Elegy from Another World

After successfully prying open the cell door, I didn't rush out. The first lesson that eternal life taught me was patience. Like a shadowy figure, I moved slowly along the cold, rough stone wall in the dimly lit passage, trying to keep my breathing as quiet as possible.

This was a bandit stronghold, the air thick with the stench of alcohol and sweat. Carefully avoiding the occasional snores and drunken murmurs, I first crept into what seemed like a storage room, finding a few rough cloth garments. Though simple, they at least provided cover and warmth, relieving me of the embarrassment of being naked. Then, I rummaged through several scattered bags, finding some hard, dry rations and a small, heavy bag of coins—they gleamed with a golden luster, engraved with grotesque monsters I'd never seen before; presumably, this was the common currency of this world.

Axes, longswords, and other weapons were piled up in the corner, gleaming coldly. I tried to pick up a longsword, but found it too heavy for my seemingly flexible body; it would only be a burden to swing. In the end, I chose only a light and sharp dagger, which I carefully tucked behind my waist.

Next, I had to find an exit. I followed the passageway and found that the main entrances and exits were guarded. Although they seemed relaxed, it was almost impossible to pass through silently. I searched almost the entire second floor, but all the exits were blocked.

In despair, I looked out the window of an empty room. It was the third floor; below was pitch black, and I couldn't see the exact height. The robbers must have assumed no one would escape from such a place, so they hadn't bothered with any defenses. I decided to take a gamble! I decided to break out from here.

I focused my mind, conjuring a rope of water flowing through the window, trying to make it strong enough. I tied one end of the water rope firmly to the window frame, leaving the other end hanging into the darkness. Taking a deep breath, I grabbed the slippery, cold "rope" and began to slide down.

However, I overestimated the stability of my magic and underestimated the force of gravity. After falling less than two meters, the water in my hand could no longer maintain its shape and abruptly broke and dissipated!

The feeling of weightlessness gripped me instantly, and I plummeted like a stone.

"Snap!"

A dull, clear cracking sound came from beneath me. Even without feeling pain, I could clearly "feel" a structural dislocation in my right leg—the bone was definitely broken. The impact of the heavy fall to the ground sent a rush of blood to my head, but I bit my lip tightly, not making a sound.

Fortunately, the ground below was soft mud, and with my body's superhuman resilience, I was mostly unharmed except for my leg injury. I struggled to my feet, my right leg completely unable to bear weight, and could only rely on my left leg and hands for support. I limped and dragged my badly injured body as quickly as possible, disappearing into the dark woods outside the stronghold.