If the girl in his arms wasn't Lina, who else could she be?
Kiriya looked up. Hovering just above the girl's head was her in-game ID: Snow Lina. It matched her name exactly—no doubt about it.
His eyes widened, heart clenching in disbelief and wonder. Almost without thinking, he blurted out, "Lina—is that you?!"
Lina flashed him a playful, captivating smile. But before she could say anything else, she quickly turned her head, glancing behind her.
There was a hint of exasperation—and urgency—in her voice. "You idiot! I lured out the floor boss! Get out of here—run!"
Kiriya hadn't even processed her words yet when a thunderous roar shattered the coliseum's gates with a deafening crash.
A surge of violent energy flooded the arena. From the rubble burst forth a towering figure clad in black iron armor, gripping a massive blood-red great sword. It was charged with feral fury.
[Azure Wolf King] (Iron-tier Boss)
Level: 30
Attack: 275–360
Defense: 150
HP: 40,000
Attack Type: Knockback
Kiriya's face hardened. The boss had arrived.
Just then, angry voices rang in his ears—his five temporary teammates. They shouted almost in unison:
"Kiriya Noir! What the hell are you doing?! That woman's bad news!"
A flash of cold steel lit up in his eyes. No more hesitation.
He gripped Lina's hand, pulling her to his side, then spun around in one smooth motion. His sword flew from its sheath—an Armor Breaker cleave burst forth with blinding speed.
A wave of milky-white sword light slammed into a berserker's chest plate. The man didn't even have time to scream—he was killed instantly.
The massive 1540 damage floated into the air, and the other berserker's expression twisted in shock.
Lina's face turned frosty, her tone sharp and furious:
"You idiots! You thought cornering me next to a boss would stop me?!"
Before her words even finished echoing, she shot forward like a streak of lightning. Her sword glinted, cold and deadly, as she slashed clean across a priest's neck.
Shlick! Blood arced in the air—the strike had hit a critical point. The priest vanished into a burst of white light, forcefully returned to town.
The second berserker, now panicked, roared: "Shit! Kiriya Noir's with her—he's in on this! Kill them!"
He didn't get another word out.
Armor Breaker's three-second cooldown had ended. Kiriya's obsidian blade whistled through the air, piercing the berserker's chest. A spray of blood followed—another clean kill in a single strike.
At the same time, Lina moved with unrelenting grace, her figure flashing past like a phantom. Two clean slashes, and another mage fell without so much as a whimper.
The last remaining mage saw it all and backed away in a panic. In his desperation, he stepped into the aggro zone of several Azure Wolf Guards.
A split-second later, he was ripped to shreds, leaving nothing behind but scattered potions and broken remains.
Kiriya was taken aback for a moment. He hadn't expected Lina to choose a melee class like a swordsman.
She wasn't the soft and docile Persian cat she appeared to be—but a feisty little wildcat with claws sharp enough to bite.
Her bronze-tier armor shimmered faintly in the dim arena light. On her, it had a more refined, elegant design—its curves hugging her figure with striking grace.
Her snowy-white skin peeked subtly above her chest plate, and the soft sheen of her long, shapely legs beneath the armored skirt sparked more than a few dangerous thoughts.
Combined with that flawless face, Lina looked every inch a goddess of war—irresistible and deadly.
"Hey, dummy!" Lina snapped, casting a wary glance toward the boss. "The BOSS is here! Quit gawking and move!"
Lina let out a soft cry, and only then did Kiriya notice the sudden chill rushing in from behind.
Before he could react, a powerful force slammed into his back, sending him flying through the air.
He crashed heavily to the ground at Lina's feet, kicking up a cloud of dust. His HP plummeted by nearly 600 points, and a dull pressure surged in his chest.
Seeing this, Lina chuckled. "Don't just stand there like an idiot—let's deal with this boss first!"
Gritting his teeth, Kiriya forced himself up and quickly downed a healing potion.
When he looked up, Lina was already standing in front of him. Her silver hair whipped in the wind, and the bronze armor she wore shimmered faintly in the heat of battle.
Her defense surpassed his—easily over 300 points—allowing her to hold her ground against the Azure Wolf King without being overwhelmed.
However, her attack output was lacking. Each strike only chipped away a little over a hundred HP from the boss, just enough to keep its rhythm in check.
Kiriya didn't hesitate. Gripping his sword, he twisted the blade and unleashed Armor Breaker. A brilliant arc of light cleaved down onto the boss's body.
With a low, rumbling roar, a massive damage number—1025—burst from above the Azure Wolf King's head.
Kiriya's eyes narrowed slightly, then relaxed. This Azure Wolf King was only a level 30 bronze-tier boss, lower level than him. Dealing that much damage was within expectations.
But Lina looked stunned, as if she had just witnessed something unbelievable. After a brief pause, she quickly added him to her party and typed in the team chat:
"Kiriya, how is your attack power that high?"
Kiriya gave a slight grin and replied simply:
"Let's talk after. Focus first."
Lina looked at him and smiled softly.
"Alright."
And so, even with both of them still marked as red-named players, Kiriya and Lina fought side by side for the first time.
Killing a player earned 100 crime points. At 200 points, one simply became red-named—nothing irreversible.
As long as they stayed out of trouble and kept farming monsters, they could clear their name within two hours. It wasn't a big deal.
As for the Azure Wolf King before them, despite its ferocity, it was ultimately just an ordinary bronze-tier boss. Compared to the Sword Fang Wolf King they'd encountered earlier, it was weaker, and leagues below the gold-tier Skeleton King.
Lina had come prepared. She carried plenty of red potions in her inventory, and with her high defense and sharp reflexes, she could tank the boss entirely on her own, without even needing a healer.
The two berserkers who had fled in panic earlier would be ashamed to witness this.
Ten minutes later, as the Azure Wolf King let out a final, agonized howl, Kiriya seized the opening and unleashed Blazing Slash.
Flames erupted from his blade, cleaving straight into the boss's chest. In a burst of firelight, the beast collapsed with a heavy thud.
With a loud clatter, a shower of gold and silver coins spilled across the ground, and a pair of glowing blue bracers landed right in front of Kiriya.
[Azure Wolf Bracers] (Bronze – Armor)
Defense: +42
Strength: +9
Required Level: 28
(Unidentified)
...
Kiriya was just about to reach for the bracers on the ground when Lina beat him to it, snatching them up with a mischievous grin. "These are mine, okay? You can pick up the gold!"
Kiriya let out a helpless chuckle. He didn't argue and simply sat down on the massive corpse of the Azure Wolf King, casually scooping up scattered coins as he asked, "Lina, what exactly happened earlier? Why were those guys blaming you for getting their leader killed?"
Lina blinked, her expression all innocence. "I found this place on my own and was just trying to clear a path to the second floor. But my damage output was too low, so I was slow at killing the mobs. Just as I finished clearing one wave, the monsters behind me respawned. That group must've come in right then, thinking they were the first ones here. But the Azure Wolf King I accidentally pulled tore through them. Total wipe, hehe~"
Kiriya froze for a second, his voice tinged with suspicion. "So… you pulled the Azure Wolf King on purpose?"
Lina pouted, her expression aggrieved. "No way! You think I'm that evil? Do I look like someone who'd do that?"
Kiriya nodded firmly. "Mm-hmm. It's their fault for being terrible. They deserved it."
Lina couldn't help but laugh softly. She tilted her head and asked playfully, "Kiriya, do you trust me that much?"
While slipping the last few coins into his bag, Kiriya replied absentmindedly, "It's not about trust. I just have no choice."
"Why not?"
He shrugged, voice low and relaxed. "How should I know?"
Once he finished tallying up the loot, Kiriya opened a trade window and offered Lina half of the gold. But she canceled the trade right away, smiling as she said, "You keep it. I've got more than enough money."
Kiriya glanced up at her, a flicker of emotion passing through his eyes. Lina was now a level 28 apprentice swordswoman.
Her gear wasn't flashy, but it was top-tier for her level. And the fluid, decisive way she fought—quick strikes, clean moves—made it clear she was no ordinary player.
It made sense. She was Yuna's twin sister, after all. Her sister was the top-ranked female mage in EAO. How far off could the younger twin be? Some talents, it seemed, were written into one's blood from the start.
"You're leveling up pretty fast," Kiriya remarked with a grin.
But Lina immediately pouted, clearly offended. "You've got some nerve! It's your fault I'm behind. You used my helmet, remember? That night, I had to wait in line till almost 11 just to buy a new one. By the time I logged back in, the newbie zones were packed, and I couldn't even get a single monster to myself. Otherwise, you think I'd still be stuck at level 28? I'd be 30 by now!"
Kiriya blinked, then looked a little guilty. "I see... That is my fault. I'll make it up to you."
Lina's eyes lit up, a sly smile playing on her lips. "Oh? And how do you plan to do that, hmm?"
Kiriya thought for a moment, then grinned. "Marry you?"
Lina let out a surprised laugh and shot him a playful glare. "What the heck? Are you compensating me, or am I compensating you?"
Kiriya laughed aloud, the mood light, but then his tone softened into something more serious. "Lina, let's team up and grind tonight. When you hit level 35… I'll give you a surprise."
Lina looked at him with curiosity, then smiled. "Is that so? Fine then. I'll graciously accept you as my training dummy."
Kiriya nodded and glanced around at the Azure Wolf sentinels nearby. They were only level 28—no longer much of a threat to Lina. If she wanted to grow stronger, she'd need to take on tougher enemies. Fighting above her level was what made a true expert.
"We should head to the second floor of the Ruins," he said. "Have you been up there yet?"
Lina shook her head. "Of course not. We just killed the Azure Wolf King. The second-floor entrance only just opened."
Kiriya gave a quiet nod and began walking toward the center of the arena. There, a flight of ancient stone steps had quietly appeared, leading upward. At the top, shrouded in mist, a shadowy gate stood silently ajar—awaiting them.