Luca woke up in an unfamiliar room, his head pounding as he blinked against a harsh white light. Taking a look around, he realized he was in a clinic room—the Circuit's medical bay, judging by the indistinct chatter of people. He groaned in pain, noting the bandages wrapped around several parts of his body. The dull ache made it hard to breathe, let alone move.
Suddenly, the same synthetic voice that had spoken to him just after the accident echoed in his mind again, clear as day, despite the pounding in his head.
[FORMULA 1 SYSTEM HAS FULLY ACTIVATED AND BONDED WITH HOST!]
Luca wasn't sure if his mind was playing tricks on him. His vision was still slightly blurry as he tried to take in the empty clinic room. He wiped his eyes clear and forced his aching body to shift into a sitting position on the soft bed. I had gotten into an accident. A car struck me. How am I alive?!
[THE FORMULA 1 SYSTEM, A SYSTEM THAT WILL HELP HOST BECOME THE BEST RACER IN THE WORLD]
Luca's breath caught in his throat. What? Is this real? His heart raced as he scanned the empty room, searching for a sign that someone else had heard the voice. But no, it was inside his head. A hallucination, maybe?
But it felt too clear. Too vivid.
Before he could even begin to make sense of the confusion, the voice interrupted again, and this time it came with an interface before him.
[System Unlocking Activity Panel...]
[Activity Panel Unlocked]
[System Commencement In Progress...]
Luca's mouth dropped agape as he stared at the blue, holographic screen before him, resembling a car's windscreen. He looked around in confusion, his face etched with fear. A System? he thought with a shuddering breath. Luca had always believed these were fictional—things he only saw in manhwas—but here he was, becoming the host of the Formula 1 System.
[System Activity Commenced!]
[Do you accept Rookie Bundle?]
[Y / N]
Unable to comprehend what was happening, Luca stared at the digital interface. After a few seconds of bewildered hesitation, he selected [YES]. He saw no reason to select [NO] and was curious to find out where this strange phenomenon would lead him.
[Congratulations! Rookie Bundle would be embedded into your Activity!]
Luca swallowed, surprisingly finding the strength to sit upright as the interface before him followed the movement of his head, maintaining a 10-inch distance. I have a System? Luca thought aloud, a tinge of excitement beginning to overwhelm him.
He glared at the interface, expecting it to do something more, but it remained dormant with the last words still displayed. Eventually, he noticed an icon in the upper right corner labeled [STATUS]. It was blinking softly, suggesting he should probably select it.
[Hosts status generating....
[..... Generation completed]
[Personal Information:
Name: Luca Rennick
Age: 18
Nationality: Italian ]
Luca was shocked as he scrolled through the profile tab. This thing knows me. What in the world?!
[Physical Information:
Weight: 70kg / 154 lbs
Height: 6'1"
Body Fat Percentage: 12%
Muscle Mass: 29%
Strength: 2
Stamina: 1
Endurance: 5
Agility: 2
Intelligence: 5 ]
Strength just 2? Luca asked himself. Of all the work I do everyday, how can my strength be just 2? He continued reading, his brows furrowed in concentration as he went over to his Stats.
[Personal Stats:
Nickname: None
Status: Uncontracted
Salary: $0
Team: None
Race Wins: 0
Podium Finishes: 0
Pole Positions: 0]
"Damn," Luca said out loud, grimacing at the stats he had just read. They were horrible, but he couldn't blame himself, he was never a racer to begin with.
[Skills & Techniques: (Current skills and techniques are given to you by default) Total Grading - F
Reflexes: 10
Overtaking Skill: 5
Track Awareness: 10
Others (Locked) ]
Luca heaved a sigh when he reached the end of the [STATUS] bar, realising it wasn't a dream. He had indeed been granted a System. But why? What for?
Luca had made it clear he wanted nothing to do with racing after it claimed his father's life. Although he loved the sport dearly, he couldn't come to terms with being in the same similar surroundings where he witnessed his father's race car tumble out of control before exploding into a torrent of flame.
"Why choose me?" Luca asked, wincing slightly at a sudden sharp pain that had erupted in his head without warning.
[As I mentioned, your fate and the fate of Formula 1 are intertwined. I am merely your assistant, here to help you achieve your goals]
"So, you're intent on making me the best Formula 1 racer ever, even better than my father?" Luca asked.
[The heights this System will take you bears no apex, it surpasses any comparison with your father's achievements. Comparing your father's peak would undermine the Formula 1 System's potential]
"I see," Luca whispered. "But I have no experience in the cockpit of a real race car. And the stats you gave me don't look like they are much of a help," he said and paused. "Would you have given me a different Bundle other than the Rookie's if I had selected [NO]?"
[No, host. I was simply seeking for your corporation to proceed. And as for your experience in the game, all the top racers were once normal civilians, weren't they? With the perfect schedule and sequential training I will draft out for you, I will make this endeavor pleasurable and also memorable]
Luca nodded softly, though he didn't entirely like the sound of this. Was this another way the universe was bringing more pain to his family? By becoming a Formula 1 racer, he might meet the same fate as his father, leaving his mother and sister to face a harsh world alone, a world that had never acknowledged the family of the famous Rennick the Rocket after his death.
But Luca just realised that he had indeed faced the same fate as his father, and this System prevented that from happening. He wasn't sure if it was the pain in his head, but was Luca actually considering being a racer?—a dream he once held close to his heart since he was little, and dropped it during his teenage years?
Before Luca could think any further or communicate with his newfound System, the door to his clinic flew open, and several figures trooped in.