Bab 1: Stupid Rich Girl
"This is the fee for my apprenticeship!"
The chubby young lady respectfully placed three rosewood boxes in front of Mathew.
Looking at this scene, Mathew's lips twitched into a weary smile and he sighed helplessly.
"I have already told you that I am not a mage. How can I teach you magic if I don't know it myself? Take your gifts away!"
The young lady's name Is Natasha, although Mathew doesn't know her specific identify, looking at the way she dressed and acted, he could tell that she was from a wealthy background.
'Such a waste, she was born into such wealth but it looks like her head doesn't work well.'
She actually mistook him for a mage and she insisted on becoming his apprentice.
…
It has been more than 30 years since he had come to this world.
He was not summoned a beautiful God who proceeded to give him powerful buffs, he didn't get a system, he didn't powerful bloodline, nor did he he become a child genius of a wealthy family.
In fact, Mathew couldn't even leave the small hidden village that he lives in.
To make matters worse, he was the only one left in the village.
The small mountain village is surrounded by steep cliffs, with only a narrow passage about ten feet wide to enter and exit it.
Not only is the village well hidden, but it is easier to defend.
The original dwellers of the village had come here to avoid the war of the nearby kingdoms, unfortunately, even though the war is now over, it has become difficult to leave.
Even if one is unwilling to live a mediocre life in this small mountain village, the village is a hundred kilometers away from the nearest town, and the road is very dangerous, especially through a dense forest, where lions and other ferocious beasts often appear.
Over the past ten years, some people still formed relatively large groups and tried to make it through with numbers, everytime this happened, one or two people would come back to the village injured.
Even under such circumstances, there were many people willing to take the risk hoping to be part of the lucky few that made it through.
By the time Mathew crossed over, the village population had drastically decreased, there were only a dozen households in the village, and most of them were elderly people left behind.
Including Mathew, there were only five young men in the village, and they were unwilling to stay in the small village.
They wanted to leave the village and go to the city to make a living, and the same went for Mathew.
However, the journey was dangerous, especially the thirty kilometers of the Lefifi forest that they had to pass through.
The forest had been occupied by dangerous lions and other ferocious beasts over the years.
Most people who had left the village died in the Lefifi forest.
One day twenty years ago, a villager who had left the village returned to the village and wanted to take his mother to live in the city.
He claimed that he had learned swordsmanship from a knight and was not afraid of the lions in the Lefifi.
So Mathew and several young men left the village together with him.
Mathew and his party were not very lucky as they encountered a lion twice as big as the ones Mathew had seen on Earth.
The guy who claimed to have learned the swordsmanship immediately held a sharp knife in his hand, roared, and rushed forward to confront the lion.
Mathew did not stay long enough to see if the young man had actually managed to kill the lion, as he turned around and ran decisively.
Although he sometimes wonders if he had missed an opportunity to leave back then, when he hears the roars of lions coming from the Lefifi forest, he feels no regret.
He felt that, that lion was not something a mortal can kill, especially not with a kitchen knife.
Since then, Mathew was the only young left in the village.
Over the years, the old people left in the village died one by one, until half a month ago, Mathew buried the last old man in the village.
The 52 year old Mathew looked at the empty village, and felt a mixture of melancholy and depression.
'In the web novels, don't all transmigrators rise up and become unparalleled in the world?
At the very least, don't they have extraordinary backgrounds and live lavish lives?
And what about me?
I can't even leave the novice village!'
…
This was why when this rich looking young lady came to this village one night, Mathew gave his best hospitality in hopes that he could hitch a ride when she leaves.
During his thirty years stay in this world, Mathew was very bored so he tinkered a lot with the little science knowledge he still retained.
Some of the things he successfully made included a low efficiency solar panel, a battery, electric kettle, heater, toaster e.t.c
Given that the wind was cold in the mountain village, Mathew even lent out his only successfully made electric heater.
What he got in return was the current situation, after seeing the miraculous invention, Natasha was convinced that Mathew was a mage that lived in seclusion.
"Haha, I finally found you. Please accept me as your apprentice, and teach me magic!"
"What?!"
Mathew's eyes widened in confusion.
"Ever since I was a child, I wanted to become a mage, and I have used three lifetimes worth of luck to meet you today."
"I hope that you will accept me as your student, I will work hard and never let down your legacy!"
Looking at the sixteen or seventeen year old chubby girl who had fanatical eyes, Mathew looked confused.
The first thought in his mind was: This kid is crazy!
No matter how much Mathew refused or how much he denied being a mage, Natasha still didn't believe it and insisted on becoming his disciple.
In fact, the more he refused the more excited she seemed to be, and her enthusiastic look gave Mathew a headache.
"I'm not a mage, and I don't know how magic, you've found the wrong person! Even I want to find someone to teach me how to be a mage!"
"Impossible!"
Natasha's eyes were firm and she said: "Senior, please don't lie to me. You must be a reclusive Mage!"
"Look over there, this place is surrounded by cliffs and beautiful scenery. It is exactly as the book said! Mages are said to like this kind of environment that is close to nature."
"If you are not a reclusive mage, then why do you live here alone?"
"Senior, please accept me as your disciple, I will never let down your inheritance!"
Natasha actually bent down and got on her knees.
Seeing the angry glint in her bodyguard's eyes, Mathew quickly supported her up lest he be beheaded in the next moment.
"I'm not a Mage. I don't know how to do magic! I can't accept apprentices! You have really found the wrong person…"
Mathew felt helpless.
'Why is this kid so stupid? I don't know how she even get through the Lefifi forest and arrive at the small village!'
"I understand!"
Natasha suddenly straightened up with a look of approval and expectation on her face.
"Apprenticeship is a big deal, how can we be hasty? I will go back and prepare for the apprenticeship fee!"
She said these words as if they were words she had rehearsed before.
Mathew: ???
While Mathew was still confused, Natasha and her guard quickly disappeared.
"Whatever! As long as you leave me alone!"
Mathew's back was drenched with cold sweat, as the guard had been giving him a lot of pressure!
After all, this is not the Earth he was used to, the society was not ruled by the same law he knew.
If you disagree with someone now, your body could be feeding wild animals tomorrow.
'That guard looked at though he had killed a lot of people.'
On a carriage going away from the mountain village.
"Young lady, that man is obviously a normal mortal, there is no way he is a mage."
The guard advices in a soft tone.
"Hmph, what do you know? It was exactly like this in the book!"
"A strong mage lived in seclusion as a mortal in order to understand and transcend the mysteries of the world."
"He first rejects me, and after I show enough sincerity he will accept me."
Guard: 🤦♂️
'That was what you said about the seven previous ones'
The guard glanced to the side 2ith the corner of his eye, there lay a shovel.
Thinking of the poor people who had been buried by her young lady for tricking her, he couldn't help sighing.
'You are cleared the devil, you tempt these people and kill them for being unable to hold back their greed!'
...
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
During this time, Mathew regretted not taking the opportunity to see if he could leave the small mountain village with that rich lady.
Even though he felt that her head did not work well, and her guard seemed to want to kill him, he should have at least followed them from a distance.
'Maybe they knew a safe route out of here'
As he was basking in the sun on a reclining chair, unexpectedly, Natasha came again.
Moreover, she brought an "apprenticeship fee" with her, and she seemed very determined to take him as her teacher!
Mathew didn't want to lie to her, especially given her extraordinary background.
He had no cheats and no system, once he was found out, the consequences would be disastrous.
"Teacher, this is three hundred bars of gold..."
"I am not your teacher! Like I said, I am not a... three... *Gulp*... three hundred bars of gold?"
"Yes, I know that worldly wealth is nothing in your eyes, but the apprenticeship fee is indispensable, this my sincerity your student!"
Natasha opened one of the boxes, exposing thirty three inch gold bars neatly arranged inside.
Mathew looked at the gold bars, and swallowed, he felt a little moved, but finally gritted and was about to turn her down.
"I..."
Natasha opened the second box, in it lay three five coloured flowers that seemed to emit light.
"These are five element flowers from a thousand year old five elements tree that grows at home. I hope that teacher will accept it!"
Mathew was silent, although he didn't know what exactly the flowers were, he felt very refreshed and energetic just by smelling the sent from them.
He could tell that they were very precious.
Before he could muster up the effort of rejecting the gift, the third box was opened.
In it lay a treasure that even Mathew had seen in books, it was a the root of a 9 leafed vitality flower, well known for extending life and returning youth to the old.
Feeling his aging body, Mathew pretentiously sighed, put his hands behind his back and said:
"I have felt your sincerity, this might also be fate so I will reluctantly accept you as a Student."
After living in this world for so long he was already old, his bones were aching and his back hurt from tending to his fields all day.
He often thinks back to the days of his youth, and misses those times dearly.
An opportunity to regain his youth was brought right to the door of his mouth, how could he not take a bite?
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
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