It finally happened.
I was running laps again, pushing myself harder than ever. Tires tied to my waist, bag swings for power, laps for speed, every move precise, every breath calculated. The NPCs moved alongside me, silent and mechanical as always, just like before, but this time something clicked.
A flicker in my vision, a subtle hum in my body. I felt it in my legs, my chest, the way my arms swung. The motion I'd been practicing, over and over, over months, suddenly felt sharper, lighter, perfect.
And then the system panel popped up.
Skill unlocked: Corner Recovery.
I blinked. My heart skipped a beat. Corner Recovery. Not some random stat boost. A proper skill. One I could actually use in a race.
I had no points, no special trigger, just repeated training and testing the moves I remembered from the game. Somehow, the system recognized it. Somehow, it worked.
I touched the panel, stared at the stats. Speed, stamina, power, guts, intelligence—all still creeping upward slowly, but now I had a tool I could use to change a race. A real skill.
A grin spread across my face.
This was it. The first tangible sign that all this grinding, all this struggling with a real body and robotic NPCs, wasn't for nothing.
The next race was coming soon. The Dream Cup schedule marched on. One turn, one month. This was the checkpoint. I had trained, adapted, and survived the slow gains. Now I had an edge.
Corner Recovery. One skill. But it felt like a key opening a door.
I clenched my fists.
I didn't know exactly how far I could go yet. But I knew one thing. This was the start of something. Something real.
I was ready to see if this skill could make a difference on the track.
For the first time, I was confident.
And I couldn't wait to race.