The way Uma Musume looks at me is so scary!

Did I shed tears?

Even though I was just watching, even though I couldn't understand it rationally, my emotions made tears well up unconsciously.

Looking at that red figure on the field, tears streamed down Yongwu's face uncontrollably, no matter how hard she tried to wipe them away.

The child she had watched grow up, that child with ordinary talent, had actually burst forth with such dazzling brilliance through his own efforts. Yongwu felt the aura of the arena emanating from it, and felt the will contained within it. Finally, she could no longer hold back her tears and let them flow freely.

In a daze, Yongwu remembered what Xiuxingmeng had said to her in the coffee shop yesterday, and those sparkling eyes seemed to be right in front of her.

"It's too... dazzling."

"Your brilliance".

Amidst the cheering crowd, Yongwu choked back tears and muttered to himself.

On the track, Xiu Xingmeng felt as if every muscle and bone in her body was trembling. Every step she took felt as heavy as if she were carrying a thousand pounds of force. Even her vision gradually became blurred because of the terrifying pressure.

That was the domain of the end-of-the-century overlord. Golden light flashed like thunder beside the opera singer. With each step she took, the entire arena seemed to bow down to this born queen.

Under extreme pressure, Xiuxingmeng successfully broke through its self-imposed limitations and shone brightly in the field.

As her strongest rival, the opera buff also awakened in the field amidst this mutually reinforcing sense of pressure.

This born king, the overlord of the end of the century, his awakening of his domain is an inevitable crowning by fate, as natural as the bright moon in the sky.

Xiu Xingmeng had long been prepared, so even though she was under unimaginable pressure and every inch of her body was screaming in agony, she still laughed, even though that smile had long since become ferocious from the pain.

"So that's why he's a tyrant?"

As if sensing Xiu Xingmeng's thoughts, Hao Geju beside her also cracked a smile. She, too, was not at ease under the influence of Xiu Xingmeng's domain.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! My nemesis, this is why we are nemesis!"

"Look! The spectators outside the stadium are cheering for our brilliance! This is our glory!"

In Xiu Xingmeng's vision, the entire world had shrunk to just the track in front of her and that purple-gold figure. In this secluded space, the frequency of their two heartbeats gradually synchronized, and their thoughts could communicate without even words.

"Us?"

"Can the glory of a good opera be shared by two people?"

The response of good opera immediately came to her mind.

"You are qualified."

"why?"

As the overlord sped along, a smirk appeared on his lips, and the jewels on his crown refracted dazzling light in the rain.

"because--"

Her words carried an undeniable authority.

"You are the sworn enemy of the Overlord!"

Although they were clearly chasing the finish line, and the race was not over yet, there was no fierce competition in their heartfelt conversation; they were just chatting casually.

Her vision was getting increasingly blurry, and even her thoughts were becoming sluggish. Xiu Xingmeng dragged her body, which was now only bathed in the last rays of light, and asked.

"A good opera? Why do you want to win?"

"why?"

The Overlord's maniacal laughter exploded in Xiu Xingmeng's mind.

"Hahahahahaha!"

"As a tyrant, do I need a reason to seize victory, something that is only natural?"

Feeling the scorching fighting spirit emanating from beside her, Xiu Xingmeng's lips curled into a resolute smile. She channeled the remaining power within her body into her legs, as if throwing the last embers into a furnace.

"No victory is ever taken for granted."

"Good opera, I will win."

Before the words were even finished, the black and red figure suddenly tore through the rain. The immense pressure exerted by the Overlord's Domain seemed to vanish at this moment; with each step she took, fan-shaped splashes of water were stirred up, and the red ribbons left scorching trails behind her.

"What--"

Good Opera's pupils contracted sharply as she watched the figure that should have been suppressed actually rush forward against the power of the domain.

The rain blurred the view of the opera. In the dimly lit arena, she could only see a dazzling red streak of light tearing a rift in the territory ruled by the overlord, like a sword being drawn from its sheath.

Outside the stadium, the commentary booth had already gone wild. The microphone of the commentator Akasaka was mixed with some noise due to his excited movements, but the passionate words coming from it were enough to cover it all up.

"Thirty meters to go! This will be thirty meters that will go down in history! Who will be the champion of the Satsuki Prize?!"

The commentator, Sugimoto, ripped off his tie, veins bulging on his forehead. His usually articulate speech was now slurred with excitement.

"Is it a good opera?! Is it 'The Dream of Embroidered Stars'?! A good opera?! 'The Dream of Embroidered Stars'?!"

Apart from the commentators, the entire Zhongshan Racecourse fell into an eerie silence at this moment, as if even the sound of raindrops falling could be clearly heard. Tens of thousands of spectators held their breath at the same time, and countless eyes were fixed on the final result that was about to be displayed on the field.

"Embroidered Star Dream! It's Embroidered Star Dream! Embroidered Star Dream is accelerating again!"

"She's overtaken Good Opera! The distance keeps widening! Ten meters! Five meters! She's crossed! She's crossed the finish line!"

"The winner is—"

"Embroidered Star Dream!"

With a loud crash, a buzzing sound came from the microphone, as if the commentator had been too excited and flung it away.

But none of that matters anymore. Let's surpass that mere buzzing sound with the enthusiasm of the audience.

Like a powder keg ignited, the roar from the stands momentarily halted the rain. Front-row spectators pounded on the railings, while those in the back hugged and jumped, some even throwing their support flags into the air in excitement.

People have been pushed closer together, but who cares about that at this moment?

The roar of cheers at Zhongshan Racecourse surged like a tidal wave, a sea of ​​shouts and cheers intertwined.

Amidst the deafening roar, Xiu Xingmeng, whose consciousness was already blurred, finally caught a glimpse of the mechanical notification sound that haunted her dreams.

"Main quest completed."

Just as the words fell, Good Opera, having crossed the finish line, breathed heavily, dragging its tired but still upright body, and slowly walked to Xiu Xingmeng's side.

"what--"

She let out a long breath, sweat trickling down her cheeks, but it couldn't hide the gleam in her eyes.

"Wow, that's impressive... No wonder he's my... nemesis?"

The opera's final notes suddenly froze, and her pupils contracted sharply in the rain, reflecting the slowly descending figure.

Chapter Thirty-Seven Settlement

When Xiu Xingmeng opened her eyes again, she saw a dark world.

Before she could even begin to figure out where she was, that familiar mechanical voice rang in her ears.

"Main quest completed, rewards being calculated."

The next second, a semi-transparent blue screen appeared in Xiu Xingmeng's eyes.

[Scenario Mission: The Path to Becoming a Top-Tier Racehorse Girl]

[Task completed]

Task Evaluation: Grade A

Introduction: The racehorse girl who burned everything to achieve victory, your undefeated record and tragic end will be deeply etched in the hearts of all who loved you.

[A-Rank Reward: 5000 SP + Skill Upgrade Scroll]

Special items have been unlocked.

Looking at the screen that suddenly filled her field of vision, Xiu Xingmeng was a little confused for a moment before she realized what was happening and started reading the message.

"There's no reward like this when the initial mission is completed. Is this a reward only for the main mission?"

This makes sense, since the difficulty of the scripted missions is much higher than the initial missions.

In retrospect, the attribute boosts and unlimited trial-and-error opportunities provided by the initial mission were indeed very generous.

After confirming everything, Xiu Xingmeng quietly opened her inventory to check the rewards she had received for this main quest and evaluation.

[Skill Awakening Scroll]

[Introduction: The experiences of the racehorse girl can be sublimated into skills. If they can be further improved, perhaps they can awaken the skills into a domain.]

Using this item can upgrade the rarity of a skill from blue to purple, giving it the potential to awaken into a domain.

Note: "Get out of the way, I pressed the wrong button!"—Said a certain horse racing girl who jumped high in the air.

Xiu Xingmeng already knew that skills could awaken into domains. She realized this when Good Opera challenged her. The only skill on her body that could possibly be called a domain prototype was the purple skill Tokyo Swift.

Thinking of this, Xiu Xingmeng suddenly remembered that before she obtained the Tokyo Swift skill, the domain on her panel showed as none, and it only changed to unawakened after she obtained it.

The system had already given hints, but I just hadn't noticed them.

Xiu Xingmeng shook her head, no longer dwelling on that, and turned her attention to another prop.

[Skill Enhancement Scroll]

[Introduction: The rarity of a skill represents the depth of a racehorse girl's experience in that period. It will not increase unless a special event occurs.]

Using this item will upgrade a white-rarity skill to blue.

Note: "Just a little bit of weathering." —A racehorse girl wiping leaves from her hair while catching rhinoceros beetles.

Sure enough, when Xiu Xingmeng saw the similar names of the two items, she had already thought about the connection between them. After reading the introduction, it was exactly as Xiu Xingmeng expected. This item can basically be considered a mini version of the skill awakening scroll.

However, the mini version also has its uses. If you want to upgrade a white skill, you can't just use a skill awakening scroll, right?

Putting aside the waste, the description didn't mention that Awakening Scrolls could improve white-level skills.

Just then, the system's mechanical beeping sounded again.

"Please select the attributes to inherit back to the real world."

If it hadn't been mentioned, Xiu Xingmeng would have almost forgotten that this script mission also allows you to choose two attributes to inherit back to the real world.

Compared to the attributes that are mainly composed of D-level in the real world, the attributes of Xiuxingmeng in the scenario world are B-level, which is a significant improvement, having skipped several levels.

Slightly excited, Xiu Xingmeng summoned the control panel in her mind.

【Horse Girl Raising System - Scenario Panel】

Character: Celestial Weave

Speed: B [Elite] [Locked]

Endurance: B [Elite] [Locked]

Strength: B [Elite] [Locked]

Character: A [Legendary] [Limit Break]

Intelligence: B [Elite] [Locked]

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

Domain: [Demon Blade]

[Effect: Once the domain is activated, the sense of danger, like having a blade on your back, will cause other racehorse girls to unconsciously avoid it.]

After sacrificing a certain amount of life force, the demon sword will be fully unsheathed, and the domain name will change to [Muramasame]. At this time, scorching heat waves will surge across the arena, and the stamina effects of all the horse girls in the arena will be doubled.

Skill: Concentration (Blue)

Reborn from the ashes (white)

[Effect: A reward for those who break limits; upon reaching the limit, stamina will be slightly restored]

Patience (White)

[Effect: A skill honed through the relentless training and pain endured during the Satsuki Sho competition, slightly increasing pain tolerance.]

Looking at the suddenly much larger attribute panel, Xiu Xingmengzai carefully read every single new word.

She had already tested the effects of the domain in the Satsuki Sho competition, so let's leave that aside for now. The two skills, Fire Rebirth and Endurance, were probably also refined during the Satsuki Sho competition. Without the boost provided by these two skills, her victory might have been even more uncertain.

Now, besides inheriting attributes, Xiuxingmeng has another problem to consider: how to use the items.

Skill Awakening Scrolls are definitely for Concentration, but who should get Skill Enhancement Scrolls?

Both the Endurance and Rebirth skills seem useful, and Xiu Xingmeng really doesn't know how to distinguish which one gives her the greatest benefit.