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 34
Chapter 34: VR Emergency Meeting
“…It’s been a while since we had an emergency private VR chat meeting.”
A private VR chat is a space where you can have verbal conversations, unlike regular text-based chats. You create a room using an app on your computer, share the password with friends, and they log in using VR headsets.
This modern marvel allows you to meet and talk directly with people no matter how far apart you are, using avatars you create.
The best part is, I can make my avatar’s voice sound like my old male voice by switching the settings from synced to fixed.
As I, having returned to my black-haired boy avatar, waited at the center of a simple room, resting my elbows on a round table, Shiori, Shinji, and Shiro logged in with avatars that replicated their real-life appearances, taking their seats at the chairs set up on either side and across from me.
“Hey, it’s been since yesterday!”
“You’re always so upbeat, no matter what kind of trouble happens.”
“Good morning. I think that’s one of Sora’s good points.”
“Good morning, Shinji-kun, Shiro-kun. I’m sorry for calling you out so early.”
Sora raised his right hand high, causing Shinji to show a look of exasperation while Shiro displayed his usual refreshing smile.
Shiori, my younger sister, made a comment that made it seem like she was the guardian, but that’s just how she is, so I didn’t mind.
As the other three took their seats, Sora began the meeting.
“Now, the reason we’re all gathered here is none other than to discuss the matter of this Astral Online… or rather, from now on, we’ll shorten it to AsuOn. It’s a game that’s having a real-world impact.”
“Yeah, it was surprising. I never imagined that when I woke up in the morning and went for my usual jog, I’d open the door and find a tree growing right in front of me.”
“Our garden, which Mom took care of every day, is a complete mess now. It’s an unmanageable disaster.”
“That’s unfortunate…”
Shiro’s parents must be freaking out. Poor things.
“Well, it’s probably safe to assume that if we clear this event, the trees will disappear. Until then, we just have to hope that no trees grow inside the house.”
For now, the trees have only appeared outside the buildings, but even that is causing a huge commotion.
Trees are even growing on the roads.
Currently, removal work is in progress, but it will likely have a significant impact on logistics and transport, such as truck deliveries.
“Can we trust what those suspicious women are saying… We have no choice but to, but can we really clear the recommended level 80?”
“It’s only been three days since the release. The average level overall is probably around 10 or so.”
“By the way, how about you two? What level are you at now?”
When Shiori asked, Shinji and Shiro both grinned confidently and stated their current levels.
“I’m currently at level 14.”
“I’m also at level 14.”
“Oh, you’ve leveled up a lot.”
“But you’re at level 24.”
“Despite fighting constantly, the level gap hasn’t narrowed, and it’s quite frustrating.”
“Well, it probably won’t ever narrow…”
“Why not?”
“From the way you’re talking, it sounds like something else happened.”
“Hey, does big brother have some kind of rare experience points skill?”
“No, it’s not a skill…”
Considering the future, I explained to the three of them about the title I had received in the battle against the Demon Lord, called ?Vessel of a Hero?.
Its effect is an increase in the experience points gained and the proficiency of equipped weapons.
Naturally, when I mentioned this, Shinji, Shiro, and Shiori all stared at me in shock.
After a while, with visibly annoyed expressions, they pointed fingers and said:
“You have a passive skill that increases all experience points!”
“Sora, that’s just way too much of a cheat!”
“Big brother, you’re being so unfair!”
“Moreover, this <Title> seems to benefit the party too. Even Kuro, who’s playing with me, has leveled up to 18.”
“I noticed Kuro’s leveling up really quickly, but it turns out it’s because of big brother!”
“Ababababababab!”
Overcome with jealousy, Shiori stood up from her chair and walked over, grabbing Sora’s shoulders and shaking him vigorously.
The sensation was so disorienting that even I felt slightly dizzy, and once she stopped, I collapsed onto the floor, resting on my hands and knees, completely exhausted.
“Honestly, make sure you don’t drag Kuro-chan down the path of becoming a gaming addict.”
“Ugh, I was told the same thing by my master…”
Upon hearing this, my two close friends nodded deeply.
“Being around Sora makes you lose your sense of normalcy.”
“Be careful. If things go wrong, she might not be able to return to normal.”
“What kind of view do you guys have of me?”
“Addict?”
“Unreasonable?”
“Avid gamer?”
Yeah, I knew it.
By the way, the term “avid gamer” mentioned by Shiori refers to players who indiscriminately play both excellent and terrible games, and it’s a nickname given to members of a VR game’s avid gaming board.
I’m revered as one of the “Four Heavenly Kings of Avid Gamers” on that board, and before playing AsuOn, other avid gamers would casually ask me to try out notoriously difficult games and record videos of my attempts.
I would then post these videos on the site, and they would usually end up causing everyone to be quite put off.
Sometimes I’d even get titles like “Avid Gaming King” or “Embodiment of Avid Gaming,” which were often ambiguous in whether they were compliments or criticisms.
“Anyway, let’s put the joking aside and get to the main topic. The reason I gathered you three is related to the current event.”
Sora said this and then turned his gaze toward the three of them, revealing the truth about what happened yesterday.
“Actually, I’m currently in the ?Forest of Spirits? in AsuOn.”
“‘Huh!?’” x3
The three of them exclaimed in surprise.
But there was no time to waste, so Sora continued, explaining the quest he was working on.
“And I’m currently in the middle of fetching an item to weaken the forest’s barrier along with the fairy princess, Aria.”
“Sora, you!?”
“It seems that your tendency to attract special events hasn’t changed even in AsuOn!?”
“B-b-big brother…”
Shiori was shaking uncontrollably from shock.
I suddenly remembered that I was supposed to inform her if I found any information about the princess. It looked like my sister was muttering some kind of curse, and Shinji and Shiro were intentionally avoiding the topic.
Oh, crap. I’m definitely going to get killed by her later.
I should prepare myself for some serious trouble in real life.
Sora, turning his gaze away from Shiori, spoke about the plan for this time.
“For now, I’ll continue with the quest. There’s a chance we might weaken the Leviathan by reviving the barrier.”
“I see, so that’s the plan.”
“It’s quite possible that a hidden mechanism will weaken the raid boss.”
This game, unlike bad games, has a solid system.
If the barrier has weakened and revived, strengthening the barrier should have some effect.
If it doesn’t, then we’ll deal with it when it happens.
There’s only one thing I need to ask of the three of you.
“According to the queen I met, there are scattered spirits in the forest. I need you to evacuate them to the village where the queen is and provide them with protection.”
“That’s defeat condition number one.”
“It’s a defeat if more than 80% of the spirits die. This will be tough without cooperation from the top clans.”
“But will we be able to get in? We tried once yesterday but were knocked out by a log.”
“That was quite something.”
Shiro laughed cheerfully.
Sora was concerned about that too, but this time the event venue is the forest.
The restriction of needing to wear the initial clothing shouldn’t apply this time.
If it does, we’re in trouble.
“Well, I think we’ll be able to enter once the update is over. Otherwise, none of the strong clan members would be able to participate.”
In the end, we’ll have to give it a try and see.
With that, all the topics were covered, and now we just need to collect information on the Leviathan and retrieve the ring.
Oh, there was one thing I forgot to mention.
Sora addressed the three of them and shared the most important detail.
“By the way, don’t get too close to the Spirit King without a spirit guide. According to Aria, you’ll be blasted away by a level 100 golem guarding the area.”
“‘Level 100 golem!?’”
Well, it’s shocking.
I was surprised when I first heard it too.
Seeing their astonishment, Sora smiled with satisfaction.
After finishing the discussion, Shinji and Shiro decided to log out since they hadn’t had breakfast yet.
“Oh, by the way. Even though you’re cursed by the Demon Lord in the game, everything’s okay in real life, right?”
“I was also concerned, like Shinji. There haven’t been any changes in real life due to the final boss’s curse, right?”
To their question, I answered immediately.
“It’s obviously fine. What, do you guys want me to turn into a woman or something?”
“Don’t be stupid. We were just worried, that’s all.”
“If that’s the case, it seems fine. But if anything changes, please let us know. We’re your best friends, after all.”
“Yeah, thanks. If something comes up, I’ll definitely ask for your help.”
With that, the two logged out.
Sora watched them leave and then stood there, while Shiori, who had stayed behind, said with concern, “Big brother…”
I waved my hand to reassure her, indicating that everything was okay, and then muttered quietly.
“Sorry, you two.”
I understood that it would eventually be discovered.
But the timing wasn’t right now.
“What a pathetic coward I am,” Sora muttered to himself as he disbanded the group.