Gathering every shred of courage—
Garden Gale shoved open the dorm room door.
An invisible wave of anticipation surged forward, tension snapping like the blooming of a hundred flowers in an anime scene, utterly dramatic as she called out:
"Curren-san!"
But the room was dark and empty—not a soul inside.
Clearly, Curren Chan hadn't returned yet.
Garden Gale's hand slipped slowly from the door handle. Her determined expression gradually melted back into calm, followed by a wave of relief.
Thank goodness.
I don't have to face her yet.
She carelessly tossed aside the sports drinks and kicked off her shoes, letting her silky black hair cascade loosely over her shoulders. Without her usual hoodie, her figure was unexpectedly striking, slender curves hidden beneath baggy clothing now fully visible.
Truthfully, beneath that oversized hoodie, Garden Gale's appearance was nowhere near ordinary. Her face, especially, had a unique allure—not the overly popular pointed chin or large, doll-like eyes, but something sharper, more striking. Her jawline was particularly distinct, as if expertly chiseled yet softened at the edges, giving her features a balance of strength and femininity. With an elegant nose and luminous, expressive eyes, her whole aura radiated confidence and poise.
Rising onto tiptoe, she stretched gracefully, limbs taut like a young doe.
She removed the small earring from her left ear, mumbling softly, "Umamusume sure are a handful."
Right now, she wanted nothing more than to let it all go—to laze around, relax completely.
Flopping onto her bed, Garden Gale felt every bit the salted fish she was, too exhausted even to flip herself over. Quietly lying beneath the covers, she folded her hands neatly across her stomach, ready to drift into sleep—her sleeping posture perfectly obedient and adorable.
A moment passed.
She didn't sleep after all. Instead, she summoned the faint-blue glow of the Selas System's interface.
Time to sort things out a bit.
Too much had happened lately—she needed to get her thoughts straight.
First was the Color Change she'd gained after defeating Narita Top Road:
[Reincarnation: Chameleon (Golden Skill・Infinite Adaptation・3% Unsealed)]:
If you possess no weapons of your own, copy and steal those of others!
[Reincarnation Count]: 0
[Color Change Count]: 1 (Road to Glory · Iron Will)
Simple enough—Color Change meant she could trigger Narita Top Road's special burst at will, making it a guaranteed ace up her sleeve.
Then there were the new missions that had popped up these past few days.
[Temporary Mission]:Versatility
This involved clingy flirting with three Umamusume—but apparently, last time with Curren Chan had already counted. Now she only needed two more.
[Main Mission]:Our Journey Is the Stars and the Sea!
Though labeled as a main quest, it had two prerequisites—winning a graded race and winning the Satsuki Sho, the first race of the Classic Triple Crown.
[Prerequisite 1]:Win a graded race to qualify for the Classic Triple Crown
[Reward]:Hoist the Sails, Sail Forth!
[Prerequisite 2]:Win the first leg of the Classic Triple Crown, the G1 Satsuki Sho
[Reward]:I Stand Atop the Satsuki!
So, four missions altogether?
Garden Gale pondered this. After completing her debut race, she felt like a rookie finally stepping out of the tutorial zone, with even the local blacksmith handing her quests.
And then…
There was the acceptance reward she hadn't checked yet.
Technically, she hadn't even formally accepted the Stars and Sea mission. Earlier attempts to look at the reward had been interrupted by Tokai Teio and Curren Chan's antics.
Curious, she directed her gaze toward the acceptance reward.
[Badge of a Hundred Battles]
[Enhancement Title]: THRONE OF KINGS.
[Description]:Dreams and visions, frustration, unreachable shores, victors and brilliant glory—this medal is forged from a hundred battles and embodies the aspirations of all who chase victory.
[Effect]: Each race entered increases your base stats by 1%. Higher placements grant larger boosts—for example, finishing within the top five increases your base stats by 5%.
[No upper limit.]
[Continue until you forge a throne no one else can challenge.]
Garden Gale stared blankly at the screen.
Um…
What should I even say about this?
Sure, the Throne of Kings sounded incredibly OP, but it didn't suit her at all! Accepting it would mean endless races and unavoidable Winner's Concert performances…
If she tried skipping out on the Winner's Concert again, President Rudolf might personally hunt her down and drag her onto the stage. Just imagining that scenario sent chills down her spine.
Instinctively, Garden Gale moved to close the interface, deciding to ignore the main quest for now. The other quests could wait—she just wanted to rest a bit, to live peacefully.
Distracted by these thoughts, she absentmindedly tapped the close button.
But at that exact moment, the acceptance and close buttons suddenly switched places—
And her finger landed squarely on "Accept."
Wait…WAIT!
It switched?!
Garden Gale froze, instantly realizing her mistake.
[Main Quest Accepted]:Our Journey Is the Stars and the Sea!
[Acceptance Reward]:THRONE OF KINGS (Delivered)
[Main Quest has officially begun: System entering maintenance mode—unlocking again in three days.]
[Good luck, Host.]
…She couldn't hear the rest clearly anymore.
Damn you, stupid system! Did you have to set such a sneaky trap? That was downright evil—just like the shady ads she'd accidentally clicked on back in her past life, impossible to shake off once clicked.
You're supposed to be a high-end system! Why are you playing such cheap tricks?!
Garden Gale's hand trembled slightly.
No big deal. No big deal. I'll just fail the quest anyway…
The Selas System's faint-blue screen flickered off, entering upgrade mode.
...
Garden Gale sat in stunned silence, hair disheveled like she'd been caught in a sudden gust of wind.
Maybe I should just jump from the window now?
Right, she should've jumped last time—except it had seemed too high then. But perhaps it was time to give Tracen Academy a spectacular flying trapeze show.