After a while, five participants had already chosen their horses and were waiting at the front of the large door for the race to begin.
“Ambrose, your turn.” Marwin said, his gaze landing on the red-cloaked figure.
Several participants showed surprised looks.
They thought the red-cloaked figure was an easy target since he asked a very obvious question about the rules.
He was clearly a newbie, but he surprisingly had the sixth highest bounty.
A small-bearded woman in the corner chuckled. She dressed like a woman and had a feminine body, but the beard made knowing her gender rather difficult.
‘I know the lad with the fifth highest bounty, and as far as I recall, he had 20,001 silvers bounty.’ The bearded woman said with a smirk.
‘This red man shouldn’t have over 20,000 in bounty. That’s good. The ones over 20,000 are true monsters, and ones I should keep an eye on.
‘Unfortunately, winning seems impossible with Johann in here, but I am not here trying to win, hehe.’
The bearded woman’s gaze wandered around the dungeon, and she then licked her rosy lips.
‘A high payday indeed. There are many outlaws with high bounties here, hehe. It was indeed a good idea to participate in this.’
…
“Hmm…” Ambrose stood in front of a white-maned horse. “He looks like Arion. I’ll take this.”
After opening the stable door, he mounted the horse and rode towards the starting line. He was led to the sixth spot while the other participants were patiently waiting for the race to start.
Some of them cleaned their weapons, some stretched and warmed up, and a rare few were quietly meditating to calm their nerves.
‘This will be a tough one.’ Ambrose looked at the back of Johann, who meditated on top of his black-maned horse. ‘He seems extremely powerful. I wonder what his bounty is…’
Johann’s eyes stayed shut with his mind focused on his deep breathing, harnessing the energy within him. His black cape billowed as if there was a wind breeze that only targeted him.
“Alright!” Marwin entered the stables and clapped his hands, as everyone had chosen their horses.
It was time for the long-awaited Death Race to begin.
“Open the doors!”
Creak—the doors swung open, and a thunderous roar filled the air.
The horses peacefully trotted through the open door and into the starting area, their riders gripping the reins tightly.
Hundreds of roaring spectators filled the nearby buildings, roofs, and alleyways. They watched the start of the race anywhere they could.
The House of Gambling’s first floor was filled with laughing spectators who watched the race via floating screens.
They had already placed bets on the outcome of the race.
The favorite was Johann, who had become very infamous as a ruthless night creature who had terrorized the towns of the south region for years.
Eventually, he got captured and thrown into Warhaven.
“Isaac, how is the bar life?” A rough-sounding man said as he raised his cup and downed the alcohol.
He and his friend surrounded the table at the corner of the brightly lit gambling den while enjoying alcohol and the race.
“The usual.” Isaac, the bartender from Ambrose’s favorite bar, laughed and poured himself a drink. “However, this time, I have someone I am cheering for.”
“Oh, that’s rare. I didn’t take you as the gambling type!” The rough-sounding man laughed.
“I am not.” Isaac chuckled. “I didn’t bet on him or anyone else. I am simply cheering for him.”
“Oh, who might that be?”
“Ambrose.” Isaac pointed at the board, where Ambrose’s name was displayed in bold letters.
Even though he had the sixth highest bounty, he was 18th on the bidding board.
No one had bet on him, and his odds were massive.
If anyone bet on him and he won, they would win 500 times the sum.
“Oh, a newbie.” The rough-sounding man wiped the alcohol off his lips. “He won’t win. Not with Johann in the race!”
“Why did you come watch if you are so certain of the winner?” Isaac asked with a smile.
“Come on, you know why!” He laughed loudly. “Night of the Crescent Moon makes things spicy. I also wondered whether I should’ve tried for the 1,000 silver bounties, but I can’t be arsed.”
Isaac rolled his eyes and sipped on his drink. “Johann might be the strongest, but is he the fastest rider?”
…
“Welcome everyone to the special Death Race!” An announcer stood on top of a pitched roof, his voice booming through the streets and through the floating screens.
The floating screens inside the House of Gambling replayed his voice in real time.
The excitement in the air was palpable as the crowd eagerly awaited the start of the race.
“Today is a rather exciting night because of the looming threat of the Crescent Moon!” The announcer laughed.
“The race starts in five minutes time, so don’t go anywhere!
“Let’s start with the introduction of the top three riders with the highest bounties.”
The floating screens showed the dark-haired Johann with his beautiful red eyes.
“First, Johann The Monster Mayers!”
The crowd roared with thunderous cheers and applause.
“He is the favorite of the race, a monster that strikes fear into the hearts of all who dare to challenge him.
“His infamous name still lingers like a shadow of death among the townspeople of Nightbridge and Redwater!
“His bounty is amazing—495,456 silvers!”
Clap, clap—the sound of thunderous applause reverberated through the night city.
“Second, it’s her!” The applause pointed at the pink-haired woman in the second row.
“She is known as the Queen of Misfortune, Loralei!” 𝑶𝐕𝐞𝗅xt.𝑐𝞸
Applause—the applause was also loud, but not as loud.
“Her bounty is 99,010 silvers!”
The floating screen showed her expressionless face. She wasn’t that beautiful, but her tall figure of nearly two meters captivated those who liked taller women.
“And lastly, but not least, it’s this urban legend!” The announcer looked at the third person and felt chills run through his spine.
The floating screens showed a person with a disfigured face that made him look like a lump of flesh and nothing else.
The spectators couldn’t help but gasp in horror.
“His urban legend began in the peaceful village of Amyla.
“He was born as a disfigured monster, hated by his parents and every villager alike.
“They thought he was a demonspawn that was brought to bring a curse upon the land.
“They were right.
“When they tried burning him alive, a lightning bolt fell from the sky and razed the village to the ground.
“No one survived, except this monstrosity!
“Nathan The Demonspawn, an urban legend with a bounty of 55,678 silvers!”
The spectators loudly applauded while wishing inwardly that the monstrosity would disappear from the screen.
Their wishes came true as soon as the screen shifted to show every rider prepared to start.
“It’s time!” The announcer raised his arm towards the dark ceiling. “The special Death Race begins!”
Everyone tightened their grips on the reins.
“10!”
Following the announcer, everyone started chanting the countdown.
“9!”
“8!”
“7!”
“6!”
“5!”
“4!”
“3!”
“2!”
“1!”
“Start!”
The riders kicked their horses into a gallop and rushed through the starting line. The crowd erupted into cheers and applause as the race began.
They entered a road made of cobblestone that went straight for hundreds of meters before entering the narrow alleyways.
However, at that moment, the announcer exclaimed, as did thousands of spectators.
From the alleyway, where the race was supposed to go, three rotting men emerged, their decaying flesh and sunken eyes sending shivers down the spines of onlookers.
Their arms were outstretched in a desperate attempt to grasp something, anything, to satisfy their insatiable hunger.
“Zombies had already arrived!” The announcer spoke in shock. “The number of spectators and the loud noise must’ve attracted them!”