Having figured out the formula for victory, Celestial Weave no longer fretted about how to defeat Tokai Teio. Instead, she began to explore her own limits.
Or rather, the limits of her skill, Concentration.
One reset.
Two resets.
Gradually, Celestial Weave was able to commit the movements of every horse girl to memory. She even marked out which patches of grass were sunken due to excessive rainwater and which patches were advantageous for her to push off from.
And in these repeated attempts, even without using the Potential-Stimulating Potion, the gap between her and Tokai Teio grew smaller and smaller.
From not even being able to see her shadow at the beginning.
To a gap of six to seven horse lengths in the second attempt.
By the time Celestial Weave finally paused, leaning against the wall in the entrance tunnel to think, the gap between her and Tokai Teio was only one horse length.
For the current Celestial Weave, using the potion on either Speed or Stamina would guarantee her the championship.
However, before using the potion, there were still a few things she needed to verify.
Previously, she had neither the time nor the energy to explore the system. But now, with victory almost certain, she finally remembered.
Celestial Weave first silently called out the Shop in her mind. Once again, she saw the screen wrapped in chains. When she tried to touch it with her finger, the mechanical voice sounded in her ear.
"The Shop will be unlocked after the initial mission is completed."
As I thought. Celestial Weave nodded slightly. She had suspected as much when she first saw the chains.
The system needed to maintain the difficulty of the initial mission. If the Shop unlocked too early, horse girls would subconsciously rely on items.
So... the note in the potion's description wasn't just a joke, but also a subtle warning.
After confirming the Shop, Celestial Weave called out her Panel again.
[Horse Girl Training System - Panel]
Character: Celestial Weave
Speed: E+ [Debut Level]
Stamina: E+ [Debut Level]
Power: E [Entrance Level]
Guts: D [Rising Star Level]
Intellect: E+ [Debut Level]
Aptitude: Turf A, Dirt C
Domain: None
Skill: Concentration (Blue)
[Effect: Mental strength accumulated over two lifetimes, honed by pressure. Allows for easier focus on the racetrack and the occasional ability to perceive subtle changes on the course.]
Tokyo... (Generating)
My feeling was right! Celestial Weave narrowed her eyes, staring at the subtle change happening on the panel.
Her memory wasn't good enough to remember the trajectories of all the horse girls from the start. And, remembering which patch of grass was better to step on was just too exaggerated.
Is this what they mean by 'training is a simulated race, and a race is real training'?
Looking at the changed panel, an idea suddenly occurred to Celestial Weave.
Recalling the system's response when she touched the Shop, Celestial Weave directly asked the system.
"Can the stats and skills I gain in a mission be brought into the real world?"
The next second, the mechanical voice sounded again.
"Skills from any mission can be brought back to the real world. As for stats, it depends on the type of mission. The stats gained in this mission can be brought back to the real world."
Celestial Weave didn't dwell on the different types of missions. Instead, she began to focus on the idea she just had.
The stats gained in this mission could be brought back to reality. So, could she treat this race as an endless training ground, raise all her stats, and then complete the mission?
However, this thought was quickly extinguished by Celestial Weave herself.
She looked at the empty entrance tunnel, then glanced at the curtain of rain at the entrance and sighed silently.
Each reset, including the entrance time, was only a few minutes. To suppress her loneliness in this environment, relying on endless loops of a few minutes to raise her stats, even though completing the mission was within reach, she would have to give up the championship every time...
Even if she could do it, the person who returned to reality wouldn't be the current me.
Celestial Weave shook her head. She had things she had to accomplish. She sought strength for her mother's sake. If the person her mother saw when she woke up from her hospital bed wasn't her, then none of it would have any meaning.
At the same time, the words she had grown so tired of hearing sounded in her ear again.
Time to go on stage again? "System, use the Potential-Stimulating Potion. Raise my Stamina to D-rank."
After giving the system her final command, Celestial Weave tied her ribbon and walked into the rain.
The cool raindrops fell on her face. She sniffed the scent of earth in the air and held out her hand to catch the rain, a strange sense of nostalgia, like playing in the water as a child, washing over her.
Even though she had entered the rain countless times, it was as if she were discovering it for the first time. With victory assured, Celestial Weave could finally cast aside all the complicated thoughts that had been weighing on her mind. She closed her eyes and stood there quietly, waiting until the announcement to take her position before she moved.
Enter the gate, get into the starting position, commit every horse girl's trajectory to memory.
With the sound of the starting pistol, thirteen horse girls burst from the gates.
Adjust, confirm. Celestial Weave silently fell in behind the Chaser horse girls, following the guidance of her memory, making every step perfect.
The 200-meter straight passed in a flash. As she entered the turn, Celestial Weave even adjusted her footing at a dangerously sharp angle, her whole body seeming to be crushed by gravity, as if she would be thrown off at any second.
But with every step, the ground gave her a firm and powerful response. If anyone had been watching Celestial Weave at that moment, they would have been amazed by the strange, almost eerie feeling she gave off compared to the other horse girls.
It was as if everyone was struggling through deep snow, and suddenly someone walked past, completely unfazed, as if for them, the snow had never existed.
But before the commentator could notice this strange phenomenon, Celestial Weave accelerated the moment she exited the turn, rushing past several horse girls with lightning speed.
The orderly Chaser group seemed to sense something and anxiously adjusted their trajectories. But Celestial Weave, as if she could predict their movements, shot through the gaps between them.
It was only then that the slow-to-react commentator finally exclaimed.
"It's number thirteen, horse girl Celestial Weave! So fast! It's like there are no obstacles in her way! She pierced through the entire Chaser group in an instant!"
My body feels light. I accelerated much earlier than before, but I'm not tired at all.
Celestial Weave's eyes were fixed ahead, on the white crescent bang that stood before her, a moon she had never been able to touch.
She increased her speed again. With her D-rank Stamina, she could maintain this sprint until the end of the race. As she got closer and closer to Tokai Teio, Celestial Weave could even feel the astonishment coming from the small figure in front of her.
Soon, Celestial Weave was beside Tokai Teio. With 100 meters to the finish line, they seemed to be competing against each other, both increasing their speed. The red and white streaks of light raced side by side, so dazzling in everyone's eyes that they seemed to have pierced the curtain of rain.
And when the two figures crossed the finish line together, everyone couldn't help but wonder.
Who is the champion?
Their confusion didn't last long. Soon, two lines of text appeared on the giant screen.
First Place, Celestial Weave.
Second Place, Tokai Teio.
Celestial Weave turned her head and looked at the panting Tokai Teio beside her. She hadn't seen her look so worn out before. It seemed she had pushed her to her limit too.
Celestial Weave opened her mouth, about to say something, but found that Tokai Teio's figure was gradually blurring.
Is it over?
She closed her eyes, quietly waiting for the system's settlement.
[Phase Objective 2 Complete]
[Reward has been distributed]
When she opened her eyes again, she was back in the empty entrance tunnel. Celestial Weave silently looked at the red alarm clock ticking in front of her and mentally called out the mission panel.
[Initial Mission: The Debut Race]
I. Main Objective:
Win the debut race with an absolute advantage.
Reward: 3000 SP + Stage Ticket x1
Looking at the words "absolute advantage" on the mission panel, Celestial Weave mulled over the word "absolute" in her mind, then whispered to herself.
"System, use the Potential-Stimulating Potions. Increase my Speed and Intellect."
Without waiting for the commentator to call her name, Celestial Weave tied her ribbon and returned to the rain once more.
Let me find out for myself just what it means to be absolute.
-------
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