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 122
Chapter 122: Prototype Street Food
The scene shifts from in front of Kirie’s shop to the second district of the capital, Yggdrasil.
This area is lined with various dining establishments, ranging from large high-end restaurants to small cafes, big and small alike, along the roadside.
Previously, this area was featured in an article on the VR journalist Rinne’s website, and it seems to have become a must-visit spot for beginner and intermediate adventurers.
Although the details aren’t mentioned in the article, probably because it would have been deleted, eating at the restaurants in this area grants temporary bonuses.
The three main effects are: “Increased experience points,” “Increased weapon proficiency,” and “Increased amount of El earned.”
Which bonus you get depends on the type of restaurant, and the amount and duration of the effect vary depending on the size of the establishment and the price of the meal.
Though there is a teleport gate, few adventurers on the frontlines bother coming all the way here, as it’s a hassle.
Perhaps it’s a kind of relief measure added by the game’s management to help later players catch up to us.
??Thinking this to distract herself, Sora shifts her gaze to a building right in front of her.
The buildings on this street are generally stylish in design.
Among them, one building stands out.
It’s a wooden one-story structure, sandwiched between a fashionable, Chinese-style restaurant and an Italian specialty shop.
The restaurant is called ?Flame Restaurant?, but I often think the world would be a better place if it would simply go up in flames and cease to exist, living up to its fiery name.
This is no joke.
At the very least, this ridiculous quest is not something I’d recommend to anyone.
Sora and Kuro managed to clear the initial quest and acquire the ?Cooking? skill.
After stepping out of the restaurant mid-way through a series of cooking battle quests, the two collapsed onto a bench set up for resting in front of the restaurant.
“Phew, that was one hell of a starting quest.”
“Shio-chan and the others were really lucky…”
“Yeah, I never would have thought that getting the ‘bad roll’ would be *this* exhausting…”
Why are two of the top-tier players in Astral Online, arguably the strongest, so mentally drained?
It’s because they finished the gamble dish, whose taste changes randomly—the starting condition for the cooking quest ?Strike Before You’re Struck?, which can only be accepted here.
“Who would have guessed that a ramen flavored like shortcake would cause such indigestion…”
“At first, I thought I could handle it…”
To explain it simply, the noodles tasted like sponge cake, the soup like whipped cream, and the toppings like char siu pork were strawberry-flavored. Even though it looked like ramen, it was basically a shortcake in disguise.
When we first started eating, we thought it was doable, like some new kind of dessert.
But as we kept eating, we quickly realized that what we were facing was far sweeter than we had imagined.
By the middle of the meal, our initial momentum had vanished, and we got sick of the unchanging sweetness of the whipped cream soup. By the end, when our stomachs were screaming, “No more, this is impossible!” we were on the verge of losing it.
If we abandoned the quest, we wouldn’t be able to take it again for a week, and we wouldn’t make it in time for the Dragon King Festival. So, we pushed through with sheer determination, but I swore to myself I’d never do something like this again.
Even Kuro, who loves sweets, was totally deflated. That shows just how terrifying this dessert ramen really was.
There’s a big difference between “tasty” and just “sweet.”
“Well, anyway… We’ve finished resting, so we should head back to Kirie’s place.”
“Yeah, they said they’d be done in an hour, so the timing should be just right.”
We had obtained the cooking skill, so we had no more business here.
With their spirits deeply wounded, Sora and Kuro stood up and decided to head back to Kirie’s shop.
………………………
The two of them returned to the shop, which still had the “closed” sign up, and used the key Kirie had given them to enter.
No one was in sight.
Maybe they were still in the back of the store?
As they thought this, they noticed a delicious smell wafting through the air inside the shop.
It was completely different from the sickly sweet scent of that hellish dessert ramen they had eaten earlier.
This was the fragrant smell of something fried.
Exchanging glances, Sora and Kuro began walking toward the source of the scent.
They passed by the workshop they had been shown before, but the door was left open, and no one was inside.
Where could they be?
As they followed the smell further, they noticed that the door to a room in the back was slightly open.
Feeling a little excited, Sora took the lead, approaching the slightly ajar door. She grasped the doorknob and swung it open wide.
Inside, everyone was gathered.
“Oh, big brother, welcome back.”
“Oh my, perfect timing.”
“Sora, this is so tasty!”
Shio, Alice, and Satanas turned toward Sora and Kuro with bright smiles to greet them.
Stepping inside, they found it was a combined kitchen and dining room.
Shio was standing at the kitchen, holding long chopsticks in her hand, frying something in a pan that was sizzling with the sound of popping oil.
There was no need to guess—it was the dish they planned to serve at the ?Dragon King Festival?.
Alice and Satanas held freshly fried skewers in their hands, their eyes sparkling with delight.
“Sora, the ‘kushikatsu’ you’re planning to serve at your stall is amazing!” [1]
The one who spoke was Kirie, the red-haired blacksmith.
Holding a ‘kushikatsu’ skewer in one hand, she bit into the crispy, breaded meat, chewing with a satisfying crunch that made it look incredibly delicious.
“My thoughts are that it’s pretty close to *beef katsu*. The outside is crispy, while the inside is juicy with a rich umami flavor—absolutely amazing! This makes me want a beer!”
“Alright, Kirie-san, remember there are only minors around, so please restrain yourself,” Sora said, exasperated.
“Haha, sorry about that. But there’s no doubt that it’s incredibly tasty,” Kirie replied with a sheepish grin.
“Shio, it looks like the ?Forest Wolf Knife? worked well.”
“Yes, with this, I don’t feel like we can lose,” Shio replied confidently.
Sora and Kuro stood next to Shio, who was intensely focused on the pot.
In the pot filled with hot oil, skewered, breaded items were swimming, sizzling away.
This was the dish they would serve at their food stall—bite-sized pieces of ?Lesser Dragon? meat, skewered, dipped in egg, coated with breadcrumbs, and deep-fried.
If they had to give it a name, they’d call it ?Kushidora katsu?.
Alice, munching on a test piece, looked at Sora in awe and said, “Wow, this is incredible. I’ve only ever seen meat grilled, but frying it makes it so much more delicious.”
“Yeah, when I saw the list of other food stalls, I noticed most of them focused on grilled dishes. I thought this would add some uniqueness and creativity,” Sora explained.
“Well, since it’s a bit on the wild side, if you don’t properly prep the meat, it’ll be too smelly to eat,” Shio added as she handed a freshly fried skewer to Sora.
Sora took the skewer, blew on it to cool it down, then took a bite, savoring the flavor before swallowing.
Her taste impression matched Kirie’s.
With this dish, Sora was sure they could compete against any of the other food stalls.
“Alright, next, we’ll contact Kirie and Rinne to spread the word!”
“Leave it to me. Rinne won’t hesitate to help out if it’s for you, Sora!”
And so, all they had to do now was wait for the big day.
TL Note:
Kushikatsu is a Japanese dish of deep-fried skewered meat and vegetables.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kushikatsu