[A/N: Oops, sorry about that. I accidentally posted a chapter from my Genshin fanfic, which I was working on in my free time.
I posted the wrong chapter thanks to my sleep deprivation.
Here's the real chapter, my bad.]
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"Echo Eclipse has done it once again! Winning by a distance from the pack!" The commentator roared among the spectators; the second commentator took over.
"Echo has broken Yayoi Sho's record by 4.4 seconds! She never stopped breaking any records of the tracks she ran on!" He shouted in shock and was enchanted by the record.
The previous record was 1:58.8, and it would stay like that for the longest time. Maybe some may break it by 0.1 seconds or more.
But they are watching another historical record that will never be beaten as long as Echo Eclipse runs.
Suda Hawk crossed the finish line at the time of 1:59.5, panting heavily. She could only stare forward in awe, a grin sneaking up her lips. The only person in her eyes was Echo Eclipse.
Shortly after she crossed the finish line, the rest of the pack crossed the line.
They were exhausted, panting, but none of them looked disappointed or sad. All of them were staring at Echo Eclipse, as if printing that glorious figure of Echo Eclipse into their eyes.
Echo's breathing was steady as she smiled brightly, twirling around and letting her transparent white silk flutter around her like the wind; then she pointed upward.
Another roar of cheers came as Echo took in the cheers, before glancing at her record on the leaderboard.
1:54.4.
Then she glanced at the system notification in front of her.
[You have won in 1st place.]
[You have received 150SP.]
She took a deep breath before opening her status, comparing it to her status before she was kidnapped into hell.
[Name: Echo Eclipse
Track Affinity: [Dirt: A] | [Turf: S]
Running Affinity: [End: E] | [Late: C] | [Pace: A] | [Front: S]
Distance Affinity: [Sprint: A] | [Mile: A] | [Medium: S] | [Long: B]
Speed: 511 (C+: Expert)
Stamina: 599 (C+: Expert)
Power: 581 (C+: Expert)
Guts: 457 (C: Advanced)
Wits: 598 (C+: Expert)
Zone: —
SP: 350]
A defeated smile appeared on her expression. 'Am I the final boss or something?'
Since her training at Mt. Fuji, in just two months, her stamina, power, and wits increased immensely.
How much did you say?
Well, Stamina increased by 124. Power increased by 139, and Wits increased by 175.
Only Speed and Guts had the least increase, but even that amount was considerable. Speed increased by 33, and Guts increased by 58.
In only two months, through hell by Kincsem, her stats exploded.
'Speed is not a concern, at least for the longest of time. I doubt anybody could run faster than me if I have my unique skill activated.' She chuckled before going to the podium.
'Spend 300SP into Stamina.'
[Spending 300SP into Stamina.]
[Stamina increased by +60.]
She took a massive inhale, and instead of steam exiting from her skin. She exhaled the steam out of her mouth, making it seem like the inside of her body was on fire.
The reporters would take a picture of this, and the photo ended up bizarre and ethereal because, at the moment the steam left her mouth, the wind came at that moment and drifted the steam away.
Making her look majestic even in exhaling the steam out.
This scene would later create a rumour that Echo Eclipse was not an Uma Musume, but actually a dragon in disguise.
In the future, Bizen Nishiki would laugh at Echo when she heard the rumour and start teasing her. But that's only in the future.
After resting for an hour, everybody was ready to do the concert, but Echo was a bit confused by the other runners' reactions.
They were staring at her with such respect, almost to the point of worship.
'Oh well, it's only harmless,' Echo thought before choosing a song she quite liked.
"Time for showtime." She smirked before walking out onto the stage.
Bizen Nishiki and Suzu Mach noticed the difference in Echo's personality. Nishiki smirked while poking Rudolf with her elbow.
"Wow~ You really have an impact on her, don't you?" She teased Rudolf, and Rudolf only huffed coldly at her.
But everyone could see Rudolf's tail swaying contentedly at the thought that she influenced Echo.
"Woe, Echo~" Bizen Nishiki gave a mock sadness on her face as she leaned her arm against Gold Way, "She's so pure, and now she's being corrupted by Symboli Rudolf~."
"Truly, woe he- GHEH!" Gold Way jabbed her elbow into Bizen Nishiki's ribs, causing her to cough while falling to her knees.
"Babe! That wasn't fair!" Nishiki protested while Gold Way shook her head and pointed at Rudolf, who was no longer paying attention to her.
Her eyes were focused on Echo Eclipse, who was singing and dancing on the stage.
"... How are they not together yet?" Nishiki asked Gold Way, who shrugged.
Echo continued dancing with a smile, and her fans cheered for her.
Shortly after finishing her concert dancing and completing a few interviews. She immediately ran away.
And a horde of reporters and interviewers was chasing her like a mob; everybody was inside the van.
"Start the van!" Echo shouted while she was still a distance away from the van. Kazuo gripped the wheel, revved the engine, and drove out.
Symboli Rudolf kept the door open as Echo easily caught up to the van's speed.
Then she jumped onto it, letting out a soft exhale of relief. The horde of reporters and interviewers is scary!
Suzu Mach and the others clapped at Echo's action-genre decision, while Gold Way stared at her, confused.
Echo noticed her gaze and gave her a thumbs up, "Fan service for my fans!" Echo grinned widely, knowing that this incident would be in the newspapers.
Nishiki glanced at Rudolf before snickering, "Looks like you're not the only one that influenced her. Miss Kincsem did too~,"
Rudolf turned her head coldly at Nishiki, "It was a while since we last raced on the track. How about I enter the Derby Challenge Trophy and take first place?"
Nishiki froze. "You wouldn't. We're friends. Right? We're friends?!" Nishiki asked desperately, looking around, but everyone avoided her gaze.
She doomed herself.
"Eh? Are you running in the Lord Derby Challenge Trophy? I thought you would run in the Nikkei Sho?" Echo asked innocently and was confused. There's only one week of break if Rudolf ran in the Lord Derby Challenge Trophy and Nikkei Sho.
Rudolf noticed Echo's concern and softened.
"I was joking, Echo."
Suzu Mach and Suzu Parade whispered and chuckled to each other, joking that "Symboli Rudolf's only weakness is Echo Eclipse. If you want to win against Rudolf, bring Echo Eclipse to weaken her."
Echo nodded dazedly at Rudolf's response, her thought drifting away from the van.
"Carrots."
"Huh?" Everyone turned their heads at Echo, who was daydreaming. She wasn't like this before her training camp.
Nishiki asked, "Rudolf... What happened during the training camp that made Echo more... airy?"
Rudolf could only shudder at the thought before turning her head away, responding in silence.