Golver was all up for training Ryne to the best of his ability, after all, although he was indeed talented, his potential had long begun to run dry.
The heartless tread of time never minds the dreams and ambitions of the mortals that got crushed. While he had dreamed of eternal life once as well, he only had so much time left in this world.
He wasn't someone born within the tribe, he was an orphan. The earliest memories that he remembered was of him begging, starving, envying others, and being beaten for stealing. The disgusted faces didn't even treat him as a human, throwing him the worst possible insults that appeared on their minds.
The 'civilized' society was all that. In a kingdom crowded with prestigious alchemists, rune-masters, inscription masters, distinguished battle-mages and honed warriors, the lower rung of the society fared far worse than those in dangerous and life-threatening places like this forest.
Everything that they gained, everything that they achieved came at the cost of something else, and these dark corners prospered behind the ever-brightening light.
He knew it of course, when he met his master. The elder brother of Emertius. A bare-chested, hairy middle aged man with only a piece of beast skin wrapped around his crotch. He received bizarre looks and complaints wherever he went, but unlike him, he didn't care.
That coarse and vulgar looking old man saw him, and smiled without pretense, showing him grace and respect that made him tear up.
That person was the reason he got tied to this tribe, and he quite enjoyed it, even the dangers and tribulations he faced. Away from the shining golden palaces, sky-high city walls and delusional people that measured human lives in gold, their ugly desires driving their lives, he was content here.
Originally, he had intended to devote his time and energy to the tribe his master belonged to, helping Hans and living his life in calm seclusion, but the arrival of Ryne changed all that.
With a talent unheard of in these lands, he was bound to soar higher than anyone he ever knew. Although nigh impossible, there was indeed a fleeting chance that he might surpass the limit that bound everyone to the mortal ground, the mythical 'Divine' grade.
His old body shivered in excitement whenever he thought about that chance.
'I might not last that long, but my name shall resound along with my disciple for years to come. He's a good kid, ah."
Mana is the source of all life, naturally strong mages and warriors live much longer than the common people. The effects begin the show from Grade-3, as a mage or warrior of that caliber can easily live for longer than 100 years. A Grade-4 mage or warrior can even live for as long as 200 years, nothing to say of even stronger people.
The longevity is even more exaggerated in higher realms. The publicly acknowledged strongest warrior of the continent, Kang, was already a 200-year-old Peak-Grade-6 warrior when he killed Ro-han. And after more than 5 centuries, he is still alive, his reputation unshakable, his name defining the era.
Golver thought about the bigger world out there as he sat idly on a small boulder, with his legs submerged in the stream. His chest swelled up with pride, imagining Ryne making a name as distinguished as Kang for himself.
He devoted his life to his pursuit of magic but at his peak, he found that he couldn't advance anymore. Although he could still marry and settle at that time, he decided to continue the narrow despairing path of being a secluded mage instead of living a 'normal' life.
At this time, Golver himself was the second oldest member of the tribe, only after 'Senior Emeritus', being 169 years old, only slightly regretting his choice but even that little bit of despair was wiped off from his heart after he took in the first and the last disciple of his life.
'There are only two problems with the Kid that I've been able to notice within these days. One, his outstanding sense of urgency that would only hold him back, and the second, his isolated heart, that turned out like this in this foreign land when faced with overwhelming fear and uncertainty. The former would need to be checked from time to time, but it could still be managed as he grows up. The other flaw though… it would only grow with him if it's not resolved properly. I can only hope for the best.'
With someone with perception as keen as Golver, it didn't take him much time to see that Ryne's defense mechanisms and survival instinct were working all the time, even while he was alone and it was unneeded, taxing his mind and draining his spirit.
But it was necessary too, as at least this way he wouldn't be easily fooled or scammed, since he wouldn't trust people or open up to them.
'I can't decide for him. I can't interfere too much.'
His internal monologue came to an end as he sat there silently, taking in the sights around him.
He remembered the words of a lover he had in his youth. She had asked him to marry her but at that time his ambitions knew no bounds, making him arrogantly refuse her. Their relationship naturally came to an end after some time.
'She used to say the happiness of having kids and watching them grow up would definitely feel as gratifying as my breakthroughs but as far as I can remember, I only took it as a joke.'
He looked back at the wooden cottage where he felt a weak pulse of mana constantly fluctuating, 'I guess… she was right.'
After some time passed, Golver finally decided to check in on how Ryne was doing. A teasing smile sat upon his face as he thought about his disciple's constant jabs at him being unable to teach him ancient runes.
'He was joking each time, but there was a certain validity and desperation to actually learn ancient runes hidden underneath them. This habit can only be changed by teaching him not to bite off more than he can chew.'
Yes, Golver gave him a nigh-impossible task when he told him to self-learn his first spell without even teaching him how mana and runes relate to each other and their complex interplay and balance needed to bring out a complete spell.
'Eh, why is the flow of mana consistent now?'
The wooden door opened with a creak and Golver walked in, imagining the faces his disciple would make, but what he saw only gave him an urge to wash his eyes to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.
His 6-year-old disciple, with his eyes closed, was twirling his fingertips in the air, and a 'fireball' as big as a walnut, was dancing around it.
"WHAT?" He let out a shout at this otherworldly scene. Confusion, exhilaration, and awe simultaneously bursting forth from his old and weary heart.
'He did it, He REALLY did it. This… this… how is this possible?'
Ryne opened his eyes in shock as well, the 'fireball' spell rapidly evaporating back into environmental mana.
However shocked he was, Golver decided to analyze his room for any changes, to check to see if anyone was secretly helping his disciple but other than an additional thin slip being placed on the table, there's nothing else of value.
'So he did throw that book in frustration once, how then? How did he master it so quickly? This…'
While Golver wondered about everything that was happening around Ryne and its implications, Ryne himself didn't care enough.
Ryne didn't analyze it this much, he was feeling a sense of accomplishment today. Standing up, he bowed at Golver and said,
"Master… can I read Ancient runes now.?"
"...no way," Golver's brow twitched again.