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 82
Chapter 82: The VR Journalist Returns
It seems the Greater Dragon was the leader among the lesser dragons, and by defeating it, debuffs were applied to the dragons scattered across the region, causing them to rapidly weaken.
With that, the remaining battles became routine, and it took only a few tens of minutes for adventurers across various areas to defeat the dragons.
After successfully completing the emergency quest, Sora and the others received a reward of about 200,000 experience points and el from the captain of the Hephaestus Kingdom soldiers who arrived later in full armor.
Although they would have liked to receive more rare items or rewards, they decided to settle for the 20 Fall Ores dropped by the Greater Dragon.
With that many stones, they should be able to strengthen their weapons by at least +1 if they ask Kirie for help.
While contemplating whether to upgrade their weight capacity by +1 next, Shin and Rou opened a menu screen and turned pale.
It seems they received a message, and recently, only one person has been calling them.
“Ugh, we’ve been summoned by that guy.”
“I’d like to refuse, but it would be troublesome later if we did. We might as well comply quietly.”
“Is it Yoru again?”
When Sora asked, the two nodded with grim expressions.
Yoru is the leader of the ?Hunters of the Twilight?, the guild to which Sora’s sister Shio belongs. He’s a cross-dressing boy who was our leader in ?Sky Fantasy? three years ago.
It seems he is still immersed in the Forest of Spirits, and even after new maps have been unlocked, Shin and Rou have been summoned to help him with various tasks.
The details remain a secret to Sora, who has not been informed yet, as she was told that it wouldn’t be interesting even if she knew.
So, it’s time to say goodbye to the two of them here.
After disbanding the party, Shin and Rou looked genuinely apologetic and apologized to me.
“Sorry, Sora. Let’s go on an adventure together next time.”
“Sorry about this. I’ll send you a message once we’re back from the forest.”
“Ah, don’t worry about it. There’s probably no point in worrying about Yoru’s antics. If you need my help, just call me.”
Shin and Rou bowed their heads and moved from the main plaza’s teleport gate to the Spirit Village.
As I watched them leave, I shrugged my shoulders.
I would have liked to hang out a bit longer, but ignoring Yoru’s summons could lead to who knows what later, so it can’t be helped.
I was able to test out my new partner, and as an added bonus, I got to mine and fight dragons with my two close friends again. I’m very satisfied with today.
Opening the menu screen, I checked the time in real life.
It was currently 10 PM.
Maybe it would be a good idea to log out and get some sleep to prepare for tomorrow’s face-to-face meeting with Shino and Kuro.
As I was about to press the logout button, I noticed someone approaching from behind.
I always have the ?Perception II? skill active within a five-meter radius around me.
Even without looking directly, I can precisely understand the movement, speed, and angle of the approaching person.
There’s no need to turn around.
I timed it right and activated the support skill ?Sonic Step? just before the person reached me, leaving an afterimage as I leaped sideways.
The person approaching from behind suddenly lost sight of their target and missed wildly.
They made a spectacular sliding face-first into the ground.
It looked quite painful, but the person, who was dressed in a rather pink and poppy outfit and self-styled as a VR journalist, Rinne, quickly got up with tearful eyes and protested to me.
“How could you dodge like that, Sora? That’s awful!”
“Huh? That’s a line I don’t want to hear from someone who changes and posts interviews without permission.”
With blue veins bulging on her temples, Sora showed no mercy, regardless of whether the opponent was a teenage girl.
Previously, due to her article, other adventurers had chased them around the royal capital Yggdrasil.
Fueled by the grudge and hatred from that time, Sora firmly gripped her face with her level 50 strength, applying real pressure.
Sora continued to apply force, making creaking noises, as if Sora was going to crush her head.
“Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch!?”
“Hehe, no damage will occur, but it still hurts, right? If it gets too painful, the safety feature kicks in, but it’s set so it won’t activate with this much force.”
“I’m really sorry about that! I just wanted to make an impact and ended up doing it! I apologize, I apologize, so please forgive me!”
Despite the dark aura emanating from Sora and the force she was applying, even Rinne, usually so confident, was reduced to tears and apologized.
Well, honestly, escaping the capital because of that incident allowed them to enter the Forest of Spirits, so it’s not an exaggeration to say that.
Sora had intended to forgive her with just a simple apology, so she sighed, relaxed her grip, and released the tearful Rinne.
Rinne, now freed, slumped to the ground, clearly exhausted.
“Really, if you do it again, I’ll tie you up with ropes and drag you around the country at full force for an hour.”
“…Sora-kun, you’re quite scary when you’re angry.”
“People often say you shouldn’t anger me, but I don’t get angry very often.”
“I-I’ll make sure to be more careful in the future…”
Apparently, the earlier “Iron Claw” had left such a trauma that Rinne was shaking while covering her face with her hands.
Sora sighed and offered her a hand.
“Seriously, why are you calling me Sora-kun instead of Silver Sword Princess?”
“…It’s because I found out that Sora-kun was originally a boy.”
“Oh, right, the top players all knew I was a guy.”
During the battle with the raid boss Leviathan, Sora had appeared as a male character.
Just as they defeated the boss, “he” transformed back into a female form, and this was witnessed by many members of ?Hell and Heaven? and the ?Hunters of the Twilight? on the front lines.
After Shino and Shio explained the situation, the top players learned that Sora had become a girl due to a Demon Lord’s curse.
“As a VR journalist, I have to be strong to get the information I want. I’m strong enough to participate in the Leviathan battle, you know?”
“Level 40? For a ninja, that’s pretty high.”
Moreover, her profession was ?Ninja?.
Since top players in this game usually consist of ?Knights?, ?Mages?, and ?Priests?, seeing other professions feels quite refreshing.
When it comes to ninjas, I usually think of stealth… Ugh, those infuriating memories from that awful game are making my brain creak!
As Sora trembled at the thought of the game ?Heart Eye Wolf?, Rinne sighed deeply.
“Well, no matter how much you level up and enhance your stealth, you can’t compete with Sora-kun. I never expected you to perfectly avoid the attack when I disappeared from behind just now.”
“Hmm, so ninjas can disappear, huh? That’s interesting.”
Though, it seems pretty pointless against my support skill, ?Perception II?.
“So, Rinne, why did you show up in front of me?”
“Of course, it’s for an interview. It would be a huge help if you could share some of your adventures with me.”
“Alright, I’m logging out.”
As she opened the menu screen, Rinne hurriedly clung to Sora’s waist.
“W-Wait a minute! Just a little, just a little bit of the adventure tales from the past week will do!”
“Sorry, but I basically don’t trust you.”
“Oh, you have that look of someone seeing a huge pile of trash. But even so, Sora-kun, you’re the best!”
Rinne wriggled around with an ecstatic expression.
To be honest, it’s unsettling.
It reminds me of the joy in a dating simulation game where the only targets are extreme masochists, commonly known as ?Emu Koi?.
That game was really terrible.
If you couldn’t match the target’s preferences with any of the conversation choices, you’d immediately get a bad ending.
Moreover, even the mob characters and teachers were masochists, making it a heartburn-inducing experience filled with masochism until the end. It was an unforgettable memory.
Sora quickly manipulated the menu screen and said, “Well then, see you.”
She logged out to escape the situation, turning into particles of light.
Left alone, Rinne, having lost her grip on her target, fell face-first to the ground.
She made a frustrated face and shouted to the heavens, “N-Next time we meet, I’ll make sure to get all the details from you!”
Little did she know, she would soon be chased around by the ?Sword Princess Support Group?, holding signs that read ?Yes Sword Princess? and ?No Touch?.