Kochi City Stadium.
Seventeen Uma Musume had finished their warm-ups and were being guided into the starting gates. Barbatos was among them.
This retest for Tracen Academy was a 1600-meter mile race on a dirt track.
Here in Kochi, the local Uma Musume were more accustomed to running on dirt, hence both the preliminary and retest were held on this surface.
If any Uma Musume were more skilled on grass, the sharp eyes of the 'judges' would surely notice and grant them an additional chance to try out.
'Even though I've been in a starting gate before, it still feels so cramped.'
Her ears twitched, never quite comfortable with the confined space. Compared to last night's nervousness, she felt surprisingly relaxed just before the exam began.
She realized this was different from a real race.
Having streamed on a certain video site, she'd also followed professional Uma Musume races. She knew that before the start, some would often trash-talk to disrupt their opponents' focus.
It could even cause a nearby Uma Musume to lose concentration and start late, or provoke a long-distance runner into going all out from the very beginning.
Maybe one might even do a high-kick start.
Trash-talking at the start was an art form. For this, Barbatos had even dug out a copy of 'The King's Avatar' to study 'Huang Shaotian's Quotations', preparing to slap a debuff on her opponents before the race.
But now wasn't the time to use it. That was a move best saved for at least a G1-level event.
As for the academy retest, this wasn't a true race in the competitive sense. It wasn't only the first-place finisher who could become a student of Tracen Academy; Haru Urara was a prime example.
Outstanding performance in the interview, coupled with a decent result on the track, was enough to secure admission.
"This entrance exam got delayed, but now I'll show you what the number one Uma Musume from Kochi can do! You will witness the rise of a future Triple Crown winner in this very race!"
A rather arrogant voice came from beside her.
This was the only one bold enough to spout such boasts right now. A real pro, huh?
A look of regret and reluctance flashed across Barbatos's face. "My leg injury just healed. If only I could make it into the top fifteen…"
Her ears drooped, forming a stark contrast with the boastful Uma Musume next to her, drawing sidelong glances from many competitors.
Most of them had participated in the first exam and recognized this Uma Musume who had previously suffered a fracture. They were surprised she was attempting the retest just two months later.
'Playing the weakling, probably planning to play dumb and then eat the tiger. Need to keep an eye on her,' thought the self-proclaimed 'Number One Uma Musume from Kochi'.
The red light blinked briefly, and the gates flew open.
All seventeen Uma Musume burst from the gates, a chaotic dance of horse girls. Soon, the 'Number One from Kochi' broke free from the pack and took the lead, steadily widening the gap from the others, already reaching the first turn.
As she entered the turn, she quickly glanced back, wanting to see where the one who'd said she'd be happy with 'top fifteen' was positioned.
'Dead last?!'
So she wasn't playing dumb? She really was just aiming for the top fifteen? Was top fifteen really her limit?
--+--
The senior Uma Musume acting as judges closely watched the race.
"Going with a front-runner tactic right away?"
"I wonder if she can maintain that lead for the entire distance."
"That last one is called Barbatos, right?"
"That Barbatos isn't bad."
"To compete just two months after a fracture, she must have undergone extensive rehabilitation training. That requires great physical resilience and grit."
"It's just that her speed is somewhat lacking."
There were precedents for accepting Uma Musume with lacking speed; Kochi's own Haru Urara was one. They held a fairly positive view of Barbatos.
"Her speed isn't so bad that she should be in last place. Either she has some strategy, or her leg injury isn't fully healed."
"Most likely the latter. With that kind of character, perhaps we can consider letting her pass."
"We'll have to see how she performs in the rest of the retest."
Barbatos, unaware the judges were discussing her, focused solely on the race, simultaneously working through a primary school math word problem in her head.
Runner A and Runner Ba start at the same time. Runner A is faster and has already run ? meters more than Runner B. Find the speed Runner B needs to catch up and overtake Runner A before the 1800-meter mark?
This kind of math problem from elementary school days felt oddly applicable now.
But an Uma Musume race couldn't be solved with simple calculations like that. They weren't doing uniform linear motion.
At least, with her current math skills, she couldn't calculate it. All she knew was that it was time for her to start pushing!
There were 800 meters of track left. Sixteen Uma Musume were ahead of her. Now was the time to go all out.
If that 'Number One from Kochi' was using a front-running strategy, then she would use a come-from-behind strategy. Only this way could she maximize the effect of [Ghost].
Her legs powered up. [Path to War] and [Move Quick] passives activated simultaneously. The 12% and 10% movement speed boosts stacked instantly, making her feel exceptionally light, as if she could instantly overtake the sixteenth-place runner right in front of her.
But it wasn't over. She couldn't overtake just yet.
[Ghost], activate!
The initial burst of [Ghost] provided over 25% movement speed, then settled to 25% for 8 seconds. Using [Ghost] alone couldn't sustain her for the whole track length. She was still in last place!
The sixteenth-place Uma Musume, already feeling Barbatos approach, pushed harder to maintain her position, only to find her rival accelerating even faster, swiftly passing her by. A desperate cry escaped her lips—'No way!'
[Ghost] status refreshed!
Setting her sights on the fifteenth-place Uma Musume.
'No way!'
'No way!'
'No way!'
A series of dismayed cries accompanied the constant refreshing of the [Ghost] status. Her position skyrocketed from seventeenth all the way to second place, hot on the heels of the leading 'Number One from Kochi'.
Noticing Barbatos's charge, the 'Number One' felt her heart skip a beat. Ignoring the fatigue from leading the entire race, she accelerated again towards the finish line.
'She can't catch me. At least, not before the finish line!'
Near the finish line, Haru Urara leaned halfway over the railing, cheering for Barbatos. "Go for it, give it your all!"
The 'Number One' had 100 meters to go. Barbatos was one length behind. The duration of [Sprint] was about to end.
[Devastating Charge], activate!
"Impossible!"
--+--
T/N: What kind of elementary school did mc go to wtf?
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 1 Chapter Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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