Chapter 100: Chapter 99: Race Start & Star Participants

"WELCOME, everyone. Are you ready for the Dungeon Grand Prix!!?" - Announcer

The crowd let out a roar of excitement as the announcer reeled them up. The rules were gone over again, but I remember them by heart now, so I didn't listen. 

"Ain't there too much attention on our pit?" - Dawn

"Uuuhh..., the stares hurt..." - Dusk

Good point. Maybe that's what is causing the excitement around here. Most of the people sitting close to our Guild's pit, the place where the car gets maintenance and such in races, are more focused on us than the announcer, as in, whistling while having nosebleeds. 

That damn Aino, she sure did an excellent job with these costumes. The twins' outfits are damn good, but I think she went the extra mile with mine. Especially in the fanservice category. She's even prepared an umbrella for me in the same style as the black and purple clothes. The spider motif is nice, so I'm not gonna complain about it being a little showy. However...

"Aww, you four are so cute~." - Aino

Ah, and I didn't mention him as an act of mercy, but Palug's gotten a little mascot costume as well. The poor rabbit looks like he's been in 10 despair-filled wars, without any vacations in between. Damn you, Aino, for nullifying my kindness! 

"Then why're you not contributing to the 'cuteness'?" - Garami

Aino's the only female who's in her regular...-ish clothes. They are the same kimonos from before, but they feel like they're of a higher quality. More flame markings as well. On that note, Bones is also wearing a much cooler robe than before. Rolf the mechanic Slime looks no different than before though. 

"Hey, I am part of the racing theme today. I need to be suited for battle." - Aino

Yeah, I know. I just wanted to vent a little. 

"Guild Master, sorry to put you on the side-line. But that blindfold of yours, they just KILL your usefulness on the race court!" - Rolf

"Well, thank you very much for that!" - Garami

I gave a sharp reply to the extremely rude slime before lowering my voice to just a whisper.

"(That should be enough)." - Garami

"(Yeah. Any more and it will look unnatural)." - Rolf

We decided to stop our small charade at this point. Our secret weapon has to be saved for the last stretch. 

"Anyway, Rolf, what is this thing supposed to be?" - Garami

I was talking about the machine that was placed in the middle of the pit. Needless to say, it's our vehicle for this event. but instead of a race car..., it looks more like a sports car, or perhaps a fusion of the two. There is no roof, and it has five wheels, with three at the front. Then there's the obvious rocket-booster-looking thing mounted on the back. I like the white and black color design though.

"This is the 'Albino Arachnid'! The name was decided by a vote while you were away doing business with those whatever-market guys you talked about." - Rolf

Ah, that explains why the main color's white and the eight flashlights-, and that's not the point! 

"Are we truly going to be using this for the race?" - Garami

"Of course we are! I removed the roof to make it easier for the assistants to blast everyone else off the race court!" - Rolf

What an aggressive strategy! According to the rules, one can have 1 racer and up to 5 supporters, forming a traditional party at full size, as long as the vehicle has seats for them. But extra people, or even the need to make seats for them alone (probably a measurement to avoid people throwing light-weight or mini-sized players in as attackers), will cause extra weight, which will slow down the speed of the vehicle, so deciding on how many you want to include is a little trickier than you'd think at first.

The "albino arachnid" has four seats, with one located in the front and three more behind it in a pyramid formation. That way, there can be an attacker to the left and right, and one more acting as a supporter in case of an emergency. A good design considering the event's rules. 

"Again, are we using this thing? For real?" - Garami

"Hey, it beats whatever the other guys have prepared. Speaking of which, we should get ready for the race. Aino, Bones! Get on!" - Rolf

Why are you leading the operation?! But before I could voice my complaint, Rolf had already jumped into the driver's seat and started warming up the engine. Aino and Bones had swiftly joined up with him, and they drove the strange car out of the pit to place it at the starting line. 

"And here comes entry #1, the Guild 'Darkland Walkers', driving their 'Albino Arachnid'!! What a splendid dedication to the classic car design! Even though most of the audience is unsatisfied not seeing the Guild Master being in the driving seat!" - Announcer

The 3D map is luckily wide enough to allow me to get a view of all the cars waiting to be released onto the Dungeon race course. And what did that announcer guy say? "The classic car design"???

"Now comes entry #2, the team 'Pirates of Craftsmen'!! Their leader, Crow=Wonderwood is taking the position of the captain of the all-terrain ship, the 'Alcemic Sailship #11'!! Who can imagine what happened to the first 10?" - Announcer

The next car..., scratch that. It's a ship with tracks like a tank so it can run on land as well! And standing on the ship's front...where have I seen that guy...ah! From the first event! He's the elf that Al-Azif introduced me to along with Aino! I think he ended up being the MVP by being the bait for that giant mantis monster at the end...

"Moving on to entry #3! It's the 'Forbidden Library' Guild led by the knowledge-hungry Al-Azif! Their vehicle is the 'Sky Piercer'! Hey, where did they get a rocket from!? Remember, if you leave the course in favor of flying to the goal, you're disqualified!" - Announcer

Speaking of the devil! Or, the mimic-type demon, to be precise. Al-Azif is leading a bunch of demons, including a couple of a shota-incubus and a bulky female fiend that I may or may not remember. Let's not pay them too much attention. And where the hell, or maybe IN hell, did they get a rocket on wheels from!? It looks a little cartoonish, but it seems that it can move around properly...

"Then we have entry #4! Led by the brave warrior Soso, it's the 'Crusader Paladins'! Their vehicle is the 'Armored Chariot: White Knight'! Rumors have it that they are trying to get rid of all the Dungeons in the world, so what are their plans for entering these races?" - Announcer

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The next ride is...a simple chariot. A giant one the size of a normal car though, allowing six people to ride it. As its name suggests, it is dragged by a bunch of white horses clad in knight armor. And I recognize these people as well. They tried to invade the Darkland Fort once...I think. 

"Following them is entry #5! Led by Furfang is the all-animal Guild, 'Wild Wolf Pack'! Their vehicle...if you can call it that, is the 'Leaves & Wheels'!" - Announcer

And yet another player I recognize! That's the wolf player I saw partying with Bones before in the city! All their players are using animal-type avatars. But their vehicle..., it's just a bunch of animal-themed motorcycles that are hazardously wrapped together with sticks and leaves. I can understand why the announcer found it difficult to call it a "vehicle". 

"Wow! It's an animal paradise over there! Except, I think some of those guys are the type I don't want to get too close..." - Dawn

"Hmm, those fellows once tried to recruit me." - Palug

"They try...to recruit anyone...one four legs?" - Dusk

"Erm..., MOVING ON! Entry #6, the second biggest group of perverts in the race, the Verification Hunters! While their group has no official leader, their vehicle is the 'Bakerstreet Delux'!" - Announcer

Oh, it's the infamous verification-type players. They are riding in what can be considered the second-most ordinary car after our own. It's a large jeep...but with robotic arms that have magnification glasses at the end. Where in the wide world did they find that...?

"And now we have the MOST perverted group in entry #7! It's the 'True Eden's Maidens', led by the most lawbreaking sister in history, Maria!! Their vehicle is the sacrilegious machine, the 'Oathbreaker 9000'!!" - Announcer

AH! That's the horny priestess we encountered in the vampire mansion! She's leading a Guild? Looking closely, they are all females. Don't tell me there are so many female perverts playing this game... And what's up with their vehicle? It looks like a bunch of torture devices smashed together into forming something resembling a parade float. Freaky...

"Ugh...I remember that woman..." - Dawn

"She is the pervert...that constantly chased after us...to make us join...her Guild..." - Dusk

Ahh... Now I get why these two are fine wearing these race queen outfits. They already know about a much worse alternative. 

"And here we have entry #8! It's the Guild: 'Magic Calamity' led by their brave Guild Master, Rei-Megistus! Their ride is the giant grimoire, the 'Scriptures of Giant Flight'!!" - Announcer

Hmm, this time, I have no clue who these guys are. But what in the world is it that they are riding!? A giant book!? Is anything allowed now?

"Let's not forget about entry #9, the free and beautiful Trinity of the Guild, 'Valkyire Sky'!! They are driving the 'Cloudmobile Type: Sparrow'! Wait, are there more of those?" - Announcer

And this time it's a cloud! A real cloud with engine parts sticking out from it! I guess that answers my question from before. The girl leading the all-female team (another one!?) looks like the typical protagonist of a classical fantasy game. I think I saw her being part of the same party as Bones and the wolf from before. 

"Then we have entry #10! It's the 'Homura Thawing Comity', led by the Japanese culture maniac, Cold=Rose! Their ride is the 'Hyakki Yakkou Wagon'!" - Announcer

Thawing..., ah! They must be the jerks who emptied the Blastfields for materials! I got a bone to pick with those guys!

"And then we finally have entry #11! It's the infamous 'the Author', also known as Gorogrey! They are running the 'Giant Wishmaker', and for everything we know about them..., which is zilch, they may have a good shot at winning this race!" - Announcer

Now it is a...WOW! What is that?! It looks like a giant machine made half outta casino games and half outta treasures from the 1001 Nights! The wheels are roulette wheels, and are those magic lamps acting as exhaust ports?  

"Gorogrey..., I recognize that name. It is a player who loves writing fiction about the events that occur in the game. Those stories struck so well with the inhabitants that he managed to strike gold with his writing alone. Now he's supposedly running a casino in an area close to the border between the Umbral and Serendipity countries." - Palug

"Wow. A bigshot." - Dusk

"Rather than that, Palug! Where did you get all that info? The people on the BBS said there was close to nothing on that guy!" - Dawn

"I've read that post too, but it is the group that Gorogrey is leading that is a complete mystery. The man himself is such a braggart that it's difficult not to recognize him." - Palug

That is...quite a strange situation. As for the man himself, it must be the...bandit-looking individual sitting on the throne in the middle of the cockpit. Hmm..., what is this feeling? I get this sudden urge to punch all his teeth down his throat whenever I look at him...

"Hmm, it seems that they have placed all the big names in the same race." - Palug

"Isn't that sort of bad? I thought there were supposed to be multiple races going on at the same time. Why are they spending every good player on a single race?" - Dawn

Hmm? That is a good question. Don't tell me the management is gonna do something crazy already on the first day...!

"And then, we have the ragtag team of solo players as our entry #12. Now, are everyone ready for the race of the century!" - Announcer

"Why is our treatment so sloppy!?" - Ragtag solo players

It's because you guys are barely a team. Even their vehicle is just an old haywagon drawn by a simple horse.

"Are you ready? Get set... GO!" - Announcer

*BANG!*

And then, the first race of the event begins. Bones, Aino, and Rolf. You guys better win this for us. And watch out for whatever the management may have in store!

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