Eternal Art Online

Violet's quest was to travel to a cave east of the village and slay a formidable Porcupine Chieftain. When Kiriya asked about the quest's difficulty, Violet gave a small smile and replied,

"The current difficulty is 150. So, what do you say—dare to try?"

Kiriya raised an eyebrow, the corners of his lips curling.

"Of course I dare. Why wouldn't I?"

For some reason, Violet's cheeks flushed slightly. She lowered her voice and said,

"Then let's hurry! This is a shared quest—if someone else gets there first, we'll have to wait a full ten hours for the boss to respawn!"

Kiriya nodded, and the two took off side by side toward the east.

Perhaps to break the silence of their run, Violet glanced over with a smile.

"So, Kiriya… what do you do in S City?"

Kiriya thought for a moment.

"I work in a digital mall, in planning or something like that… Honestly, I'm not even sure what I do. What about you?"

Violet frowned slightly, then chuckled.

"Pretty similar, I guess. I work at an advertising agency. But lately, I've barely been showing up—just sleeping during the day and grinding levels at night~"

Kiriya gave a wistful sigh.

"Sounds like the dream. I grind at night, too, but I still have to punch in during the day. Half the time I'm sneaking naps at my desk…"

Violet couldn't help but giggle.

"If you're that unhappy, come work at my company! Oh, wait, never mind—someone like you, a top-tier player, could probably make a living off game currency alone. You'd never need to stoop to our little firm."

Kiriya laughed.

"Me? A top-tier player? I'm just lucky, that's all. Compared to you guys in Crimson Lotus, I'm nothing. Speaking of which—who came up with that name? It's got a poetic ring to it."

Violet gave a small snort of laughter.

"That was Lusk's idea, not mine. But he's a good guy. Very loyal. He'd go all out for a friend. Ragnar may be reckless and impulsive, but at least Lusk can keep him in check."

"And what about Ziven? That shadow mage always seemed mysterious."

Violet's eyes softened with a touch of memory.

"I've never met Ziven in person, but in-game, he's always quiet, cold, and even. Still… I think he's one of those people who's warm inside but doesn't show it.

Back in Mirage Realm, Ragnar got into it with the leader of another guild. Ziven didn't say a word—he just walked into their hundred-man group alone and beheaded their guildmaster on the spot."

Kiriya let out a low whistle and smiled.

"Impressive. Sounds like Crimson Lotus is a solid crew."

Violet turned to him, her gaze quietly intense.

"So… would you like to join us?"

At that moment, any normal man would've found it hard to say no. Her eyes were like deep water, drawing you in with their calm warmth, as if you could drown without realizing it.

But Kiriya had his reasons.

He paused for half a minute before smiling faintly.

"If that person ever abandons me… then I'll join Crimson Lotus. But until then, I need to stay by her side—and do everything I can for her."

Violet blinked, a hint of surprise in her voice.

"Who is she? Your girlfriend?"

Kiriya chuckled.

"Of course not. Someone like me, poor, average—what girl would even look twice? No, she's… someone I owe. Without her, I wouldn't even be in this game."

"I see…" Violet smiled gently. "I won't pressure you. Just know this—Crimson Lotus will always have a place for you."

Kiriya nodded.

"Thanks."

By then, they had arrived at the mouth of a shadowed cave deep within the forest, far from any other players.

Violet, being a healer, naturally couldn't lead the charge. Kiriya stepped forward without hesitation, inviting her into the party as he moved to shield her.

The cave was damp and dark. Mud squelched beneath his boots, making every step unpleasant. Behind him, Violet gripped her green ironwood staff tightly, staying alert to every sound and movement.

Suddenly, a faint rustle—

"Flap-flap—"

Several bats, startled from above, burst out into the open, a black swarm flying straight at them.

"Ah!" Violet gave a startled cry.

Kiriya reacted instantly, stepping in front of her and sweeping his obsidian sword in wide arcs to drive the bats away. Thankfully, these were just ambient creatures—non-aggressive—and soon they scattered.

Kiriya narrowed his eyes, peering into the cave. It wasn't very deep, and toward the back, something large and red stirred faintly in the shadows.

"Kiriya, look!" Violet whispered. "Is that… the Porcupine Chieftain?"

Her level was lower than Kiriya's, and her vision range was limited. At level 25, Kiriya could see farther. In the gloom, a massive porcupine lay asleep, its crimson fur glowing dimly.

He nodded slowly.

"Yeah. That's him."

[Porcupine Chieftain] (Black Iron-tier Boss)

Level: 20

Attack: 165–250

Defense: 55

HP: 40,000

Attack Type: Bloodthirst — 10% chance to inflict a deadly critical hit.

...

Because Kiriya was five levels higher than the boss, he could see all of its stats at a glance. After glancing over the data, he quickly shared the Porcupine Leader's attack and defense values with Violet.

When Violet heard them, her eyes widened in shock.

"Wait, what?! Its attack is 250? That's way too high! We don't even have a proper tank that can survive that kind of damage! Ugh, if I knew it would be this tough, I would've dragged Ragnar along instead of letting him go enjoy that sauna!"

Kiriya was momentarily speechless, then couldn't help but chuckle.

"It's fine. I'll take the boss. Just focus on keeping me alive," he said calmly.

Violet looked up at him and smiled faintly, concern flickering in her eyes. "Are you sure you can handle it?"

Kiriya gave his chest a confident pat. "When have I ever let you down?"

He then asked Violet to retreat to the clearing just outside the cave. It was more spacious there—perfect for a ranged class like hers to unleash spells without obstacles. Despite her usual playful tone, Violet was always a reliable support when it came down to it.

Once her figure had completely exited the cave, Kiriya took a deep breath and raised his obsidian sword. A sharp burst of sword energy split the air.

Shhk!

Crack!

A brilliant blue flash streaked forward—Blade Wave!—and slammed directly into the Porcupine Leader, instantly slicing off 245 HP.

There was no doubt about it: with Kiriya's stats fully invested in offense, his base attack reached 230. Against the boss's mere 55 defense, his swordsmanship was nothing short of overwhelming.

Huff… huff…

The Porcupine Leader jolted awake from the hit, let out a low growl, then charged toward him in a fury!

Without hesitation, Kiriya turned and dashed out of the cave, kiting the boss into the open.

The moment he stepped into the clearing, Violet instinctively backed away to maintain distance, trying to mask her nerves with a forced look of calm.

The Porcupine Leader roared as it lunged at Kiriya, tusks gleaming in the sunlight.

Boom!

With a dull thud, its charge slammed into Kiriya's shoulder. His health dipped sharply, and the number "124" floated above his head.

It hurt—but it wasn't fatal.

Gritting his teeth, he steadied his stance and swung his sword with explosive force.

"Blazing Slash!"

A surge of fire burst from the blade, crashing down on the Porcupine Leader and cleaving off 467 HP in a blaze of heat. The sheer impact distorted the air like a wave of flame.

From behind, Violet's eyes widened.

"Kiriya, just how high is your attack stat? This thing has 55 defense, and Ziven only dealt around 200 damage at most…"

Kiriya simply smiled, his tone light and mysterious. "Let's just say I'm a bit stronger than Ziven."

Violet smiled knowingly and didn't press further. She raised her staff and gently waved it through the air. A faint violet glow shot forward and struck the boss square in the forehead.

Ding!

System Notification: Porcupine Leader has entered a Weakened State. Attack and Defense reduced by 5%.

Kiriya paused for a brief second, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. He couldn't help but murmur under his breath, "I didn't expect the weakening effect to be this noticeable…"

Violet nodded with a gentle smile, her voice soft and reassuring. "This is just the most basic version of the skill—entry-level. Once I advance my class and raise its proficiency to Advanced or even Master level, the effects will be far more powerful~"

Her tone carried an easy confidence, but before she could finish her sentence, the weakened porcupine boss let out a sudden, furious roar. Abandoning Kiriya entirely, it turned and charged straight toward Violet!

Kiriya's heart clenched. There was no way he'd let a healer face a boss's wrath alone. In an instant, he stepped forward, Obsidian Sword humming in his grip, unleashing a sharp and resonant Blade Wave through the air!

Shhhh—BOOM!

The blade aura tore through the space like thunder. The porcupine boss rampaged wildly between them, its seemingly thrown into confusion, unable to decide who to attack. It paced back and forth, hesitating, unable to lock onto a target.

Just minutes later, Kiriya saw his chance. With a loud battle cry, he launched a devastating Blazing Slash!

BOOM!

The powerful strike hit like an explosion. The boss let out a blood-curdling scream as 884 HP was brutally ripped away. It crashed to the ground with a thunderous thud, its massive corpse falling still as a handful of gold coins and two pieces of equipment scattered to the ground.

Violet hurried over and tucked the porcupine boss's bloody head into her inventory. She frowned slightly—the game's realism was impressive, perhaps too impressive.

The severed boss's head looked so much like an actual butchered pig's head that it made her stomach churn.

After picking up the loot and coins one by one, she turned to Kiriya and opened a trade window. Placing a pair of mage boots, a helmet, and 12 gold coins into the box, she smiled warmly.

"This is all the loot we got. If you don't mind, consider it a reward for helping me complete the quest."

Kiriya glanced down briefly. The two items looked decent, but they were clearly just bronze-tier—and more importantly, not suited to his class.

Without hesitation, he canceled the trade. "Keep the boots," he said flatly. "They're mage gear. The helmet's no use to me either—give it to Lusk or Ragnar. As for the coins—tell you what, start the trade again. I'll just take the gold."

Violet blinked in surprise, then gave a soft, teasing smile. "You are…"

Still, she complied without complaint, sending over just the 12 coins this time. Kiriya understood—if he took nothing, she'd probably feel indebted.

But by accepting only the gold, even if it wasn't worth much, it would at least ease her mind a little.

With the transaction complete, his coin pouch now held a gleaming 88 gold pieces—a satisfying number to see.

Violet stored the remaining two items and spoke softly, "I'll go turn in the quest now. Kiriya, make sure you get some rest. Don't push yourself too hard, okay?"

Her voice was warm and gentle, laced with a long-lost kind of concern. Something stirred faintly in Kiriya's heart. It had been a long time since someone spoke to him with such tenderness.

But that feeling lasted only a moment before a sudden shout rang out from the nearby forest.

"Huh? What the hell?! The porcupine boss has been taken out!"

Another, rougher voice followed right after: "Son of a bitch! Who stole our quest boss?! Find that bastard and kill him!!"