*BANG!*

The announcer fired the pistol again..., hold on. "Again"? 

*CRASH!!*

"WOW! Would you believe this, ladies and gents?! The 'Giant Wishmaker' abruptly, exploded into the sky before it could even cross the startline!" - Announcer

That giant, 1001 nights-inspired thing?! Was it part flying carpet or something? 

However, it seems that I was wrong. That "Author"-guy came crashing down, landing into the haywagon of the mismatched players, right before the "Wishmaker" followed him like a meteorite. And just like the object I compared it to, it caused a gigantic crafter as it collided with the wagon..., and the various players.

"OUCH!! It seems that team Gorogrey had some technical problems. They, as well as 'ragtag #21', are out of the race!!" - Announcer

"NOOOOO!!" - Gorogrey

The "Author"-guy came out of the wreckage, howling to the sky while holding his head..., and being on fire. Player characters must have their HP set on "immortal" when they're not in the race in this special event field. 

"Eh?! Two teams are already out!?" - Dawn

"That is indeed unexpected." - Palug

"...A race nobody can predict...!" - Dusk

You guys seem to have fun. 

Ignoring the peanut gallery, I opened up a screen using my System Window to get a view of the race. The large monitor on top of the course is too far away for my 3D map. 

The 10 remaining participants were rushing through a different area after entering a portal-like object in the middle of the racetrack. The new place...looks like the prison inside the Volcanic Hellfire Prison our gang had been rampaging inside a while ago. Except there's a huge lack of "hellfire" in there. I'd rather call it "dark and gloomy".

"And here we are! Today's race will take place in the Prisontower of Eden! A Dungeon belonging to the very same Maria who is currently...in the lead!" - Announcer

The horny nun is indeed in the lead. Her torture-machine-looking..."thing" has limbs attached to its wheels that it can extend and move in the same fashion as long spider legs. That allows her to bypass the various chains and obstacles that are placed in the middle of the track. 

"That girl, she's running a meta vehicle." - Garami

"Excuse me, meta-what?" - Dawn

"I'm referring to that 'parade float'. She has had it customized to this track." - Garami

"They did mention that it is her Dungeon. She must have anticipated that she could end up in it." - Palug

Yeah, right. "Anticipated" it... 

"On a close 2nd place, we have the...Leaves and Wheels, commanded by Furfang! Wow, that thing is FAST!" - Announcer

That animal pack running the raft-like contraption of motorcycles and flora is not far behind the horny nun. Sometimes, the thing falls apart, but they have an animal to take the steering wheel of each motorcycle, so they just return to the "main body" to be reattached by the vines that start moving on their own when they get close enough. They must have some "plant user" on their team. Smart move, despite its dumb appearance. 

Our Albino Arachnid is on the 4th place, just behind that 'alchemic ship'-thing piloted by the alchemist-elf Crow's team. As for the other contenders, the Dungeon Monsters seem to be attacking them. We got buff goblins and trolls attacking the players, with giant golems acting as moveable obstructions that-

*CRASH!*

Ouch! Speaking of the devil, there goes Al Azif's team thanks to those golems. That second all-female team with the "cloud mobile" seems like they're in a pinch as well. They are attacked by slimes...that are melting their equipment!? Do they have perverted slimes in this game?! As expected of the horny nun, she knows where to look at for finding the most perverse of all monsters. 

That "Dungeon buster"-team in the armored chariot is also occupied by the slime, but not because they are attacked by it, but because they are trying to save the all-female team from the perverted slime. Their actions is resulting in lots of boos from the audience. 

"Hey, stop messing with the fanservice, Crusader Paladins! This is what attracts the viewers!!" - Announcer

And not just the audience! 

Speaking of attracting, that magnifying glass car, the one belonging to the verification players, has also slowed down. Looking closely, I can see them having recording tools ready. Those perverts. And they seem to be getting their justice in a few seconds. They got a huge troll, probably a C-rank even, right beside them...

*CRASH!!*

I knew it. And hold on, are the Dungeon monsters allowed to include C-ranks in their...ranks? It's not impossible, but the odds for the horny nun to have developed her Dungeon stats to allow those C-rank trolls are...extremely low. 

"The next races may turn out to be quite bloody." - Garami

"You are referring to the troll just now?" - Palug

"What about it?" - Dawn

"It looked...quite strong..." - Dusk

"You can bet your wings on it is. And it may just be one out of many. That wasn't a boss or anything, but a 'normal' spawned monster." - Garami

"For real!?" - Dawn

"Yes..., or, maybe. It didn't have any boss-like appearance..., and there's another one." - Garami

I pointed at the screen, which showed the "paladins" getting crushed by another strong troll, along with the buffiest goblin I've ever seen. That proves it. The Dungeons doesn't have limitations when it comes to the monsters' racial ranks. 

"Speed seems to be the key for this race." - Garami

"Yes. On that note, Rolf has our team covered. He has already reached the next floor." - Palug

Eh? Already?! I hurriedly switched the camera to follow back on our team and saw the Albino Arachnid trying to get past the alchemic ship in a completely new area. It is still a prison, but the place is pure white, kinda like a hospital. 

Several nun-looking angels accompanied by white slimes with golden, divine-looking marks are attacking the two contenders even now, but both teams are easily blocking the slimes' attacks, even as they are buffed by the angel nuns' support magic. 

"More slimes?! That woman, just how far will she go!?" - Dawn

"It is...not slimes." - Dusk

"What was that?" - Dawn

"Sis..., it says they are...Celestials." - Dusk

Dusk pointed at a tab beside the video screen on her System Window, and it showed some information about the current floor the video was showing:

• Dungeon: Prisontower of Eden
• Dungeon type: Tower
• Dungeon theme: Prison of Debauchery
• Floor #: 2
• Floor element: Life
• Monster-line: Celestial

"Ugh..." - Garami

"What's wrong?" - Dawn

"There's a lot more info revealed here than I first thought..." - Garami

"How's that bad? ...? Did you say 'than I first thought'?" - Dawn

"GM, did you know this would happen?" - Palug

"Of course I did. I've also entered my Dungeon, so I got some input on what would happen in the event beforehand." - Garami

"WHAT!? That's cheating!" - Dawn

"Sis..., she is borrowing...a Dungeon." - Dusk

"Guh... That is pretty generous for someone to do, now that you mention it..." - Dawn

"It's not like I got to know everything that's gonna happen. Just some info regarding the Darkland Fort. But I didn't expect that they would be so loose-handed with the Dungeon's info. This is gonna get troublesome after the event..." - Garami

"Ah, yes. People will know more about the Darkland Fort when it is its turn to be the race track thanks to this information sharing by the management." - Palug

Well, nothing I can do about it now. I better think about upgrading the Dungeon again afterward. 

"Hey..., that woman..., she's out of...the race now." - Dusk

Dusk's words snapped us back to our respective screens, where we switched the camera to show the "True Eden's Maidens". They are trapped in some punishment tools, surrounded by butterfly-like angels. Some of them are dressed like nurses for some strange reason. And they're all women! So, that horny nun has also bought the "all-females monster" trait for her Dungeon. To think I'm at the same level as her...!

But those punishment tools, they must be some sorta special trap the nun had installed on that floor. Tch, then the stuff I fixed for the Fort may come back to bite me when we're racing through there...

"The animal gang is also out of the game!" - Dawn

I switched the channel again and saw that the "animal gang" was being beaten by a bunch of...flawless beauty angels? Ah, the info screen even tells about the monster. They are "Angelic Homunculi", D-rank homunculus-type monsters.

The backstory behind them is that they are the result of an experiment to replicate true angelic beauty through homunculi. That type of creature has Life as a mandatory racial attribute, so I guess those types will be a common type of monster for Life element Dungeons. 

For some reason..., the animal players have the greatest smile on their faces as they're being beaten by the supermodel-class homunculi. Yeah, they are gamers of culture. 

"Aaaand we are down to two teams competing for the goal! Team 'Darkland Walkers' and team 'Pirates of Craftsmen'!! Wait, there is one more team who has survived and just exited the first floor... It is the 'Homura Thawing Comity'!! All the other teams have fallen prey to the monsters and traps on the first floooor!!" - Announcer

It's the youkai wagon belonging to the jerks who emptied the Blastfields. So everyone else has fallen. This event is way tougher than I originally thought! 

"However! The Thawing Comity is lagging EXTREMELY behind! The 'Darkland Walkers' and 'Pirates of Craaftsmen' are already entering the Prisontower's 3rd floor! Not that they are in the clear just yet! This next floor retains the 2nd's Celestial-type monsters, but the element has been changed from Life to Corruption!!" - Announcer

"Corruption?!" - Garami

"So THAT is where the keystone from the vampire mansion went." - Palug

I remember reading about that on the BBS. After Bones, Palug, and I left the vampire mansion basement after having survived the attack from the summoned Lich and the boss Vampire down there, other players executed a raid on the remainder of the vampire family. They had discovered the remains of the ritual ground down in the basement, but the keystones had disappeared...

Until now. That f*cking nun! She must have arrived after the battle and snatched the remaining keystones! Talk about riding on our coattails! Well, she's not doing any riding right now, but I'll make sure to pay this debt back manyfold!

"...What the-!?" - Dawn

"...? This...is not the...prison anymore." - Dusk

"Is something up? ...What is that!?" - Palug

Something strange is going on on the screen. Instead of a prison, the race is going on a...beach? It's a beach that looks like it's in the middle of the summer. Blue seas, white beaches, and lots of tropical plants and beach gear everywhere. The strange spectacle and the strong daylight are such a contrast to the dark prison corridors from before that I can't believe my own eyes here. 

"Oh? OOOOOH!! It's here! It's finally here! Ladies and gents, be ready for the show of the century!" - Announcer

And now this guy is getting weirdly excited. I knew it. The management has prepared "something special" for this event.

And the "something special" wasted no time in making itself known! A huge, flaming bird suddenly emerged from the sea. Hey, why are you, a burning bird, coming from the ocean!? 

The bird, who looked like a phoenix dressed for a tropical vacation with an aloha shirt and a lei, those Hawaiian garlands, made out of burning flowers, turned its beak toward Rolf's gang and the alchemic ship before releasing a torrent of flames towards the two vehicles..., incinerating them in less than a moment!

"GAAAH!! Rolf and the others got turned to burned barbeque!!" - Dawn

"And that is not all. The 'Thawing Comity' was just defeated now. The youkai creatures dragging the wagon were distracted by some strange medicine from the nurse-looking Celestials." - Palug

Eh? Then...does that mean...?

"AND IT IS OVER!! The first Prisontower of Eden race has now concluded! The winner of the race is...no one! They got all terminated!!" - Announcer

"NOOOOOO!!" - Dawn

"We...lost...!?" - Dusk

Kuh! We are getting points from the point system even if we failed to reach the goal, which would have drastically improved our score, but even then, we're still in 2nd place! The alchemist ship had defeated more monsters than Rolf's gang, and they were a little ahead of us as well before our car got turned to ashes.

"Wow, that was one heck of a finish! Well, see you guys tomorrow. Information about what happened here can be found on the webpage. Ta-ta~." - Announcer

Huh? Hey, wait-! ...He already fled. And the players are about to start a revolution against the management at this rate. Let's see if Rolf and the others are okay before we log off. Honestly, getting caught up with this mess is gonna be a pain. 

However..., that bird was kinda cool. When you get past that goofy outfit it was wearing. I wonder what that was all about?