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 178

Chapter 178: The Genius Girl’s Potential

“That was the best fight ever!”

“I’ve seen adventurers duel a few times, but nothing this intense!”

“Hey, check it out. I still have goosebumps from that insane final strike!”

As the outcome of the duel between the ?Silver Sword Princess? and the ?Black Princess? was decided, cheers from the surrounding crew members echoed across the deck. Out on the open sea, such entertainment was a favorite, with everyone whistling and giving hearty applause.

Having used such a high-level skill, Sora was now locked in a 100-second cooldown. The final attack, ?Aerial Fliegen?, was indeed a top-tier offensive skill, and such power came with drawbacks.

While she stood frozen mid-swing, Kuro, who had been knocked down by the wind slash, got up and, with a slightly pouty look, walked over to her slowly. Wondering what she was about to do, she braced herself just a little. She then extended her right index finger, poking her gently on the cheek with a half-disappointed look in her eyes.

“Ugh, I lost again…”

Kuro muttered with genuine disappointment, gently poking her soft, pale cheek. Including Arisa, this marked her second consecutive loss in duels against them. This kind of win-lose format, where the results were so clear-cut, could be pretty tough on a player’s morale.

Of course, no one likes losing repeatedly, but being given an easy win isn’t exactly satisfying, either. she recalled a time when she had gone easy on her younger sister, Shio, in a fighting game, she’d ended up angry, saying, ?I don’t want this kind of half-hearted victory!?

As soon as her cooldown ended, Sora accepted Kuro’s cute little sulk with a look of mild discomfort.

“A little frustrated…”

Hearing her honest expression of her feelings, she paused to think for a moment.

“Well, if I had to suggest something, for that last move, you could’ve dodged it by using ?Flying Dragon? to increase your jump power and go higher.”

“Oh, I see—if left and right didn’t work, I could have gone up.”

“Probably the only one who could take that head-on is Arisa.”

It’s tough for anyone to make the right decision in the moment. People like her or Kuro’s mom had learned through years of experience, choosing, if not the optimal solution, at least the best option possible.

Considering that she hasn’t even been playing VR games for a full year yet, it’s amazing how difficult it must be for her to do what she does.

Even in that last duel, while I managed to win in the end, if she had somehow endured the final wind slash, the resulting cooldown would have left me vulnerable, and I would have lost.

Using one of my trump cards was the only way I could turn the tables in a situation where losing 30% more of my HP would mean defeat. It was a true last-resort move, so it’s a bit of a secret that I clenched my fist in victory on the inside when it succeeded.

Unaware of my inner thoughts, Kuro clenched her fists in determination and said with a look of renewed enthusiasm, “I’m going to keep working hard in my training with Mom!”

If this genius girl keeps improving, won’t she overtake her senior disciple in no time?

As I was thinking about that, I noticed some commotion coming from the lookout post on the ship’s mast.

Glancing over, I saw a male crewmember from the Dog-Eared Tribe holding a portable communication magic stone, cheerfully informing the crew about what she could see.

“?Tritone Island? is coming into view!”

“Is that true, Joe?” the captain, Lucas, called up to the lookout with excitement, still holding her own communication stone.

The lookout, Joe, replied, “There’s no doubt, that’s our destination!”

With the surrounding crew cheering in high spirits, Sora, along with Kuro and the others, walked over to the railing, looking out at the large island directly in the ship’s path.

Oh, we finally made it to the island with the underwater temple.

Seeing the island in the distance stirred a nostalgic feeling in me, bringing back memories of the fun yet grueling journey we’d had so far.

“?Tritone Island?… it’s finally time,” I murmured.

“Laula…”

Standing next to her was a beautiful blue-haired siren princess, who nervously grasped the sleeve of Sora’s clothing with a slight frown.

It’s only natural to feel anxious.

After all, the journey so far has just been the prelude, and arriving at the destination island is merely the starting line.

This is the most important place that will determine their future.

Anyone would feel uneasy in such a situation.

That’s why Sora took her hand and said with a serious gaze, “It’s okay, I’m here for you.”

“…… Yes!”

Her anxious expression transformed instantly.

With a joyful look on her face, Laura tightly gripped Sora’s hand, ensuring she wouldn’t let go.

The other three, witnessing this scene unfold, reacted with their thoughts:

“Muu, Sora, you idiot.”

“Sora-kun is still the same natural gigolo, isn’t he…”

“Wow, this is quite a high-level situation. I wonder how many girls he’s made cry with that natural charm of his.”

Sora, not understanding why they were saying such things, had nothing but question marks floating above her head.

Just then, Kuro, looking annoyed, lightly nudged her in the side with her elbow.

……………………

Arriving at ?Tritone Island? doesn’t mean they can dive straight into the dungeon leading to the underground temple.

Today, they would spend a night on the island.

As soon as the classes were over the following day, Sora and the others would head home and then challenge the ?Cave of Enoshigaios? after 1 PM.

After thanking Lucas and his friends, who were about to fully enjoy their vacation, Sora and the others were guided to a large, unnecessarily extravagant villa frequented by royalty.

“Oh, this mansion really feels royal,” Sora remarked.

It was a building that seemed to be a template from a fantasy world, paired with maids from the cat-eared tribe—a combination that certainly tickled her fancy.

Once inside the room assigned to her by the adorable maid, Sora finished checking her belongings and decided to choose the “Enchantment Skills” she had been holding off on.

By reaching player level 85, her profession skill level finally hit 142.

From here, Sora could either raise the level of her enchantment skills or acquire new ones.

After confirming the existing and new enchantment skills lined up, skills that could apply ?Laceration? or ?Burn? to monsters. She chose to raise the new equipment enchantment skill, ?Increased Flinch Rate?, to level 2.

Next, after checking her one-handed sword skill, Sora saw there were no new skills to add, so she didn’t hesitate to strengthen ?Sonic Sword V? twice to raise it to ?Sonic Sword VII?.

This not only boosted her speed and power but also significantly shortened the cooldown time, allowing for faster reuse.

Finishing what she needed to do, Sora closed the window screen and took a breath before sitting on the ridiculously large bed.

“Phew, I guess I’ve finally made it halfway.”

Tomorrow, they would head to the underwater temple, where Laura’s songstress event awaited them.

And when they returned to the ocean kingdom, they would face ?Asmodeus?, the Great Calamity of Lust, to wrap up this journey.

There were mountains of problems, with plenty to do and many things they didn’t know.

Still, with the resolve to fight burning in her heart, Sora was about to log out when—

*Knock, knock*—the sound of a door being knocked on pulled her attention.

With her ?perception? skill, she didn’t need to look to know who was there.

“Come in,” she said, and Kuro and Inori entered the room, looking slightly apologetic.

Honestly, these clingy girls…

Sora let out a wry smile and decided to log out with them today.