When that Uma Musume named Dream Weaver claimed the Triple Crown with an undefeated streak, the entire Japanese racing world held its breath.
They expected her to shatter the curse; she was young, and for Dream Weaver, conquering the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe felt like a mere matter of time.
So, carrying the weight of a nation's hopes on her shoulders, she stepped onto the turf of the Arc under the expectant gaze of the world.
Her first attempt resulted in a second-place finish—a loss by the thinnest of margins.
She had led almost the entire field for the duration of the race.
Had the champion not unleashed a miracle burst of speed on the final straight, success would have been hers.
It was the best result a Japanese Uma Musume had ever achieved on the stage of the Arc.
Being only half a step away from the crown, everyone was certain that Dream Weaver would surely win it the following year.
But the second time, she placed second again.
Again, it was by a hair's breadth.
Again, she had dominated the lead.
Had another Uma Musume not made a miracle happen at the very last moment, her victory would have been undisputed.
If the mood of the audience after the first runner-up finish was optimistic, seeing a near-identical carbon copy of the previous year bred doubt. How could such a miracle happen twice in a row?
Still, people told themselves that the third time would be the charm. If a "miracle" happens three times, you stop calling it a miracle.
And so, amidst a fever pitch of anticipation, Dream Weaver stepped onto the Arc for the third time. The result... was yet another second place.
There is little need to dwell on the similarities that followed.
For the exact same scenario to play out three times without change was nothing short of a hex. After that particular race, a moniker began to follow Dream Weaver:
The Cursed Star.
The Uma Musume cursed by the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Regardless, Dream Weaver had only ever lost the Arc.
In those years, she won almost every other international G1 race she entered.
This was precisely why people pinned their hopes on her time and time after.
Following her third defeat at the Arc, the title of "Cursed Star" was still only whispered in small circles.
After sweeping every G1 race she entered for another year, the highly anticipated Dream Weaver stepped onto the track of the Arc for the fourth time.
Then, just like the three times before, she lost.
From that moment on, titles like "Cursed Star" and "The Nightmare of the Arc" became permanent prefixes to her name.
Yet, aside from that one race, she remained a dominant force, winning every other G1 event and becoming a world-class Uma Musume in her own right.
This meant that no matter how many times she failed at the Arc, people still found themselves hoping again whenever a new season rolled around.
Again and again.
As the failures piled up—each one a near-perfect replica of the last—the world finally accepted it:
Dream Weaver truly was an Uma Musume cursed by the Arc.
The story was so surreal that when veteran fans introduced Dream Weaver to newcomers, they often did so with a wry, stifled smile.
Some would even chuckle just hearing the words "The Arc" and "Dream Weaver" in the same sentence.
People thought the joke could last forever, but they forgot that every Uma Musume's time on the track is finite.
When Dream Weaver answered her fans' calls one last time but failed to even secure second place, the world looked at that red flash of light—now lacking its usual blinding speed—and realized the truth.
For the current Dream Weaver, time had become her greatest adversary.
[Scenario mission constructed.]
A cold, mechanical voice rang in her ear, and Dream Weaver slowly opened her eyes.
Before her lay the all-too-familiar Tracen Academy training grounds. She was sitting on a bench, watching a group of Uma Musume pouring their youth and passion into their drills.
"System, you've got to be pulling my leg..."
Having finished processing the background of this scenario world, Dream Weaver's lip twitched in annoyance.
She admitted that the Arc had seen countless legendary Uma Musume, and she didn't expect to win every single race—she wasn't a god, after all.
Losing was natural.
But—and it was a big 'but'—to lose in the exact same way every single time?
Leading the whole way only to have someone else pull a miracle out of their hat at the last second?
That was a bit much. What kind of exaggerated curse is this!
Dream Weaver strongly suspected the system was targeting her. Right before entering this world, she had felt like no mission could stop her, and then she gets dropped into a backstory like this.
She shook her head helplessly while calling up the mission interface.
She gathered that the system had set this up just to spike the difficulty level.
She even thought she had guessed what the mission would be: likely winning the Arc with a declining body, similar to how she had overcome the Northern family curse to defeat Narita Brian.
However, when the interface appeared, she froze. The main objective wasn't just "unrelated" to her guess; it was in a different league entirely.
--+--
[Scenario Mission: Twin Stars Above the World]
--+--
1. Main Objective
Focusing on a Team as the primary unit, win five top-tier G1 races.
Current Progress: (0/5)
Rewards: 20,000 SP + Stage Ticket ×1 + Legend Trainer's Certificate
--+--
2. Phase Objectives
Train one G1-rank Uma Musume.
Reward: 5,000 SP + Instructor's Whip
Train a second G1-rank Uma Musume.
Reward: 5,000 SP + Uma Musume Training Guide
Note: This scenario is a Narrative-type script. The host will carry over her original stats to complete the mission. After the main mission is settled, one item may be chosen to be brought back to the real world.
--+--
Now, Dream Weaver was certain the system was messing with her.
"What even is this..."
Dream Weaver slumped onto the bench, staring blankly at the sky with a long sigh.
She was an Uma Musume, wasn't she? Even if she were to transition into being a Trainer, that should have been a long way off. What was the system playing at?
Was it trying to arrange her retirement plan early? Isn't that just a bit too thoughtful?
Winning five G1 races was something she could do by herself, but she didn't have the slightest clue about those two phase objectives.
Wait... no.
Dream Weaver felt she had spotted a loophole. She furrowed her brows, thinking hard.
The system never actually said that failing the phase objectives would prevent her from returning to the real world. In previous scenarios, she only needed the main mission cleared to settle the account.
Phase objectives, phase objectives... maybe they don't affect the main story at all? Just side quests for extra rewards that she could totally ignore!
She bounded off the bench, full of renewed spirit, and shouted to the system in her mind.
"System, open my status panel!"
As long as the mission involved winning races, Dream Weaver had absolute confidence.
That's right!
There was... nothing to be afraid of anymore!
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.