Eternal Art Online

Staring at the absurdly powerful stats of the Luminous Edge, Kiriya and Yuna were both stunned into silence.

"This… this is just… insane…" Yuna muttered, eyes wide in disbelief as she read the numbers glowing on the blade's interface. Her voice trembled slightly.

Kiriya stood there, wordless, his hand gripping the hilt tightly. The cold gleam of the sword shimmered faintly along its edge, like it were breathing.

In that moment, he could feel it—an overwhelming surge of power flowing up his arm and into his body. Heavy, sharp, and alive. It was as if the blade could cleave through the very air itself.

But that power didn't belong to him. Not yet.

...

When Kiriya opened the equipment leaderboard again, his brow lifted slightly—his Obsidian Sword had been dethroned.

In its place stood the newly acquired Luminous Edge, whose rating dwarfed the Obsidian Sword by tenfold—and was a hundred times stronger than the third-ranked bronze-tier weapon.

A faint, meaningful smile curved his lips.

"If people knew I held both the only gold- and silver-tier weapons in the entire game… I wonder how they'd react? Some of them might just jump off a building out of despair."

With a casual flick, he deposited the Luminous Edge into the storage vault. It was only then he noticed the time—10 p.m. His stomach had been growling for a while now.

He logged out.

From his desk drawer, he pulled out the 2,000 yuan "overnight money" Lina had left him. Half of it went straight to the rent. Pocketing the rest, he headed downstairs, mind working over a few silent calculations.

In-game currency couldn't be converted yet. He'd have to get a new bank card. A week from now, when bank account linking went live, that would be the start of real profit.

Forget the Luminous Edge—for someone with his level advantage, farming and selling high-tier gear would be enough to live more than comfortably.

He walked into a small restaurant just down the street, took a seat by the window, and ordered two simple dishes along with a bottle of beer.

The world outside the glass was ablaze with city lights and motion—shouts from vendors, the low hum of traffic, the unending ebb and flow of people.

Strangers moved past each other with no connection, their lives never intersecting. Yet he and Lina… had crossed paths, strangely and inevitably.

He thought of her again—that snow-white hair, those crimson eyes.

"She's probably having dinner with Yuna right now…"

A small smile surfaced. The image of the twin sisters flashed through his mind—Yuna's softness, Lina's quiet frost. Just knowing them, fighting beside them, felt like a blessing he hadn't earned.

He let out a slow breath, raised the beer bottle, and took a long drink, letting the chill dull his wandering thoughts.

"I wonder if anyone in this world will ever be lucky enough to truly have one of them… And what if someone had both? Yuna on the left, Lina on the right—heh. Even a god would envy a life like that."

A chuckle slipped out. It was a stupid fantasy, sure. But hey, what was youth without a little wild imagining?

Just then, the door swung open and two students in school uniforms strolled in. They ordered a hot pot of pickled fish and, moments later, were chatting animatedly.

"Dude, I hit level 24 today! Scored two black iron equipment too—my damage is nuts right now!"

"Pfft, black iron? That's nothing. I heard this senior from our uni got a bronze axe for level 18. Now that's sick. If I had that, I'd be grinding to level 30 all night!"

"You're only level 13, dumbass. Grind your way to 18 first—I'll carry you tonight!"

"Oh, by the way, you know Rose Yuna, the mage? Someone leaked her real-life pics online today. Holy hell, she's gorgeous! She's from S City!"

"S City? Which school? Gotta track her down and make her my girlfriend—maybe she'll power level us too!"

"You hopeless simp…"

Kiriya listened to their banter with a faint smile. He took a few quick bites of stir-fried chives and washed them down with a gulp of beer. On a summer night like this, a cold drink and hot food hit just right.

After his meal, he headed back upstairs. Just as he reached his floor, he spotted the girls next door seated around their dining table, half-dressed and laughing over dinner.

One of them, wearing a green top, gave him a cheeky wave. "Hey, Kiriya! Wanna join us?"

He gave a polite wave and smiled. "No thanks. I just ate."

The girls weren't bad-looking—decent figures, tight clothes, plenty of skin. It wasn't hard to see why business was booming.

After a brief goodbye, he stepped into his room, shut the door behind him, and let out a breath.

He had to admit—the sound insulation on this Mind Gear headset was top-tier. He'd been buried in the game for days and hadn't once heard the usual "uh-uh-ah" from next door.

Now that was worth the price of the gear alone.

Kiriya logged in and appeared once again in the familiar streets of Twilight City. The first thing he did was open the player ranking board.

A glance told him nothing much had changed—Rose Yuna was still holding the top spot at Level 33, while he remained a close second at Level 32.

Further down the list were several members of the Dawnbreaker guild, and Crimson Lotus's Ziven and Lusk followed in seventh and eighth place, both at Level 30.

He checked his friend list next. Violet and Yuna were both offline, and Lusk had logged out as well.

Only Ragnar and Ziven remained online, their names glowing green on the interface—clearly off testing the new Oblivion Set in some newly discovered grinding zone.

Flipping over to the equipment rankings, he found nothing had changed there either.

Luminous Edge still reigned supreme at the top, its overwhelming stat score putting every other weapon in the game to shame.

Kiriya's gaze fell upon the cold, radiant blade quietly resting in his inventory.

It still felt surreal—the number one weapon in the entire game was in his possession. He quickly opened his backpack just to check again.

The moment Luminous Edge shimmered into view on the screen, he burst into uncontrollable laughter.

The sound echoed across Twilight City's main plaza, drawing curious glances from nearby players.

He shut the interface with a grin. It was time to decide where to train next.

He recalled a forum post from a high-level player mentioning a mysterious grinding spot—deep in the western canyon outside Twilight City, hidden within a forgotten temple known as General's Tomb.

According to legend, the General's Tomb was once a sacred monastery that stood for millennia.

A thousand years ago, a great general who once swept across the continent with unmatched might betrayed the king.

In a rage, the king summoned a thousand sorcerers to cast an unholy seal, imprisoning the general and his loyal officers inside the heart of the temple.

Over centuries, hatred and solitude twisted them into monstrous forms. Now, the once-hallowed ground had become a cursed, forsaken place no mortal dared approach.

Officially, EAO provided no detailed data about General's Tomb—not even coordinates or enemy information.

Everything would have to be discovered by players themselves. Still, insider leaks hinted that the tomb truly existed, buried somewhere in the western canyon.

It was a zone specifically designed for Level 30–60 players, supposedly offering extraordinary loot.

Yet, to this day, no one has ever managed to find it. The ancient temple remained as elusive as a mirage.

Kiriya had made up his mind.

He restocked a full pouch of potions and prepared for a solo expedition.

Pulling up his skill panel, he reviewed his current abilities:

[Basic Swordsmanship] (Intermediate): Proficiency 50000\0, no MP consumption.

[Cross Slash] (Intermediate): Proficiency 50000\0, 10 MP consumption.

[Blade Wave] (Intermediate): Proficiency 10000\0, 5 MP consumption.

[Armor Breaker] (Intermediate): Proficiency 50000\0, 20 MP consumption.

[Blazing Slash] (Primary): Proficiency 10000\0, 50 MP consumption.

[Blade Tempest] (Primary): Proficiency 10000\0, 50 MP consumption

After days of battle, Cross Slash, Blade Wave, and Armor Breaker had all reached the Intermediate tier.

But as a Novice Swordsman, that was as far as his skills could currently go.

Once he hit Level 40 and completed his official class advancement, the skill cap would be lifted, unlocking advanced abilities and opening the path to Master, Grandmaster, and even Divine ranks.

The higher the tier, the more devastating the power.

This time, aside from leveling, he also planned to improve his proficiency with Blade Tempest.

The skill had yet to be tested in actual combat—whether it was a true game-changer or just flashy trash remained to be seen. Kiriya silently prayed it wouldn't disappoint him.

He then checked his equipment durability and noticed that after dying in the previous battle, his Sword Fang set had lost nearly half its endurance.

He let out a breath of relief—thankfully, none of the pieces had broken. If even one had dropped, he would've been devastated.

Wasting no time, he hurried over to the blacksmith in Twilight City.

He placed the entire set of gear on the repair counter. The old blacksmith didn't even look up as he said flatly, "Repair cost—7 gold."

Kiriya raised an eyebrow. "What the hell? That much just to fix it?"

Still, he had no choice. No matter how unwilling he felt, he handed over the coins in the end.

With his Sword Fang gear newly equipped and gleaming, Kiriya didn't waste another moment.

He opened the map, locked onto the western direction, and set off at a swift pace. A hint of tension flickered in his eyes. Now that he was among the top-ranked players, there was no room left for the low profile he used to maintain. Every step had to be taken with caution.

Along the way, he noticed groups of players already departing from Twilight City, scattering in pairs and trios toward the forested hills to the west.

There were two popular leveling zones outside Twilight City: the Whispering Grove, home to level 25 corrupted rabbits, and the Duskwood Forest, where level 25 to 35 boar beasts and dire wolves roamed.

However, both areas were already overrun with players. Especially guilds like Conqueror and Dawnbreaker—they had deployed full squads to dominate the zones. Ordinary players didn't stand a chance.

In the distance, two Conqueror members spotted Kiriya and began whispering to each other.

"Hey, isn't that the guy our guild leader personally marked as a kill target? Kiriya Noir?"

"Shit! Are you insane? We're only level 20! What do you think we're gonna do—die for fun? That guy's level 32, top five on the rankings, and his gear looks like it was forged from solid gold! Forget it—report to the leader and have the squad come in. If we can kill him and loot even one item, we'd be set for life!"

Kiriya caught fragments of their conversation and felt a cold weight settle in his chest. So it was true—"the famed must always be hunted."

The moment his name climbed the rankings, trouble began shadowing his every move.

Without hesitation, he veered off the main route, altering his course southwest.

He would bypass Whispering Grove and approach from the flank, aiming to locate the legendary "General's Tomb."

That way, even if Conqueror's members pursued him, they'd have a hard time tracking him through the dense woodland.

And if worst came to worst, he could always use a Return Scroll to escape instantly.

Roughly half an hour later, a commotion broke out in the forest ahead.

Birds scattered into the sky with startled cries as a group of players came crashing through the underbrush, bloodied and frantic, their HP bars hovering near the red zone.

Hot on their heels was a massive beast—humanoid in build, but with the snarling head of a wolf. It swung a gigantic broadsword as it charged, the stench of blood oozing from its maw, thick enough to make one nauseous.

With a brutal roar, the beast raised its blade high and brought it crashing down—boom! One of the swordsmen was cleaved cleanly in two, vanishing in a flash of white light. Instant death.

Kiriya narrowed his eyes, alarm flashing across his expression.

That strike… it wasn't normal. Far stronger than any regular boss he had faced. A level-24 swordsman hadn't even survived a single blow.

He quickly took a step back and pulled up the monster's stat window:

[Azure Wolf Guard] (Common Monster)

Level: 28

Attack: 185–240

Defense: 80

HP: 2400

Attack Type: Normal

…A level 28 elite monster!

His eyes shifted back to the team in retreat. Now down one member, they were left with two mages, two berserkers, and a single cleric—completely thrown into disarray.

The Azure Wolf Guard swung its blade in a wide arc, the wind howling around it. It's next target: one of the terrified mages.