​"Ok... Where were we?" Ellen muttered, her voice a low thrumming vibration in the helmet. She felt the gap, a yawning chasm of distance between her and the leading cars.

"I'm way behind the others... What if..." She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel.

'Cheating. Is it cheating?'

"There is no rule about it... So it won't be cheating," she finally decided, her face setting in a line of fierce concentration.

Ellen raised both hands from the wheel, took a deep breath, and slammed them back down, clenching the carbon-fiber grip. "Let's go!"

​A ripple of white light flared around her hands. Ellen didn't just push the pedal; she unleashed 50% of her spirit energy into the car's drive core.

The next moment, it didn't accelerate; it vanished from its spot, a raging, blinding monster tearing through the track.

​"....?!"

The audience were dumbfounded, a mass gasp silencing the entire venue. Even the seasoned announcer stammered into silence.

​"What the hell?!" Tyson exclaimed, his knuckles white against the steering wheel. He stared, horrified, at the leaderboard on the dash screen. The avatar for 'Ellen' was leaping positions like a glitch in the matrix.

"How is she that fast? Topping five drivers in seconds." He muttered, a vein throbbing in his temple, and stomped the acceleration, pushing his own machine to its limit.

"She will not pass me!!" he yelled, a desperate, childish challenge against the impossible.

​WHOOSH!

​A sheer wind pressure, an audible snap of displacement, hit his car. He turned his head to the tunnel. The twelve-year-old's car, a blur of silver and emerald, shot past him as if he were standing still.

​"Why is her space car so fast?! What did she use?" Tyson screamed into his own helmet, the taste of defeat bitter and metallic.

He frantically adjusted his settings, but the gap widened exponentially. He watched, slack-jawed, as Ellen's car disappeared from his line of sight, a tiny vanishing point of arrogance and impossibility.

'This is impossible. No car can maintain that speed. She's going to burn out, she has to!'

_

​"Phew... Everything is settled." Lola collapsed onto her plush, velvet seat in the royal box, the tension leaching out of her bones as she watched the leaderboard.

​"My Queen." Her advisor quickly rushed over, using a silk handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her porcelain-perfect face.

​"What now?" Lola asked, her voice raspy with exhaustion.

​"God Wolf is here," The advisor whispered, her eyes darting toward the main entrance.

​"What?!" Lola jumped to her feet, her exhaustion utterly forgotten, adrenaline spiking. She quickly grabbed her advisor's arm:

​"Come on! Let's go welcome them inside. Show respect," she instructed, smoothing her gown and walking briskly towards the door, composing her expression into one of regal deference.

'This visit must go perfectly. Our alliance depends on it.'

_

​"It seems we aren't late." Sunny's voice, calm and deep, carried easily over the subdued murmur of the royal section.

​The seated dignitaries instantly pivoted towards the door, witnessing the entry. God Wolf walked in first, radiating a quiet, absolute power that filled the air. Josephine, elegant and serene, was right beside him, her arm hooked gently in his. Queen Lola, slightly breathless but poised, followed a respectful step behind them.

​"God Wolf." The assembled high officials quickly stood up as one, bowing their heads. "Your Majesty."

​"No need to be so formal," Sunny waved his hand dismissively, a slight, genuine smile on his face. He was in casual wear, yet commanded the room utterly.

"Just here to see my little girl's race." He moved with unhurried grace to his designated seat, the most prominent one.

​"Please, have your seats," Lola prompted, sinking into her own seat only after Sunny was settled. The group finally sat down, turning their collective attention back to the screen, but their primary focus was now the man in their midst.

​{DING!}

Sunny glanced at the system display.

​{Nioh: My King, mission accomplished.}

​Sunny gave a fractional nod. He sent a mental message back:

'It is time to deal with the Ogres. Not about them working with the Wendigos, but about their territories.'

​{DING!}

{Quest completed!}

{Master gained a lucky box.}

​'Huh? It seems Eve confused everyone to settle down in Eldoria... Her first task was completed so swiftly, and by now... Her core would have been restored...' He felt a warm satisfaction. A restored Eve, a powerful dragoness was a true asset.

​"Love? What happened? You're distracted," Josephine whispered, her hand resting warmly on his.

​"It's nothing, just thinking about the future," Sunny said, turning his focus back to the screen and the silver blur that was Ellen's car.

"Tomorrow will be a new beginning." He added, a statement that held far more weight than a simple reflection on a day.

"To the whole galaxy."

​Josephine simply nodded, already accustomed to the sheer scale of his intentions. She turned her head to the screen, watching Ellen's racer.

​'System... Open the lucky box,' Sunny commanded internally, a gesture of idle curiosity.

​{Congratulations, Master! You received the map of every secret realm, dungeons and ruins in the higher worlds.}

​Sunny slowly nodded, storing the map. At the moment, he had no use for this map—it was a tool for the future. It would only come in handy when he set his sight on conquering the entire higher worlds.

​"The racers are getting to the finish line!!" The announcer, finally recovering his voice, bellowed into the microphone. His voice cracked with genuine astonishment.

​"Wow! Racer number one is...?" The announcer was stunned, watching Ellen's car—which had been trailing for most of the race—shoot past the leading pack and violently claim first place.

​"What is she using?" A member of the audience asked loudly, the confusion a palpable wave.

​"In all my life, I haven't seen a space car move with such speed," another man declared, shaking his head.

​"This is even faster than a battleship's full burn!"

​"Is she cheating?" A woman's skeptical voice cut through the noise.

​"That is the only explanation," the man beside her affirmed grimly.

"Look at the others; they're moving at their engine's highest capacity, but they still can't catch up... She must be using something forbidden."

​"Let's watch and see," a third person said, the air thick with anticipation and accusation.

​Everyone watched with a stunned, almost disbelieving gaze as Ellen's car crossed the finish line first, slowing down with a defiant hiss of air, then followed moments later by an unknown driver, then Jinx, and the rest.

​"Wow...! Wow...! I am speechless," the announcer muttered, utterly bewildered. He grabbed his mic and yelled: "The winner is... Umm..." He stumbled, realizing he didn't know the winner's name, then quickly yelled:

"The winner is this little girl, racer number twelve!"

​"Nice work, Sis!" Jinx, her helmet off. She walked over and threw an arm around Ellen, smiling.

​"You too, sister. Third place is good," Ellen said with a bright smile, returning the hug.

"Not that good... I want to ask. What did you do to make your car so fast?" Jinx pressed, her eyes narrowed with a mix of suspicion and admiration.

​"Yes! I also want to know." The second-place racer walked towards them, shedding her helmet. Long, spun-gold hair cascaded over her shoulders, framing a face with piercing silver eyes.

​"...?!"

The audience instantly erupted.

​"Wow!!"

"Oh my goodness! That is Princess Zoey!!"

"She is the winning veteran who kept on winning! Now... she lost her winning streak because of a twelve-year-old human!" a spectator yelled.

​Ellen turned to the elf princess, her expression unbothered by the sudden surge of tension.

"I don't reveal secrets," she said simply.

​"Huh? Is this kid stupid? Refusing the only princess of the Elves' Nation—the second strongest nation throughout the galaxy? Isn't she asking for trouble?" Someone muttered, aghast.

​"Yes! She's just a human! Even though she belongs to the top strongest nation, she won't have much individual power!"

​"Speak the reason!!" Another yelled, and the rest quickly followed, the crowd turning hostile.

​"Yes!! Speak! Speak!!"

​Zoey stood silent, her silver eyes glinting with calculating amusement. She knew Jinx from the auction, but the little girl was an unknown variable:

'Good. Let's see if you won't say anything after the pressure. I know God Wolf isn't here in the stands to babysit you, so your sister can't ask for help.' She thought, letting the crowd's indignation do her work. Her pride had been wounded, and she intended to use her political leverage to get her answer.

​"Love?" Josephine began, starting to rise, concerned for her daughter.

​"No..." Sunny stopped her with a gentle touch. "I want to see how Ellen handles this." He said calmly, his gaze fixed on the screen showing the yelling mob below.

​"She needs to make her own decisions and face her own problems," he added.

Sunny trusted his daughter's spirit, but he wants Ellen to learn the difference between winning a race and winning a political confrontation, which will surely happen again.

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