“GHAHAHAHA! Trouble always comes for us, huh! Alright boys, run until your lungs explode!” Farkas, laughing again with his unique and annoying laugh, didn't sound panicked at all. In fact, I think he enjoys this dangerous sensation, probably a death seeker. On the other hand, my other partners look really scared like they're being chased by a bullet train (duh)—me, likewise.

I'll bet that the train is only a few kilometers behind before it hits us. I've heard the sound of a train engine. And I don't know what was in their way, but they also honked aggressively. But it's already about halfway to the third checkpoint anyway, so I guess we'll be safe.

… However, I'm unsure about Mr Wayne.

He’s like a tortoise; He’s a few meters behind us. But for now, there is nothing I can do. He must be able to do it by himself. I might give him a few words of encouragement, thought... But… I'm a little hesitant to do it after what he said about me earlier.

By the way, this upbeat/happy music is still playing in the background. Seriously, this is infuriating. This would be fun and can be really encouraging if played in a normal sporting event, actually. But not in this situation. I feel like we are being shown as entertainment, even though we are trying hard to save our lives.

The herd of trains was getting closer and closer. I can feel the vibration of its speed. The train honks more frequently and the sound is getting closer; now this honk, I understand what it means. But I can guarantee myself that I will survive. Checkpoint is in sight, only a few meters away from me. The young man runs at almost the same pace as me, so we run side by side. Farkas, with his fancy clothing and also older, is strangely able to outrun me.

Meanwhile, Mr Wayne is already quite far behind. He can be seen holding his side of the stomach, a sign he has a side stitch while running. I had predicted that since he ate too much at the first checkpoint. I don't know if he ate again at the second checkpoint, though. That, coupled with Mr Wayne's possibly unhealthy lifestyle, further slowed his running this time. It's unfortunate because now is the time he wanted to run really fast.

Farkas left his rail a few meters ahead of me, leaping rail after rail to reach the third checkpoint. Indeed, the third checkpoint is just one that lies by my side. The young man and I also arrive at the platform a bit moments later.

Mr Wayne is still trying to pick up his speed. I still can't see the herd, but something bad will happen if he doesn't set his foot on this platform soon. I feel the train line getting closer. The roar of the train engine is boisterous considering that four trains are running simultaneously. They're honking one after another. I can sense a tremendous quake clearly from both the walls and the surface after I stop.

Mr Wayne is probably around 200 meters away from us. There is no time; he REALLY needs to make it up to this checkpoint.

While I'm watching Mr Wayne, someone jumps into one of the tracks. That madlad is Farkas.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" To be honest, I'm really perplexed by that guy's behaviour. I can't predict him. At all.

"I just wanna race with that pig and the trains behind him." he cried, smiling widely. Using his TickBit, he measures the distance and runs until he stops at some point. I'm guessing maybe around 50-100 meters from the checkpoint. After stretching his body a little, he takes the position to run.

Mr Wayne almost reaches the point where Farkas is standing. His entire face is incredibly red, sweat pouring from every pore of his body that I can spot. Meanwhile, I can already see eight train lights gleaming from the two small tunnels. The chariots prepared to unite; form bigger waves.

Farkas didn't run as soon as Mr Wayne reached the point. He seemed to give Mr Wayne a few seconds head start in his small race. Only then did he run. He's really confident in his ability to run.

Right now, I'm watching two grown men—almost seniors—running chased by four bullet trains—what a sight. I'm not too worried about Farkas because he speeds up and dashes past Mr Wayne quickly.

The magnificent sight has turned into a rather gruesome sight. Mr Wayne only needs a couple of seconds to get to the checkpoint, but so does the wave of trains behind to run over him. In fact, the difference is too narrow.

“Finally arrived, ghahaha! That was really something!” Farkas shouted proudly when he stepped his foot at the checkpoint platform. Meanwhile, Mr Wayne has started to slow down his running, a sign of exhaustion. Farkas ignores Mr Wayne, who's still struggling on the tracks; not even for a second does he set his eyes on Mr Wayne.

Mr Wayne will actually arrive in a few steps. But I'm not sure he can muster the last of his strength to jump onto this platform.

The wave is dead close to him.

I wanted to extend my arms and pull him, but… I can't; I still can't accept what Mr Wayne said about me before.

But, it's about someone's life, you know?

"Come on, take my hand! Quick!"

The train is ready to pounce on Mr Wayne. They're screaming intensely, very noisy. I put my ego aside and extended my arms. Mr Wayne takes my hands, and with my help, he can go up to the platform. Meanwhile, Farkas and the young man didn't help me at all. They just watched from behind with wry faces.

About two seconds later, the wave of bullet trains shot right in front of my nose. The wind blows hard due to its speed. This train is quite long; it took a few seconds before it finally disappeared from before us.

I plop down on the platform floor and sweat profusely. No, it's not sweating from running earlier. It's a cold sweat. I can't believe that someone's life was so close to being lost.

"You bastard! I almost died! Why didn't you help me right away, huh?!” Mr Wayne pulled my sweater's collar so that I was forced to stand up again. I'm still getting the nerves from the occasion that just happened, so I can't fight back. “You must have done it on purpose, didn't you?!” He yelled at me.

At this point, I'm in a rage with him. I also don't know what he wanted to achieve by telling lies about me. Automatically, my right hand fly to punch him. Actually, I'm not the type of person who will do physical harm no matter how irritated I am. I can even say that I'm a very tolerant person, but this is over the line.

He must not know how heavy the fist of someone who's been holding back his temper is, does he? Eat this.

"Put your hands down!" Farkas roared from behind. Finally, some other voice came out other than this glob's in front of me. The boys were just watching the whole time. Well, who does not like drama? But it always happened like this. Someone (Farkas) will undoubtedly stop us when one of us is about to punch the other.

“Oh, this brat is about to punch me? Hah! Seriously? That's right, put your hands down! Son of a bitch." Mr Wayne tightened his grasp on me.

*BAM!*

“I mean you, elephant!” Farkas punched Mr Wayne really hard, in my place. Mr Wayne was forced to take his hands off me, slammed into the platform’s wall. Thunderstruck his face, and he spontaneously rubs his cheek.

"What are you doing?! Didn't I tell you-"

“What are YOU doing, you idiot pig! He saved your life, obviously! You think I'm blind?”

“But he is our burden! He's the one who made you wait so long at the second gate and made us the top four from the bottom!”

"Wait, this young man is a burden?" Of course, Farkas was pointing at me, not the young man in a hat. “Without him, our entrails would be scattered by now! While you, useless sluggish fat, are THE burden to this youngling, to us all!”

"Pffft, nonsense! I told you he finished the entire food ration at the first checkpoint! He must have slowed down and passed out from eating too much!”

"You, who are stupid, fat, old, and selfish, won't understand or even ask what happened to him in the second part." Farkas brings me in front of Mr Wayne and shows him my bleeding ear. He's so observant; I didn't even notice that my ears were already bleeding. Then with a yell, Farkas explains that a high-frequency noise was sounded in the second part. Farkas and Mr Wayne certainly won't be sensitive to this sound due to their age factor.

“Then, what was your other argument? He gobbled the whole meal? Then how do you explain this?” Farkas asked the young man to come closer.

“I-In the second part of the tunnel w-when I picked him up, I found the shirt of this man. On its collar… T-There's a remainder of barbecue sauce on it.” the young man finally spoke again, spitting facts, though he stuttered. Well, the air pressure is so high here.

"Well, well, well~ You said that this boy ate all of the foods, then why is there a stain of barbecue sauce on your shirt, old man? It clearly comes from the first checkpoint's bento~" After that, the young man also confirmed that all the food and drinks at the second checkpoint had also been used up. Who else, if not Mr Wayne. This explains why he was heavier and slower than usual.

"Look, I don't know what happened in the first part, but looking at the way you ran just before, anyone can place a bet that you are the burden all along." Mr Wayne can only remain silent. The pressure he had always given me all this time had now turned 180 degrees on him.

"Now what, pig? Run out of words to slander this boy?" Farkas thrusts his body to Mr Wayne. He's grinning like a wolf preparing to chomp its prey. An icy and piercing aura emanating from his body. The pressure that comes from him is no joke. I take back my words that this person is friendly. “Fatman, you're just talking shit with no evidence, you know.”

"I'm annoyed to wait for you guys, but I hate liars and slanders more than anything," Farkas added in a loud and angry voice. I remember the time display at the first gate. It seemed that one of the monitors was showing the time of Farkas and the young man opened the gate. Well, considering the time difference, it's fair to be upset.

"I don't care about that pig anymore. Let's leave him here and get some rest at the finish line! I'm also tired of seeing his bulging face and stomach. Just leave him here with his favourite hors d'oeuvre."

Farkas and the young man go down to their respective train tracks. It's clear that they are waiting for me to join them. But… I choose to stay where I stand.

I… I can't leave him. Not with his next week's hopes. He must enjoy precious time with his family at least once in his life. After all, because of his family, Mr Wayne was able to survive up until this point. Now I understand why he was slandering me. He just wanted to save himself.

“You want to make me wait again, kid?! You seriously still want to walk hand in hand like a couple with someone who slandered you?”

I keep my mouth shut.

"Well, to hell with you. There's only the finish line up ahead. So I don't care anymore. I hope you don't regret your decision." Farkas prepared to leave and continue his journey. He doesn't look in a hurry because he's right; there would only be a finish line in front of him. But I don't understand. Didn't he forget the rules of this game? Hmm… Maybe the young man had reminded him.

"... Up to you, silly." I can still hear Farkas muttering as he leaves.

Meanwhile, I found the young man hesitant to leave me alone with Mr Wayne. But as soon as Farkas looks at him, he's scared like a chicken and immediately rushes after Farkas.

I sit on the platform floor and allow Mr Wayne to recuperate. As soon as Farkas disappeared from his sight, he rushed to the snacks served at this checkpoint. It's not a heavy meal, we were only given some cakes for dessert. We? I mean Mr Wayne.

Not long after, I went down to my track and ready myself for the last journey. I patiently wait for Mr Wayne. After finishing the dessert, I helped him go down to the track.

I'm so exhausted, both physically and mentally. I'm just going to jog. Mr Wayne also seems to agree with that idea. Well maybe the payoff is a grumble from Farkas at the finish line later.

We continued this journey. Not a single word came out of our mouths during the trip.

Just the two of people, in the wider tunnel, without talking and only accompanied by this cheerful music in the background raised the level of awkwardness. Especially if the relationship between those people is the slanderer and the slandered.

***

Mr Wayne and I are almost finished.

Unlike the parts that we went through before, this last part is quite tortuous. We have been through many turns. I'm pretty sure this bend before me will lead us to the finish line.

Sure enough, I can see the finish line ahead. Maybe it's more like a 'finish platform' because it is a platform—again on the leftmost side—with a floor painted like a checkered flag. The finish part is oval like a small stadium, with a domed roof that sits high above. In addition, the area is vast, much wider than the third section. But rather than that, I see a scene far astonishing yet terrifying.

At the end of the tunnel, which is a bit far from the finish platform, there is a concrete wall that I guess is very thick and sturdy. On his face, there is a painting that says "Congratulations". But it's not something that made my jaw drop. Do you know how I understand that concrete walls are very sturdy?

The bullet trains hit the bottom of the wall. There are no cracks in the concrete walls, maybe not even a scratch. The train carriage scattered all over the place due to crashing at high speed. The flames caused by the destruction made a dramatic effect on the congratulatory inscriptions on the walls. It's very 'rousing'.

Seriously, just how much budget does the organizer have? Am I having a scene in Michael Bay's motion picture? What is this?

Arriving in front of the platform, I see Farkas and the young man leaning against the wall. Of course, Farkas' face was not friendly. He had to wait for us again. Or maybe he's mad at me.

I don't forget to let Mr Wayne go up and finish first. He climbs onto the finish platform without hesitation. Then I follow behind. It's official; I'm the last one to finish. Well, whatever the punishment, the younger me will definitely be able to endure it better than him. I'm ready. Surely it wouldn't be too bad, right?

…Considering the life-and-death situation earlier… I'm not sure what the organizer will give as punishment. Just imagining it made me shudder.

If I can revert the time, I would push Mr Wayne harder. I would also push myself hard in the second part.

As soon as I set foot on this platform, my TickBit shows '2 hours 40 minutes', along with the finish time of my partner. This time seems to be much longer than the time for the average person to jog on the 15K Run.

Then a large LCD screen across the platform lit up. The lighting teaming with the white background made my eyes burn, especially after being in a tunnel for a long time with very, very restricted lighting. Then finally, the annoying music that was playing incessantly stopped.

The LCD then displays an enormous “Congratulations” in black ink. Honestly, I'm sick of being congratulated on this game. Then the voice of the female robot congratulated us (again) with her British accent. Well, it looks like there will be a post-game explanation presentation, including the punishment.

"Congratulations (really? again?), all Estres have completed the exciting race!" Said the female robot excitedly, followed by the explosion of confetti in the background.

"What about the game? Challenging and encouraging, isn't it! This is only the premiere game, you know, so we’ll make sure the next one will be even more exciting!”

W-Wait, wait. These kinds of events and games will continue?

"Since it's only the premiere game, we won't give any points. Points will be awarded in future games, so prepare yourself! For the winner, the player who finishes in 1st to 99th place will get a prize of………. Admin, drumroll, please!”

The image of coconut drink is displayed along with a cheap surprise sound effect.

Seriously? After almost taking life, the reward is really just a coconut drink? Doesn't the organizer have a very abundant budget? But actually, we could have avoided that life-or-death situation if we could rack our brains a little harder. Then, what is she meant by the 'points'?

“Furthermore, we will announce to all the Estres who is the loser, which causes you not to be able to go home fast!”

Yeah, yeah. It’s obviously me. Just get it over already. I'm prepared to accept whatever the punishment is. No regrets anymore.

“That loser is… Another drumroll, please…”

Estre No. 8:

WAYNE BLACK

Mr Wayne's face then flashed on the screen.

W-What?! What happens? Isn't it obvious that Mr Wayne got on the platform first? They must be kidding. This doesn't make any sense!

"Meanwhile... What kind of punishment will be given to the loser in the mortal world?"

Large black ink words appeared, followed by a “ping-pong!” sound effect.

One of the loser's family members will die in a traffic accident tomorrow!

H-Hey, hey… What kind of punishment is that… Don't make any fun with death! If they are serious, his daughter and wife are in grave danger!

I shuddered in horror, looking at the screen in complete shock. My feelings seem to be swaying…

Why… Why did I finish first?

Mr Wayne settles in disbelief. He bangs his head and grabs his hair hard. There is nothing more to say and do. His whole body is shaken. He's weak, and his teeth gritted violently.

No, no way. It's not all serious, right? This whole thing must be a lie!

“If you think we're joking, we're serious! Even though we manage a game, we don't play games, you know! Just watch it later in your favourite news show!” Then an upbeat, cheerful song played in the background.

“Then we are really looking forward to seeing you again in the next game! In the nation of Chronosseum, we are already bound by the time; there is no way for you to escape! Alright, Evelyn is leaving!"

I don't believe that robot girl's every sentence. I'm standing still like a rock in front of the screen even though nothing is shown, just a dark, eerie jet black.

Then I feel very dizzy. My head is spinning very violently non-stop. I swear to God it's pictured in my mind that the world is so distorted, everything is so wavy. After that, my body feels like floating rapidly, and I see many amazing things. How can I describe it to you, this is close to one of the scenes I saw in my favorite superhero movie.

I fell hard soon after that. Looks like I passed out.

***

I wake up sitting on a train station park's bench. Looks like I fell asleep here. I feel like I've been asleep for a very long time, but luckily I woke up before nightfall. It's 15:00. Ten minutes before my train, so best to hurry to get into the station. I didn't forget to take my backpack which was lying next to me with the zipper slightly ajar. I hope none of my valuables is stolen.

I run to the payment counter to top up because my card balance is running low. While waiting for the transaction to be completed, I take a sip of the coconut drink that I bought just before falling asleep. Most of the ice cubes have melted, but this is so refreshing my life! Moreover, the temperature this afternoon is a bit hot and the train station is quite crowded.

Finally, I'm able to get into the carriage. I actually got a seat after struggling to get one, but good fortune went to the granny who suddenly slipped in through the door near me. I couldn't bear it, so I gave her my seat. Today I have to stand up and jostle again.

Sigh.

I take a deep breath in the crowd. No, it's not that the train cars are overcrowded, I'm used to this. Riding the train reminds me of something. I don't really remember the details, but it was a really amazing, thrilling dream and it felt so real.