The way Uma Musume looks at me is so scary!

Adaptable to: Grassland (A) and Muddy (C)

Domain: None

Skill: Concentration (Blue)

[Effect: The mental strength accumulated from two lifetimes, honed under pressure, grants an ability to focus more easily on the field and occasionally sense subtle changes in the game.]

Xiu Xingmeng looked at her ability panel, a hint of confusion flashing between her brows. Why did she feel like there were more and more unfamiliar terms?

She tried clicking on the panel and found that there were specific explanations after clicking. Xiu Xingmeng gently twitched her ears and, after confirming that the narrator had not yet mentioned the name of the Emperor of the East Sea, began to read it carefully.

"Number 12! The Emperor of the East Sea!"

Soon, when that familiar voice reached Xiu Xingmeng's ears again, she let out a long breath.

"I see. So you're quantifying the abilities of Uma Musume. D-rank means a rising star with the ability to get into the top five in OP races, C-rank corresponds to G3 races, B-rank corresponds to G2 races, and if you reach A-rank, you might be able to win a place in G1 races."

"A potential-enhancing potion that allows you to upgrade from E-rank to D-rank—is this a reward specific to the initial mission? Or will there be higher-rank versions later?"

"As for SP, it's probably something like points or credits, which can be used to redeem items in a shop or similar place—"

The moment Xiu Xingmeng finished talking about the mall, another blue screen unfolded in his field of vision.

"So you really came without warning?"

"but……"

Xiu Xingmeng glanced at the mall list and noticed that there were traces of chains wrapped around the blue screen. Before she could take a closer look, she heard her name being called out by the commentator.

After tying the red ribbon wrapped around her hand, Xiu Xingmeng walked out of the entrance passage once again.

"Let's try it first."

As Xiu Xingmeng stepped into the rain, she patted her cheeks and muttered something to herself, as if to encourage herself.

But we can't just run it again, because then what's the difference between that and the last time?

With the official competition still a while away, Xiu Xingmeng was no longer affected by the East Sea Emperor and instead conceived her running strategy in her mind.

First of all, my speed and endurance are quite good.

The key is one's inherent character. Although I cannot make an accurate judgment on it, according to the system's evaluation, I should be among the top in this competition.

In that case, perhaps we could try a high-speed chase.

As Xiu Xingmeng pondered, she unconsciously pursed her lips.

Last time I chose the staggered running method, but I was blocked in the middle by the main group and could only watch as the East Sea Emperor won the championship by leaping ahead. If I had chosen the big chase running method, at least I would have been blocked in the middle by the main group.

However, chasing the lead is a risky running style. This kind of running style, which puts all hopes on the last moment, is undoubtedly gambling. If you are not careful, you may not only fail to win the first place, but you may even run worse.

At that point, let alone getting the middle position like last time, they might end up at the bottom.

but--

Do I need to be afraid of such risks?

For racehorses that only have one chance, such a risk is undoubtedly enormous.

But for someone like me, who has almost unlimited opportunities in this debut battle, it seems that all that's left is a high return?

If it doesn't work the first time, try again! If it doesn't work the second time, try ten more times!

Xiu Xingmeng also has another theory: as the number of races increases, her familiarity with the track and her opponents will improve, and in this case, using the big chase method might have unexpected results.

"All players, please take your positions!"

The moment Xiu Xingmeng made up her mind to choose the high-speed chase method, the commentator's voice reached her ears.

Is it time?

Alright, then let me give it my first try. Or rather, should I say the second?

As Xiu Xingmeng walked towards her seat, she subconsciously looked for the excellent qualities that had shown her kindness earlier, only to see that the horse racer with reddish-brown hair had already walked into the door ahead of her.

She didn't greet me this time. Was it because I wasn't watching the East Sea Emperor? Or was it because she didn't want to interrupt her thoughts?

Xiu Xingmeng shook her head, clearing her mind of the random thoughts and focusing her attention on the competition.

Returning to the gate once again, and looking directly at the track through the gate, Xiu Xingmeng's heartbeat strangely calmed down this time. The cheers of the audience and the enthusiasm of the commentators could not affect her stepping onto the field at this moment.

call.

suck.

In her mind, the scene of the last game replayed wildly, and in Xiu Xingmeng's eyes, the empty racetrack seemed to be bustling with people.

In the previous race, the other female racehorses she could see were firmly fixed in their positions, one after another.

"Number One's movement trajectory should be like this..."

"Number Nine will cut in from the middle at that time... which means that Number Five and Number Six were careless at that moment."

"Number 7 seems to have a problem with its power delivery when cornering... Is the water too deep in that area?"

After absorbing all the information into her mind, Xiu Xingmeng's eyes shone even brighter.

All that's needed now is the sound of a gunshot to signal the start!

"Bang!"

Chapter Three: Chasing the Moon

The moment the gun fired, thirteen racehorses rushed onto the track together.

Everyone's eyes shone with the desire for the race itself and for victory. They poured all their accumulated experience into the race, mobilizing all their strength to stomp on the ground. Flying grass clippings and cold horseshoes shimmered in the air, reflecting off every drop of rain.

But among them was a heretic.

Unlike the horse girls charging ahead, she quietly lagged behind the rest of the group, her black pupils hidden beneath the rushing rain, like an assassin wiping a blade, silently calculating the moment to deliver the fatal blow.

"The runaway horse at the front has already entered the bend, followed by the East Sea Emperor, who is leading the way, while the other runner horse girls will arrive a little later."

Xiu Xingmeng silently calculated the changes in the track. The 1200-meter track at Tokyo Racecourse has only one bend. You enter the bend from the first 200 meters, exit the bend at about 600 meters, and finally sprint on a straight line for 600 meters.

She carefully assessed her own condition; the competition had just begun, and she felt no fatigue whatsoever.

"Conserve your energy during these 400-meter curves to find the best overtaking path, and then decide the winner on the 600-meter straight!"

After making up her mind, Xiu Xingmeng maintained her position in the race, watching the movement of the racehorses ahead. She adjusted her next route while trying her best to record the trajectory for the next race.

Three hundred meters.

Four hundred meters.

Five hundred meters.

Xiu Xingmeng quietly followed behind the main group, appearing to have no presence or threat whatsoever, as if she had already given up the race and started running at an easy pace.

However, only she knows the plans and calculations made within those hundreds of meters.

"The routes for lines nine and five remain unchanged. Does line one run like this at this time?"

Fine beads of sweat gradually appeared on Xiu Xingmeng's forehead, which then mingled with the pouring rain, making them indistinguishable.

She gritted her teeth, her mind a jumbled mess, as if it were about to explode.

"No, this is my first time running a large-scale chase, so I have no idea what information is useful and what is not. If I just swallow all the records like this, I simply can't handle the calculations!"

Xiu Xingmeng squinted, searching for the racehorse girl ahead in the rain. The white crescent moon had already rushed to the front of the road.

She hadn't yet figured out the perfect timing and trajectory, but there was no time left for her to consider it.

"do not care!"

Xiu Xingmeng no longer worried about whether her sprint timing would clash with a racehorse girl, and the moment she exited the bend, she charged straight towards her predetermined path.

The red ribbon billowed as it suddenly increased its speed. In the gray rain, a red figure sped forward, like a sharp blade finally revealing its piercing light as it sliced ​​through the group of racehorse girls.

"Donghai Emperor is in the lead now! There are still 500 meters to go! Can she maintain this advantage until the end?"

The commentator's enthusiastic voice echoed through the racetrack, and every comment on the East Sea Emperor drew cheers from the audience.

But she is a professional after all, and while satisfying the audience's desire for tomorrow's stars, she also keeps a close eye on the changes on the field.

"Oh my, Number Three's outstanding qualities seem to have set him apart from the rest of the criminal group! How about it, is he on the path to genius?!"

Having finally broken free from the encirclement of racehorse girls, the excellent quality of the horse heard this and gave a self-deprecating twitch at the corner of her mouth.

"How could a racehorse girl like me possibly..."

However, before her thoughts could continue to wander, the commentator's next sentence interrupted her.

"Number 13? It's number 13! Number 13's racehorse, Xiu Xingmeng, is catching up from behind!"

"She's still accelerating! Is this racehorse capable of piercing through the ranks of the elite and reaching the heart of a genius?!"

People yearn for geniuses to unleash their talents and long to witness that dazzling moment.

At the same time, they also yearn for a truly spectacular stage. A genius's solo performance is certainly dazzling enough, but if another challenger who has the potential to break the deadlock appears, they will not hesitate to express their anticipation.

The speeding red figure had unknowingly attracted everyone's attention through its own power.

Even those with exceptional skills on the field couldn't help but turn around and glance back, wanting to witness firsthand whether this red figure piercing through the crowd could truly bring down the genius from his pedestal.

The allure of the high-speed chase is perhaps that which sprints from the back to the front, cutting through everything in its path.

Xiu Xingmeng was unaware that she had inadvertently attracted the attention of the entire audience. By leveraging people's expectations of a genius, this challenger to the genius also gained attention that rivaled that of a genius.

All she knew was that she was about to give up.

Every muscle in her body stopped trembling, and her lungs, which were being circulated by the air ducts, felt as if they were on fire. This was a warning from her body, and also the limit that the racehorse girl named Xiuxingmeng had reached.

She was never a naturally gifted racehorse girl, and even getting into Treson Academy was a struggle she had to fight tooth and nail.

Rather, it's fair to say that Xiuxingmeng has done a remarkable job to get to where it is today, relying on the lingering memories of the last competition, and even attracting the attention of the entire audience.

There are 200 meters left to the finish line.

The power is waning.

The speed is slowing down.

Every breath was excruciatingly painful, and every step was incredibly difficult.

But the white crescent moon remained in front of them, high in the sky like real moonlight, untouchable.

Xiu Xingmeng stretched out her palm and placed it on that figure, but she couldn't touch anything.

Suddenly, she clenched her fist tightly, as if suppressing all her strength, and threw the cries of pain to the back of her mind, accelerating once again.

She's not the kind of person who just laments about things being out of reach!

Perhaps it was the only D-rank Root ability among all attributes that finally came into play at this moment. The red ribbon once again danced in the gray rain, and before anyone knew it, it had surpassed several of the leading horse girls.

This black-haired, black-eyed racehorse girl seemed to have truly become a sharp blade, fiercely stabbing towards the genius.

One hundred meters.

With no energy left to roar, Xiu Xingmeng silently charged forward.

Thirty meters.

She even surpassed the second-ranked quality.

But that was the limit. Shortly after Xiuxingmeng surpassed the excellent quality, the first string of characters for the race appeared on the blank screen standing beside the track.

First place: Emperor of the East Sea.

Phase 1 Task Completed

[Rewards have been distributed]

A second before the world reversed, that mechanical voice rang in Xiu Xingmeng's ears once again.

Chapter 4 Intelligence-Type Racer Girl

Back at the entrance, Xiu Xingmeng instinctively gasped for breath, but after a few breaths she realized that her body wasn't tired at all. This time the retrospection had come too quickly, causing her mind to still linger on that track.

However, she quickly realized this. Xiu Xingmeng turned around and pressed her forehead against the cold wall, trying to calm herself down through this physical cooling method.

Her black bangs fell to her eyes, and through the gaps in her hair, Xiu Xingmeng stared at the wall while talking to herself.

"When the Emperor of the East Sea reached the finish line, I was still about ten meters away from the finish line, which would be about six to seven horse lengths."

"Six to seven horse-lengths..."

Xiu Xingmeng lowered her voice and repeated it again.