The more she trained, the more Dream Weaver felt she was hitting her limits. Thanks to her early-maturity trait and all sorts of training gear, her stats had surged far ahead of many other Uma Musume who were naturally far more gifted than her.
To most people, such a huge lead was proof of Dream Weaver's extraordinary talent. Only she knew that this advantage had already run its course.
But how could she possibly complete the main quest with just this level of strength?
She scoured the system shop but couldn't find a single item that could break through her limits. In the end, she went all-in, placing all her hopes on the reward from the second stage quest.
Dream Weaver had no idea whether that thing called the Gravity-Adjusting Horseshoe would actually work, but she was out of options.
--+--
[Uma Musume Training System — Status]
Character: Dream Weaver
Speed: B [Elite] [Locked]
Stamina: B [Elite] [Locked]
Power: C [Veteran]
Guts: B [Elite] [Locked]
Wit: D+ [Rookie]
Track: Turf A, Dirt C
Zone: Not Unlocked
Skills: Concentration (Blue), Tokyo Swift (Purple)
--+--
Dream Weaver sat on the familiar grassy field, staring at the panel in front of her.
A few days earlier, in the Yayoi Sho, she faced Narita Top Road and Admire Vega again. It had rained that day, and the race was held at Nakayama Racecourse—conditions that prevented her Tokyo Swift skill from activating fully. Without the complete bonus, she only managed to win by two lengths.
And the reward she'd fought tooth and nail for turned out to be almost useless to her.
--+--
[Gravity-Adjusting Horseshoe]
[Durability: 50/50]
[Description: A set of horseshoes forged with special craftsmanship that can subtly adjust weight, significantly enhancing the effects of stamina and power training.
Note: "Damn you, gravity!" — from a certain Uma Musume who loves giant robots]
--+--
An item that could boost training effects for two stats at once, with no side effects—it was incredibly powerful. Similar items in the shop would cost at least 5,000 SP points.
Unfortunately, for Dream Weaver, whose stats were locked, this item could only enhance her power training.
At that thought, she couldn't help but sigh.
She'd already completed two stage quests, so why did it feel like the main quest was slipping further away?
Were G1 races just an insurmountable wall for an Uma Musume like her? Was this as far as she could go?
But she couldn't afford to lose. For other Uma Musume, no matter how once-in-a-lifetime or precious a race might be, they could still recover from a loss.
For Dream Weaver, though, this was her only hope.
"As the rival of the Conqueror of the Century's End, why do you look so disheartened?"
Just then, a loud, confident voice rang out from behind Dream Weaver.
She instinctively looked up and saw an Uma Musume with short orange-red hair who looked something like a tomboy.
The stranger leaned down, her purple eyes fixed intently on Dream Weaver.
Their faces were very close, the warm air from their breaths trapped in the narrow space between them.
The temperature seemed to rise, and Dream Weaver almost felt as if she were being scorched—like staring directly into the sun.
Without thinking, she asked:
"Who are you?"
Hearing the question, the Uma Musume immediately straightened up, placed a hand on her chest, and burst into laughter.
"Ahahahaha!"
"Since you asked so sincerely, I'll generously tell you! I am the strongest, the most beautiful—the 'Conqueror,' T.M. Opera O!"
Watching Opera's impromptu theatrical performance, the burning sensation Dream Weaver had felt earlier gradually faded. She couldn't help but mutter at the still-laughing Opera:
"What are you, the Fist of the North O Star?"
Unexpectedly, Opera responded with a proud smirk.
"Well, I am the Conqueror of the Century's End, after all!"
"Shouldn't that Conqueror be named Iskandar or something?"
"Hmph~"
Opera waved a finger dismissively.
"Some brute who unified the world through violence—how could he possibly outshine me, the one who will seize the Triple Crown!"
"And yet you're totally using his bit."
Opera's baseless confidence left Dream Weaver speechless. For once, she pressed on with her sarcasm.
But Opera's self-assurance was beyond anything Dream Weaver could have imagined. Faced with such an accurate jab, Opera showed not a hint of embarrassment. Instead, she pointed dramatically to the sky and declared:
"So feel honored, Iskandar! I will make the name 'Conqueror of the Century's End' known throughout the world!"
Dream Weaver gave up. She had never met an Uma Musume so overflowing with confidence. It was as if Opera could twist any comment into praise.
Feeling too dejected to argue, Dream Weaver simply lay back on the grass.
"Oh? Want to admire the Conqueror's strong and mighty thighs?"
Unlike the easily flustered Narita Top Road, Opera didn't back off when misunderstood. Instead, she crouched down and moved closer to Dream Weaver.
Looking up at those pale thighs that nearly blocked out the sky, Dream Weaver twitched her lips in exasperation. She rolled over, burying her face in the grass, and mumbled:
"They just smell like sweat. Who'd want to look at that?"
"Really? I thought you'd be interested in your rival's capabilities."
Opera tilted her head, then sat down right where Dream Weaver had been, poking her with a finger.
"What's with all this 'rival' talk? I don't even know who you are."
Dream Weaver's voice was so low it was almost inaudible, muffled by the grass.
"I'm T.M. Opera O—the Conqueror of the Century's End, you know."
Thinking her earlier introduction might not have been clear enough, Opera repeated it, even poking Dream Weaver's head for emphasis.
Annoyed by the poking, Dream Weaver shook her head irritably, her ponytail swishing toward Opera.
"I know your name—"
"Then that's settled!"
"Settled how? I've never considered anyone my rival."
"Oho~ So you look down on everyone, huh? As expected of my rival—such confidence!"
Being called confident by someone this overwhelmingly self-assured left Dream Weaver at a loss for words. She buried her face deeper in the grass, pretending not to hear.
"But everyone quietly sees you as their strongest rival, you know."
After a moment of silence, Dream Weaver hesitantly asked in a low voice:
"Everyone… meaning who?"
"Why, all those aiming for the Triple Crown, of course."
"Someone like me… could really be a rival to geniuses?"
"What do you mean, 'someone like you'? Aren't you the most dazzling genius of this era?"
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 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.