Back in the entrance tunnel, Celestial Weave gasped for breath out of habit, only realizing after a few gulps of air that her body wasn't tired at all. The reset had happened so quickly that her mind was still on the racetrack.
She quickly came to her senses. Turning around, she pressed her forehead against the cold wall, trying to use the physical cooling to calm herself down.
Her black bangs hung down, and through the strands of hair, she stared at the wall and muttered to herself.
"When Tokai Teio crossed the finish line, I was probably still about ten meters away. That's about six to seven horse lengths."
"Six to seven horse lengths..." she repeated in a low voice.
"A gap like that..."
"It's like she's declaring to all the other racers—you have absolutely no chance of beating me."
She suddenly let out a long sigh, then turned around and slapped her cheeks, pushing aside the disappointment from her recent failure.
"If I only had one chance, maybe I really couldn't win."
"But for me, with countless chances, it's just a goal that I'll eventually achieve."
"What I need to do now is analyze the last race."
Celestial Weave unconsciously bit her lip and began to think.
"First, the Stalker strategy was effective. Not only did it get me out of the Chaser group, but it also allowed me to utilize the knowledge I gained from the first race."
"Although my unfamiliarity with the Stalker strategy prevented me from finding the optimal route, my D-rank Guts helped me out at the end."
"If it weren't for the combination of these factors, I wouldn't have completed the first phase objective on my second try."
"Right now, the biggest difference between me and Tokai Teio is our base stats."
"To be able to finish six to seven horse lengths ahead of second place, her main stats must all be at D-rank. To have that kind of ability in a debut race... she's a genius, through and through."
Thinking of this, she mentally recited "system," and just as she expected, the blue screen appeared before her.
Celestial Weave swiped the screen and found that besides the Panel, Missions, and Shop she had already discovered, there was also an option called "Items." The reward from completing the first phase objective should be in there.
She opened her inventory and, sure enough, there was an image of a strange, blue-glowing vial. Pressing and holding it revealed a detailed description.
[Potential-Stimulating Potion (E→D Rank)]
[Introduction: A mysterious potion that only exists as a reward for the initial mission. It can raise one of a horse girl's stats from E-rank to E+, or from E+ to D-rank.
Note: "This is so much easier than training!" —An anonymous horse girl still stuck at D+]
Reading the last line of the description, Celestial Weave's lips twitched into a silent smile. She had always thought this system was quite serious; she never expected it to leave such a note on an item.
"Number thirteen, Celestial Weave!"
Before she could recover from the amusing contrast, she heard her name from the commentator.
Is it time?
Celestial Weave tied her ribbon and stepped into the rain once more.
As she walked, she was still contemplating which stat to use the Potential-Stimulating Potion on.
E-rank represented the threshold for entering Tracen Academy, while E+ meant a horse girl had the ability to place in the top five in a debut race.
D-rank signified the strength of a top-five contender in an Open-class race. Even in the lowest level of official races, such stats were enough to make a horse girl stand out among those who hadn't even debuted yet, like a crane among chickens.
Therefore, Tokai Teio, who Celestial Weave presumed had all her main stats at D-rank, possessed such terrifying dominance.
For me, the wisest choice is undoubtedly to raise an E+ stat to D-rank first.
So, which one should I upgrade?
Celestial Weave stroked her chin, standing in the rain. She mentally brought up her panel, staring at her E+ Speed and E+ Stamina, lost in thought.
Speed? Or Stamina?
In the last race, Celestial Weave could clearly feel her stamina running out. If she raised her Stamina to D-rank, she would probably be able to sprint all the way to the finish line.
But my Guts is already at D-rank. When my stamina is about to run out, it gives me an extra burst of power to push on. If my Speed were D-rank at that moment, I might be able to win in one fell swoop.
Both offered a hope of victory, but which was the better choice?
"All racers, to your gates!"
The commentator had no way of knowing about Celestial Weave's inner conflict. The brief interval after all the racers had entered the track was over. It was time to announce the start.
Seeing that she was out of time, Celestial Weave gave up on her dilemma.
A question born on the racetrack should be answered on the racetrack.
I'll just run one more race. My body's instincts will give me the right answer.
Celestial Weave followed the main group of horse girls into the starting gate. Facing this track for the third time, she was surprised to find that she could even simulate the trajectories of most of the horse girls in her mind after the start.
This is...
A wave of excitement washed over her. Although she had already guessed that the reset mechanism would be beneficial for a Stalker strategy, it was only when she stepped onto the track again that she truly felt the shocking extent of her improvement.
"I thought my improvement in the second race was already reaching its limit. I didn't expect that by the third time, the improvement would actually increase instead of decrease."
"If I can maintain this level of improvement, there will come a time when I'll have the entire race memorized, from my opponents' trajectories to the timing of overtaking on the turn. I'll be able to master it all perfectly."
Celestial Weave squinted her eyes, thinking to herself.
"After the last reset, I was so focused on the stat gap. Was I too affected by Tokai Teio's overwhelming lead? It wasn't until I got back on the track that I remembered this ability."
Recalling the only skill on her panel, Celestial Weave made a judgment.
"There's only one possibility: the skill Concentration. Did I underestimate it...?"
"In that case, have I also underestimated the role of Intellect? If it can synergize with Concentration, maybe it can produce an effect greater than the sum of its parts."
The sudden good news made Celestial Weave's constantly furrowed brow relax. Her thoughts even began to stray.
"Am I... an intelligence-type horse girl?"
After calming down a bit, Celestial Weave's deep eyes locked onto the starting gate in front of her.
From now on, I just need to keep gathering intelligence, and victory will be within my grasp!
BANG!
The gun fired, and thirteen horse girls burst from the gates.
-------
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