Eternal Art Online

Kiriya swiftly converted the Savage Warplate's stats into an item card and shared it with the members of Crimson Lotus. As expected, the moment the details popped up, both Lusk and Ragnar's eyes lit up with barely contained excitement.

A bronze-tier piece of armor with such outstanding stats—no matter whether for a Knight or a Berserker—was a dream come true.

Lusk asked, "Just this one piece, Kiriya?"

Kiriya gave a slight nod. "There's also a sword," he added.

Lusk chuckled. "Let's have a look then. By the way—have you decided which class you're going to pick?"

Kiriya paused for a moment, then answered slowly, "If the sword's strong enough, I'll go with Swordsman. If not, I'll choose Berserker."

The moment those words left his mouth, Lusk and Ragnar exchanged a glance before dramatically looking up at the sky and sighing together. "Please, let the sword be overpowered!"

Kiriya couldn't help but laugh. These two were hilariously straightforward. If he ended up choosing Swordsman, he wouldn't be able to equip the heavy armor, giving them a legitimate reason to ask to buy it. Their little scheme was all too obvious.

He then pulled out the sword.

It was completely black from hilt to tip, with a sleek, streamlined blade. A faint glow shimmered along its edge—it radiated both killing intent and elegance. As the sword caught the light, its name and attributes appeared before them:

[Obsidian Sword] (Bronze-tier)

Attack: 55–70

Strength: +7

Required Level: 14

(Unidentified)

Kiriya blinked in surprise.

Another bronze-tier item! And even before identification, its top-end attack was already this insane. Who knew how much stronger it would become after appraisal?

Without hesitation, he turned the Obsidian Sword's stats into another item card and sent it to the group.

As soon as Lusk and Ragnar saw it, they practically started drooling. Even Violet, who had been standing quietly to the side, couldn't help but show a flash of admiration in her eyes—her gaze glinting with awe.

Ragnar suddenly grabbed Kiriya by the arm, his voice filled with excitement. "Bro, let's head back to town right now and get this stuff identified! And that armor—name your price. We'll do our best to match it!"

Kiriya was taken aback for a second.

Ragnar was the type who wore his heart on his sleeve. If he wanted something, he said it outright.

Lusk, by comparison, was tempted too, but still managed to maintain the composure of a guild leader, though he was swallowing hard to hide it.

With that, several flashes of teleportation light flared, and the five of them arrived back at the beginner village.

They made their way straight to the Appraisal Hall, where an elderly craftsman sat quietly polishing an antique vase, completely absorbed and exuding a calm, collected demeanor.

Clack!

Kiriya dropped the Savage Warplate heavily onto the counter and said, "Could you appraise this for me?"

The old appraiser glanced at the item, then replied flatly, "Ten silver coins. Upfront."

Kiriya's eye twitched slightly—Ten silver? Seriously? That was steep.

But no matter how painful, this was something he couldn't skip. With a quiet sigh, he reached into his pouch and handed over the ten silver coins without another word.

The appraiser ran his hand gently across the surface of the armor. A radiant flash burst from the piece, and as the light gradually faded, the armor's true attributes were finally revealed—

[Savage Warplate] (Bronze · Armor)

Defense: 85

Strength: +10

Stamina: +5

Required Level: 14

...

A full 35-point increase in defense, along with bonuses of +10 Strength and +5 Stamina!

Everyone stared wide-eyed in stunned silence.

It took several seconds before Lusk finally exhaled sharply and said with awe, "This armor's insane… Kiriya, what about the sword? Hurry up and show us!"

Kiriya gave a slight nod and placed the [Obsidian Sword] on the appraisal desk. The appraiser, who had looked rather disinterested just moments ago, suddenly became laser-focused.

His eyes locked onto the dark blade, studying it for several seconds before murmuring in astonishment, "Oh? You have a weapon of this caliber… Appraisal fee: 10 gold."

Kiriya raised his eyebrows, almost thinking he'd misheard. "What? You've got to be kidding. That Savage Warplate only cost 10 silver to appraise—how is this ten gold!?"

The appraiser lifted his eyes lazily. "Don't want to pay? Then don't appraise."

At that moment, Lusk clapped Kiriya's shoulder and chuckled. "Come on, you fool. The steeper the fee, the rarer the item. If you're short on money, I'll cover the cost."

Kiriya immediately tensed up. If Lusk paid the fee, he'd have leverage later when negotiating for the armor, and Kiriya wasn't about to hand over that kind of advantage.

Without another word, he pulled out 10 gold coins and handed them over. Watching his hard-earned gold—loot from the Obsidian Slime King dwindle to just two coins was like a knife to the heart. Still, at least he had enough left to cover tomorrow's work expenses.

The appraiser drew a deep breath, then laid his hand gently on the obsidian blade. Instantly, a brilliant surge of light erupted from the sword. Gleaming arcs of energy flowed across its surface as the blade revealed its true identity—

[Obsidian Sword] (Silver-tier)

Attack: 80–125

Strength: +15

Agility: +12

Additional Effect: +25% Critical Strike Rate

Required Level: 15

...

The room fell completely silent again—until a collective gasp broke through.

Everyone stood frozen, stunned by what they were seeing.

Not only were the base stats off the charts—with an attack peaking at 125—but the weapon had also been upgraded from Bronze to Silver during the appraisal process. This was unprecedented in Eternal Art Online.

Nearly five Seconds passed before Lusk finally muttered, "Holy crap…"

Kiriya was no less shocked. Those 10 gold coins had been more than worth it.

A weapon like this, with Silver-tier stats and such a high attack threshold, would outperform most players' gear even at level 30—maybe even level 50.

And then there was the critical strike bonus—+25%.

At a glance, it might not seem like much, but to a player like Kiriya, who was planning to focus on Agility, it was a game-changer.

Most swordsmen split their stat points between Strength and Agility. But with this sword ensuring his attack power, Kiriya could shift his points into Agility and Defense, building a well-rounded, hard-hitting Swordsman with speed and survivability.

Just imagining it made him burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Lusk and Ragnar exchanged a look.

"Is this guy… laughing himself into madness?" Ragnar asked, half-joking.

Kiriya quickly reined in his laughter and carefully stored the [Obsidian Sword] back into his inventory. He was only level 12—he couldn't equip it just yet. Until then, it would be kept safe.

He turned to Lusk, his voice calm but edged with steel.

"If you want that Savage Warplate… name your price."

Lusk and Ragnar exchanged a glance before Lusk spoke up. "Our funds are limited. Right now, we can only offer you twenty gold coins... That's everything we brothers have saved up."

Kiriya cast him a sidelong glance and replied with a smirk, "Come on now, you and I both know a bronze-tier armor like this is worth way more than that."

Lusk looked a little embarrassed. Just then, Violet, who had been standing quietly nearby, leaned in and whispered something to him before slipping an item into his hand.

A moment later, Lusk returned with newfound confidence and said, "Kiriya, take a look at this. If we add twenty gold coins on top, would it be enough to trade for the Wild Armor?"

As he spoke, Lusk opened the trade window. With a flash of light, a skill book appeared in the interface—

[Armor Breaker]: Ignores 50% of the target's defense. Attack power scales with skill level.

Kiriya's eyes narrowed slightly in surprise. In Eternal Art Online, skill books like this couldn't be bought from NPCs. They had to be obtained through rare drops.

Most mentors in town only taught the most basic abilities. For dealing with high-defense knights or berserkers, Armor Breaker was undeniably a devastating tool.

Without hesitation, Kiriya dragged the Savage Warplate into the trade window. Lusk added the twenty gold coins. The trade was completed.

Lusk immediately handed the armor over to Ragnar, who accepted it without a second thought. Since his level wasn't high enough to equip it yet, he headed off to store it in the Inventory. 

Just as the group was about to leave, Lusk suddenly turned around and called out, "Kiriya, have you considered joining a team? Crimson Lotus may not have the biggest numbers, but every one of us is like family. If you're willing to join, we'd be glad to have you."

Kiriya was slightly moved. The fact that Lusk had so readily handed over such valuable armor to Ragnar showed just how deep his loyalty ran. With a leader like that, it wouldn't be hard to find success in this game.

But then, a different thought came to him—Lina.

She might be planning to start her party someday. After everything she'd done for him, could he not be there when she needed him most?

After a moment of thought, Kiriya calmly replied, "Not for now. Let me think about it. If I decide to, you'll be the first to know."

Lusk laughed heartily. "Fair enough! We're off to grind some levels, then. Catch you later!"

And with that, the four core members of Crimson Lotus left the starting village. Ragnar looked positively elated, Ziven laughed along beside him, and Violet—just before turning to leave—glanced back at Kiriya and gave him a faint smile.

A level 10 priest in such a short time… She was training with Lusk and the others.

With that thought, Kiriya turned on his heel and made his way alone toward the Class Hall.