalizingly close.
And he thought of the rooster, now roaming the city with a magical sense it had never asked for, with a story to tell. He wondered if it would find its way back again, or if their meeting had been a one-time gift from the universe.
*Next month,* he thought, *I'll choose another skill. Maybe Mana Purity, to refine the quality of my energy. Or Magical Core Strengthening, to make my foundation more solid. Or perhaps something entirely different—something that builds on what I've learned in unexpected ways.*
He smiled, a genuine smile that reached his eyes. This world had given him so much—purpose, power, a future, and now, someone to share it with.
He couldn't wait to see what next month would bring.
**[SYSTEM: NETWORK STATUS]**
**[NETWORK: MANA SENSING IMPARTATION NETWORK]**
**[TOTAL BESTOWERS: 6,234]**
**[ACTIVE BESTOWERS: 5,891]**
**[TOTAL CUSTOMERS BESTEWED: 112,847]**
**[TOTAL PROFIT: 3,385,410 SILVER]**
**[YOUR SHARE (25%): 846,352.5 SILVER]**
**[NEXT MONTH'S PROJECTED PROFIT: 5,200,000 SILVER]**
**[MISSIONARY EXPANSION STATUS]**
**[MISSIONARY: ELARA (GOBLIN)]**
**[VILLAGES VISITED: 47]**
**[TOTAL BESTEWED: 2,341]**
**[STATUS: RETURNING TO ARIDIA]**
**[ESTIMATED ARRIVAL: 2 WEEKS]**
**[SYSTEM: PERSONAL SKILL STATUS]**
**[UNIQUE SKILL: ANALYTICAL MIMICRY]**
**[CURRENT SKILLS:]**
1. **Language (Aroza): Talking** – Mastered
2. **Language (Aroza): Reading** – Mastered
3. **Language (Aroza): Writing** – Mastered
4. **Mana Sensing** – Mastered
5. **Mana Channeling** – Mastered
6. **Mana Circulation** – Mastered
7. **Mana Storage** – Mastered
8. **Mana Regeneration** – Mastered
9. **Mana Capacity Expansion** – Mastered