"Purple Lightning, your situation right now is very dangerous."
Derek Su gradually slowed Purple Lightning as he spoke in a serious tone.
"Your Acceleration is increasing, but your Stability and Impact Resistance are dropping. If they keep going down, you probably won't even finish this race."
Purple Lightning was very sensitive to her own condition, so Derek Su didn't try to hide anything.
He told her directly what he had observed.
As for how he could tell?
As The Magician, knowing the condition of the Mecha Girl he was driving was perfectly normal.
"Stability and Impact Resistance… decreasing?"
Purple Lightning's red lips trembled slightly, her expression blank.
She suddenly remembered all the underground races she had fought in the black market, and the illegal modifications she had used for so long.
Back then, cracks had also appeared on her fingers and body.
That modifier had once told her:
Using illegal modifications would reduce Stability.
If used for a short time, the lost Stability could recover.
But if used intensely for long periods, Stability could permanently decrease.
At the time, she hadn't cared.
So what if Stability dropped?
All she wanted was to repay the breach penalty as quickly as possible and escape Chloe Qin's grasp.
As for whether any driver would want to contract her afterward, she didn't care at all.
She had even believed she didn't need those hypocritical people.
Now it seemed…
this was probably the price of pushing illegal modifications too far.
But…
was she really going to give up like this?
Purple Lightning stared at the track ahead.
Was she going to retreat in disgrace?
Was she going to betray Derek Su and everyone's expectations?
In her mind, she could almost see Chloe Qin standing at the other end of the track, silently mocking her.
[You're a worthless machine!]
[Get lost! I'll never take you onto the track again! Useless!]
[Useless!!]
[Useless!!!]
[Use…]
"No! I'm not useless!"
Purple Lightning raised her head.
Her teeth clenched tightly, and her purple eyes filled with fierce determination.
Her body hurt terribly.
But even if she were cut into a thousand pieces, she couldn't fall.
She had finally found a home in Stella Club.
She had finally found a driver like Derek Su who truly cared about her.
She had finally gained so many friends who cared about her…
How could she give up now?
She would stand again.
She would grasp the light of dawn.
She would break through the darkness.
"Master, I'm finishing the race."
"But you…"
Derek Su fell silent.
Purple Lightning turned her head.
In her eyes was determination.
Even a trace of death-defying resolve.
Those eyes conveyed an unquestionable conviction.
Even if she shattered into pieces, she would finish the race.
Looking into those eyes, Derek Su said nothing.
To him, the Rona Bay training track was simply a tool to obtain 15 MP points.
It was also just a tool to rebuild Purple Lightning's confidence.
Even if they failed to finish Rona Bay, he could simply adjust Purple Lightning's attributes and challenge another training track later.
For him, it made no difference.
There was no need to stubbornly fight to the end here.
But for Purple Lightning?
She was straightening the spine that had long been bent.
She was picking up the dignity that had been trampled.
If she gave up now, that spine might never straighten again.
And that dignity might never be recovered.
To her, those things were more important than life itself.
Derek Su couldn't say the words telling her to stop.
And Purple Lightning answered his concern with her actions.
A purple glow spread through the cockpit like ripples on water.
In moments, it filled every corner.
The roof and interior looked as if they were surrounded by a galaxy.
At the same time, a pair of crimson-purple wings of light unfolded from both sides of Purple Lightning's body.
The wings dragged brilliant trails of flame, scattering star-like sparks across the track.
Purple Lightning's speed surged instantly.
Like an arrow released from a bow, she shot toward the next corner.
Overclocking.
The spectators exploded with excitement.
No one had expected such a rare sight to appear in a training race.
Watching the purple phantom streak across the track, everyone held their breath.
What had happened that pushed a Mecha Girl's emotions so far that she activated Overclock during a training race?
No one knew.
But that didn't stop them from cheering for Purple Lightning.
There was no doubt that Overclock represented a Mecha Girl's pursuit of the honor of the track.
...
"Whoa! Purple Lightning is in Overclocking!"
Stella grabbed the railing, her face full of excitement.
Seeing Purple Lightning overclock thrilled her even more than seeing herself do it.
Beside her, Absolute Shadow and Tunbao were equally stunned, their mouths hanging open.
"Overclocking state…"
Absolute Shadow muttered with wide eyes.
"As expected of The Magician."
The more she thought about it, the more she felt lucky about her decision.
Even though she worked endlessly at Stella Club, handling everything like both a parent and manager, perhaps only Stella Club could truly teach real racing techniques.
And only here might she someday meet a driver whose heart resonated with hers enough to trigger Overclock during a race.
While everyone else was celebrating Purple Lightning,
Imperial Scale's expression was serious.
The pig plush in her hand was crushed into a ball again.
For a Mecha Girl to enter Overclocking, her emotions had to reach an extreme peak.
That emotion could be the desire for victory.
The need to prove oneself.
Or an unyielding fighting spirit.
But just moments ago, Derek Su had clearly noticed something wrong with Purple Lightning.
That was why he had steered her toward the safety area.
Then Purple Lightning overclocked and returned to the track.
Thinking about Purple Lightning's past…
this dazzling Overclocking might actually be the desperate struggle of someone pushed to absolute despair.
That senior carried so much bitterness inside her heart.
Even if she were thrown into mountains of blades or seas of fire, she would still grit her teeth and stand up again.
It was difficult…
She was already at her limit.
Thinking of this, Imperial Scale's heart tightened.
Master…
can you pull her out of the abyss?
...
Inside the cockpit,
Derek Su watched Purple Lightning in Overclocking.
At that moment, all her attributes were temporarily boosted.
But it still couldn't change the fact that her body was close to collapse.
The stat increase from Overclocking was temporary.
But Stability for a Mecha Girl depended on the base value.
If another driver were sitting here,
he might only be able to watch Purple Lightning bloom like fireworks—
brilliant for a moment,
then fade away.
But the one sitting here now
was Derek Su.
Cheating might be shameful.
But as someone who had crossed into this world, perhaps he existed precisely to bring a bit of "cheating-level" shock to it.
Maybe he was here to make up for regrets like this.
"Since you're willing to risk everything…"
"then why shouldn't I give you a pair of wings?"
Through the rearview mirror, Derek Su looked into Purple Lightning's eyes filled with madness and resolve.
She was a trapped beast.
A beast trying to break free from its chains.
Then I will become the sword that cuts those chains apart.
"System, add the points!"
He would make those fireworks shine brilliantly—
and burn forever.
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
p-@-treon/GhostParser (40 Chapters Ahead)
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.