The quest Violet needed to complete required her to travel to a cave east of the village and slay the Steel-Bristle Boar Lord.

  When Kiriya asked about the quest's difficulty, Violet smiled softly, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "The quest's current difficulty rating is 150. Well? You brave enough to take it on?"

  Kiriya couldn't help but laugh. "Why wouldn't I be?"

  For some reason, a faint pink flush rose to Violet's cheeks. She spoke quickly. "Then let's hurry over. Multiple people can accept this quest. If we don't get there first and someone else kills the boss, we'll have to wait another 10 hours for it to respawn!"

  Kiriya nodded, and the two set off at a brisk run side by side toward the east of the village.

  Probably finding the silent journey a little dull, Violet was the first to speak, smiling. "Kiriya, what do you do for work in City S?"

  Kiriya thought for a moment and answered honestly. "I work at a game studio. I still haven't really figured out what exactly I'm supposed to do there, though. What about you?"

  Violet frowned slightly, then smiled behind her hand. "What I do is pretty similar to what you, actually. I work at an advertising agency. Lately, I've barely even gone into the office. I grind levels all night and sleep all day."

  Kiriya looked at her with open envy. "That life sounds amazing. I pull all-nighters grinding levels, then have to go into the office during the day. I can only sneak in quick naps when my boss isn't looking."

  Violet couldn't help but giggle. "If you're not happy there, why not come work at my company? Oh, never mind. A top-tier player like you will be able to live comfortably just exchanging in-game currency soon enough. You'd never need a tiny little place like mine."

  Kiriya laughed loudly. "Top-tier player? I'm just a guy who got lucky. I'm nothing compared to you guys in CrimsonLotus. Hey, who came up with the name CrimsonLotus, anyway? It's pretty good."

  Violet snorted and laughed. "That was all, Lusk. He's a really great guy, incredibly loyal. He'd throw his life on the line for his friends without a second thought. Ragnar's the hothead who never thinks before he acts. Lusk's the only one who can keep him in line."

  "What about Elias? What's he like?" Kiriya suddenly thought of the quiet, reserved Dark Mage.

  Violet smiled softly, speaking slowly and warmly. "I've never met Elias in real life. Even in the game, he's always quiet and comes off really cold. But he's the classic tough exterior, soft heart type. Back in another game, Ragnar pissed off the guild master of a huge guild. Elias didn't say a word. He just charged into their hundred-man crew alone and killed the guild master right there on the spot."

  Kiriya smiled. "Nice, nice. Sounds like the CrimsonLotus crew is a solid group."

  Violet looked over at him, her gaze steady and sincere. "Then would you join us?"

  The question came out of nowhere. Any other guy would have found it nearly impossible to say no to that soft, liquid gaze. But Kiriya already had a reason he could never turn down.

  He was silent for half a minute, then smiled faintly. "If the day comes that she doesn't need me anymore, I'll come running to join CrimsonLotus. Until then, I have to stay by her side. I'd do anything for her."

  Violet blinked in surprise, asking softly. "Who is this person, anyway? Someone who'd make you go this far? Your girlfriend?"

  Kiriya couldn't help but laugh. "Definitely not. What girl would look twice at a broke guy like me? I'm talking about someone else. I owe her more than I can ever repay. Without her, I never would have gotten the chance to even play Eternal Art Online."

  "I see." Violet smiled softly, not pressing the matter further. "I won't push you. Either way, the doors of CrimsonLotus will always be open for you."

  Kiriya nodded. "Thank you."

  As they spoke, the two arrived at the mouth of a cave. They were deep in the forest now, with no other players in sight.

  Violet was a Priest and had no business venturing into danger. Kiriya stepped forward to take the lead without a second thought and sent her a party invite at the same time.

  The cave was dim and shadowy inside. His boots sank into the soft, damp mud underfoot, the sensation unpleasant.

  Violet clutched a Black Iron-Tier staff glowing with faint green light, following close behind him, her eyes sharp and alert as she scanned the surroundings.

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  Flap flap flap.

  A faint fluttering of wings echoed through the cave. A swarm of bats, startled by their footsteps, burst from the darkness, a black mass flying straight toward the two of them.

  "Ah!"

  Violet let out a soft gasp. Kiriya stepped forward at once, shielding her behind his back, and drew the Shimmering Dagger at his waist to drive the bats away. Thankfully, the bats were just set dressing, with no attack power at all. They scattered and flew off into the darkness moments later.

  The cave was not particularly deep. They'd only walked a short way in when they spotted a hulking red shape curled up in the corner.

  Violet froze slightly, whispering. "Kiriya, look. Is that the Boar Lord?"

  Violet was only Level 22, while Kiriya was Level 25, giving him a much longer range of vision. He could clearly see the massive monster sleeping soundly in the faint light.

  He nodded. "That's the Steel-Bristle Boar Lord, alright."

  [Steel-Bristle Boar Lord] (Black Iron-Tier BOSS)

  Level: 20

  Attack: 170-255

  Defense: 58

  HP: 42000

  Attack Trait: Bloodthirst. Attacks have a 10% chance to trigger a Critical Strike.

  Five levels higher than the boss, Kiriya could see every single one of its stats with perfect clarity.

  He told Violet the boss's attack and defense numbers, and her mouth dropped open in shock. "What do we do? It has 255 maximum attack! That's way too high. We don't even have a tank to hold it! I knew I should have made Ragnar skip his stupid sauna and stay to help me with this quest."

  Kiriya sighed, then smiled. "It's fine. I'll tank the boss. You just focus on healing me."

  Violet looked up at him, smiling softly. "You sure you can handle it?"

  "Why wouldn't I be?" Kiriya thumped his chest, his tone confident and assured.

  He told Violet to wait outside the cave first. He'd draw the Boar Lord out, since fighting in the open space outside the cave was far better. After all, both of them were ranged classes. They needed room to maneuver to fight to their full potential.

  Once he saw Violet step back outside the cave mouth, Kiriya raised the Bow of Glory in his hand and fired a Frost Arrow.

  Crack!

  The icy blue blast exploded on impact, stripping 252 HP from the Boar Lord in an instant. To Kiriya, with his full Strength build, the Boar Lord's measly 58 Defense was nothing at all.

  Snort snort!

  The Boar Lord jolted awake with a grunt, then charged straight out of the cave!

  Kiriya didn't waste a second. He spun around and sprinted back out of the cave. The moment he stepped outside, he saw Violet watching him with a worried look on her face.

  The second she saw him emerge, she stepped back several paces without needing to be told, putting the perfect amount of distance between them. It would be foolish for two ranged classes to stand right on top of each other while fighting a boss.

  The Boar Lord charged at Kiriya in a blind rage, its sharp tusks slicing through the air as it slammed into him.

  Thud!

  A dull impact rang out as the Boar Lord's attack landed square on his shoulder. Kiriya felt a numb jolt run through his arm, and a damage number of 127 floated above his head.

  Not bad at all. It barely even scratched his defense.

  Kiriya drew the Bow of Glory and fired a Flame Arrow straight into the Boar Lord's face. The powerful fire elemental attack worked wonders, stripping 475 HP from the boss in one hit.

  Violet stared in shock again, asking quickly. "Kiriya, how high is your attack even? Elias can only deal around 200 damage to a monster with 58 Defense."

  Kiriya chuckled, feigning mystery. "Let's just say I'm stronger than Elias."

  Violet smiled behind her hand, not pressing the question further. She raised her staff and cast a Weaken spell on the Boar Lord.

  Ding!

  Combat Alert: The Steel-Bristle Boar Lord has been afflicted with Weaken. Its Attack and Defense are reduced by 5%!

  Kiriya blinked in surprise, saying quickly. "That Weaken effect is actually really good?"

  Violet smiled. "This is just a beginner skill. Once we complete our class advancement and level the proficiency up to Advanced, even Master rank? The effects are incredible."

  As she spoke, the Boar Lord suddenly abandoned Kiriya and charged straight for Violet!

  Violet didn't panic in the slightest. She raised her staff and cast a Heal on Kiriya, topping his HP off completely.

  And Kiriya would never let a Priest tank a boss's attacks. The taut bowstring sang, and a Flame Arrow streaked through the air.

  Arrow after arrow hit home, and the Boar Lord raced back and forth wildly in the open space between the two of them. It couldn't decide which target to attack, and never managed to land another hit on either of them.

  A few minutes later, a thunderous explosion rang out. Kiriya's Flame Arrow had triggered a Critical Strike, stripping 892 HP from the Boar Lord in one devastating hit.

  Squeal!

  The Boar Lord let out a shrill, agonized scream and crashed heavily to the ground. Several gold coins and two pieces of equipment spilled out beside its corpse.

  Violet hurried forward first, tucking the Boar Lord's head, the quest item, into her inventory. She frowned slightly after a moment. The game's graphics were too realistic, and the blood-soaked head was unpleasant to look at.

  She picked up the two pieces of equipment and all the gold coins from the ground, then turned and walked back to Kiriya. She opened a trade window, placing a pair of Mage Boots, a Plate Helmet, and 12 gold coins into the trade slot, smiling. "This is all that dropped. If you don't mind, please take it. Consider it payment for helping me with this quest."

  Kiriya glanced at the two pieces of equipment, both Bronze-Tier, and he had more than enough gold already. He canceled the trade at once, saying. "Keep the Mage Boots for yourself, they're perfect for you. I can't wear the Plate Helmet anyway, so save it for Ragnar or Lusk. As for the gold? Open the trade again, and I'll take just the coins."

  Violet froze for a second, then giggled softly. "You…"

  She did as he asked, opening a new trade window with only the 12 gold coins inside.

  Kiriya knew full well that if he took nothing at all, she'd always feel like she owed him a favor. 12 gold coins weren't much, nowhere near the value of two Bronze-Tier items, but it would let her feel at ease.

  After accepting the 12 gold coins, his total gold in his inventory hit 88.

  Violet tucked the equipment away in her bag with a satisfied smile, saying. "I'll head back to turn in the quest now. You get some rest too, okay? Don't wear yourself out."

  Her voice was soft and warm, sending a faint flutter through Kiriya's chest. No one had spoken to him with such gentle care in a very long time.

  But that warm feeling lasted barely a few seconds, shattered completely by voices coming from the trees nearby.

  "Huh? The Boar Boss is already dead. Shit!"

  Another voice rang out, furious and loud. "Fuck! Which piece of shit stole our quest boss? Kill him!"