Eternal Art Online

Kiriya stepped forward and picked up the helmet dropped by Conqueror-Drevan. A system prompt immediately flashed before his eyes, displaying the gear's stats.

[Green Helmet] (Bronze – Armor)

Defense: 52

Strength: +6

Vitality: +1

Required Level: 14

The helmet's defense was decent, and the added strength and vitality were fairly useful. The only issue… was the name. It sounded awful.

He stared at the item for a moment and muttered, "Green helmet, huh… green…"

Violet couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh, her eyes glinting with amusement.

"If you want to say it's a green hat, just say it," she teased. "What, afraid I'll get shy or something? I'm not some fresh-out-of-school girl, you know—I've seen my share of storms."

Kiriya let out a small chuckle. That was true. Everything about Violet exuded a calm, confident maturity. That kind of poise didn't come from naivety—it was the allure that time itself carved into someone.

If she wasn't quite a married-woman-tier beauty, then she was certainly the kind of woman who knew exactly how to carry herself—elegant and formidable.

He glanced at the helmet again and said, "Let's sell it when we get back to town. We'll split the gold fifty-fifty?"

But Violet gently shook her head, her voice soft.

"No need. If it weren't for you, I might not have made it out. This drop is rightfully yours."

Then, after a brief pause, she added in a quiet tone, "It's getting late. You should get some rest. Don't push yourself too hard."

Kiriya nodded. Night had already fallen. He returned to town via teleport and arrived at the newbie village plaza. Among the crowd, he raised his voice and shouted out an offer. Not long after, the green helmet was sold for a high price—40 gold coins.

By now, most players had leveled up, and gold wasn't as scarce as it used to be. For him, the helmet was barely useful. Better to cash it in while it still held value.

Before logging out, Kiriya casually opened the level rankings.

The leaderboard of the Scarlet Emperor Warzone appeared before his eyes.

His name had already dropped out of the top ten.

Now at Level 25, Kiriya sat at rank #17. And sitting firmly at the very top—still unshaken—was a familiar name:

Rose Yuna, Level 28.

He stared at the name, eyes narrowing slightly.

Rose Yuna… could it be her?

What kind of girl… is she, exactly?

Kiriya whispered the question to himself. Then, slowly, he logged out of the game.

...

Kiriya jolted awake to find it was already past eight in the morning—he was going to be late. Skipping breakfast, he bolted out the door and sprinted to the company.

To his surprise, when he arrived drenched in sweat, neither Sylvia nor Rike had shown up yet. It wasn't until nearly eleven o'clock that the two girls finally strolled in, eyes red and puffy, looking like they'd barely gotten out of bed.

When Airi asked what happened, Sylvia yawned and grumbled, "Rike and I spawned in the same beginner village. I was helping her grind all the way to level 19 last night. It was exhausting."

Rike rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. You had a beautiful girl to grind levels with. Don't act like you suffered."

Sylvia gave her a playful glare. "Right, because I'm not a beautiful girl myself?"

The two were just beginning to bicker again when Mira walked through the door and cut them off. "Enough chit-chat. Come on, we've got a meeting in the operations department."

"A meeting?" Kiriya asked, puzzled.

Mira nodded with a smile. "Yep. It's about in-game business systems. Mr. Wilcon will be leading it."

Kiriya let out a chuckle. So he was finally going to meet the legendary Wilcon.

Everyone got up and headed out. Kiriya trailed behind, walking beside Rike as they entered the spacious conference room.

It was elegantly furnished and could seat about fifty people. Many of the staff from both the development and operations departments were already seated.

He took the seat between Mira and Rike. Rike glanced around at the women in the room and whispered, "Whoa, that secretary from the executive office has gotten even curvier."

Kiriya shot her a glance. Rike was wearing a loose-fitting tank top that swayed with every move. Catching his look, she smirked flirtatiously. "Kiriya, not bad, huh? My figure?"

Kiriya replied coolly, "From the side, it looks like mountains and peaks."

"Huh? What does that mean?" Rike blinked in confusion.

Mira answered without changing expression, "He means your chest doesn't look impressive from the front."

"You—!" Rike flushed with embarrassment. "Kiriya, you're the worst! I'm not talking to you anymore!"

Kiriya just grinned. That worked out fine—he'd never been fond of being teased by girls, and it was about time she learned not to mess with him too much.

Just then, someone called out from the doorway, "Mr. Wilcon is here!"

Kiriya looked up and saw a handsome young man with refined features enter the room. Dressed in a sharp suit, his hair was immaculately styled with a glossy finish, parted cleanly in a 2:8 split. His every movement carried an air of sophistication and polish.

Kiriya couldn't help but mutter, a bit stunned, "That's Wilcon?"

Mira nodded. "That's him. The top executive in our company. Dual master's degrees from Cambridge and Harvard. Comes from a prestigious family. Now the general manager of Bluestar Group."

Rike giggled. "And he's only twenty-five. Total prodigy."

Kiriya felt a twinge of shock. Just four years older than him, and already sitting at the top. No doubt, Wilcon was the kind of person who stood head and shoulders above the rest.

Wilcon approached the table with calm confidence, sat down, and looked around. "Is everyone here?"

A supervisor from the marketing department replied, "Miss Everhart hasn't arrived yet, but everyone else is present."

"Oh? Yuna's not here?" Wilcon asked with a familiar tone, his voice laced with a certain intimacy.

Kiriya's expression shifted slightly. He turned to Mira and asked in a low voice, "What's his relationship with Yuna?"

Mira glanced around cautiously, then whispered, "That idiot is Yuna's boyfriend. But... she never really treats him that well."

A subtle unease rose in Kiriya's chest. Yuna was Lina's twin sister, and he could never truly tell them apart. Every time he saw Yuna, it was as if Lina stood before him again.

And now, to find out she had a polished, elite boyfriend like this—he couldn't help but feel a little sour inside.

Wilcon cleared his throat and said calmly, "Alright, let's wait for her a bit longer."

Nearly ten minutes later, Yuna finally appeared at the entrance of the conference room. Her hair was still damp—clearly, she had just finished freshening up and rushed over.

But what caught everyone off guard was how she strode in without hesitation and took the central seat at the head of the table—the number one seat, the symbol of ultimate authority.

Kiriya was momentarily stunned. He leaned over and whispered, "Who's higher in rank, the Director or the General Manager?"

Mira, sitting beside him, chuckled softly. "Of course, the General Manager holds more sway." She paused, then gave him a meaningful smile.

"But I know what you're asking—about Yuna's identity, right? It's quite simple. The true owner of the Bluestar Group is Mr. Everhart, and Yuna… is his daughter.

So in this company, she's the one with the real power. Wilcon may have a high-ranking title, but at the end of the day, he's just an employee.

The only reason Mr. Everhart is grooming him as a successor is because of his capability—and because he approves of him dating his daughter."

Kiriya nodded slowly, beginning to understand.

Mira continued with a soft laugh, "Wilcon's family lost its influence long ago. He's hoping to use this chance to marry into the Everharts and make a comeback by relying on Bluestar's resources. To put it bluntly—he's just a pretty boy looking for a golden ladder."

At that moment, Wilcon turned to Yuna with a concerned tone. "Yuna, did you sleep well last night?"

Yuna replied coldly, without even looking his way. "Let's begin."

Wilcon's smile stiffened for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure and announced, "Today's meeting will focus on the preliminary operational plan for the in-game virtual economy.

Now that Eternal Art Online has been live for two days, many of our internal staff have already reached level 20.

This afternoon, all employees who are level 20 or higher, please log in and gather at Twilight City. Each of you will contribute five gold coins as initial capital. Any objections?"

The male staff members all nodded in agreement, but several of the female employees protested:

"We haven't hit level 20 yet! We barely have enough gold to learn skills—how are we supposed to contribute?"

Still smiling, Wilcon replied, "If you don't plan to level up through combat, you can switch to production classes—blacksmith, lumberjack, hunter, and so on. Just go buy a shovel, an axe, or a bow, and start working on your life skills early.

As for the gold needed for skill learning, that can be covered by our combat players. I want all of us at Bluestar to work together and make a name for ourselves in EAO!"

He then glanced at Yuna, probing carefully, "Yuna, what's your take on this?"

Yuna frowned slightly, her tone cold. "I'll handle staffing for the planning and operations departments. The rest isn't my concern."

That chilly dismissal froze Wilcon's smile in place. He forced a wry grin and said no more.

At that moment, Yuna stood up, her gaze sweeping across the room until it landed on Kiriya. Her voice rang out, calm and frosty:

"Mira, Rike, and Kiriya—come with me to Development. We'll discuss our side over there."

Kiriya blinked in surprise. A second later, Rike tugged him to his feet, and the three of them exited the conference room. Behind them, Wilcon's expression darkened, his face like iron.

The pudgy manager from the marketing department tried to ease the tension with an awkward laugh. "Don't take it personally, Mr. Wilcon… Miss Everhart might just be in a bad mood today…"

But Wilcon ignored him entirely, his eyes fixed on Yuna's retreating figure. In that gaze, a flicker of cold, complicated emotion passed silently.