Chapter 18

Before challenging the fourth level of Hellfire, a sweet vacation begins.

100,000 gold has been granted.

Please select your vacation destination.

After clearing Hellfire Stage 3, Weed could now choose his desired vacation spot.

(We recommend the beautiful kingdom of Schult by the sea, or the kingdom of Lohas with its stunning lakes.)

The AI suggested locations that could serve as both vacation and recovery spots.

It might have seemed like Weed cleared Stage 3 easily, but in truth, he endured ten grueling days of hard labor and extreme suffering caused by the Mirror of the Abyss.

Weed had no intention of resting.

‘Forget that—what’s the biggest, most commercially developed city?’

(The Creta Empire is vast, but if you’re looking for an advanced city, it’s the capital of the Kingdom of Rivaid: Ashford.)

(Several major guilds are fiercely competing for power there, and many users are active in the city.)

The Kingdom of Rivaid was a powerful nation with a rich history and an advanced economy.

‘Let’s go there.’

✦ ✦ ✦

“Honey for sale! Sweet, delicious honey!”

“Beer for sale! Brewed by a Level 8 beginner cooking skill!”

“Palm wine! Tasty palm wine for only 1 silver! Make sure to grab some before heading to the hunting grounds!”

“Buying old longbows or two-handed swords! Don’t throw them away—earn gold instead!”

“Chamomile healing bandages! Quickly heals even large wounds. 2 gold per bundle. Bulk discount available!”

Weed appeared in a radiant golden glow.

Ashford’s plaza was bustling with merchant players, and everyone’s attention turned to him.

“Whoa, he teleported directly into the plaza?”

“A golden teleport? Must be a really high-level player.”

“But what’s up with that gear…?”

Ashford’s players were surprised.

In Rivaid, many prestigious guilds were fiercely battling for dominance, and powerful players were everywhere.

But only a very few users could cast the teleport spell themselves rather than using a teleport gate.

A golden teleport? No one had even heard of such a thing.

“Isn’t that shoulder guard goblin gear?”

“Looks like he’s pretending to be a noob by wearing rags.”

Weed glanced around the plaza.

Tall, ornate buildings filled the area, and while he didn’t know much about player gear, many looked quite expensive.

‘Lots of people here.’

This was Roanoke, where players had been trapped after the incident, unable to log out.

(Ashford is the center of politics, commerce, and military power. It’s the most prosperous city on the continent.)

(Many users settled here early, and ten major guilds are vying for dominance.)

‘I see.’

Unlike the Hellfire difficulty, this felt like he had truly entered Roanoke.

He had seven days before returning to the Hellfire difficulty.

‘I need to work fast.’

Weed had already planned what to do in those seven days.

Grinding for XP would be ideal to help him pass Hellfire difficulty again, but—

(Main dungeons are restricted.)

‘Restricted?’

(Major guilds have claimed them as their territory.)

‘Do I have to pay an entry fee to hunt?’

(Some charge entry fees, but in most cases, intruders are killed on sight.)

‘Killed?!’

(Yes. Most dungeons are exclusive to members of major guilds.)

In Roanoke, prime hunting grounds were controlled by guilds.

Regular players or those in small guilds had to resort to inefficient or distant hunting grounds.

‘Back in my day, even big guilds weren’t this territorial.’

(Times have changed. Unauthorized dungeon hunting, world boss raids, or even siege applications result in immediate execution.)

‘Brutal.’

Even when the Hermes Guild ruled the Central Continent in Royal Road, things weren’t this extreme.

Back then, player sentiment was taken into account, but now, brute force ruled.

(If you get blacklisted in Roanoke, not only you but your entire guild becomes a target.)

‘That’s ruthless.’

(After the Roanoke incident, where death means real loss, players are too afraid to provoke major guilds.)

Roanoke was a world ruled by strength.

Even if high-level players committed atrocities, they were never criticized.

‘So, hunting is out of the question.’

Weed decided not to resist and quietly comply.

Despite passing Stage 3, he was still no match for the higher-leveled players dominating the major guilds.

‘I can’t waste time. I’ll make something here in the plaza.’

(Before that, perhaps you could take some time to visit your daughter?)

The city where Daye was located wasn’t far.

He could get there in just two or three hours if he wanted.

‘I can’t meet her right now.’

Though he adored his daughter, there was an important reason he couldn’t see her yet.

(Is it because of potential EXP loss?)

The AI believed it understood Weed quite well.

The experience lost during a trip to visit his daughter was indeed a significant factor.

‘No. She’s my daughter, after all. Time with her is more valuable than experience points.’

(Then I don’t understand the reason.)

‘I’ll visit Daye once I’ve leveled up more.’

(Huh? What do you mean by that?)

‘I can’t face her while I’m still low-level.’

This was a matter of fatherly pride.

✦ ✦ ✦

Luria stepped through the teleport gate, cloaked in a robe.

Teleportation in Roanoke was expensive, but she had an important mission.

Everluke Castle.

Upon arrival, she briskly walked through the bustling streets.

‘I was supposed to deliver his message to his daughter.’

She had met Weed in the Hellfire difficulty.

It was shocking enough to meet a legendary player, but seeing him clear Stage 3 was on another level.

Not only did he accomplish his goal, he obliterated the abandoned fortress.

‘He spent days sculpting, then suddenly used forbidden magic. How did he do that?’

She suspected he had his secrets, but they weren’t something an ordinary person could imitate.

‘He ate barley bread for ten days straight while sculpting. That’s insane.’

She had never seen him sleep.

Even Barton and Sen, who monitored him constantly, never once saw him rest.

‘Such a mysterious man…’

Luria felt herself deeply intrigued by Weed.

He was already a long-famous figure, and the fact he had a daughter meant he was married.

‘And from what Barton said, his wife was so stunning she was considered the most beautiful in Royal Road history.’

No one had ever cleared the Hellfire difficulty and successfully created a character—not before and probably not ever again.

If anyone could be the exception, it was Weed.

‘If he could clear Stage 3 like that, the rest might not be impossible either.’

Which is why Luria resolved to faithfully deliver his message.

“One coin, please.”

Everluke Castle was a major city, and beggars were everywhere.

Many users had given up hunting and stayed in the city in rags.

Begging for food in high-level gear was a pitiful sight.

‘Totally different from Weed…’

Even if she understood why people feared hunting, she couldn’t help but think of Weed tearing through Stage 3 like it was nothing.

“I’m looking for a user named Daye.”

“Daye? She’s probably in the kitchen doing dishes.”

“Dishes?”

“Just go look around.”

In a shabby restaurant tucked in the city’s back alleys, Luria found a girl washing cheap wooden utensils.

The girl wore her robe over her face as she worked quickly, cleaning food scraps and dishes almost magically.

She seemed incredibly skilled.

“Are you Miss Daye?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

“I’m Luria. Your father sent me with a message.”

The robed girl looked up at her.

At that moment, Luria doubted her own eyes.

‘Stunning beauty.’

Her eyes alone were mesmerizing—mysterious, pure, dangerously attractive.

Her features were like they’d been sculpted by the gods: eyes, forehead, nose, lips, jaw—all in perfect harmony.

‘Not just men, even women would risk their lives for someone like her.’

In Roanoke, players could customize their appearance.

But altering your looks too much came with stat penalties, so drastic changes were rare.

Even so, Daye’s beauty seemed completely natural.

‘Even an art major couldn’t sculpt something like this.’

Even the greatest painters had limits, but Weed’s daughter seemed impossibly beautiful.

Luria found herself dazed, staring at a girl’s face.

“Sorry. It was hard to wash dishes with the skill on, so I turned it off for a bit.”

When Daye activated a skill, her face instantly changed—freckles, smaller eyes, a slightly crooked mouth.

Still cute, but now plain.

“What skill is that?”

“Oh, I got it from a quest. It’s an appearance-changing skill.”

Even her voice was cheerful and pleasant.

“So my dad really sent you?”

“Yes.”

Luria collected herself and explained how Weed was undergoing a character creation trial in the Hellfire difficulty.

How he passed Stage 3 by crafting sculptures and unleashing forbidden magic to annihilate the enemy.

She didn’t mention the pain he endured.

“He came to Roanoke just to rescue me?”

Daye’s eyes welled up.

After being trapped in Roanoke, she hoped someone in the real world would act—maybe the police or some organization.

But her father, who once changed her diapers, logged into Roanoke.

The legendary Weed risked his life to come.

“No one has ever cleared Hellfire before.”

“Don’t worry too much. Weed was incredibly strong.”

Luria reassured her that someone who cleared Stage 3 wouldn’t die easily.

Daye took a deep breath and asked:

“So what did Dad want to tell me?”

“Well…”

Luria hesitated.

She remembered exactly what Weed said—even the tone—but wasn’t sure if it was right to say it.

Still, she’d come all this way.

Luria repeated his words, mimicking his tone:

“Don’t try to do anything.”

“……”

“That’s what Weed asked me to tell you.”