Eternal Art Online

Bluestar Digital Plaza was a newly rising commercial hub in the tech district, already quite well-known.

The plaza wasn't far from where Kiriya lived; even a light jog would get him there in just about twenty minutes.

By the time he arrived, the sun was already high in the sky.

Most of the employees were already at work, and the plaza was bustling with people, many of whom looked like students.

Kiriya moved swiftly through the crowd, followed the directions he'd received, and took the elevator straight to the top floor of the mall, where the Development Department was located.

When he stopped in front of the door labeled "Development Department" and pushed it open, the sight that greeted him left him momentarily stunned.

Inside the modest-sized office were four young women, each strikingly beautiful in her own way.

On two large couches, several girls sat casually, flipping through magazines and chatting cheerfully.

What caught his eye even more was their bold attire—low-cut tops and short skirts that left little to the imagination, confidently flaunting their youthful charm.

At that moment, a more formally dressed woman walked over. She wore a tailored suit and even had a tie, exuding an air of professionalism.

She glanced at Kiriya and asked, "You're the one Lina recommended? That… Kiriya?"

Kiriya nodded. "Yeah, that's me. Is this the department Lina mentioned?"

The woman smiled and extended a hand. "Welcome to the Snow Rose Studio. I'm Mira, one of the members here."

Mira carried herself with natural grace, her features refined and composed. Kiriya blinked. "Snow Rose Studio?"

Mira chuckled softly. "That's right. This studio was established specifically for EAO. We're currently under the Bluestar Group's Development Department. Once the game officially launches, we'll be the elite team leading the company's push into EAO."

Only then did Kiriya understand—Lina had recommended him to join a professional gaming team.

The girls on the couches began to rise one after another. A girl in a sky-blue mini skirt walked over, blinking playfully at him as she asked, "I'm Rika Flare, but you can call me Rika. What should we call you, handsome?"

Kiriya glanced at her—her legs, pale and smooth under the short skirt, were hard to ignore. He quickly looked away and replied, "Just call me Kiriya."

"Hi, Kiriya~" Rika greeted him with a giggle.

Standing next to Rika was a quiet girl who offered a gentle smile. "My in-game ID is Airi Lune. You can just call me Airi."

Kiriya gave a nod, then turned to the last girl in a pink skirt. She was also looking at him, her expression warm as she said, "I'm Sylvia. Nice to meet you!"

Not used to this kind of formal greeting, Kiriya waved his hand. "No need to be so polite."

Mira pointed to a nearby chair. "Have a seat."

From how the other girls treated her, Mira seemed to be the one in charge. At her invitation, Kiriya sat down and glanced around again—still no sign of Lina.

Mira noticed his puzzled look and smiled.

"Don't worry. All of us here used to be players from Mirage Realm. With EAO about to launch, Bluestar Group recruited us as pro players. We'll be the vanguard of the company's entry into the game space. Once they begin investing in EAO, each of us will take on a role."

Kiriya nodded slowly. "So I'm officially part of the Snow Rose Studio now?"

Mira smiled. "Of course. Right now, we have six members. With you, that makes seven."

Kiriya mentally counted. Including himself, there were five girls in the room—all young, beautiful, and full of energy. A smile crept across his face. Looks like I'll be spending my days surrounded by flowers…

Still, Lina didn't show up even in the evening. After dinner in the company cafeteria, Mira packed up some desserts for a late-night snack. After all, EAO's global launch was scheduled for that night—an all-nighter was inevitable.

Just before everyone left, Mira slammed a stack of documents onto the table with a thud and announced loudly.

"New orders from above: all studio members must log into EAO at midnight sharp! By tomorrow morning, everyone is required to reach level 10 and earn two gold coins to hand over to the Operations Department!"

Kiriya frowned. "Two gold coins? I've heard it's pretty hard to make money in the early stages…"

Mira chuckled. "Hard or not, we've got to do it. You might not know this, Kiriya, but our General Manager, Wilcon, is planning to use EAO's strong launch as a springboard to build a virtual business empire in-game. We're going big."

Kiriya blinked. "This Wilcon guy… damn, that's some serious vision."

Mira gave him a knowing smile. "Isn't it?"

Kiriya wasn't too interested in how the company planned to operate. Reaching level 10 overnight wasn't a problem for him.

The real challenge was the gold, especially knowing that early mobs in EAO only dropped copper coins. One hundred copper coins equaled a silver, and one hundred silvers made a gold.

Two gold coins meant 20,000 copper coins. Who knew how long that would take…

Still, with years of gaming experience under his belt, Kiriya was confident. He wouldn't let these pro-gamer girls outshine him that easily.

Carrying the snacks Mira had given him, he returned home late at night. He glanced at the clock—just thirty minutes left before EAO officially launched. His heart pounded with anticipation.

He hurried into his room, locked the door, and carefully took out his Mind Gear from the shelf. Lina had gifted it to him, not in the most dramatic way, but meaningful all the same.

Sliding the headset on, the system activated instantly. After scanning his iris and confirming his identity, Kiriya was greeted by the login interface of Eternal Art Online.

Amid a boundless void, a petite fairy girl fluttered through the air and gracefully landed on a branch in front of Kiriya.

Her wings shimmered faintly as she smiled sweetly and said, "Hello! I'm your guide spirit for EAO. Welcome to the login interface! You don't have a character yet—would you like to create one now?"

Kiriya's heart skipped a beat. He had nearly forgotten—players were already allowed to create their characters an hour before the official launch.

Without hesitation, he confirmed the prompt and quickly moved through the setup.

He chose the default human race, allowed the system to scan his facial structure, made no cosmetic adjustments, and then confirmed the character's appearance. In the name field, he carefully typed: Kiriya Noir.

Ding! Amid

A crisp notification echoed in his ears:

"Congratulations! Your character has been successfully created! The game will begin in 21 minutes. Please be patient."

And so began the long, dull wait.

It was a kind of boredom Kiriya hadn't felt in years. In his student days, everyone used to jump into new games together.

But now? It was just him—alone—stepping into EAO. He couldn't help but wonder if he'd ever meet any familiar faces again.

Time crawled by. Then, at last, the sweet chime of a bell rang in his ears.

Sixty-second countdown initiated.

Rumor had it that players who entered the game in the earliest moments would receive random loot or starting bonuses. Kiriya wasn't about to miss that chance.

He stared intently at the countdown, mind focused, ready to enter the game the very instant it opened.

Ding!

"System Notice: Dear player, the game will begin in 10 seconds."

9!

8!

7!

...

3!

2!

1!

"System Notice: Eternal Art Online is now officially live!"

Even before the final chime faded, Kiriya had already sent the mental command to enter the game. The moment the countdown hit zero, his surroundings flashed white.

And then—

He found himself standing in a small village. The scenery looked like something out of the Stone Age—buildings were crude, the roads were unpaved, and the entire settlement radiated a rough, primitive energy.

Ding!

"System Notice: Welcome! You are the 6th player to enter the game. You've been awarded 100 EXP."

Kiriya blinked. A warm sensation washed over him, and golden light sparkled around his body.

Level up!

He opened his character menu. His EXP bar was now at zero again—evidently, going from level 1 to level 2 required exactly 100 experience points.

There were no rare weapons or stat boosts, which was a bit disappointing… but starting at level 2 saved him a few minutes of early grinding. That, at least, was a small win.

He opened his inventory. As expected, it contained only the bare essentials:

[Worn Wooden Stick] (Crude Quality)

Attack: 0–1

Required Level: 0

[Rough Cloth Shirt] (Crude Quality)

Defense: +1

Required Level: 0

Not much, but it would have to do.

He quickly equipped the wooden stick and threw on the ragged shirt. Ready for battle—barely.

Just as he stepped out of the spawn area, the teleportation altar behind him began to flash repeatedly.

White light surged again, and again as more and more new players logged in. If he didn't hurry, the newbie hunting zones would be swarming, and there'd be nothing left to kill.

Gripping his stick tightly, Kiriya dashed toward the village outskirts. It was time to grind.