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 149
Chapter 149: The Alchemist Girl
All the stares around me are painful…
Though I managed to avoid being bombarded with questions from NPCs, I couldn’t help but feel unsettled by the numerous distant gazes directed toward me.
After being met with those surprised exclamations, I had no one to ask about the situation. So, I turned to the support system, Lucifel-sama, to inquire about the crabs, and this is what I was told:
The shell-type monster ?Increasing Crab?.
Its evolved outer shell boasts one of the highest levels of hardness among the seafood monsters in this region.
The standard strategy to defeat it involves using a skill like ?Guard Break? with a one-handed sword to nullify its defense and steadily chip away at its HP.
According to ?Lucifel?, with my attack power, I could defeat it in roughly 10 hits without any buff skills. This sheds light on just how powerful my ?Enchanter? has become.
In short, what Kuro and I are doing right now, defeating these monsters in one hit, is something that should never be possible under normal circumstances.
To put it simply, this is the ultimate brute force playstyle.
The kind that lives by the motto “Power is strength.”
On a side note, while I was easily defeating these crabs, I noticed a group of younger adventurers in the distance. It seemed they had heard about this quest from somewhere.
They had a full six-person party, with two ?Knights? at the front, a ?Thief? in the middle, and three in the back—?Mage?, ?Priest?, and ?Summoner?—making for a rather balanced group.
From what I could gather using my ?Insight? skill, their average level was around 45, and they were struggling immensely with just one crab.
I guess that’s what you’d call “normal.”
Kuro and I quickly completed the quest and leveled up two times.
When we returned the fishing rods to the old man managing the port, he laughed heartily and said, “That was quite the show! Looking forward to tomorrow!”
Having finished our task, we turned our backs on the adventurers, who were still struggling with their second crab, and made our way out of the port.
“Alright, what quest should we do next?”
Touching the empty space, I brought up the map of this country.
The 3D map makes it easy to see where we are, and any quests we’ve discovered are conveniently marked with a “?” icon. It’s such a useful feature.
While closely studying the map and walking along the edge of the crowded road to avoid getting in anyone’s way, I naturally took Kuro’s hand with my left hand.
By comparing the quest information I’ve researched on my own with the quest information Rinne gave me, I hope to find a quest that seems particularly exciting.
“It’s mostly stuff like finding lost items or cleaning up trash.”
“There’s also a quest to exterminate slimes in the sewers, but it’s supposed to be smelly and the experience points aren’t great, so it doesn’t have a good reputation among adventurers.”
“I heard from Shino and the others that the sailing ship escort quest gives good experience points, but it takes a long time.”
“So, the next most efficient quest after the crab one seems to be the one where we have to protect customers from flying sharks that attack the beach.”
“Sharks… fly?”
“Well, it’s a pretty common fantasy trope. I think there was even a movie about it a long time ago.”
As we were talking about such niche topics and walking down a quieter road toward the beach, we suddenly ran into a girl with pink hair.
“Oh, it’s Sora-kun!”
She had semi-long hair that covered one of her eyes.
Her wide, pink eyes with upturned corners gave off a sense of strength. She looked about 160 cm tall, with a slim, toned body except for one very noticeable feature.
She was dressed like a light-armored mage, wearing a long tunic-style outfit that reached below her knees, with a cloak draped over it. From the rare-looking bow on her back, it was clear she played a supportive role.
I could describe her in many ways, but there was only one word that everyone would say about her.
“W-Wow… they’re huge…”
Kuro, who was quite well-endowed herself, stared in disbelief at the girl’s large chest, which was more than double the size of her own, repeatedly comparing the two.
Meanwhile, Sora, whose name had just been called, grimaced and muttered her player name with a bitter expression.
“In-Inori…”
The girl whose name was called beamed with delight and, without hesitation, used the movement skill ?Sonic Step?. With a single kick off the ground, she instantly appeared in front of Sora from a distance, attempting to forcibly press her “lips” against her.
“!?”
Sensing danger, Sora reflexively raised her right hand, blocking her mouth just in time.
“Mmph.”
Inori let out a muffled sound.
The pink-haired girl, forcibly stopped with her face thrust forward, and the silver-haired adventurer, holding her back with her hand, locked eyes at close range. Both of them froze in place.
The girl, whose intended action was blocked at the last moment, gave a reproachful look at Sora.
Ignoring her gaze, I let out a deep sigh and warned her.
“…That was dangerous. Stop trying to kiss me the moment we meet.”
“Huh? Wha?”
Kuro, caught off guard, seemed unable to grasp the situation. With a question mark practically floating above her head, she glanced back and forth between the spot where Inori had been and where she had suddenly appeared.
The girl, whose mouth was covered, gave a disappointed look as if saying “oh well” and, with no other option, gave Sora’s palm a quick lick before stepping back.
“Eek!”
The moist sensation of her tongue made Sora shudder to her core, goosebumps rising all over her body as she instinctively took a backward step to distance herself.
Now standing at a wary distance from the busty girl, she faced her with heightened caution.
“Mmm, tasty,” she purred seductively, licking her lips.
Watching her, I felt genuine fear for the first time since starting ?Astral Online?.
Kuro quickly moved to stand beside Sora, who had never been this wary before, and asked, “Who is that? Do you want to know?”
“…Her player name is ‘Inori,’ and she was a member of the ?Hunters of the Apocalypse? guild I was part of in the RPG ?Sky Fantasy? that I used to play.”
“That person…”
“Yeah, she’s an old friend, but despite her appearance, she’s a total pervert. We never met in real life due to some complicated circumstances, but it seems she’s still the same in the game.”
As I introduced her, Inori raised her right hand dramatically and introduced herself to Kuro.
“Nice to meet you! I’m Inori, Sora-kun’s lover.”
“L-lover!?”
“Hey, cut it out! Unlike you, Kuro is straightforward and serious, so she’ll believe you if you lie like that.”
I sighed and corrected her, and Kuro, standing next to me, looked relieved and let out a breath of relief. Inori, observing this, gave an intrigued glance at Kuro.
“So… this girl is your current partner, Sora-kun?”
“N-nice to meet you, I’m Kuro.”
“Hmm, I see, she’s the type that Sora-kun would like, serious and responsible. Looks like the ‘main wife war’ is going to be intense.”
“M-main wife war?”
The ‘main wife war’ is apparently a battle fought among the women who have teamed up with me in the past to determine who is the most suitable partner for me. I’d heard it had reached a ceasefire since Ilya left, but from Inori’s tone, it seems it’s still ongoing.
“Don’t drag Kuro into any weird battles. By the way, you’re the guild leader of ?Tenmoku Ichi-Ka?, right? I heard you’ve been a recluse lately, so why are you here?”
Not wanting to let her dominate the conversation, I got straight to the point. Inori puffed out her chest and proudly responded.
“Well, Kirie got mad and told me to get some fresh air, so I got kicked out of the guild home!”
“O-oh…”
I had no idea how to respond to such a ridiculous reason.