The rain at Suzuka did not fall in drops anymore. To Leo Kaito, it fell in numbers.
He was deep into the second phase of his training, a place the Simex AI called the "Elite Specialist" level. In Phase 1 at Monaco, the challenge had been learning how to survive.
In Phase 2 at Suzuka, the challenge was learning how to process. The system had stopped trying to kill him with simple walls and started trying to drown him in pure information.
Leo sat in the carbon-fiber cockpit, his hands light on the wheel. He had just cleared lap fifty-six. The mental exhaustion was a physical weight behind his eyes, but his body moved with a grace that felt entirely disconnected from his tired mind. He was no longer thinking about the corners. He was letting the "Racing Instinct" framework, now at 8.6%, do the heavy lifting.
[PHASE 2, LEVEL 1: Laps completed: 57 / 100]
