After seeing Tazuna off, Shinji finally had the time to properly sort through everything he had gained recently—and to complete the last missing piece of Saint Halo's build.
He switched off the lights in the team lounge and pulled the door shut behind him. Outside, the night was still and quiet. It was a rare evening, with only a few horse girls strolling beneath the darkness. Walking under the night sky, Shinji used the weak glow of his phone flashlight to guide his way.
When he returned to his room, he almost rushed inside. The moment he saw the familiar arrangement waiting for him, the exhaustion of the day finally found an opening. He dropped into the chair heavily and leaned back.
In the mirror, the man staring back at him looked unable to conceal his fatigue. Shinji stretched his legs out straight and gave himself a very perfunctory stretch.
"Pull up my panel."
What he mainly wanted to check was his Emotion Energy count, and also the unopened reward packs still sitting there. Of them, the Coronation Cup Champion Pack wasn't actually the main event tonight.
The real highlight was the First Overseas Victory Pack.
"And after that I still need to look at the rune I'm planning to give Halo. I'm tired, though. How about you just filter them for me until a Noble rune appears?"
He tried to be lazy and cut out the tedious part, but the system saw straight through him and refused on the spot.
Choosing runes was no trivial matter. The system obviously understood what he meant—he only wanted to skip the hassle—but it had no intention of letting him start taking shortcuts here.
"Then open the Coronation Cup Champion Pack first."
At his command, four notifications rang in his ears.
[Emotion Energy +100]
[Attribute Points +25]
[PT +120]
[Key of the Deep Abyss MinstrelUse on a horse girl before opening her system blessing. Guarantees one exclusive Deep Abyss Minstrel blessing.]
It wasn't among the very best items or pieces of equipment, but it was still a solid start. Shinji's satisfied expression drew a sneering laugh from the system.
Hadn't it ever heard of raising something up before bringing it down? Good luck at the beginning only made the fall later more painful.
Ignoring the system's "interference" entirely, Shinji took a deep breath and looked toward the second pack in his inventory.
Unlike an ordinary G1 victory reward pack, this one was a much deeper color, which only made it more enticing.
"Open it."
[Attribute Points +25]
[PT +200]
[Conservation Scroll IOne volume of the Conservation Codex. Collect all four Conservation Scrolls to obtain the equipment: Conservation Codex.]
An unexpected haul.
It wasn't immediate combat power, but in terms of long-term goals, this was absolutely one of the things Shinji wanted most.
Only one volume left now.
The smile on Shinji's face widened. Even the system's disdainful snort only made him happier. Whether the system admitted it or not, this was exactly the sort of result he wanted.
So when he reopened the rune panel, he was still riding that streak of good luck. Because of it, even when non-Noble runes appeared, he could still keep smiling.
His finger moved across them one by one, casually selecting, refreshing, selecting again—
"Wait."
A Noble rune had appeared so suddenly he had nearly swiped past it.
Shinji pressed his lips together and looked at the rune named Aspiration Pierces the Clouds.
[(Believer) (Noble) (Vassal Lord) Aspiration Pierces the CloudsAt the start of the final stretch, if the horse girl can complete four overtakes without any interference, all attributes +10%.If she can complete ten overtakes without interference, all attributes +22%.If she is obstructed, one random attribute +5, Speed +x, where x equals 50% of the horse girl's Will.]— 1800 Emotion Energy
Completing ten clean overtakes without interference was obviously extremely difficult. Shinji knew that perfectly well. And even if she did manage it, overtaking ten opponents would mean Saint Halo had already surged all the way to the front, putting victory almost within reach already for a late-run, finishing-kick type racer.
Even so, taken as a whole, Aspiration Pierces the Clouds suited Saint Halo very well. Even if she ran into interference, the Noble synergy meant that interference would never truly cripple her, while her Will stat was already high enough to grant her a substantial Speed bonus.
The only issue was that if he wanted to maximize the rune's value, he would probably need to make some targeted adjustments to Saint Halo's running style.
Especially in terms of race strategy—he would need to design her tactics in real time based on the makeup of each field.
After only a brief moment of thought, Shinji decided this would be the final piece needed to complete Saint Halo's Noble synergy. He purchased it without hesitation.
As soon as the large rune was confirmed, the sub-rune began to spin, and the result surprised him.
[Stamina +7, Speed +6, Will +10]
No reroll necessary.
Shinji blinked, then joked to the system, "My luck really is amazing tonight."
The system fell silent in what could only be called speechless irritation. Even without a reply, Shinji knew he'd hit the mark.
Whenever he managed to leave the system at a loss for words, he felt genuinely pleased.
"Anything else? Shame I've got no more reward packs to open."
[You've never heard that when something reaches its peak, decline follows? If you opened another pack now, you'd just get something ordinary.]
The system's rebuttal made Shinji immediately shift topics.
"Show me Saint Halo's panel."
Horse Girl: Saint Halo
Condition: ExcellentPopularity: 576,234System Blessing (2 random chances remaining):(Gold) Noble Bloodline – Your Noble runes may activate simultaneously with other rune synergies.
PT (for skill purchases only): 373Attribute Points: 28
Five Core Stats:Speed: 902 + 131 (1670)Stamina: 681 + 14 (1305)Power: 939 + 29 (1601)Guts: 788 + 7 (+200) (1298)Wisdom: 509 (1174)
Running Style Aptitude:Front-runner G / Pace B / Late A / Chaser D
Distance Aptitude: 1000m–2700mTrack Aptitude: Turf A / Dirt G
Skills:Summon Me as King Lv.5 (Unique)Straight Line Adept (Yellow)Accelerating Stride (Yellow)Diligent One (Yellow)Corner Master (Gold)
Territory:Saint King's Coronation: Radiance of the Royal Light + Brave One's Final Dance
Runes:(Noble)(Mad Craftsman) Noble Adornment (Speed +4, Stamina +4, Will +17)(Noble)(Reviver)(Deep Abyss Minstrel) Sovereignty Above All (Speed +7, Power +9, Inspiration +12)(Noble)(Vassal Lord) Outer Vision (Speed +6, Stamina +6, Spirit +19)(Noble)(Battle Maniac)(Deep Abyss Minstrel) Scion of Turmoil(At mid-race, x judgments occur, where x = number of racers. For each judgment, a random value p between 500–1800 is rolled. If p is lower than the horse girl's highest stat, the judgment succeeds. Each success grants +2% Territory strength, +1% Track aptitude, +2% Collision ability. Each failure causes the horse girl to lose 1% stamina, while all other racers lose 2% stamina.)(Stamina +10, Speed +2, Power +9)
(Believer)(Noble)(Vassal Lord) Aspiration Pierces the Clouds(At the start of the final stretch, if the horse girl completes four overtakes without any interference, all attributes +10%. If she completes eight overtakes without interference, all attributes +22%. If she is obstructed, one random attribute +5, Speed +x, where x equals 50% of her Will.)(Stamina +7, Speed +6, Will +10)
Synergies:Noble (5): All stats +25%. Can adapt to any pace, race development, or unfolding factors, allowing her to display her absolute strength. Can awaken one additional Territory.Vassal Lord (2): All core stats gain a lower-limit lock; they can no longer decrease under real-world conditions.Mad Craftsman (1)Reviver (1)Deep Abyss Minstrel (2)Battle Maniac (1)Believer (1)
Special Status: None
Equipped Items:Brave One's PromiseHalo CrestBlood of the Apex Lineage (linked: Brave Dance)Springloaded Horseshoes
Training Preference: Better at Power and Guts training
Shinji looked over Saint Halo's panel with satisfaction.
Whether it was the major rise in raw stats or the qualitative leap visible in her synergy section, both left him feeling reassured about the coming Takarazuka Kinen.
Compared to Vassal Lord, the fully completed Noble synergy was admittedly somewhat weaker in terms of long-term development.
But when it came to race performance alone, Noble was absurdly powerful. Its effect would manifest directly and visibly in competition.
That only made him look forward even more to the Takarazuka Kinen.
Noble's effects also gave Saint Halo an advantage somewhat similar to Vassal Lord's lower-limit lock. For Shinji, that meant more room to work with.
After all, with better safeguards against injury and physical strain, he could afford to be more aggressive in day-to-day training.
"Distribute her remaining attribute points. We can buy skills right before the race."
In his mind, Shinji continued speaking to the system.
"Bring her Guts up to 800 first. Put the rest into Speed."
The system gave no verbal reply, but Shinji knew it had already done as he asked.
"Now show me my own panel."
At once, his personal information appeared in front of him.
Host: Shinji Terumi
Emotion Energy: 2129
Horse Girls Under Contract:Overran TrapSaint HaloNarita Brian
PT (can only be gained from races +60 and reward packs): 2109Attribute Points (can only be gained from races +10 and reward packs): 325
Inventory:Conservation Scroll I, II, IIIFlag of DreamsBeliever CrestShoddy DollBlessing SeedAnti-Magic BraceletKey of the Deep Abyss Minstrel
Only one Conservation Scroll remained to complete the set.
That fact alone made Shinji look forward even more to the day he would finally unlock the Conservation Codex. He doubted he would use it immediately, though. Something that precious was obviously best saved for when it was truly needed.
"Do you think I should equip Saint Halo with a Believer Crest? That way, I could unlock the Believer synergy too. Improved vision, stronger Will, and that faith in her running style... Honestly, Halo really does have confidence in her style now."
At once, the system displayed the Believer synergy.
BelieverThey are devout followers of their own running style. When driven into desperate circumstances, that faith grants them strength.(2 / 4 / 6)
2-piece effect:Vision +20%, Will +20%The more devoutly the horse girl believes in her own running style, the easier it is to draw out her latent potential. When in danger, she gains Power of Faith, which increases the correction bonus from her running-style aptitude according to her level of faith (up to 20%).
4-piece effect:Vision +30%, Will +30%The more devoutly the horse girl believes in her own running style, the easier it is to draw out her latent potential. When in danger, she gains Power of Faith, increasing the correction bonus from her running-style aptitude according to her level of faith (up to 30%).
6-piece effect:Vision +50%, Will +50%The more devoutly the horse girl believes in her own running style, the easier it is to draw out her latent potential. The horse girl permanently gains Power of Faith, increasing the correction bonus from her running-style aptitude according to faith level (up to 30%), and gains the ability to trigger True Divine Shadow.
True Divine Shadow:Ignores all negative effects caused by any Territory. Induces anxiety, impatience, fatigue, and similar negative emotional effects in all opponents, while maintaining calm, clarity, and determination within the horse girl herself. Creates visible light-shadow effects while running and may induce fear in opponents.(True Divine Shadow has priority in effect resolution.)
This was the true power of Believer.
And many of its effects fit Saint Halo's current situation perfectly.
The system remained silent, offering no advice. But by now, Shinji already had his answer. Asking aloud was just a habit at this point.
He was no longer the clueless beginner he had been when he first obtained the system.
So he equipped the Believer Crest (Stamina +7, Guts +7, Wisdom +7) to Saint Halo.
When he saw the Believer synergy appear in her panel, Shinji nodded in satisfaction at all he had gained tonight.
Then he looked out the window again. The stars and moon still were not particularly bright, but now they seemed strangely charming to him.
"Time to sleep."
Feeling the drowsiness finally pooling in his mind, the man slowly lay down, murmuring to himself as he drifted off.
Join here to read ahead.
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Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
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The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 248
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
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Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
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I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/40
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Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 145
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 120
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My Harem Is Indescribable 100
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"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 67
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 105
Still playing traditional Honk 80
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 85
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Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 80
Checking In in Demon Slayer 85
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 100
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 85
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 80
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 90
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 75
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 85
Why did they assign me to Uma 75
MYGO Beauties 70
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 75
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 80
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 100
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 60
The Uma Musume Who Became 60
I'm Definitely Not the King of 80
After Maxing Out Every Class 80
Naruto: I'm Konoha's Local Men 44
Honkai: World Modulation Mode 57
I, the Elden Sword Saint 50
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No One Knows Pokémon Better 50
I, Sakazuki, Won't Go Down Tha 45
From Trilobites to Titans 45
Chainsaw Man: Contracted with 55
DanMachi: My Party Members Are 60
An Anime Heroine Darkened 55
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