The Golem Mage

Twenty minutes later, the entire team had regrouped at the location of the game capsule.

"What did you find out?" Alec inquired of Agnes, who was the last to arrive, but she shook her head, indicating that, like the rest of the team, she found the city deserted, seemingly leaving them as the only ones present.

With no answers to be found in the city, their only option now lay with the game.

"I guess we have no choice but to play the game," Alec concluded as he approached the capsule, noting that even the options on the capsule seemed sophisticated.

He placed his hand on the fingerprint scanner, and options appeared before him:

 Team Racing

 Solo Racing

Without hesitation, Alec selected 'Team Racing.'

The system then prompted him to specify the number of members in his team, and he chose eleven.

A neon light enveloped him and his teammates, and they vanished into the capsule.

–

[Welcome to the Race of Death]

[Pick and create your Monster vehicle, You have only 15 minutes to complete this task.]

The team opened their eyes to find themselves in an enclosed space, markedly different from where they had been just seconds before.

While they were disoriented, Alec had an inkling of where they were, surveying the area, he noticed six other teams, each comprised of eleven members, standing in groups.

They regarded Alec and his team with hostility as they selected a vehicle and began working on its options.

Alec was taken aback when he saw the vehicle they had chosen and quickly made his way to their team's vehicle selection point.

A machine displayed images of all the available vehicles.

Upon reaching it, Alec's suspicions were confirmed: the vehicles in the system bore a striking resemblance to Monster trucks from Earth.

However, these were elongated to accommodate more people, and various modifications had been made to the vehicles, rendering them even more menacing than their Earthly counterparts.

"Alec, I've never seen anything like this, which one do you think we should choose?" Beatrice, the assistant captain, turned to Alec for guidance.

As their captain, his decision was crucial before they could proceed.

"Sorry to break it to everyone, but I believe we're at a significant disadvantage, judging by the looks of the other teams, it's clear they're familiar with this game, If you ask me, they're likely part of the group that has lost before," Alec observed.

"That means they have more experience surviving whatever this game entails," Agnes added, demonstrating her keen observational skills, however, Alec simply smiled in response.

"Don't worry about a thing, Agnes. We're not going to lose as long as I'm here," Alec said confidently, smirking.

He knew that no one from this world would have a better understanding of how a car works than humans from Earth.

Even with the magical modifications made to the cars, the fundamentals of driving remained the same, and Alec was certain he wouldn't lose to a bunch of mage players who had only accumulated driving experience through a series of losses.

In fact, this game led Alec to speculate that perhaps the Chronomancer they were tasked with killing might also be like him—a transmigrant from another world.

There was no way, he thought, that the Chronomancer could be a native of this world.

Alec finally spotted the monster truck he wanted, He made his selection without even modifying it as he was not used to it, so he decided no to waste any time, and a bright light flashed before him.

The magical and epic monster truck materialized—a formidable combination of brute force and arcane magic.

It towered above the ground, an awe-inspiring behemoth of metal infused with ethereal energy, leaving the entire team gazing in wonder.

The monstrous vehicle was clad in rune-etched armor that shimmered with an otherworldly glow. Its massive structure was a captivating mix of bronze and silver, adorned with pulsating streams of vibrant, iridescent mana.

Streams of magical energy seems to flow seamlessly through the beast, enhancing its strength and imbuing it with incredible prowess.

The tires, were carved from enchanted rock elements, were massive and rugged as they looked like they could go against any terrain.

At the truck's colossal rear, an array of fearsome weapons awaits, each beckoning with dormant power.

Gleaming blades, pulsating orbs of elemental energy, and crackling conduits of lightning stand ready to be unleashed with a purpose.

These weapons eagerly await the infusion of raw magic to awaken their destructive potential.

"Alec, sorry for asking, but how exactly do you plan on controlling this... thing, and all the attachments that come with it?" Agnes asked, her confusion evident. After perusing the description, Alec grasped some of the basic features and began to explain to the rest of his team.

He instructed them on how to manipulate the vehicle's weapons using their Mana, since they were no longer traveling, the academy's restriction on using their Mana was lifted.

But Alec quickly realized that within the game, even though their Mana wasn't restrained, they couldn't wield it as freely as before, it seemed that the primary use of their Mana was now to operate everything within their vehicle.

This led Alec to wonder if the academy was aware of this place and had purposefully had them travel such a long distance without using Mana, to condition them for this challenge.

Alec sensed that the team hadn't yet caught on, but he, who had severed his Mana flow multiple times to train his mental stats, was certain that their Mana execution was being suppressed by something.

[All participants, get ready, the race is about to begin, you must complete a laps, and there is only one rule: stay in the top three and don't die ha ha!]

The announcement echoed as Alec swiftly took the driver's seat, with Beatrice settling into the passenger seat.

Lucas and Pale initially aimed for the back seat, trying to choose positions based on their rankings, until Alec intervened.

"Lucas and Pale, I need you at the back, Agnes, Knight, and Endrick will stay inside the car with us," Alec directed, as everyone took their assigned places.

The slot where a key would typically be inserted had been replaced with a small orb, intricately crafted. Alec pondered how to start the vehicle as the countdown commenced.

The engines of the neighbouring cars had already come to life, their roars filling the air with power as they awaited the final count.

"Hey, could you tell me how to start the car?" Alec called out to the driver in the adjacent vehicle, but the response was a disdainful spit on the ground from the mage in the passenger seat, while the driver ignored him entirely.

"Oh, I see you're not the talking type," Alec muttered with a weak smile, chastising himself internally for thinking his rivals would offer assistance.

Resolving to try his own method, Alec channelled his Mana into the orb.

Instantly, the orb lit up, along with the dashboard and all other functions of the car, Alec felt a connection to the vehicle as a round blue light panel merged with his right eye, assimilating with his iris.

When he opened his eye again, his vision was altered, and he sensed he could control many aspects of the car with mere thought.

With a grin, Alec pressed his foot on the pedal, and the monster truck roared to life with a fierce "Zummmm!"

The sound shocked those nearby, especially the passenger in the adjacent car who looked at Alec in surprise.

They were aware this was Alec's first attempt, yet he had managed to start the monster truck on his first try, a fact that bruised their pride considering their own initial struggles.

However, they steeled themselves, believing Alec's success was mere luck and doubting his driving skills would be helpful.

Alec met their gaze with a confident smile.

"Bring it on!" he whispered, just as the countdown hit zero.

And the collective roar of all the monster trucks surged forward, signalling the start of the race.