After some time, the storm finally subsided, and along with it, Domingos returned to the boat.
— Well, it seems like you went through a tough time — he commented, seeing Lucas' condition.
— You think? I almost died a few times! — replied the young man, sitting on the floor.
The boat was covered in sand from all sides, as were Lucas' clothes, which were no longer protected by a shield. Not only Domingos' boat but all the competitors' boats were under a thick layer of sand, even the steel one, which now had several holes in its protection.
(Hee... It looks like a lot happened in the sandstorm... Too bad we couldn't see, but now that it's over, they're about to enter the... Scorching Hell!)
Hearing the commentator's words, Lucas looked ahead and noticed that the desert sands were gradually thinning out, until a loud wooden creak filled his ears. The place they were in now had little sand, with dry ground and the bones of creatures that had perished there.
— It was hot before, but now... I'm going to die — murmured Lucas, feeling like his body was melting as he sweated profusely.
— Take — said Domingos, handing another shield to the young man. — And have some water.
While it didn't provide complete protection, the shield at least minimized the heat and the dry wind. Taking advantage of Domingos' presence on the boat, Lucas made an effort to get up and went inside the vessel in search of water.
Meanwhile, Domingos assessed the boat's situation and sighed.
— Ah... my old friend, you've suffered quite a bit — he murmured, looking at the holes in the vessel. — I need to get this sand out of here.
Domingos grabbed the bag of fish he had used earlier and vigorously shook it, expelling the accumulated sand from the boat. This created a kind of sand cloud that dissipated behind the vessel.
With the momentary decrease in the race's intensity, the competitors took the opportunity to catch their breath and assess their situations. The vastness of the Scorching Hell stretched out before them, an arid and scorching terrain.
— I've never felt so good drinking water — thought Lucas, grateful, as he drank the water. The refreshing liquid sensation provided some relief from the sweltering heat that surrounded him.
As the boats advanced through this desolate landscape, the Cubo de Gelo family meticulously cleaned the sand covering their boat. By launching ice crystals into the air, they managed to reduce the temperature around the vessel and minimize some of the damage. The Automaton girl, on the other hand, focused on adjusting and calibrating the vessel's systems, discarding unusable parts, like the steel protection she had added for the sandstorm, which was now riddled with holes.
Meanwhile, the Incêndio family and the dragon girl had not yet returned to the race. Given the terrain they were in and the size of their boats, there was a possibility they could catch up with the other competitors.
(What's this? A recovery break? Hey, do you think you have time for that!? Look at the challenge coming!)
Hearing the commentator's words, everyone became alert for the next challenge. Watching the horizon carefully, they could see thousands of enormous bones embedded in the ground. It was as if they were facing a forest of bones from giant monsters.
(Let's see if you're good at sailing, crossing this bone path without destroying your boats! Oh, and an additional rule: you can't cross over or around them!)
— Isn't this a bit unfair to the larger boats? — thought Lucas, returning to Domingos.
Faced with the expanse of bones ahead, the young man began to doubt if they could successfully cross it.
— This looks problematic — said Domingos, looking at the situation of his boat. — Should I break these bones?
— ...I think it's better not to — replied Lucas, noticing something peculiar.
— Why do you say that? — the old man asked.
— Well... the commentator must know the strength of everyone in the race, so why didn't she include a rule to break these bones?
— Hmm... Let's try to avoid attacking and just pass straight through — said Domingos after some thought.
After the conversation, Domingos took the helm of the boat, and Lucas watched from a small shadow on the vessel. He couldn't predict the actions of the other boats, so he decided to watch them to see what would happen if someone tried to break the bones.
As they approached, each boat was seeking the best strategy to cross. The Cubo de Gelo family started creating an ice path for their boat to slide on, increasing its speed and maneuverability. Meanwhile, the Autômato family used air thrusts to propel their boat, allowing them to control it more quickly, without relying on the slow turns that boats normally have.
As for Domingos' boat, there were no visible changes; he was just controlling the boat more attentively.
— So, these are their plans? Well, it doesn't look bad, but... Oh, someone's coming from behind!
Shortly behind, a small boat full of sand was propelled by flames. In the back of the boat, a little girl accelerated with her flames, while in the front, a young man wielded a sword. He watched the competitors closely and then looked at the large number of bones, making his sword burst into flames.
A little behind the boat, there was a small craft that resembled a surfboard, as the person on it was skillfully surfing on the arid ground, propelled by her wings.
(It looks like the party is starting again!)
With this statement, the young man from the Incêndio family cut the air with his sword, sending a burst of flames toward the bones.
Immediately after the first bone was cut, an earthquake of epic proportions shook the area. The ground split, and the boats began to plummet, carrying a flood of earth with them.
Watching closely, Lucas was surprised to see that the bones were interconnected, forming something like a vast network of roots.
— I didn't think there'd be a bone flower in this desert... — Domingos murmured, visibly intrigued.
— Hey! We're going to be buried like this! — Lucas shouted, alarmed by Domingos' distraction.
— Don't worry, with these roots rising, a path will be formed underneath.
— And what if they come down again!?
— Well... we just need to be quick!
After his words, Domingos raised his hand slightly, and a small water fish materialized above it. The fish began to swim through the air around Domingos as if it were truly alive. Soon after, a multitude of fish appeared, forming a school that swam ahead of the boat.
When the fish fell into the cavity created by the colossal bone root, they started swimming through the earth in front of the boat, turning it into mud and allowing the boat to slide more quickly. This ability might not work as well on the dried surface, but the conditions underground were more favorable.
Fascinated by Domingos' ability, Lucas momentarily forgot that he was falling, despite being awakened by the impact. Domingos held him in time for the impact, ensuring that Lucas wasn't hurt even after the abrupt fall.
— Th-thank you — Lucas said, a little startled. — How deep should we go?
— When we have a chance, we'll go back to the surface — Domingos replied while watching the path ahead.
(It looks like they're taking the harder path! Will everyone be able to escape? And... Ah, is it lunchtime already? I'm off! Be right back, folks, my lunch has arrived.)
Listening to the commentator who just broke the mood as usual, Lucas began to feel a little hungry, but it was soon forgotten when large chunks of earth began to fall in the boat's direction.
— Where's that coming from!? — exclaimed the young man, looking up.
At that moment, Lucas saw the dragon girl surfing on the cliff wall created by the root. She slid while scratching the wall with her claws, causing a large amount of dry earth to fall as she passed. In addition, along the ground, a flaming boat passed them at an incredible speed, probably trying to overtake the dragon.
— That girl isn't affected by gravity!? — Lucas thought, before noticing that this girl was his least concern.
Seeing those two incredibly fast boats, the Cubo de Gelo family decided to act boldly. The family's elder looked coldly at the two boats that were overtaking them and took a deep breath.
— Father, what do you intend to do? — asked the silver-haired girl. Her clothes were all dirty, mainly due to the fight on Domingos' boat.
— If your father said he would get that meat for you no matter what, then I'm going to use a slightly stronger skill.
After saying that, he took a step forward and, with a gentle breath, released a freezing gale that turned everything in its path into an ice landscape.
Those in front, like the dragon girl and the Incêndio family, faced the attack. The dragon girl managed to dodge by jumping from the wall, losing her main advantage, while the Incêndio family created a shield of flames to protect themselves, but the shield ended up frozen along with the flames that propelled the boat.
It took a few seconds for them to melt the ice, long enough for the other competitors to overtake them. This event resulted in a change in the race's dynamics, with the Cubo de Gelo family taking the lead surprisingly.
— Now that we're on ice, no one can stop us — said the elder of the Cubo de Gelo family, with a subtle smile.
— AAHHH!! I'll get you!! — shouted the fiery girl, channeling all her power and transforming her boat into a fireball that shot at an even greater speed.
Seeing that everyone was starting to use their tactics, Domingos smiled slightly.
— It seems we can't go on like this — the old man said as he watched the boat slide on the ice. — Hold the helm.
Lucas didn't hesitate to take the helm as Domingos headed to the middle of the boat and pulled out some ice spears that had been stuck there by the girl from the Cubo de Gelo family.
— Since they like ice so much, I'll give them some back! — exclaimed Domingos, throwing the spears with impressive force.
While the spears flew toward the ice boat, the Autômato family's boat, which had also fallen behind, adjusted the shape of its bow to resemble a half-pyramid and activated the turbines at the rear.
The turbines propelled the boat at an incredible speed on the ice. The smaller boats ahead were launched into the air by the front tip of the Autômato family's boat.
— What the heck is this!? — asked the fiery girl.
— Sis, we need to stabilize the boat quickly! — her brother said, struggling to keep his balance as the boat spun in the air.
— This... caught me off guard a bit — murmured the dragon girl as she descended gently.
In addition to the two affected boats, the Cubo de Gelo family's boat was also hit, but its larger structure helped it regain balance quickly.
— That was unexpected... — thought the Elder of the Cubo de Gelo family, before feeling a great impact from behind. — What was that?
Looking behind, he saw a shower of ice spears approaching. Quickly, he created a crystal shield to protect himself, unaware that a line with a hook was attached to his boat.
— Oh, it looks like I've hooked a big one! — exclaimed Domingos with a mischievous smile. — Hold on, kid, we're speeding up!
With a strong tug, Domingos reeled in his fishing rod. The force of the movement was so intense that Lucas almost believed the boat had taken flight.
At that moment, the Cubo de Gelo family's boat was pulled back with such force that it floated for a few seconds in the air before landing again.
— Father, what's happening!? — asked the silver-haired girl, surprised to see their boat being dragged back with such force that it almost floated.
— How can that fisherman be so strong?! — exclaimed the Elder, incredulously watching Domingos' boat pass by. He noticed the fishing rod in Domingos' hands and quickly understood what had happened.
Meanwhile, another tremor occurred, and as they looked up, the bone roots began to descend upon all the competitors.
They now needed to find a way out as quickly as possible.
(I'm back! Did I miss anything?)
[To be continued...]
??? — Hey, don't you want to work a bit more seriously?
??? — But it was lunchtime, and I was hungry!
??? — ...And do you at least need to eat?
??? — Of course, I do! The taste of food is one of my life's greatest concerns!
??? — I better not even comment... By the way, System, I heard you've already chosen the first anime?
[Yes]
??? — What's the chance of Lucas surviving the first anime?
[100%]
??? — ...Eh? Seriously?
[Yes]
??? — ...This is strange.
??? — I want to know what this anime will be like since it's a variation!
??? — But won't all the animes be variations?
??? — Exactly! I want to know all of them!
??? — Alright... Well, first, Lucas has to survive this race; then, we can talk about that.