CorrodedCrown_Gorath whipped out a longsword in one sharp motion. It was just a plain iron sword, ordinary white-tier equipment with not a single glint. CorrodedCrown_Echo, beside him, pulled a thin dagger, also plain white-tier with no glow whatsoever.

  Noticing the slight shift in Kiriya's expression, CorrodedCrown_Gorath burst out laughing. "You see it for yourself. There are three of us, only one of you. If you're willing to sell that weapon, I'll pay a good price. If you keep refusing, then don't blame me for doing business with no upfront cost."

  The trio clearly coveted the Black Iron Glimmering Battle Axe in Kiriya's hands. There was no way this would end peacefully.

  Kiriya smiled faintly, his voice crisp. "In that case, let's fight. My time is precious."

  CorrodedCrown_Gorath tightened his grip on the iron sword and snarled. "You ungrateful brat!"

  Just then, CorrodedCrown_Serlin stepped in and grabbed Gorath's arm, shouting urgently. "Gorath! There you go again! We agreed to play by the rules in EAO this time. Why start trouble with someone for no reason?"

  CorrodedCrown_Gorath chuckled darkly. "This kid doesn't know a good deal when he sees one. I'm just teaching him a lesson."

  CorrodedCrown_Serlin stepped aside with a huff, pouting. "Then do it yourself. I won't take part."

  "Heh, Echo and I are more than enough!"

  CorrodedCrown_Gorath shot Kiriya a contemptuous glance. "A noob like him isn't even worth my time."

  Kiriya let out a short laugh, his face turning cold in an instant. He gripped the Glimmering Battle Axe and charged straight forward, swinging the axe in a wide horizontal arc!

  A spray of dirt flew from the swing's force, but it didn't even graze the hem of CorrodedCrown_Gorath's clothes.

  CorrodedCrown_Gorath's scorn deepened as he laughed loudly. "Just as I thought, a total noob! Echo, take him down together!"

  The iron sword crashed down. CorrodedCrown_Echo slipped silently to Kiriya's right and stabbed forward with the dagger without warning.

  Two soft thuds rang out. Pain shot through Kiriya's shoulder, and two damage numbers floated above his head: 25, 33.

  CorrodedCrown_Gorath and CorrodedCrown_Echo both paled and cried out in shock. "He has… that much defense?!"

  Their combined attack had taken less than a quarter of Kiriya's health. They were utterly stunned. At the same time, their IDs turned gray, marking them as hostile attackers. This was exactly what Kiriya had been waiting for.

  The Glimmering Battle Axe sliced down through the air. This time, it struck CorrodedCrown_Echo's chest dead on. A crisp crack echoed, and the sharp axe blade sent him flying. Before he even hit the ground, he turned into a pillar of white light and respawned back in town.

  CorrodedCrown_Gorath flew into a rage. He charged at Kiriya with his iron sword, screaming. "You bastard! How dare you kill my buddy!"

  Kiriya didn't say a word. He spun the Glimmering Battle Axe in a wide arc and slammed it into the man's armpit. A huge damage number, 180, popped up over CorrodedCrown_Gorath's head. It wasn't an instant kill, but it knocked the wind clean out of him. The man's iron sword slashed into Kiriya's shoulder at the same time, but only dealt a pitiful 27 damage.

  Kiriya let out a cold laugh as he brushed past the man, muttering softly. "If you've got no skill, don't try to act tough."

  Another sharp crack. The Glimmering Battle Axe chopped straight down through CorrodedCrown_Gorath's shoulder. A 236 damage number finished him off in an instant, sending him straight to the respawn point.

  He had killed two hostile players in seconds, and his Crime Value did not rise at all.

  A few minor potions dropped from CorrodedCrown_Gorath's corpse. Kiriya picked them up and tossed them into his inventory. The man might as well have come just to deliver supplies.

  CorrodedCrown_Serlin stood frozen to the spot in terror. After a long, stunned silence, she whispered timidly. "I… I'm sorry…"

  She was clearly afraid Kiriya would send her back to town, too.

  Kiriya smiled gently and said softly. "Go level up. Stay out of player fights. You'll level faster that way."

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  CorrodedCrown_Serlin nodded lightly, apologized once more, then turned and hurried away.

  With the little farce over, Kiriya finally got back on track and headed west of the village to clear out the monsters around the outpost.

  Lesser Goblins scurried everywhere along the path, charging at him with their tiny axes and shrill cries. But these Level 1 mobs weren't even worth Kiriya's attention anymore. One light swing of the Glimmering Battle Axe sent a goblin flying, netting him 10 EXP and 3 copper coins on the side.

  According to the setting of Eternal Art Online, there were five major regions:

  Aurea Imperial Region

  Argent Imperial Region

  Azure Imperial Region

  Obsidian Imperial Region

  Crimson Imperial Region

  Kiriya was in the Azure Imperial Region. The region currently has two main cities, each governing five secondary cities, which in turn are surrounded by towns and villages. Kiriya was in one of the most basic Starter Villages.

  A huge number of players were logging into the game by now. Many had skipped dinner just to jump in. The Starter Village was packed to the brim in no time, and the entrance was completely unfit for leveling.

  Players began pushing into the forests around the village. Of course, far more powerful monsters awaited them there, monsters that could bring experience and wealth, or just death.

  Many players were already hunting Level 1 Lesser Goblins west of the village where Kiriya was headed. Some even grouped up in threes and fives to challenge higher-level Flame Bats and Wolves.

  But once Kiriya climbed over a hill, Slimes of all sizes began to appear all around him. Strangely enough, there was no sign of other players in this area.

  Slimes were green, mud-like monsters that excelled at poison attacks. They were extremely annoying to deal with. Since their poison was a ranged attack, these cunning Slimes could kite players around in circles using hit-and-run tactics, driving them crazy.

  Just then, one Slime bounded excitedly toward him. It stopped a few steps away, its body tensing, and a jet of green venom shot straight out, splattering all over Kiriya. Agonizing pain shot through him, and his health plummeted by 72 points in an instant.

  Kiriya's heart jolted. He immediately checked the monster's stats.

  [Venom Slime] (Common Monster)

  Level: 10

  Attack: 26-36

  Defense: 11

  HP: 820

  Attack Type: Ranged Poison Attack

  Damn! It was a Level 10 monster! No wonder the quest difficulty was 80. Fighting three levels above his own was bound to be rough.

  Thankfully, he was wearing the Bat Leather Armor and Wilderness Boots, which had boosted his defense by a huge margin. Otherwise, that single hit would have taken more than half his health.

  Kiriya didn't hesitate. He stepped forward and swung the axe, but the Slime hopped back nimbly, and the strike missed completely.

  He cursed inwardly and chased after it, holding back for now. He waited until he saw the Slime tense up to attack, then swung the axe.

  The Glimmering Battle Axe cut a clean arc and struck the Slime dead on. The monster twisted and deformed, venom oozing from its wound, and its health crashed down by 256 points.

  It seemed the Slime had high attack but terrible defense, a classic glass cannon type, perfect for leveling. Of course, that was only if you had enough potions.

  Kiriya breathed a quiet sigh of relief. He'd had the foresight to stock up on potions and nothing else.

  After a few exchanges, Kiriya had the Slime's movement pattern down pat. He could dodge the moment it tensed up, and his axe strikes landed almost every single time. A Slime only had 820 HP. On the fourth axe strike, it let out a weak wail and collapsed, dropping a pile of copper coins.

  Kiriya checked the combat log. Since he was fighting three levels above his own, one Venom Slime gave a full 260 EXP!

  His heart leaped with joy. While everyone else was grinding Lesser Goblins for 10 EXP a pop, he was taking on high-attack Slimes solo. The difference in leveling speed was night and day.

  In the distance, a shabby outpost stood in the open field. Two panicked militiamen stood on the watchtower. The area below the outpost was completely overrun by Slimes.

  And Kiriya's quest was to wipe all those monsters out, turning them into experience and copper coins.

  The last Slime had dropped 48 copper coins. These were definitely rich mobs.

  Time was precious. Kiriya didn't delay any longer. He carefully pulled one Slime at a time, backed away, and took it down.

  He could handle one Slime at a time, but pulling two at once would be too much, even with 300 HP medium potions. The Slime's max attack was 36. Only his Black Iron boots let him survive this. Any ordinary player would have been one-shot.

  Time ticked by. Killing one Slime took about a minute, and pulling them was a delicate task. A few times, he accidentally pulled two, and he scrambled to chug potions, barely escaping with his life.

  Nearly five hours passed in the blink of an eye. In-game time was now 1 AM.

  Kiriya had long lost count of how many Slimes he'd killed. He only watched the Slime Badges pile up in his inventory. The only letdown was that after hours of fighting, he'd only looted one Level 8 white-tier pair of pants, Defense +9. He put them on right away, pushing his defense even higher.

  By now, Kiriya had reached Level 10. Normally, that meant he could go to the Class Mentor to choose a profession. But he was only one Slime Badge short of 100. He decided to finish the quest first, then head back to the Starter Village.

  More and more high-level players were gathering nearby. Many had joined the Slime hunt. The highest among them were Level 8 or 9. But looking across the entire grinding spot, Kiriya was the only one at Level 10.

  These players clearly hadn't picked up the corresponding quest, since none of them had ever gotten a badge. This quest was probably unique.

  After cutting down a few more Slimes, one final Slime Badge clattered to the ground. The quest objective was complete!

  Just then, a blinding golden light erupted ahead. An earthshaking roar boomed across the field, and the dozen or so players at the front were instantly killed in one hit.

  A giant golden Slime rampaged through the crowd. Every time it sprayed golden venom, another wave of players turned into white light and respawned. Players in the starting cloth armor, with only 1 Defense, stood no chance at all.

  Above the golden Slime's head, a clear line of text blazed.

  [Golden Slime King]

  Kiriya sucked in a sharp breath.

  Damn! A super boss had finally shown up!