NOVPUB[-·-EMERGE FIRST OUT OF THIS 50-LAP RACE-·-]
[DURATION: nil]
[Reward for Completing Sunday Daily Quest: (EXP)
- Kinetic Recycling +2
- Zero Drag +2
- Power Deployment +2 ]
[Consequence for Failing Sunday Daily Quest: Punishment
- Tuning Upgrade Suspension (3 weeks)
- Lip paresthesia ]
Luca laughed at the system. It had been a while since he received a Daily Quest associated directly to a race, so this one turned up as a genuine surprise. For the first time ever, Engine Features EXP was actually part of the Reward, and that felt new. But what truly made Luca laugh was the listed Punishment.
Three weeks of Tuning Upgrade suspension? So that meant if he didn't win this race, which would essentially mean failing the Daily Quest, the system would promptly intermit the entire Tuning Upgrade feature.
[This indicates a complete freeze on all tool acquisition and functionality for the stated duration. Catalysts and Wrenches will become both inaccessible and unusable. Host should interpret this phase as a temporary system regression to the pre–Tuning Upgrade era.]
With humour laced in his voice, Luca asked, "Seriously? Don't you think that eclipses the rewards? And… lip paresthesia? What the hell. That means hypersensitive lips. If I fail, how the hell do I kiss my girlfriend? I might taser her with my mouth."
[…that appears to be an issue beyond the system's capabilities.]
[Fret not, Host! To avoid such undesirable outcomes, simply win the race and evade all listed Punishments!]
What the system had just done was give Luca a few more reasons to win the German Grand Prix. He definitely didn't want to be stripped of his Tuning Upgrade privileges, and Isabella's kisses were far too phenomenal to pause. So, Luca sharpened a P1 mindset, nothing less than first place, not even a podium was acceptable. After all, the major incentive to win this race was the fact that winning it would unlock the Top Driver Bundle.
Monaco, Bahrain, Brazil, and South Africa. That was 4 out of 5 races required to unlock the Professional Bundle, making it the longest-running Mission he'd ever had. Winning Germany would make it 5/5, and an instant upgrade to the Top Driver Bundle. Luca intended to squeeze out every single advantage and feature from the topmost Bundle and dominate the rest of the season.
However, this was better proclaimed than done in a field full of monsters. Some of these monsters were physical, some were mental. The start of the race was brutal, as Luca activated Grid Launch to perfection and effortlessly caught up with DiMarco right at lights out. He had the confidence to close in dangerously tight because there was no harmful radiation from this Tempesta, meaning DiMarco was performing at baseline of what Davide DiMarco was known for, with no external combustion boosts.
DiMarco wasn't particularly pleased with how contested his racing line became, and he retaliated against Luca with everything he had. Both drivers knew that minor contact at the start of a race was often overlooked, given how tightly packed the cars were and how erratically they weaved for tire heat. So, they took full advantage of this window, nudging and jostling each other countless times like two juvenile siblings fighting for the last chair at the dinner table.
"...Luca Rennick and Davide DiMarco giving each other absolutely no breathing space there! Rennick launched himself into contention straight off the line, executing what looked like a flawless lights out! He's right on DiMarco's tail with no hesitation and caution!"
"...And you can see DiMarco isn't backing down either. He's weaving, defending, trying to force Rennick off the line—but Luca's having none of it. They're practically brushing sidepods down the straight!"
"...That's elbows out from both of them. Bit of contact already—definitely pushing limits, but nothing the stewards will look into this early on..!"
"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"
Luca eventually won that scuffle, slipping into P2 by using the straight immediately after Turn 1 to gather as much momentum as possible and establish a delta, no matter how small. As long as it was enough to make sure the leaderboard officially acknowledged him as P2.
"...Oh, and look at that! Rennick slips past into P2 using the first straight! He took full advantage of that momentum, just slingshotting out of the corner. DiMarco tried to hang it around the outside, but there was nothing left for him to hold onto...."
"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"
It was his own personal Strength stat that truly came in clutch there, helping him stay firm and balanced as he and DiMarco rammed and leaned into each other. For DiMarco, it was the durability of Red Bull's own chassis that kept him in contention, but his individual Strength stat hadn't nothing anywhere near where Luca's had progressed to. So, he eventually faltered, while Luca... claimed P2. Though not without cost because his front wing had taken slight damage that early in the race.
Immediately after conquering a veteran like DiMarco so early in the race, the home crowd erupted and cheered louder, waving banners of him much higher. It already felt like a prelude to victory, a visual promise of his win to come as he held P2 with full presence.
However, things got really ugly for Luca, as what had started as slight front wing damage slowly evolved into a growing concern. It began as nothing more than a minor chip, but the relentless structural stress from Bergwaldring's high-speed corners, combined with the demanding downforce loads, only worsened the fracture, causing it to widen dangerously across the winglet.
"I have damage. I have a damage."
**Luca, confirmed. You've got front-right winglet instability. We're seeing fluctuating downforce across Sector 2—corner entry's getting compromised. Might start understeering at high load points**
**You're also dropping aero balance by 6 percent. If it spreads, DRS zones won't save you. Standby for Plan B**
What's Plan B? A goddamn early pit stop with hard compounds as the set.
"...oof, it seems that earlier tussle with Davide DiMarco might've cost Rennick more than just a front-row scuffle. We're hearing radio chatter confirming aero imbalance—looks like that contact has evolved into a real performance handicap this early in the race."
Two seconds behind, DiMarco grinned with satisfaction when news hit him that Luca would soon box. He couldn't help but caress the RBioL and thank it for its sturdy structure.
[Host hasn't unlocked the Exchange Feature]
Luca remembered when the system vaguely mentioned something about being able to switch his Attributes with the Car's. That odd line stuck with him, and now, in a moment like this, he started wondering how such a feature could've helped.
Sure, this situation wasn't apocalyptic, not yet, but he was certain worse ones were waiting in the races to come.
The problem was that the system refused to reveal any further knowledge until the Top Driver Bundle was unlocked. Still, Luca couldn't help but ask if it's possible to share or exchange part of his Attributes with the machine. He didn't inquire a full swap, just… a fraction of half.
For instance, both his Strength and Endurance sat nicely at (31). What if he offered (15) from each, and in return, took (15) each from two of the car's Attributes? He didn't really need the car's Attributes, but he had a feeling the car could definitely use his.
Surely, with a boost of (15) Strength and (15) Endurance from him, the car might be able to cope better, endure the punishment, maybe even mitigate the worsening wing damage? Right?
"Right?"
[....]
[Host hasn't unlocked the Exchange Feature]
