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 24

Chapter 24: The First Visit to the Armor Shop

 

“Thank you so much, Sora-sama, for saving me twice from danger…”

 

“Aria, who was pinned down by a giant wolf monster, a level 20 Forest Wolf, was saved by our perfectly timed dual attack skill from my ?Sonic Sword? and Kuro’s. She was so scared that she clung to me with tears in her eyes.”

 

Normally, in this kind of situation, being embraced by a princess-like, beautiful Aria would have made me nervous and excited.

 

However, given that she had broken her promise and got herself into trouble, I was now more exasperated than anything else.

 

“Seriously, I told you to stay hidden. Why did you move all the way here?”

 

“I’m very sorry. There were such beautiful butterflies flying around, and I ended up wandering out…”

 

“Are you living in a fantasy world or something?”

 

“Ugh, I have no words to reply…”

 

Aria, looking dejected and tearful, was reflecting on her actions. It’s amazing she had managed to stay safe up to now.

 

Even when we first met, she was in danger because she didn’t have any escort and was attacked by Skeleton Soldiers.

 

It seems this princess is critically lacking in a sense of danger.

 

Kuro, who was clinging to my arm, chuckled and made a sharp comment about the terrifyingly clumsy princess.

 

“So there are foolish princesses out there, huh?”

 

“Uuuu…”

 

Aria was shocked by the blunt remark and sat down, clutching her head.

 

Kuro is really ruthless.

 

But it’s the truth, so there’s no way to cover it up.

 

I couldn’t help but think that if the villagers had seen us, we might have been arrested for disrespect.

 

As I watched from the sidelines, I decided it was time to offer her a hand.

 

“Princess, now that we’ve regrouped, let’s head back to the village for now. I need to get at least somewhat better equipment if I want to go deeper into the forest.”

 

I had already confirmed that there was an armor shop and a tool shop in the village before we left.

 

Remaining with a total defense of ?F?? would be problematic, so I wanted to get some basic gear here.

 

Aria took my hand, stood up, and nodded slightly.

 

“…Yes, that’s right. The forest is quite dangerous. I need to pull myself together too.”

 

“Yeah, you’re good at healing magic, right? I’ll bring healing potions, but we won’t have time to use them during battle, so I’m counting on you for that.”

 

“Leave it to me!”

 

Aria clenched her fists with determination and responded energetically.

 

Seeing her like that, Kuro muttered in a small voice.

 

“…I hope she’ll be okay.”

 

I couldn’t reassure her with a simple “It’ll be fine.”

 

…………………………….

 

It’s my first time at an armor shop!

 

Returning to the village, I parted ways with Aria and headed quickly to the armor shop with Kuro.

 

The shop was a log cabin, just like the surrounding houses, and inside, various ethnic costumes and armor sets were displayed.

 

?Sprout Armor Set?: Total Defense: [F] 5,000 El

?Green Wind Armor Set?: Total Defense: [F+] 7,000 El

?Autumn Leaves Armor Set?: Total Defense: [E?] 9,500 El

 

Perhaps because it’s associated with the wind spirits, the colors of the costumes were mostly green, with a few in red.

 

Honestly, green and red aren’t my preferences.

 

I usually prefer colors like white or black, so nothing in this store particularly caught my eye.

 

“Well, hmm. What should I do about this…”

 

As a last resort, I might just buy some basic armor while keeping the costume as it is.

 

Currently, my total funds are 9,850 El, after hunting five Skeleton Soldiers for 300 El each and one Forest Wolf for 500 El.

 

From what I see, this store mainly offers lightweight armor with limited color variations (the uniformity of the colors is the biggest drawback).

 

The lack of heavy full armor is probably because the villagers typically wear only [M] and [S] sizes.

 

In this game, exceeding the load limit significantly reduces speed…

 

For example, my current body size is categorized as [S] within the general player sizes [L], [M], and [S].

 

Each player size has bonus values, with the following effects:

 

– ?L?: Speed is reduced, and attack power is increased.
– Initial Weight Capacity: 600

 

– ?M?: No changes to stats.
– Initial Weight Capacity: 400

 

– ?S?: Attack power is reduced, and speed is increased.
– Initial Weight Capacity: 200

 

Each option has its pros and cons, but the most balanced is clearly the [M] player size.

 

Balancing attack power, defense, and speed is a significant advantage in combat.

 

I was able to defeat Gald, who was using [M] template gear, in one hit because he was off guard and because of the level difference and the enhanced ?Strike Sword II?.

 

If he hadn’t been careless, I might not have been able to defeat him in one hit. At least two to three hits would have been necessary.

 

Oh, I’m getting off track.

 

Let’s get back to the point.

 

Player weight capacity increases by 5 for every 5 levels, so my current total “weigh” capacity is 220.

 

In contrast, the combined weight of my equipment, which includes the ?Silver Sword? and adventurer’s Starting Clothes, is 110.

 

Since I was only using up to a quarter of my capacity with the ?Normal Sword?, the new equipment is quite heavy by comparison.

 

Looking at the parameters, I saw that at the bottom, the weight was listed as 100.

 

In other words, even if I removed everything but the weapon, I would only have about 120 units of space left.

 

From my funds, a suitable option would be the 7,000 El set, which weighs around 120.

 

However, its overall defense is only ?F+?, which is quite worrying.

 

Also, while I like the design, I’m not fond of the green color.

 

Why… why do ?Forest of Spirits? like colors that blend in with their surroundings?

 

As Sora was pondering, Kuro, who was also an [S] size, chuckled wryly.

 

“It’s tough being small, isn’t it?”

 

“Yeah, I never realized how difficult being small could be.”

 

“?”

 

Not understanding the meaning behind my words, she tilted her head.

 

Even if she has become a girl due to a curse, it’s probably hard for her to understand easily.

 

I patted Kuro’s head, which had a question mark floating above it, to deflect the issue, and let out a small sigh.

 

If I were still my original [M] size, I’d buy the 9,500 El set with a weight of 200 and overall defense of ?E??…

 

Moreover, it features a red base, making it the best option among these.

 

But even if I keep lamenting, my maximum “Weight” capacity won’t increase except through leveling up.

 

I need to decide which one to choose soon.

 

As I continued to deliberate, a female shop assistant noticed my troubled expression and approached me.

 

“Is there something troubling you, Sora-sama?”

 

“Yes, there are some good options, but the colors and designs don’t quite match my preferences…”

 

“I see. What colors do you prefer, Sora-sama?”

 

“Black and white. If possible, I’d prefer something that combines two colors rather than just one.”

 

“In that case, please wait a moment.”

 

The shop assistant made a thoughtful gesture before disappearing into the back of the store.

 

I wondered what she was up to. Could she be finding a way to dye the green items?

 

With this faint hope, I watched as the shop assistant returned with something in her hands.

 

“This is something a traveler left behind 500 years ago. If you don’t mind, could you take this?”

 

“What…?”

 

The item the shop assistant was holding was a black garment.

 

I took it with both hands and unfolded it.

 

It was a hooded coat.

 

I wondered what kind of item it was.

 

As I looked at the item’s details, I was so surprised that my eyes widened.

 

—– —– —– —– —– —– —– —–

?Stealth Dark Coat?

– Description: A coat made from the hide of a Level 30 Dark Chameleon, which has the effect of ?Concealment?. When worn with the hood up in a dark place, it increases the concealment rate up to 80%.

– Rarity: ?C??
– Defense: ?D??
– Durability: ?C??
– Weight: ?50?

—– —– —– —– —– —– —– —–

 

Not only is the status high, but it also has the ?Stealth? skill.

 

“Is it really okay for me to receive such an amazing rare item?!”

 

“I’ve been asked by Sylph-sama to provide maximum support. Also, no one in this village wears black, so it would be a great help if you took it.”

 

“Understood. I’ll accept it gratefully.”

 

“Oh, that’s great to hear.”

 

What an unexpected windfall.

 

If I buy the Iron Breastplate, which is sold for 9,000 El and has Defense ?D??, Durability ?D??, and Weight ?50?, it will be perfect.

 

By the way, I won’t be selling the adventurer’s Starting Clothes.

 

Although its stats are poor, it is a non-sale item with the World Tree’s blessing.

 

I might encounter similar situations in future events where I need to enter the forest, so I’ll keep it for now.

 

Moreover, with the black coat and breastplate equipped, even the initial outfit will look quite stylish.

 

Having made up her mind, Sora approached the shop assistant to choose the breastplate armor she had her eye on.