At this moment, a beautiful girl was lying on Kiriya's bed.
She lay there quietly, her delicate face slightly flushed, long eyelashes trembling softly. Her slender neck was as smooth as jade, and beneath her pink skirt, her fair, rounded legs had kicked off the blanket, now fully exposed to the air.
Her long, snow-white hair was even more striking, rare, and flowing across the pillow like pure snow, making her look just like a fairy from a tale.
Kiriya Jin stood beside the bed, staring at that almost unreal, stunning face. He couldn't help but swallow hard. This girl... she was born to be a temptress.
He called softly, "Miss, wake up."
He reached out and gently nudged her arm, but there was no response. With a sigh, he was about to turn and leave when, all of a sudden, the girl woke up and threw her arms around his neck, crying as she collapsed into his chest.
"Why did you do this to me…? Why…?"
She seemed to be enduring some deep pain. Warm tears quickly soaked through his shirt. Kiriya froze, unsure what to do, but instinctively wrapped his arms around her. Her scent surrounded him, sweet and intoxicating.
She sobbed quietly, her petite shoulders trembling, her soft, curvy body pressing tightly against his. That closeness, that undeniable sensation, left his mind momentarily blank.
Kiriya never thought of himself as someone favored by fate.
But the moment he first saw this girl, his heart skipped a beat. She was the most dazzling girl he had ever seen in over twenty years. That kind of beauty and brightness… it overwhelmed him.
His rational mind told him this kind of scene only existed in fictional game stories. But deep down, a ridiculous thought crept in—
Was this some kind of joke from the heavens?
Or… a delayed reward from fate?
He lowered his head slightly, trying to hide the sudden chaos in his heartbeat.
…No. This couldn't go on. He had to stay calm.
But reality never followed the script.
The very next second, the girl abruptly pushed him away, tears still on her face, and cried out:
"I'm hungry…"
Kiriya was speechless for a moment, inwardly grumbling: Was she crying because she was hungry?
Just as he was about to stand up, he noticed the girl had also risen. But the moment she got a clear look at Kiriya, she froze—then let out a piercing scream.
"Thud—!"
His keyboard suddenly smacked him right on the forehead. Before he could react, she shoved him out of the room with surprising force.
"Bang!"
The door slammed shut behind him, followed by a clear click—locked.
Kiriya stood in the living room, dazed. After a few seconds, he muttered, "...Wait, isn't this my house?"
He walked to the door and gently knocked, trying to salvage the situation.
"Miss, could you let me back in? You can't do this—"
No response.
With no other choice, Kiriya circled to the balcony and peered through the glass. There, he saw the girl wrapped in his blanket, sound asleep. Her peaceful and lovely face looked like something out of a dream—a sleeping fairy, so beautiful he couldn't look away.
Kiriya slumped to the floor, his thoughts a mess. What the hell just happened?
As he sat there, his gaze fell on the corner of the room. The girl had left behind a couple of items: a half-finished bottle of wine and a bulging bag filled with something round and firm.
Curious, Kiriya picked up the bag and opened it, and his pupils instantly shrank.
It was a Mind Gear.
What shocked him even more was the printed logo on the device: EAO.
Kiriya's heart trembled.
This was a dedicated Mind Gear for Eternal Art Online!
Half a year ago, a marketing storm for this game swept across the globe. Developed by the industry giant NE, this was their brand-new flagship title after ten years of work, following the success of Mirage Realm.
It was hailed as the next irreplaceable fantasy epic. Its name was—
Eternal Art Online.
Rumors said EAO used the most advanced neural connection technology, fully activating the user's sensory system and achieving 100% true immersive realism.
Not only that, EAO boasted industry-leading story design, combined with an emotionally rich gear system that had captivated countless players.
There were even whispers—just rumors—that the game featured a wide array of ultra-realistic, high-intelligence NPC beauties. Various styles, personalities, and appearances, just waiting to be encountered, wooed, and even… "harvested."
Because of this, as older generation games fell into decline, players worldwide set their sights on this upcoming masterpiece.
Many professional teams had even liquidated their gear from previous games, preparing to make their name in EAO and write their own legendary stories.
And today was the final day before EAO officially launched.
To gamers all over the world, this was an exhilarating, historic moment.
But right now, Kiriya couldn't bring himself to feel excited at all.
His heart was full of questions—
Just who was this girl lying in his room?
As he pondered, a recent memory surfaced.
Sometime earlier, a brand-new white BMW had quietly pulled up outside his apartment.
Kiriya hadn't thought much of it at the time and had gone back to reviewing his game notes. But shortly after, he heard a few flirtatious laughs from outside.
He walked to the window and looked down, seeing several shady-looking men gathered around the BMW, muttering things that spelled trouble.
He vaguely heard one of them say:
"Wait… there's a girl in there? Heh, maybe we should take the car and the girl."
"She looks pretty hot… Maybe she'll have a drink or two with us tonight?"
"Bet she'd be real fun..."
Kiriya's heart sank.
He recognized those guys—they were troublemakers recently taken in by the police. And they were already back?
Was there a girl in that car? Could she be in danger?
There was no time to hesitate.
He jumped to his feet, dashed out of the apartment, and raced downstairs.
When he reached the BMW, the thugs turned toward him with mocking grins.
"Well, well, what do you want, kid?"
A wave of disgust surged through Kiriya. He didn't respond. Instead, he walked straight up and shoved the men aside.
He grabbed the door handle—
Click.
It unlocked. A strong smell of wine hit his nose, but beneath it… was a faint, sweet scent.
Kiriya looked down and froze.
In the driver's seat lay a young woman.
She was reclining against the seat, her features soft and serene, her skin as pale as snow. Her face, impossibly beautiful, glowed faintly under the dim light inside the car. Her slender neck exuded elegance, and she looked like a sleeping spirit from a dream.
She looked to be in her early twenties.
In her left hand, she held a bottle of expensive red wine—one that Kiriya had often seen but never afforded. In her right hand, she clutched a bulging tote bag, clearly stuffed with something round and bulky.
The thugs peeked through the window and saw her too. They gasped, their eyes wide with both greed and shock.
One of them barked, "Hey! What do you think you're doing? We saw her first!"
Kiriya turned back and replied coldly, "Step aside. She's my girlfriend."
That stunned them for a second. Then one shouted, "Bullshit! If your girlfriend drives a BMW, why the hell are you living in this dump? Quit pretending! Let her go, or we're calling the cops!"
Kiriya smirked. "The cops? Sure, great idea. If you don't call them, I will."
As he spoke, he reached into the car and grabbed a pink phone from the passenger seat—it was likely hers.
The thugs started to panic. One of them growled, "Fine! You say she's your girlfriend? Prove it! Let's see if you can carry her upstairs!"
Kiriya paused. Damn it. Now I've dug myself a hole…
Seeing the way they were eyeing her, he had no choice. Gritting his teeth, he reached in, slid his arm around her slim waist, and gently pulled her from the car.
She reeked of alcohol but only let out a faint murmur as she nestled against his shoulder, soft and obedient like a sleeping kitten.
Click.
He grabbed the car keys, locked the vehicle, and with one arm supporting the girl, started heading upstairs.
Behind him, the thugs stood frozen, speechless. One of them finally muttered:
"... Could she really be his girlfriend?"
Kiriya stumbled his way back to his apartment, unlocked the door, and carefully laid the girl on his bed.
Just like that, his room now housed a breathtakingly beautiful girl who made his heart race.
Today, aside from "picking up a stunning beauty," Kiriya's luck was utterly miserable.
Early in the morning, he got a call from his company and was ruthlessly informed: "You're fired."
His hand shook, and with a splash, his phone fell straight into the river.
Before he could recover from this real-life slap in the face, life delivered another blow—On his way to the bank to withdraw rent money, his wallet was stolen. And to top it off, the ATM swallowed his bank card. That was half a month's rent gone, just like that.
Penniless and hungry, Kiriya dragged his heavy steps back to the apartment complex he lived in.
As he reached the building, he noticed a brand-new BMW quietly parked in front of the entrance, looking wildly out of place in the aging neighborhood.
Walking a little closer, he saw through the window a girl slumped over the steering wheel, her shoulders trembling—she was crying.
Kiriya froze for a moment but didn't approach.
He couldn't even afford a meal right now—how could he afford to care?
As he continued walking into the complex, his eyes caught sight of a small patch of green in the flowerbed—some vegetables.
"Guess heaven hasn't abandoned me yet…" Kiriya muttered to himself. Whoever planted this must be pretty self-sufficient and hardworking.
He didn't hesitate to squat down and pick the healthiest-looking Bok choy, shaking off the fresh spring soil. "Boil it with porridge. At least I won't starve."
His place was a single-room unit on the top floor of one of the old buildings. One bedroom, one living room, a small kitchen, and a bathroom. Not much space, but it was clean, independent, and had hot water—not to mention a little balcony that added a hint of "life."The rent was cheap and the value decent—one of the few things that still gave him a sense of happiness.
At first, he thought the rent was so low because the place was haunted.
Turned out it was just a corner room on the top floor—freezing in winter, scorching in summer. Nobody wanted to live there.
But to Kiriya, having a roof over his head and being able to cook something warm was more than enough.
He walked into the room, washed the vegetables, and tossed them into the pot, slowly cooking some porridge.
As the water began to boil, a faint "scent of life" finally returned to the room.
The millet porridge bubbled gently in the kitchen, releasing a simple yet comforting aroma.
Back in the room, Kiriya turned on his old computer. The screen lit up, and all at once, the web was flooded with the same explosive headline—
"Eternal Art Online to officially launch tomorrow at 6 PM!"
The entire internet was in a frenzy. Game forums and social media platforms were buzzing about this "revolutionary" VR title.
It was said to be the game that would single-handedly revive the long-declining VR market—an honest-to-goodness nuclear bomb of a product.
Kiriya felt mixed emotions.
Of course, he'd heard of EAO. He also knew about the astronomical budget and the "MindGear"—a neural interface device said to be nothing short of science fiction.
Too bad he couldn't afford it.
Even though he had splurged on an enterprise-grade game network cable, the price of a single Mind Gear still left him completely out of the loop.
When the game went live tomorrow, he'd probably just be lurking on the forums, watching others play.
Just as he was zoning out in front of the screen, fate decided to throw in a new twist.
An hour later, he ended up doing a good deed—rescuing a drunk girl passed out in the BMW downstairs.
Only to find himself locked out of his living room afterward.
Worse yet, the girl's luggage was still in his apartment—
And inside it, unbelievably, was a Mind Gear.
Kiriya was stunned.
Was this the legendary neural link device for EAO?
Wasn't it supposed to officially go on sale nationwide tomorrow morning?
Why did she already have one?!
Squatting outside his door, he stared at the device, shocked and confused.
The girl now sleeping soundly on his bed… Who was she?
An early-access tester from EAO? Or some rich girl living a cheat-code life?
Just then, a crisp ringtone cut through the silence of the night.
Kiriya looked toward the source.
The girl's bag was on the sofa, with her phone and car keys resting quietly inside.
The screen lit up, showing a single, clear contact name:
"Sis."
He raised an eyebrow slightly and reached for the phone.
If that really was her sister, maybe this mess could be cleared up faster.
Honestly, he did want to send this unexpected guest home as soon as possible.
Sure, he had once dreamed of meeting a beautiful, gentle girl.
But he never imagined she'd show up with a Mind Gear… and take over his room in the process.
He answered the call.
"Hello? Lina? Where are you right now? Why haven't you come home?"
The voice on the other end was gentle but anxious.
Kiriya replied simply, "Are you her sister?
Immediately, the woman's tone sharpened with suspicion:
"Who are you? Where is Lina?!"
Kiriya didn't bother explaining too much. His voice remained calm.
"Your sister's fine. She's resting in my room right now."
There was a pause on the other end. Then suddenly, she raised her voice:
"You… you bastard! What the hell did you do to my sister?!"
Kiriya froze, then frowned deeply.
Today was turning into a disaster—he had helped a drunk girl in good faith, and now he was being treated like a criminal.
His tone darkened, though he kept his anger in check.
"Calm down. I didn't do anything to her. Can you just let me explain?"
There was a brief silence. Then the voice softened slightly.
"Where is she now? Tell me the address—I'm driving over right now!"
Kiriya was about to answer when the phone suddenly flashed a low battery warning.
Then—black screen. Power off.
Kiriya looked at the dead phone in his hand and let out a helpless sigh.
Seriously…
The more he explained, the worse it got.