I heard the Priestess scream for help as I chased after her captors. My feet pounded against the damp stone floor, breath ragged and my muscles burning. The tunnel narrowed, and at the far end of it, l began noticing the light from the night stars. I pushed forward, bursting into the open air.
But when l emerged out of the tunnel, l was too late.
The thing that waited for them wasn't a carriage pulled by beasts, nor was it any contraption I had known in my old world. It was a Phantom Chariot.
I admit, when l got reincarnated here, l thought these things were cars. I had only seen them parked in noble courtyards or lined up outside grand halls.
This particular one had a sleek frame, black as midnight, and it shimmered faintly with arcane sigils that pulsed in rhythm with the throbbing blue core at its rear. Wisps of spectral energy coiled from its wheels—if they could even be called that—hovering just inches above the dirt. I was stunned by how it operated to say the least.
Then, with a burst of mana, it surged forward, kicking up a spiraling cloud of dust before vanishing into the night.
"Tch." I clenched my fists. They had taken her.
These people had to be filthy rich. Owning a phantom chariot in this world wasn't just rare—it was damn near impossible unless you had wealth beyond measure. And more than that, a vehicle like that required an immense amount of magical mana to operate. Only a highly skilled mage could keep it running. Whoever these guys were, they weren't just rich. They were powerful as well.
But that wouldn't stop me. I had to save the Priestess. My freedom and my quest depended on it.
Just as I prepared to move, a mechanical voice echoed in my mind.
[System Initializing...]
[Tracking the Priestess's Location...]
A glowing map materialized in my vision, a red marker blinking rapidly. The system had already locked onto her position. A directional arrow appeared at the edge of my sight, pointing the way.
[Target located.]
[Pursuit route calculated...]
[Follow the marked path.]
A sharp smirk spread across my face.
"Look at you. Acting like a real system today. Not bad."
The system scoffed. [I am a real system, you know.]
I let out a short chuckle. "Hah. Keep this up, and I might actually start liking you."
[Please don't.]
[I have a reputation to maintain.]
Shaking my head, I focused back on the chase.
It was already midnight, the sky draped in darkness, with only the lonely stars offering faint light. I took off running. No vehicle. No horse. Just my legs.
I cut through alleyways, taking shortcuts as the system fed me real-time updates of the terrain. But to my shock, the kidnappers didn't stop. They kept going—until they were out of the kingdom.
I skidded to a halt, gasping for breath, hands on my knees. A quick glance at my Pleasure Points showed I had 767 left. Better than nothing, thanks to all the time I'd spent having sex with Ivy.
I used 200 PP to heal my fatigue, instantly feeling refreshed. But the kidnappers had pulled even farther ahead—almost 20 kilometers away—and they weren't slowing down.
[System analyzing...]
[With your current speed, you won't reach them in time.]
[Activating hidden stats.]
[Temporary Buffs now Available: Use Pleasure Points to enhance stats.]
[Stats boosts available are for: Strength, Speed, Stealth, and Fatigue Recovery.]
I froze, blinking at the sudden influx of information. "Wait... What? You've been hiding these OP buffs from me the whole time?"
[Of course.]
[You'd have gotten lazy if I showed them to you earlier.]
I groaned in frustration as my Stats appeared in front of me:
Strength – 3/10
Speed – 5/10
Stealth – 1/10
Fatigue Recovery – 0/10
They were pretty low, and below them, an Upgrade Option flashed. Each upgrade cost 50 PP.
Without hesitation, I maxed out Speed (10/10), draining 250 PP. Now, I only had 317 left. It was risky, but l didn't have time to find Ivy and "farm" more pleasure points from her.
So I bolted.
I shot forward like a jet, the world blurring around me. My feet barely touched the ground—it felt like I was running on air. In mere seconds, I began closing in on the kidnappers.
That's when I noticed our location on the system map.
[System analyzing...]
[You've reached Zephandria Kingdom.]
The hell? Zephandria? The mighty, prosperous kingdom. Even bigger than Eldoria. I had to be careful—rumors said it was crawling with powerful hunters.
Just then, my 2-minute speed buff ran out. I skidded to a stop, but I was close now—only a few kilometers from where the kidnappers had stopped.
Moving through the shadows, I followed the system map until it led me to a massive mansion.
That's where they had taken the Priestess.
I slipped around to the back, unlocking the door with my magic. Inside, l saw masked guards patrolling the area, all armed to the teeth with sharp swords in hands. My hunch was right—whoever ran this place was beyond rich.
If I wanted to save Seraphina, I needed to keep things quiet.
My past life as a doctor was finally coming in handy—I knew the human body, its weak points, and exactly how to take someone down without a sound.
I conjured small rods of rock, flicking them at the guards' pressure points. One by one, they crumpled to the floor without making a noise. Smirking, I grabbed a sword from one of them and pushed forward.
Then I reached a passageway where two guards stood by a door. I knocked them out with the same technique and stepped closer... but something felt off.
A heavy, sinister aura leaked from the room behind the red door.
Inside, I heard murmurs—like a crowd whispering an incantation.
The malevolent energy thickened, and then—
One voice rose above the rest.
"Come forth, O King of the Abyss!
I offer you a Priestess maiden, pure and untainted.
Take her grace, make it yours,
And in return, grant me your power!"
As the chanting came to an end, l heard a familiar scream.
Seraphina!
I bolted inside....
Tbc