Ch.349[Episode 349] Event: Race

After all teams completed their test runs, the main race finally began.

A total of 17 teams participated in the Steam Speed “Event” Race.

The crowd erupted in enthusiastic cheers, creating an atmosphere so hot it felt like it might burn.

The most recognized teams, Red Arrow and Iron Shark, occupied the center positions among the total 18 tracks.

Originally, they planned to have 17 tracks matching the number of teams, but after continuous claims about which of the two teams would take the center position, they added an extra track so both could be in the center.

Following these two top contenders for victory, several other teams took their positions on the tracks.

Sir Dominic and Hime’s Matsuri engine took the fourth position from the left, eleventh overall.

“The event race will begin soon,” Hime said to Sir Dominic through the radio.

“I don’t know what the outcome will be, but let’s give it a proper run.”

“Agreed.”

Sir Dominic responded to Hime via radio while revving the steam engine a few times to signal his understanding.

Sir Dominic looked around, examining each participating team one by one.

Red Arrow, Iron Shark, Sir Dominic and Hime’s Matsuri engine, Sir Dominica and Tsuki’s Yukionna engine, a locomotive that looked like a sailing ship with wheels attached, a turbaned man sitting on a palanquin carried by people on roller blades…

The tracks were filling up with locomotives of every variety.

Of course, some people questioned whether the turbaned man with roller-blading palanquin bearers qualified to participate, but the event committee maintained that since they moved on wheels along the track and emitted smoke, there was no significant issue with considering them a locomotive.

In fact, the generous-looking man was smoking a water pipe, emitting even more smoke than some locomotives.

Finally, after the toy train carrying the Hero and Demon Lord entered the 17th track as the last entry, someone who appeared to be the announcer showed up.

“Welcome, participants and spectators! You’ve waited a long time!”

The announcer, impressive in his tuxedo, top hat, and monocle, overwhelmed the crowd’s cheers with his tremendous volume as he announced the start of the race.

“The Steam Speed ‘Event’ Race is about to begin! Please step back beyond the safety line as you might get steam burns or be sucked in by tremendous air pressure! If you die, you’ll need to buy a new ticket for re-entry!”

The announcer eased the tension with a silly joke.

When the participants and audience responded fairly well, the announcer finally picked up his cue card and explained about this event race.

“This ‘Event’ Race includes various variables! From the sea king Kraken to attacks by golems and highway robbers—it’s a race full of unpredictable elements!”

“Wait. I never heard about this.”

One of the locomotive captains shouted in apparent confusion.

Variables? There was no mention of such things.

He wasn’t the only one confused.

All participants and spectators began murmuring that this was the first they’d heard of these elements.

That’s when people realized.

Something was wrong with this race.

But the announcer continued speaking, straining his voice, regardless of the confusion.

More precisely, he was reading exactly what was written on the cue card.

Though he had been acting quite relaxed until now, he was actually feeling pressured by the gazes of the large crowd and had no room to look around.

The announcer buried his head so deeply in the cue card that his nose nearly touched it, and continued reading the written text.

“Now, who will ‘survive and win’ at the end of this race?”

“Wait, just a moment!”

“We’ll start with the countdown. Three! Two! One! Go!”

The race participants tried to stop the announcer and ask about what was happening, but the announcer was too nervous to hear them.

Then, following the script on his cue card, he quickly finished the countdown and stepped back about five paces.

“Hey, how can you suddenly change the race content like—”

“Oh, whatever!”

“Wh-what? Hey!”

Most people couldn’t hide their bewilderment.

Most participants were shouting at the announcer, but their voices became a jumbled cacophony amid the engine noise of 17 locomotives.

At that moment, some people began looking around at others.

Then suddenly, they shifted into forward gear and started racing ahead.

They figured that since the race had started, getting ahead was most important.

The surrounding people were startled by the sudden departure of several locomotives, but soon they too were swept up in the atmosphere and began departing one after another.

Among them were Sir Dominic and Hime aboard the Matsuri engine.

“Ugh. To suddenly change the race content like this. I must file a complaint later.”

Hime expressed her dissatisfaction with the announcer to Sir Dominic through the radio.

Sir Dominic silently listened to Hime while driving forward.

Since they had started so abruptly, their pace was disrupted, so he needed to concentrate on driving until their pace returned to normal.

And so, the worst race in history suddenly began.

Well, it hadn’t been long since the beta test started anyway.

…

The locomotive that shot forward first was the Ginger Whale, crewed by pirates… no, men of the sea.

This locomotive, which looked like a sailing ship, was gliding elegantly on the tracks as if flying over the sea.

“Captain! As expected of you, Captain! No one is more underhanded than you, sir!”

“Uhuhahaha! Of course!”

The man called Captain turned the helm this way and that as he raced along the track.

Having taken the lead first, and having clearly widened the gap with a surprise start, there was no one who could stop the Ginger Whale.

Of course, this was only in reference to the locomotives following behind.

This doesn’t account for the variables in the race itself.

The man called Captain was looking intently at the track ahead while laughing deviously.

“C-Captain?”

“What is it?”

“What is that?”

The crewman’s voice was trembling seriously.

The Captain was annoyed at the sudden interruption, but curious about what the crewman had seen to make his voice tremble so, he unconsciously turned his head toward the crewman.

And the Captain, like the crewman, couldn’t help but open his eyes wide in surprise.

But there was one difference between the Captain and the crewman.

While the crewman had no idea what that thing was, the Captain knew very well.

“K…”

The Captain, his face pale as a ghost from shock, said:

In the distance, he saw rectangular pupils split horizontally.

Even further away, he saw a round head stretched out on the ground.

And closer, tentacles rising from the ground.

When all these elements were combined, there could be only one conclusion.

“It’s the Kraken—!”

The Captain screamed in terror.

Despite being on land, the Captain and crew felt the ground undulating as if they were at sea during a storm.

They seemed to hear the sound of the deck twisting—screech-splash—and the sound of waves.

The Captain turned his head toward where he thought the sound came from, his face deathly pale.

And he saw a massive pillar… no, a tentacle facing him.

“Ah, damn—”

And the Ginger Whale became the first locomotive to be eliminated.

…

“Well, despite being early in the race, one team has already been eliminated! Ah, in this race, being first isn’t necessarily good… Huh? Who are you?”

The announcer was delivering his commentary at almost full speed.

The announcer’s booth was set up to show third-person views of all teams, making it easy to provide commentary.

At that moment, someone approached from behind the announcer.

To be precise, it was two people.

A coder from System Industries and a civil servant from the Executive branch.

“Excuse me. Could we see the cue card?”

“Um… just a moment. Yes, that’s possible, but…”

“Excuse me then.”

They asked directly, and before the announcer could finish his response, they took his cue card.

After checking several pages and nodding, they concluded:

“Someone changed the date.”

“Tomorrow’s event match was moved to today.”

“What?”

The coder and civil servant confirmed that the date on the cue card had been cleverly changed from 9 to 8.

They didn’t know who was responsible, but someone had tampered with the cue card.

But who could have done it?

And for what reason would someone tamper with the cue card?

Nothing was certain, but one thing was clear.

A new incident was brewing that would stir up Gachaland, which had been relatively calm for the past few days.

And in a rather strange direction.