A Wonderful Aspect of Autumn: Action (2)

After making small talk with Mac and the others, I said goodbye and decided to enter a competition right away. At the back of the lobby were four gates shrouded in white mist, and I heard that stepping through one would bring up a screen where I could choose a competition.

Incidentally, two of the four gates were dedicated exclusively to the combat tournament. Apparently, even the goddesses had predicted that it would attract so many participants and account for such a large proportion of the event. In fact, even now, people were constantly streaming in and out of the gates reserved for the combat tournament.

"That has nothing to do with me. Come on, let's go!"

I passed through the gate for the other competitions and continued walking through the thick, pure-white mist. After I had walked about ten steps, a virtual display appeared in front of me, asking me to choose which competition I wanted to enter. When I tapped the name of the competition I had decided on from the beginning, the virtual display vanished as if its glass had shattered.

That completed the entry process, right? I was pretty sure it had, so I continued forward. Then I saw light shining through the mist ahead. As I walked toward it, my vision was suddenly flooded with a brilliant flash of light... and when I realized what had happened, I was standing in front of a large building.

"That was quite a mystical presentation. So this is the venue for the 'Dragon Race'... the competition where you ride dragons and race."

The unusual competition I had chosen was called the 'Dragon Race.' According to its description, it was: 'Ride a Sprint Drake, which is unsuited for battle but excels at running, and race through a course filled with obstacles!' In short, it was an obstacle course where you rode a dragon.

Until the end of the event's third day, players could run the prepared course alone as many times as they wanted. The thirty players with the fastest times would then qualify for the finals.

Incidentally, attacking your opponents was permitted in this race. Apparently, you were disqualified if you fell off the dragon, or if either you or your Sprint Drake ran out of HP. It seemed that simply running wouldn't be enough.

Although the description says that you ride a dragon, I don't think a Sprint Drake is a real dragon like Cal. It is probably a monster with a 'Dragon Factor,' like a Naga or a Tarasque. Even so, I have no idea why the character for 'seal' appears in its name.

There were several other racing competitions besides the 'Dragon Race.' There was the 'Horse Race,' which Kanna had been eager to enter, the 'Bird Race,' where you flew through the sky on a large bird, and the 'Fish Race,' which Anne and the others would probably win by a mile. It was mildly amusing that there were more competitions involving mounts than ones where the players themselves did the running.

You weren't allowed to bring your own horse or dragon. So Kanna couldn't ride Raga, and I couldn't ride Cal. Naturally, allowing that would give us too much of an advantage to make it a proper competition. I supposed I would just have to ride my assigned mount without complaining.

"This is a stable... or perhaps a dragon stable?"

Apparently, the building in front of me was where the Sprint Drakes were kept. I could see inside through the large entrance, which had no door. The stalls were separated by fences—though perhaps I should call them drake stalls. In any case, each one contained a lizard with a pair of horns. There was no doubt that these were the Sprint Drakes.

The Sprint Drakes had thick, long bodies covered in scales, supported by four sturdy legs, with long necks and tails extending from them. Although there were minor variations, their general shape was more or less the same.

However, each individual had a different base skin color and pattern. Their personalities also seemed to differ considerably. Some approached players who came near like friendly dogs, while others timidly backed away. Some even bared their fangs and openly threatened them.

Quite a few people had apparently arrived at the dragon stable before me, and each of them seemed to be choosing a Sprint Drake to serve as their partner. Some were being fawned over, while others were petting them despite nearly getting bitten. All right, I would carefully select my own Sprint Drake for the competition!

"Ideally, I'd like one with the talent of a genius."

"That sounds like asking a bit too much, mister."

Perhaps she had heard my muttered remark, because a player who had been playing with a blue Sprint Drake nearby answered me. She was a woman with a slender, beautiful avatar, deep-blue wolf-cut hair, and light armor that covered only her vital areas. The long ears extending through the gaps in her hair made her look like an Elf.

She was hugging the neck of a blue-skinned Sprint Drake whose color matched her hair and gently stroking it. The Sprint Drake had its eyes closed, looking completely relaxed and content. She had apparently already found her partner. It was good to see that they had formed such a strong bond.

"I'm Amaha. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Izamu. What do you mean, that's asking too much?"

"I think you'll understand if you look around, but Sprint Drakes have different personalities, don't they? Apparently, they also have different strengths."

According to Amaha, when you first touched a Sprint Drake, information appeared in your field of vision indicating whether that individual would accept you as its partner. The player then decided whether or not to make it their partner. In other words, the first choice belonged not to the player, but to the dragon.

Once the player agreed to the match, the choice could never be changed, and their registration was complete. After registration, opening the menu would display the familiar hexagonal radar chart, allowing them to see their partner's characteristics.

The six attributes listed at its vertices were 'Top Speed,' 'Acceleration,' 'Endurance,' 'Jumping Ability,' 'Climbing Ability,' and 'Rough-Terrain Ability.' 'Top Speed' was the highest speed the individual could reach. 'Acceleration' was its ability to increase speed. 'Endurance' was how long it could continue running. 'Jumping Ability' measured the height and distance of its jumps. 'Climbing Ability' was its ability to ascend slopes. Finally, 'Rough-Terrain Ability' was its ability to run normally even on poor footing, such as swamps.

Hearing that, I thought it sounded just like a car. If 'Top Speed' and 'Acceleration' were high, it would be like a sports car. If 'Rough-Terrain Ability' were high, it would be like an off-road vehicle. If everything were average, it would be like a passenger car. Cars couldn't jump on the spot, so the comparison wasn't entirely accurate, though.

Returning to the subject, the radar chart apparently had '0' at its center and '10' at its vertices, with '5' as the average. Each individual's values were displayed to one decimal place, such as '7.2' or '2.5.' This made it easy to see their strengths and weaknesses at a glance.

"It seems like the sum of the numbers on this radar chart is the same for every one of them."

"Is that so?"

"A little while ago, there were some boys loudly calling out their numbers to one another. The sum of the numbers they mentioned was exactly '30' for every one of them. Even though the values included decimal places. And this one is the same. Do you think that's a coincidence?"

"No, I don't. It's far too deliberate. The Goddess must have adjusted them that way."

It would be difficult to dismiss it as a coincidence that the sums of six numbers, each displayed to one decimal place, were identical. Their strengths, weaknesses, and individual differences varied, but their overall ability must have been the same. It seemed the system had been designed to keep things fair.

However, if the 'Dragon Race' course were a straight, paved road, then no matter how evenly their overall abilities were matched, the player who drew a Sprint Drake specialized in 'Top Speed' would win overwhelmingly. But I wasn't worried about that. The description had already told us, hadn't it? It was a 'course filled with obstacles.'

"Where to make it run at full speed, where to let it rest, where to attack, where to play it safe... Managing its pace will be important. And then there's figuring out how to make the Sprint Drake obey you. Victory will probably depend on how skillfully the rider can control it."

"I agree. Just because one is fast on flat ground doesn't mean it will win automatically."

The fact that the game displayed six different parameters meant that each one was probably useful in certain situations. Treacherous slopes and swamps, for example, or paths where jumping could provide a shortcut... Those were only the first examples that came to mind.

Besides, the presence of an 'Endurance' parameter suggested that the course was likely to be fairly long. In that case, a Sprint Drake with a 'Top Speed' of '10' would have to sacrifice its other parameters, leaving them below average. I felt that an individual with every attribute close to average would be the easiest to handle, rather than one specialized in a single area.

"Thanks for telling me. I'll choose carefully."

"You're welcome. Though you seem sharp, so you probably would have figured it out even without me telling you."

"I think you're giving me too much credit. In any case, if we meet during the race, please go easy on me."

"That might be difficult. I'm aiming for first place."

"Hahaha, so I've found myself a formidable opponent."

With a wry smile at Amaha's frankness, I parted ways with her and walked around the dragon stable. As I did, I felt the gazes of many Sprint Drakes fixed intently on me. Some even poked their heads through the gaps in the fences, trying to bring their snouts close to me.

The reason so many Sprint Drakes were paying attention to me was probably that I possessed 【Dragon Factor】. Although our forms were different, perhaps they sensed an aura of kinship between us.

"Hmm, I feel like their faces lack a certain sharpness. Is that because I'm used to looking at Cal?"

However, I didn't find the Sprint Drakes that approached me particularly appealing. They seemed somehow lacking. Even though the 'Dragon Race' would be short, I felt that they were too unreliable to serve as my partner for the competition.

As I slowly looked around the dragon stable, one Sprint Drake caught my eye. Its scales, from the tip of its snout to the end of its tail, shone silver-white. It was curled up asleep on the floor of a small enclosure. Unlike the others, it didn't approach me—or even look at me.

It was difficult to tell while it was curled up, but its features were elegant while also giving me a keen, intelligent impression. Its qualities differed from Cal's ferocity and strength, but my instincts told me that I should make this Sprint Drake my partner.

"I'd advise against that one."

I was about to go to the other side of the fence when a voice from behind stopped me. I turned around and found two male players standing there. Both appeared to be warriors; one had a one-handed sword and shield, while the other was equipped with a spear.

The one who had spoken to me was the player with the one-handed sword hanging at his side, and he gave off an irritated air. The spearman was fidgeting anxiously beside him.

"Why do you advise against it?"

"I mean exactly what I said. That one ignored me even though I went to the trouble of talking to it! Acting all high and mighty... Pretty uppity for a lizard, don't you think?"

"I see..."

So he had gone to the trouble of speaking to it, had he? I had no idea who this man was, but he certainly seemed confident in himself. With that attitude, it seemed the Sprint Drake hadn't even bothered to respond. Learning that much was already enough.

It had an intelligent-looking face, so approaching it sincerely was probably essential. I couldn't allow it to look down on me, but I also couldn't act arrogantly. Unlike carefree Cal, this one seemed difficult to deal with.

"Thanks for the advice. But I'll try asking it anyway. It can't hurt to try."

"Ah! Hey!"

Ignoring the panicked shout behind me, I ducked through the fence and stepped into the drake stall.