Elegy from Another World

The fact that I don't need sleep gives me almost unlimited time. During the day, I efficiently complete one commission after another, from the most basic gathering and clearing to gradually venturing into some low-risk guard and raiding missions. With the steady accumulation of generous rewards, my life in Valencia gradually becomes stable and fulfilling.

During the long nights, without the internet and electronic entertainment, I turned to the ocean of knowledge. With the money I earned, I bought all sorts of books from bookstores and magic item shops—from story collections and monster encyclopedias to basic and advanced books on various magical theories. In my hotel room at night, the magic lamps were often lit, and I immersed myself in the words of these otherworldly worlds, absorbing knowledge like a sponge.

To my surprise, the logic of this world's magic system was remarkably similar to the programming I learned in my previous life. Magic was the energy source, and spells and runes were "functions" and "code," invoked and combined through specific "syntax"—magic circles, gestures, and chanting—ultimately "compiling" the desired "result"—the magical effect. This familiarity allowed me to learn magic at an astonishing speed. In just one month, I was no longer a beginner who only knew water magic. I had mastered fireballs, rock spikes, wind blades, illumination spells, and even some basic shadow cloaking techniques, and could use them in simple combinations.

These days were peaceful and fulfilling, until this day.

My assigned task was to investigate the disappearance of livestock near the outskirts of the city. Following the trail, I ventured deep into a desolate hilly area and finally discovered something unusual at the entrance to a hidden valley—man-made bunkers and sentries. This was clearly a bandit hideout.

According to standard procedure, I should have immediately returned to the guild to report, request support, and organize a team to wipe them out. However, perhaps the smooth sailing of the past month had made me a little overconfident, or perhaps I subconsciously craved a real challenge to test my newly acquired power, I completely forgot this rule and decided to take down this bandit den single-handedly.

"I'll just treat this as a high-difficulty raiding mission." With that thought, I silently eliminated the sentries on the outer perimeter and sneaked into the valley.

However, I soon realized I had underestimated my opponent. This band of bandits was no rabble; among them was a beast tamer capable of controlling monsters!

The battle erupted instantly and escalated rapidly. I was no longer just facing bandits wielding swords, but also dealing with all sorts of monsters they commanded: towering, incredibly strong rock giants; cunning and vicious goblins swarming from all directions; giant scorpions with hard shells and deadly stingers; and most dangerously, giant man-eating plants disguised as ordinary plants!

The battle became extremely chaotic and dangerous. Fireballs exploded on giants, wind blades severed goblins' throats, and rock spikes rose from the ground to block scorpions' charges... I desperately used my newly learned magic, moving swiftly across the battlefield. That peculiar "steel bar" also became my weapon for close-quarters blocking and thrusting. The Everlasting Burn allowed me to ignore most of the blows and grazes, instead transforming them into a sense of fighting exhilaration, making me even more focused and valiant.

But the most insidious crisis was about to strike. A carnivorous plant lurking in the shadows sprayed out a swarm of tiny, almost imperceptible seeds the moment I approached. Despite my best efforts to dodge, some still managed to cling to my arms and neck.

The next moment, a strange tingling sensation (transformed into an unusual pleasure by the constant burning) came, and the seeds took root and sprouted at a speed visible to the naked eye. Sharp roots pierced my skin, trying to burrow into my body to draw nutrients! Almost in the blink of an eye, several enchanting, blood-red flowers bloomed on my arms and neck!

A strong sense of weakness and being drained came over me. If it weren't for my "immortality" forcibly maintaining my life force, I would probably have been drained in an instant! Even so, I felt my magic flow was sluggish and my movements became slow.

"Damn it!" I thought with a start, but the Everlasting Blaze kept me extremely calm. Instead of feeling the excruciating pain from the parasites, I could perceive the location of those roots more clearly. Without hesitation, I conjured a highly compressed water blade in my right hand and, with the precision of a scalpel, sliced ​​through the parasitized areas on my left arm and neck, slicing away a small piece of flesh along with the demonic flowers!

The bloody wounds healed quickly. My eyes turned cold, and I held back. Aiming at the giant man-eating flower, I frantically poured my remaining magic into the "steel bar," and the structure at the top opened again!

"Buzz—!"

A blazing green laser flashed by, piercing and vaporizing the carnivorous plant along with several bandits and a scorpion behind it!

With the most troublesome monster gone, the remaining enemies were quickly routed by my relentless barrage of magic and melee attacks. When the last scream in the valley subsided, I stood in the center of the ravaged battlefield, covered in slime and dust, panting slightly.

Although the process was thrilling and I even had to use my trump cards, I ultimately wiped out this bandit den with extraordinary power all by myself.