Astral Online: Cursed by the Demon Lord to Become the Strongest Beautiful Girl, I Rapidly Grow and Dominate with Cheat Skills Despite Being the Weakest Profession - Chapter 10
Chapter 10: Kirie’s Shop
Even after Glen and the others picked up the unconscious Gald and retreated, hundreds of players affiliated with the clan remained in the plaza.
They seemed to be waiting for the right moment to approach me, but whenever Kirie glared at them, they would avert their gaze.
However, it seemed they were unwilling to give up, as only a handful of people were leaving the plaza.
If anything triggers it, they’ll all move at once. Sora, who was leading the way, grabbed Shin and Rou by the collars, the two of them being unable to move due to the penalties of losing the duel. She pulled them along as she led the way.
“Um… Kirie-san. Thank you for stopping them.”
Having calmed down, I thanked her while being very respectful despite clearly being older than me.
Kirie smiled and patted Sora on the head, saying:
“Just call me Kirie. And you can drop the formalities, I’ll call you Sora too.”
“No, that’s not a problem at all. But calling someone older by their first name is a bit of a hurdle for me…”
“I see, then call me however you like. By the way, your use of ‘ore’ as your first-person pronoun is quite boyish compared to your cute appearance.”
“W-well, there are various reasons for that…”
Kirie looked at me with a curious expression.
Sora, unable to say something like “I’m a guy who was turned into a girl by the Demon Lord” in such a public setting, was sweating profusely.
Kirie seemed considerate and didn’t press the issue further.
After walking for a while and successfully escaping the plaza thanks to her intimidation, Sora sighed and murmured, “I didn’t expect such intense events on the first day…”
“I’m truly sorry about that.”
“I thought we could win, but that Glen guy has clearly put a lot of time into VR games. He blocked all of our coordinated attacks and exploited even the slightest opening to defeat us.”
“Top players are indeed a different breed. On the other hand, that Gald guy gave off such a small-time vibe.”
“When he stepped on Sora’s landmine so perfectly, I could tell what was coming next.”
“I thought he was done for, too.”
Shin and Rou exchanged glances and laughed.
Regarding the battle with Glen, they seemed less frustrated by the loss and more genuinely impressed by the strength of the boy who was the vice-leader.
As Sora dragged the two of them along, he recalled Glen.
Come to think of it, Glen also acknowledged the strength of Shin and Rou.
The only one who was making a fuss at that time was Gald, a man on his own.
Perhaps they were so put off by Gald’s behavior that they completely ignored his words, as now that they had recovered from the damage dealt by Glen, both Shin and Rou seemed perfectly fine.
Sora had been a bit worried if they were hurt, but it seemed it was unnecessary concern.
Feeling a bit relieved, Sora glanced at the two of them as she continued to drag them along.
“So, how long do you guys plan on being dragged around?”
“Well, when you lose a duel, if it’s a partial defeat, you’re immobilized for 30 minutes. If it’s a complete defeat, you’re not in any danger of dying, but you’re stuck in a one-hour invulnerability state.”
“In other words, right now we’re completely useless, just a burden.”
“Alright, if something happens, I’ll use you guys as a decoy and throw you at the enemy. Be ready for that.”
“Are you a demon!?”
Kirie chuckled.
Returning their bitter smiles, Sora continued to drag them along for a while.
When they finally reached a street lined with weapon and tool shops, Shin and Rou’s paralysis wore off.
Both of them savored the joy of being able to stand on their own feet again and stretched to relieve their stiff bodies.
As Sora watched them, she glanced around to check her surroundings.
…Yep, they’re still being watched.
The earlier incident was probably making the rounds as news by now.
Players stopped and stared at her with varying expressions.
There were gazes of admiration, skepticism, and even awe.
Sora, with steely resolve, ignored them and asked Kirie, “This street is quite noticeable, for better or worse. Is it alright for us to be seen with you?”
“Don’t be so cheeky. Despite how I look, I’ve been playing ?Astral Online? since the beta test, so I’m not scared by this level of attention.”
“So you were a beta player.”
“That explains the impressive presence you have.”
When Shin and Rou nodded, Sora secretly used her ?Insight? skill to check Kirie’s status.
Indeed, her level was 13, the same as Glen’s from the plaza.
Her profession was as Kirie claimed: a ?Blacksmith?, with a skill level of 6.
The name of her clan was ?Tenmoku Ichi-Ka?.
Sora thought to herself that it was a pretty cool-sounding clan name. Considering there is a blacksmith god named Tenmoku Ichi-Ka in Japan, it might be inspired by that.
While Sora was contemplating this, an unfamiliar man, who also seemed like a beginner, attempted to approach her.
Kirie gave him a sharp glare.
The unknown man, intimidated by just that, withdrew his hand.
Wow, that’s impressive…
Other players who seemed to be more experienced also tried to approach Sora but quickly gave up when they saw Kirie.
From this, it was clear that she was quite well-known in ?Astral Online?.
If that’s the case, then interacting with someone as famous, for better or worse, must carry some risk.
Sora couldn’t help but wonder if there might be something ulterior behind it.
After walking for a while, Kirie stopped in front of a small wooden shop.
The exterior gave the impression of an old, long-standing establishment. However, the building materials used were from Yggdrasil, and its durability was beyond what Sora’s ?Insight? skill could assess.
Kirie stood in front of the door, flipped the sign that said “Closed” to “Open,” and then, with a sly smile, took out a key.
“Welcome to my shop, ?Little Hephaestus?!” [1]
She inserted the key into the lock and turned it lightly.
With a click, the old wooden door swung open forcefully when Kirie turned the doorknob.
Encouraged by her, Sora entered and saw various types of weapons hanging on the walls: one-handed swords, twin blades, greatswords, and more.
Below them were mannequins dressed in all kinds of armor, ranging from light to full heavy armor.
Sora’s ?Insight? skill revealed that all these items were crafted by Kirie.
Moreover, all the weapons and armor were of at least ?D-rank? rarity, with even the lowest ?G-rank? basic equipment swords being of higher quality than usual.
Naturally, the prices were all over 100,000 El. For beginners like Sora and her group, it was an amount they could not possibly afford.
“Oh, amazing…”
“It’s only the second day since the release, and you really have your own shop!?”
“And that white one-handed sword is ?C-rank?, the highest rarity at this stage!”
The white handle and silver-glinting guard, along with the blade made of steel, exude an edge sharp enough to cut through most things.
The name of the sword is ?Shirazakura?.
Its price is a staggering 300,000 El.
Being handmade, the price is exorbitant.
The fact that she can make high-rarity weapons indicates that Kirie’s blacksmithing skills are quite exceptional.
???Come to my ‘shop’ with those kids over there.?
Those words were not a lie or a metaphor, they were the truth.
Meanwhile, Shin was staring around the shop in disbelief.
It seemed that Rou shared the same sentiment, frozen with his mouth slightly open in shock.
When Sora glanced at Kirie, she puffed out her chest and revealed the true nature of the shop.
“This is a reward from a limited quest. After completing an old man’s request, I got this shop and workshop.”
“Amazing…”
“Even the cheapest shops or houses have at least eight zeros after the one…”
“And having a workshop included, it seems impossible to get something like this even after playing for a month.”
Sora, Shin, and Rou each voiced their impressions of Kirie’s shop.
Among them, Sora was internally excited about encountering a personal shop for the first time in this world.
Wow, this is incredible.
To think that a one-time limited quest could yield such a big reward.
It’s no wonder that some players might believe that the silver-haired color is a limited reward.
As Sora happily admired the weapons hanging on the wall, Kirie suddenly showed her palm.
When Sora looked at her inquiringly, Kirie stated the purpose of calling her here.
“Now, let’s see your partner right away.”
“…?”
Ah, so that was the purpose.
The person she’s dealing with is a top-class blacksmith in the current environment.
Sora took a deep breath and obediently entrusted her partner, the ?Normal Sword?, to Kirie.
TL Note:
Hephaestus is the Greek god of artisans, blacksmiths, carpenters, craftsmen, fire, metallurgy, metalworking, sculpture and volcanoes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hephaestus