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 94

Chapter 94: A Strong Heart in a Trained Body

 

Bright light shining through a gap in the curtains hit my face, waking me up.

 

Slowly, Sora opened her eyes.

 

… Morning, huh.

 

To be safe, I’ll check if Kurono, who Shiori dragged away crying yesterday, didn’t sneak back in.

 

Thankfully, no one seemed to have crawled into the semi-double bed next to me.

 

It looks like even Kurono couldn’t escape from Shiori.

 

With a wry smile, I sat up, finding myself in the familiar comfort of my own room.

 

On the desk in this otherwise unremarkable room, over twenty energy drinks were neatly lined up.

 

Sora lightly stretched her arms and legs, thinking how her silky silver hair, loosely tied and draped over her right shoulder, was a bit in the way today. She decided to tie it back into a single ponytail.

 

After a light stretch and organizing her thoughts about yesterday, Sora decided to leave the room.

 

… Honestly, if the culture of wearing swimsuits in Astral Online’s baths didn’t exist, I might have taken a critical hit.

 

It seems they do maintain ethics for a game targeted at players 12 and up.

 

Remembering the diving contest and the race across the large public bath with Kuro and the others, Sora smiled slightly.

 

What?

 

You want to know what kind of swimsuit I wore?

 

There were plenty of options, from revealing bikinis to one-piece swimsuits typical of girls, but I chose a fitness swimsuit without hesitation.

 

Ah, the comfort of having fabric covering up to mid-thigh.

 

There’s no way I, as a guy, could equip a skimpy girl’s swimsuit.

 

Crossing her arms in front of her chest with deep thought, Sora yawned while stepping down the stairs, one step at a time.

 

As she descended, she thought about the girl she met yesterday.

 

… I’ve been watching her closely, but I still can’t say much about Satanas at this point.

 

When I asked Alice about the villagers’ and guards’ reactions to the girl, she explained that dark-skinned dragonkin have long been considered ominous and shunned.

 

That’s why everyone had those expressions on their faces.

 

Even Alice, who is a dragonkin herself, seemed to be keeping a bit of distance from Satanas.

 

For now, after I finish breakfast, I need to log in and continue with the Dragon King quest.

 

“There must be a reason I met Satanas on the same day I took on the Dragon King quest. I need to stay alert.”

 

Muttering to myself, I head to the living room on the first floor.

 

There, holding bananas and drinking yogurt, were Shino, Kurono, and Shiori, all dressed in sportswear.

 

“Good morning, apprentice.”

 

“Morning, Sora.”

 

“G-Good morning, big brother.”

 

“Good morning… Wh-why are all three of you wearing sportswear…?”

 

I had a bad feeling as I asked, and as Shino approached, she pulled out a matching set of sportswear and handed it to me.

 

That bad feeling quickly turned into certainty.

 

Remembering how she had been persistently telling me this for years, I gave a wry smile and took a step back.

 

“Uh, I think I’m not feeling too well today… I’ll just take it easy in my room.”

 

I quickly turned around, aiming to make my escape.

 

As I braced myself to run away with all my might—

 

“You really think I’ll let you off with such a weak excuse?”

 

Shino swiftly grabbed my head, preventing any chance of escape.

 

I could hear a strange creaking sound coming from my skull.

 

It felt like I was being grabbed by a gorilla, and I writhed in pain, letting out a “Guaaaaah!”

 

Obviously, playing VR games doesn’t strengthen your real body.

 

So this grip strength was proof of the strength she’d been maintaining through consistent training.

 

Shino Tsukinomiya had once clearly stated in a magazine interview:

?In the virtual world, what ultimately matters is not just skill, but the “strength of heart” that never bends, no matter the circumstance.?

 

The ?VR Legend Memory Book?, which contains famous quotes from countless veteran pro gamers, also states this:

?The strongest, most unyielding heart resides in the most well-trained and purest of bodies.?

 

If you search for past VR game world champions, you’ll find that most of them are formidable enough to compete in real martial arts as well.

 

Though it may not be obvious from her appearance, Shino seems to be as well-trained as those champions.

 

“We start jogging in 30 minutes. You can either change willingly, or I can help you change. Your choice.”

 

“… Is there no option to refuse, Master?”

 

“Do you think there is?”

 

“Sorry, I just thought I’d ask.”

 

With tears welling up in his eyes, Sora took the sportswear and headed to the bathroom to change.

 

……………………..

 

…I’m dead.

 

After finishing the jog and taking a refreshing shower, Sora collapsed onto the living room sofa, unable to move.

 

Half of her exhaustion was due to her lack of physical exercise, but the other half came from something else.

 

What awaited Sora and the others when they stepped outside to jog were the members of ?Valkyrie?, the pro gamer team led by Shino.

 

All the members were young, beautiful foreigners in their late teens to early twenties, whom Sora had seen in magazines many times.

 

As soon as they joined, they surrounded Sora and Shiori, their voices ringing with excitement.

 

Apparently, after the ?Leviathan? battle, they had all become fans of mine.

 

To top it off, Kurono clung to me with a smile, saying, “I’m his partner.” This hit a nerve with the ?Valkyrie? members, who had been worried about her for some time, and they all burst into tears right there on the street.

 

The neighbors and passersby were shocked to see these foreign beauties crying huge tears.

 

Even Shino, who had been watching, gave everyone a stern warning, saying this would mess up the schedule if they didn’t stop.

 

It seems none of the ?Valkyrie? members can defy Shino.

 

They immediately stopped crying, quickly lined up, and got ready to run.

 

We then started jogging and completed two laps of the course Shino had planned, which took about an hour.

 

Afterward, we were invited to Shino’s house, where the ?Valkyrie? members currently live, and had breakfast with the group.

 

During breakfast, they asked about Kurono and how I had become so strong.

 

When I mentioned a number of notorious games categorized as “ultra-bad games” and said that beating all of them had made me stronger, everyone unanimously called me “crazy” and seemed a bit freaked out.

 

After finishing breakfast and returning home, I felt a double whammy of physical and mental exhaustion. Dragging myself to the changing room, I took a quick shower, washing off the sweat, and then collapsed straight onto the sofa.

 

“You really had it rough, big brother.”

 

“Yeah… real life is definitely not my thing…”

 

Sighing, I slowly sat up and took a glass of water from my sister Shiori.

 

I drank it all in one go, let out a breath, and thanked her.

 

“Ah, thanks. Well, I guess it’s time for me to head out.”

 

“Be back by lunchtime. Shino and Kurono said they’re coming over too.”

 

“Got it. I’ll try to finish as much as I can before the event starts.”

 

“Mmm… I’m so jealous of your unique quest!”

 

Having heard all the details, Shiori looked at me with pure envy as I played my second unique quest.

 

I gave her a wry smile, patted her head, and said,

 

“This one has a level cap. Next time, let’s level up together so we can both join.”

 

“Mmm, after this event, you better help me with leveling.”

 

With a pout, Shiori snatched the empty glass from my hand.

 

I chuckled, stood up, and said,

 

“Yeah, I promise.”

 

With that, I headed to my room to return to the battlefield of ?Astral Online?.