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 37

Chapter 37: The Current State of the Strongest Skill

 

The dining hall had a simple design.

 

There were two long tables lined up, just enough to seat about twenty people.

 

Sora and Kuro, seated together at the end, ordered from the menu after a waitress brought them a tea-like beverage. Then, they began to share what had happened to them in the real world.

 

“Hmm, it’s exactly the same,” I said.

 

“Exactly the same,” Kuro nodded in agreement.

 

What had happened in the real world was identical for both of us, and there wasn’t much we could gain from it.

 

Just before the update was complete, mysterious white-haired girls suddenly appeared in front of the skilled VR gamers.

 

It seemed that these girls had given adventurer cards to Shino, the people on her team, and even to Kuro. Does that mean that the “skilled” category includes those who are apprentices to pro gamers? If so, it makes sense why Shiori, Shinji, Shiro, and I also received cards.

 

The problem is that this information was not made public, so it’s concerning how this organization knew about it. However, even if we asked, it’s unlikely they would answer honestly.

 

The mystery only deepens.

 

“They were really scary, weren’t they?” Kuro said.

 

“I know, right? At my place, they even unlocked the door, even though it was locked.”

 

“Unlocked? Wh-what…?”

 

“Shio and I watched as the lock slowly turned by itself right in front of us. It was seriously terrifying.”

 

“No, stop! If you keep talking like that, I won’t be able to go to the bathroom alone at night!”

 

“Oh, sorry about that.”

 

It seems that Kuro, like me, doesn’t handle horror stories well. Noticing her face turning pale and her trembling slightly, Sora apologized lightly and decided to change the subject.

 

Well, at least we shared a common understanding.

 

Just that much made discussing the real-world issue with Kuro worthwhile.

 

To shift the mood, I took a sip of tea.

 

The slightly bitter yet calming taste allowed Sora to relax a bit.

 

“Still, drinking this tea-like beverage that the spirits made is really soothing,” Sora remarked.

 

“……Hmm,” Kuro responded with a small pout.

 

She seemed a bit upset, probably still annoyed by the spooky story about the white-haired girls.

 

What should I do in times like this?

 

Since I’ve always been scolded by Sio for being tactless, I have no idea how to improve the mood of someone whose opinion of me has just plummeted.

 

Romance simulation games have always been my weakness. I’d rather be fighting monsters to the death than dealing with a girl’s feelings.

 

While Sora was pondering this, the sweets they had ordered were brought to the table at just the right moment. The female server set down a dessert in a thin glass and said, “Here is the Spirit Parfait.”

 

“Wow, it’s a parfait!”

 

Kuro’s mood visibly brightened.

 

Nice job, wind spirit server!

 

Clenching her fist in her mind, Sora decided to ride the wave of this momentum.

 

“Yeah, and it looks like a matcha parfait too.”

 

From what he could see, the tall, slender glass had a layer of cornflakes at the bottom, topped with a frozen dessert that resembled vanilla ice cream, white mochi-like dumplings, some red bean paste, and finally, a rich, matcha-flavored soft serve, making it a calorie-laden dessert.

 

“L-let’s dig in.”

 

Kuro, trying this dessert for the first time in this world, cautiously took a wooden spoon, scooped up some of the matcha soft serve, and brought it to her mouth. A smile spread across her face as she exclaimed, “Delicious!”

 

Following her lead, I scooped up some red bean paste, vanilla ice cream, and soft serve with my spoon and took a bite.

 

“Yeah, this really is delicious.”

 

The slightly bitter taste of the matcha soft serve contrasted nicely with the chewy texture of the mochi dumplings, the mild sweetness of the red bean paste, and the intense sweetness of the vanilla ice cream. Finally, the crunchy texture of the cornflakes added a satisfying finish.

 

And to top it off, this dessert even restores 5% of your fatigue.

 

“Yum~?”

 

It seems Kuro really liked the parfait, as she happily continued eating.

 

Relieved to see her in a good mood again, I continued eating my parfait while checking my current status and skill list.

 

—– —– —– —– —– —– —– —– —– —–

?Adventurer?: Sora
?Level?: 26
?Profession?: Enchanter
?Skill Level?: 29
?HP?: 520
?MP?: 260
?Strength?: 26
?One-Handed Sword Proficiency?: 34
?Weight Capacity?: 225

 

?Attack Skills?:
– Strike Sword II
– Sonic Sword II
– Guard Break II
– Dual Nail II
– Triple Stream II
– Quad Slash

 

?Defense Skills?:
– Sword Guard II

 

?Support Skills?:
– Magic Resistance II
– Physical Resistance II
– Status Ailment Resistance II
– Insight
– Perception
– Fire Attribute Enchantment II
– Water Attribute Enchantment II
– Wind Attribute Enchantment II
– Earth Attribute Enchantment II
– Lightning Attribute Enchantment
– Light Attribute Enchantment
– Dark Attribute Enchantment
– Attack Power Boost Enchantment
– Defense Power Boost Enchantment
– Speed Boost Enchantment
– Jump Power Boost Enchantment
– Status Resistance Boost Enchantment
– Enchantment Magic Reduction

—– —– —– —– —– —– —– —– —– —–

 

After the battle with the ?Leviathan Army?, I leveled up twice, bringing my current level to 26.

 

For now, I want to learn new skills, so I’ve allocated all my skill points to the ?Enchanter? profession.

 

However, it seems that as the Enchanter skills are upgraded, the MP consumption increases as well. For example, the cost for the four elemental skills, which was 40, has now increased to 50 with the evolution to “Elemental Enchantment II.”

 

This means that if I want to properly use the Enchanter profession, I’ll need to focus on leveling up to ensure I have enough MP and to reduce the cost of enchantments. I frowned slightly, and Kuro tilted her head in response.

 

“Is being an Enchanter tough?” she asked.

 

I shook my head in response to her question.

 

“I don’t think a normal Enchanter would struggle this much. The thing is, I gain skill points four times faster than usual, so my skills develop faster than my MP increases.”

 

However, I can confidently say that the upgraded elemental enchantments are incredibly powerful.

 

I tested it in the Leviathan Army battle, and using “Wind Elemental Enchantment II” along with “Attack Power Boost Enchantment,” I was able to defeat enemies in one hit if I targeted their weak points precisely.

 

Judging from the enemy’s HP, I’d estimate that my enhanced attack power is at least 250 or more, assuming the damage doubles when hitting a weak point.

 

Additionally, considering that the physical attack reduction trait wasn’t triggered, it’s possible that attacks using the level 2 elemental enchantments might be treated as magical attacks.

 

“The monsters in this forest generally have around 500 HP, so aside from those like the Forest Bear with 1500 HP or heavily armored creatures like the Beetle, I can probably take them out in one hit.”

 

“Sora, isn’t that a bit too strong?”

 

“In exchange, the MP consumption is insanely high. If I don’t keep at least 20 or more Magic Potions on hand, I’ll run out of MP in no time.”

 

“Is that why you bought 40 Magic Potions?”

 

“Yeah, of course. The true value of an Enchanter lies in being able to use enchantment skills on allies as well.”

 

“Got it, that makes sense.”

 

“But to be honest, I think I’m the only one currently using the Enchanter skills properly, so it might not be that helpful to you.”

 

One thing I realized again while fighting is that the Insight skill is extremely useful when facing new opponents. For instance, you’d think that the monsters in the forest would be weak to fire since they live there, but that’s not always the case.

 

Take the Forest Beetle, for example.

 

An adventurer who can’t figure out its weakness might go with fire, but this annoying creature is actually weak to lightning. There are also others like the Poison Bee and Forest Ant, which are weak to wind.

 

I don’t know how other Enchanters are managing, but it’s probably going to take them until today or tomorrow at the earliest to acquire the level 10 attack and defense boost enchantments, which significantly increase versatility.

 

As I said this, Kuro, while staring at the now-empty parfait, muttered in a small voice.

 

“Sora, you’re strong and really dependable. If you’d like, why don’t you join the clan that I and the captain are in?”

 

“……”

 

The sudden invitation made my heart ache. I struggled to keep my face from showing it, forcing a smile and shaking my head.

 

“Ah, thanks for the offer, but I’ll have to pass.”

 

“Why? It’s more convenient in many ways if you join a clan.”

 

“I know. When you join a clan, you receive aid from the kingdom based on the number of members. And if I remember correctly, items you buy in different countries also get discounted, right?”

 

“If you know that, then why…?”

 

“There was a bit of trouble a while back. Since then, I haven’t been allowed to join any clans.”

 

She stared intently at my face. After a moment, she nodded slightly and sighed, looking disappointed.

 

“I see. Sorry for inviting you so suddenly.”

 

“No, I’m sorry I couldn’t meet your expectations.”

 

Then both Kuro and I fell silent.

 

…This is bad, it’s getting awkward.

 

At times like this, as a guy, I should bring up some good conversation to break the ice. Just as I was about to say something—

 

“Ah, there you are! Sora, Kuro, Giorl needs to see you. Please come with me.”

 

“Oh, okay. We shouldn’t keep him waiting, let’s go, Kuro.”

 

“Y-yeah.”

 

Taking advantage of Aria’s perfect timing, we quickly escaped the awkward atmosphere. Standing up, I followed the energetic Aria as she led the way, with Kuro hurriedly getting up as if not wanting to be left alone, sticking close behind me.

 

After paying for the parfait, the three of us left the place.

 

As I checked the time, I looked at the forest from where we came and muttered quietly to myself,

 

“…I guess there’s an event battle happening there around now?”