When Dream Weaver opened her eyes once more, all she could see was a world shrouded in darkness.
Before she could even begin to wonder where she was, that familiar mechanical voice echoed in her ears.
[Main Storyline Quest Completed. Calculating Rewards.]
In the next instant, a semi-transparent blue screen materialized before her eyes.
--+--
[Scenario Quest: The Path to Becoming a Top-Class Uma Musume]
[Quest Completed]
[Evaluation: A-Rank
Description: An Uma Musume who burned everything for victory. Your undefeated legacy and tragic ending will be deeply etched into the hearts of all who loved you.]
[A-Rank Reward: 5000 SP + Skill Upgrade Coupon]
[Special Item Unlocked]
--+--
Staring at the screen that had suddenly taken over her vision, Dream Weaver was momentarily dazed. It took her a few seconds to collect herself and start reading the information.
'The initial quest didn't have any reward screen like this. Is this something only the main scenario offers?'
That made sense—after all, the scenario quest had been far more challenging than the initial one had ever been.
Looking back now, the initial quest's rewards—stat boosts and unlimited chances to retry—had actually been incredibly generous.
Once she'd confirmed everything, Dream Weaver softly called up her inventory, eager to examine the rewards from this main quest and her evaluation.
--+--
[Skill Awakening Coupon]
[Description: An Uma Musume's experiences can crystallize into Skills. If refined further, a Skill may even awaken into a Zone.
Using this item will raise the rarity of one Skill from blue to purple, granting it the potential to awaken into a Zone.
Note: "Look out—I pressed the wrong button!" —as exclaimed by a certain leaping Uma Musume]
--+--
Dream Weaver already knew that Skills could awaken into Zones. She'd begun to realize it when T.M. Opera O had challenged her—back then, the only thing she had that could even be considered a proto-Zone was her purple Skill, Tokyo Swift.
Thinking back, she recalled that before she'd acquired Tokyo Swift, her status screen had listed her Zone as "None." It only changed to "Dormant" after she obtained the Skill.
The system had hinted at this all along. She just hadn't noticed.
Shaking her head slightly, she turned her attention to the other item.
--+--
[Skill Upgrade Coupon]
[Description: The rarity of a Skill reflects how deeply an Uma Musume has internalized that experience. It will not improve unless triggered by a special event.
Using this item will raise a white-rarity Skill to blue.
Note: "'Tis but a bit of wind and frost." —muttered a certain Uma Musume hunting for beetles, brushing leaves from her hair]
--+--
Just as she'd suspected from the similar naming, the two items were clearly related. After reading the description, it was confirmed—this item was basically a mini-version of the Skill Awakening Coupon.
But even a mini-version had its uses. It wasn't like she could use a Skill Awakening Coupon on a white-rarity Skill, after all.
Wastefulness aside, the description didn't even say the Awakening Coupon could upgrade white Skills.
Right at that moment, the system's mechanical prompt sounded again.
"Please select the attributes you wish to carry over into the real world."
If it hadn't reminded her, Dream Weaver might have forgotten—this scenario quest allowed her to choose two attributes to bring back with her.
Compared to her real-world stats, which were mostly D-rank, her attributes in the scenario world had reached B-rank. Jumping several grades like that was no small improvement.
A little excited, Dream Weaver summoned her status screen in her mind.
--+--
[Uma Musume Training System — Scenario Status]
Character: Dream Weaver
Speed: B [Elite] [Locked]
Stamina: B [Elite] [Locked]
Power: B [Elite] [Locked]
Guts: A [Legendary] [Limit Break]
Wit: B [Elite] [Locked]
Surface Aptitude: Turf A, Dirt C
Zone: [Cursed Blade]
[Effect: When the Zone is active, it emits a knife-edge-like sense of danger that causes other Uma Musume to instinctively avoid the user.
After sacrificing a certain amount of vitality, the cursed blade will be fully drawn, and the Zone's name changes to [Murasame]. Scorching heat waves surge across the field, doubling the stamina consumption of every Uma Musume on the track.]
Skills: Concentration (Blue)
Baptism by Fire (White)
[Effect: A reward for breaking limits. Slightly restores stamina when pushed to the extreme.]
Endurance (White)
[Effect: Forged through relentless training and the pain endured in races leading up to the Satsuki Sho. Slightly increases pain tolerance.]
--+--
Dream Weaver carefully examined every word on her newly enhanced status screen.
She'd already tested her Zone's effects during the Satsuki Sho, so that was nothing new. The two Skills, Baptism by Fire and Endurance, must have been awakened during the race as well. Without the bonuses they provided, her victory might have been even more uncertain.
Now, aside from choosing which attributes to carry over, she had another dilemma—how to use her items.
The Skill Awakening Coupon would definitely go to Concentration. But which Skill should she use the Skill Upgrade Coupon on?
Both Endurance and Baptism by Fire seemed useful. Dream Weaver honestly couldn't tell which would give her the greater benefit.
Just as she was agonizing over the choice, the system's mechanical voice sounded again.
[Please select the attributes you wish to carry over into the real world.]
Though its tone was still ice-cold and devoid of emotion, Dream Weaver somehow sensed a hint of impatience this time.
Setting her dilemma aside for now, she looked at her status screen and spoke to the system.
"I choose to carry over Guts and Speed."
There was no question about selecting Guts—it was her highest stat.
She chose Speed because of the reward she'd received earlier for completing Stage Quest Two.
That item, which accelerated training for both Stamina and Power, hadn't seemed particularly useful back then. But now, it could be a huge help—Dream Weaver could use it to push herself to her limits more efficiently.
There was no equally convenient item for training Speed.
After weighing her options, she settled on Guts and Speed as the attributes to carry over.
As soon as she finished speaking, the system screen flickered, but otherwise showed no change. It seemed she wouldn't feel the effects of the carried-over attributes until she returned to the real world.
Just as Dream Weaver was about to use the Skill Awakening Coupon on Concentration, the system issued another prompt.
[Now entering the future of the scenario world.]
Before she could even process what that meant, everything went black, and she lost consciousness once again.
--+--
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.