Chapter 259.1

Chapter 259.1. A Decisive Race To Finish Line

Checkpoints 4 and 5 were uneventful, to the point that they were rather disappointing.

Checkpoint 4 was originally a wasteland area, there were creatures like Rock Centipedes that camouflaged themselves as rocks and Gunpowder Rocks that exploded upon approach. This area was notorious for the explosions luring enemies with sound, making Checkpoint 4 a place where one had to proceed cautiously.

Strangely, all the Gunpowder Rocks seemed to have detonated, turning the landscape into a crater-ridden expanse resembling a quiet world littered with corpses and bodies.

Checkpoint 5 is a toxic swamp, where even a single droplet could become poison. It was a dangerous area because many creatures that used poison were present, necessitating the use of poison-resistance equipment to proceed.

For some reason, the once purple and toxic swamp had vanished, replaced by the sound of flowing water and a beautiful, flower-filled region.

Curious things can happen. Perhaps someone had changed the world. Well, of course, that couldn’t be true, but still.

But I knew 1 thing. I shouldn’t eat things growing out of the ground. Not that there was any deep meaning behind it.

So, Mii-chan and Elizabeth were making steady progress.

With no obstacles in our way, only their skills mattered now.

Both were using unmodified commercial float boards. It was anyone’s guess who would emerge victorious.

“Even if Elizabeth-chan is a racing prodigy, Mii-chan, who races like a natural disaster, won’t lose!”

“Could that mean Mii-chan races by destroying the course?”

“No comment!”

The distinction between their attitudes was clear to Mii-chan, who turned her face away and lightly kicked her float board.

Accelerating with a whoosh, she sprayed water droplets as she propelled herself across the water’s surface.

“I won’t let you get ahead!”

“If it’s an obstacle-free course, the Demon Lord-type has a significant advantage!”

Racing along the boundary between the sandy shore and the water’s surface, we could run smoothly without any hindrances. Hence, it was a battle of pure performance.

In that regard, the minimum speed of the Princess-type, which had the lowest maximum speed, couldn’t rival the Demon Lord.

There were times when she thought that way.

“Grr, you’re in the way!”

“Ohoho, defense is also a racer’s skill.”

Even when I tried to overtake, Elizabeth skillfully moved into her lane and guarded against her.

It wasn’t a tail defense; it was genuine defense. Laughing heartily, Elizabeth positioned herself in front of Mii-chan’s lane, preventing her from passing.

This pattern repeated throughout. Even if Elizabeth managed to temporarily distance herself from Mii-chan who is riding the high-speed Demon Lord-type could easily catch up in a straight line. So, Elizabeth focused mainly on preventing her advancement.

“This isn’t a time for fooling around, is it?”

The original plan had changed drastically. Initially, I intended to use my third secret strategy: using the float board to ride a hawk to the goal.

The rulebook didn’t mention transforming the float board into an animal, so she thought it was a chance.

Determined to win the race by conventional means, I assumed a serious posture with a focused expression.

“Elizabeth-chan, prepare yourself to witness my racing technique!”

“Behold the racing technique passed down in Menou Marquisate!”

We exchanged glances and shared a daring smile, facing each other as worthy rivals.

Elizabeth shifted her foot and adjusted the weight distribution of her board to the rear.

[Windy Leaf!]

With a powerful shout, Elizabeth slightly dipped the rear of her board into the water, creating ripples as she directed a large spray of water toward Mii-chan.

Moving parallelly from side to side, she kicked the water swiftly, sending it up like a wall.

“Ugh, using water to interfere, Menou Marquisate technique? That’s low, don’t you think?”

“Ohohoho, that’s just a side effect. Now, the real show begins.”

Drenched in the spray, Elizabeth laughed heartily, stomped on her board, and soared into the air.

Then, she made a surprising move.

The water she propelled up transformed into a big wave, lifting her board.

“Ohohoho, did you see that? Behold my secret technique [Becoming a Leaf and Riding the Waves]! A unique magic of Menou Marquisate that can change water, wind, and earth into waves. Quite a sight, wouldn’t you say?”

“I don’t get it! If you can use magic like that, it’s no wonder you’ve been winning.”

“Well, other racers use various kinds of magic. Maybe you just haven’t done your homework?”

I protested with a pout and a wave of her hand, but Elizabeth continued to laugh gleefully, unperturbed, with her hand near her mouth.

It seemed she didn’t care much about her father. Or maybe her pride as a racer was simply strong.

Boosted by the waves, Elizabeth exceeded her limits and sped toward the finish line.

“At this rate, I’ll lose… So, I’ll go all out!”

I’ll use magic that could only used in race mode. That’s my trump card of sorts.

“Choose the icon… Select the [Jellyfish]!”

She tapped the status board in front of her. Mii-chan’s body glowed, and her race magic activated instantly.

“Whoaaa!”

The floating board accelerated greatly. Surpassing the Demon Lord’s maximum speed so far, I shot across the water like a cannonball.

“What! You have a trump card too!”

“This magic is too powerful, so I hesitated to use it.”

As a Free Class, you could use predetermined magic in the game.

Before a race, you could choose magic like Starfish or Armadillo. Choosing Jellyfish magic allowed for a massive acceleration.

I like to use it in the game because its cooldown was short. That magic allowed me to close the gap with my opponent quickly.

The game developers’ rather shrewd thinking was clear: Jellyfish was probably considered not too problematic. But I think Starfish might be a bit too much, honestly.