------------------------------------------
In a nutshell, Ling Yi had transmigrated.
Probably into the world of Uma Musume?
He vaguely recalled that before losing consciousness, he was grinding the Uma Musume game all night until he passed out from sheer exhaustion.
Until he woke up again... which was now.
He found himself seated in a gloomy alleyway. Peering through the light toward the entrance, he saw a bustling street filled with neon signs bearing Japanese characters and overwhelming idol advertisements plastered everywhere.
The female celebrities featured in those idol ads, though each possessing distinct appearances, shared a common trait: long ears protruding from their heads and slender tails swaying below their waists.
Ling Yi knew exactly what species they were.
[Uma Musume]
Girls possessing human appearances yet bearing equine traits, endowed with superhuman physical prowess enabling them to run at incredible speeds.
Their vivid portrayal on screen was beyond anything even the cosplayer of the Akihabara Electric Town in Japan could achieve with cosplay—the horse ears and tails were simply too lifelike.
Though Uma Musume was a national phenomenon in Japan, the atmosphere—where it seemed the entire world revolved solely around these horse girls—felt utterly abnormal and baffling.
Thus, with multiple clues converging, Ling Yi came to understand: he had traveled to the world of Uma Musume.
——
"..."
Emerging groggily from the alleyway, Ling Yi instinctively shielded his eyes from the sudden glare of sunlight as the ambient light shifted. Once his vision adjusted, the young man began scanning his surroundings.
Suddenly, a flyer-like piece of paper fluttered past his eyes in the breeze. Ling Yi's gaze was instinctively drawn to it, but his attention ultimately followed the flyer's direction, landing on a large LCD display mounted on a nearby high-rise building.
On the screen—within a program resembling a news broadcast—two hosts were conversing.
"The most popular Uma, upon reaching their peak and facing the inevitable decline that follows, choose to retire at the year-end [Arima Kinen]. The one known as the [Grey Monster], [Oguri Cap], has finally reached this final moment."
"However, her recent form suggests she may struggle to recapture her peak. After securing first and second place finishes in the Yasuda Kinen and Takarazuka Kinen, she plummeted to sixth and eleventh place in her subsequent races. Can Oguri Cap truly achieve a perfect farewell race? Most fans now share this concern and lament."
"...In any case, this also signifies the impending end of a glorious era. Let's shift our focus to this rising generation of Young Uma."
"Indeed, the most talked-about Uma right now is undoubtedly Miss [Mejiro McQueen]. Last month, she secured a stunning victory at the [Kikuka Sho]. Truly worthy of the prestigious Mejiro lineage, we eagerly anticipate Miss McQueen's future brilliance in long-distance races."
"Next is the rising star from Tracen Academy—rumored to be groomed as an heir by the emperor, Symboli Rudolf. The debut race of [Tōkai Teiō] is about to begin!"
"Hey, hey~ Don't just spout rumors. The heiress talk is merely gossip; there's never been an official announcement. Miss Tokai Teio probably just interacts more with seniors than her peers, right? But—regardless of the truth—her debut race will surely draw huge crowds."
"Will we be able to see the next Triple Crown-winning Uma this year?"
"Hard to say. Each year, only about seven thousand Uma in the country possess the potential to compete. Among them, only a handful truly rise to become star Uma's, qualifying for central circuit events and winning major prizes. Most struggle to adapt to the central circuit's pace and retreat to regional races. Given this backdrop, the Triple Crown is an event each Uma's can only compete once in there lifetime—its prestige speaks for itself... From preparing for the Yayoi Sho to the Satsuki Sho, then the Japanese Derby, it's a short period of intense racing. The distance change for the Kikuka Sho places enormous demands on a Uma's innate stamina requiring a rigorous training. Seriously, what kind of monsters are these Triple Crown winners?"
"Ah—speaking of the Triple Crown, why couldn't Oguri Cap have been discovered earlier for the central races! Why couldn't she compete in the Derby because of the system! I can't accept it!"
"Is that really the point? It happened so long ago, why are you still thinking about it?"
"I refuse to accept that the Invincible Cap missed out on the Triple Crown!"
"—But the Grey Showdown was won by Tamamo Cross."
"Shut up! I won't listen!"
—
Ling Yi watched the hosts converse, his brow slightly furrowed.
Unlike the other passersby who laughed at the two deliberately acting silly for comedic effect, he gleaned some information from their dialogue.
"Setting aside the exact year, the current timeline and world line should correspond to November or December."
This period likely falls between the events of Season 1 where Silent Suzuka traveled to America and the start of the Tokai Teio story in Season 2.
The main storylines of the Uma Musume game and anime diverge significantly. While the character designs and foundational world-building remain consistent, the interpersonal relationships have undergone major shifts.
Given that the host mentioned Oguri Cat and McQueen without mentioning their senior-junior relationship within the same team in the game—a connection that should have been referenced as the new generation's successors—it was clear they were unrelated in this anime timeline. McQueen would be tied to Trainer Okita's team via the Gold Ship, not the game's Sirius team.
As for timing, the Tenno Stakes and Arima Kinen races occur annually between October and December.
"But what good does knowing all this do?"
Ling Yi couldn't help but scratch the back of his head in irritation before tugging at his clothes to pull out his phone.
His attire and belongings were all familiar—meaning he hadn't "soul-transferred" but had traveled transmigrated in his own identity.
He turned on his phone. Unsurprisingly, he was out of signal range. His bank cards and OPPO/Vivo apps were obviously useless here.
(TS Note: OPPO/Vivo are the top Chinese smartphone brand)
Paper currency had become worthless. The literary development in the Uma world diverged from reality due to the emergence of this new species. Ling Yi wouldn't be surprised if an Uma's took a seat of power. Naturally, the portraits on the banknotes from his original world held no meaning here.
"—So what the hell am I supposed to do now?"
Cold sweat beaded on Ling Yi's forehead as he opened his wallet, pulled out his ID, and fidgeted with his hair in frustration.
This was useless too. He was completely undocumented.
No residence, no citizenship, no income or savings.
It felt like the world had rejected him.
(Not even the most basic livelihood was guaranteed.)
The moment he realized his situation after the transfer, any excitement about entering an anime world vanished instantly, replaced only by anxiety and a chill running down his spine.
Begging? How exactly does one do that?
Extortion? Impossible.
Work? How? The identity issue...
"Ugh—what if I just act like a runaway with no ID and no place to stay, shamelessly asking a shop to take me in and give me a job?"
Throwing a fit until the shop owner couldn't run their business anymore, forcing them to compromise.
He'd probably get smacked to death by the owner.
Was that even possible? This kind of thing? It wasn't like an anime or novel plot—way too far-fetched.
This was terrible.
Ling Yi couldn't help but sigh.
And just then...
(Ding-dong—)
His phone's notification sound rang out.
"?!?"
The young man froze in shock, then snapped to attention, snatching his phone.
"No signal, no internet—how could I get a notification?"
He squinted at the message on the screen.
It was an app icon accompanied by a single line of text.
The icon was familiar to Ling Yi—the Uma Musume game app client, featuring Gold Ship in a maniacal, cackling pose, along with a brief text annotation.
[Uma Musume new version update successful.]
Without hesitation, Ling Yi opened the game app.
Under normal circumstances, he should have encountered a frozen loading screen. But contrary to his expectations, he somehow managed to log in!
The problem was, the game client he entered didn't match the interface he knew. While the overall UI style was familiar, it was now divided into three distinct sections:
[Shop], [Skills], [Uma Musume Details]
Ling Yi frowned and proceeded to check each section.
First was the Shop.
Similar to the Shop in the game, it offered various items to aid Uma's in training and competitions.
He glanced through it briefly and noticed these items seemed vastly different from those in the game.
——
[Guardian Charm: Usable only before matches or training sessions. Ensures the next event or session remains unaffected by negative physical effects unrelated to interference-type skills. (40pt)]
[Talent: Reduces skill learning points by 10%. (280pt)]
[Green Juice: Increases all attributes by 20 points and restores HP to maximum. (70pt)]
[Forget-Me-Not: Resets all learned skills and refunds the corresponding points. (100pt)]
[Universal Cure: Completely removes all negative conditions preventing the body from achieving general health, whether illness or physical injury. (500pt)]
[Status: Adorable: Horses with this status gain exceptional popularity. Earn an additional 15% fan points per race. Others form a favorable first impression and seek closer relationships.]
[Cupcake: A simple sweet treat with mild stress-relieving and mood-regulating effects...]
[Whistle: Blow this whistle to guarantee a special encounter today—a 100% chance to trigger a random event.]
[...]
[Current Shop Points: 0]
[Note: Shop PT Points are earned through races. Horse Girl races are divided into five tiers, with varying rewards based on tier: Pro-OP wins grant 20 PT, OP grants 40 PT, G3 grants 60 PT, G2 grants 80 PT, and G1 grants 100 PT.]
[Additionally, debut race victories grant a fixed 100 PT.]
Ling Yi pondered thoughtfully before opening the skill module.
The following skills appeared:
[Unique · Sky-High Teio Step: Accelerates dramatically with dazzling strides when closing the gap on frontrunners in the final stretch. (320pt)]
[Powerful Legs: Enhances overtaking ability when positioned at the rear during the race's final stages. (320pt)]
[Bright Future: Slightly reduces fatigue when positioned ahead during the middle stages. (160pt)]
[Escape Ban: Causes horses ahead to become agitated and slow down when positioned behind during the early stages. (340pt)]
[Never Give Up: Slightly increases the chance of successful overtaking.]
[Stamina Hunter: When positioned behind during the middle phase, slightly drains the stamina of leading Horse Girls...]
[...]
[Current Skill Points: 560 (320+120+120)]
[Note: Your Uma does not possess the innate skill inherent to each famous horse, thus the estimated innate skill points of 320 are reflected.]
[Note: 120 represents the base skill points for each horse girl. The additional 120 is a compensatory value derived from the gap between the inherent strength of famous Uma's and the extra points gained through trainer development before the debut race.]
[Note: Skill points can be earned through races and training, with specific values determined by race level and training intensity.]
——
Has the Peak Cup unlocked all equipment and the complete Uma Musume skill catalog? Seems like the post-race rewards got slashed too?"
Clearly, the game grants a fixed 100 shop points regardless of race tier.
Ling Yi muttered to himself, his finger sliding to the final section—[Uma Musume Details].
If this were the game, he'd likely see players' diverse collections of legendary Umas. But now, the young man's phone displayed only one girl.
Before him was a full-body image of a young girl.
Her ears flapped, her slender tail swayed.
Golden hair cascading to her waist, held back by a black ribbon. Her fair skin glowed translucent, and her porcelain-doll face bore emerald eyes. Within them lay a cold, piercing gaze—sharp as a drawn blade—yet she wore an inscrutable smile, radiating absolute confidence. She stood as the Valkyrie, the battle maiden at the pinnacle of the arena.
She appeared to be around fifteen years old, straddling the line between girlhood and young womanhood.
(An unfamiliar Uma.)
However, the horse's attribute panel was displayed clearly before Ling Yi.
[Track Adaptability]: Turf A, Dirt B
[Distance Adaptability]: Sprint B, Mile A, Medium A, Long A
[Running Style Adaptability]: Front-runner A, Pace Chaser A, Late Surger A, End Closer A
Seeing this, the young man couldn't help but hold his breath.
What an adaptability monster!
From track surfaces to distances to running styles—pick any category. The B ratings could easily be upgraded to A in the game. Even Oguri Cap and El Condor Pasa adaptability wasn't this absurd. What kind of fake horse was this, even more fake than the Hat Gate scandal?
But...
Compared to that.
Something far more eye-catching in the horse girl's details grabbed Ling Yi's attention.
He spotted an icon at the very bottom of the screen—a button.
[Start Training]
This...
What happens if I click it...?
Nothing at all?
Absurd? Straight out of a daydream novel? A Uma Musume materializing out of thin air? Then Ling Yi becomes her trainer, ascending to the pinnacle of the strongest trainers?
I feel like this plot could totally work!
Or maybe...
The young man noticed a familiar annotation beneath the button, similar to the [Shop Skills] section.
[Note: The core purpose of this system is to cultivate the host into the strongest, undefeated legend among Uma Musume.]
Ling Yi's expression froze, halting his thoughts instantly.
He gradually understood everything, yet he didn't want to truly comprehend it.
Ahead lay a path—perhaps, in some sense, a road with no return?
His hand pressed against his jaw, trembling slightly as he murmured to himself.
(Does this mean I have to become a Horse Girl and race...?)
——
Autor PS: Just a heads-up—the debut timelines for all the Uma's in this book are completely scrambled.
TS Note: By the Way I will not be translating the name of all the skills except for the Unique one.