In the Game Exploration Department office, Yukina stood leaning back against the metal filing cabinet, while Mira sat steadily beside Kiriya, her demeanor calm and unhurried.
Only once she'd confirmed the office door was fully latched shut did Yukina speak, her brow furrowed and her voice sharp with impatience. "This is absolute nonsense."
Mira spoke up carefully. "You're referring to President Warren?"
Just hearing the name made Yukina scowl. She waved a hand dismissively. "We can put him aside for now. You all know the current state of things. The company is pouring capital into EAO to groom elite combat players and specialized production-class players, with plans to run the in-game commercial sector down the line. Every member of SnowMoon Studio is a top-tier gamer handpicked by the company, so we're not about to fall behind anyone else. I expect all of you to step up and take this seriously."
With that, she swept her gaze over everyone in the room and added. "None of you needs to come into the office this afternoon. Head straight home and log in. We'll meet at the East Gate Plaza in Dawn City. I need to build up my own core crew, so if any of you have trusted, high-level friends, bring them in. It won't be long before we find our own guild."
Kiriya opened his mouth to speak, about to mention CrimsonLotus, but thought better of it and held his tongue. He barely knew Yukina, and she clearly didn't have the best impression of him. There was no point in speaking out of turn.
Just then, Yukina held out a sheet of paper. "Write your in-game ID on this, each of you. I'll reach out to you all later."
Mira and Summer stepped forward at once to sign their names, and Kiriya added his own in-game ID, KiriyaNoir, to the paper.
He probably hadn't stayed in the Azure Imperial Region's top ten for long. Not a single person there even recognized the ID.
Yukina dismissed the meeting right after.
Half an hour later, Kiriya was back home. He checked the time, and it was only one in the afternoon. He drank a glass of water, booted up his computer, and started scrolling through EAO's official forums.
To his surprise, the top headline on the forum's front page was PK Footage of the #1 Female Mage.
Could this be about MoonYuki?
Kiriya's interest was piqued at once, and he clicked on the video immediately. After a short buffer, the footage began to play.
On screen, five Berserkers had a female mage surrounded, staring her down with predatory intent. Judging by the glow of their gear, every single one of those Berserkers was already kitted out in a full set of Black Iron-tier or better plate armor.
The female mage they'd cornered had a slender, graceful figure. Even though her face wasn't clearly visible, the name floating crisply above her head read MoonYuki.
It really was her!
The first fireball exploded with a deafening roar, marking the start of the fight. MoonYuki moved like she was gliding across water, weaving through the Berserkers with a handful of masterful, sharp turns, somehow miraculously slipping free of their close-quarters pursuit.
Even more impressive was her flawless grasp of positioning and distance. She led the five Berserkers around in circles, leaving them dazed and confused, not even knowing where to swing their weapons.
From that footwork alone, Kiriya could tell without a shadow of a doubt that MoonYuki was an elite, mechanically gifted mage. He'd never imagined a woman could play the game at this level of skill.
Fireballs and Ice Spikes tore through the air in rapid succession, and the five Berserkers fell one after another.
What was truly shocking was MoonYuki's ice damage. A single basic Ice Spike stripped a Level 22 Berserker of over half his HP, and she took down each Berserker in three seconds flat. Her power was absolutely absurd.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
The entire fight was over in less than two minutes.
Kiriya scrolled down through the comments and realized the video had completely blown up the forums. Countless players were utterly fanatical over this female mage, who held the #1 level spot in the Azure Imperial Region and #3 in the entire world.
After all, hitting Level 30 just days after the game's launch was something no ordinary player could pull off. And the replies in the thread were so bold and unhinged, they were hard not to laugh at.
1st Comment: MoonYuki! The #1 Female Mage in the Azure Imperial Region! The hottest gamer girl in the entire server!
2nd Comment: Miss MoonYuki, please drop your socials!
3rd Comment: Are those Berserkers braindead? Just rush her point-blank!
4th Comment: A girl this talented and gorgeous comes once in a lifetime. I'd die to make her my girlfriend. But how's a regular guy like me even gonna get her to notice me?
5th Comment (replying to 4th): Find a dark, moonless night, hang yourself quietly at the gates of Dawn City. Maybe that'll get her to look your way.
6th Comment: I don't get why everyone's hyping up MoonYuki so much. She's just okay, tbh. (Attached Image)
7th Comment (Forum Mod): Image removed. Please keep discussions on topic.
8th Comment (Poster of 6th Comment): Why'd you delete my pic? I was just sharing my opinion.
9th Comment (Forum Mod): This thread is for discussion of MoonYuki's gameplay, not self-promotion. Follow the forum rules.
Kiriya nearly spat out the water he was drinking. These people were absolutely unhinged. The thread had already racked up over a thousand replies, but he had no interest in reading through them all. He closed the webpage, picked up his Mind Gear, and logged into the game.
He checked his status: Level 25, 88 gold coins; his rank on the Azure Imperial Region level leaderboard had dropped to 124th. Meanwhile, the top-ranked female mage MoonYuki had hit a mind-blowing Level 30. He couldn't for the life of him figure out how she was leveling so fast.
He first returned to the Starter Village square to restock on potions, then spent 1 gold coin at the teleport array to travel to Dawn City.
Dawn City was one of eight secondary main cities in the Azure Imperial Region, a core hub for mid and low-level players to grind levels and restock. The surrounding area held not only a wealth of grinding spots, but also countless NPCs with quests to take on.
A flash of white light, and the world around him shifted completely.
When he opened his eyes, Kiriya found himself in an ancient, sprawling city. Buildings with white walls and black tiled roofs lined the main thoroughfare, flanked by rows of shops on either side. Several guards wielding long halberds patrolled slowly down the street.
He opened his map, confirmed the East Gate Plaza was just a short distance ahead, and broke into a light jog. At the same time, he turned off the visual glow effects on all his gear. If Violet, Summer, and the others saw his full set of top-tier gear, they'd probably strip him down on the spot.
There weren't all that many players in Dawn City, which made sense. Most players were still grinding away around the Starter Villages, where the mobs were more than enough to carry them to Level 30, and far safer for the average player.
From a distance, he could see several figures already standing in the white stone brick plaza.
A tall, poised Level 22 Swordsman, wielding a glowing rapier, with the in-game ID Mira.
Kiriya knew Mira only came off as cold. She'd seemed as unapproachable as an iceberg when they first met, but once you got to know her, you'd realize she was kinder than anyone else.
Beside Mira stood a quiet, demure-looking Level 21 Archer, none other than Rainie. Her gear was nothing special, just a Black Iron-tier longbow in her hands.
A short distance away stood a Level 20 Assassin in half-plate leather armor, ID Petalia. She was talking to a Level 19 Summoner girl.
The girl was wearing a loose-fitting robe, clutching a wooden staff, her ID reading Summer.
Kiriya strode quickly over to them, greeting them with a smile. "You all made it already?"
The girls turned to look at him, and nearly all of them gasped in unison. "No way! Is that Kiriya? Are you Level 25 already? That's insane!"
Kiriya smiled faintly, replying offhandedly. "Archers level fast. It's no big deal."
Summer immediately leaned in, grabbing his arm and shaking it with a whine. "Kiriya~ will you carry me through leveling later~? I don't want Petalia to take me, she's so useless, she died twice grinding last night!"
Kiriya sighed in exasperation. "I'll take you, but you have to promise me one thing. When we're grinding together, no flirting with guys from other parties. It'll be a huge pain for me to deal with if you do."
Summer whined again at once. "You're so mean! I'm not that kind of girl..."
After just a few days around her, Kiriya had already figured out Summer's cutesy, whiny personality. He just didn't have any real interest in her, though.
They waited a little longer before Mira spoke up, her brow furrowed. "Why hasn't Yukina shown up yet? Did she run into trouble? Does anyone know her in-game ID?"
Everyone shook their heads.
Just then, a clear, sweet female voice came from behind them. "Sorry to keep you all waiting."
The group spun around all at once. In the blink of an eye, every last one of them froze where they stood, too stunned to utter a single word, all except Kiriya.
Before them stood a breathtakingly beautiful female mage, her vivid crimson mage robes flowing with effortless grace, her silver hair drifting gently on the wind. Floating crisply above her head was the ID MoonYuki, a name known to every single player across the entire server.
