I'm Really Not the Lightning King of Magic (Seeking Follow-ups)

You'll never imagine what a science and engineering nerd will do when bored to the extreme!

Lein transmigrated, and it couldn't be said he didn't have a cheat. It was just the four words "[Never Tire of Teaching]" that occasionally appeared on his retina, making him incredibly frustrated.

The dump he transmigrated to was an abandoned ancient village. The village did have dozens of hectares of wasteland and a deep pool with fish. If he was willing to fish, he wouldn't starve. Those fish knew nothing of the world's dangers and were easy to catch, biting at the slightest bait. Later, he could casually cultivate a few acres of land, and self-sufficiency wouldn't be a problem. The only issue was that he couldn't get out.

Surrounding the village were cliffs a hundred meters high. Even more outrageous, Lein heard the roar of dragons from outside the valley.

After three or four days of fear and trepidation, he accidentally saw the silhouette of a Western-style dragon through the clouds. If his estimation was correct, it was a white dragon over ten meters long.

And the dragon roars from outside weren't from one or two, but a group.

This place was practically a Dragon's Valley.

This directly extinguished any hope he had of leaving the valley.

Lein considered himself a shut-in. Give him electricity and enough food, and he could stay in his room for a month without going out. The premise was a high-spec computer and broadband.

What was this godforsaken place?

The system had matched him with the local language module.

But he was supposed to teach people?

At least give him a living person!

Was he supposed to train carp to jump over the dragon gate?

Even if he crafted climbing gear to get out, he'd probably just become a snack for the dragons.

Just as Lein gave up hope and started living a feudal-style life of fishing and farming for two weeks, he was bored to death. He discovered that the village had a reasonably well-preserved blacksmith shop, and in the warehouse behind it, a pile of metal ingots and various ores. As a science and engineering nerd, he decided to use his common sense in physics and the small waterfall in the village to build a small waterwheel, and then use hydropower to generate electricity.

As a result, just as he finished hand-crafting a simple electromagnetic generator and casually made a [Tesla coil], it happened that the sky in the distance was flashing with lightning and rumbling with thunder.

His chuunibyou kicked in.

There was no helping it. When one is bored to the point of madness, it's easy to talk to oneself or even make 'imaginary friends.'

"Hahaha! Back in the day, I, single-handedly, commanded the Sky City, charged into the Divine Realm, and shot down the divine kingdoms of three evil gods!"

"Demons disagreed! I flipped over a hundred layers of the Nine Hells and slaughtered a host of Baatorian archdevils."

"Devils caused trouble! I killed my way through the Nine Hells of Baator and plastered the walls with the blood of demon lords!"

"Yet, the world was in chaos..."

"It's hateful that two fists can't fight four hands!"

"As powerful as I am... there's only one [me] in the world!"

"The world is so vast, with so many ignorant beings, how can I kill them all alone?"

Looking at the surging sky in the distance, Lein was filled with heroic spirit. His bold voice echoed between heaven and earth amidst the shocking thunder.

"The great wind rises, and the clouds fly! My might covers the seas, and I return to my homeland! Where can I find brave warriors to guard the four corners!?"

The famous quote from Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, was undeniably soul-stirring.

Lein spread his arms to the sky to their maximum extent, feeling the strong wind blowing from afar and listening to the rustling of his fluttering clothes. Maintaining this pose, he felt incredibly cool.

If he had to give himself a score for posing, he'd give himself 99 points, deducting one to avoid arrogance.

Just then, there was a sudden splash behind him.

"Please, Master, teach me the mysteries of Lightning magic--"

He turned.

A somewhat honest-looking boy, about sixteen or seventeen, with brown hair, knelt before Lein, looking as if he would never rise.

No!

Wait!

Where did this kid come from? This was a deserted village!

This completely drenched boy appearing out of nowhere left Lein bewildered and internally screaming disaster.

Damn it! I woke up too suddenly!

Lein immediately denied it. "Young man! You've got it wrong. I don't know any Lightning magic."

The boy was stunned at first, then put on a 'Don't mess with me, elder' expression, and stared resentfully at Lein's right hand.

Following the boy's gaze, Lein was also dumbfounded.

Dozens of small electrical sparks, identical to the violent lightning in the sky, leaped nimbly like little snakes in the hand of this 'Lightning Master.'

Lein immediately knew he had overplayed his hand.

He really didn't know how to explain to a native without any scientific common sense: "Don't look at the high voltage on the electromagnetic coil, and don't be intimidated by the flashing sparks. In reality, the current that reaches your hand might only be one milliampere, not on the same level as the lightning striking from the sky."

His hand felt at most a slight tingling sensation.

Lein tried to salvage the situation, clearing his throat. "Let me tell you, I don't know any magic. This is Science! A truth that exists universally in nature. It's just that you don't know it yet. Just like the sun rises and sets every day. You've found the wrong person. I myself want to find someone to teach me magic! Besides, this thing can't hurt anyone. Try touching it if you don't believe me."

He didn't know that his recent performance, in the eyes of this boy who had stumbled in, was a completely different, fantastical scene:

Cloudy sky.

In this mysterious and dangerous, secluded valley, on the hillside at the entrance of an ancient village dotted with ruins, streaks of electricity descended from the clouds in the distance, flashing across the sky. The light illuminated the boy's vision, allowing him to clearly see a young man, not much older than himself, standing beside a strange metal cylinder on the hillside.

The boy could see the light reflected in those dark eyes.

Yes!

Like the raging thunder in the sky, the electricity flowed from far to near, gently landing in the hands of this Lightning Master, playing with him like a little rabbit.

To a boy who knew nothing of magic, this was undoubtedly the magic spoken of in the tales of bards!

Lightning's magic!

In an instant, the dancing electric light on the man's fingertips became an inextinguishable faith in the boy's heart for the rest of his life.

The boy gazed ardently at the electromagnetic coil, knowing that the Master used this ancient artifact to command the lightning.

He understood: so this was a kind of magic called [Science]! How could a great sage who could easily discern the truth behind things need anyone to teach him magic? This clearly meant that no one in this world was qualified to teach him magic! He was the true Archmage.

However, when Lein asked him to touch that terrifying electricity, the boy instinctively shivered and shifted his weight, inching backward.

No!

Are you serious about taking a step back?

The boy's reaction made Lein feel incredibly awkward.

Unwilling to give up, Lein asked, "What did you just hear?"

"Starting from when Master laughed..."

Lein's eyes went dark: He heard everything? Gods! This was my glorious record from playing Dungeons & Dragons before I transmigrated. This kid actually believes it?

Knowing that any explanation would sound like a cover-up, Lein said with a pained expression, "That was just me joking around."

The boy bowed again earnestly: "Master, I have traveled through thirteen provinces and climbed over two hundred and fifty mountains, big and small, to finally find you in this ancient secret realm. For a hundred years, there has been no magic in the world. Please, you must take me as your disciple, teach me the mysteries of Lightning, and save humanity from the persecution of monsters, demons, and devils!"

His words perfectly echoed someone's wish: 'Oh, for a mighty warrior to guard the four corners!'

But Lein was startled by something else entirely, unable to recover from the immense amount of information revealed by the other party for a long time.

This world had monsters, demons, and devils, but no firearms or magic?

Then what was the point of fighting!

As Lein's mind raced, the boy continued on his own, "My name is Downs*Don Quixote. I was frail since childhood and could not inherit the family business to become a powerful Knight. I vowed to seek the true path of ancient magic. Today, guided by fate, I have met Your Excellency Archmage, which is undoubtedly a blessing from the gods. Please, Archmage, do not refuse. I will surely cultivate diligently and spread the way of magic."

People in this world didn't seem to kowtow, but this full prostration was very real.

Lein's face showed a huge amount of embarrassment. Hearing the boy's ridiculous name, his first thought was of that famous Don Quixote from before his transmigration.

This boy's translated name was only one character different from that one. He might be the kind of stubborn person who would charge at windmills on horseback.

Lein's biggest thought was: This kid is suffering from severe delusions, beyond saving. I suggest his father delete his account and start over.

But explaining would be useless!

To this point, no matter how Lein refused, no matter how he denied being any Archmage, Downs maintained an expression of "I'll never believe you."

He was adamant!

"No! You must be the reclusive Archmage!"

Upon hearing this, Lein inwardly scoffed.

Pah!

If you're still a virgin at thirty, you can be an Archmage too!

You're the Archmage! Your whole family are Archmages!

Lein was so angry he felt like spitting blood. He knew he was just demonstrating middle school physics, but he had no idea how to explain it to this dense, native bumpkin.

The electromagnetic coil was connected to a small water wheel, which was connected to a generator. As long as the water wheel turned, the electricity wouldn't stop.

The boy opposite him seemed to be on a never-ending supply of delusion.

The worst part was that this world clearly didn't have the Yellow River; Lein couldn't wash himself clean even if he jumped in!

Lein frowned and stepped on the large switch at his feet, immediately stopping the electromagnetic induction.

As if on cue, Lein seemed to extinguish the electric light with a flip of his hand. In the distance, the sky cleared up almost simultaneously.

Even though there was no longer a trace of electricity in his sight, Downs seemed to see an incredibly colossal divine silhouette in the heavens, retracting its Lightning power, hiding its tracks, and shrinking its divine soul into the small mortal body before him.

After all, in myths and legends, those who could control the power of Lightning were at least top-tier deities, if not the King of Gods.

This principle surely applied to mages as well.

Downs forgot to breathe, his gaze becoming even more fervent.

"Master! I know that reclusive masters like you prefer peace and quiet, which is why you hide in this world, undisturbed by the outside, to conduct your magical experiments. But learning magic to protect my compatriots is my only dream! Please, for the sake of my lifelong pursuit of magic, you must teach me the mysteries of magic."

Magic!?

I can teach you middle school physics, like a village teacher, but I really can't teach magic!

Lein didn't know what "never tiring of teaching" meant; he only knew that if he really tried to teach, it would be "destroying people without end."

Could he single-handedly start an industrial revolution, equip this clueless boy with an exoskeleton, a high-power generator backpack, and then shoot down dragons with a 100,000-volt high-energy Taser gun?

Impossible!

Absolutely impossible!

Thinking of this, Lein's face darkened. He berated in the coldest tone, "The magic you speak of is merely knowledge you cannot grasp. It doesn't possess the world-ending power you imagine. Learning something that can't kill enemies will only harm you. Get out! I don't want to see you!"

With that, Lein turned away ruthlessly, standing with his hands behind his back, not sparing the young man another glance.

However, his desolate back, coupled with his clothes fluttering in the strong wind, painted a mysterious image of the reclusive Wind Archmage that was deeply imprinted on Downs's young heart, unforgettable for a long time.

The young man shivered. He suddenly had an epiphany: That's right! Master actually meant—[Knowledge] is power! Knowledge is magic! His magic was unrivaled, but it was too profound and difficult to understand. If he could only learn the superficial aspects, it would not only harm himself but also disgrace his master. It would be better not to teach him.

Exactly! This was the reclusive master's greatest concern!

Then, it's time to show my resolve!

Downs suppressed the urge to cry and bowed deeply again. He ran off in a daze.

Seeing Downs leave, Lein couldn't help but follow him, wanting to know where this young man came from. To his surprise, when he followed him to a pond with fish, the young man jumped straight into the water.

Lein was stunned.

This pond was fine in the shallow areas, but if one dived just two meters deep, the water became bone-chillingly cold.

Once, he tried to dive deeper and almost froze to death.

Wait! Is this what you call being weak?

Sigh! Whatever. At least I drove him away. It's better than misleading him.

Lein didn't expect that three days later, the young man would actually return.

While Lein was fishing, Downs leaped out of the water two meters high, carrying a large box on his back, and landed steadily in front of Lein.

As expected, fishermen can't catch fish, but they can catch anything else.

Like disciples?

Downs opened the obviously waterproof box and took out the contents as if presenting a treasure. A burst of colorful radiance blinded the eyes of the transmigrator.

Looking at the pile of gold coins and gems, Lein felt petrified.

"This is..."

"Master! I sold my family's heirloom armor and exchanged it for gold coins and magic stones as my apprenticeship gift. Please, Master, you must accept me as your disciple. This is all my wealth!" With that, Downs knelt deeply, refusing to get up.

Lein's mind felt like a set of rusted machine gears, stuck and unable to move for a long time.

The young man before him was not dressed extravagantly, indicating he wasn't from a wealthy family. Since he had armor, it was likely a Knight family heirloom.

Based on Lein's understanding of Knights, in lower-tier Knight families, a set of armor was equivalent to a house in his previous life, a perfectly acceptable heirloom.

This foolish boy actually sold his armor to learn magic. Lein could imagine how he would be perceived in his hometown:

Idiot! Fool! Prodigal son! Selling off ancestral land without a second thought!

He truly lives up to the name de Cervantes.

Lein couldn't refuse him.

Besides...

I, Lein, am not the kind of man who is swayed by money!

I just want to experience what it's like to buy a house outright in another world.

At worst, I could make a living exploring entertainment districts with this money in the future.

Ahem!

It's definitely, absolutely, not because this kid offered too much!

"Sigh! Fine, fine! Given your sincerity, I'll teach you a bit of [Electricity] knowledge. Whether you can grasp it depends on your comprehension." Lein decided to only teach Downs middle school physics. After teaching, if Downs couldn't comprehend Lightning magic, it wouldn't matter. Lein would refund 90% of the tuition before Downs could yell "RNM, refund!"

The remaining 10% would be Lein's travel expenses after leaving the valley.

Downs was overjoyed and kowtowed incessantly, "May I know Master's name...?"

"Don't call me Master. You haven't even entered the sect, so you're not qualified to call me Master! As for my name, I am Lein..." Thinking that people in this world put their surnames last, Lein blurted out, "Lein Tesla!"

Yes!

Tesla!

Nikola Tesla, who in the 19th century single-handedly invented alternating current (Electricity) and the Tesla coil, hailed by the world as the "Law King of Lightning," a man closest to God!

Great God Tesla, since your inventions have caused me to take on this disciple, I'll borrow your great name to help me bear the brunt of the consequences.

It's not that I want to deceive this kid. Blame your inventions for being too extraordinary.

--

ps: A novice author, only 20 years and over two hundred months old, who has only written a dozen books and survived two "sheep brain surgery" incidents, requests everyone's support for this new book seedling. Please give generously with tips and monthly votes. Thank you all.