NOVEL NEXT Chapter 80: Tight corner
As soon as Atlan fixed the reins on the chariot, he immediately whipped the Canzer forward.
They watched as Atlan's chariot raced out of the Colosseum and onto the racing streets at blazing speeds. His wooden wheels barely even touched the ground as the Giraffe-Horse Canzer rocketed through the air.
"Holy! How is he so fast?!"
"That's twice as fast as all the other mounts! How did no one discover this Pseudo Canzer?"
"That doesn't matter now. I just can't believe how lucky our Star Porter is! I think he has a chance to pass the others!"
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It was so fast that even the invisible camera that fed the video to the screen in the Colosseum was left in the dust. It took a few seconds before it was able to calibrate Atlan's speed and finally focus the camera onto him.
When the rest of the spectators looked at the Giraffe-Horse Canzer, they didn't see any speedy qualities about it. It didn't even have as much chitinous armor as the other Canzers still in the arena. So, when they saw that Atlan subdued this one, they all thought that it was one of the weakest Canzers out of everything.
They thought that Atlan was forced to use this steed because it was the only one that he could catch.
But they couldn't be more wrong.
It turned out that this Giraffe-Horse was the fastest out of every Pseudo Canzer in the competition! It was so fast that if Atlan had subdued this monster earlier, then they wouldn't have any doubts whether he would win the competition. They were sure that if Atlan got to the race first, then he would be able to do a lap before the others could even get onto the track.
And even though he started so late, some still believed that he had a chance to win the whole thing!
"Go Porter! Look, he's not going to be last. He's already catching up to the last in the pack!"
The one who bet 1000 Venunum on Atlan placing last went silent. He was upset that he would lose the bet, but if he saw Atlan finish first, then he wouldn't even be mad at that point.
He watched as Atlan got ready to overtake a chariot.
The guy in second to last place was a Genesian with a B class Monk LifeSkill. He was dealt a bad hand and subdued a very slow Canzer. So, he knew that he didn't have any chance to compete for a podium finish. He consoled himself that he wasn't going to finish last.
However, it looked like he celebrated a little too early.
He suddenly heard intense hoof beats behind him, even making his chariot tremble and wobble. When he looked back, he was surprised to see someone suddenly hot on his tail.
That was impossible! From what he saw just a few moments earlier, there wasn't anybody behind him. He even thought that the last guy couldn't subdue a Canzer and just gave up in the arena. But then, he suddenly saw Atlan piercing through the air like a rocket to catch up to him.
He was alarmed. Not to mention the fact that Atlan looked like he teleported behind him, he found that Atlan and his Giraffe-Horse mount were only moments away from overtaking him!
The Giraffe's upper body had its long neck outstretched forward like a lance. It speared through the air and created less air resistance for the chariot, allowing it to go to speeds he didn't even think possible.
The man was so shocked that he forgot to do anything. He just stood there, holding onto the reins of his steed, letting Atlan go past him.
Now, Atlan was in 17th place. But he didn't stop there.
The Canzer zoomed through the track, speeding past district after district. He was fast during the straight part of the race, but the next part had a sharp turn to the right which already claimed two chariots. If he didn't slow down for this part, then his chariot would surely crash through the apartment building like the unlucky two from before.
His chariot was made out of wood. With just one crash, his whole chariot could splinter into a million pieces, giving him no chance to continue the race.
"What is he doing?! Why is he not slowing down?"
"You'll crash into pure steel, my man! Slow down!"
But instead of slowing down like the rest of the competitors, Atlan kept going towards the corner at the Canzer's top speed!
They all thought that Atlan lost control of his steed, but then, they saw him suddenly climb out of his chariot and jump towards the Giraffe-Horse Canzer! He stood upright as he grabbed the Giraffe's mane and pulled its head up.
Then, with one hand on the Giraffe's head and the other on its torso for stability, Atlan bent its neck to the side just at the moment when the road turned a 90-degree angle.
"There's no way he's going to—"
Everyone in the arena watched with their jaws dropped as the Giraffe's head suddenly caught onto one of the lamp posts on the side of the street.
As their momentum pushed them forward, the chariot suddenly rotated about the lamppost while floating one meter in the air. The Giraffe's head was caught onto the pole!
With their speed almost completely preserved, Atlan's chariot turned the corner and bounced on the streets.
Everyone watching this couldn't believe the guts and ingenuity behind this move. Who would have thought to use a Giraffe's long head as a way to pivot through a sharp turn? Nobody.
Atlan then jumped back down to his wooden chariot and continued directing the Canzer around the obstacles in the street.
Some of the other competitors could never pull a stunt like Atlan did, so they were forced to slow down their chariot to a crawl and safely turn to the right. However, this cost them a lot of speed–speed that was hard to recover because of their Canzer's slow acceleration.
So, they were simply dumbfounded when Atlan's squeaking chariot rocketed past them with no warning whatsoever.
With just that one move, Atlan was now in 12th place.