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 241
Chapter 241: The Pride of the Adults
She defeated that Archdemon all by herself…
Using the powerful skills of her unique profession, Sword Saint, she not only mastered them but also utterly overwhelmed her opponent with sheer skill.
That is the strength of the world’s strongest. The undefeated champion who continues to hold a perfect record in official tournaments.
“Sister Shino, you’re amazing.”
“I thought I’d gotten stronger, but I’m still nowhere close to catching up to my master…”
“She just parried everything perfectly, right? With that kind of precision, even a tiny mistake, off by just a millimeter, would fail the judgment. To pull that off repeatedly, I thought it was impossible.”
“That’s exactly why she’s the undefeated champion. The title of ‘Strongest in History’ isn’t just for show.”
To perfectly parry attacks that come at unpredictable intervals, consecutively, is near impossible.
If someone like me tried the same thing, I’d definitely fail to deflect them all. It’s easy to imagine myself being blown away along with my sword, just like Lowe.
While we were talking about it, Shino, who had taken down the Archdemon single-handedly, approached us.
Even after such an intense battle, she wasn’t even out of breath.
…Isn’t she more of a monster than the Archdemon?
Faced with someone from my own group whose abilities were so far beyond human, I couldn’t help but feel my cheeks twitch.
“Phew, I’m glad I made it in time. I didn’t expect the main enemy force to intercept you all on your way.”
“Thanks. If you hadn’t come, Shio would’ve lost 20 life points.”
“The Archdemon’s unique abilities are troublesome. I’ve fought it three times before, and because of that, a few key members of our group have dropped below 50.”
“Below 50…”
Hearing that, I realized just how lucky I was to still be maintaining remaining lives in the 90s.
But if enemies capable of drastically reducing life point like that start appearing regularly, even 90 points could drop to 40 after just one loss.
The thought alone is terrifying, and I couldn’t help but feel anxiety about the battles to come.
It seemed Kuro and the others felt the same; their expressions grew visibly darker.
Amid the sinking morale, our master chuckled and spoke lightly to ease our worries.
“Don’t look so anxious. Only demons are capable of reducing life points, so you just need to be cautious of them.”
“Only demons, huh? Well, if that’s the case…”
“That does lighten the load a little, I guess.”
“First, just don’t lose. That way, you won’t have your remaining life reduced, and it’s a win-win.”
“Isn’t that something only you could actually pull off, Master?”
Master gave this advice to me and Kuro with a completely straight face, prompting me to reflexively retort.
Shio and the others seemed to agree wholeheartedly, nodding repeatedly in fervent agreement.
Saying “just don’t lose” is easy, but actually doing it is another matter entirely.
Maybe it’s possible for Master, who operates at an inhuman level of strength, but for us, who are merely at a level understandable for professional gamers, it was an extremely high bar to clear.
“…Honestly, I didn’t want to bring up something this dangerous, as it might intimidate you. But even I didn’t expect those guys to show up here.”
“So, in other words, Master was planning to wipe out the demons on your own without telling us?”
“It’s only natural for adults to protect children. Ideally, I’d tell you not to play such a dangerous game in the first place. But since that’s not an option, we all decided to nip the danger in the bud early on.”
“Haha, we really can’t compare to you adults…”
I thought I’d grown stronger after progressing through the unique quest, but Shino and the adults had been fighting the most dangerous enemies in places I didn’t even know about.
It was a humbling reminder of how much of a child I still was. Judging by the looks on their faces, Kuro and the others seemed to feel the same.
“So, how’s your progress? We’ve already finished here, so if you’re having a hard time, we’ll help out.”
“Ah, over here…”
I glanced at Setsuna, who was undergoing waterfall ritual.
At that moment, a notification popped up, informing us that the quest we’d been working on was completed.
Setsuna, having finished the ritual successfully, opened her eyes and emerged from the waterfall, drenched from head to toe.
Her appearance was undeniably captivating, making it hard to know where to look, but her expression was bright and full of relief.
“…Thank you. Thanks to you all, I should be able to save Rasetsu.”
“It’s too early for thanks. Save Rasetsu first, then tell us properly afterward.”
“Yes, understood. …Then let’s hurry to the final destination—the Sixth Village.”
Just like the shrine maidens I’ve seen before, the current Setsuna exuded a completed, refined aura.
Relieved inwardly that the ritual had been successfully completed, I waited for her as she was led away by the village women to change her clothes.
A few minutes later, Setsuna returned, now dressed in a more revealing version of her traditional attire: an off-shoulder top paired with a short skirt, showing more skin than before.
Does Astral Online have a rule that Shrine Maidenes must show more skin as they grow?
Though puzzled, I couldn’t help but soften my expression at her slightly more mature presence compared to before the quest began.
The dignified profile of the Oni Princess looked genuinely dependable.
Clad in her highest-rarity equipment, her defense stats were likely on par with or even greater than my own, despite being equipped with unique-grade gear.
As I was momentarily captivated, Kuro, standing beside me, smiled.
“You look so beautiful.”
“Yeah, she really does. Every time the Princess overcomes a trial, she becomes a little more mature.”
“Hmph, I want to grow up quickly too…”
“Why’s that?”
“Because you were totally captivated just now. We’re dating, but I’m still just a kid…”
Ah, so she was jealous.
Her slightly puffed-out cheeks and sulky expression were so endearing that I felt the mischievous urge to tease her.
But making the wrong move here would either lead to the grumpy route or physical punishment.
Careful to tread lightly, I placed my hands on Kuro’s shoulders as she fumed.
“Don’t worry. The only one I love is you, Kuro.”
“H-Hey! What are you saying in a place like this!?”
“Guh!”
Her perfectly executed palm strike drove straight into my stomach.
At that close range, pivoting on her left heel, she had delivered such a flawless blow. It was clear she had grown stronger…!
It’s terrifying to think what kind of strikes she’ll unleash once she becomes an adult.
What’s even more baffling is that despite taking such a powerful hit, my HP hadn’t dropped even a sliver.
As I lay twitching on the ground, Kuro warned me to be more mindful of our surroundings next time.
While we engaged in this comedic routine, Setsuna and the others looked on with exasperated expressions.