Eternal Art Online

That afternoon, Kiriya had been slouched over his desk, napping straight through until just before the end of the workday. Rike insisted on dragging him outside for a walk around the plaza. According to her, getting some fresh air was the best cure for fatigue.

Mira was enjoying her tea, Airi was browsing the web, and Sylvia was flipping through a magazine with absorbed interest. None of them were willing to step out under the scorching sun.

In the end, it was just Kiriya who followed Rike out of the office building.

What surprised him was how fair and delicate Rike's skin was—flawless and untouched by the sun, completely at odds with someone who supposedly loved being outdoors.

Unfortunately, despite wandering around all afternoon, the two of them didn't end up buying anything.

As the day came to a close, Kiriya still hadn't seen a trace of Lina. By the time he clocked out, he found himself feeling oddly disappointed.

But then he remembered what Yuna had said—Lina was still deep into leveling. There was no way she'd be showing up at the office right now.

Rike offered to team up with him in-game and help him level, but Kiriya turned her down with a polite smile. He knew full well that if they partied up, he'd be the one doing the carrying.

As a low-level summoner without any powerful summons yet, Rike didn't have much offensive power to contribute.

According to Mira, Snow Rose Studio hadn't fully entered operational status, so for now, everyone was still playing from home.

But soon, the company planned to purchase a shared house where all the professional players could live and train together.

Once the entire Snow Rose team was under one roof, not only would management be easier, but it would also foster team cohesion.

The thought of that future—of a professional, united gaming house—sparked real anticipation in Kiriya's heart.

But for now, he still had to head home alone and log in by himself.

His character spawned at the edge of the Serene Forest. Kiriya opened his inventory: he still had a decent stash of health and mana potions left over from last night's grinding session—enough to keep him going for a while.

He was already Level 18, and the Blue-Eyed Lizards in the area no longer offered much in terms of experience or challenge. It was time to move on to tougher grounds.

Leveling had accelerated across the server. The lizard zone was now crowded with teams of players farming mobs in tight formations.

As a solo player, Kiriya drew curious looks from others—he could see the confusion in their eyes, as if wondering how someone was managing to survive here alone.

He opened the leaderboard with a flick of his hand and frowned. His rank in the Scarlet Emperor Warzone had dropped from 83rd to 547th. A wave of players had begun to grind relentlessly, sacrificing sleep to race for the top of the charts.

Ranked first was still the same player: Rose Yuna, a female avatar who had already reached Level 23. Though she was shown as offline, the sheer speed of her progress was startling. A strange thought crossed Kiriya's mind—could this Yuna be his director?

At Level 18, catching up to 23 wasn't impossible, especially since he held what was currently the best weapon in EAO: the Obsidian Sword. If he couldn't make a run for the top with that in hand, it would truly be a disgrace.

Without wasting another second, he set off westward. According to the map, the nearby secondary capital—Twilight City—lay in that direction.

It was only there that he could undertake his class advancement and begin accepting higher-level quests from the adventurer's inn.

Seven players in the Scarlet Emperor Warzone had already passed Level 20. They had probably all gathered in or near Twilight City by now.

Leaving the Shallow Water Marsh behind, Kiriya began his journey. After about ten minutes of travel, a cold, gusty ridge loomed into view. The wind howled eerily through the crags. The map labeled the place clearly:

Wolf Howl Ridge.

Kiriya's heart gave a jolt. So this was the infamous Wolf Howl Ridge? It had been featured in EAO's promotional campaigns half a month ago, touted as a "paradise for low-level players." But no one had ever quite explained what made it so.

The wind whistled like a chorus of whispers. Somewhere in the distance, he could hear the low, guttural howls of wolves.

A shadow flickered under a tree—something large and black prowling just out of reach. It was a massive wolf. Its crimson eyes gleamed with menace, and its mouth hung open in a slobbering, toothy snarl.

Worse still, a jagged bone jutted out from its back like a blade, piercing through its flesh, shimmering faintly with an icy sheen.

[Ravenous Sword Fang Wolf] (Elite Monster)

Level: ???

Attack: ???

Defense: ???

HP: ???

A row of question marks floated before his eyes—Kiriya's level wasn't high enough to view the Sword Fang Wolf's stats!

Without hesitation, he drew his sword. In one fluid motion, he unleashed Blade Wave—a streak of blue light tore through the air, striking the monstrous wolf squarely in the body.

The creature staggered backward, taking 300 damage from the blow. But clearly, this beast's health far surpassed the Blue-Eyed Lizards he had fought before—300 barely shaved off a tenth of its HP bar.

Kiriya didn't stop. He instantly followed up with Armor Breaker, lunging forward with deadly precision. Thud! The blade pierced directly into the wolf's skull, landing a solid 500 points of damage.

"Not much defense… but Armor Breaker's debuff doesn't seem very effective."

His eyes narrowed. He activated another skill—Cross Slash.

With a flash of fire and a 5 MP drain, the Obsidian Sword flared to life. A crimson arc tore through the air like a shooting star, crashing down on the wolf's head.

"1105!"

A four-digit damage number exploded above its head, and Kiriya's eyes widened in surprise—a critical hit. The Obsidian Sword's special effect had triggered. That explained the huge chunk of HP it took off.

A surge of satisfaction welled up in him. With the Obsidian Sword's high crit rate, fighting high-HP monsters like this was practically effortless. Without it, this battle might have dragged on for minutes.

But before he could enjoy the moment, the Sword Fang Wolf was upon him!

With a savage snarl, it slashed with its claws—WHAM! Kiriya staggered back, pain blooming across his chest. 248 HP gone in a single strike.

He quickly retreated and gulped down a health potion. But the wolf wasn't letting up. It lunged again and sank its fangs into his leg. Another 240 points of damage!

In just a few seconds, Kiriya's health had nearly been wiped out.

Gritting his teeth, he lashed out with another Cross Slash. The blade's fire lit the air as it slammed into the wolf, slowing the creature's movements noticeably.

Seizing the moment, Kiriya turned and sprinted. When he reached the far edge of his skill's range, he whirled around, sword raised high, and unleashed another Blade Wave.

"2240!"

Critical hit—lethal strike!

The Sword Fang Wolf let out a final, guttural howl. Its enormous body collapsed with a heavy crash.

Clink! The sound of coins spilling onto the ground echoed in the silence. A dark crimson glow flickered beside the corpse—an equipment drop!

Kiriya exhaled deeply, heart still pounding. That had been way too close. Two more hits, and he would've been sent straight back to town. Thank the stars for the Obsidian Sword—without it, this fight would've ended very differently.

He approached the fallen body and picked up the scattered silver coins one by one. Then his gaze fell upon the piece of equipment:

[Sword Fang Gauntlets] (Bronze-tier)

Defense: 36

Agility: +5

Required Level: 25

(Unidentified)

And just beside it, something else caught his eye—a book lying in the dirt, its cover etched with glowing crimson flames.

[Skill Book: Blazing Slash]

Description: Grants the active skill Blazing Slash. Consumes 10 MP to release a flaming sword strike that deals 150% attack power as fire damage, with a small chance to inflict Burn.

Requirements: Swordsman class, Level 20+

"A skill book!"

Kiriya's eyes lit up. A thrill ran through him—combat skill books like this had an incredibly low drop rate. Yet here it was.

"Jackpot."

Without a second thought, he stashed the skill book safely into his inventory. A small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. For once, luck was truly on his side.

What surprised Kiriya even more was that the Sword Fang Gauntlets turned out to be a level 25 piece of gear.

Based on common logic, equipment dropped by regular monsters usually had a lower level than the monster itself, meaning that the Sword Fang Wolf he just killed must've been over level 25!

Defeating a monster nearly 10 levels higher than him had caused his EXP bar to visibly jump upward—he could see the increase with his own eyes!

He quickly stashed the Sword Fang Bracer into his inventory, downed a potion, and instantly restored his HP.

Now that he was mentally prepared, it was time to rely on the Obsidian Sword's raw attack power and high crit rate, combined with his current set of skills, to safely and efficiently farm these monsters.

He lured another Sword Fang Wolf to him and tested out his new strategy. Just as expected, it worked beautifully—he took the beast down with ease, using only a small amount of MP, and even scored a dozen silver coins from the kill.

Feeling great, Kiriya bent down to pick up the coins when something caught his eye.

In the distance, near the edge of Wolf Howl Ridge, a small tent stood quietly amid the wilderness. Thin wisps of smoke curled upward from a nearby campfire.

A quest? A spark of interest flared in his chest. Without hesitation, he dashed toward the tent.

In front of it, two NPC hunters sat around a fire. After initiating a conversation, one of them spoke in a grim tone:

"Wolf Howl Ridge hasn't been safe lately. Those damned Sword Fang Wolves have even started invading villages and attacking civilians. About half a month ago, three skilled hunters ventured deep into the ridge—but none have returned.

Rumor has it, deep within the ridge, a fearsome Sword Fang Wolf King has appeared.

Young swordsman, do you have the courage to face it?"

Ding~!

System Prompt: Do you accept the quest?

Quests like these? The more, the better. While most players on the forums were still complaining about not having any quests to take, Kiriya was practically grinning from ear to ear. He hit the confirm button without a second thought.

Ding~!

System Message: You have accepted the quest [King of the Sword Fang Wolves]! (Current Quest Difficulty: 387)

Quest Objective:

Enter Wolf Howl Ridge and hunt down Sword Fang Wolves to collect 100 Smooth Pelts. Venture into the heart of the ridge and slay the Sword Fang Wolf King. Bring its head back to the hunter Vigg.

Reading the quest details, Kiriya found himself momentarily stunned—the difficulty rating was a staggering 387!

According to standard rules, quest difficulty served as a rough indicator of success probability. A difficulty of 10 suggested about a 10% chance of failure.

A rating of 100 meant near-impossible odds. While these numbers were largely based on player consensus, the higher the rating, the more dangerous and complex the quest.

There was no doubt about it—this quest was practically screaming:

Facing the Sword Fang Wolf King is a battle of life and death!

Kiriya glanced down at the Obsidian Sword in his hand, its blade faintly shimmering in the light. Deep down, he knew—this weapon was the one unpredictable variable that could shift the tide of battle.

With that thought, a fire lit up in his eyes.

Another chance had arrived.

Since defeating the Obsidian Slime King, he had been waiting for the next challenge—a shot at taking down a true boss-level monster.