Mira, Summer, and the others froze on the spot in an instant, too stunned to get a single word out.

  Only Kiriya stared at the crimson-robed female mage before him, a faint, knowing smile slowly tugging at the corner of his mouth.

  He'd figured it out a long time ago, really. The Moon in MoonYuki, Yukina's own name, and the SnowMoon prefix of the studio. When you strung all those clues together, the answer had been staring him in the face the whole time. That was exactly why he'd kept such a close eye on this top-ranked female mage all along.

  Seemingly seeing right through the group's shock and noticing the calm on Kiriya's face, Yukina raised an eyebrow and spoke. "Stop staring like you've seen a ghost. You're not imagining things."

  Mira's face was etched with disbelief, and she muttered. "Yukina, this is incredible. The number one player on the Azure Imperial Region level leaderboard, it's been you this whole time."

  Yukina smiled faintly, her tone casual. "Don't make a big deal out of it. I had a few friends help me lock mobs down and finish them off. That's the only reason I leveled this fast."

  With that, she stepped forward a few paces until she stood right in front of Kiriya, looking him up and down, a flicker of surprise crossing her eyes. "Kiriya? Your level's pretty high, and your gear looks pretty solid too."

  Kiriya smiled awkwardly. "It's nothing. Just got lucky, is all."

  Without another word, Yukina sent him a friend request right then and there.

  Kiriya hit accept at once, a quiet thrill building in his chest despite himself. The number one female mage in Eternal Art Online was now his in-game friend.

  In the game, Yukina had shed most of the stiff, formal air of a Director from the office, replaced with a warm, vivid approachability. Maybe it was only in the game that she let her true self show like this.

  Just then, Mira spoke up. "Director Yukina, I only have 6 gold coins on me, but you can have all of them. Think of it as initial operating funds for the company's in-game ventures."

  Yukina let out a soft laugh. "Alright then. I'll take 5 gold coins, just to cover the cost of my leveling potions."

  Kiriya blinked in surprise. "Leveling potion money?"

  "Duh." Yukina laughed, a playful edge of exasperation in her voice. "Mages burn through mana potions like crazy when leveling. I spend almost 20 gold coins a day on pots alone, and the gear I loot barely covers the cost. Speaking of which, you're probably rolling in gold, right, Kiriya? Wanna chip in a little more?"

  She stared at Kiriya with a playful, teasing smile on her face.

  Looking at her like this, Kiriya felt a strange daze wash over him, her features almost blending into Lina's in his mind. He opened the trade window at once, dropped 50 gold coins into it, and asked casually. "Hey… where's Lina? What level is she at now?"

  Yukina blinked in surprise at the 50 gold coins he'd offered, then laughed and teased him. "Well, well, you've got your eye on my sister this whole time? What exactly are you planning here?"

  Kiriya froze for a second, flustered. "Nothing, I was just asking out of curiosity, that's all."

  Yukina smiled softly. "Relax, I don't meddle in Lina's business. I'm her older sister, but we're the same age. I don't wanna play mom and big sister at the same time. In the game, I just wanna have fun. I can't be bothered with all that messy drama."

  With that, she shot Kiriya a pointed look, then spoke again. "Kiriya, you're coming with me to level up later. The rest of you, team up and grind on your own."

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  Summer protested at once. "How come Yukina's only taking Kiriya with her?"

  Yukina let out a blunt, amused laugh. "I'm not taking him to carry him. We're partying up to work together. My group doesn't have room for dead weight with no damage output, leeching exp."

  That one line shut down any further protests from Summer immediately.

  Yukina then collected the gold pooled together by Petalia, Rainie, and the others, before heading to the potion shop to restock. Before she left, she told Kiriya to meet her outside the gates of Dawn City.

  Kiriya thought for a moment, then headed to the warehouse first to pull out the [Sea of Flames] skill book. It was a rare drop from the Blade Wolf King he'd killed earlier, a massive AOE skill for Mages that would drastically boost leveling speed. He figured it would be incredibly useful for Yukina.

  He then headed to the potion shop, sold all the extra health potions he was carrying, and swapped every last coin for high-grade mana potions that restored 500 MP each.

  Each of these potions costs 5 silver coins a pop, way out of reach for the average player. But Kiriya bought 200 of them in one go, spending a mere 10 gold coins total. He knew Yukina would burn through them fast while leveling.

  Once he was fully prepared, Kiriya headed out through Dawn City's east gate.

  From a distance, he spotted the figure of the server's number one female mage, waiting for him at the edge of the jungle. The second he drew near, Yukina smiled and spoke. "Lina asked me to carry her through leveling just now, and I turned her down. Do you know why?"

  Kiriya blinked in surprise, shaking his head. "How would I know that?"

  Yukina smiled softly, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Because I'm busy right now, obviously."

  Kiriya froze on the spot, unable to wrap his head around that as a valid reason for a second.

  While he was still stunned, Yukina had already turned and started walking forward, glancing back over her shoulder with a grin. "Come on. I'll take you somewhere amazing."

  The way she smiled at him over her shoulder, the soft warmth in her eyes, made Kiriya's heart skip a beat.

  "Yukina, wait a second." He called out to her suddenly.

  Yukina turned around, staring at him in confusion. "What's up, Kiriya?"

  Kiriya opened the trade window in a flash, dropped the [Sea of Flames] skill book into it, and said. "This. I think it'll be pretty useful for you."

  "Ah!"

  Yukina's eyes went wide with pure shock. It took her a long moment to hit accept on the trade, and she said. "Kiriya, how did you get your hands on a high-tier AOE skill book like this? I've been grinding the dedicated book drop spots for ages, and I haven't been able to find one anywhere!"

  Kiriya shrugged. "Got lucky with a boss drop. I'm an Archer, I can't use it anyway. It'd just be collecting dust in my inventory."

  Yukina's eyes lit up with pure delight, and she smiled softly. "Thank you, Kiriya. This book is priceless right now. I'll definitely make it up to you later."

  Staring at her beautiful face, a tangled mess of emotions swirled in Kiriya's chest. She was Warren's girlfriend in name, after all. What was he really doing this for? For Lina? Or was there something else he couldn't even name himself?

  He decided to broach the subject, asking carefully and indirectly. "Yukina, doesn't Warren have an account in Eternal Art Online, too? Why… don't you level up with him?"

  Yukina froze for a split second, a faint, almost imperceptible flash of hurt crossing her eyes. After a few seconds, she spoke in a soft voice. "Would you… want to level up with someone you don't even like?"

  Kiriya froze completely on the spot. Didn't she like Warren? That's why she was leveling with him? What did that make him, then?

  Looking at his utterly confused face, Yukina couldn't help but snort with laughter. "Stop overthinking it. Warren and I aren't what you all think we are. I only help him build his little empire in the game to keep my dad from being disappointed."

  Kiriya smiled faintly. "That sounds like a lot to put up with."

  Yukina blinked in surprise, staring at him quietly for a long moment. She finally pouted slightly and said. "Ugh, forget it. Let's drop the subject. We need to hurry. If we get there too late, someone might have taken the best spot already. I grinded there for ages last night, the exp gain is insane."

  "Oh? Where is this place?"

  "You'll see when we get there."

  ...

  Half an hour later.

  Night fell slowly across the game world, and dew began to bead on the leaves and grass of the jungle.

  As they pushed further forward, the landscape around them shifted abruptly. Everywhere they looked was dead, withered vegetation, and faint, shrill howls carried on the wind, enough to make anyone's skin crawl.

  Kiriya's nerves tensed slightly, and he asked. "What is this place?"

  Yukina smiled over her shoulder at him. "The fabled Skeleton Mountain. I stumbled across this place alone yesterday, and it's perfect for leveling. The mobs hit hard, but the exp they give is absolutely massive."

  Kiriya smiled, understanding immediately. This place was just like Wolfspine Ridge, a high-risk, high-reward grinding zone. But if the number one player on the level leaderboard swore by it, the mobs here were definitely higher level, and the rewards far greater than anything Wolfspine Ridge had to offer.

  He looked ahead, past the howling cold wind, to a long, rolling ridge stretching out before them. The entire slope was barren, not a single blade of grass growing on it, radiating an indescribable, eerie gloom.