The bell rang.
I launched forward. Legs pumping. Muscles firing. Heart thudding. I was Marzensky now. Not just any Marzensky, but the game version with every skill I had unlocked, stats maxed for this race's simulation.
The track was turf, medium length, G2. I knew the course from the system. I knew the corners, the straights, the pacing.
I triggered burst start immediately. The world seemed to slow as I shot forward. The NPCs fell into their paths like usual, but this time I noticed tiny quirks. Some of them adjusted. Marzenskii adjusted. She was alive. She read my movement. I grinned.
First corner, I activated corner recovery. Smooth lean, muscles tightening, speed barely dropping as I angled through. Marzenskii leaned with me, sharp and perfect, matching me almost step for step.
I pushed. Endurance Boost kicked in. Stamina drained slower than usual. Guts skill layered over it, helping me resist fatigue from the long stretch.
Mid-race, I hit the straight. Acceleration stacks triggered automatically from the system's multi-skill sync. I was flying. Power stat kicked in with every step. My legs moved in perfect rhythm, speed stacking with every stride.
I glanced to the side. Marzenskii's form was flawless, beautiful, and terrifying. She smiled at me mid-stride. Calculating. Curious. She wasn't just an NPC today.
I grinned quietly.
The final corner approached.
Time to go all in.
Red Shift LP 1211-M activated.
The world stretched. The track seemed to bend around me. Distance collapsed. Every other runner blurred. Marzenskii tried to adjust, but even she could not match this burst perfectly.
I leaned in, straining every muscle. The system layered the ultimate speed bonus on top of everything else. Corner recovery, burst start, endurance, guts, acceleration, all harmonized in a single flow.
I shot out of the corner onto the final straight.
Marzenskii pushed hard, too, but I was faster. Not by much, but enough. The finish line loomed.
I crossed first.
The system panel flashed, confirming the race. Win. Perfect skill triggers. Maximum output.
Breathing hard, sweat dripping, I slowed down gradually. Every muscle screamed. The NPCs clapped mechanically, but Marzenskii looked at me, still smiling, still sharp, still alive.
For the first time in this world, it felt like a race against someone real. Not a programmed opponent. Not a predictable NPC.
Someone who could think.
Someone who could challenge me.
And I had won.
But I knew the real journey was just beginning.