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Chapter 9: Poro
Chapter 9: Poro
"Poro? Is that its name? What a cute name!" Mira seemed to really like the fluffy little Poro.
Rod also found Poro adorable, but... what good was being cute? He wanted a hero that could pack a punch!
Rod held Poro up to his face and looked into its big, black eyes. Could this little guy really fight?
Poro's big tongue shot out, and Rod instinctively leaned back, successfully avoiding a face wash.
Makarov asked, "Do you know this creature? Does it have any special abilities?"
"It's called Poro. It lives in a very cold place. Its abilities..." Rod thought carefully.
"It can eat things, and it grows bigger when it eats. If it eats too much, it explodes. And... it can be really cute?"
Mira praised, "What interesting abilities! It looks like a great summoning creature."
Rod replied listlessly, "Ah, thanks for the encouragement."
"So, it's more of an ornamental creature, then. Don't be discouraged. Even among the Celestial Spirits, there are ornamental types, like Nicola from the Canis Minor constellation."
Makarov added, "Having such a cute companion is great, isn't it?"
Poro seemed to sense Rod's disappointment. Its little horns drooped, and it pulled its tongue back, looking pitifully like a puppy that had been abandoned.
Rod scratched Poro's chin. "I'll treat it like a pet."
"Rururu~" Poro rubbed against Rod's palm, making a contented sound, and its horns perked up again.
Rod pinched Poro's horns, petted its head, and rubbed its heart-shaped belly, gradually enjoying the soft, fluffy feel.
Poro seemed to enjoy it too, lying on the counter with its tongue hanging to one side.
"It looks like a little lamb but acts more like a puppy," Mira said, picking up a slice of chopped apple. "Want to eat?"
Poro flipped over, escaping Rod's massage, and dashed toward Mira's offering, showing surprising agility.
Is this little guy really just a food-driven creature? Rod thought to himself.
Makarov cleared his throat, drawing Rod's attention. "Whether Poro is strong or not aside, did you feel a surge of power leaving your body when you opened the door? That was your magic power."
Rod thought about it. "Now that you mention it, I did feel something..."
"Generally, Celestial Spirit Mages use magic power to maintain the existence of their spirits after opening the gate. I assume it's the same for you."
Makarov continued, "Now, follow my instructions and meditate. Focus on the slow drain of your magic power, find its source, and then, see your own strength."
"Got it!"
Rod sat down on the spot, closed his eyes, and concentrated on the slowly draining power in his body.
The noise of the guild hall gradually faded away, and the sounds of Poro and Mira playing also grew distant. The world became quiet.
In the darkness, Rod saw himself sitting cross-legged, surrounded by tiny blue light points that looked like mist.
Outside his body, a faint, wavy line of blue light points floated toward his side, indicating the connection with Poro.
Rod's focus was on the inside of his body, where the mist-like blue magic points formed a small, noticeable vortex slowly rotating at his center, like a miniature galaxy.
It seemed that all the magic in his body was emanating from that vortex, and there were also scattered light points seeping in from outside, converging into the vortex.
The magic was being consumed, but it was also being restored.
Rod easily sensed this.
He could even feel the rate at which his magic was being used to maintain Poro's existence, compared to the rate at which his magic was being restored.
To put it in terms of a common online game:
MP -1
MP +99
The excess would likely be used to replenish the magic spent on opening the gate.
After realizing how little magic power a Poro consumes, Rod gave up all hope of it being a formidable fighter.
Putting the Poro aside, Rod focused on observing himself, trying to command the light points within his body. Although it felt a bit awkward, he managed to control the direction of the light points, which were essentially his magic power.
In the real world, as Rod manipulated his magic, his hair gently swayed as if being blown by the wind, moving left and right.
Today, the guild hall was much quieter than usual because the Guild Master was keeping a close eye on things. Whenever someone tried to start a fight that might disturb Rod, the Guild Master’s palm would land on their head.
When Rod finally opened his eyes, Makarov smiled with satisfaction. This boy had a natural talent.
"Today's magic training is over. You should pay more attention to your Poro," Makarov reminded him. "Star Spirit Mages usually form contracts and maintain good relationships with their Star Spirits. You’ll have to figure it out on your own."
"Alright, thank you, Master." Rod stood up and looked at Mirajane, only to find that the Poro was no longer with her.
"There." Mirajane smiled and pointed to the little creature playing around the guild hall.
Following her finger, Rod discovered that his social skills were far inferior to a Poro. In less than an hour of meditation, the Poro had already become friends with many people in the guild.
It stuck out its tongue, darting between tables, occasionally rubbing its fluffy body against people’s legs. When someone who liked cute creatures picked it up, it would act cute, staring at the food on the table with its big eyes, almost as if it had “feed me” written on its face.
The most impressive part was that after getting some food, the little guy would immediately run off to the next target, showing no mercy.
In a very short time, everyone in the guild remembered this adorable creature, but only a few, introduced by Mirajane and Levy, knew the name of its owner.
Rod waved his hand, and the Poro, with its tiny legs, trotted over, but it tripped and rolled like a ball of yarn to Rod’s feet.
The little guy decided not to get up, lying down and flipping over to show its belly, clearly getting better at this act.
Rod couldn’t help but rub its heart-shaped belly again before picking the Poro up and placing it on the counter. "Can you understand what I’m saying?"
"Uruuru~" The Poro nodded its head as best it could.
Rod asked, "Do we need to sign a contract or something?"
The Poro shook its head vigorously, almost falling over.
"If you go back, will I still be able to summon you next time? I remember there are many Poros in the Howling Abyss."
The little Poro nodded and then shook its head, looking pleadingly at Rod.
Rod guessed, "It will be you, but you don’t want to go back?"
The Poro looked happy.
Rod looked at Makarov, unsure.
Makarov said, "If your magic allows it and neither of you objects, it can stay as long as it wants."
"However, if it starts to interfere with you opening the next door, you’ll have to send it back."
Rod nodded. "Since you like it here, you can stay for now."
The little Poro spun around happily.
Mirajane suggested, "Why don’t we give it a name?"
Rod replied, "Its name is Poro."
"But Poro is a general term, like dog or cat. I mean a name specific to it."
The Poro looked at Rod expectantly.
"Hmm... I have trouble coming up with names..." Rod thought for a moment, "How about Xiao Bai? Dango? Furball?"
The Poro’s little horns drooped, clearly feeling neglected.
Rod was stumped. "Master, Mirajane, do you have any suggestions?"
"What about Worm?"
(End of Chapter)
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