"I... I almost thought he'd skipped out on the bill."
Viel patted her flat chest, exhaling in relief. The instant Miles vanished, she had truly thought she was doomed.
She'd used every last hidden D-Wheel part she had. If this turned out to be a zero-payment purchase, she'd have been finished—her only option afterward would've been to start hustling crabs for cash.
Thankfully, a few seconds later, Miles reappeared on the track astride his D-Wheel.
He'd entered the Clear Mind state… though not fully. It was as if he'd taken half a step into that realm, just shy of the final breakthrough.
Even that much was already astonishing for a first-time D-Wheel rider.
Test drive complete, Miles pulled up in front of the shabby workshop. If all went as planned, he could head straight back to Synchron Academy on this D-Wheel.
He didn't dismount, though—just savored the memory of that moment when he'd pushed the speed to its very limit.
In that high-velocity domain, the world had fallen away: only the D-Wheel's roar, the rush of wind, and the card in his hand remained.
Yes—a card that had appeared from nowhere.
Albeit before he could see what it was, the instant he left the high-speed realm, the card vanished from his grasp.
"So this is Clear Mind… I think I understand it a little now."
He clenched Ren's slender hand—her fingers were long and graceful, making even holding a card look elegant.
"So? The test ride was amazing, right?" Viel beamed proudly. If the D-Wheel hadn't been top-tier, he never could've reached that acceleration threshold on his first run.
"Beyond amazing, boss!"
With a smooth motion, Miles pulled out the SP Points card from Ren's thigh holster and handed it over with flair.
"Charge it—I'm taking this D-Wheel."
He'd always wanted to experience that carefree luxury of slapping down a card and buying a ride.
Of course, it wasn't an actual card swipe—just handing over the 17 SP deposit to Viel.
"Thank you for your patronage~"
Finally… her first real income. Even if most of it was credit, for Viel's near-deserted back-alley workshop, it still has a lifeline.
"Just remember, you still owe 133 SP. Pay it off within two weeks, or it'll affect your credit score."
"There's… credit tracking in the Spirit Continent too?"
Sometimes, these odd flashes of familiarity made Miles question if he'd really been transported at all.
Still, the thrill of D-Wheel speed was all too real.
"Oh, one more thing. Word of warning—something strange's been stirring in Axet lately. Be careful on your way back."
With that, Viel glanced at the darkening sky.
Bidding farewell to the shameless loli and Luca, Miles and Ren rode the D-Wheel out of the slum's narrow streets.
By the time they hit the main road, night had fallen completely. Streetlights flickered on one by one, illuminating their path through the city.
"It feels kind of romantic, doesn't it, Miles~"
For Ren, this was pure bliss.
For Miles, unprecedented caution.
Unlike the love-struck girl behind him, he'd already sensed something was off the moment they left the slums.
Romantic? More like too quiet.
Even at night, the high-tech metropolis of Axet should've been bustling; however, the streets ahead were empty, save for the rows of streetlights stretching endlessly forward, flickering one after another as if guiding them.
"Don't tell me that loli's warning was prophetic."
Strange things moving in Axet—and of course, he'd run straight into them. Just his luck.
"Miles? What's… happening?"
Even Ren's dreamy haze was gone now; she could feel the tension.
"Whoever's coming isn't friendly."
After following the trail of lights for a while, the growl of another D-Wheel engine approached from behind.
A man in a gray cloak drew up beside them, his hood revealing only the lower half of a face covered in strange markings.
His pitch-black D-Wheel matched Viel's masterpiece in speed—no ordinary rider.
"Who are you?"
"Eliminate the Turbo Duelists!"
"Eliminate… Turbo Duelists?"
"Turbo Duels bring ruin. I'll use a Turbo Duel to purge Turbo Duels!"
Riding up alongside Miles, the man raised his hand—and a card materialized from his Spirit Eyes.
"Field Spell—[Speed World 2], activate!"
Activating a Field Spell before a duel—that was the rule unique to Turbo Duels.
The cityscape instantly shifted, the digital overlay of Speed World spreading across the streets. Reality blurred, and the sensation of speed sharpened.
"Speed World… a Turbo Duel?"
He'd just been out for a ride, and suddenly, a cloaked lunatic had forced him into a Turbo Duel.
This so-called "freedom" of the Republic was more terrifying than he'd imagined.
Stardust said, "Miles, be careful. Something's wrong about this duel!"
The moment Stardust-chan spoke, the edges of the racetrack ignited—twin walls of violet flame rising high.
The gray-robed man raised his arms, chanting: "Ignite, O Nazca Lines—let the field of the end awaken!"
Miles couldn't see it from his position, but from above, the burning track formed an enormous pattern—an ancient mural depicting a monstrous god.
The symbol of the ancient Nazca's faith.
Even without seeing it, Miles felt why Stardust had warned him—this duel wasn't normal.
"A Shadow Game, huh…"
Could it get any worse?
His very first Turbo Duel—and it was a Shadow Game, with their lives on the line.
And in Turbo Duels, normal Spells couldn't be used.
Meanwhile, Ren's Deck—the HERO Deck—relied heavily on Polymerization and transformation Spells.
Worse, there wasn't a single Speed Spell in the entire build.
This was going to be an epic-level Turbo Duel. The flaming road ahead could very well lead straight to hell.
"Turbo Duel! Acceleration!"
...
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