The moment Anthony's car pierced through the hole in the wall, the world around him plunged into complete darkness, swallowing him whole. For a heartbeat, it felt as if he had been erased from existence. Still suspended midair, his headlights flickered on automatically, twin beams cutting through the oppressive black like hot knives through butter. Dust particles danced in the shafts of light, revealing just how suffocating the cavern's darkness really was.

CRASH!

His undercarriage slammed violently against stone, sand, and packed earth. The impact jarred the frame of the vehicle, sparks flying as metal scraped rock. The tires tore into the rough ground below, sending dirt and grit scattering in all directions. Anthony gripped the steering wheel tighter, knuckles whitening, but his lips curved into a grin. He steadied the car with calm efficiency, refusing to let the violent landing rob him of momentum.

The instant the wheels bit into the cavern floor, Anthony shifted gears and tore forward again, his speed relentless. The darkness seemed powerless against him, reduced to nothing under the command of his headlights, which cast long, defiant cones of brilliance through the underground abyss.

"Shortcut detected. Ahead lies the standard route. On the left: shortcut path leading to the portal," the AI's mechanical voice reported flatly.

Anthony remembered the briefing before the race. Seventy percent of shortcuts were nothing but traps and dead ends. The rest, however, could shave off precious seconds. It was a gamble, danger and reward intertwined. But what was racing without gambling?

A grin spread across his face, the same grin that always came before he attempted something reckless. Without hesitation, he floored the throttle. His car screamed forward like a sniper's bullet ripping through the air. When the fork in the road appeared, he didn't hesitate, didn't even blink. He cut sharply left, diving headlong into the shortcut path as though it had been crafted just for him.

The darkness devoured him again, his taillights vanishing into the narrow tunnel. A few seconds later, the remaining racers thundered into the cavern, their engines echoing like angry beasts, but by then Anthony was already gone, untouchable, pushing further ahead.

The world outside his windows blurred. Jagged stone walls rushed by in streaks as his tires clawed the dirt, devouring the ground with merciless hunger. Then, with a deafening roar, his car burst free from another jagged opening in the cavern wall. Dust and gravel exploded outward as the machine shot into the open air, launching itself back into daylight.

Through the windshield, Anthony's eyes locked onto the glowing portal ahead. He didn't bother braking. His car surged toward it like an eagle diving for its prey, relentless and precise.

Within moments, he reached the threshold. A missile screamed toward him from behind, a trail of fire chasing his shadow. Anthony caught it in his side-view mirror but didn't so much as flinch. Without hesitation, he dove into the portal. The missile detonated harmlessly against empty space, the explosion a useless tantrum against the void he had just vacated.

Anthony's car materialized again in an entirely new setting. His gaze sharpened as he took in the scenery.

"Final scenario: Forest of Failure. Calculating optimal route to the final portal," the AI intoned, its voice as cold as ever.

Around him stretched endless rows of towering trees, their trunks thick and ancient. The canopy above knitted together so tightly it formed a natural dome, plunging the forest into a perpetual twilight of emerald shadow. The air carried the damp scent of earth and moss, heavy with the weight of age.

Anthony's tires shredded through loose soil as he surged forward, dirt and grass erupting in his wake. His car cut through the forest like a predator, leaving gouged trenches behind, the sound of his engine echoing like thunder in the stillness.

'Final scenario, huh… what a shame,' he thought, smirking to himself. 'I guess this is what they mean when they say all good things must come to an end.'

His car wove through the dense rows of trees with unrelenting speed, the forest floor a blur of mud, roots, and shredded greenery beneath him. Tire marks carved jagged scars into the earth, as though the forest itself struggled to contain his fury.

Then, he felt it. A prickle of danger crawled across his sense. His gaze snapped to the right.

Running beside his car was a pack of wolves. Their yellow eyes gleamed with hunger, their fangs bared as they snarled at him through the window. Muscles rippled beneath their fur as they matched his speed stride for stride, claws raking the earth.

'Monsters?' Anthony thought, narrowing his eyes.

"Final obstacle detected: Mortal-ranked monsters," the AI reported.

The words had barely left the AI's mouth when one of the wolves lunged forward. With terrifying speed, it slashed its claws against Anthony's car.

The blow crashed against the shimmering, body-shaped barrier surrounding his vehicle. Sparks flared as the shield resisted, but the sheer force rocked the car sideways, sending it into a brief skid.

"Barrier strength down to 49% and dropping," the AI announced, merciless as always.

"Shit… I forgot how flimsy this paper-thin barrier really is," Anthony muttered, tightening his grip.

But there was no time to dwell on it. The pack closed in around him, their snarls filling the air like the drums of war. Without hesitation, Anthony corrected the skid, slammed his foot down, and the car exploded forward in a blur of speed and force. The forest blurred again, trees becoming streaks as he pushed harder.

The wolves didn't falter. They chased with ravenous madness, their eyes burning with the hunger of beasts that hadn't eaten in centuries.

"We still have three missiles left. Donate one to them," Anthony ordered coolly.

"Affirmative," the AI responded.

The rear bonnet hissed open, a sleek compartment unfolding. A missile shot out like a thunderbolt, streaking toward the pack.

The wolves, not entirely mindless, darted aside with startling agility. But they didn't understand how missiles worked. The projectile detonated midair in a deafening eruption.

The explosion ripped through the pack, a storm of fire and shrapnel shredding flesh and bone alike. Blood sprayed in arcs. Severed limbs flew skyward. The forest filled with the metallic tang of gore as the pack was obliterated in a single strike.

Anthony smirked, satisfaction dancing across his face. "I should thank whoever designed these scenarios… they're addictive."

"Warning: Incoming. Another wave of monsters detected, faster class this time," the AI announced.

Anthony's eyes flicked to the rearview mirror. His smirk only widened.

Twisted abominations tore through the trees behind him. Their limbs were elongated, grotesque, bending in impossible angles. Their speed was unreal, their movements jerky yet terrifyingly efficient as they bounded toward him with inhuman hunger.

"Faster than wolves, huh?" he muttered, adrenaline surging. "Well, it doesn't matter."

He leaned forward, eyes blazing with manic glee, and whispered to his machine like it was a living thing. "Let's take this up a notch, shall we?"

His foot crashed down on the throttle. The car roared in response, the speedometer needle climbing mercilessly. 800… 900… 1000 kilometers per hour.

Within seconds, Anthony's vehicle had become a streak of metal and fury tearing through the forest, every nerve in his body alight with the intoxicating high of dopamine.

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