My Formula 1 System-Chapter 285: S2 Monaco Grand Prix. 5

Too absorbed in the upcoming duel between him and Hank Rice, Elias Nyström failed to deny Luca his slipstream.

Advantageously, Luca returned to his previous delta, now just less than a second behind Nyström’s Audi, designed with Sweden’s national colors.

[Slipstream Mastery +1]

[SYNC BAR: [][][][] 37.5%]

"The Sync Bar is filling up way faster than I expected," Luca noted. "I thought it’d be much harder."

[Ding!]

[Slipstream Mastery at (19)]

[1 point left to max out the Skill!]

"Ah, that’s great," Luca said. "So a new Skill is just around the corner? Guess I’ll have to start working on leveling that one up too… sigh."

But the excitement wasn’t really there for Luca. The idea of gaining another Skill didn’t thrill him as much anymore.

He already had Night Mastery and Slipsense & Rainborne waiting to be improved, yet they still weren’t where he wanted them to be.

As if reading his thoughts, the system deemed it necessary to remind Luca that the Skill-acquiring structure had been altered the moment he unlocked Professional Bundle and the ability to upgrade his car—any car.

[System has blocked host’s ability to attain Self Skills until Top Driver Bundle]

"Hmmm. Why?" Luca asked. "What happens if I meet the requirements for a new Skill? Will it just be wasted?"

[No, host.]

[For every completed requirement, system will accumulate until 3/3 and unlock a Car Skill instead.]

This meant he wouldn’t be gaining Self Skills for now. Every time he reached the conditions for one, the system would store it.

Once three were accumulated, they would be converted into a Car Skill instead, essentially trading three Self Skills for one Car Skill.

That wasn’t a fair exchange in Luca’s opinion, but he accepted regardless.

"A very interesting adjustment to keep me progressing," Luca said, feeling somewhat relieved as he considered the possibilities. "So once I unlock Top Driver Bundle, everything goes back to normal?"

[Yes, host.]

The system had given him more windows to unlock Car Skills faster and fill his arsenal, all Luca had to do was act.

And right now, behind Nyström and Rice, he had to act stealthily, approaching their duel without appearing offensive.

Rice could see the two cars looming in his mirrors like wild animals in the dark night.

To his rear right, Nyström was applying pressure, while Luca lurked just behind his rear wing.

Hank Rice quickly made his decision to defend against Nyström. He was familiar with Nyström but not with Luca.

Besides, Luca might just be another young aspirant, so determined, only to be thrown down the pack again later in the race.

"...It’s getting tough out there, especially in Sector 3! Hank Rice is under immense pressure, with Nyström breathing down his neck and Luca lurking just behind...!"

"...Rice has moved his chassis to defend against Nyström, but that might leave the door open for Luca to make a surprise move. This is shaping up to be a tense battle as they navigate the trickiest part of the circuit...!"

In the distance, Luca noticed the number 6 holographic display switch from green—a teammate color—to blue.

He quickly glanced at the dashboard:

P5— Marcellus Rodnick ↑

P6— Mark Derfflinger ↓

**P5 has been won. C’mon!** Rodnick announced through the radio, pumping his fist in his cockpit.

His celebration wasn’t even about overtaking Derfflinger, it was about getting close to DiMarco again for a rematch, and this time, he intended to emerge victorious.

[Straightaway ahead]

Entering the main complex of Sector 3, the tunnel section loomed ahead, waiting for the next drivers to surge through. Its dark asphalt had already been heated to melting point by the tires of the race leaders.

Luca braced himself to navigate the dim stretch of the tunnel, though his real concern was the escalating battle between Nyström and Rice.

Given Stellar’s narrow streets, Nyström had multiple opportunities to launch out of the inner lane, but the tight space kept shutting him down. On a wider circuit, he might have already completed the overtake by now.

Rice was defending smartly, maintaining just enough gap from the cage barriers. The gap was not wide enough for Nyström to squeeze through, but enough to keep him struggling and remain hopeful.

Meanwhile, Luca, trailing right behind them, had completely blocked Nyström’s alternative of making a sharp left switch.

This was building up to a three-wide dogfight into the tunnel. Luca could feel it coming. He quickly honed the small (4) Night Mastery he had.

If he was lucky, he might actually level it up this time since he was going to use it in a moment of importance and tension other than the previous nine laps.

**Stay to the left. Turn 11 after the tunnel is a right-hander. Elias will get squeezed out. You take the outside—quick**

"Understood!"

Amongst the three of them, Luca had the best chassis, seconded by Nyström’s Audi.

Hank was piloting an Iberia GP Audi as well, but it wasn’t on the same level as Nyström’s, putting him at a disadvantage as the tunnel opened up.

And the tunnel’s asphalt was wide enough to simultaneously contain three cars if they drove in order.

So at the very least, considering Formula drivers’ roughness, either Luca or Nyström was joining Rice side-by-side to fight for P8 as if it were P1.

"...There is aggression as they head into the tunnel! Luca Rennick slots in to the side, doing what Nyström couldn’t do for a whole lap now...!"

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

Luckily for Luca, he got the Night Mastery notification before he switched his focus to Side-by-Side King.

He didn’t want to ruin the progress of Night Mastery by disrupting his focus for Side-by-Side King. Fortunately, it had added a point, and now, he could pressure Hank Rice into giving him P8.

It would be a double overtake!

Nyström’s engine was roaring, bouncing off the walls of the tunnel as they sped like race cars indeed through its sweeper, Luca slowly gaining the upper hand.

[Night Mastery +1]

[SYNC BAR: [][][][] 50%]

[Turn type: Tight Right-hander] [Angle: 90°] [Braking Point: 100 meters before turn-in] [Recommended Entry Speed: 180 km/h] [Optimal Apex: Inside curb]

Now there was the turn Mr. Berry informed Luca about.

The system recommended he take the inside, but he was at the brink of the left. Dropping back just to adhere to the recommendations was definitely not a reasonable move.

Since inside was tagged "optimal," it didn’t mean other alternatives wouldn’t work. So, Luca set his sights on the cage barriers that made a perfect round 90°, the night cityscape and the marshals standing behind the steel.

He wasn’t sure if he had enough time to fully execute Side-by-Side King, but it seemed Hank Rice was faltering now that both Luca and Nyström swarmed him, catching the attention of the cameras.

Luca braked later than the 100 meters recommended since it wasn’t the same lane he was taking, and since he intended for a drift.

Luca flicked his wheel and sent the rear of his Ferrari into a slide, the tires screeching even louder than the A-level engines that were battling closely.

"WOOOOHH!"

[Calculating host drift exit....]

Nyström eyed Luca’s audacious move, while Rice only focused on escaping his primal rivals.

As if he knew Luca’s system recommendation, Rice chose the inner lane into the Street. And if he were to take it, he’d totally block off Nyström this time, sending him to P10 as the case would be since Luca was advancing.

Nyström wasn’t going to let this happen!

Meanwhile, Luca was at the apex of the 90°, his tires producing a cloud of smoke that even the marshals behind the cages choked on.

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His Spatial Awareness quickly alerted him of Nyström’s plans to never drop down the pack and his eyes shifted to meet his.

[...Calculation failed]

"...Elias Nyström forces his way into Hank Rice’s inner line—he’s not backing down! Rice tries to hold his ground, but Nyström is already halfway alongside...!"

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

"....Contact! There’s a slight rub between the two Audis! Hank’s rear end twitches....HE SPINS...!"

Hank Rice’s car spun once and instantly kissed Luca’s car, who was about to complete his drift.

Luca immediately felt the tremble and the loss of control. The cloud of smoke from his tires grew even thicker as he now drifted in circles uncontrollably, his (6) Gripper unable to make a big difference.

As a car at a drift, there was no downforce nor any rigid strength to the car. So, Luca 100% lost immediate control when Hank’s Audi touched him.

[Traction lost]