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 162
Chapter 162: The First Voyage
The sea, which I had seen many times from the beach and the port, was now before me.
The deep, vibrant waters gently rippled, shining under the sunlight. It was so beautiful that I almost forgot I was inside a game.
I couldn’t feel the heat from the sun, as I had turned off the body temperature setting, but the cool breeze carrying the scent of the sea felt incredibly pleasant as it brushed against my cheeks.
Kuro leaned out excitedly, gazing at the vast ocean, so large that its end couldn’t be seen.
As I stayed cautious, making sure she wouldn’t fall into the water, she turned back to me, her eyes sparkling.
“Wow, the ocean in the game is so huge!”
“It’s more beautiful than any other game I’ve seen. Just as they advertised. Creating the most realistic experience in VR game history,” Inori added.
“I’m glad you’re both having fun.”
In the distance, an unfamiliar dolphin-like creature called an ‘Illurkan’, a non-active monster, was jumping out of the sea and playing.
Kuro and Inori pointed at them, opened their in-game windows, and used the camera function to take photos. They happily watched the sea together, looking for anything rare or interesting.
As Sora watched over them, she noticed that Laura, standing beside her, seemed a little down. She decided to speak to her.
“Thanks to your mother, the Queen, we were able to get a lot of help.”
“…No, my mother is a great songstress. I’m sure she’s happy now that we’ve managed to set sail safely.”
Her attempt to smile, despite her obvious inner struggle, was heart-wrenching. Given her sudden question earlier, “How is your health?” it was clear that something was wrong with the Queen’s body.
Even though nothing more could be understood for now, based on the typical patterns of RPGs, it was likely that Laura’s journey would be closely tied to her mother.
With that in mind and in a slightly meta way. I decided to ask her another question.
“Laura, are you okay?”
“…Ah, yes. I’m fine. You don’t need to worry about me.”
“That conversation with the Queen earlier. What did she mean by that?”
“I’m sorry, not right now.”
With those words, Laura lowered her gaze, signaling that she didn’t want to talk. Sora nodded and simply responded with a short, “Got it.”
The journey had only just begun, and there was no need to rush her into talking. Plus, since she said “not right now,” it meant that the flag had been raised successfully. At some point in the future, she might tell them more about the Queen.
That being the case, the best choice for Sora was to wait until Laura was ready to speak on her own, without forcing anything. In situations like this, it’s important not to be impatient.
As the proverb goes, “Haste makes waste,” so she knew that being calm and taking her time was the right move here.
Noticing Laura’s apologetic expression, Sora reassured her that it was fine and told her not to worry.
At that moment, Kuro came over, pointing at a whale-like, non-aggressive monster spouting water in the distance, and she grabbed Laura’s hand, urging her to come and watch with them.
When they reached the railing, led by Kuro, the whale made eye contact with them and shot a massive spout of water from its back, creating a small rainbow. Kuro’s excitement grew even more as she smiled joyfully.
“Sora, there are whales even in the game!”
“Yeah, that one’s called a ‘Calm Whale’. It’s big, but it has a gentle nature. It won’t become hostile unless you attack it, and if you meet certain conditions, it might even protect you from aggressive monsters.”
“That sounds truly reassuring!” Inori said, her eyes lighting up at the idea of making the whale an ally.
Though the exact conditions for that were still unclear even with the ?Insight? skill, Sora decided not to mention it, as Kuro and Inori seemed to be enjoying themselves.
A little while later, as Sora and the others were watching the sea, a dog-eared man named Lucas, who had just switched shifts with the crew member steering the ship, came over. The four greeted him.
“I’m Lucas, nice to meet you all!”
“I’m Sora, an adventurer. The pleasure’s mine.”
“I’m Kuro, also an adventurer!”
“I’m Inori, an adventurer as well!”
“…Mr. Lucas, it seems we’re in for a long journey, so please take care of us.”
After Laura bowed her head, the captain personally began to guide Sora and the others through the ship.
First, they were shown to their assigned private rooms, followed by a reasonably spacious dining hall, a shop for restocking items, and a small blacksmith’s shop for maintaining weapons.
There was also a skill shop, but having just spent a lot recently, Sora promised herself not to peek inside (especially since Kuro and Inori had issued a ban on it).
Once the tour was complete, Sora and the others decided to discuss their plans and agreed to log out for the day and head to their rooms.
“Phew, I’m really tired…”
Sora let out a sigh of relief.
The ship’s private room was surprisingly spacious, and to be honest, it wasn’t much different from his real room.
The fact that it even had a bath made him realize just how large this ship was.
Moreover, the security was tight. Only party members could unlock the doors, which she appreciated.
Glancing up at her HP and MP in the top right corner, she noticed the fatigue gauge next to her experience points already had about 30% accumulated.
Not wanting to waste items, Sora decided to take a quick shower to recover the accumulated fatigue. She removed her gear, changed into the swimsuit she had obtained in the lava zone, and entered the bathroom. There, she touched the controls to operate the tools and poured warm water over her head.
Gradually, her fatigue began to decrease.
If she soaked in the water, she could also reduce the speed at which her daily fatigue accumulated, but since she planned to log out today, there was no need to go that far.
Once her fatigue hit 0 and he left the bathroom, she decided to change out of her damp shirt and pants into loungewear, then flopped down on the spacious double bed.
As she prepared to log out, her ?Perception? skill alerted her that there were three approaching presences just outside her door.
There was a knock, and when Sora said they could come in, the door opened to reveal the three girls she had parted ways with earlier, entering cautiously.
“E-excuse us…”
For some reason, Kuro looked apologetic, and when she saw Sora’s face, she said the following.
“Well, I just can’t relax being alone. Is it okay if I log out in the same bed as Sora…?”
“I feel the same way…”
“I… can I join too…?”
While Sora could understand Kuro’s feelings, she was completely puzzled by why Inori and Laura were also there.
When she asked them about it, the two responded:
“It’s just that being together makes me feel really at ease.”
“I feel that way too…”
“Ah, I get it, I get it. If one more person joins, whether it’s two or three of us, it doesn’t matter. Just scoot over to the side and make space for yourself.”
Considering Laura’s current state of mind, Sora thought it would be pitiful to leave her alone, regardless of Inori.
Abandoning detailed thought, she half-heartedly rolled over to the edge of the bed.
Then, Kuro stood in front of her and, for some reason, pushed her to the center, lying sprawled out.
Immediately, Kuro and Laura took their positions on either side, and finally, Inori lay down at the edge of the bed, all three using Sora’s arms as pillows.
…What a remarkable display of teamwork from these guys.
Without even a moment to think, Sora couldn’t help but admire how they had maneuvered her into this position.
Though she had been caught off guard, there was no choice but to accept it now.
Once she confirmed that Laura had entered sleep mode, Sora and the others pressed the log-out button, causing their vision to blackout.