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 183
Chapter 183: Trial of Wisdom
?Question 2?: In the starting city of Yggdrasil, the branch of the World Tree given to people by the gods as a summoning medium is called “Small Yggdrasil.” True or False?
?Question 3?: The path one takes to reach the Fairy Kingdom from the Forest of Spirits is called the “Path of Restriction.” True or False?
?Question 4?: The name of the Wind Spirit Queen is “Sylph.” True or False?
?Question 5?: The item used to suppress magma activity in the Hephaestus Kingdom is called “Dragon Crystal.” True or False?
?Question 6?: A premium product of the Dragon Kingdom, the Refractory Sweet Potato, costs “10,000 El” per piece. True or False?
The first six questions felt like a recap of the journey so far.
Unfortunately, my memory capacity is limited, and everything apart from the golem and Aria’s mother’s name had already been purged. However, Kuro, who remembered everything from our adventures, confidently answered each question, leading us straight down to the seventh basement level without a single mistake.
But her streak was halted by the final question.
?Question 7?: The most popular shop in the Sea Kingdom of Enoshigaios is a bakery near the port. True or False?
Hmm, I have no clue.
The only bakery near the port that I remember is the one where we could take on that quest. I’d been there a few times, but I’d never heard it was the most popular shop.
While adventurers often went there, their real interest seemed to lie more in getting close to the cute girl working there than in the bread itself, which makes me question if it truly qualifies as “popular.”
Even Kuro and Inori looked uncertain, both tilting their heads in confusion.
We had made it here without any mistakes, but since no one knew the answer, we’d have to take a gamble.
Laura had warned us that the penalty for an incorrect answer would be a level 100 golem. However, with Arisa, who’s level 180, on our team, we could put her on the front line with Inori and me backing her up. It probably wouldn’t be too much of a struggle.
“I remembered something, everyone!”
Laura, raising her right hand high, stopped Sora and the others just as they were about to vote on their answer. Perhaps because she hadn’t had a chance to shine yet, she looked brimming with confidence.
“That bakery is so delicious that even my father and mother disguise themselves to visit secretly. The answer is definitely ‘True’!”
I see… if even the king and queen go there, it must be significant.
Hearing this from Laura, a key character, I pondered for a moment and then shared my honest opinion with Kuro and the others.
“Hearing this from Laura at this critical moment feels like important information we should consider.”
With a fifty-fifty chance, it seemed better to trust a strong lead rather than rely on sheer luck. I wanted to support Laura’s choice.
Both Arisa and Inori, fellow hardcore gamers, agreed with this line of thinking. After a brief moment, Kuro also voiced her support, so we decided to skip the risky vote and go with Laura’s suggestion, choosing “True.”
However, since it wasn’t guaranteed to be right, everyone kept their hands on their weapons, ready to draw at any moment as we proceeded down the left path.
After advancing to a certain point, a cheerful “ding-dong” sound echoed, and a staircase to the next level slowly emerged.
“We did it! I finally managed to help out at the end!”
“Nice job, Laura!”
We applauded the jubilant princess enthusiastically.
Then, a robotic girl’s voice announced from above, “The Trial of Wisdom is now complete.” Clearing all the questions without any mistakes rewarded Sora and the group with a huge boost in experience points, leveling Sora up from 85 to 87 in one go.
“Phew, so that’s the end of the True or False quiz.”
Sora, who had been somewhat tense, let out a relieved sigh as she led the way down the final staircase.
As they descended the long stairway, Kuro, still brimming with excitement, commented from behind, “I had no idea fantasy games had things like this. It totally surprised me!”
“Well, games have all sorts of elements, but quiz-style puzzles aren’t that rare.”
In an online game I played before, ?Sky Fantasy?, there was an intense puzzle-solving event. I gave it my all and managed to solve puzzles from the beginning to the middle stages. However, the final puzzles were so difficult that most players couldn’t solve them.
Some players waited on social media for someone else to crack the code and post the answers. Others teamed up to solve it first, while some tackled it solo. Thinking back, it was like a festival atmosphere, with all these different approaches.
“Inori, you went all out back then too, didn’t you? I remember there was a reward with alchemy materials.”
“Indeed. That time, I stared so hard at the problems that steam was practically coming out of my head!”
“Really, you’re always so serious. I gave up early on and just waited for someone else to post the answers.”
“There’s great meaning in achieving something on your own… although, there were several times I solved the puzzle and then had no idea what to do next.”
Just solving the puzzle didn’t necessarily mean you could proceed. Inori, who was figuring things out by herself, saw what she thought was the correct answer, but then was unsure of what to do next, wandering around in confusion.
I remember some of the answers included things like opening a window to look at the page number in a comic for beginner training or equipping a weapon with a specific model number.
The rewards were great, and the whole event was a blast, but with difficult problems, few hints, and an event that took over ten hours, there weren’t any players asking for a repeat of that challenge.
Perhaps reflecting on the intensity, the developers made later quiz events much easier, bringing completion time down to about an hour. But this sparked mixed reactions among players, with some saying, “It’s too easy,” and others agreeing, “This is fine,” leading to fluctuations in the difficulty of future events.
“Finding the right balance is tough, isn’t it?”
As we reminisced, a large gate came into view. Using my perception skill, I could see it was labeled “Trial of Courage.”
Following “Wisdom,” now it’s “Courage,” huh? In some famous fantasy games, the next would probably be a “Trial of Strength.”
Laura held up her hand to open the door, which slowly opened with a heavy sound, revealing a simple tunnel continuing onward.
“What? I was expecting something impressive for a ‘Trial of Courage,’ but it’s just an ordinary tunnel?”
“Wait, you idiot!”
Disappointed, Inori shrugged and took a step forward. Sora tried to stop her, but it was already too late.
Crossing into the area triggered multiple crisscrossing laser-like traps to appear right behind her. Realizing her mistake, Inori turned with a look of regret.
“Inori, run to the goal! If those lasers catch up, you’ll take continuous damage until you’re dead!”
With sweat beading on his forehead, Sora warned Inori. The “Trial of Courage” was a straightforward challenge: escape the traps chasing you from behind while avoiding obstacles ahead in a timed race. Though he couldn’t help her see the traps better, Sora cast five ?Agility Boost? spells on Inori as support.
Noticing the buffs, she dashed forward without hesitation.
“Noooo! I don’t want to die here!”
With a cry, she disappeared into the depths of the tunnel, the lasers close behind her. A short while later, a pained scream echoed from deep inside, followed by a dull thud. Sora, seeing her HP drop to zero on the party list, watched as a faint light gathered beside her and re-formed into her shape.
Inori respawned in a seated position, hugging her knees and trembling from what must have been a terrifying experience. Gently placing a hand on her shoulder, Sora gave her a sympathetic look.
“Well, at least the respawn point was right here.”
With teary eyes, Inori nodded several times.