I Pioneered Scientific Magic - Chapter 253 (Patreon)

Chapter 253: The Dragon Slayer Eventually Becomes a Dragon, Such Is the Case at Home and Abroad

"Something wrong? Raydell, having a nightmare?"

In the chilly mine, a faint voice echoed in Raydell's ear, startling him. Subconsciously slipping the ring into his pocket, he turned to see Ham speaking.

"Uncle Ham, how are you feeling?" Raydell lowered his voice, genuinely concerned.

"A bit better. Looks like I'm not dying yet," Ham replied weakly.

"Uncle Ham, why do we have to spend our whole lives in this mine, working hard just to eat black bread and barley soup, while those noble kids don't have to do anything and live in large estates, eating delicious food?" Raydell asked, perplexed.

Ham was momentarily caught off guard by Raydell's question. After hesitating for a while, he sighed. "That's just fate."

"Peasants are born as peasants, nobles are born as nobles. It's all the will of the goddess, a trial for you and me!" Ham gripped his wooden holy mark on his chest, speaking softly.

Was everything predestined? Raydell felt hollow inside, but soon the roar from his dream echoed in his mind.

"Kings, lords, and generals, are they really that noble?"

The rebellion of the peasants from another world resonated with Raydell, leaving an imprint of resistance within him.

However, mere passion wasn't enough. When faced with the armed guards, Raydell's thoughts of rebellion faded away. At twenty-something with just basic herbal knowledge, he couldn't confront dozens of guards in the mine.

More importantly, reality differed from his dreams. There wasn't a clever advisor like Wu Guang by his side, making him feel helpless.

Raydell could only numbly continue his work, watching Ham, still recovering from old wounds, laboriously moving heavy ore. His anger simmered, but there was no way out.

Until night fell again, Raydell hesitated, putting on the ring and slipping into the dream once more.

As he thought, he re-entered the mystical dream world, this time retaining his memories. As Chen Sheng, he led nine hundred laborers to resist the tyrannical rule of the Qin Dynasty.

But this time, it wasn't as smooth as before. The trials were beyond description, filled with hardship and danger.

His incompetence led to his best friend Wu Guang seizing power and his subsequent death.

Attempting to attack Qixian County, his secret plans were exposed, leading to death.

Even when he finally assembled people, the imperial regular army arrived, and again... death!

Raydell felt depressed. It wasn't as hard before!

Unaware that his loyal advisor, Wu Guang, was a form of beginner protection, reality lacked people so thoughtful, cunning, and non-betraying.

Over half a month, he died countless times, each dream slightly different.

At times, he was Fang La, leading oppressed peasants against the Song Dynasty. Other times, he was Zhang Jiao, using trickery to manipulate masses, wielding magical powers against highly skilled warriors...

His sole advantage lay in the reset after death. He had another chance!

Raydell struggled, gradually growing, but what struck him the most wasn't the pain of dying repeatedly, but the inhumane tragedies – cannibalism and silent lands – a world where officials and nobles endlessly oppressed the poor.

Finally, leading a ragged group of peasants, he triumphed over waves of attacks, securing his own territory.

Yet, Raydell realized his subordinates had changed. They mimicked the brutality of regular armies, enslaving the poor, consumed by wealth and power.

The oppressed had become the oppressors, the very people they despised.

Why? Why did this happen?

Raydell fell into deep confusion, losing his former spirit, even allowing his city to fall, dying amidst the chaos.

This time, he didn't exit the dream. Instead, he found himself in a peculiar place.

Surrounded by deepest darkness, only faint stars glimmered in the distance.

Before him stood a young man, perhaps slightly younger than himself.

"Are you a demon?" Raydell gathered courage to ask.

"What do you think?" Lynn replied, smiling.

Raydell hesitated, not replying. Lynn continued, "I'm human, just like you. People who claim otherwise might just understand a bit more, know a little magic."

"Magic... Wizards? Followers of evil gods and demons?" Raydell asked instinctively.

"In truth, wizards don't worship evil gods or demons, at least not the majority of normal wizards," Lynn explained. "If wizards care about anything, it's unraveling the truth of the world!"

"The truth of the world?" Raydell murmured softly.

"Why can't humans fly in the sky without wings? What causes the sun to rise and set... We uncover the laws governing the world, gaining power from it, and call it—magic!" Lynn's voice echoed in the darkness, perplexing Raydell even more.

Humans can't fly because they lack wings, right? What other reasons are there for the sunrise and sunset?

Raydell was puzzled, but his focus wasn't on these matters. After hesitating, he couldn't help but ask, "Why am I having these strange dreams?"

"Why do those peasants, who have suffered such oppression, inflict the same pain on others after gaining wealth and power?"

"It's human nature, a flaw and a strength. It depends on how you use it and what kind of world you want to create," Lynn said calmly.

Desire drives progress, causes change, but it's also the root of corruption and greed. The Dragon Slayer eventually becomes a dragon; this is the greatest challenge faced by reformers throughout history...

-----------------

Table of content

• You can access publicly available chapters of "I Pioneered Scientific Magic" right HERE.
• Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at Novelupdate.
• You can also check out the other Novels I'm currently translating by clicking HERE.
• If you come across any mistakes within this chapter, kindly notify me in the comments below, so that I can make the necessary corrections.