She had lost the race.
She could lose countless times in simulated training, but as long as she could win in official races it was enough. This is what she had always thought, what she needed to learn from failures and reflect on how to do better.
Even for her, stamina was not infinite, and although she had learned almost all the skills there could be, there were still certain limitations to them.
Yellow skills, such as acceleration and velocity, will increase stamina consumption when you accelerate, a trade off being higher speed. The opposite of yellow skills would be blue skills, where it's the recovery or gain of stamina.
Although some can recover stamina out of thin air (which she considers the most mysterious aspect of this world), most still focus on reducing stamina consumption. Yet, even if stamina is recovered, it can only serve as an emergency for the final corner. While yellow skills may consume stamina, blue skills consume mental energy. Compared to those two, Red skills are the simplest, only requiring the release of one's "Presence."
Although it seems very out there for a non-fantasy world such as this, one's aura does indeed exist in the form of a presence like one of those many shounin anime. For example, when you see a bald, muscular man in a black suit and sunglasses, you might feel intimidated by him, which are all manifestations of their existence. Red skills are techniques that deeply manipulate one's own presence, which is already a lot more scientific compared to the blue skills that create stamina out of thin air.
Because of this, even the number of skills she used in a single race was limited. Otherwise, exhausting her stamina and mental energy would ultimately be putting the cart before the horse. Therefore, knowing how to use the right skills at the right time and finding the right moment are what Uma Musume needed to do in a race. After all, with skills, you can always gain some understanding by learning them; at most, there's just a difference in proficiency and compatibility.
In that race against Oguri Cap and Tamamo Cross, she wasn't been able to use her full strength. Her later interference against their Zones was actually just using the theory of red skills to release her own aura and counter the suppression brought by the two Zones.
So, if one's presence can counter Zones, is it possible that red skills are the key to forming a Zone?
And if red skills can, what about yellow and blue skills?
Seeing Absolute Zero lost in thought, Oguri Cap and Tamamo Cross said nothing. They walked to a stone table and chairs in the shade, sat down, and casually took out sports drinks from the insulated box Absolute Zero had brought and began to drink.
For ordinary people, drinking cold drinks immediately after running is bad for the stomach, but nothing would happen to Uma Musume. Let alone cool sports drinks, they wouldn't have problems even if they ate ice cream or popsicles directly.
Of course, whether it causes stomach damage is one thing, and whether it causes diarrhea is another.
Humans are too weak! (crying)
Perhaps having figured something out, the two watched Absolute Zero continue to run, sighing at how energetic young people nowadays were, while also taking out some desserts that Absolute Zero said could restore stamina and eating them.
After taking a bite, Tamamo clearly saw a strong light burst forth in Oguri Cap's eyes, and she immediately began to eat faster.
"Oi! The rest should be for her team members! Don't eat it all, you idiot!"
"Hmm, but Z-chan said I could get more if it wasn't enough." Although Oguri Cap slowed her hand speed, she still didn't stop.
"Didn't you say there would be a meal later!? How will you eat then if you eat all this now… Never mind, guess I'm the idiot for saying that…" Tamamo Cross, who was about to scold her, remembered Oguri Cap's appetite and covered her face, feeling a headache approaching.
Hoping Oguri Cap not not eat everything was like hoping for a kind and soft Symboli Rudolf.
"Hmm?" Oguri Cap, eating happily, looked towards Absolute Zero, who was running. Tamamo also looked over, feeling the same way.
Reaching the same final turn as before, this time Absolute Zero also began to accelerate, but with a slight difference.
Running another 3000 meters after having just finished one with only a few minutes of rest, even Absolute Zero felt her stamina depleted. Blue skills couldn't make up much, not to mention that she had already been burning Guts during the previous 3000 meters.
The final section of the track, due to the full-speed sprints of the two gray coats and her own fierce stomping, had become uneven. The originally good turf track was now like a heavy track, and just running on it felt like stamina consumption was increasing. It was also fortunate that her adaptability to poor track conditions was still working at this time.
[No Roads Will Stop Me: Adapts to all poor track conditions]
In her mind, she simulated the two who had run with her just now, even specifically using a few red skills to simulate the corresponding pressure on herself.
Ever wonder if any of you have tried putting your hands together and pushing both hands in opposite directions at the same time?
The saying "one's greatest enemy is oneself" refers not only to the mental aspect but also to the physical. Just as a person, no matter how strong, cannot lift themselves by their own hands.
Absolute Zero was in this state at this moment. Immense pressure from herself, pulling her down, resisting that pressure with her own skills, making the pressure around her extremely heavy. If this were in a race, the Uma Musume around her would also be unable to run.
But this was not what she wanted; she needed to put up a stronger resistance.
Her sprinting speed visibly slowed down, and she was already experiencing a loss of speed, even with [Monstrous Whirlwind: Speed That Will Reach The Divine]
"Stop! if you continue, you will suffer irreversible damage!" Tamamo Cross also shouted, even wanting to rush over and stop that foolish child, but she was held back by Oguri Cap.
"She has her own plans, and have you forgotten? Her medicines." Oguri Cap's gaze remained fixed on the figure on the track.
Although Tamamo Cross said to let go, her resistance was not as fierce as it had been initially.
She had also experienced the medicines produced by Absolute Zero, or rather, she was a direct beneficiary. Otherwise, with her physical condition at the time of her retirement, even if she ran again, it would be impossible for her to sprint like that and even open her domain.
So, it's only normal for her to have some secret medicines, right?
Moreover, Tamamo really wanted to witness the moment Zero broke through her limits.
However, Zero's condition at this time was very bad.
"Almost at my limit…"
Not the kind of limit that could be broken in the literal sense, but the limit that could be reached after breaking through the so-called "limit."
Her body was already in a very dangerous state; stopping now would mean losing an opportunity for insight, but her physical capabilities had already increased sufficiently.
Maintaining the suppression made her head dizzy, and her brain desperately issued commands like "stop now," "that's enough," but she ignored them.
Recalling many years ago, she was much weaker then than she was now, but even so, she still didn't stop, or rather, didn't want to stop.
Just like when practicing downhill techniques, the injuries sustained from rolling down such a steep and long slope were not ordinary, and if it weren't for the system she had, there was a possibility of being crippled due to delayed treatment.
"..." No sound could come from her mouth, and every breath brought a burning pain, a sensation she had even grown accustomed to.
Her hair was disheveled in the wind, and the accessories she always wore had long since fallen to who knows where; nothing remained in her vision except what was ahead.
At this moment, the Spica group, who had arrived at the training ground, watched the scene with shock and worry, accompanied by Tokai Teio, who had come along for some unknown reason.
When they initially tried to intervene, everyone was stopped by Oguri Cap.
Zero's mind was almost empty, with only her own figure remaining.
Domain... Since the Emperor and the others could learn it, how could the Three Goddesses not have it?
If they didn't? it would be truly laughable at that absurdity.
She had to learn how to activate her Zone; otherwise, she wouldn't even have the qualifications to challenge.
Zero had the choice to stop. Just rest, and continue a few days later, as these insights would still exist, or perhaps it would be easier to grasp them when fully recovered at that time.
However, she didn't want to stop; the stubbornness in her heart surprised even herself, and she never thought she would be so persistent.
In psychodynamic theory, Sigmund Freud once proposed three main parts of the mind in his structural theory: the ID, Ego, and SuperEgo, to explain the relationship between consciousness and the unconscious.
Among them, the "ID" (completely unconscious) represents desires, suppressed by consciousness; the "Ego" (mostly conscious) is responsible for dealing with the real world; the "SuperEgo" (partially conscious) is the conscience or internal moral judgment.
And at this moment, she relied on her ID to completely suppress her conscious mind.
Everything about an Uma Musume is three times that of a human, be it their physical body or their desires.
She didn't want to think about anything else. At this moment, she only wanted to succeed, only wanted to achieve, this was her current desire.
Her mouth felt a little moist, with a hint of metallic taste.
Did her gums bleed from clenching her teeth too hard? She was too lazy to think, but this bit of blood did slightly moisten her throat.
Her dream had never changed: to reach the pinnacle. If she retreated now, would she ever truly touch that pinnacle?
Perhaps, but she dared not gamble; she considered herself a very timid person.
Absolutely must do it, absolutely must not retreat, absolutely... must break through!
Her stamina was depleted, her willpower burned out, and even her body could barely support her.
But it didn't matter.
Her "desire" still propelled her, her "will" still supported her, her "resolve" had never faded!
Taking another step, everything around her suddenly became clear; her vision, body, and consciousness all returned to their peak state, as if her previous self, who was burning her life, had merely dreamt it.
But she knew it wasn't a dream.
In her vision, four figures were sprinting.
Although she didn't know who they were, she knew they must be the notorious quartet who were always peeking.
Can't catch up?
"Cant catch up... HAH! DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH!"
[Monstrous Whirlwind – Speed That Will Reach The Divine → The Zenith - Absolute Godspeed]
The text was no longer appearing as a suffix, no more is it will surpass or just a possibility. It has become a reality, she has reached the realm that differentiates the strongest of uma musume and those that have touched the divine.
Yes, this was the moment of her awakening, her ascension. The shackles that had been impossible to break through shattered completely; if only for this moment, she could unleash her full divine speed that shall surpass all others.
The moment she surpassed those four figures, a voice echoed in her heart.
[You did it!]
A smile spread across her lips, and then her vision went black.
Using the last bit of her strength to protect her head, she fell heavily to the ground, sliding for quite a distance.
"Z-chan!!"
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I'm a newbie translator and wanted to add more uma fics for more people to read. if there are any errors, multiple of the same text or sentence, let me know.
The credits and orginal story is: 传奇马娘想好好谈恋爱 and belongs to: 起始之