Eternal Art Online

Kiriya glanced at the real-world time—it was already past 4 a.m. In just about two more hours, the sun would rise.

But he felt no drowsiness whatsoever. In his hand was a silver-grade weapon—the Obsidian Sword—and his heart was anything but calm. This was one of the finest weapons currently available in Eternal Art Online, and now it rested in his grasp.

Even with countless top-tier players across the world, at this moment, none of them could outmatch this "rookie" when it came to gear.

Of course, Kiriya knew full well it was nothing more than a stroke of luck—he had happened to defeat the top-tier boss of the starter village. Give it another two or three days, and surely someone else would have looted a new silver-grade weapon.

That's why he had to seize this brief window of time and level up as fast as possible. Only by raising his level could he challenge stronger monsters and obtain even better gear.

For the first two weeks after EAO's launch, the in-game currency couldn't yet be exchanged for real-world money.

In other words, any wealth earned in-game during this period remained purely virtual. But in just half a month, the game's official system would open up the option to link accounts with real-world banks.

Once that happens, major investors—already eyeing the game—would flood in with cash. Still, for solo players like Kiriya, there was hope: if you had the right gear and a high enough level, you could make real money too.

But all of that hinged on one thing—level.

He returned to the spot where he had defeated the Obsidian Slime King half an hour ago, only to find the area already overrun by other players. A small guild of nearly fifty had even set up camp here. They were waiting for the boss to respawn.

Kiriya smirked faintly, silently amused. He had read through the official EAO material weeks ago and remembered clearly—major bosses like this one had a respawn timer of about a week.

If these players didn't plan to level up or move on to the main city and instead chose to camp here for seven days, then… so be it. It would just be a tragic waste of precious time.

Without lingering, Kiriya moved through the basin and pressed deeper into the forest for another fifteen minutes.

As time passed, the world around him gradually brightened. Dawn was coming, and daytime monsters began to emerge—Level 14 Sky Hawks, Level 15 Bristle Boars, Level 16 Bloodthirsty Antelopes…

But Kiriya paid them no mind. He had a very specific target: a Level 20 monster, the Blue-Eyed Lizard.

To the west of the starter village lay a forest, with a shallow river cutting through it. Few players ventured there. In the overgrown riverbanks, concealed among tall grass and weeds, the Blue-Eyed Lizards lurked.

Covered head-to-tail in plated scales, they were nearly invisible in the brush—except for their eerie sapphire eyes, which shimmered coldly in the morning light.

Kiriya's level was just high enough to inspect their stats. He immediately pulled up the data for one of them:

[Blue-Eyed Lizard] (Common Monster)Level: 20

Attack: 45–70

Defense: 60

HP: 1200

Attack Type: Inflicts paralysis. Has a chance to paralyze the target on hit.

...

Damn! That thing's attacks are on par with the Slime King's!

Kiriya's heart skipped a beat. The Blue-Eyed Lizard was far stronger than he'd expected. Not only was its attack power terrifyingly high, but its defense was downright insane—60 points of defense made it practically a walking fortress.

If it weren't for the Obsidian Sword in his hand, his blows might not have scratched it at all.

Without hesitation, he darted forward. His sword flashed with a cold gleam as he swung it straight at the lizard's head.

"Squelch!"

The blade bit into flesh. The Blue-Eyed Lizard let out a sharp screech, stumbling two steps backward. A bright red "245" floated above its head.

Kiriya blinked, slightly surprised. But before he could react, the lizard lunged forward with jaws wide open. Its foul, slimy tongue lashed out and slapped disgustingly against his chest, instantly licking away 87 HP.

He staggered back several steps, then saw his chance—Cross Slash!

Boom!

Twin sword trails exploded across the lizard's head. A layer of icy frost spread rapidly over its scaly body, visibly slowing its movements.

Kiriya's eyes flicked across his skill list—and then it hit him: Armor Breaker! A skill that ignores 50% of the target's defense. The perfect counter against this walking wall.

He leapt back, steadied his stance, and took a deep breath. The Obsidian Sword suddenly gleamed with a milky white light. Like a shooting star, the blade came crashing down on the lizard's skull!

"624!"

The enormous damage number soared into the air. Kiriya stared in disbelief. He rubbed his eyes, wondering if it was just an illusion—but no, it was real. A single strike had shaved off half the monster's HP!

Heart pounding with excitement, he launched a follow-up—another Armor Breaker!

This time, the glowing white slash carved cleanly through the lizard's head. A bold "678" burst into the air.

"Raaaaghhh—!"

With a final howl of agony, the Blue-Eyed Lizard collapsed with a heavy thud, dropping a few silver coins as it hit the ground.

Killing a monster five levels above him gave a handsome XP bonus—this one alone had rewarded him with 550 experience points. What's more, the higher the level gap, the better the loot drop chances.

Unfortunately, this one dropped only five silver coins. Not a single piece of gear.

Still, Kiriya had expected as much. Normal monsters always had low drop rates. After all, he'd been grinding slimes for five hours and only gotten one piece of basic equipment. No loot? Normal. He was used to it by now.

Kiriya glanced around. The name displayed on the mini-map—Shallow water Marsh—sat quietly in the corner of the interface.

The area was crawling with Blue-Eyed Lizards, their levels ranging from 20 to 25. Perfect for grinding his way up to level 20.

Just as he was about to draw his sword and move forward, something at the edge of the forest caught his eye—a shadow lying in the grass.

Squinting, he realized it was a middle-aged soldier, sprawled out and covered in blood, groaning faintly.

Kiriya's instincts kicked in, and he dashed over without hesitation.

The soldier's armor was tattered, his legs mangled and soaked in blood. It looked like he had barely survived a wild beast's attack.

The man struggled to lift his head, and when he spotted Kiriya, a flicker of hope lit up his eyes.

"Young swordsman," he gasped, his voice strained, "thank the stars you found me... Could I ask a favor of you?"

Ding~!

A system prompt popped up:

Do you accept Captain Arlen's request?

Kiriya didn't hesitate—he hit Confirm.

Ding~!

Another notification appeared:

You have accepted the quest [Collect Lizard Hides] (Current Difficulty: 80)

Objective: Hunt Blue-Eyed Lizards near Shallow water Marsh and collect 50 lizard hides for Captain Arlen. In return, he will forge a piece of leather armor just for you!

A faint smile played on Kiriya's lips.

No forge in sight, yet this wounded soldier claimed he could craft gear? What were the developers thinking?

The difficulty rating had jumped to 80. The system assumed he was just another level 15 newbie—taking on level 20 monsters would be a serious challenge.

Too bad it didn't factor in the weapon in his hand—his trusty Obsidian Blade, sharp enough to cleave through anything. With it, the balance was already broken.

And with a quest to complete, grinding would now be twice as efficient.

He opened the rankings for a glance. His global rank sat at #4087, while the player in #1000 was only level 16.

Kiriya's eyes gleamed with determination. "Alright then. Let's hit level 18 before bed and crack the top thousand."

Energized, he drew his sword and charged at a lizard prowling near the marsh. A flash of light—Blade Wave sliced clean through the air, striking the target dead-on.

The Blue-Eyed Lizard let out a guttural hiss and began crawling toward him, but before it could get close, he unleashed a double Armor Breaker.

If one of them critted, even a level 20 lizard could be one-shot.

Fueled by the rush of EXP, time seemed to melt away.

Before he knew it, his sword arm was sore from the sheer number of kills. An hour had passed. He had reached level 17, and all 50 lizard hides were finally collected.

A glance at the real-world clock showed it was already 5 AM.

He had work at 9. Three hours of sleep would have to do—and if he dozed off during the day, so be it.

That's youth for you, he chuckled inwardly.

After sorting his potions and equipment, he made his way back to the quest location.

From a distance, Captain Arlen looked much better. When he saw Kiriya return with the hides, he let out a hearty laugh.

"Brave swordsman! You've conquered this marsh with your courage. Now give me a moment—I'll craft a piece of leather armor worthy of your strength!"

Arlen got to work right away, and Kiriya couldn't help but peer curiously at his hands.

Moments later, a brilliant multicolored glow shimmered in the air, and a gleaming piece of leather armor materialized right before his eyes.

Ding~!

Quest Completed: [Collect Lizard Hides]

Rewards: 25,000 EXP, 5 Gold Coins, +150 Reputation, and [Shadow Hide Tunic]!

Kiriya smiled faintly, tucked the armor into his inventory, and disappeared into the misty depths of the marsh—his journey far from over.