LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 28: Code?
He felt like he could really do it. No—it was just too similar.
Abel was so entranced that he unconsciously moved his hands up as if he were holding a keyboard. His fingers pressed against an imaginary surface, typing in midair.
And then, the unknown inscriptions, composed of flickering flames—symbols he had never seen before—began to unfold before his eyes. It was as if a sealed book had suddenly been opened. He didn't just recognize the symbols—he instinctively understood them.
His mind was blank, void of any thought. His entire focus was locked onto the flame, and nothing else existed. His fingers moved like a pianist in a grand orchestra, striking invisible keys with precision and purpose.
He was writing his own code.
In this world.
As Abel mindlessly typed, the floating flame began to change. Its once-gentle nature grew stronger, its flickering embers turning dense and fluid—like lava, viscous yet flexible.
He was modifying the flame.
But before he could fully comprehend what he was doing, the trance was abruptly cut off.
His consciousness returned to the real world.
Yet, his eyes remained closed, as if reminiscing about the moment that had just transpired. His heart pounded like the rhythmic march of soldiers at dusk—loud and unrelenting.
Passion. Profession. The very thing that defined him—what once made him "Johan"—had been reignited.
He thought he would never experience the thrill of programming again. But here he was, living it.
Slowly, Abel opened his eyes. As his eyelids lifted, a ripple spread through the air—an invisible wave. But something had changed. His once-golden irises had turned ghastly white, exuding an eerie, chilling presence.
"Did I… experience an epiphany?" Abel murmured.
"Did the heavens take pity on me? Haha…" He smirked.
Epiphanies were not something even the so-called "Sons of Heaven" could attain at will. They were so rare that even the arrogant rulers of the heavens might never experience one in their entire lifetimes.
Yet he, an ordinary man, had?
"Heaven really didn't abandon me. HAHAHA!" Abel burst into laughter.
But then, his excitement wavered. He looked at his hand, flexing his fingers.
"What… did I just do?" His voice was barely above a whisper.
"Did I… change the properties of an element?"
As far as he could remember, no one had ever done such a thing. Elements were meant to be used, not altered. To modify their essence would be to defy the very rules of the heavens.
His heartbeat quickened. If this power was something only he could wield…
Without hesitation, he closed his eyes again, trying to recall the trance-like state from earlier. He controlled his breathing, relaxed his mind, and focused. But no matter how hard he tried—
"That feeling… I can't experience it again," he muttered in frustration.
He even mimicked his previous movements, but nothing happened.
"Tch, I guess epiphanies really are a once-in-a-lifetime thing," Abel lamented.
Still…
He glanced at the flame swirling within his sea of consciousness. He couldn't help but marvel.
The once-hazy fire had transformed, becoming denser and brighter, its nature now akin to a thick, molten liquid. He willed it to manifest outside his mind.
Opening his eyes once more, he noticed that his irises had returned to their original color. The eerie whiteness had vanished.
Raising his hand, he opened his palm.
Like a lotus blooming in a dimly lit cave, the fire emerged.
It was beautiful—perfectly uniform, yet beneath its mesmerizing glow lurked an unsettling aura, sending chills down his spine.
Abel clasped his hand, then swung his arm in a throwing motion.
The flame shot forward, hurtling through the air at incredible speed—
**BANG!**
A resounding explosion echoed through the forest.
But instead of burning the tree like ordinary fire, the flame latched onto it, forming a hard, crust-like layer. The wood darkened as if being devoured, chunks of it disintegrating into ash. The flame spread like poison, corroding rather than burning.
"Damn… that's so cool," Abel murmured, clasping his hands together.
For the first time since arriving in this world, he had conjured something that outright defied the laws of physics as he once knew them.
The realization struck him—he was truly in a magical world.
Looking at the mess he had created, Abel quickly retrieved the flame. Like a loyal pet, it obediently ceased its rampage and returned to him.
There were no burn marks on the tree. If someone were to look at it, they wouldn't have guessed that fire had caused such destruction. Instead, it looked as if something had taken a massive bite out of it.
"Finally… I finally have a proper means to attack and defend myself!" Abel rejoiced.
But his celebration was short-lived.
A deep, guttural roar cut through the air.
No—**not a roar.**
His stomach.
"Ah… right. I'm starving," he chuckled, scratching his chin.
Surveying his surroundings, he realized something odd.
There were no monsters.
Not even a single one in sight.
"Am I lucky that nothing's found me yet? Or… is this place home to something even more powerful?" He gulped. "I really hope it's not the second one."
Shaking off the uneasy thought, he focused on the next task—finding food.
With swift movements, he climbed up a nearby tree.
"I could never do this in my old life," he mused, effortlessly scaling the towering trunk.
But just as he reached a high vantage point—
His senses screamed at him.
A massive shadow blurred past him, narrowly grazing his body.
Abel barely managed to react, instinctively jumping aside and grabbing onto a thick branch. Cold sweat trickled down his back.
"What the hell was that?"
His grip tightened as he looked down.
And then—he saw it.
His stomach dropped.
"Oh, come on… Can't you at least let me rest first?"