Chapter 485

NO．68：OP race indeed occasionally encounters ghosts

「Vanguard! After the race schedule passed halfway, the situation finally stabilized! The fugitive Abundant Medicine King and the vanguard group behind maintain a two-horse-length distance, and the leading Heavenly Hunt Patrol remains relentless! 」

「It reminds one of the July ocean championship, huh. 」

「Yes! But after these two old rivals comes the young lady of the splendid clan. 」

「Participating in this race with the spelling of First Ruby, they must intend to train in secret. 」

「But everyone knows the meaning of the name DaiichiRuby! Can she earn victory? She is neck-and-neck with the Heavenly Hunt Patrol, clearly blocked ahead! 」

「Being swept along, the rural leisure and evening sky are accelerating the chase; with her build, it's truly hard to break through. 」

Besides, there's Duo Wang Dun and the Manchester City Chazuo athlete! That jet-black horse girl who initially sprang out and displayed her vigor now only wanders in the middle group, even having her path blocked by the wailing tide! Is it because she couldn't adapt to the grass quality of the heavy track?!

The first comeback after a few months of rest is on this kind of grass, which is indeed terrible.

Terrible……?

Stepping on that relatively heavy grass, the force that tends to disperse evenly travels from the shoe sole and horseshoe, fed back from the running shoe to her foot, giving her an extremely familiar sensation.

Yes, familiar.

This familiarity does not come from Senior Qianming's advice, nor from her own preference.

But rather……

——

"Master actually conducted training for us targeting the heavy track."

"Really?" Ludaofu Xiangzheng was somewhat surprised.

"Yeah," Suzi shrugged helplessly, "saying that with summer rains, we're bound to encounter rainy races, so we must give us advanced training in advance……"

"Ahaha, Xiao She is just like that," Qian laughed lightly, waving her hand, "Every time she goes out she stuffs an umbrella into her briefcase, rain or shine……"

Saying this, she lowered her gaze to Aomo's seat.

There lay his ever-present briefcase.

Not only her, but Suzi and Bofang also once directed their gaze at it.

Those cohabitants who had a considerable understanding of the trainer (netizen) all realized the abnormality of him going out to run errands without a bag.

Indeed, in life, there are times when one goes out and forgets to bring the keys.

But the three girls subconsciously ruled out that possibility, and thus felt somewhat curious about the specifics of his need to go out.

However, during the Chazuo race, this curiosity remained merely curiosity.

The topic still revolved around the race.

"Isn't the point that the trainer himself should demonstrate?" Suzi pouted, "Those few days really got her clothes splattered with mud."

"But your clothes and their drying are also done by Master." Bofang attempted to uphold the trainer's reputation.

"This is what the guinea pig ought to do!"

Seeing that researcher horse girl with her matter-of-fact expression, the cyber horse girl sank into a feeling of helplessness over individual differences in thought.

Moreover, not just one person overlooked this; a strangely-faced student council president asked, not about handling the mud splatter, but: "Did he give you a demonstration?"

On this topic, she couldn't help but recall a certain short video of just a few minutes.

That short video, in a small chat room where only a certain person is absent, boasts a unique hundred-percent download rate, topping the chat room's file list.

The emperor, busy with affairs, had no time to participate in its discussion, never even entertained the idea of 'comparing with him,' merely treating it as idle chatter and brushing it off with a smile.

Now thinking about it, an odd notion inevitably arises…… Could Aomo the trainer actually be quite talented in this regard?

"Yes, the difference between heavy and slightly heavy turf, the force distribution and foot placement varying with moisture retention, is not only comprehensive but meticulous," Ailisuzhi flung her hands in speechless amazement, "This feeling of being lectured by a senior senior is truly admirable."

"……"

"Huh? Is that guy really that weird?"

The sudden voice almost made everyone look up, and then the next second, Suzi, Bofang, and Qian all unconsciously turned their gazes toward the arena.

They all mistakenly identified the person in a flash.

Leaving Chazuo aside, the other girls living in the office interact with her even less than the 'outsider' nearby does.

"How did you end up here? SS." The so-called outsider asked calmly; although initially a little surprised, the emperor did not mistake them for Chazuo.

However, the other party impolitely answered off-topic: "Is this the seat of Aomo Lin Dun's guy?"

Black-haired and black-clad, yet lacking that strand of white hair on her head, the horse girl lowered her gaze toward the empty seat.

She also recognized the black briefcase and such.

Moreover, everywhere nearby seats are full; only here is there a conspicuous empty spot.

Even beside her is a horse girl like Ludaofu Xiangzheng.

"Fill in for the shift!" She grabbed the briefcase and plopped down in the empty seat, Zhouri Ningjing wearing a displeased expression, "Besides, she even brought back that Qianming representative guy, though he has his own seat."

"So you just dodged the fare and snatched the trainer's seat?"

Among those present, the one who would retort like that is naturally not unfamiliar to Zhouri Ningjing, but also not exactly on good terms with Ailisuzhi.

Adults always disdain arguing with minors; in the past, Zhouri Ningjing, who couldn't get along with that 'burden' Chazuo kid, would simply vanish in spirit form.

This time, however, she could only sit here with arms crossed, displeased, saying: "I already said, I'm filling in for the shift!"

And what's more important!

Only by sitting here herself can Chazuo easily see.

"Right, and there's this guy!"

Suddenly recalling something, Zhouri Ningjing pulled out her phone, about to show it to everyone, but discovered that the guy inside was missing.

Her motion instantly stalled.

"Huh?"

Moreover, Ailisuzhi's increasingly doubtful glance from the side, as well as the other people's puzzled stares.

No… we clearly agreed to return to the real world together, so where did that guy go?

Using source energy contact data to confirm that the digital beast was indeed absent, I realized the other party wasn't joking with me but had toyed with me, and I clenched my pitch-black Sunday's fist tightly.

But just then, the surrounding crowd surged with excitement.

The crowd's exclamations were enormous; several people present, especially the horse girls with sensitive hearing, instinctively looked behind them, and then came the broadcast shout that spread across the wilderness.

Manchester Chazuo, Manchester Chazuo is catching up! She finally began to accelerate, moving to the outer lane! It's actually the outer lane! She, from the innermost lane, inch by inch shifted to the outer lane to speed up, surpassing the wailing tide, exceeding the village leisure and evening sky! She's closing in on First Ruby!

At the same time, Abundant Medicine God suddenly lost speed! What happened? What happened! Was it a backlash of rhythm? No! It's arrow rain, arrow rain floating ahead!

That was the Celestial Hunt talent skill! She, who steadily surpassed First Ruby, unleashed a binding skill on Abundant Medicine God!

The azure short-haired horse girl dashed forward, nocked and drew her bow, and swung the arrow like a shower of stars.

"Imperial Bow pierces the void, reaches the Great Clarity," the host added, "This is a source energy talent only seen in OP-level competitions or the Dream Cup, not permitted in G-level competitions."

Then she accelerated! Celestial Hunt accelerated! the commentator's speech flew fast, "As she was about to enter the turn, it was her skill, far more impressive than her talent skill!"

"Cloud Arrow" gradually fades, but if she does this she'll collide with Abundant Medicine God amid those arrow rains that haven't yet dissipated.

But that's also the final stretch! As everyone knows, the talent skills of most horse girls will be activated in the final stretch!

At this very moment, the black-haired petite horse girl with a big red bow tied behind her head could even kick out half a castle.

Scarlet flames, fluttering petals, enough to intimidate surrounding blockers with oppressive force, appeared at the end of that instant's staircase.

To become... the supreme horse girl!

This is tempering, this is... trial!

"【Strive for the supreme】/Supreme"

Even as her breath mingled with foul impurities, the proud noble maiden still retained enough stamina to unleash the talent skill bearing a great name.

It was not only a burst of instantaneous speed, but also a binding skill that hindered surrounding opponents.

At this very moment in the final stretch, at one-third of the race, at the ultimate point of this decisive battle.

Even if her steps were weighingly heavy, even if she could barely lift her feet, even if her lungs protested with unbearable strain, she must at least gain that glory.

This is merely an OP-level competition.

It's a basic competition open to anyone with a few hundred fans, the kind a noble young lady ought to scorn—'the commoners' match,' 'the dirty match'.

Even chaotic skills not belonging to the Triple Goddess system can mix in, and countless veterans who can't enter G-level tournaments drift there; calling it a 'gathering place of the three teachings and nine streams' is no exaggeration.

But even so, it is a public competition recognized by the Association.

They can accumulate experience and gain just as much; for horse girls without trainers, these OP-level competitions are the best practical arena.

But if even here they cannot achieve any results…

The short-noble horse girl stepped forward with swift feet, and when she was nearly parallel to the azure short-haired horse girl, she caught a glimpse of the other's utterly indifferent gaze.

In that gaze there was no trace of her, only the green long-haired horse girl ahead; her vigor was less like running and more like a hunt.

Really, all kinds of people exist…

First Ruby thought thus, gazing at the ever-approaching Abundant Medicine God ahead, and also looking further forward at the light-arrow barrier that hadn't vanished as quickly as most obstructive and binding source energy, she stepped, preparing to leap.

But then, in the next second, she felt a sharp pain.

It was a wind colder and sharper than the gusts around her; when it blew on her face, it was also the moment the pitch-black silhouette leapt out, ran alongside her for an instant, and then surpassed her the next second.

In those dark-golden eyes, too, there was coldness.