Eternal Art Online

In the office of the Development Division, the atmosphere was heavy.

Yuna stood with her back against a filing cabinet, her posture sharp and commanding, exuding a quiet pressure.

Mira sat calmly at the conference table, composed and poised, as if everything was under her control.

Kiriya sat quietly on the other side, his hands folded neatly on his knees, saying nothing.

Though he was well used to fighting alone in virtual worlds, the tense, layered undercurrents of real-world office politics still felt foreign and uncomfortable.

Yuna glanced toward the door. After confirming it was closed, she finally spoke—her tone clipped, laced with a restrained frustration.

"This is nonsense."

Her voice was firm and decisive, leaving no room for doubt.

Mira responded evenly, "You're referring to Wilcon?"

At the mention of that name, Yuna's brows tightened, a flicker of irritation flashing in her eyes. Her voice lowered, but her disdain was unmistakable.

"Forget about him."

She paused, sweeping her gaze across the room before continuing.

"We all know the situation. The company plans to invest heavily in Eternal Art Online. We'll be training a team of top-tier players, and we'll be giving special support to professional crafting and production specialists.

Eventually, we'll also be stepping into the game's internal economy. Which means—every member of the Snow Rose Studio must be truly exceptional. We can't afford to lose to any other faction."

Her tone shifted, growing stern.

"I expect every one of you to take this seriously."

Kiriya nodded silently. He could tell Yuna wasn't just putting on a show—from her sharp, commanding tone, he could feel she was someone not to be underestimated.

Yuna gave them a quick look, then calmly issued her orders.

"You're all dismissed for the afternoon. Go home and log in. Meet at Twilight City, East Gate Plaza. It's time to begin building a force of our own."

Her voice carried a calm yet unshakable authority.

"If you know anyone with decent levels and solid combat strength, bring them along. We'll be officially forming the guild very soon."

Kiriya opened his mouth to speak—the name Crimson Lotus flashing through his mind—but in the end, he held his tongue.

He didn't know Yuna well enough yet. She seemed to have little interest in him, and mentioning another faction now might only backfire.

At that moment, Yuna pulled out a printed sheet from the desk and placed it in front of them.

"Write down your in-game IDs. I'll contact you in-game later."

Mira and Rike jotted down their IDs without hesitation. Kiriya paused briefly, then carefully wrote: Kiriya Noir.

He'd only appeared briefly on the top-ten rankings of the Scarlet Emperor Warzone and hadn't drawn much attention.

Even now, neither Mira nor Rike seemed to connect him with that black-clad swordsman from the rankings.

The meeting came to a close. Yuna waved her hand to dismiss them.

Kiriya rose to his feet and glanced toward the slowly closing door. A strange, indescribable feeling stirred in his chest.

From this moment on…

The real game had only just begun.

...

Half an hour later, Kiriya was already back home. It was just past 1:00 PM.

He poured himself a glass of water to moisten his throat, then casually powered on his computer and clicked into the official forum of Eternal Art Online.

To his surprise, the very first headline on the homepage read:

"Top Female Mage PK Video Goes Viral!"

Kiriya's heart skipped a beat. Could it be—Rose Yuna?

He clicked the video immediately. After a short buffer, the screen finally lit up.

In the footage, a female mage was surrounded by five berserkers, the air thick with tension.

Each of the berserkers wore ominously gleaming dark armor—a tier above standard Black Iron gear. They exuded raw aggression.

But the one who truly caught the eye… was the mage in the middle.

Her figure was graceful, almost ethereal. Though the image was slightly blurry and her face couldn't be seen clearly, the golden letters hovering above her head stood out with dazzling clarity:

Rose Yuna

It's her!

The very next second, a blazing fireball erupted from her staff, and the battle kicked off in an instant.

Rose Yuna's movements flowed like water, gliding across the battlefield with elegant finesse. With a few quick sidesteps and spirals, she slipped past the encirclement like it was nothing.

Her footwork was a dance, so precise and fluid it bordered on art. The five berserkers spun in confusion, unable to even figure out where to aim.

Seated in front of the screen, Kiriya's eyes gleamed with awe.

This Rose Yuna… she wasn't just beautiful—her skills were unreal.

Fireballs and ice arrows flew out in tandem, every spell striking its mark with pinpoint accuracy.

But what left people breathless was her jaw-dropping ice damage—

One basic Ice Arrow was enough to wipe out more than half the health of a level 22 berserker!

In just three seconds, she took down the first one.

The entire battle didn't even last two minutes. All five berserkers fell in quick succession.

And the way it ended—so effortlessly—left viewers speechless.

Kiriya scrolled further down, only to find that the video had already exploded across the forums.

The top-level mage in the Scarlet Emperor Warzone, and ranked third globally, Rose Yuna had overnight become the goddess of the entire player base.

Climbing to level 28 in just a few days? That kind of progression bordered on the absurd.

Not to mention her wind-like dodges and fluid spellcasting—her performance set the forums ablaze.

The replies poured in like wildfire:

[Top Comment]: Rose Yuna, #1 Mage of Scarlet Emperor Warzone and undisputed top beauty of the game—well deserved!

[2nd Floor]: I love you, Rose Yuna! Can I get your Email? (Attached email)

[3rd Floor]: Those berserkers were so dumb. Just charge already!

[4th Floor]: If a goddess like her became my girlfriend, I could die happy! But how does an average guy like me ever get her attention…?

[5th Floor]: Replying to 4th—Find a dark, windy night and hang yourself at Twilight City's gate. Maybe she'll notice you then.

[6th Floor] (female player): Tch! What's so great about this Rose Yuna? My figure is way better! (Attached selfie)

[7th Floor] (Moderator):...Miss on the 6th floor, please.

[8th Floor] (female player): Why did you delete my photo?!

[9th Floor] (Moderator): Because... you're not even in the same league as her.

...

Kiriya nearly spat his tea all over the screen—these forum users were insane!

The thread had already surpassed a thousand replies, exploding with excitement. There was no time to read through it all.

He quickly shut the webpage, grabbed his gaming helmet, and dove into Eternal Art Online.

Once logged in, he glanced at his character's stats: Level 25, 88 gold coins, and his ranking had dropped to 124th in the Scarlet Emperor Warzone.

And yet, Rose Yuna had somehow reached an unbelievable Level 30.

How did she even do that? Has she stopped eating and sleeping?

The shock hit him like a wave, but there was no time to dwell on it.

He instantly teleported back to the Beginner Village Plaza, restocked on potions, and then spent a gold coin at the teleportation array to jump straight to Twilight City.

Twilight City was one of the eight secondary capital cities in the Scarlet Emperor Warzone, widely known as a paradise for low to mid-level players.

Surrounded by monster-rich zones and bustling with quest NPCs, it was the perfect hub for grinding, questing, and resupplying.

As the teleportation circle lit up in a burst of white light and faded, Kiriya opened his eyes to a completely different scene—white walls and black tiles, elegant and traditional.

Neat rows of shops lined both sides of the main avenue, while NPC soldiers clad in gleaming silver armor patrolled the streets, their halberds flashing coldly under the sun.

He opened his map and confirmed his location—East Gate Plaza was just ahead. Without delay, Kiriya jogged over, and on the way, he discreetly disabled all visual effects on his gear.

No way I'm letting Sylvia or Rike see me decked out in top-tier equipment… If they spot me, they'll skin me alive.

The city wasn't too crowded yet. Most players still lingered near the beginner zones, which had monster levels ranging from 10 to 30—ideal for farming with minimal competition.

From a distance, he could already see a few players gathered at the plaza.

Leading the group stood a Level 22 swordswoman, her rapier faintly glowing. Her ID read: Mira.

The name suited her perfectly—icy and aloof at first glance, like someone untouched by the world. But after spending time with her, Kiriya had come to realize she was warm beneath the surface, like a vintage wine that only revealed its character with time.

Next to her stood a petite Level 21 archer—Airi Lune.

Her equipment was simple, armed with only a black-iron grade bow. She didn't seem like a strong fighter, but there was something delicate about her that made others instinctively want to protect her.

Not far off, a rogue in half-leather armor was speaking in a low voice. Her ID: Sylvia.

Facing her was a Level 19 summoner girl dressed in deep purple robes, cradling a staff in her arms. Her ID: Rike Flare.

Kiriya stepped forward with a faint smile. "Looks like everyone's here?"

The girls turned at the sound of his voice and gasped in unison.

"Oh my god, Kiriya?! You're already Level 25? That's crazy!"

He responded with a casual smile. "Swordsmen level fast. No big deal."

Just then, Rike bounced over and clung to his arm, grinning sweetly.

"Kiriya~ Will you help me level later? I don't wanna go with Sylvia—she's so clumsy! She died twice yesterday!"

Kiriya gave her a knowing look and said with mock sternness, "I can… but only if you promise not to flirt with guys from other parties while you're in mine. I'm not cleaning up that mess again."

Rike puffed out her cheeks in mock offense. "I'm not that kind of bad girl… You're so mean!"

In the few days they'd spent together, Kiriya had long since figured out Rike's game. She was a natural-born little vixen—knew how to pout, how to act helpless, how to get whatever she wanted. An absolute force of nature.

Too bad she just wasn't his type.

She was sweet, sure. But facing a chest as flat as a plains biome, he couldn't bring himself to say anything resembling "I like you."

...

After some idle chatting, Mira suddenly frowned.

"Where's Yuna? She's late. You think she ran into trouble? Does anyone know her in-game ID?"

Everyone shook their heads. None of them did.

Just then, a soft, clear female voice came from behind:

"Sorry for keeping everyone waiting.", 

They all turned at once—and for a moment, time seemed to freeze.

A figure stepped forward, cloaked in crimson so deep it looked like burning silk. Behind her, silver hair flowed like moonlight on water.

She moved without sound, light as air, yet each step crashed like thunder in his chest.

Kiriya froze. Then, hoarsely, almost under his breath:

"…Rose Yuna."