The morning started with a strange warm breeze that carried a blend of mint heat and earthy smoke. It pulled me out of sleep before the sun fully rose. My senses were sharper than yesterday. Maybe this world kept tuning me like a tuning fork. Lira knocked on the door and told me to get ready because Maren wanted an early field exam. I stretched my arms and felt a soft buzz on my tongue as if the air held tiny crystals of flavor.

We walked through the guild hall where adventurers gathered for breakfast. Bowls of grain porridge steamed on tables and the aroma reminded me of light caramel with faint wheat note. Even simple food tasted layered here. Lira handed me a small satchel filled with empty vials for collecting samples. She also gave me thin gloves made from plant fibers that smelled faintly of cinnamon. These resist most mild toxins she said.

Outside the town walls the morning light spread across the ridge. The forest colors were brighter than before. Greens glowed like polished stones. Blue moss shimmered in slow waves. The breeze carried aromas from every direction. Sweetness to the left. Herbal sharpness to the right. Something metallic and burnt ahead. Lira noticed my expression. You look like you are listening to a thousand whispers at once.

I nodded. Flavor was everywhere. Not just from plants but from mana itself. We reached a small trail marked by carved stones. Maren waited beside a low bush with red leaves shaped like small hands. She held a notebook and greeted me with a serious face. Today we measure the limits of your sense she said. She motioned me closer. Tell me everything you smell from this bush.

I leaned forward and inhaled. The red leaves had a soft berry scent at first but under it a smoky bitter tone drifted. It reminded me of over roasted beans and cracked shells. I focused deeper. A faint heat pulsed under the bitterness. That heat meant volatile fire mana. The plant was unstable but not explosive. I explained my reading. Maren wrote fast. Lira watched with wide eyes. Maren then asked how far away I could detect it. I turned and walked down the trail until the scent faded into the background forest noise. The distance surprised me. Nearly thirty paces away I could still catch the first hint. When I told Maren she looked stunned.

She guided me to another plant. This time a cluster of tall stalks with silver stripes. Their aroma was extremely light almost silent. I crouched closer and inhaled. A cool tone drifted like crisp winter air. Under it a tiny spark of sweetness flickered. This plant improved mental clarity. It also carried a soft healing attribute. Maren asked how I knew. I told her the sweetness was similar to mild restorative herbs from my old world but the cool note bent the flavor toward clarity rather than energy. She told me this plant was called mind reed and only senior herbalists identified it reliably. The fact I found its nature in seconds shocked her.

After several tests Maren led us deeper into the forest. The air shifted. The scents grew heavier. A strange earthy sour tone crawled along the wind. My tongue twitched. Something ahead was wrong. Lira raised her bow as we moved carefully. The path dipped into a hollow filled with thick vines. At the center a large bulb pulsed with faint green light. The smell hit me like a wave. Rotten moss. Sour fruit. Burned metal. All tangled in one ugly scent. My stomach tightened.

Maren saw my face. What is it. I swallowed. This plant is not natural. It is mutating. Or poisoned. Or both. The aroma twisted between healing and decay. Something corrupted the mana inside. Lira circled the bulb slowly. She whispered that the guild lost two scouts in this area weeks ago. Maybe this thing was the reason.

I stepped closer even though my senses screamed danger. I needed to understand. I inhaled slowly. Layers unfolded. A sweet high tone that wanted to heal. A dark bitter tone that wanted to rot. A metallic mid tone that wanted to ignite. All fighting each other. The plant was unstable on every level. If touched or cut wrong it could release mixed mana that burned or poisoned anyone nearby. I warned them to stay back.

Maren asked if it could be saved. I said maybe if we remove the corrupted parts. But cutting it blindly was suicide. I needed to read the flavor pattern like I read defects in coffee beans. I walked around the bulb smelling each side. On the west side I caught a faint clean tone. A safe tone. I pointed to a narrow vein and told Lira to cut there if she had to cut at all. Lira trusted me and sliced the vein. The bulb trembled then deflated slowly like a sigh. The air cleared as the sour note faded away.

Maren stared like she witnessed a miracle. You stabilized it. I nodded but my legs felt weak. The intensity drained me. My tongue felt numb. Reading flavors at that depth took energy. Lira guided me back up the ridge while Maren collected samples from the dead bulb. The forest breeze returned with gentle floral notes. A welcome relief after the corrupted mess.

Back at the guild Maren wrote a preliminary report. She said the forest was changing too fast and that my senses were now a critical part of their survival. She even hinted that scholars in the capital would want to study me. I was not sure how I felt about that. Being studied sounded uncomfortable. But if learning more helped me survive I had little choice.

As evening settled I sat alone outside the guild door. The cool night air carried a simple aroma of grass and smoke. Something calming. I closed my eyes and thought about how my life shifted so quickly. I once judged coffee for living. Now I judged the structure of magic. My tongue that once chased delicate floral notes now saved lives. I felt both terrified and strangely proud.

The day ended with a whisper of warm breeze drifting through town. I inhaled softly. For the first time since arriving in this world I felt aligned with it. My skill was not a curse or an odd trick. It was a new language. And I was learning it faster than anyone.