(Gavin)

"So…" Ryan trails off.

"Yes?" I ask.

"Aren't we in a hostile area?"

We're back in the valley with the Tower on the island in the lake that was his first introduction to this world.

"We are," I answer, landing us on the shore on the outer edge of the lake. "I plan on using this valley as the base for my Order."

I wave my hands, weaving Arcane, Mana, and Aether together into a fluid form that begins to solidify, taking on the shape and form of a building as I do. A simple, two-story house with a few bedrooms on the second floor, a bathing room and a relief room on the first floor, along with a kitchen, a dining and family area, and a study on the first floor.

One of the bedrooms on the third floor has its own bathing room and relief room. That will be mine, for now.

"What about the hostile shit?" He asks.

"It will leave us be," I answer. "The animals in the lake are docile, and the ones that venture this far into the valley aren't monsters, either, so we'll be fine."

"So you built a house using magic?"

"Yes."

"Are you planning on living here?"

"Yes."

"For how long?"

"Until I can figure out how to remove the Boundary of Sages," I answer. "And then probably until I die after, as this will be the headquarters for my Order."

With that, I turn and focus on another spot about twenty feet from the house, weaving magic once more, forming a sort of shed. That will be for firewood. Once that's formed, I look twenty yards away from the house and begin to weave another building, imbuing it with resistances and enchantments as I do.

"That will be," I look at my apprentice. "For training in magic. Come."

He follows me into the enchanted building, the magics woven into its existence more potent than mere enchantments could ever be, though my enchantments are there as an added measure.

I lead him into one of the training rooms I formed, then conjure up a chair and sit down.

"You are going," I say. "To practice the Magic Bolt spell."

"Seriously?" His eyes widen in excitement. "I can finally use magic?"

"Yes," I answer. "However, you will only do it in here, with my supervision, until I have determined that you have done well. You will also never experiment with it, nor adjust how much Mana is used in it, or any other such things, outside of here or without my permission and supervision until I have stated that you may. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes," he answers, looking a little bit less excited.

"Good," I state. "Now form a Magic Bolt and shoot me with it."

"Oh, cool!"

I had a feeling that would get him excited again. I'm sure he's dreamed about shooting me with magic before.

Ryan puts his hands together in front of him, focusing.

"Magic Bolt!"

Nothing happens.

"Magic Bolt!"

Nothing happens.

"Magic Bolt!"

Yeah… nothing happens.

He tries for about five minutes before managing to have a weak bolt of Mana form in front of him, but it dissipates before he can fire it. I watch as he drains himself of Mana trying to create the Magic Bolt.

"Good job," I say. "You failed to create the Magic Bolt. Perhaps next time, you'll succeed."

"Are you being sarcastic?" He asks. "I feel like you're being sarcastic."

"I'm being perfectly serious," I answer. "You're pretty advanced. However, you only receive a small bonus to learning and Leveling Skills – nothing as extreme as mine. You may take a few days, but you will still do it before most.

"That said," I manifest a paper in my hands, holding it out. "This is the instructions for performing the Taihi Mana Expansion Technique, which expands your Mana Pool by applying runes to it. Practice it, but only go until you achieve it."

"Yes, sir," he says.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"And do not go any further until I give you permission to. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir."

He sits on the ground, cross-legged, and I pull out a tome. One of Eli's, the one containing the runes that he believes may be from another language.

This is my first time looking over them seriously, and as I do, I can understand why he'd believe that. They do seem to be different.

I manifest three new tomes and a quill, then begin writing, noting down runes and their supposed meanings in each one. By the time I finish, I've confirmed my suspicions.

These runes do belong to a different language. In fact, there are at least three different languages, though only enough for me to figure out a bit of two. They are the Kratus Runic Language and the Dirsoor Runic Language.

Both are usable for spells.

I pull out my tome on the Dekami Runic Language, then look between it and the other two. I'm not sure what the other one's good for, but it doesn't take me long to figure out these three. Or at least, to theorize on them.

Dekami is better for straight-up spells. Kratus is excellent for enchantments, including the Expansion Techniques. Dirsoor is best for manipulating magic and existence.

The last one, I only have three runes for, which is nowhere near enough to acquire the Skill for, leaving it unknown, as well as its purpose. The several dozen of the other two were enough for my boost to learning Language Skills to acquire the Skill for them, once I separated them and looked at them as if they were each their own language.

Which I'm glad for, because I actually recognize the style of them.

Of all four of them.

I stand abruptly, startling my apprentice. Ignoring his confusion, I quickly leave the training hall and make my way across the lake, landing at the base of the Tower and studying the magics woven into its construction.

It utilizes all three of the Runic Languages I know, plus another. Possibly more than that.

No wonder my magic's been inefficient against it. It uses far more runes than the ones I'm using, and I'll likely need to utilize multiple Runic Languages in order to tear it apart.

Perhaps studying my Grimoires will net me more runes.

With that in mind, I make my way back to the training hall, where Ryan's holding his stomach. I stare at him.

"I'm hungry."

"Did you practice more?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Uh, because you said I can't without you actually being here?"

"You actually listened?" For once?

"Uh… yeah," he says. "I may be inappropriate and a goofball and joker, but I'm not stupid. You demonstrated what can happen if I don't use magic right, and I've talked to other magicians who've confirmed it. I am not going to be doing it without your say-so. I am not going to risk blowing myself up or worse just to learn magic."

"Good," I say. "Let's get something to eat."

"Okay," he says, and we head into the house.

I pull food out of my spatial ring, then we eat. As we're eating, I think about what to do next, coming to a conclusion as we finish our meal.

"Night is several hours away," I tell Ryan. "Due to the difference in location from Jozan. You might want to nap. I am going to be leaving for awhile, so I will leave some food with you. It might be a day, might be three. I'm not entirely sure. Stem? Would you mind watching over my apprentice for me?"

"How did you know I was here?" He asks, and Ryan scoots back, looking under the table.

"I have over a thousand Perception, dumbass," I say. "I could hear you breathing."

"Oh. Right."

"I couldn't even sense him," Ryan says.

"He's suppressing his Divine Aura."

"I'm not a Divine, I'm a Demigod."

"They didn't tell you, did they?"

"Tell me what?" He nuzzles my leg, then yelps when I kick him.

"I've known who you really are since we met, Stem."

"You have?"

"Think about how you introduce yourself…"

"What about it?"

"Turn it into an acronym. Then add on your fetish for blue things."

"What does that have to… oh."

Stem pokes his head up between my legs. He's in his wolf form.

"You seriously figured it out when we met?"

"I swear on the blood in my veins," I say. "I knew before you'd finished introducing yourself the first time we met who you really were, having figured it out myself."

I glow crimson, Nies confirming that I was honest.

"Damn," he huffs. "So where are you going?"

"Who is he?" Ryan asks.

"First," I say. "I'll be heading to the Fairy Kingdom, to see a Fairy King about a Grimoire and ask a certain Wolf Beastborn where someone is located and how to get to them. After that, I'll track him down and ask him about a certain Grimore. I'll see about tracking down another Grimoire if I can while I'm out. Then I'll return."

"Why?"

"Because," I say. "I'm pretty sure that removing the Boundary of Sages requires some extensive knowledge that would be worth far more than 10,000 Experience for me to complete."

"Well… yeah, it is," he nods. "It's worth more like five hundred thousand."

Quest Adjusted!

Remove Boundary of Sages

Change: Experience Reward increased from 10,000 to 500,000

"I wasn't asking you to change it, Stem."

"I know," he shrugs. "I was planning on doing it once you figured it out."

"Thanks, for watching my apprentice," I say.

"No problem," he shrugs. "I'm bored, anyway. Plus, I'm sure Ryan and I can come up with some pretty good pranks while you're gone."

"I will skin you alive and make a coat out of your fur."

"I will strip you of Access and crush you under my foot."

"Pretty sure Nies would beat you senseless for that."

"Probably," he shrugs. "But it'd be worth it."

"You'd regrow your fur."

"I-well, that's besides the point."

Gavin can't come back from the dead. You can regrow your hide. Can you let him make a coat from your pelt?

"How much of the conversation did you catch?"

From you threatening him. What'd he do?

"Nothing worth mentioning."

You should let him harvest your pelt and make a coat anyway. It'd be beautiful.

"I need him to watch my student," I say. "As I'm leaving for a few days, and won't be able to supervise him to keep him out of trouble, and I'd rather not provoke Oberon further."

Okay. Can I turn him into a tiger?

"No."

Aw. He'd be cute as a tiger.

"I don't think he likes tiger forms," I look down at Stem's face. "He seems to prefer more canine appearances. Anyway. I will be going. You two behave yourselves. Ryan, here are more runes for you to work on memorizing and creating perfectly."

I wave my hand, dropping another set of parchments onto the table, then I depart, making my way to the nearest Dungeon to exit this region.

I'm not going to try to get them to give me the Grimoires, but I would like to look through them so I can memorize everything within them. If I can figure out the other language or languages, and Level all of them enough, I might be able to figure out how to take down the Boundary of Sages.