### Chapter 3: Apprenticeship
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
Seeing Riku spacing out, Gildarts was a bit confused.
"No... nothing, my mind is just a bit messy."
Fairy Tail... To encounter something as absurd as transmigration.
"Haha! You must not be used to your Magic Origin just awakening! You'll adapt soon enough. Come, eat some meat first, and I'll tell you about my guild."
Gildarts pulled Riku to sit down and began recounting the people and events of the Fairy Tail guild while eating.
Many familiar names came from Gildarts' mouth: Natsu, Gray, Erza, Mirajane, Laxus...
As Gildarts spoke, Riku gradually adapted to the situation.
Since he had transmigrated, he might as well make the best of it. Fairy Tail was one of his favorite anime, after all.
He used to dream of transmigrating into Fairy Tail, and now that dream had come true.
Besides, in his previous world, he was all alone. After his girlfriend's betrayal, he had no ties or worries left. Transmigrating to this world might actually be a good thing.
Having thought this through, Riku's mood gradually lightened.
He also began chatting with Gildarts.
The two hit it off very well, quickly becoming familiar as they ate and chatted.
"Uncle, can you be my master?"
"Master? I don't know Lightning Magic. Your Magic power is terrifyingly strong. You truly are a natural-born caster; you don't need a master at all, right?"
As Gildarts spoke, he glanced at the destruction Riku had caused. Even for him, creating that level of destruction would take considerable effort.
Other mages might not be able to unleash such powerful Magic even after training for a lifetime.
This kid could release such terrifyingly powerful Magic just after his Magic Origin awakened. Even as the strongest mage of Fairy Tail, he felt a tinge of jealousy in his heart.
"Not for Magic, but for training and combat. I know almost nothing about how to train or fight. If I stay like this, no matter how powerful my Magic is, it's useless if I can't utilize it properly."
Since he had transmigrated into Fairy Tail, he naturally had to strive to become stronger. Although the Goro Goro no Mi was extremely powerful, there were powerful monsters everywhere in this world.
Grimoire Heart, Tartaros, the Spriggan 12, the Black Wizard Zeref, the Five Dragon Gods, and the Black Dragon Acnologia.
The uncle in front of him was also an incredibly powerful monster.
Although Gildarts appeared a bit lackluster in some battles, that mainly depended on who his opponent was.
When he first appeared, he had lost an arm and a leg and was seriously injured because his opponent was the Black Dragon Acnologia, who stood at the apex of this world.
To be able to survive against Acnologia with his own skills—only Gildarts had managed that.
Take God Serena, who was revered as the number one mage on the continent of Ishgar; he was instantly killed by Acnologia in human form with a single strike.
Bluenote, who appeared shortly after, was actually very powerful himself. The main reason for Gildarts' struggle was that the Tenrou Tree had fallen, draining Gildarts of his Magic Power, which made him look so pathetic.
As for the Magic King August, he was a mage who truly stood at the pinnacle of humanity.
Gildarts was at a disadvantage because human Magic is almost ineffective against Dragons, so he appeared somewhat weak in certain matchups.
"Hmm... that's true. But there's no need for a formal apprenticeship. If you want to learn, I'll just teach you."
When he was at the guild, he often taught those brats how to fight. This kid suited his taste and had unlimited potential. If he taught him well, he would definitely become a pillar of the guild in the future.
Riku immediately bowed and said, "Thank you, Teacher Gildarts!"
"You kid!"
Gildarts smiled upon hearing this. He didn't mind taking a disciple, but his nature was such that he couldn't stay in one place, so he didn't have that much time to teach.
This time, he had just finished a mission and happened to be returning to the guild, so teaching along the way was no problem.
"Riku, let me tell you beforehand, my training is very strict. If you can't persist..."
"I will definitely persist."
Riku said with a determined gaze.
This world wasn't like his original one. In his original world, he faced the pressure of living; in this world, it was about survival.
As someone who knew the subsequent plot, he knew just how many turbulent undercurrents lay beneath this seemingly peaceful world. One slip-up, and all of humanity could be wiped out.
As for obediently leaving saving the world to the protagonist group and living happily in the rear?
Sorry, but he didn't have that much faith that everything would obediently follow the plot.
The future is not constant. Every choice could lead to different changes in the future.
The Grand Magic Games arc fully demonstrated this point. Who could guarantee that the current timeline wasn't the one where everything was destroyed by Acnologia?
Most importantly, since he had transmigrated to this world and eaten the Goro Goro no Mi, how could he hand his fate entirely over to others?
"Good!"
Gildarts saw that Riku's determined gaze wasn't feigned. He would naturally teach such a youth who yearned to become stronger with all seriousness.