Racing to Infinity
Episode 4 — Break the Limit
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Loading Zone — The Invitation
Two weeks into the Endless Circuit, Ruko was no longer just "that Earth rookie." His name — and more importantly, his placements — were appearing on the mid-tier boards. Still nowhere near the elites, but climbing at a rate people noticed.
And that's when the semi-pro invitation came.
A flickering hologram formed above his car while he was running diagnostics:
[Race Type: Semi-Pro]
[Track: The Cyclone Abyss]
[Entrants: 300]
[Entry Condition: Current Speed Level ≥ 19 — Handling ≥ 4]
[Difficulty: Hazard Class Delta-5]
The Cyclone Abyss wasn't just a race — it was a proving ground. Racers who survived it often walked away with their first major vehicle evolution. Racers who failed… didn't walk away at all.
Ruko glanced at his stats:
[Driver: Ruko]
• Speed Level: 19
• Handling Level: 4
• Drift Level: 4
• Power Level: 2 (Velocity Vision — Level 1)
• Vehicle Tier: 2 (Partial Evolution — Soulbound Car: Dormant Potential)
His fingers tightened around the wheel. He was in.
Arrival at the Cyclone Abyss
The starting line was carved into the lip of a cosmic hurricane — a swirling wall of storm clouds that glowed with blue lightning, stretching so far down the eye of the vortex seemed bottomless.
The track itself was a spiraling ribbon that descended into the abyss, broken in places by floating debris and jagged chunks of shattered platforms.
As the racers lined up, the announcer's voice cut through the storm:
"The Abyss eats the weak. If you can't keep control, you're gone."
To Ruko's left, a massive red hover-beast with a triple-engine array hummed like a war machine. To his right, a sleek silver skimmer with wing flares sharp enough to cut a man in half. Both drivers looked at him like he didn't belong here.
The Countdown
3… 2… 1…
The hurricane's winds slammed against the racers as the signal flared. Ruko's tires gripped hard, the Tier 2 coupe growling as it punched forward into the spiral.
Within the first stretch, five cars were already gone — sucked off the track by sudden wind bursts. Ruko kept low, hugging the inside curves, using the storm's force to slingshot himself ahead.
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First Hazard — The Crosswinds
At the first sharp descent, massive gusts cut sideways across the track, powerful enough to flip a car end over end.
Velocity Vision triggered on instinct, slowing the chaos into a golden haze. Ruko watched the gust patterns, timing his entry into each zone to ride the airflow instead of fighting it.
Three racers in front of him misread the winds — gone in an instant. Ruko slipped past their spiraling wrecks, the storm screaming around him.
Second Hazard — The Lightning Veins
Further down, the track split into three narrow lanes, each one flashing with arcs of lightning that danced unpredictably.
The silver skimmer to his right shot forward, weaving between bolts with impossible precision. Ruko followed the central lane, heart hammering. The storm felt alive — like it was watching him.
When a bolt struck inches from his front bumper, his car surged forward with a violent jolt. The gold lines across his hood flared brighter, absorbing the energy instead of taking damage.
[Energy Sync Detected — Vehicle Resilience Boosted]
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Mid-Race — The Predator
By the halfway mark, only 120 racers remained. Ruko was holding a mid-pack position — not safe, but not hopeless.
That's when it appeared.
A black-and-gold car with jagged armor plating roared up behind him, its engine sounding more like a living thing than a machine. Its driver — a tall figure in a golden visor — leaned out just enough for Ruko to see the symbol on their arm: Pro-Class.
They didn't say a word. They just bumped his rear quarter panel, hard.
Ruko fought to keep control, counter-steering into the slide. The predator stayed glued to his bumper, waiting for an opening to shove him into the abyss.
The Descent to Tier 3
Final lap. Only 50 racers left. The spiral track narrowed to a deadly corkscrew with no barriers — one wrong move meant endless fall.
The predator made their move, slamming into Ruko's side. The impact threw him halfway off the track. His left tires hung over open air.
Velocity Vision roared to life — not as a gentle glow, but as a full flood. The storm slowed to a crawl, raindrops hanging like crystal beads. Ruko could see every movement of the predator's wheels, every micro-tilt in their steering.
He didn't pull back onto the track. He accelerated.
The coupe's tires screamed as he used the half-off position to pivot around the predator, slingshotting himself back onto the inside lane. The predator overcorrected, clipped the wall, and spun into the abyss.
The crowd feed later replayed it a thousand times. They called it "The Abyss Hook."
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The Finish Line
The storm's roar dimmed as the last stretch flattened into a calm, glowing bridge of light. Ruko's coupe thundered across the finish line in 12th place.
The announcer's voice hit like a drumbeat:
"Level cap reached. Vehicle evolution unlocked."
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Level Gains
[Driver: Ruko]
• Speed: +4 → 23
• Handling: +1 → 5
• Drift: +1 → 5
• Power: +1 → 3
[Vehicle Tier: 2 → 3 — Full Evolution Achieved]
Tier 3 Transformation
The car glowed from the inside out, gold light spilling through every seam. The battered coupe's frame expanded slightly, panels reshaping into sleek aerodynamic curves. The gold lines along its body brightened into pulsating veins, the headlights sharpening into predator's eyes.
The engine's hum deepened into a layered growl, each rev resonating in Ruko's chest. A new holographic HUD flickered to life above the steering wheel, feeding him real-time hazard data.
[New Ability Unlocked: Storm Drive]
• Harnesses environmental energy for speed boosts or temporary handling gains.
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Aftermath
Back in the Loading Zone, Ruko stood by his newly evolved car. Racers passing by gave him longer looks now — some nods of respect, some measuring stares.
And in the distance, standing against the neon horizon, was the same God-tier racer who had spoken to him before. This time, they didn't walk away.
They simply raised a hand — a challenge.
Ruko smirked.
Not yet.
But soon.
The road never ends.