The night was deep.
Stars dotted the sky. Lights-out in the dorms of Tracen Academy had long since passed.
On the training track, El Condor Pasa ran, sweat pouring down her body, the sound of her footsteps rhythmic against the earth. The Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes—her first G1 race—was fast approaching.
For that race, she held absolute confidence. She would definitely win.
But Barbatos… Barbatos was about to compete in the Winter Dream Cup, going up against Japan's top Uma Musume, the legends of Team Rigil.
As Barbatos's rival, El Condor Pasa couldn't help but place herself in her shoes. What if she were the one about to enter the Winter Dream Cup?
How would she face those legends of Rigil?
Even with strong confidence, she knew the gap between herself and the legendary racers.
Being in the same team, she understood their power all too well, yet it only made her crave sharing the same stage with them even more.
And now.
In the eyes of the world, Barbatos, considered to be on her level, was heading to the Winter Dream Cup.
So how could she, the 'Phantom Bird,' afford to slack off?!
She had to train even harder.
Finishing another exhausting lap, El Condor Pasa, panting heavily, looked toward Grass Wonder standing not far away, keeping her company.
Grass Wonder must feel the same way, she thought. If not for injuries, she'd surely be pushing herself harder too, striving to surpass Barbatos, imagining herself in the Winter Dream Cup to measure the distance to those legends.
For El Condor Pasa, to become the world's number one Uma Musume, she had to win the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Victory there would grant her that title.
But that was only a nominal 'world's best.'
Unless... she truly defeated them all: Barbatos, Grass Wonder, El Condor Pasa herself, Seiun Sky, Special Week, King Halo, the seniors of Rigil, and every other legendary racer.
Only then would she be the true number one!
--+--
Barbatos lay on her bed, gazing quietly at the dormitory ceiling.
She'd expected more debate in the comments under her Weibo post, but instead, netizens had flooded it with cheers and encouragement.
Whether they believed she could win the Winter Dream Cup or understood the near-impossible gap between her and the legends, they all offered sincere support.
'If only I could really win the Winter Dream Cup…'
She'd rationally gauged the distance, knowing her current self stood little chance.
Yet the confidence built from successive victories, her craving for wins, the cheers of her fans—all made her yearn to triumph in this race.
And not just with the goal of beating Amazon-senpai.
Though even that goal alone seemed pitifully unlikely.
For the first time in a while, she opened the system interface.
A virtual screen glowed in the dim room. A string of ranked victories had accumulated enough Blue Essence to potentially make her stronger before the Winter Dream Cup.
But most 'reasonable,' 'conventional' champion abilities couldn't let her leap several tiers at once.
Especially with the high likelihood that legendary Uma Musume couldn't be… 'taken down.'
She'd previously researched many speed-enhancing champions: 'Jinx's passive,' 'Singed's ultimate,' 'Quinn's ultimate,' 'Sylas's ultimate'...
--+--
[Jinx's Passive - Get Excited!]:
When Barbatos scores a takedown against an enemy Uma Musume, she gains 175% Movement Speed and Attack Speed that decays over 4 seconds.
While excited, her Attack Speed can exceed the cap.
--+--
[Singed's Ultimate - Insanity Potion]:
Barbatos drinks a potent brew, gaining 35 Ability Power, Armor, Magic Resist, Movement Speed, Health Regeneration, and Mana Regeneration for 25 seconds.
--+--
[Quinn's Ultimate - Behind Enemy Lines]:
Barbatos calls down Valor for assistance. After a 2-second channel, they unite, gaining 70% total Movement Speed.
--+--
[Sivir's Ultimate - On the Hunt]:
Barbatos inspires nearby allies for 8 seconds, granting all nearby friendly units 40% Movement Speed that decays to 20% after 2 seconds.
--+--
Of these, the strongest speed boost was Jinx's [Get Excited!]. A 175% Movement Speed increase was terrifying, enough to ensure she wasn't last in the Winter Dream Cup—maybe even snatch a win.
But scoring a takedown against a legendary Uma Musume was something her current self simply couldn't achieve.
As for races outside the Winter Dream Cup, her current abilities were more than sufficient. No need to purchase Jinx.
Singed's [Insanity Potion] offered less dramatic but longer-lasting speed. Sivir's [On the Hunt] was better for team fights, unsuitable for individual races and too brief.
The only truly fitting option seemed to be Quinn's ultimate, [Behind Enemy Lines].
Both its speed boost and duration were impeccable. The only problem was… 'flying faster than running?'
Win the Winter Dream Cup, only to be whisked away for experimentation?
Other abilities, like Zilean's, Karma's, or Lulu's, were also too short-lived, only useful as a final burst of speed.
League of Legends had many skills, but few suited her current needs.
Her eyes scanned the system interface, passing over speed-enhancing champions, until her peripheral vision caught a mischievous-looking girl.
"If they don't want to grow up, that's their business. Maybe they already did? I didn't."
The champion's line echoed in her mind. The Aspect of Twilight—Zoe!
A champion with no direct movement speed skills.
But!
Her ability [Spell Thief]: Enemy champion spell casts and active item uses drop spell shards, lasting 40 seconds. Some minions also drop a shard when killed by Zoe.
The real world had no summoner spells or active items to drop.
But what if skills like [Last Spurt] dropped shards after use? What if she could keep picking up and using the skills of the racers ahead of her?
The bold idea took shape. If it worked, it would be a qualitative leap. But it was a gamble. If her assumption was wrong, she'd waste Blue Essence for nothing.
Summoner spells and active items didn't seem analogous to an Uma Musume's [Last Spurt]. And given the cooldown of her other skills, could she even cast [Spell Thief] multiple times in one race?
Wait… other Uma Musume's skills?
Barbatos's heartbeat quickened. The system interface shifted, landing on the image of a bare-chested man.
The Unshackled—Sylas!
Whether Sylas would work as she imagined, she didn't know.
This would be a high-stakes gamble. A 6300 Blue Essence gamble.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, 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.