Eternal Art Online

Although Kiriya had already guessed as much, the truth still left him momentarily stunned—the legendary top-ranked female mage, Rose Yuna, was indeed the very person he had suspected all along.

Sensing the group's collective astonishment, Yuna smiled faintly, her delicate brows lifting ever so slightly.

"Don't just stand there looking shocked. You're not seeing things."

Mira's jaw dropped so wide it could've fitted an apple. Her voice was filled with disbelief.

"Yuna… You're amazing! So, you're the one ranked first in the entire war zone…"

Yuna merely smiled again, brushing it off with casual grace.

"It's nothing special. I just had a few friends help me rush through the levels."

As she spoke, she stepped forward and stopped in front of Kiriya, tilting her head up to look at him with a touch of curiosity in her eyes.

"Kiriya? Pretty high level, huh~ Ooh, and your gear's not bad either!"

Kiriya gave a slightly awkward chuckle.

"Eh… It's nothing. Just lucky, I guess."

Without hesitation, Yuna sent him a friend request.

And of course, Kiriya accepted it without a second thought—after all, this was the most famous female mage in all of Eternal Art Online. Having her on his friend list was practically a badge of honor!

In-game, Yuna felt warmer, more approachable—none of the executive distance she carried in real life. Maybe, Kiriya thought, this was where she could truly be herself.

At that moment, Mira spoke up, hesitating.

"Yuna, I only have six gold coins… I'll give them all to you. You know, as startup capital for your early game."

Yuna chuckled, accepting them without hesitation.

"Then I'll just take five—let's call it my potion budget."

Kiriya blinked.

"Potions cost that much?"

"Of course they do!" Yuna shot him a glare, half-exasperated, half-playful.

"Mages burn through mana potions like crazy while leveling. I spend at least twenty gold a day. And most of the gear I get doesn't even sell well—paying to grind. You look pretty rich, Kiriya. How about giving me a little extra?"

As she spoke, her tone turned teasing, her voice lilting with playfulness. Her smile was almost mischievous, and the way she looked at him—just a bit coquettish—completely threw Kiriya off.

He froze. That expression… it was exactly like Lina's.

Almost on instinct, he slid fifty gold from his inventory and sent her the trade, then asked, slightly anxious.

"Um… Lina—what level is she now?"

Even Yuna was momentarily startled by the number, but then she laughed.

"Well, well… so you have been thinking about my sister all along. You got your eyes on her or what?"

Kiriya blinked, flustered.

"I was just… You know, making conversation."

"Relax," Yuna said with a smirk, lips curved into a knowing smile.

"I'm not responsible for Lina, even if I am her sister… well, her twin sister, technically. But in this world? I'm my person. I've got zero interest in babysitting her here."

With that, she gave him a long, meaningful look and suddenly said,

"Kiriya, come grind with me later. The rest of you can team up however you want."

Rike immediately protested.

"Why are you only taking Kiriya?"

Yuna replied with an unapologetic shrug.

"I'm not taking him. I'm teaming with him. I don't want my EXP split with anyone who can't pull their weight."

Her tone was light, playful even, but her reasoning was ironclad. Rike had no rebuttal.

Before leaving, Yuna also "collected" a few more gold coins from Sylvia and Airi Lune—early-game capital, as she called it—then cheerfully dashed off to the potion shop.

She waved over her shoulder without turning back.

"Grind spot's outside the city—see you there!"

Kiriya pondered for a moment before retrieving a precious mage skill book—True-fire Tide—from his inventory.

It was a rare drop he had obtained from the Sword Fang Wolf King, boasting powerful area-of-effect capabilities.

With Yuna's formidable magic output, mastering this spell would no doubt make her even more unstoppable. It would be a tremendous boost to her leveling efficiency.

Right after, he rushed to the potion shop. Selling off some of his red potions, he used the coins to purchase 200 blue mana potions, each restoring 500 MP.

At a steep price of 5 silver apiece, they were far beyond what ordinary players could afford.

But Kiriya didn't even blink—spending 10 gold without hesitation. He knew full well that Yuna would need them.

Once all preparations were complete, he departed through the eastern gate of Twilight City. In the distance, by the edge of the forest, he spotted a familiar and beautiful figure standing quietly—waiting, as if she had known he would come.

Kiriya quickened his pace. Sensing his approach, Yuna turned, a playful smile lifting the corners of her lips.

"Lina asked me earlier if I could help her level up," she said, casually. "I turned her down. Know why?"

Kiriya blinked in surprise and shook his head. "How would I know?"

Yuna's gaze grew a little mischievous, lips curving up as if to steal someone's heart. "Because—big sis was busy."

Kiriya nearly choked. Seriously? That's your excuse? he muttered internally, caught somewhere between speechless and amused.

Before he could recover, Yuna had already turned and started walking, glancing back at him with a sly smile. "Come on. I'll take you somewhere special."

That look she gave him, with a slight tilt of the head and a playful gleam in her eyes—it was devastating.

Kiriya froze in place, heart pounding uncontrollably like a teenager caught in the throes of his first crush.

"Yuna—wait," he called out on impulse.

She paused and turned, looking at him curiously. "What's wrong, Kiriya?"

Without another word, Kiriya opened the trade window and placed the True-fire Tide into it. "Here. I think this will be useful for you."

"Wha…!"

Yuna's eyes widened, lips parting in astonishment. She stared at the skill book like she couldn't believe it was real. After a long pause, she finally clicked to confirm the trade.

"How… how do you have this? I've been grinding that boss spawn point for days and haven't seen a single drop!"

"Got lucky," Kiriya said with a slight smile. "Beat a boss and this dropped. I can't use it anyway—better you have it than let it gather dust."

Yuna clutched the book, her joy barely contained. Her expression softened as she looked at him. "Thank you, Kiriya. This spell's value isn't even measurable right now. I owe you—big time."

Kiriya's heart twisted slightly at her words. Her smile was dazzling… but she belonged to someone else, didn't she? So why was he doing all this? For Lina? Or… was it something else? He honestly didn't know anymore.

After a beat, he decided to probe gently. "Yuna, doesn't Wilcon have an account in EAO too? Why… aren't you leveling with him?"

Yuna's expression shifted. For a moment, there was something almost vulnerable in her eyes. A hint of sorrow.

She hesitated, then murmured, "Would you want to team up with someone you don't even like?"

Kiriya froze.

Wait… what does that mean?

She doesn't like Wilcon? Then the one she chose to level with is… me?

Seeing the confusion in his eyes, Yuna suddenly giggled. "Don't overthink it. Wilcon and I… aren't what you guys imagine. Honestly, I only agreed to help him in-game because of my father's expectations. That's all."

Kiriya gave a strained smile. "That sounds… rough on you."

Yuna was caught off guard by his gentle tone. She stared at him for a moment before smiling faintly. "Let's not talk about that anymore. If we don't hurry, we'll be late. I spent hours leveling there last night. The experience gain is insane!"

"Oh? What kind of place is it?"

"You'll see soon enough." She flashed him a mysterious smile and tugged him along by the hand.

Half an hour later.

Night had fallen. Dew began to settle over the forest, and a chill crept into the air.

As they advanced, Kiriya noticed the atmosphere grow increasingly eerie. The ground ahead had become barren, stripped of all vegetation.

A bone-chilling scream echoed faintly in the distance—piercing and mournful, like the cry of the damned.

A cold shiver ran down Kiriya's spine. He asked, somewhat tense, "What is this place?"

Yuna turned to him, smiling as if this were all normal. "This is the infamous Ghost Bone Slope! I discovered it by accident yesterday while exploring. It's a hidden leveling zone. The monsters here hit hard—but the experience is phenomenal."

Kiriya glanced around, silently impressed. As expected of a top-tier player…

If even Yuna holds this place in such high regard, it must far surpass areas like Wolf Howl Ridge in terms of difficulty and rewards.

Up ahead, a dark, desolate hill loomed—long and steep. The wind howled through the barren terrain.

Not a single blade of grass grew here. It was a land drained of life, echoing with the whispers of the dead.