Uma Musume Girl, I'll tell you about my Santa Hat special move too?

At this moment, she was squatting in the grass, slowly stretching her limbs, while studying the racehorse breeding system in her mind.

After studying the system, she discovered that there weren't many things she could manipulate. She couldn't simulate training to improve attributes, nor could she spend money to buy any abnormal abilities. The only help she could currently receive was purchasing skills and digitizing her physical attributes.

Although her physical attributes didn't increase after being digitized, they greatly improved Stardust Illusion's stability while running. The system wasn't stingy when it came to purchasing skills, listing all the skills she could acquire in the Chinese server before her transmigration.

Now all she has to do is use the remaining 573 PT points to choose the right skills to buy and increase her chances of winning this match.

"So, I guess I still have to think about this inherent skill..." Stardust Illusion thought to himself as he looked at the inherent skill, Miracle Runner of the Holy Night, which was already loaded into the character panel.

"Given my attributes, to reliably trigger this inherent skill, I would need at least four blue skills. So, the best option now is..."

[Straight Line Recovery]: Slightly restores stamina when moving in a straight line.

[Go with the flow]: When going uphill, you become slightly less tired (you recover your strength slightly).

I spent 360 PT to purchase these two recovery skills.

"Then, among the remaining skills... passive skills should be more reliable, right?" Thinking this, Stardust Illusion used its remaining 213 PT points to purchase the other two skills:

【Non-standard distance o】: Becomes slightly better at non-standard distances.

【Counterclockwise o】: Becomes slightly better at counterclockwise tracks.

"Do you know the Emperor of the East Sea?" The short, reddish-brown-haired racehorse girl suddenly asked.

The racehorse girl and Stardust Illusion met after arriving at the racetrack. After all, the racehorse girl had also appeared in Stardust Illusion's memories: her name was Excellent Quality.

"I wouldn't say we know each other; we just met briefly this morning in the shopping street."

The stardust illusion, which was moving its body by stepping in place, answered casually.

"Ah! Is it about the Emperor arresting a robber this morning? I saw it on the news at noon." Excellent quality suddenly realized.

"It's been reported so quickly?"

Stardust Illusion smiled and shook its head upon hearing this.

As expected of a superstar and a talented racehorse girl, every move she makes attracts attention. Although she was clearly present at the scene, no one paid any attention to her. Judging from her excellent manners, it's obvious that she wasn't even mentioned in the reports.

Thinking of this, she looked up and around.

The soft, slightly damp grass, the azure sky overhead, the bustling stands all around, and the racehorses moving about in their respective areas.

Watching all this unfold and feeling the increasingly tense atmosphere of the arena, Stardust Illusion closed its eyes slightly, its white-tipped, red-based ears trembling slightly.

What is this feeling? Her body is calling out to her; it seems to have gained its own consciousness, wanting to drive her to participate, to fight, and to win the competition.

"Who do you think will win today?"

"Stardust Illusion suddenly asked."

"Huh?!" The excellent quality of her performance stopped her warm-up exercises when she was asked such a question. She stood there stunned, seemingly not expecting the person in front of her to ask so directly.

"I'm going to run to win first place!" The female racehorse declared repeatedly, seemingly realizing that her hesitation revealed a lack of confidence.

"Then we must defeat the Emperor of the East Sea."

Stardust Illusion recalled the scene from this morning, her right hand involuntarily clenching into a fist. The feeling of running but being helplessly overtaken... even though her goal was just the bounty, she still found it hard to accept.

What will happen during the match?

--------------------------------

"Hey, what do you think of excellent qualities?" Rudolf asked, standing by the window of the viewing room and observing the people below.

"Are you asking if she poses a threat to the emperor?"

The air tank still stood beside the emperor like a personal secretary.

She glanced down at the excellent qualities of the horse girl below, who was talking to another dark brown-haired racehorse, recalled her training records at Treson Academy, and then replied:

"To be honest, statistically speaking, she is still a bit behind the Emperor. If she can make a breakthrough in this competition, she should be able to threaten her."

"Does it need a breakthrough..." Rudolf seemed to savor the words, turning his gaze slightly away as if he were thinking about something, and did not continue speaking.

"Are you watching that one over there? I remember her name on the information is... Stardust Mirage. What do you think of her?" The energy bar pointed to the racehorse girl standing next to the excellent one and continued:

"The file states that Stardust Mirage is a racehorse girl who has never received formal training, and her registered address is a local training academy. There isn't much information about her. But generally, girls like this don't perform very well—not every local racehorse girl is named Oguri Hat, right?"

"Little Chestnut Hat?" Rudolph Symbol certainly wouldn't forget that name. Back then, she arrogantly barged into the student council room and demanded that he help her get a spot in the Japanese Derby.

Although the application ultimately failed, it at least prompted the Japan Racing Club to revise the derby registration requirements, and next year will be the first year that the new rules will be implemented.

Upon hearing the name Oguri Hat, Rudolf noticed that the short-haired racehorse girl standing next to the excellent qualities seemed ordinary, yet there was something about her that made him feel a connection to Oguri Hat.

“I have a feeling that this racehorse girl is not simple.” Rudolf frowned. “But I can’t be wrong about that look in her eyes. She doesn’t have much of a will to win yet.”

"Not so simple?" Qi Cao also turned her attention to the racehorse girl named Stardust Illusion, but she couldn't see anything different about her.

"Hmm... Judging from her gait and the way she stretches her legs when she moves her body, she shouldn't be weak."

Rudolf symbolically explained:

“Every step she took was incredibly precise, a quality that not every racehorse girl possesses, and I always felt there was something familiar about that gait.”

"Truly worthy of being called the symbol of Emperor Rudolf, able to see something like this." Qi Kao praised the student council president's keen observation, then, as if remembering something, asked with a mischievous grin:

"Could this be the opponent you've been waiting for, someone who can threaten the emperor and even take away her victorious status?"

"In short, I did everything I could for the emperor before I even made my debut."

Rudolph stood symbolically in the spectator room, watching the racehorses begin to enter the gate. Among them, the smallest girl was waving and greeting the audience as she walked.

Rudolf suppressed the urge to run down and hug her, and stood still, offering his blessings to the crowd: "May the Emperor achieve immediate success."

“Indeed, all we can do now is wish the Emperor a happy new life,” Qi Cao agreed.

"Huh?" Rudolf turned his head in surprise, looking towards the air tank, seemingly puzzled by her indifferent reaction. She repeated:

"What I'm saying is, I hope the emperor can achieve immediate success."

"..."

Qi Cao felt a sudden darkness before her eyes. This guy actually... suddenly told her that inexplicable lame joke at a time like this!

Chapter Six: The true speed lies in the speed of unorthodox methods.

"Running into that kind of guy in my debut match..."

Stardust Illusion turned its head and saw the pink-haired racehorse girl inside the left gate muttering to herself with a resentful expression.

"What are you looking at! You're just like me, destined to become the stepping stone for the Emperor of the East Sea!"

She seemed to notice the gaze and turned her head to glare fiercely at the Stardust Illusion.

The girl's eyes were filled with anger, and her furry ears were bent back forcefully, clearly indicating that she was in a state of maximum aggression.

"Anyway, neither you nor anyone else could possibly compare to a genius from the central government!"

"maybe."

Stardust Illusion ignored her attitude and instead spoke gently to the racehorse girl:

"How will anyone know if I don't actually run around in it? My name is Stardust Illusion, what's yours?"

"You—! Tch, you can only pretend to be calm now." The pink-haired racehorse girl didn't accept her kindness, but continued with a resentful look, "Anyway, it's because you're a country bumpkin racehorse girl who's never seen the world that you're so relaxed, right? You'll know what a clear difference in strength is when the race starts!"

An absolute gap in strength?

Stardust Illusion knew in her heart that she was referring to herself and the Emperor of the East Sea. After that childish race that morning, she had indeed realized that there was a chasm between the two of them.

But things are different now. Although the system didn't make him an invincible runner overnight, even these boosts give Stardust Illusion some hope for the upcoming races.

Perhaps this time I can outrun that genius?

"Perhaps this time we can outrun that genius? Is that what you're thinking?" The racehorse girl on the other side of the gate seemed to have mind-reading abilities, speaking out Stardust Illusion's inner thoughts.

“That kind of naive idea has been conceived by countless racehorses.” She laughed dismissively. “Once you’ve seen the top runners in the central region, you’ll know just how foolish this wishful thinking is.”

So you...are you planning to give up?

Stardust Illusion was puzzled. Why was this person standing on the field, saying he could never win?

"Mind your own business! I only found out about this after I signed up!"

The person in front of me seemed even more agitated by those words; her eyes welled up with tears, and she shouted through gritted teeth:

"But... but I also want to give it a try! If I give up without even trying my debut, then all my training over the years has been for nothing?!"

So keep going!

Upon hearing the competition staff announce that the competition was about to begin, Stardust Illusion offered a final word of comfort before turning away to make its final preparations within the narrow gate.

"My name is, Blizzard Snowflake." The pink-haired racer girl, Blizzard Snowflake, had calmed down a bit. She finally told Stardust Illusion her name, seemingly apologizing for her earlier loss of control.

The two simultaneously entered a state of complete concentration, assuming their positions inside the gate...

On the field, seemingly sensing the approaching competition, most of the spectators couldn't help but hold their breath, leaving only the commentators' and hosts' passionate voices echoing through the Zhongjing Racecourse via loudspeakers:

The azure sky stretched as far as the eye could see. Although a heavy rain had fallen recently and the turf in the racecourse wasn't in its best condition, it didn't dampen our anticipation for the outstanding performances of the fourteen racehorses!

[All contestants have entered the gate and are ready. Today's third most popular contestant is number 11, Electric Snowflake, who seems to have already shown enough fighting spirit.]

[The second most popular one is this guy over here—number 3. He's got excellent qualities and looks well-prepared, ready to go at any time.]

[And today's main character is undoubtedly this racehorse girl, the most popular, number 2 contestant, Tokai Teio!]

[The Empress seems to have a significant advantage in strength; she exudes an aura of power just standing there. I hope she can deliver a brilliant performance in this 1800-meter race!]

beep--!!!

With a loud whistle from the side of the track, all the indicator lights inside the gates turned green, and the gates opened simultaneously. Fourteen figures burst out at the same moment, rushing towards the front of the track!

--------------------------------

In the VIP room, Rudolf and the air tank watched the match intently.

"The Emperor's start should be pretty good." QiGao immediately noticed the condition of the racehorse girl in the starting gate and commented accordingly.

"Yes, this child's flexible body is a gift, which can help her unleash great power in a short time and reach the critical point in the shortest time. This allows her to quickly seize a favorable position at the start."

Rudolph nodded in agreement, but her gaze involuntarily drifted to the short-haired racehorse girl inside gate number 7.

Her eyes still held a hint of doubt, and after the racehorse entered the gate, Rudolf sensed an even stranger atmosphere.

This racehorse girl named Stardust Illusion, though her eyes didn't reveal much of her ambition for victory, her standard movements and vaguely familiar aura firmly attracted Rudolph's attention.