"Wow," Fatih breathed the moment his virtual body settled into the Bambino kart. He instantly felt something he had only experienced once before: his Invictus (Ultimate) ability activated, making him feel as if his very being was absorbed and assimilated into the kart.
Although it was the first time he was truly experiencing this sensation in a dynamic context and he couldn't quite describe it, he could say for sure that he felt everything. He felt how his breaths shifted his weight minutely and how this, in turn, affected the kart's balance, its center of gravity. He could sense the subtle flex of the chassis, the grip of each individual tire.
'I wonder what this would have felt like at Limit Break?' he mused, but without a shred of regret for his earlier decision. He knew downgrading Invictus had been necessary to build the best possible foundation, and it gave him more time to understand his abilities and how to exploit them to their absolute limits.
Now seated comfortably and acclimatized to the new, heightened sensory input, he started the kart. The engine coughed to life, and its tremors coursed through his body. He revved it a few times, his foot lightly on the brake to keep it stationary, enjoying the raw sound and the vibrations.
Satisfied, he lifted his foot from the brake and steered towards the pitlane exit. The moment his Bambino kart entered the main straight of La Conca, he immediately floored the accelerator.
He approached the first fast right-hander (Turn 1) at the end of the main straight. Being his first time truly driving, he braked earlier and more heavily than perhaps necessary. He then navigated the following right-hander (Turn 2), braking hard for the tight right-hand hairpin (Turn 3), focusing on a smooth exit into the subsequent left-hander (Turn 4). He accelerated down the short straight before tackling the double left-hand bend (Turns 5 and 6), trying to maintain momentum. Approaching the next left-hander (Turn 7), which led into the downhill section, he braked again. Then came the iconic descent: he carefully guided the kart through the downhill, tightening left-hander (Turn 8), then transitioned into the downhill then uphill right-hander (Turn 9), feeling the kart compress and unload. Exiting this section, he accelerated towards the wide right-hand bend (Turn 10), followed by the quick flicks of the right-left S-bend (Turns 11 and 12). He then braked hard for the wide left-hander (Turn 13) that led back towards the pit straight area, before finally navigating the last right-hand hairpin (Turn 14) onto the main straight.
[Lap Time: 2:24:043] flashed on his virtual dashboard. Without a second thought, he continued, pushing for his next lap.
For the following ten laps, he consistently shaved off at least a second with each run. He was attempting to get used to the overwhelming feedback coursing through his body, trying to filter and differentiate what each sensation meant, where it originated, and how to react.
Throughout this initial exploration, Apollo watched in silence from the virtual pit wall, a faint smile on his face. He saw the raw improvements Fatih was making with each lap. They were crude, unrefined, but considering this was Fatih's absolute first time driving anything, he was doing remarkably well.
It wasn't until an hour had passed, and Fatih showed no sign of even considering a stop, that Apollo finally intervened. He disappeared from the pit wall and reappeared at the start/finish line, a checkered flag materialized in his hand, waving it aggressively to signal the end of the practice session. Since the pit lane entry was at the beginning of the main straight, Fatih decided to take one final, slightly more aggressive lap before returning.
"Why did you stop me? I was just getting into the rhythm!" Fatih protested after bringing the kart to a full stop in the pit lane, a hint of frustration in his voice. He felt like he was losing precious time he could have spent driving and enjoying himself.
"Driving blindly, even in a simulation, won't benefit you much in the long run," Apollo stated calmly. "It risks ingraining bad habits that would take significant time and effort to correct later. Let's first start with foundational knowledge and progressively increase the difficulty as you master each task." He clapped his hands, and a large, holographic whiteboard shimmered into existence beside them.
"Let's start with the basics of the basics: types of corners," Apollo began, as images started materializing on the board. "Depending on interpretation, there are nearly limitless variations, but today we will stick to the fundamentals: right-handers, left-handers, hairpins, double-apex corners, and chicanes."
"The images are largely self-explanatory, so let's move to taking the corners. Cornering is essentially a three-step process: Entry, Apex, and Exit. How you execute these three phases can win or lose races."
"Anything related to slowing the kart—either lifting off the throttle and coasting, or active braking—is done during the Entry phase, along with the initial turn-in. Depending on the type of corner, you will either be accelerating during the apex or after the apex to maximize your exit speed…"
What followed was a clear, concise explanation of basic cornering theory, delivered in an easy-to-understand manner, with Apollo ensuring Fatih grasped every concept.
After the theory, practice followed. Being a proponent of action over mere words, Apollo said, "I will now demonstrate how to take each corner on this circuit using only the principles I have taught you. We will not move to the next lesson until you understand this." His own Bambino kart, identical to Fatih's in every specification, materialized beside him. He hopped in and took it onto the track.
Apollo rocketed down the main straight, the small engine screaming. He attacked the first fast right-hander (Turn 1) with precision. He flowed into the following right-hander (Turn 2), then executed a perfect late braking maneuver and rotation through the tight right-hand hairpin (Turn 3), getting on the power early for a strong exit into the left-hander (Turn 4). He powered down the short straight and carved through the double left-hand bend (Turns 5 and 6) as if it were one continuous, flowing motion. For the left-hander (Turn 7) leading into the descent, Apollo demonstrated a wide entry for a late apex. Through the descent itself, his control was sublime: a committed entry into the downhill left (Turn 8), then a perfectly balanced transition through the uphill right (Turn 9), using the compression to his advantage. He carried impressive speed through the wide right-hand bend (Turn 10), then flicked the kart effortlessly through the right-left S-bend (Turns 11 and 12). His approach to the wide left-hander (Turn 13) was smooth and fast, setting up perfectly for the final right-hand hairpin (Turn 14). Here, he demonstrated another masterclass in braking, rotation, and maximizing exit speed to launch the kart onto the main straight with optimal momentum.
[Lap Time: 01:50:563]
Apollo repeated this for the next five laps, each time matching his initial lap time almost exactly, ensuring Fatih saw and understood the consistency and precision required.
"Now, you have half an hour to work on perfecting your cornering for this circuit," Apollo said after his kart came to a stop in the pit lane beside a still surprised and deeply impressed Fatih. Despite driving for an hour, Fatih's fastest time was still over ten seconds slower than Apollo's demonstration. It was a stark reminder that simply watching races in his past life wasn't enough to be good; specific instruction and dedicated practice were essential.
The moment Apollo finished speaking, a mission prompt appeared before Fatih:
[Training Mission]
You have learned the basics of cornering and have been shown an example.
Objective: Achieve a lap time within 1.000 seconds of Apollo's time.
Target Lap Time:01:51:563
Time Limit: 30 minutes
Reward: 10 SP
Punishment: None
[ACCEPT] \[DENY]
He accepted immediately. With no punishment for failure, there was no harm in trying.
As the timer started, he launched back onto the track, determined to perfect one corner at a time, then link them into sectors, before attempting full, fast laps in the final closing minutes.