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 169

Chapter 169: A Mother’s Reunion with Her Daughter

 

After asking Arisa to wait there, Sora logged out in a hurry. By then, it was already 8 a.m. in the real world.

 

She went downstairs, found Kuro in the living room relaxing, and asked her to log into ?Astral Online?. They returned to her room together.

 

For some reason, Kuro nonchalantly settled on the same bed to prepare, but this wasn’t the time to dwell on that.

 

Logging back into the game at the same time, they returned to the cabin where she last logged out, only to find that Laura and Inori were nowhere to be seen.

 

Inori had mentioned she’d be taking a break, so she was likely logged out.

 

Trying her sensing skill, Sora detected that Laura was up on the deck.

 

Nearby, she also sensed Arisa.

 

Feeling relieved, she realized he’d only told Kuro to come along without explaining anything specific. Now, changing out of her loungewear into her battle dress, Kuro looked at her with curiosity and tilted her head slightly.

 

But Arisa had asked her not to reveal the surprise to Kuro, so she decided to stay quiet. Ignoring her request could easily backfire on her later.

 

Once they were both ready, they headed up to the deck.

 

It was a long-awaited mother-daughter reunion, and she felt oddly nervous herself.

 

After a short walk, which felt longer than usual because of her anticipation, they arrived at the deck.

 

There, a beautiful woman with black hair, who had been conversing with Laura a little distance away, noticed them and turned slowly to face them.

 

Her dark eyes settled on Kuro and Sora.

 

She had semi-long hair and a strikingly beautiful face. She wasn’t very tall, probably in the upper 160s in height.

 

Since Kuro was only a first-year middle schooler, she would likely be about the same height as Arisa in a few years.

 

The woman dressed in red and white robes, Arisa, looked over at them and locked eyes directly with the girl standing beside Sora.

 

Seeing that only an NPC and Sora, who knew her real identity, were present, Arisa openly spoke Kuro’s real name to prove she was truly her mother.

 

“Kuro, it’s been so long.”

 

“…ah…”

 

The young girl beside her let out a small, raspy sound.

 

Overcome with emotion, Kuro pursed her lips tightly. Her eyes held a hint of doubt, but standing before her was indeed her mother.

 

That doubt quickly transformed into certainty, and Kuro couldn’t hold back any longer. She dashed out from beside Sora.

 

With tears spilling from her eyes, Kuro flung herself into her mother’s open arms.

 

Arisa caught her, holding her gently.

 

“Mom! Mom… Mom!”

 

Kuro called out, over and over, pouring her heart into each word. Arisa responded by softly stroking her daughter’s head.

 

“I’m so sorry, Kuro. I’m so, so sorry. Leaving you all alone… I’ve failed as your mother…”

 

“That’s… that’s not true… that’s not true at all, Mom…”

 

Crying and sobbing, the girl who once shed tears of loneliness rejected her mother’s regret.

 

“Because… I know you and Dad were suffering too! I know you didn’t leave me behind on purpose!”

 

Because she knew she was loved.

 

Because they each understood how important they were to each other more than anyone else.

 

Kuro forgave her mother and spoke from her heart.

 

“Mom, I love you…”

 

“Kuro…”

 

Mother and daughter held each other close, both shedding tears of joy and relief.

 

Now, she had reunited not only with her father but with her mother as well, even if it was within the game.

 

Although not everything was resolved, Sora felt relieved.

 

While others around them respectfully turned away, discreetly wiping tears from their eyes, only Laura watched the two of them with a touch of envy.

 

……………………

 

Later, when I asked her why she was in a place like this, she said she once met Hart-san and, reflecting on being captured, decided to train harder, so he seems to be staying in the Demon Country.

 

Based on the game’s progression, Arisa had been hopping between small islands to level up while making her way to meet Kuro.

 

Using my ?Insight? skill, I could view Arisa’s trained stats as follows:

 

?Beta Player? Arisa

?Level? 180

?Profession? Holy Knight

?Magic Spear Proficiency? 96

?Upper Body Armor? High-Level Robe

?Lower Body Armor? High-Level Robe

?Right Hand? Gáe Bulg

 

Her level of 180 was impressive on its own, but what surprised me more was her profession as a Holy Knight and her proficiency with a magic spear, a weapon type I hadn’t encountered before.

 

Hart, on the other hand, had demonstrated some confusion about how he managed to get the ?Dark Knight? profession, showing a rather disappointing lack of knowledge on the subject. I wondered how Arisa had managed it.

 

When I asked, Arisa, cradling the sleeping Kuro in her arms, explained kindly.

 

“As for the Holy Knight profession, first, you need to raise your knight skill level to 150. Then, you take on a profession quest to rank up to Advanced Knight.”

 

“Hmm… A trial quest that promotes you to an advanced rank once your skill hits level 150?”

 

“Yes, and after becoming an Advanced Knight, you can take a job quest from the King of the Land of Light, known as the ‘Knight King,’ which, upon completion, grants you the ?Holy Knight? profession.”

 

“The Knight King…”

 

“The character is based on King Arthur, named Alsa Pendragon. Even those who don’t play many games probably know the name King Arthur since he’s such a well-known historical figure. In this game, though, they’ve turned her into a girl.”

 

“I see, so does she have the strongest weapon, the Holy Sword Excalibur?”

 

“I did see a very impressive-looking sword at her side, so I think that’s it.”

 

“I see. Thank you for the information.”

 

Expressing her gratitude, Sora paused, lost in thought.

 

The Holy Sword Excalibur…

 

In a typical RPG, this would be one of the ultimate weapons capable of defeating the Demon Lord.

 

I couldn’t help but feel a little excited at the thought of finding a way to obtain it.

 

Next, I turned my attention to what was likely an artifact that matched, if not surpassed, the might of the Holy Sword Excalibur.

 

The information displayed by Sora’s insight skill revealed details about the crimson spear Arisa carried on her back.

 

If it wasn’t a trick of the eye or some kind of hallucination, Sora’s skill clearly identified it as a unique legendary weapon: ?Gáe Bulg? at an ?EX? rank.

 

A unique legendary weapon?

 

And what does ?EX? rank mean?

 

When Sora wondered about this, the support system, ?Lucifel? answered:

 

?Unique legendary weapons are exclusive items that can only be owned by those who meet specific conditions. The ?EX? rank is the highest level of rarity in Astral Online, with nothing above it.?

 

Thanks, partner, for the explanation.

 

How exactly did Arisa obtain such an ultimate weapon that would undoubtedly be invaluable even in the final boss battle?

 

When asked, Arisa freely explained, without holding anything back:

 

“I got it after enduring attacks for about half a day in a one-on-one fight with the Queen of the Shadow Realm, Scáthach.”

 

“H-Half a day…?”

 

After hearing a summary of that intense battle, Sora’s mind nearly froze. Here were just a few highlights:

 

– ?A single thrown spear split into over a thousand copies, creating a barrage.?

– ?She occasionally created illusions and unleashed endless flying slashes from her spear.?

– ?Even after closing the distance with great effort, she would block every attack with insane reflexes, using a perfect Royal Guard technique.?

 

Apparently, after focusing solely on defense and surviving, she was rewarded with this legendary weapon.

 

What a monster.

 

To last half a day against an NPC with such impossible abilities… Arisa might be something even more extraordinary than Shino.

 

As Sora stood in a bit of shock, Arisa gently rubbed her cheek against the sleeping Kuro and said:

 

“It’s been so long since I’ve been with my daughter, and I want to know more about you too. May I join you on this journey until it ends?”

 

Sora accepted her party request, knowing she couldn’t find a better or more reassuring ally.