To put it simply, Luo Cheng had transmigrated.
He had just stepped out to buy groceries. One moment he blinked, and the next, he was standing in an unfamiliar office. Before him was a brand-new wooden desk, its protective film still intact, topped with a copy of the Uma Musume Trainer's Handbook.
It was obvious he had landed in the world of Uma Musume. It was a world without Chakra or Oripathy—just a bunch of cute girls clamoring to race every day. In terms of "Transmigration Danger Levels," this was likely the safest category possible.
However, while others usually transmigrated into a realistic world with a similar setting, Luo Cheng had transmigrated into a game world. More accurately, it was a world caught halfway between reality and software.
Everyone had a status bar floating over them, displaying their [Mood], [Attributes], [Affection], and [Skills]. If it were just that, it might have been fine. But when Luo Cheng approached these girls with their horse ears and tails to greet them, they would only respond with: "Good morning, Trainer."
If he tried to ask them anything else, they would head back to class as if they hadn't heard a word. Everyone was like this.
This was why Luo Cheng called it "half-reality." He was the sole "Player," capable only of basic interactions. If he said "Good morning," they reacted. But if he said "You dropped something," they remained indifferent. They were incapable of understanding anything outside the system's predefined parameters.
Luo Cheng had tried to see if the world outside the academy was the same, but the world was sealed off. He couldn't take a single step beyond the campus. A transparent barrier blocked his path.
An invisible wall!
He was trapped, forced to play the role of a "Trainer."
"Trainer, what is today's training schedule?"
A young filly with a ponytail entered the room. She had skin so pale it was hard to imagine in the real world, cheeks so delicate they looked like they could hold water, beautiful large azure eyes, and a vibrant brown ponytail. A crescent-shaped white streak of hair accented her bangs. The information bar above her head displayed her name: Tokai Teio.
Seeing her in person for the first time, Luo Cheng was speechless with shock. This little filly was far cuter than her 3D model!
Unlike the others, Tokai Teio would respond to Luo Cheng's commands—but only if he prefaced them with: "Today's training content is—"
It was like a command in Minecraft. As long as he started with those words, Tokai Teio would follow the instruction. There were limits, though. He could command her to do push-ups, but he couldn't command her to solve Fermat's Last Theorem. He could command her to move her tongue, but he couldn't command her to say whatever he wanted. The moment it involved language or complex independent thought, Tokai Teio would immediately "glitch" out.
She was like a semi-intelligent robot that could only receive specific inputs.
After ordering Teio to run ten laps on the track, Luo Cheng had her return to the office. He pushed her down onto the sofa and took off her shoes. Throughout the process, Teio remained as motionless as a doll.
The green bar representing her stamina dropped slightly, while her speed rose from [90] to [91].
However, none of that mattered to him right now. Luo Cheng looked at the athletic shoes in his hand. The long run had caused her feet to sweat, and the moisture had cycled and evaporated inside the shoes. The moment he pulled them off, a wave of heat billowed from the opening, enveloping his fingers.
Her snow-white cotton socks were soaked with sweat, leaving faint yellow marks. A light, sweet-and-sour scent of perspiration drifted into the air.
All of this proved one thing: the people in this world had physiological reactions. They weren't just models; they were living people. They were simply living according to game logic.
He peeled off her socks, revealing rosy, translucent toes. When he touched them, Teio's toes instinctively curled slightly. When he left her alone, she eventually stood up and walked out of the room barefoot.
The status bar above her head displayed [Hungry].
When it was time to eat, the Uma Musume would go to the cafeteria. They would chat and laugh like normal people, but Luo Cheng couldn't join in. They wouldn't react to him, and neither would the cafeteria ladies.
In that moment, Luo Cheng understood: he was an existence from outside this world. He was the "Player" here.
Luo Cheng held his head in his hands, unable to believe it. He had confirmed it countless times, but this was the reality he faced. Why is my transmigration so different from everyone else's?
He had no idea how long this would last. With a mix of excitement and growing unease, Luo Cheng began his life at Tracen Academy.
Three months passed in a flash. Luo Cheng lay on the office sofa, using Tokai Teio's lap as a pillow. Although she was young, her thighs were surprisingly substantial—smoothly contoured and elastic. Every curve was just right, and resting his head there felt soft enough to sink into. Beyond the texture, the scent was exquisite.
Sometimes Luo Cheng liked to sleep on her lap, though doing so would cause Teio's mood to drop the next day and her stamina recovery to be halved.
"Trainer, what is today's training schedule?"
"Today's training content is to sit here quietly."
"Understood."
Luo Cheng shifted his body, burying his face between Teio's thighs. A sweet citrus fragrance filled his nose. This wasn't the smell of clothes or laundry detergent; it was Teio's natural scent. Even if she were stripped bare, that pleasant sweetness would remain.
The bodies of beautiful girls were fragrant, and their taste was sweet—Luo Cheng had already tested these theories. Except after exercise, of course. After a workout, they had a salty, acidic tang.
Speaking of exercise, the "system" governing these girls was truly something to complain about. If he got their underwear or jackets dirty, they would wash them themselves. But if he hung something on them or simply undressed them, they remained indifferent. It was as if those actions fell outside the system's scope of response. He couldn't figure out the logic behind their "judgment."
Still, it was convenient that they cleaned themselves. Otherwise, they would surely smell strange. Even for beautiful girls, a body after a workout emitted a stifling, musky heat which, when combined with their natural body fragrance, created an indescribable, unique scent. At first, it was a bit pungent, but after a while, it became strangely addictive. Luo Cheng had succumbed to it several times; it was a bit frightening.
"Teio, talk to me for a bit..." Luo Cheng muttered, stroking her thigh.
After a long time spent exploring his options, he found that he only had command authority over Tokai Teio. When he tried to order others, a semi-transparent dialogue box would pop up: [Relationship not yet established]. Yet, he didn't know how to sign a contract with them. Even if he forced their hand to sign a paper, it did nothing.
What is the point of me being here? To play a real-life dating sim and flirt with cute girls?
He had no goal. He could only do whatever came to mind, training them as if he were playing the Uma Musume game. Over this period, Teio's attributes had grown significantly; her Speed, Stamina, Power, Guts, and Intelligence had all been raised to 120 or higher.
Even if it were a dating sim, he couldn't spend all day every day being "intimate"; his body wouldn't handle it. During his bored hours, he read the training books. According to the handbook, the "Main Quest" of this world was racing, but Luo Cheng wondered what would happen if he failed. Would he vanish on the spot, or would he get a "Retry"? He was in the habit of expecting the worst.
According to the Uma Musume Trainer's Handbook on his desk, a race was coming up soon. If he failed, he might just disappear.
But then again, maybe disappearing wouldn't be so bad. This world looked vibrant and bustling, but in truth, it was deathly silent. Luo Cheng couldn't feel any "life" from these people. No dialogue, no communication, no reaction, no feedback. Nothing at all.
Watching the sky grow darker outside the window, Luo Cheng closed his eyes. Every day, he fantasized about waking up to find the world returned to normal. He was sick of this life, confined in a narrow world like a bird in a cage. He was on the verge of a breakdown.
Tonight, he planned to sleep on Teio's lap again. Although he had tried looking for others, everyone else just lay in their beds as motionless as dolls. At least he could command Teio to do squats over him.
During his imprisonment at Tracen, the two thousand or so students in the academy had all become tools for him to kill time. If he didn't have this variety of students to keep things fresh, he would have definitely been driven mad by this world.
There was no internet, and electronic devices didn't work. All screens were solid white, like textures that hadn't been loaded. Luo Cheng felt himself being assimilated by the world, turning into a puppet with nothing but a body.
It grew late. As the clock struck midnight, a bell rang through the dim world, and a dialogue box popped up in the sleeping Luo Cheng's mind.
[Story Quest Triggered: Debut Race]
...
"Trainer... Trainer! Wake up, you lazybones!"
Opening his eyes groggily, various patches of color reorganized themselves in his vision. Soon, Luo Cheng saw a little filly with puffed-out cheeks, pushing at his shoulder—Tokai Teio.
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Uma Musume: Inside the Game (40 Chapters - Ongoing)
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