Formula 1: The GOAT-Chapter 30: The Spoils of Victory

[RACE WEEKEND DEBRIEF COMPLETE]

[SEASONAL MISSION: THE FIRST CROWN (WEEKEND 1)]

STATUS: COMPLETE

Milestone 1 (Participation): +10 SP

Milestone 2 (Pole Position): +10 SP

Milestone 3 (Fastest Lap): +5 SP

Milestone 4 (Race Finish - 25 pts): +25 SP

Milestone 5 (Driver of the Weekend): +5 SP

Additional Rewards (Per-Action):

Overtake: 39 overtakes = +39 SP

Brilliant Overtake: 5 overtakes = +25 SP

Defense: 1 successful defense = +1 SP

Perfect Weekend Bonus: +50 SP

["THE FIRST CROWN" SUBTOTAL: +170 SP]

[URGENT MISSION: vs. SELÇUK]

STATUS: COMPLETE

REWARD: +15 SP

[CHALLENGE MISSION: vs. JACKSON]

STATUS: COMPLETE

REWARD: +30 SP

[RECOVERY DRIVE MISSION]

STATUS: COMPLETE (P1 FINISH)

REWARD ACTIVATED: 5X MULTIPLIER

[FINAL CALCULATION]

Base Weekend Earnings: 215 SP

Recovery Drive Multiplier: x5

TOTAL SP GAINED: +1,075 SP

[Current System Points: 1,386 → 2,461 SP]

Fatih, who was looking at the system’s breakdown of his points, had a difficult time restraining the smile from spreading across his face, which would surely reveal to his mother and grandmother that he was not, in fact, asleep.

’I should really send Selçuk a gift basket or something,’ he thought with a private, cold amusement. The final SP tally had skyrocketed from an expected 215 to over a thousand, all thanks to the situational mission triggered by the crash. The incident had erased any lingering negative feelings he might have had, even subconsciously.

"Are you going to upgrade anything, or are you planning on accumulating more points?" Apollo asked, his form seated calmly next to Fatih in the car.

"There’s no benefit in waiting. Having experienced what these abilities feel like one level higher during the [Zone] activation, returning to their base level feels like going from a 1080p display back down to 720p," Fatih explained. "When 720p was all I knew, it was fine. But now, having experienced the upgrade, all I can notice is the difference." He mentally pulled up the System Shop and opened his abilities tab.

[Invictus (Ultimate)] → 10,000 SP [Invictus (Limit Break)]

[Sponge Brain (Good)] → 2,600 SP [Sponge Brain (Excellent)]

[Sponge Body (Good)] → 2,600 SP [Sponge Body (Excellent)]

[Catlex (Good)] → 1,800 SP [Catlex (Excellent)]

[Zone (Good)] → 2,000 SP [Zone (Excellent)]

[Aquaman (Good)] → 1,500 SP [Aquaman (Excellent)]

He took a deep breath. Even after earning over a thousand SP in a single weekend and diligently completing his daily missions for nearly a year, he still couldn’t afford to upgrade his top-tier learning abilities.

"What do you think?" he asked Apollo. "Should I wait until the next race weekend to earn the remaining SP for a Sponge ability, or should I spend it on Catlex now?"

"While the Sponge abilities are powerful, their current versions are more than sufficient for your age," Apollo replied without hesitation, as if he’d already considered the question. "I suggest you upgrade Catlex to Excellent. Its effects on your reflexes and decision-making are immediate and universally applicable in racing, unlike the other two, whose full effects will become more pronounced as you continue to grow and train."

"Makes sense. Let’s do as you suggest," Fatih agreed, mentally confirming the purchase. The number 1,800 vanished from his SP pool, making him squint as the total dropped.

[CATLEX has been UPGRADED (Good → Excellent).]

[System Points: 2,461 → 661 SP]

The effect was subtle, yet still perceptible thanks to his Invictus ability. He opened his eyes. The trees passing by the car window at high speed seemed to resolve with greater clarity than before. He had enough time to not only distinguish them but also to process and think about potential reactions if needed.

The sensation lasted only a fleeting moment before it disappeared. His Sponge Brain ability immediately digested the new information, and his mind recalibrated, seamlessly integrating the heightened perception until it felt like the new norm.

He closed his eyes again, hoping to benefit from the "teleportation" of being carried to his bed when he felt the car go over the familiar bumps that indicated they were close to home.

.....

"Aaaaah, La Conca, I missed you!" Fatih said, standing arms outstretched in a T-pose within the Simulation. He had logged in the moment he’d finished dinner and his other nightly routines. His ploy to be carried to bed had failed spectacularly; his mother had woken him up, complaining that he was getting too big and heavy for her to carry him anymore, even as he’d pretended to groggily awaken from a deep sleep.

"Stop wasting time. We need to begin your new training," Apollo materialized, interrupting Fatih’s moment of reminiscence, despite him having been on this very track just last night, testing his Aquaman ability.

"Now that the rain mission is over, what’s next?" he asked excitedly, curious about the next step and any potential missions.

"Nothing special," Apollo stated, though his tone suggested otherwise. "Just the art of tire management. You will learn to deal with every compound, every situation: tire degradation, marbles, graining, blistering, losing grip. Everything you will face in a single-seater." As he spoke, different compounds of tires materialized behind him, from hard slicks to full wets.

"I don’t remember experiencing tire degradation of that level in karting," Fatih said, wondering if it was something he’d encounter in higher categories.

"No, not to this extent," Apollo confirmed. "This is to give you a foundational understanding of tire dynamics. The more comprehensive your knowledge, the greater your advantage at every competitive level. While there are no pit stops in karting, there is still some level of tire degradation. The performance difference isn’t huge, but learning to manage it will still give you an edge. Like all fundamentals, it is best to start early. Now, get in the kart and start experiencing the different compounds."

"What are you doing?" Apollo asked, noticing Fatih was just standing there, waiting.

"Waiting for a mission prompt to appear so I can accept before we start," Fatih answered, remembering the lucrative Aquaman mission.

"I will only assign a mission once I deem you have mastered the basics," Apollo stated firmly. "Even if I gave you one now, you would not be able to accomplish it without the foundational knowledge. So, get in the kart and follow me." Apollo boarded his own kart and headed onto the track. Fatih’s next lesson, a deep dive into the world of motorsport tires, was about to begin.