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 23

Chapter 23: Where There’s a Throwaway God, There’s a Picking-Up Goddess

 

Sora thought to herself that this was an incredibly cruel trap.

 

Hardcore players, who have nothing to gain from initial equipment that has no effect but can be sold for a high price, would surely dispose of it without a second thought.

 

To set up a quest where initial gear is essential is a truly sadistic act.

Whoever thought of this must not be human.

 

Even though there was no need to manually unlock the map, to think they would recklessly throw in quests like this… If this were a mandatory individual story , there’s no doubt players would flood in with complaints.

 

If she had simply gone to an armor shop, it was highly likely she would have sold it.

 

After all, it had a defense and durability of ?F??.

 

If Sora hadn’t been chased by the other players, perhaps she already changed her equipment and wouldn’t meet Aria.

 

Thinking about it, she should be grateful, but recalling the faces of those who chased her with such enthusiasm, she felt no gratitude whatsoever.

 

Ugh, which means Shio and the others probably can’t be counted on for this quest.

 

They prioritize efficiency, so they must have sold their initial outfits yesterday.

 

That leaves only Shin and Rou.

 

Opening the menu and checking the friend list, as expected, they were logged in.

 

Sora immediately sent a message to the two:

 

?Did you sell the ‘Starting Clothes’??

 

Within five seconds, she received replies from both:

 

?Just sold it?

?Sold the top and bottom for 40,000 El, a good deal?

 

Gah, too late…!?

 

Bleeding internally, Sora knelt on the ground, clearly disappointed.

 

Seeing this unusual reaction, both Sylph and Aria were surprised and puzzled.

 

After a moment, Shin and Rou messaged:

 

?Is something wrong??

?Did something happen??

 

A message came through:

 

Sora replied with, ?I’m okay. It’s nothing?, and closed the friend chat.

 

“Ugh, if only I had noticed a bit earlier…”

 

“Sora-sama, are you alright?”

 

“Uh, hmm. I guess I’m not really okay.”

 

Sora forced a wry smile at Aria’s concerned voice.

 

At this point, as a last resort, she would need to explain the situation to Shio or her master and ask them to buy the starter gear from a beginner so they could participate in the quest.

 

It was painful to think of wasting El, but if she explained the quest, they would surely be willing to help.

 

There’s a saying, “Make haste while the sun shines.”

 

With that in mind, she opened the friend list to look for Shio and her master’s names.

 

It was then that a new message arrived in his inbox.

 

It might be Shin or Rou, who had been in touch earlier. Given their nature, they might still be concerned.

 

Sora decided to check the inbox.

 

To her surprise, the message was from an unexpected person.

 

?Thanks for the friend request.?

 

The sender’s name was Kuro.

 

…No way, Sora thought, and along with her greeting, she asked one question.

 

?Good evening. I just want to ask if you still have the initial ‘Starting Clothes’ or if you sold it??

 

After sending the message and waiting a bit, a reply came back.

 

Sora opened it with trepidation and read the response.

 

?I was told by the leader to sell it, but I’m keeping it safely.?

 

—Ah, the gods haven’t abandoned me.

 

No, Kuro is a girl, so it must be a goddess.

 

Thinking these trivial thoughts, Sora then asked Aria and Sylph.

 

“With this outfit, I’ll be able to enter the forest just once, right?”

 

“Yes, that’s correct.”

 

“I understand. Also, I’d like to call one reliable ally now, if that’s okay?”

 

“Of course, if it’s one of Sora-sama’s allies, it’s fine to call them.”

 

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

 

Sora quickly sent a message to Kuro: ?Can you come to the ?Path of Vows? now??

 

After a short while, a reply came back:

 

?I got permission from the leader, so I’ll come by.?

 

Yes!

 

Secured one strong ally!

 

…………………………

 

The scene shifts to the ?Path of Vows?.

 

While Sora was waiting alone outside the forest, she saw Kuro, who had changed from her black dress into her initial outfit and had long black hair, walking towards her.

 

“Sora!”

 

Kuro spotted her and ran over with a bright smile. Sora opened her arms to catch her, and then thanked her again.

 

“Thank you for coming. This is a big help.”

 

“No problem! The map couldn’t be unlocked, so it was fine for me to come even though the leader isn’t here.”

 

“Well then, let’s surprise the master together.”

 

“Surprise them?”

 

When she released Kuro, Sora grabbed her hand and stepped into the forest. Kuro stopped in her tracks and hurriedly tried to pull Sora back.

 

“No, no! This forest is bound by the spirits’ vow. No matter how many times you enter, you’ll be chased out!”

 

“Is that really the case?”

 

“Sora, what do you mean by—Ah!?”

 

Sora pulled Kuro’s hand firmly and stepped deeply into the forest. Unable to hold her ground, Kuro ended up entering the forest with her.

 

Immediately, the trees behind them began to seal off the path they had come from. Kuro looked at this scene with wide eyes, clearly in disbelief.

 

“Wh-what… What’s happening? When I tried yesterday, I couldn’t move, and logs flew at me and knocked me out.”

 

That sounds interesting.

 

‘I knew that they would forcefully expel anyone from the forest, but logs flying at you and stunning you? That’s quite a unique mechanism’, Sora thought, giving Kuro a thumbs up.

 

“Well, you won’t know until you try, right?”

 

“Sora, what exactly did you do? The leader couldn’t do anything like this…”

 

“If you promise not to tell the masters, I’ll explain.”

 

“Why, Captain? I was taught by the Captain herself that we should share ‘strategy information’.”

 

“Usually, that’s the case, but this time it’s different.”

 

We have to split the quest reward among multiple people, so…

 

If the masters found out, they would definitely come into the forest, and even if I managed to keep it a secret, there’s a good chance we’d run into them during the quest.

 

In that case, the perceptive master would definitely insist on getting involved in the quest.

 

However, with Kuro participating, the current number of people is just the two of us.

 

We must avoid any further increase.

 

In the case of such special events, the optimal number of participants is usually one, then reluctantly two, and only barely acceptable is three.

 

Kuro, who seemed to be unfamiliar with the basics of such games, looked downcast and muttered in a small voice.

 

“But the leader was troubled because they couldn’t enter the forest.”

 

“Well, if Kuro and I can finish what needs to be done in the forest instead of the master, I’m sure they’ll be pleased.”

 

“The leader will be happy?”

 

“Yes, I guarantee it. The master will be happy and will pat Kuro on the head.”

 

“…Okay, got it!”

 

To be honest, it’s a lie that the master would be pleased, but isn’t this girl a bit too naive?

 

I’m genuinely worried that she might be deceived by bad people.

 

Anyway, after Kuro agreed, Sora held her hand and they set off. Sora then explained the puzzle to enter the forest while sending a party request.

 

“The way to enter the forest requires the power of the World Tree.”

 

“Yggdrasil?”

 

“Yes, this initial outfit has the protection of Yggdrasil, which supposedly allows entry into the forest just once.”

 

“Wow! Finding something like that, Sora, you’re amazing!”

 

Kuro, after accepting the party request, looked at Sora with sparkling eyes.

 

I happened to learn about it miraculously.

 

Currently, having accepted the quest, Sora has a free pass to enter the forest.

 

By the way, I checked with the queen, and even if Sora, who can freely enter and exit the forest, forms a party, the companions must meet the condition of the “outfit” to avoid being forcibly expelled once they step into the forest.

 

There are no loopholes.

 

As expected from a game known for its strictness against cheating.

 

While thinking that, they reached the wide area where they had fought the Skeleton Soldiers.

 

“Aria, I brought a companion!”

 

But there was no response from her.

 

I had instructed her to hide around here, but I had a bad feeling.

 

After a while, a scream from her could be heard from somewhere.

 

“Sora, someone is being attacked!”

 

“………………!?”

 

She told Aria to stay hidden, but that little girl moved.

 

Sora drew her sword and, together with Kuro, dashed in the direction of the screams.