Eternal Art Online

Kiriya reacted in a flash, gently seizing Yuna's wrist and pulling her into a hidden alcove behind the third floor's inner wall.

A jutting rock conveniently obscured them from view, shielding the two completely from sight.

Yuna blinked in surprise. Before she could even process what was happening, she was leaning lightly against his arm.

A soft, warm sensation spread across his skin in that instant. Kiriya glanced down—and only then noticed that, in her panic, Yuna had grabbed onto his hand.

What's more, the proud curves of her chest were now pressed tightly against his arm, though she seemed completely unaware.

His heartbeat surged wildly, pounding like a war drum. His breathing quickened before he could control it.

Sensing his tension, Yuna gave a quiet, teasing chuckle. She looked up and whispered, "Are you nervous?"

Kiriya struggled to stay composed and gave a stiff nod. Of course, he was nervous! A beautiful girl this close, warm and soft, her scent brushing past him with every breath—what man could stay calm?

Yuna tilted her head and looked up at him with those bright eyes of hers, now sparkling with mischief. She'd noticed just how flustered he was.

But before the moment could shift any further, voices echoed from the second floor.

"Huh? There are a ton of monster corpses here. Someone must've been through already."

Another voice followed. "Doesn't matter. Let's check downstairs anyway. If we can reach the fifth floor and finish the quest right away, that'd save us the trouble."

Kiriya's expression hardened. Just as he feared, someone else had taken the same quest!

He exchanged a glance with Yuna. Worry flickered in both their eyes.

Within half a minute, three figures stepped into the third floor's passage. Kiriya and Yuna tensed simultaneously.

Each of the three bore the same guild prefix: "Dawnbreaker." And judging by their names and levels, these weren't just any players—

Dawnbreaker-Reis, Level 29 Berserker.

Dawnbreaker-Veyron, Level 28 Mage.

Dawnbreaker-Malic, Level 30 Mage.

All three were prominent names on the Scarlet Emperor Warzone leaderboards—ranked second, fourth, and fifth, respectively. Yuna currently holds the top spot at level 32, with Kiriya right behind at level 29, ranked third.

Here in the depths of Nether Hollow, five of the zone's top-ranked players had converged—an incredibly rare and dangerous coincidence.

The guild Dawnbreaker had dominated nearly every online game they entered, long hailed as the mightiest force within Scarlet Emperor. And these three… they were part of the guild's core leadership.

Veyron frowned, puzzled. "Monster corpses, but no players in sight? Maybe they already teleported out?"

But Reis just laughed and shouted, "No need to hide, friends. Come on out!"

Kiriya froze. They saw through us.

Since concealment was no longer an option, there was no point in hiding. He took a deep breath and stepped out, carefully avoiding the aggro range of nearby monsters.

Yuna followed close behind, staff in hand, her steps light as night wind.

The moment Reis saw Kiriya's face, he let out a small exclamation—then laughed.

"Well, if it isn't Kiriya Noir—third on the leaderboard himself!"

But when Yuna stepped into view behind him, all three men froze. Their expressions changed instantly.

They all gasped in unison.

"…It's Rose Yuna?!"

Yuna stood wrapped in crimson silk, the hem of her dress dancing like flames in the breeze.

Sunlight caressed her exquisitely sculpted features, the slender column of her alabaster neck accentuating her breathtaking beauty.

The clinging fabric hinted at her alluring curves - the proud swell of her bosom, the tantalizing dip of her waist, the dangerous sway of her hips - a vision that set imaginations aflame.

The group froze as one, their gazes magnetized. The warrior Dawnbreaker-Veyron's eyes glazed over, his Adam's apple bobbing as he murmured, "Gods... Rose Yuna... even more stunning than the rumors..."

His companion Dawnbreaker-Reis, elbowed him sharply. "Control yourself, Veyron," he hissed through gritted teeth. "Must you always embarrass us when you see a pretty face?"

Veyron chuckled awkwardly, tearing his eyes away. "To encounter the legendary Rose Yuna here... truly an honor beyond measure."

Yuna responded with a dismissive sniff, clearly accustomed to such hollow flattery.

The air grew slightly tense. Trying to smooth things over, Reis cleared his throat and offered, "You're here for the quest too, right? How about we team up? The monsters around here are no joke, and going solo is risky. A party would benefit everyone."

But Yuna shook her head coldly. "I already have a partner. There's no need for anyone else."

As she spoke, she naturally slid her arm around Kiriya's, her gesture intimate and fluid, laced with a subtle declaration of exclusivity.

Just as expected, a flicker of bitterness flashed through Veyron's eyes. Though it lasted only a second, Kiriya caught it with crystal clarity—envy and frustration, thinly veiled by forced politeness.

"Arrogant bitch," Malic spat, his staff crackling with restrained energy.

Kiriya's hand found his sword hilt, his voice dropping to a lethal purr. "Choose your next words carefully, mage. The tongue cuts deeper than any blade."

Malic sneered. "You think your levels intimidate me? I piss on your kind!"

Before his words could fully settle, Yuna's fury flared. She snapped up her staff, her voice like a whip: "If you want a fight, then come at us. Just don't bark like a mutt trying to look tough!"

Reis gave a low chuckle, but his boots shifted slightly, his stance tensing—his hand tightening around his battle axe.

He's trying to get close for a surprise strike.

Kiriya narrowed his eyes. 

But he wasn't about to wait and let the enemy make the first move.

Before Reis could act, Kiriya had already drawn his blade in one swift motion. His right hand swept out, and a surge of cutting wind exploded from the edge like a sudden storm.

"Blade Wave!"

With a low shout, a burst of sword energy tore through the air like thunder, streaking straight toward Reis's chest!

BOOM!

A sharp blast rang out as the milky-white energy slammed into its target. Reis staggered back from the blow, his chest plate groaning under the impact.

"572!"

A crimson damage number popped above his head. Despite the powerful strike, it was clear his gear was top-tier and his HP bar long—he still had over half his health remaining.

Without pause, Yuna unleashed a Fireball that shot forward like a blazing comet. It exploded on impact, and another number lit up immediately:

"642!"

The second blow hit almost simultaneously with the first, causing Reis's health to plummet into the danger zone in a heartbeat!

Reis's face twisted in shock. He hadn't expected Kiriya and Yuna's coordinated assault to be that ferocious.

The Dawnbreakers were no ordinary force.

With barely a pause, Dawnbreaker-Reis let out a furious roar and charged forward, his battle axe raised high. 

A devastating Earth Splitter Slash crashed down with a roar—flames burst forth as Kiriya felt a searing pain rip through his chest.

His body was hurled through the air and smashed brutally onto the stone tiles below.

He stumbled back several steps before barely steadying himself. One glance at his health bar made his heart jolt—over 800 HP had been carved away in a single blow. He was barely clinging to life.

And yet, the look on Dawnbreaker-Reis's face was even more shocked than his own—clearly, he hadn't expected his fully-charged strike to fail to one-shot this swordsman.

Almost at the same moment, Dawnbreaker-Veyron and Dawnbreaker-Malic launched their attack.

Two blazing fireballs tore through the air, aimed straight at Yuna—intent on taking out the top female mage of EAO right from the start, leaving her no room to breathe.

The flames exploded across Yuna's flame barrier, making it ripple violently. Her HP plummeted, dropping to under half in an instant.

The situation had turned dire.

But Kiriya didn't retreat.

Instead, he launched himself in a sudden, forceful dash, reversing direction in an instant. His blade tore through the air, targeting the level-28 mage: Dawnbreaker-Veyron.

At that exact moment, Yuna also unleashed a fireball, locked on the same target. Their synergy was seamless, as if they'd fought side by side countless times before.

BOOM! BOOM!

Twin explosions lit the battlefield. Veyron didn't even have time to react—two damage values popped up almost simultaneously: 546 and 678.

A flash of white light burst forth. With a pained scream, Dawnbreaker-Veyron crumpled into a scattered heap of potions and gold coins, forcefully returned to spawn.

Right then, a system alert flashed:

Yuna has become Red-Named.

"Kill Rose Yuna!" Dawnbreaker-Reis bellowed in rage, his fury erupting like thunder.

Yuna didn't panic. She quickly retreated a few steps, putting distance between herself and the enemy caster.

An Ice Arrow shot out with a sharp whistle and struck Reis in the shoulder, instantly slowing him with a layer of frost.

Kiriya seized the opportunity to breathe. He swiftly uncorked a 500-HP recovery potion and downed it in one gulp.

With his health restored slightly, he raised his sword once more and sprinted straight toward Dawnbreaker-Malic.

The obsidian blade gleamed cold and lethal under the light, brimming with killing intent.

Maric's pupils contracted—he recognized that this sword was no ordinary weapon. Without hesitation, he withdrew, activating a teleportation point to retreat to the second floor of the dungeon.

"Reis, careful! I'm pulling back!" he shouted as he vanished.

Kiriya watched him flee and gave a cold smirk. He flipped him the finger.

"Top-tier my ass."

On the other side, things had become perilous for Yuna. Backed into a corner by Reis, she had no chance to dodge—she was forced to tank another of his massive axe blows head-on.

BANG!

The tremendous force slammed into her half-recovered flame shield. Though it absorbed nearly 70% of the damage, her HP still plunged to a razor-thin sliver.

SHHKK!

A streak of blue light—Kiriya's Blade Wave—slashed out in a wide arc, interrupting Reis's follow-up and buying Yuna a precious breath of time.

She slipped past him like a shadow, regrouping swiftly with Kiriya. The two now stood side by side once more, battered but unbroken.

Just then, a cold voice echoed through the corridor:

"Those two—take them down. 100 gold per head."

Kiriya's heart sank.

Malic.

The bastard had hired player-killers.

As if to prove it, a blistering fireball suddenly came flying straight toward Yuna, cast by Malic himself.

Kiriya's face went pale. Yuna's flame shield hadn't reformed. Her HP hadn't even reached halfway. She wouldn't survive this hit.

Without thinking, he threw himself in front of her—but the fireball curved and shot through the gap beneath his raised arm, smashing directly into her chest.

And in that critical instant, a holy light descended from above.

Like a miracle, the radiance wrapped around Yuna, and her health bar soared upward in a flash, fully restored.

Healing spell! A mid-tier healing spell!

The fireball exploded violently, sparks flying everywhere—but it failed to claim her life. She used the brief window to rebuild her flame shield and reignite her battle spirit.

Kiriya looked up—and his heart stirred.

The priestess who cast the heal—it was Violet.

And at her side stood Crimson Lotus-Lusk, Crimson Lotus-Ragnar, and Crimson Lotus-Ziven.

Violet gave Kiriya a small, knowing smile. She said nothing, but in that silence, he felt a warmth spread through his chest.

"You piece of shit! I said kill them, and you're out here casting heals?!"

Maric's angry roar echoed furiously through the chamber.

But before his voice could even fade—

WHAM!

The sound of cleaving wind tore through the air. Crimson-Ragnar's battle axe came crashing down like judgment itself, a mighty Earth Splitter Slash, the air.

Malic was torn to pieces, his body vanishing in a burst of white light, forcefully logged out.

Ragnar dusted off his hands, grinning widely. 

"Hey, dumbass," he said, voice dripping with amusement,

"Didn't you know? Kiriya's one of us."