Actually, it wasn't just Agnes Tachyon. If Dream Weaver entered the scenario world again in the future, she might encounter figures even more capable of using knowledge to reshape the world than her.
Looking at the Memory Storage Drive from that perspective, its potential ceiling was perhaps even more staggering than Dream Weaver had imagined.
"If used correctly, it might even achieve an effect like the Gem of Hope—altering the world lines themselves."
"So this is the reward for breaking the rating limit? It really is something else."
Realizing the possibilities contained within the Memory Storage Drive, Dream Weaver took a deep breath. Once she had calmed her racing heart, she turned her gaze toward another new item.
No matter how high the ceiling of the Memory Storage Drive was, that was a matter for after she returned to reality.
Finishing the inspection of the remaining mission rewards was what she needed to do now.
As Dream Weaver's focus shifted to an item shaped like a pair of glasses, its effects materialized before her eyes.
--+--
[The Educator's Whip]
Description:
A pair of black, rimless glasses with no prescription. One of the legendary proofs of an outstanding teacher. It is not a literal whip, but rather a metaphor; any educator wearing these glasses possesses a gaze as sharp and stinging as a lash.
When worn in the capacity of an educator, it increases your sense of authority over students and slightly boosts their learning efficiency.
Note: "You... got a perfect score." A middle-aged man in a black trench coat says coldly.
--+--
"It's called a 'Whip' but it's actually glasses...?"
"And... the previous notes at least had something to do with the items. Why is the note for this one just some middle-aged guy? Where did the glasses element go...?"
Dream Weaver's lips twitched as she looked away. She felt that if she kept obsessing over such things, she'd be the real fool.
"Well then, next item."
--+--
[Uma Musume Training Guide]
Description:
A reference book of staggering thickness. It would certainly end badly if it hit someone on the head. Notably, beneath the main title is a subtitle that reads: Five Years of Mock Exams, Three Years of Racing.
A tool book encompassing all the knowledge a trainer needs; in terms of pure information, it is near perfect. Rumor has it that if you strike your head hard enough with this book, there's a chance the knowledge will be hammered directly into your brain.
Note: "Instead of eating bread printed with words, it's definitely more satisfying to just get whacked by the book itself." For some reason, a blue raccoon that can talk says this.
--+--
Setting aside the subtitle that gave Dream Weaver a phantom heart ache, the description of the effect alone left her feeling utterly helpless.
"Why would hitting your head hammer in knowledge? And didn't the previous sentence say it would end badly? Also, what's with 'rumor has it'? If it's an item description, be precise! How can there be rumors in a description!"
Compared to the internal contradictions and nonsensical descriptions, the blue raccoon in the note was hardly worth mentioning anymore.
After sighing at two consecutive bizarre items, Dream Weaver turned her gaze to the final new reward, hoping for something a bit more serious this time.
--+--
[Legendary Trainer's Proof]
Description:
Even if an Uma Musume's career ends, it doesn't mean her life is over.
A trainer who became a legend once more by teaching students received this award for her brilliant achievements. This glittering badge is the best reward for her hard work and dedication.
When acting as a trainer, the chance of the Uma Musume under your charge staying up late decreases.
They won't easily gain weight from overeating, nor will their training efficiency drop due to low spirits for mysterious reasons. The probability of all character events that might cause injury or illness to your charge is also reduced.
For some people, this might be the greatest item of all.
Note: "With the Legendary Trainer's Proof, I would have become a legend long ago! Why do I have to... become a legend before I can get the proof?!" A trainer, fainted from the sheer selfishness of her charge, screams at the top of her lungs.
--+--
How to put it? Compared to the first two, it was certainly more "normal."
In terms of the number of effects, it lived up to the status of a Main Quest reward. Yet, Dream Weaver felt a faint, lingering ache in her stomach.
The feeling was even stronger than with the previous two. Looking at the effects listed in the description, the silhouette of a certain Uma Musume began to surface in her mind.
"Miracle..."
Dream Weaver slapped her own head hard at the thought of Hishi Miracle. It seemed the item description had triggered some unpleasant memories.
In truth, Hishi Miracle had worked very hard since the Japanese Oaks. But it was like a game where the main goal was defeating bosses; players didn't always remember the beautifully designed monsters.
Sometimes, it was the difficult, even nauseating monsters that left a deeper impression. Even if they were only a small part of the overall game, the psychological trauma was real.
Dream Weaver thought she had forgotten, but seeing these effects made her involuntarily remember those days—waking Miracle up in the morning, watching her at lunch so she didn't overeat, and supervising her at night to make sure she didn't stay up late.
"Trainer... is truly a noble profession. It seems I'm still a ways off from the realm of a true Legendary Trainer. If I were a real legend, I'd surely just give a cool smile and skim past these words."
"Anyway, I'll save these items for the day I actually want to be a trainer. For now, I still want to be an Uma Musume."
Dream Weaver shook her head, dispelling the image of Hishi Miracle. After composing herself and checking the items once more, she spoke to the system.
"System, let me ask something."
"The trigger condition for the hidden mission in this scenario... it was for me to personally enter the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, wasn't it?"
[Yes.]
The cold, mechanical voice echoed in her ear, answering her question.
Dream Weaver didn't look surprised.
The hints from these items and the mission conditions were far too obvious. If she had simply acted to complete the missions as told, she wouldn't have needed to run the Arc herself.
Thus, the hidden mission only triggered when she chose to participate by her own will.
She remembered that it triggered the day after she announced her comeback and entered the virtual world; the timing lined up perfectly.
Receiving confirmation, Dream Weaver nodded. She turned her eyes back to the star-iconed item in her inventory and whispered.
"The Star of Stars... it says it can only trigger once per race, but it's practically a permanent effect."
The effect of Star of Stars had completely changed the way Dream Weaver ran.
Now, she could go all out even in the real world without hesitation. If she entered a scenario again, she likely wouldn't meet the same kind of end as before.
The run of a true Uma Musume shouldn't be so tragic.
When Dream Weaver truly wished to exist as an Uma Musume, wanting to win for herself by her own will, the rewards from the hidden mission would help her become exactly that.
"But if that's the case, what happened at the end of this scenario world?"
"Even though I used Kindling Flames, it stopped halfway because my stamina limit was insufficient. It shouldn't have caused as much damage to my body as before, right?"
"If I'm lucky, maybe it's just a fracture?"
Among the common injuries for Uma Musume, a fracture was the most serious, yet in Dream Weaver's eyes, it seemed exceptionally gentle.
After all, compared to becoming a bound spirit, a vegetable, losing the use of her legs, or having her consciousness fade away, a fracture was a grand finale indeed.
It was so good that Dream Weaver almost couldn't believe she could walk away from that track nearly unscathed, so much so that she dismissed the thought a second after making the guess.
Thinking of this, Dream Weaver suddenly wanted to return to the scenario world immediately to see her future.
However, she knew that before heading into the future, there was still one step left in the settlement process.
Sure enough, the moment the thought crossed her mind, that cold mechanical voice rang out right on time.
--+--
[System panel updated.]
--+--
[Uma Musume Training System — Scenario Panel]
Character: Dream Weaver
Speed: SS+ [Supreme Tier] [Limit Broken]
Stamina: SS+ [Supreme Tier] [Limit Broken]
Power: A [Legendary Tier] [Limit Broken]
Guts: SS+ [Supreme Tier] [Limit Broken]
Wit: B [Elite Tier] [Locked]
Adaptability: Turf S, Dirt C
--+--
Zone: [The Sword of Stars and Dreams - Murasame]
Skills: Intuition (Purple), Nirvana (Purple), Kindling Flames (Purple), Seeing the True Self (Purple), A True Monster (Purple)
[Hidden Skill: Tokyo Swift (Purple)]
--+--
[The Sword of Stars and Dreams - Murasame]
Description:
The blade named Murasame has taken a new form after severing the gods. This time, modeled after her master's name, she has forged her blade out of starlight and dreams.
Effect: No description needed. You, who have walked such a long journey by her side, know her power better than anyone.
Note: "This time, what we face is not an opponent, but the road before us." — The black-haired Uma Musume, having faced her inner heart, swings her blade forward.
--+--
Dream Weaver thought the panel update would just be a name change for her Zone, but the results after reading were completely beyond her expectations.
Compared to Murasame, which only had its description and name altered, there was something else worth investigating.
Dream Weaver pointed at the translucent blue panel before her and asked in confusion.
"System... when did my Power break the limit?"
[The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.]
Dream Weaver scratched her head. She pursed her lips and thought for a long while but couldn't recall hearing a notification for a Power limit break.
Did it happen while she was in that delirious state triggered by Kindling Flames, and she just missed it because her consciousness was blurred?
Well, whatever. Breaking an attribute limit was a good thing; the exact timing didn't really matter.
At least with the Power limit broken, Dream Weaver could finally become a perfect Uma Musume with no weaknesses in any direction.
She no longer needed to rely on item buffs to make up for a lack of strength.
Except...
Dream Weaver looked at the glaring "Locked" status next to her Wit and scratched her head.
When there were two locks before, it didn't feel like much, but now that only Wit remained unbroken, it felt strangely uncomfortable.
Was she going to be the kind of Uma Musume with SSS in everything but a B in Wit?! With such a massive gap between stats, she'd look like an idiot even if she wasn't one!
"System, is there a way to break the Wit limit? Does doing practice problems or taking exams help?"
To avoid becoming a "dummy," Dream Weaver sought the system's advice on attributes for the first time.
But the system, which had always been responsive, remained silent for a long time after she spoke.
After an unbearable silence, Dream Weaver sighed and gave up on the idea, muttering to herself.
"I didn't expect my Turf aptitude to go from A to S, though. I ran on turf so many times before and never saw it budge."
"Ah, is it because I never personally ran on those slippery European tracks before, so I couldn't reach S-rank?"
Dream Weaver sorted through the differences between this scenario and the previous ones and arrived at the answer with a flash of realization.
The moment her words fell, the cold mechanical voice responded.
[Yes.]
"Don't answer me now!"
Dream Weaver shouted, feeling a bit of bashful annoyance. The system hadn't reacted at all when she asked how to get smarter.
Why did it have to answer now? It made it seem like even the system couldn't make her smarter. But how could that be? System items could change world lines; a mere Wit stat should be nothing to the system.
The cold mechanical voice fell silent again for several seconds before speaking.
[Please select the attribute to inherit back to reality.]
"Is it just my imagination... or do I feel like you're changing the subject, System?"
Dream Weaver rubbed her chin suspiciously. The system's voice went silent for another few seconds before echoing in her ear once more.
[Please select the attribute to inherit back to reality.]
"Can I inherit Wit then?"
With skills that boosted training efficiency, she didn't really need to inherit an attribute just to jump one major tier.
Thinking that she had inherited almost every stat except Wit before, Dream Weaver made her proposal.
[...]
[Please select an attribute higher than your reality-side attribute to inherit.]
Dream Weaver's brow twitched, a spark of annoyance lighting up in her heart.
"I know it's the truth, but still..."
The system didn't respond again, seemingly refusing to speak until Dream Weaver chose an attribute.
Ten or so seconds later, Dream Weaver gave up on this childish standoff. She threw up her hands in resignation.
"Fine, fine. I'll inherit the Power attribute."
The instant the words left her mouth, as if it didn't want to delay for even a single second, the cold mechanical voice rang out again.
[Entering the future of the scenario world.]
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 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.