System Driven (Working Title): Chapters 1-5

Hey all. A while back I did a poll asking about releasing some of my other work on here. One of the suggestions was to release multiple chapters at a time as to not clutter up the System Change releases. This is one of my other works, well, the first five chapters at least.

The working title is 'System Driven' but I plan on changing that as soon as I figure out what to call it.

Thanks for reading. Any suggestions or critiques is appreciated. Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Awaken

“What the!” Nick bolted up to a sitting position. He wiggled his toes and patted down his torso to make sure everything was in check. He heaved a sigh of relief once he found out everything worked. Where am I?

The last thing Nick remembered was being in a VR capsule playing Victory Lane, the newest racing simulator to hit the market. He was untalented in real life, but put him in a VR capsule and no matter the genre of game, he would eventually be competitive. It didn’t matter if he was playing professionals or amateurs.

Suddenly, a raging horn brought him out of his daydream. Nick turned his head towards the sound, only to see a truck heading straight at him. Nick, using his right hand, shoved the ground and rolled to the side.

“Get out of the fucking road, asshole!” A male’s voice sounded out of the truck as it passed by.

Nick shot to his feet and moved into an alley close to a nearby building. At least this way, he wouldn’t have to worry about being run over while he figured everything out.

Okay, okay, okay… What the hell is going on? Nick looked at the ground. Why is the ground closer than usual? Then he spotted a garbage bin a few feet away and walked over to it. What! The bin was about 4 ½ feet tall, and though he could see over it, it wasn’t anywhere near what he was used to.

In fact, his height wasn’t the only thing bothering him. His arms and legs were scrawny, the epitome of skin and bone. And where were his shoes? He thought back to when he examined his lower body. He wasn’t wearing any shoes, and only his left foot had a sock, if he could even call the remnants of it a sock.

Examining himself again, this time closely, Nick saw holes and rips in his gray t-shirt. His blue jeans were stained all to hell and threatened to fall down with every step he took.

What is going on? Nick couldn’t help but ask himself for the third time.

Finally, Nick put his back against the side of the old building in the alley and slid down to a seated position. He needed to calm down, then he needed to think.

Once calm, a rush of memories from a life that was not his flooded into his head. Nick had heard about transmigration and the like, but never thought it was possible.

Aren’t I supposed to have died to be transmigrated? To his knowledge, he was alive and well a moment before he woke up on the street. Nick shook his head at his bad luck, then began slowly combing through his new memories.

He was currently in the body of Nicholas Sharpe, an orphan who bounced around from foster home to foster home before finally ending up homeless on the streets at the age of 14. Nick wasn’t all that old in his previous life, only being 25, but it was a shock to be a child again.

Somehow, his name had stayed the same through his transmigration. Though his previous life and his current life were vastly different.

Apparently, both the body’s original owner’s mother and father died in a car accident when he was only 3 years old. Because he had no next of kin, Nick was put into the system. Unfortunately, he was never adopted and eventually played foster care roulette. He never won.

By the time the boy turned 8, he had already been with 3 different families. The third family was where he had his best memories. His foster parents fostered two other children at the same time as him. Nick stayed with them for 3 years. That was when Sharon, his foster mother, was diagnosed with a very aggressive breast cancer.

She died soon after. His foster father, Gary, then drowned his grief and sorrow with alcohol. Eventually, Child Protective Services showed up for a random visit. That was the end of that home.

He had two more ‘families’ after Gary and Sharon, if he could even call them that. The first family was in it only for the money. Nick lived every day in hunger. During the weekdays, he was able to get breakfast and lunch from school, but weekends and summer were awful.

Eventually, they fostered another child. She was much younger than Nick. When he saw that she was treated the same way as he was, he called CPS himself. They were both taken away and eventually brought to new homes.

Which led him to his last home. The one with the man who treated the boy as a punching bag. One day, Nick had enough and ran away, which eventually led to him getting some respiratory illness and dying.

Nick couldn’t relate to any of this child’s trauma. All he could do was feel sad for the boy and hope that wherever he ended up, he was living a better life. Who knows? Maybe the boy will wake up in my old body.

One thing that Nick realized while going through his new memories was that he was no longer on Earth. The new world was very Earth like, but that was all. There were a lot of similarities between his previous world and his new one. The ‘hit or miss’ of the foster system was one of them.

The previous owner was severely lacking in information about the world. Because of his trek through the foster system, the boy never spent much time in school, and what time he did spend, he was more worried about the school lunch than his education.

Nick couldn’t blame the boy, as he never knew when his next meal would come. Nick siphoned through what memories the boy did have, trying to find out as much about the new world as possible.

After organizing the memories, he was left with some information, at least enough to start with. He was on planet Arelia. Arelia was broken down into eight continents and several different countries, not unlike Earth. Unlike Earth, the planet was split closely between land and water.

Nick was currently a resident of Stratos City, the capital city of the district of Barnsdal. Barnsdal was one of the 36 districts in Ostros, and Ostros was one of the three countries on the Argyl continent. Not that any of that meant anything to Nick.

From what he gathered, Arelia was a mostly peaceful planet. There were many disputes, but instead of war, most disputes were settled through different competitions, which led to sports, and thus, athletes, being much more popular than they were on Earth.

One thing was certain, Nick needed much more information if he was going to live a good life on this new world.

Chapter 2: Information

With his plan of action settled, Nick set out to get some information about this new world. The feeling that the streets and air gave him seemed all too familiar.

Nick walked down the dirty alley, not willing to go back onto the actual street yet. He was still a bit shaken by his near-death experience at the hands of that big truck. He had already reincarnated, he didn’t need to be isekai’d.

Nick made his way down the alley, stopping and turning at various intersections according to his memories. Soon, he noticed an old man sitting with his back against a dusty wall. Nick remembered that the man’s name was David. He was a down on his luck homeless man who had been very kind to Nick’s body’s previous owner.

“Aye! Nick! You’re looking much better today. Finally kicked that cold? You had me worried for awhile when I didn’t see you yesterday.” The man asked in a concerned tone.

Nick sighed. The cold actually kicked him… Nick shook his head to clear out the pessimistic thoughts. “I’m feeling way better today, David. How are you? How’s your knee?” he asked.

David curled his hand into a ball and tapped twice on his knee. “I’ll be in tip top shape in no time.”

Nick knew what the man said was untrue. David’s knee was one of the reason the man was in his current predicament. The man was a bicycle deliveryman. When he fell down some stairs months ago and shattered his knee, he lost his job. He was able to get his knee repaired, but it wasn’t enough. It was never going to be as strong as it was before.

The man had tried to resume his job, but he couldn’t pedal for more than a few minutes without intense pain, and no amount of physical therapy or surgery could help. Well, it could, if David was an athlete. But those kind of surgeries and physical therapies cost a fortune. At least, that’s what David had said.

“That’s great.” Nick went along with it. “Hey, David. Could you help me with a few things?” he asked.

“Sure lad. What is it that you need? If I’m able, I’ll help.” David replied.

Nick smiled. How do I get information while sounding like a little kid? He realized he may have a problem. The old Nick was a 14 year old boy. He was mature for his age because of his situation, but he was very uneducated. Nick had to think back to the boy’s previous interactions with the old man.

“I didn’t get to go to school very much. Could you help teach me some things I need to know?” he asked.

“Is that all, boy? That’s easy. You may not believe it, but this old man was top of his class back in high school… that was over 40 years ago, so things may have changed some. I probably can’t help you much with that new math being taught nowadays.” David replied.

“I’m good with numbers.” Nick said. “I wanted to learn more about… other stuff.”

“What kind of other stuff?”

“I don’t know, really. What would be a good way for me to live better? I can’t go back to foster care.” Nick answered.

David nodded seriously. “I understand. That system breaks more kids than it helps. It’s like that everywhere, too. Not just Ostros.” David sighed. “I’m not really the best person to be giving living advice, kid.” He motioned at his surroundings. “The only advice I can give is to find something you’re good at and try to get a job doing it.”

Nick nodded. “What about video games?” he asked. Nick recalled seeing some old video game consoles in a couple houses he visited.

“Those things?” David shook his head. “Sure, they’re popular, but you can’t make any money with them unless you’re the person making them.”

“There’s no competitions for video games?” Nick carefully asked.

“Bah! Of course not, kid. People want to see really fights, real racing, real competition. They don’t want to see cartoons on a screen hitting each other with swords.” The man explained.

Okay. No eSports in this world. That’s a shame. That was the only thing I was really great at. I guess everyone’s too focused on the real thing to care about video games. I wonder what kind of technology this world has. Nick thought. He really wished he had spent more time researching how things were made than the best strategies win. If he’d brought that knowledge over with him, he’d have a comfortable life.

Ah… why do other people get systems and cheats when they reincarnate, but I’m stuck with nothing? He screamed inside his head. “What do you think I should do, then?” he asked David.

“I don’t know, kid. You’re what, 13 or 14? That’s the perfect age to start training for some sports, if you want to give that a try. Of course, if you want to go the college route, you need to be in school. You could ask around and see if anybody needs someone to clean or something.” David eyed Nick up and down. “But it would be hard to find work dressed like us.”

Suddenly, David’s eyes lit up. “Jerry, down at the track, is always looking for a sweeper. Someone to clean the garages. He might take pity on ya and give you some work. It’s worth a try. In order to do anything, you’re going to need some money.”

Nick nodded. Money’s money, I can’t be living in the streets. He said garages, so it must be cars and not horses or dogs. “What kind of track? Where is it? Who’s Jerry?” Nick fired off question after question.

“Slow down, boy. Jerry’s the head of the garages at the track. Him and his team make sure all of the karts are up and running. The problem is that it’s on the edge of the city. Luckily, we’re not too far away. If you take Stanley Street about two miles that way.” David pointed. “Then keep looking out on your left, it’s impossible to miss. I’d take you there, but I don’t think I could make the distance before sundown.”

So, it’s kart racing. I haven’t seen karts in well over a decade. Nick thought. He wouldn’t have to be as careful around Jerry as he was around David. Jerry didn’t know him from before. Nick gave the old man a smile. “Thank you, David.”

“Don’t mention it, kid. Just make sure you let whoever you run into know that you’re looking for Jerry. And don’t forget to tell him that old Davie sent you.” David explained. “And do you best not to mention my… situation to him. Knowing him, he wouldn’t rest until he found me and forced me to accept his help. I’m not one for a handout.”

Nick frowned, but eventually agreed. “I’ll do my best.”

Chapter 3: The Track

Nick left David sitting in the alleyway. He felt for the old man. David had been kind to the old Nick from the first day they met. Inwardly, he swore that if he was ever able to, he would help the man, and he wouldn’t take no for an answer. Besides, if everything worked out at the kart track, Nick could say that he owed him for his help.

Nick oriented himself towards the direction of the track and set off through the city. Unfortunately, he was no longer able to stay in alleyways to move. He had to drag himself out in the open on the sidewalk to main roads.

Finally, he reached Stanley Street. According to David, the kart track was essentially a straight shot from there. As he walked forward, Nick examined his surroundings. One dead giveaway that he wasn’t on Earth anymore was the vehicles.

While most of the cars were similar to what he’d seen on Earth, the logos were different. No longer did he see Dodge, Ford, and Chevrolet. He walked past multiple vending machines as well. It saddened him that he would no longer have to choose between Coke or Pepsi.

He put those thoughts out of his mind. He wondered if others had reincarnated here from Earth as well. Surely, he wouldn’t be the only one. If they did, how well did they take it? He was surprised in himself that he had accepted his new reality as quickly as he had. Still, he didn’t plan to look for any others. As far as he was concerned, he was a resident of planet Arelia.

As he walked down the street and through crosswalks, Nick was able to avoid any more near-death experiences. It was a long and laboring walk, especially without proper footwear, or even socks. After about a mile of walking, Nick stumbled and cut his callused foot on a jagged break in the concrete sidewalk.

Now, his current worry was whether the track would even let someone looking like him in to begin with. He hoped it all wasn’t going to be for nothing. Maybe they would let him wash his foot if nothing else.

Okay. Nick thought to himself. It’s been about two miles. According to the old man, the facility should be somewhere on my left, and I won’t be able to miss it. That’s when he saw it. It was nothing like what he’d expected.

Nick was on the look out for a small indoor kart facility like the ones he had been to before. This facility, however, was enormous. No wonder why it is on the city outskirts. First, there was a giant building in front of him.

The top of the building had a sign reading ‘Stratos Motorplex’ in big white letters. Behind the building, Nick could see a huge outdoor track. Well, he could two sides of the track, at least what wasn’t hidden by the building in front of him.

Nick took a deep breath and gathered his courage. He walked forward and placed his hand on the double doors in front of him. Then, he pushed. Nothing happened. He almost facepalmed himself when he saw the clearly written ‘Pull’ on the doors. His next attempt at entry went smoothly as he pulled the door open and stepped inside the building.

A ‘ding’ sounded out from above him, indicating that a customer had arrived. A young woman with wavy black hair manning the front desk spoke out while still looking over something on a computer.

“Welcome to Stratos Motorplex. How may I he…” as she was speaking, she removed her eyes from the computer in front of her and shifted her attention to Nick. When their eyes met, the woman frowned. “How may I help you?” she still asked.

“Ah… uhm…” Nick stuttered. “I… I uh… I’m here to see Jerry.” He answered.

The woman eyed Nick suspiciously. “Jerry? Which Jerry?”

Nick wasn’t prepared for that question. Of course, it was very possible to have multiple Jerry’s at the track. It was a common name, at least on Earth, and according to what he knew about Arelia, the naming sense was close to the same.

“Uh… the head of the garage?” Nick answered.

“Oh? How do you know Uncle Jerry?” The woman’s eyes brightened at the mention of the garages.

“A friend of mine told me to come and talk with him. He said that Jerry was always looking for sweepers and that I may be able to find some work here.” Nick explained everything in detail.

“Is that so?” The young woman asked. Then, she smiled brightly and bounced up onto her feet. He turned around and yelled. “Toby! I’m heading over to the garages. You can have you seat back.” With that, she walked around the front desk.

That was when Nick realized that the young woman couldn’t be much older than his current self. Maybe 17 or 18 years old.

“Come on, follow me.” She happily said.

“Uh, is it okay for you to leave the front desk?” Nick asked.

“Huh, that? Oh, I don’t work here. I just got tired of standing around and took Toby’s seat. I’ve installed some games on that computer and was really bored.”

Nick’s eyes glimmered at the mention of computer games. “What kind of games?” he impatiently asked.

“Huh? Just the usual. A few card games and a couple strategy games.” She answered.

“No RPGs or Shooters?” He asked.

The young woman curled her lip. “Ew, why would I play any of those game?”

Nick shrugged. He really wanted to go to the computer and see what kind of games were on it. That way, he would be able to get a read on the world’s current video game technology.

“Well, are you coming?” The girl broke Nick out of his daydream.

“Ah, yeah. Let’s go.”

The two walked around the desk and into the doors behind. When they walked into the other part of the building, Nick’s eyes lit up. There actually was an indoor track. It was almost exactly like he remembered. A small track with a few turns here and there. Eight karts were lined up in the pit lane.

“So, what happened to you?” The girl asked and once again drew Nick’s attention back to the present.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Well.” She pointed at his feet, all the way up to his head. “You look like you’ve had a particularly bad day… er… week?”

“Oh.” Nick ducked his head in shame. “It’s… a long story.” He spoke.

The girl smiled sadly and nodded, not asking any more questions.

After walking through the indoor track, they made their way to another door at the back. When the girl opened it, Nick got a view of the full outside track. It was huge.

Seeing Nick stop suddenly, the girl smiled. “Big, huh?”

Nick nodded.

“It’s 1.3 miles long. One of the bigger tracks on the circuit.” She explained.

Nick stared at the track in awe. There was actually a kart on the track moving rapidly. This kart was not like any of the karts he had seen before. It was bigger than the ones inside, and it was moving at a speed Nick thought impossible for karts.

“That’s Jake.” The girl explained. “He tests the in-house karts to make sure they’re running properly. He’s part of Jerry’s team.”

“In-house karts?” He asked.

“Yeah. People can rent a kart and get an idea of the track before a big race. Of course, they can bring their own too, but they usually save that for the few practice days before a race. Well, anyone can rent the kart as long as they are licensed to drive one, so we do get people who just want to drive for fun. There are quite a few newbies and even some retired folk.” The girl explained.

Nick nodded. “It looks fun.”

“It is.” The girl agreed. “Now… where’s Jerry?” She mumbled as she looked around. Finally, she spotted a small group of people standing around one of the garages. “Ah, there he is.” She pointed.

Nick couldn’t help but find the girl odd. She was at the front desk, but she doesn’t work there. She was able to take a seat from the person who was supposed to be there. She also knew a lot about the track and karts, and she called Jerry ‘Uncle.’

Finally, he decided to ask. “Uh. Can I ask what it is you do here?”

The girl literally facepalmed her head. “Damn, I did it again. I’m sorry. My name is Alice. My dad owns the place. I tend to spend a lot of time here when I’m not at school.”

Nick couldn’t help but smile at the Alice’s antics. “I’m Nick.” He said. “Thanks for helping me out.”

Alice smiled back. “You are welcome.” She said. “Now, let’s go talk to Uncle Jerry.”

Chapter 4: Jerry

“Uncle Jerry!” Alice yelled as she ran to the garage.

Nick ran behind her, occasionally wincing when he stepped wrong and irritated the cut on his foot.

They were close enough that the small group of people were able to hear Alice’s yell. One of the men, a bit older turned around. The man had short dark brown hair with a few gray streaks. He also had a short black beard, also speckled with gray.

He looked to be in his mid-40s, maybe older. He was wearing a pair of white and black coveralls with the words ‘Stratos Motorplex’ written on the chest, they were dirtied with several grease stains. He was also wearing a pair of white gloves and black boots.

“Alice!” He shouted back with a smile. When the girl got close, he spoke again. “What are you doing all the way out here?”

“Do I have to have a reason to come out and see my favorite uncle?” She smiled.

“You don’t, but…” He eyed her suspiciously, then took a look at Nick, who was just catching up. “Boy, a racetrack ain’t a place to be wondering around barefoot.”

Nick stopped, finally beside Alice. He looked down at his bare feet. He had lost his other sock on the trek through the city. Socks and concrete don’t mix.

“This is Nick.” Alice spoke up. “He came into the lobby; said he was looking for Jerry.”

Jerry pointed at himself. “Me?”

Alice nodded. “Yup, said he was looking for the head of the garages.”

Jerry squinted, looking at Nick. “Well, Nick. You came all this way. What do you need?”

Nick finally looked back up, his eyes no longer on his naked toes. “I… uh…” He mumbled. “I heard you were always looking for someone to sweep up the garage. I can do that.”

Jerry frowned. “Who’d you hear that from?”

“David.” Nick answered, but Jerry’s frown grew deeper. “He told me to tell you that Old Davie sent me.”

Jerry’s frown changed into a smile. “Davie? I haven’t heard from that old coot in years. How is the old man?”

Nick hesitated before answering. “He’s… doing okay. Hurt his knee a while back, but it’s getting better.” Nick made sure to stay away from the topic of him being homeless now. David had made him promise not to say anything about it.

“Any friend of Davie is a friend of mine. I’m sure I could find something for you to do around here.” Jerry said.

Nick’s eyes lit up. “Really?” He asked, hopeful.

“Sure. Like Davie said, we are always looking for someone to sweep up. We usually give the work to school kids who can come after school for a little pay. There hasn’t been any lately, so Roy’s been doing the grunt work.” Jerry pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. “I’m sure he’ll be happy to have you.”

Jerry turned to the others. “You make sure Jake gets the kart back in one piece, I’m going to show the boy around.”

With that, Jerry put his arm over Nick’s shoulder and started walking them towards a building in the distance. “First, we gotta get you some boots.” He whispered in Nick’s ear.

“Wait up!” Alice caught up with them. “Who’s Davie?” she asked.

“An old friend.” Jerry said, but didn’t elaborate. “Shouldn’t you be getting back? You know your father doesn’t like you hanging out on the track like this.”

“But… fine.” Alice said. “I’ll be there if you need me. Nice meeting you, Nick. Go easy on him, Uncle Jerry.” Alice then turned and headed back to where she came from.

Once they were alone, Jerry spoke. “So, are you going to tell me how you met Davie?”

Nick was taken aback. He thought Jerry had accepted everything, but he was wrong. “I… I’m alone.” Nick said. “I’ve been living on the street for months now. David found me in an alleyway and helped me a bit. When I asked him what I should do to try to make a living, he told me I might be able to find a little work here. I’m not going back into foster care… not after last time.”

Nick tried to act a little pitiful, to try to make the man feel sorry for him, but that was when he realized he didn't need to act. Nick’s current predicament was pitiful. He had to remember that for all intents and purposes, he was only 14.

Jerry nodded. “Well, like I said, we need someone to help clean, so if you can do that, you’ll have a job. It doesn’t pay much, but it’s something. I’m guessing you need some clothes. There should be a few coveralls in the main garage that will fit you, but we’ll need to get you some other clothes, socks, and boots. I’ll have Bailey take you clothes shopping tomorrow.”

Nick nodded. “Thank you.”

“I take it you don’t have a place to stay, either.” Jerry said. “There’s a cot and a couple empty rooms in the garage. You can use it to sleep. If Davie sent you, you should be a decent kid. I hope he’s not wrong. I hope I can trust you not to steal anything. I know people in your situation may be tempted.”

Nick shook his head. “Don’t worry. I won’t let you or David down.”

“Good.” Jerry nodded. “Now, nothing’s free. Your clothes is going to come out of your pay. There’s some food in the refrigerator in the garage, but it’s mostly empty. There is a microwave, but that’s it. I suggest you save up and buy your own fridge for your room and food. What gets put in the one in the garage doesn’t last long. It doesn’t matter if they know it’s yours or not.”

Nick nodded again.

“Now, what about school?” Jerry asked as he opened a door to another building.

“I can’t go.” Nick said. “If I go, they will want to put me back into foster care. I can’t do that.”

Jerry nodded. “I understand. How old are you?”

“I’m 14.”

“That’s old enough that you should be able to file for independence.” Jerry said. “That’s what I did at your age, with Davie’s help. Never went into foster care, but I had a good for nothing father and never knew my mom.”

So that’s why he treats David like he does. Nick thought.

“You’ll need to prove that you can make money and provide for yourself, so wait a few months then contact a lawyer. I know a few who will give you a fair price. You need to get it done as soon as possible because what I’m doing for you ain’t exactly legal, and you’ll need to find your own place as soon as you get your independence. You won’t be able to sign for an apartment until then.” Jerry explained.

It was all a lot to take in. Nick just nodded along and listened intently to Jerry. He was learning a lot from the mechanic.

Jerry opened his arms and gestured to everything in the building. It was a garage, a big one. It could hold at least four regular sized cars and have plenty of space to spare. “This is our garage.” Jerry explained. “The others are rented or used by teams on the circuit. We use this one to do our work. Back there…” Jerry pointed at a door in the back. “Is my office. Beside it, it one of the empty rooms, I suggest you take that one.” He pointed at the door a bit away from his office.

Nick nodded.

“I’ll get you the cot from my office in a bit.” Jerry said. “For the most part, you’ll need to clean this place. It can get pretty messy with the oil, grease, dust, and everything else. You’ll also need to get used to cleaning karts.” Jerry pointed at a kart sitting in the garage. Most of the body work had been taken off. “You can start on that one when you’re ready.”

Nick nodded and walked over towards the kart. He was amazed at the size of it. He didn’t remember karts from Earth looking like it. He was sure that kids started driving karts at a very early age, and he wasn’t sure if an eight-year-old could even reach the pedals on this one.

“How old do you have to be to get a license to drive one of these?” He asked.

“That would be a Class D racing license.” Jerry said. “You can get one when you’re 12.”

That was news to Nick. “What do younger kids do before they are old enough for these karts?”

Jerry laughed. “They drive other karts.” He said. “From 8 to 12 they drive karts, like the ones you saw indoors. From 12 to 15 it’s the super karts, like the one in front of you. After that, it branches into different kinds of racing. There’s drag, stock, open-wheeled, and others. And there’s different levels to each type.”

Nick nodded as he approached the kart. When he got close enough, he reached down and put his hand on it.

Suddenly, it was like a thousand lightning bolts struck him all at once. He couldn’t remove his hand, and he couldn’t move his body. Words began to flood his vision.

Reading Host’s Memories…

Scanning Surroundings…

Preparing System…

Preparations Complete…

Initializing…

Then everything went black.

Chapter 5: The System

Nick awoke with a start. Looking up, there were three faces looking back at him. Jerry’s face was one of them, and he recognized the two others from the people Jerry had been speaking to before.

“He’s awake.” The freckled female face said, her messy blonde hair falling down her cheeks, almost touching Nick’s face in the process.

“Give him some room.” Jerry commanded, and they all backed up. “You okay, kid?” He asked.

“I… I’m fine.” Nick said, remembering the flash of words he saw before he passed out. “I haven’t eaten in a few days.” He explained. “Just got a little dizzy.”

“Poor thing.” The blonde woman said. “Let me see what we have in the back.” She scampered off.

“I have the first aid kit.” A voice sounded from the direction the woman left towards.

Soon, a young man, in his early 20s, if Nick had to guess, appeared holding the kit.

“Did he hit his head? Is he bleeding?” The young man asked.

“Said he got dizzy and passed out from not eating.” Jerry explained to the new arrival. “It makes sense considering his… condition.”

“That’s a nasty cut, though.” The young man said. “Let me dress it up at least.” He pointed towards Nick’s foot.

Jerry winced at that. “I didn’t’ even see that. Looks pretty bad. Go ahead and clean it for him, Jake.”

“You were driving the kart.” Nick said. “That looked fun.”

“It is.” Jake answered as he lifted Nick’s foot. “I’m not good enough to drive in any circuits, but I’m at least good enough to test drive.”

“He’s a decent mechanic, too.” Jerry added.

“If you say so.” Jake said.

Jake flushed the wound out with some water before doing so again with alcohol or something. Whatever it was, it made Nick flinch and let out a soft cry.

“Sorry bout that.” Jake apologized.

The young man then put some ointment on the cut, laid a bandage over it, then wrapped it in some tape.

“I’d try to stay off of it for a day or two. Let it start healing. I’ll leave the first aid kit here. Change the bandage a few times a day, it will be better in no time.” Jake said.

“Thank you.” Nick said.

“It’s no problem. We’re going to be working together, anyway.” He gave Nick a thumbs up.

“Here you go.” The blonde woman had gotten back around the time Jake finished dressing the wound. She held out a plastic wrapped pastry and a bottle of water. “Probably best to get some sugar into you, and some water.”

Nick took the food. “Thanks.” He opened the wrapper and took a bite out of the sweet. It was delicious. His body really hadn’t eaten in days. He wasn’t lying when he said that. The previous owner hadn’t been able to drink much with his health as it was either, so when he unscrewed the cap from the bottle of water and the liquid hit his lips, he drank… and he drank.

“Slow down.” Jerry said, pulling the bottle away from Nick’s mouth. “You’re probably dehydrated, too. Don’t want to drink too much too fast.”

Jerry then handed the blonde woman some cash. “Bailey, you and Jake go get us some burgers. We could all use some food.”

Bailey nodded. “Come on, Jake.” She said.

Jake smiled and put his hand around her shoulder as they walked to the exit. She pushed him away… hard. “Knock it off.” Nick heard her say as they walked out.

“Sorry.” Nick said to Jerry.

“No need to apologize. It’s my fault for not realizing you were so hungry until it was too late.”

Nick shook his head. “It’s not your fault.” He said. “Thank you, again.”

“No need to thank me. Have a seat. We’ll all eat when they get back with the food.” Jerry said.

Nick nodded and hobbled up to one foot. Jerry put Nick’s arm over his shoulder and helped him along to the table. “Thanks.” Nick said.

“Rest. I’ll go set the cot up in your room.”

Nick nodded as Jerry walked away.

Now I have to figure out what happened. It looked like I somehow got a system. Now, how do I use it. Nick tried a few things. He focused on trying to bring it up, but nothing happened. Then he tried focusing on ‘System’ in his head. It was when he thought ‘Status’ that the system finally appeared.

Racing System Version 1.0

Name: Nicholas Sharpe

Age: 14

Class: N/A (Options Available)

Health: 67/100

Stamina: 33/100

Wow, not a whole lot to go on. At least I have a system. Hopefully, it will make everything a lot easier. Nick focused on his class, and a few new options appeared.

Choose From Available Classes:

Mechanic

Kart Test Driver

That’s it? I can only be a Mechanic or Test Driver? I guess it’s better than nothing. He selected Kart Test Driver. He didn’t know much about being a mechanic or the inner operations of a car or kart, but he at least knew how to drive.

You’ve Chosen Class: Kart Test Driver

Are you sure of your decision?

Nick confirmed his choice. Then, he looked at his class’s status page.

Class: Kart Test Driver

Stats:                                                               Abilities: N/A

Adaptability 1/10

Braking 1/10

Consistency 1/10

Cornering 1/10

Feedback 1/10

Fitness 1/10

Focus 1/10

Fuel Efficiency 1/10

Passing 1/10

Note: Increase levels by gaining experience.

Huh… That’s it? How do I gain experience? There’s no experience bar or anything. After unlocking his class, Nick didn’t experience a flood of information about racing as he had expected. Nick looked over at the Kart longingly.

At that time, Jerry came back from fixing Nick’s room. “Those are the eyes of someone who wants to drive. You ever tried it before?”

Nick shook his head. “No, sir. I would like to, though.”

“Not in any of these. Kevin would have my ass. Kevin’s the track owner, by the way. Once your foot gets healed up, I’ll let you have a go at the indoor track. You don’t need a license for that. Until then, get healed up and do whatever work is needed.” Jerry explained.

Nick nodded.

The two sat at the table and waited for dinner to arrive.