MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

With adrenaline and dopamine coursing wildly through his veins, Anthony spoke with a wide smile stretching across his face, his voice brimming with unshaken confidence.

"How many minutes remain on the explosive mana tanks?"

"Seven minutes, thirty-four seconds," his AI intoned in a calm, mechanical voice.

Anthony had already calculated that his car, no matter how enhanced, could not truly outpace the abomination that now thundered across the terrain towards him. It was fast, unnaturally fast, its monstrous frame tearing through the forest as if the earth itself bent before it. That meant the racetrack designers had intentionally added the explosive mana tanks for this particular final scenario. This wasn't just about speed anymore; it was about survival.

"Activate the explosive mana tank. Keep it running until the timer runs out," he instructed firmly, his grip tightening on the steering wheel.

"Affirmative, racer," the AI responded without hesitation, instantly carrying out the command.

The exhaust pipes behind him detonated with a thunderous roar, spewing searing blue flames that carved like a streaks of light into the darkness. Anthony's speed rocketed upward in an instant. The car surged like a living beast, surpassing one thousand kilometers per hour, and with terrifying momentum, it climbed even higher, nearing one thousand three hundred.

The speedometer needle trembled violently, quivering as though it would snap off at any second, while Anthony pressed the throttle all the way down, unbothered by the idea of slowing or braking.

The forest around him blurred into streaks of deep green and shadowed brown, melting into indistinct patterns as though the world itself could no longer keep up with his speed. Ahead of him, the portal glowed faintly, beckoning him forward.

"Activate ammunition and fire," Anthony commanded sharply, his eyes flashing to the side mirror as one of the abominations suddenly closed in. Its claw swiped viciously toward his rear windshield, the force of the strike enough to shred metal like parchment.

The AI reacted instantly. With mechanical precision, turrets on the car swiveled, and a storm of bullets erupted into the air. Gunfire crackled like lightning, the air vibrating with its ferocity. The abomination shrieked in raw agony as bullets riddled its body, tearing through sinew and bone before it collapsed into the dirt, its black blood splattering across the forest floor in grotesque fountains.

The AI adjusted the mounted guns, ready to fire again. But the other abominations were cunning; they had already scattered, their elongated limbs propelling them as they clambered up trees with terrifying agility. Like monstrous simians, they swung forward branch to branch, their glowing eyes locked on Anthony's car.

One dropped from above, its claws descending like scythes toward the roof. Anthony reacted with instinct born from endless battles and carnage. His hand shot to the handbrake; he yanked it hard.

The car snapped sideways with violent precision, drifting with controlled madness. The tires screamed against the soil, clawing at the earth and ripping trenches into the dirt. But Anthony wasn't simply dodging, he was counterattacking.

He lowered the window with a swift motion, his hand already darting toward the handgun holstered inside the car. Time slowed. His grin widened. With absolute calm, he aimed at the descending abomination. The world stilled. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger.

A deafening bang split the chaos. The bullet pierced through the creature's skull with pinpoint accuracy. Its head snapped back, and blood painted the car's windshield in violent streaks.

Anthony didn't flinch. His mind was already two steps ahead. His hand shifted gears, drive to reverse in a single, fluid motion. The car roared backward, the tail leading, the nose now facing the abominations still clinging to the trees.

Anthony's sharp eyes flicked between the abominations and the side mirrors. With seamless precision, he pulled the trigger again and again.

Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Thud. Thud. Thud.

Each bullet found its mark, dead center, forehead after forehead, monsters dropping like marionettes with their strings severed. Corpses rained from the trees, crashing lifelessly to the ground.

Anthony's hand flicked another switch. The windshield wipers hissed to life, sweeping blood away in thick smears until the glass was clear again. His other hand pulled the handbrake, drifting hard to realign the car, nose facing forward once more. In one fluid sequence, he shifted gears back to drive and accelerated without losing a fraction of momentum.

"Incoming, a tree!" the AI warned suddenly.

Anthony's eyes flicked to the rearview mirror. Another abomination had hurled an entire tree at his vehicle with staggering strength. But Anthony didn't swerve. He didn't even tense.

The shimmering barrier around his car flashed faintly, a translucent shield humming with protective mana. The tree slammed into the car with bone-shaking force, but the shield absorbed it, splintering the massive trunk into fragments.

Anthony didn't even blink.

"Barrier down to twenty percent," the AI reported flatly.

"Release the rest of the missiles," Anthony ordered happily.

The AI complied instantly. With a hiss and metallic roar, three missiles erupted from the rear of his car, their trails slicing through the forest air like blazing comets. They dispersed, each locking onto separate targets hidden in the treeline.

A moment later, the forest ignited.

Blinding light erupted as the missiles detonated. Explosions tore through the forest with thick force. Tall trees splintered into dust, massive chunks of earth ripped free and scattered like pebbles, fire spread in ravenous waves, consuming everything it touched. Clouds of smoke and scorched debris rose high into the sky as the once-living forest was reduced to a battlefield inferno.

Anthony didn't falter. He surged forward through the carnage, his white hair whipping behind him in the roaring wind.

Glancing briefly at the side-view mirror, he caught sight of the other racers. They, too, were locked in deadly struggles against their assigned abominations and monsters. Each car had already activated its explosive mana tanks, streaking through the chaos like untamed beasts of steel and fire.

Gunfire erupted across the forest in every direction. The sound of tearing flesh and roaring engines mingled with earth-shaking detonations as missile after missile was unleashed. The once-majestic forest had become a literal warzone, a theater of destruction drenched in fire and blood. The metallic tang of spilled blood hung heavy in the air, suffocating, cloying, but no racer cared. Survival and victory were the only goals.

Some were less fortunate. Shields cracked, barriers shattered, and a handful of cars were caught by claw or flame, flipping violently before collapsing in twisted wreckage. Racers were eliminated, their race ended in an instant.

But Anthony spared them no thought. His focus was absolute. The glowing portal loomed ahead, shimmering like salvation. The wind tore mercilessly against his car as he streaked toward it at impossible speed.

Behind him, his AI maintained its unending barrage, spraying bullets to thin out the monsters still pursuing. Corpses piled upon the ground in grotesque heaps, but Anthony didn't look back.

Still, his rivals pressed forward. Ernest had clawed his way back into second place, Alicia was close behind in third, Dave surged in fourth, and Clara held on at fifth. Each of them fought to close the distance, engines howling as they burned every ounce of mana and willpower. Yet no matter how desperately they tried, Anthony remained too far ahead. His lead was unshakable.

Within mere moments, the portal engulfed him. Without hesitation, he drove through, vanishing from the burning forest as though swallowed whole.

He emerged on the other side, his car leaping onto a pristine asphalt road that stretched endlessly ahead. No monsters, no traps, just the final stretch. The finish line gleamed in the distance, illuminated by brilliant lights.

Anthony didn't slow. He pressed forward with glee, and in seconds, he crossed it.

Confetti cannons exploded into the sky, raining down a storm of color and celebration. Cheers echoed distantly from unseen crowds. The race had been decided. Anthony had claimed first place.

At that exact moment, the explosive mana tank finally depleted. The system shut down with a hiss, the glowing blue flames dying out. Anthony eased off the accelerator, his foot shifting to the brake. He pulled the handbrake sharply while twisting the steering wheel. The tires screeched against the tarmac, smoke curling violently as the car spun into a controlled drift before sliding gracefully into a perfect stop.

The race was over. And Anthony had conquered it.