CHAPTER 73: UPGRADE

[FINAL CALCULATION]

Base Weekend Earnings: 113 SP

TOTAL SP GAINED: +113 SP

[Current System Points: 1244 → 1357 SP]

As usual, Fatih received the standard rewards for his weekend dominance, but this time, once the SP was updated, the screen changed, displaying a single glowing golden line for a moment:

[Congratulations on completing the SEASONAL MISSION: THE FIRST CROWN]

The message remained for a few seconds before dissolving, followed by a new screen appearing:

[SEASONAL MISSION: THE FIRST CROWN (FINAL REWARDS)]

Overview: Having finished the mission, it is now time for you to receive your rewards and achievements for your accomplishments throughout the season.

[HIDDEN MILESTONE ACHIEVEMENTS]

- First Official Race Start

- First Official Race Finish

- First Pole Position

- First Fastest Lap

- First Official Race Win

- First "Perfect Weekend"

- "The Phoenix" Achievement

- "The Grandmaster" Achievement

Total reward: 400 SP

[CHAMPIONSHIP REWARD]

As a reward for winning the championship, a 1.5X multiplier will be applied to all points earned from the [SEASONAL MISSION: THE FIRST CROWN].

Total earned SP from the mission: 639 SP + 400 SP = 1039 SP

Applying the 1.5X multiplier effect: 1039 SP × 1.5 = 1559 SP

[Current System Points: 1559 → 1981 SP]

[URGENT MISSION: A MOUNTAIN TO CARVE]

OBJECTIVE: Win the championship despite the obstacles.

STATUS: COMPLETE

REWARD ACTIVATED: Doubling of all System Points the user currently possesses.

[Current System Points: 1981 → 3962 SP]

Fatih, who nearly jumped from excitement as he looked at the amount of SP he had gained from completing his two missions, managed to hold himself back by stifling his laughter and converting it into a cough before regaining control.

"Among the hidden milestones, what are the milestones named The Phoenix and The Grandmaster?" he asked after going through all the information on the screen, but not finding any explanation for those two achievements.

"The Phoenix is for winning a race after being sent to the last position, and The Grandmaster is for not just driving well but using strategy behind your driving to orchestrate a tactical gambit to neutralize a primary rival," Apollo answered, as the system had already provided him with all relevant information regarding the missions now that Fatih had completed and been rewarded for them.

"Ahaaaa, okay. But why are the final points not making any sense? Based on the calculation, they should be more than the current amount. Also, is the 1.5X multiplier going to be the reward for winning any championship?"

"Do you think the system is dumb enough to give you points that you’ve already spent?" Apollo asked, looking at Fatih, who was most likely deliberately acting dumb in hopes of gaining more SP.

"The multiplier effect was applied to the total SP you earned from the mission, but for the effect to be applied, even the points you spent in the first round, before their 5X multiplier, were included. However, they were later removed from the final total once the multiplier was applied.

As for the 1.5X multiplier, it will remain the same for all karting categories and will only change once you enter open-cockpit single-seaters. However, the SP points from the races will continue increasing depending on the karting level you are in.

And before you ask, the 5X multiplier was applied for the achievements earned in the first championship round, that’s why the final total came out at 400 when it should have been lower than that."

"And here I was hoping they hadn’t accounted for that so I could earn more," Fatih said, feigning disappointment. He wasn’t truly disappointed, as he had already earned more than enough to upgrade an ability, something he hadn’t expected. Earning enough SP to upgrade two abilities in one year in such a short championship at the karting level was not something he had considered possible.

"So, do you have an ability in mind that you want to upgrade, or are you going to delay it?" Apollo asked, moving on and not dwelling on Fatih’s disappointed face.

"Yes," Fatih said as he opened his abilities interface and directly went to Sponge Brain

, clicking on it. "I’m about to start school, so the better my brain is, the easier it’s going to be to juggle many things at once without being too overwhelmed."

"I don’t think primary school is going to add any significant weight to your current mental capacity. Are you planning to add other tasks to your current workload?"

"Yes. I have very limited time if I want to be good at all the things I need to help my journey in motorsports."

"Like what?"

"Languages. I need to know English, French, German, and Arabic. Since I already know English, that leaves the other three, and I need to reach a level where I can live without any problems using any of the languages. Then there are other things like basic coding, investment, mechanical understanding, aerodynamics, and many things related to motorsports."

"French and German I can understand, but why Arabic? And what’s with all the other things, are you planning to build your own car or something?" Apollo asked, though his second question was relayed with a slight look of pride on his face, which he quickly hid before Fatih noticed.

"That’s where big sponsorship money comes from. Plus, I’m from Turkey, a majority Muslim country, so are my parents, and by proxy, I. That’s another point of connection between me and them, which will make it easier for them to sponsor me than anyone else, even if I had average talent.

As for the other things, those are so I can completely understand the car and what exactly makes it run. This, in turn, should make my debriefing targeted enough that if there’s a problem, we can pinpoint it fast and deal with it without having someone first try to deduce what I was talking about. It should also help me accelerate some of our design productions if I understand the principles behind the cars in my memory, why some of their technologies work well, and what else needs to be integrated for them to match the car I’ll be driving.

The extent of my knowledge is what’s going to determine the limit of how many of my memories I can exploit to the maximum, including the financial ones. Despite being few, I know that depending on how I plan and execute them, the returns could range from ten times to hundreds, if not thousands, of times the initial investment. That’s why I need my brain to be ready. As people say, the wider the well, the more water you can fill."

As he finished speaking, he immediately hit the upgrade button.

[SPONGE BRAIN has been UPGRADED (Good → Excellent).]

[System Points: 3962 → 1362 SP]

The moment the notification appeared, Fatih started feeling dizzy before his head fell back against the seat as he drifted into a very deep slumber. His brain was undergoing a systematic overhaul to rewire some parts of how it worked, allowing for more efficient use of short- and long-range neural connections. The frontal cortex became slightly denser for abstract thinking and problem-solving, and the changes spread from the parietal lobe all the way to the corpus callosum.

The whole process took about an hour, just enough time for the upgrade to complete as they entered the complex’s underground parking.

"...Wake up, you’ve gotten too heavy for me to carry you," Rümeysa said as she gently shook Fatih, trying to wake him up.

When he opened his eyes, the dizziness disappeared almost instantly as his brain began absorbing information. However, this time, although everything still felt the same, the way he was experiencing things was noticeably different, more efficient, sharper.

For a brief moment, Fatih felt as though his perception of the world had shifted. The clarity and speed with which he processed his surroundings were unlike anything he had experienced before. But this new feeling disappeared after about five seconds, which he deduced was most likely a deliberate system adjustment delay. It allowed him to feel the difference between his brain’s previous state and its upgraded state before the sensation faded, and the enhanced brain became his new normal.

"Are you okay? You were sleeping so deeply that I thought you wouldn’t wake up. Are you finally out of energy after all the celebrations?" Rümeysa said, looking at him with an amused I told you so expression as she remembered how much Fatih had celebrated his win with his coach and them.

"I’m fine, Mom. I just feel tired when there’s nothing to do in the car," Fatih replied with a reassuring smile, though he was still marveling at the changes he could feel in his mind.

"This is why you need to meet someone new and remarry. Someone needs to be able to carry him when he falls asleep, not wake him when he’s enjoying it," Güldane, Fatih’s grandmother, said as she closed her car door while looking at her daughter.

It had already been more than six years since her son-in-law had passed away, so she felt confident that she could say it without her daughter becoming too emotional.

"I’ll do that, but I need to meet someone first for that to happen, and I don’t have time because of work," Rümeysa said, feeling no different than a teenager being asked about their relationship status by their parents.

"But you found his father in the same conditions. Who says it can’t happen a second time?" Güldane teased back as she extended her hand to take Fatih’s hand and walked him to the elevator. After a few steps, she lowered her head, looking at Fatih, and said, "Mom is now 32, you know that, right?"

"Yes," Fatih answered, but didn’t connect the topic back to marriage, as it was something his mother would decide on her own. Having zero connection to his father other than DNA, he didn’t feel any emotional barrier to his mother remarrying, though he didn’t express any of those feelings.

"You see, he says he wants younger brothers and sisters," Güldane said, turning to Rümeysa, leaving Fatih flabbergasted at how she managed to connect his answer about his mom’s age to him wanting younger siblings. It wasn’t that he didn’t want them; he welcomed the idea. His surprise came from the logic leap his grandmother had made.