Being Hunted like dogs

—Dumm

The sound of a wheelchair being loaded onto a carriage reverberated, following which, a resounding horn blew in the distance.

—Puuuuu

Simultaneously, several carriages revealed themselves all over the city and raced frantically in the same direction—towards a vast forest, as if fleeing from an impending threat.

"Let's go."

A man in his old age, perched atop a specific carriage, urged the horse ahead of him forward with a whip, propelling his carriage along.

"So this is what he meant...."

Within that carriage, a young man in a wheelchair gazed out the window, deep in thought. On the outside, soldiers and armed men chased down the carriages behind them, striking them down ruthlessly.

It was a brutal scene. Merely moments ago, a storm of information had been uploaded into his mind concerning this world and his current circumstances. He had been reborn. 

In this new life, he was named Leon. His mother had died during childbirth, and a few years later, he had suffered an accident that left placed him in a half comatose state, with only some basic body functions like breathing working. His father had remarried, and for the longest time, he had been at the mercy of his stepmother and stepsister.

They had consistently mistreated him, from depriving him of food to mocking and even poisoning him, leading to the death of the previous soul and allowing Badur to reincarnate into this body.

"Brace yourselves; we are about to enter Devilwood Forest."

From atop the carriage, Leon's father's voice resonated. They were approaching a dark forest it was their last lifeline.

They were a family of Warlocks, one of the most despised races in their kingdom. Decades ago, they held considerable power and influence, but it had been abruptly overturned in a single night, leading to their status as the pariahs of society. They had even been labeled as evil, as per his father's political rants.

"Charge!! Follow them into the forest; do not let them escape!!!!"

From behind them, a group of hunters and slavers, led by a particularly beautiful knighted lady, relentlessly pursued them. Their aim was to eliminate the Warlocks or enslave them for profits.

—VOOM!!!

Not long after, their family carriage sped into the forest, navigating numerous trails and trees. Their pursuers, however, remained relentless, following them in their quest to capture as many Warlocks as possible.

"Hmmm, the hearts of men are wicked, no matter the world."

With a slight smirk on his face, Leon observed the outside of the carriage, there he witnessed many Warlock families being bound by ropes and captured. These hunters were like wolves, waiting for any one of their own to fall so they could feast on their corpses.

"Blood Serpent Clan!! With me."

All of a sudden, A young woman in her mid-thirties bellowed from the front of the carriage she rode toward the rear of the fleeing carriages on horseback.

—Zoomm

She swiftly passed Leon's carriage and engaged with the leader of the hunters, followed by several others.

"The new clan matriarch."

A memory appeared in Leon's mind, introducing the woman who had just confronted the hunters and slavers. She was called Liana, the new matriarch of the Blood Serpent Clan, and she wielded great power, particularly for her age. If anyone could secure their escape, it would be her.

"Phew, we are saved."

Leon's stepmother sighed in relief, also relieved to see the matriarch. At least she would buy them enough time to escape.

Seeing this, Leon turned his head away and sighed in relief. It seemed they would indeed survive this ordeal.

"Treasure."

Leon closed his eyes and projected himself into his mindscape, where he found a massive pagoda.

[The host may call me an SS GRADE TREASURE.]

The system announced in his mind.

"What functions do you have?"

[The system has a multitude of functions:

Sea of Wisdom: The system possesses vast archives of knowledge from the Warlocks' primogenitor, His Grace "Altor." The system can also acquire new knowledge by scanning data.

Insight Compass: This allows the host to perceive lucky or unlucky encounters of others during a set period.

His Grace, the primogenitor of the Warlocks, left a spell for the host: Heal - a spell that allows the user to heal any and all injuries on themselves or others.

Other functions will unlock as the host begins to climb the pagoda.

Current position on the pagoda: Floor 1]

Listening to these functions, Leon couldn't help but smile. Many of these functions were essentially like cheats.

[The system also has a preset goal from the previous user.

Save the Warlock race.

Does the host wish to keep this goal?]

"Hmm, no, change this goal."

[Please input a new goal.]

"Attain true immortality."

[New goal set: Attain immortality.]

In his past life, he had desired power, but no matter how much power he attained, there was always a greater peak to scale. After experiencing death, he was determined to avoid it at all costs. He didn't care for reasoning or philosophy; he wanted immortality, and he would attain it, because that was what he desired..

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