The Legendary Moonlight Sculptor: Dad is a Legend

Chapter 8

In Roanoke, many people chose high difficulty settings when creating their characters and experienced painful failures.

Long ago, users who played Royal Road posted online:

“If it were Weed, he would have done well in Roanoke too.”

“Weed? The person who first unified the Versailles Continent?”

“When was that? And he was a sculptor, wasn’t he?”

“He was really good in combat. I first saw him when he fought the Bone Dragon in the North. He kept hitting the same spot on the Bone Dragon’s head until it finally broke.”

“You sound like an old man. But yeah, Weed was something else.”

Users who had witnessed Weed’s battles firsthand felt it in their bones.

With a wide battlefield view, he commanded large forces.

Whenever he saw an opening, he would charge at even the most powerful enemies, and with indomitable will, he would create opportunities out of nothing.

He used everything at his disposal and showed what it meant to win.

For those involved, it wasn’t mere jealousy; it was a sense of awe.

“If Weed played Roanoke, he would’ve dominated it.”

“No way.”

“For Weed, Nightmare difficulty would be nothing.”

“That’s just nostalgia. Even current Royal Road rankers find Nightmare difficulty tough.”

“Do you think so?”

“As the levels get higher, it’s not just about fighting well. Besides, the user base has changed since Weed unified the continent.”

Old-time users who remembered Weed from 20 years ago still held his skills in high regard.

But current users emphasized how difficult Roanoke was and that times had changed.

The truth is, Weed, who had now jumped into Hellfire difficulty, didn’t find Roanoke particularly challenging yet.

***

“Screeech!”

“Squeak!”

“Rooaaar!”

Weed defeated the three Orc Hunters.

Compared to the tight 24 hours he spent running around the mountain, taking down the Orc Hunters wasn’t difficult.

“I barely made it before time ran out.”

(You were greedy.)

“You need to be greedy.”

Weed had spent 24 hours chasing and hunting monsters in the mountains.

With the help of AI Versa’s scouting, he meticulously searched every cliff and valley to ensure no monster was left alive.

He perfectly completed the task within the time AI Versa had calculated.

Weed used the remaining time to gather herbs and mine minerals.

(You barely succeeded. The change in the Orc Hunters’ behavior was dangerous.)

“The result is what matters.”

Weed had grown astonishingly stronger while leveling up through the 24-hour hunt.

(There is a deer 230 meters to the east. Considering the wind direction…)

“I know.”

The arrow flew with the wind and accurately hit the deer’s neck.

You have hit a distant target with a bow!

You have achieved a combat feat, increasing Agility by 1.

You have gained a large amount of experience.

(The next target is a Lizardman. It’s 210 meters away. You’ll have to shoot through the branches as there are obstacles in the way.)

“Good.”

Weed’s arrow flew through the forest, threading between branches, and hit the Lizardman right between the eyes.

Consecutive Hit!

Your arrow has pierced the Lizardman’s head perfectly!

Combat Fame has increased by 20.

You have gained a large amount of experience.

Monsters and animals within the bow’s range had little chance of survival.

Even without having learned archery skills yet, Weed didn’t need the system’s assistance to calculate the power, speed, and wind effects on his arrows.

“Tell me about any targets within 100 meters. I’ll shoot while moving.”

(Understood.)

AI Versa kept track of the leather and miscellaneous items, which would be collected later all at once.

“Screech?”

“Squeak.”

The three Orc Hunters who had been tracking Weed saw the traces of his battles with animals and monsters and decided they couldn’t win.

“Let’s give up.”

“Yeah, let’s.”

The Orc Hunters gave up the chase, forcing Weed to backtrack and take them down, just barely finishing before the time ran out.

Ding!

You have passed the second trial of Hellfire Difficulty.

You have defeated the three Orc Hunters with overwhelming force.

You have achieved a combat feat.

Strength has increased by 4.

Maximum Health has increased by 20.

You have gained 3 Hero Points.

Seasoned Hunter: You can quickly identify tracks and scents of traps and monsters.

Though the rewards seemed less impressive compared to the first trial of Hellfire Difficulty, the stat increase and the Seasoned Hunter trait were still quite beneficial.

You have successfully exterminated all monsters in Ferdirca Mountain.

You have achieved a heroic feat and earned an additional reward.

You have gained 4 Legendary Points.

You have completed the exploration of all regions in Ferdirca Mountain.

You have achieved a remarkable adventure feat!

All stats have increased by 2.

Weed read the message window and could feel his character’s growth clearly.

His physical abilities were already outstanding, but as his stats increased, the impact would be long-lasting.

“What are Legendary Points?”

Weed didn’t have much time to learn about Roanoke in detail before entering the game.

He could always rely on AI Versa to provide the necessary knowledge, and nothing would have stopped him from entering Roanoke.

(They are incredibly rare points. You can use them to obtain skills or equipment.)

“I can obtain skills or equipment?”

(Yes, you can use them in the Legendary Library or Legendary Shop.)

Roanoke significantly improved user convenience.

If you had Legendary Points, you could buy whatever items you wanted at any time.

“Is it okay to hand out Legendary Points so early on?”

(Character creation in Roanoke is of great importance. You’re creating a character who will live in the world of Roanoke.)

In Roanoke, players earned unique traits, talents, and skills as they passed the trials.

Even special backgrounds like royalty, race, or successor to the magic tower could be earned through trials.

(So far, the highest difficulty that has been successfully cleared is Nightmare.)

(Nightmare challengers receive special races, bloodlines, skills, and traits as rewards with each stage they clear.)

(If you clear Hellfire Difficulty to the end, you will receive enormous rewards.)

“I see.”

(The reason you gained Legendary Points is that you’re playing on Hellfire Difficulty. Even if you successfully clear Nightmare Difficulty, you can only earn 5 Legendary Points.)

(If you achieve 100% completion on each stage, you may receive even more rewards.)

“I’m glad I chose Hellfire Difficulty.”

Then a message appeared.

The third trial of Hellfire Difficulty is about to begin.

You must summon a player to assist in the next stage.

Level limit is below 50.

Please select the region where the player to be summoned is located.

The step of summoning a player to challenge Hellfire Stage 3 had arrived.

AI Versa provided an explanation.

(Roanoke is divided into three continents, each with various races, and there is also a marine region made up of large and small islands. Separate realms for spirits, demons, and dimensions also exist.)

(The largest continent has been heavily damaged by invasions from demons and monsters.)

(The other two continents and the marine region are relatively more developed and have better security.)

Weed decided to summon a player from a dangerous continent.

(May I ask why you made this choice?)

“Because they’ll have already prepared for death.”

***

Dr. Yoo Byung-joon, the creator of Royal Road, was enjoying his life despite the passage of time.

Thanks to advancements in biotechnology, his life expectancy had been greatly extended, and he had no physical ailments.

“You should die when you get old.”

He often said he had no lingering attachments to life, but his outlook had changed to wanting to live as long as possible.

“The Roanoke incident… It’s quite an interesting development.”

Yoo Byung-joon sipped his habitual cocoa as he received a report from the AI Freya.

Though he had handed over AI Versa and almost all his wealth to Hyun, he had created a new AI for his own use.

―Abyss Corporation has taken 100 million users hostage and is completely isolating itself from external interference.

“They’re pretty extreme.”

Yoo Byung-joon considered it someone else’s problem, but he could understand the developers at Abyss Corporation to some extent.

Creating a complete world and populating it with people.

It was a task that could make one feel like a god.

―Hyun, your successor, has entered Roanoke.

A few days later, Yoo Byung-joon was greatly surprised to receive this report.

“That guy? He’s playing Roanoke?”

―He has entered directly to save his daughter.

Yoo Byung-joon learned from the AI’s report that Hyun had risked his life for his daughter.

The man who had unified the world Yoo Byung-joon created.

The one who inherited AI Versa and almost all his wealth…

―Shall we launch an attack on Abyss Corporation and the Roanoke system?

If Yoo Byung-joon, who was credited with advancing computer technology by a century through the creation of the first virtual reality, were to get involved, there was a chance he could breach Abyss Corporation’s security systems.

“What is the structure of their security system?”

―There are five AIs. External interference with the main system has been completely blocked.

“That was probably to prevent internal betrayal or external attacks. It will be really difficult to break through.”

Yoo Byung-joon sipped his cocoa and fell into thought.

Hyun, who had once given him 200 won to buy cocoa.

Yoo Byung-joon had learned about Hyun’s past of growing up in poverty and had watched his adventures in Royal Road.

In the end, he miraculously unified the Versailles Continent and inherited everything from Yoo Byung-joon.

They weren’t connected by blood, but he could rightfully be called a successor.

“Should I step in for Hyun…”

Yoo Byung-joon was, to be honest, reluctant.

Hyun had been living very well all this time.

He had astonishingly made good use of the AI and the astronomical wealth Yoo Byung-joon had passed on to him.

‘I thought he’d just become a filthy rich land speculator.’

He had launched massive charity projects, invested in medical and scientific development, and expanded his influence globally through industry, finance, and politics.

In some African countries, his power in the shadows surpassed that of the president or prime minister.

He had overcome chronic poverty and disease, making the world a better place to live.

People could genuinely feel the concept of well-being.

Hyun had married a stunningly beautiful wife and had a daughter who was just as pretty as her mother.

“I don’t feel like stepping in for Hyun.”

―May I ask why?

“I wanted him to live well, but I didn’t want him to be this happy.”

Yoo Byung-joon thought it would be fun to see Hyun struggle in Roanoke.

He also knew one thing from experience.

“I know what kind of guy he is. He won’t die easily. He’s more tenacious than a cockroach.”