Chapter 348
"That's the goal, then. Good grief, the course was longer than I expected."
"Krrruruu."
I slowly made a circuit of the course, inspecting it as I went. My overall impression boiled down to one word: 'long.' Even taking into account how slowly I ran, it took more than two hours to reach the finish. Even with a properly planned strategy, I expected it would be difficult to finish in under an hour.
The course was not only long, but complicated as well. As expected, the single straight road stretching from the starting point eventually connected to the mountain we had seen from the beginning. The slope was gentle at first, so even my partner could continue running without difficulty.
However, the incline gradually grew steeper, and at about the third station, the road split in two. One route continued straight up the steep slope, while the other was a route called a switchback, a zigzagging road.
The former required high 'Climbing Ability' but was shorter. The latter could be climbed even with low 'Climbing Ability,' but its greater distance made it slower. In our case, the switchback route was our only choice, so there was no need to hesitate.
The two roads merged again at about the sixth station, and beyond them lay a large swamp. It grew deeper toward the center, and without high 'Rough-Terrain Ability,' our partner could not cut straight across. With a low value, its feet would get caught and it would be unable to advance, forcing it to detour around the swamp's outer edge.
Naturally, cutting straight across the swamp was shorter, while going around it added distance. We had to push through at the greatest depth our 'Rough-Terrain Ability' allowed, carefully judging the limit. I had made that determination during this preview.
After leaving the swamp, a zigzagging slope of moderate steepness continued up to about the eighth station. This would not matter during the solo qualifying runs, but the fighting between players was likely to become intense here. We would need to get through while conserving as much stamina as possible and avoiding elimination.
At the top of the slope, the road split again. Three distinctive bridges spanned a deep ravine. The first was the safest: a stone bridge. It was the longest, but could be crossed with the same ease as a paved road. Players might end up fighting one another here too, but it seemed like we could maintain a steady pace.
The second was a wooden suspension bridge hanging from ropes. The planks were sturdier than I had expected and did not even creak when I ran across them. It was shorter than the stone bridge, but narrower and shook violently in comparison. For anyone afraid of heights, it would be close to torture.
The third bridge was also a suspension bridge. It was about as wide as the second, but shorter still, and several of its planks were missing. We had to advance by leaping from plank to plank across the swaying, hole-riddled bridge. Falling through one of the gaps meant immediate disqualification. A Sprint Drake with low 'Jumping Ability' would fall straight through.
My partner's 'Jumping Ability' was 5.5, barely above average. I decided to try the third bridge, intending to turn back if it proved impossible, but somehow we managed to cross it. To advance past the qualifiers, we would have to place near the top in the time attack. Since we could run the course as many times as we wanted, I intended to take risks during the qualifiers.
However, the fact that it was possible did not mean crossing it was easy. The widest gap in particular was right at the limit of what we could jump, so taking such a risk in the finals might prevent us from finishing at all. Unless we had no choice but to make an all-or-nothing gamble, I planned to use the standard suspension bridge.
After crossing the bridge, a single road continued upward in a spiral toward the summit. Reaching the top marked the finish. The incline was gentle, but the road was somewhat rough, with pebbles scattered all over it. It was not rough enough to require high 'Rough-Terrain Ability,' and if we wanted to avoid them, we could probably just jump toward a safe-looking spot.
Because the road spiraled around and around, the distance to the summit was longer than I had expected. With low 'Endurance,' we would have to slow to a walk and wait for our stamina to recover. We had come this far at a leisurely pace, so it had not been a problem, but if we had pushed at full speed from the beginning, we would have been exhausted before reaching the top.
Overall, running without a plan was absolutely out of the question. We could not achieve a good time without developing a strategy that took both our partner's characteristics and the course conditions into account. That would be enough for the qualifiers, but if we made it to the finals, we would also have to react flexibly to attacks and interference from other players. This 'Dragon Race' was more difficult than I had expected.
"So? What did you think of the course?"
"Krrruruu."
When I asked the silver-white Sprint Drake, it gave a cool rumble. It seemed to be saying that it had been a piece of cake. Its 'Endurance' was slightly high, so walking through the course had not even left it short of breath.
At the summit, a finish-line tape had been stretched across the path. When we touched it, the gate we had passed through when we came to the starting point appeared as if it were surging up from the ground. It was covered in white mist as well. I supposed we were meant to enter it and return. The Sprint Drake and I walked into the mist.
"Oh? What's this... I see."
A virtual display appeared in front of me after I entered the mist, showing the time it had taken us to finish. Beneath it were the options 'Run Again' and 'Return to the Dragon Stable.' I was evidently supposed to touch one of them.
After hesitating briefly, I selected 'Return to the Dragon Stable.' The Sprint Drake looked as if it had energy to spare, and choosing 'Run Again' would return us to the state we had been in before the run, so there was no need to worry about fatigue. However, just because it had accepted me, I did not want to push a partner I had only met today.
As soon as I made my selection, another flash of light filled my vision, and before I knew it, we were back in front of the gate leading to the course. The reins and saddle the Sprint Drake had been wearing had come off on their own, and I was standing on the floor, having somehow already dismounted. Hmm, so this was how it worked.
"Krrrururu..."
"Whoa, what's wrong? Could it be that you didn't get enough running?"
"Krrrur!"
The Sprint Drake protested by repeatedly smacking me on the waist with its tail. I had held back because I did not want to push it, but the dragon itself was apparently dissatisfied. It had a cool personality, but did it enjoy physical activity? Hmm... In that case, perhaps I should return to the course and run with it.
"Oh?"
"Ah."
"Tch!"
Just as I began seriously wondering whether I should turn back, two figures approached the gate. They were the one-handed swordsman and the spearman who had been after the Sprint Drake I had persuaded.
Both of them seemed to have chosen partners, and each was leading a Sprint Drake. The spearman's partner had pale green scales, a placid expression, and a generally docile appearance. The one-handed swordsman's partner had crimson scales, sharp eyes, and a ferocious air. If I said it resembled its owner, he would probably pick another fight with me.
"Hey, we meet again. Are you about to go on a trial run?"
"So what if I am?"
"No, I was just asking..."
The one-handed swordsman answered bluntly and belligerently. Was he still angry despite having chosen a partner? His crimson Sprint Drake was also threatening us. The two of them were equally aggressive.
Meanwhile, my silver-white partner completely ignored them and poked me in the head with its snout. As usual, the spearman did nothing but panic, while his pale-green Sprint Drake let out a tremendous yawn. The situation was becoming quite chaotic.
"Hey, forget this guy and let's go already."
"W-wait for me..."
The one-handed swordsman grumbled irritably and proceeded through the gate. The spearman hurried after him. His voice was higher than I had expected. Perhaps he was a child.
If I returned to the course right away, I would probably run into them again at around the time they finished their run. I decided to kill some time before going back.
"Looks like you got involved with some troublesome people."
As I stared at the gate and considered how to pass the time, Amaha, who had given me advice at the start, appeared with her deep-blue Sprint Drake. Apparently, she had witnessed that exchange, if it could even be called an argument. I felt a little embarrassed.
Amaha's partner kept looking around restlessly. I had thought it was affectionate, but perhaps it was restless by nature as well. Would it be rude to call it childish?
"Amaha. Well, it's not worth worrying about. Does that mean you know them?"
"Not personally. I don't even know his name. But I recognize that shield. He got into trouble with one of my friends."
Was he causing trouble somewhere else too? What a troublemaker! There was no doubt that he was someone I should avoid getting involved with as much as possible.
That made me even less eager to run into him again. In that case, I decided to have Amaha keep me company. It would benefit her as well, so there was no problem with that.
"I see... More importantly, are you about to go on a trial run too?"
"Yes, I am. Spending time with it is nice, but we really ought to run, too."
"Actually, I already ran through the course once to preview it. To repay you for your advice earlier, would you like me to tell you about it? We're going to be running the same course, anyway."
"Oh, how thoughtful. I would love that."
As expected, Amaha was very interested in the information about the course. It would repay her for the information she had given me, help me pass the time, and save her the trouble of learning the course herself. Three benefits at once.
I explained the course to Amaha in as much detail as possible. As she listened, she rested a finger against her chin and thought about something. She was probably taking her partner's abilities into account and working out where to use them to their fullest. Her claim that she was aiming for first place did not seem to be a lie.
I had thought I could easily aim for victory because I was used to riding dragons, but the course was complicated and there were powerful rivals as well. It seemed this would not be as simple as I had hoped. I was getting fired up despite myself!