TMSDL 30

TMSDL

Chapter 30

The fourth level of the Hellfire difficulty was the easiest for Weed.

Everyone’s levels were equalized, and the duel was based purely on swordsmanship.

The final opponent—a crab wielding a sword—was unique and tricky, but seriously, how many Koreans dislike crabs?

Unless you’re allergic to shellfish, crabs are something you can never get enough of.

Isn’t crab one of those foods in Korea that’s used to completely rip people off in seafood markets?

For Weed, who was used to hunting massive monsters, this was a fairly manageable challenge.

(Viewers are cheering after watching the master’s performance.)

‘Hmph…’

(Here are some of the viewers’ comments.)

(I didn’t recognize him as Weed at first. I was amazed, and then I realized it was Weed.)

(Even I, who don’t know Roanoke, can tell how incredible this is.)

(Has Weed’s swordsmanship surpassed science now?)

(His skill is absolutely insane, but look at that calm face! That’s insane Weed for you!)

Despite the enthusiastic cheers from the audience, Weed’s heart remained calm.

‘No need to get excited just because they’re cheering now.’

(They’re fans cheering you on, master.)

‘Yeah, well, give it a minute. They’ll be posting hate comments soon enough.’

Weed had no time to worry about the reactions of viewers in the real world—he needed to stay focused on surviving in the world of Roanoke.

Sure, the viewers might be watching with fried chicken and beer, but in here, he was fighting for his life.

You have cleared the fourth level of Hellfire difficulty.

Because you chose the path of the sword, you have achieved a great feat.

With the highest level of swordsmanship, you subdued the instructors.

You have achieved a complete victory.

You rapidly acquired the instructors’ techniques.

No challenger in the history of Roanoke has ever achieved this before!

Additional rewards have been granted for your rapid conquest.

All stats increased by 8.
6 Legend Points acquired.
The epic tale “Weed’s Saga” has begun.
- Your achievements will be turned into a song.
Your traits Dragon-Holder and Warlord have evolved to Level 3.
You may choose one treasure-grade piece of equipment.

Weed had defeated all the instructors and learned each of their techniques. Conquering stage 4 had only taken him about three hours.

Dragon-Holder (Level 3): Increases Strength by 40%, HP by 100%. Magic resistance +23%. Slight immunity to mental spells. Gains resistance to dark magic.

Warlord (Level 3): Increases Leadership by 50%, sight range by 40%. Boosts combat power by 20% in large-scale battles.

‘A saga?’

(It’s a song celebrating your achievements, master.)

Major battles and achievements became epic tales.

Singing them would grant special powers and blessings.

‘I’ve always liked singing, though…’

(You used to sing before major battles in Royal Road.)

(And every time you did, my appreciation for music died a little.)

His singing had no regard for pitch, rhythm, or lyrics.

If it were a crime to sing that badly, Weed would have been executed long ago.

Stage 5 of Hellfire difficulty will open in three hours. Please rest well and spend your time freely until then.

An empty cave.

Weed had earned three hours of rest.

Normally, he would use the time to carve a sculpture…

‘But I think I need to head to the Legendary Library instead.’

While clearing stage 4, Weed felt an overwhelming sense of discomfort.

The sword instructors weren’t as dangerous as he’d expected.

‘And the rewards were incredibly generous.’

Although he was receiving information and tips from the AI, when it came to S-rank difficulty quests in Royal Road, Weed always made his own decisions.

His accumulated experience and intuition from the continent of magic proved useful.

‘Stage 1 of Hellfire was genuinely hard. Anyone unprepared would’ve been stuck there forever.’

Constantly analyzing the difficulty was basic strategy.

From stage 1, challengers had to fight orcs with their bare hands.

They could run instead of fight, but outrunning an orc wasn’t easy for the average person.

‘You’d have to keep running until the muscular orc got tired first. Maybe using the forest terrain could help—but it’s not easy.’

For someone with the stamina of an average person who struggles to run even 3km, it was practically impossible.

With physical training and sprinting practice, one might increase the chances of success.

Still, if you couldn’t hunt orcs, your growth hit a wall at stage 1.

‘Running might get you past stage 1, but you’ll hit another wall immediately.’

To progress efficiently, you had to grow as much as possible in each stage.

It was a simple idea—so why had no one else figured it out?

Even seasoned gamers who were adept at virtual reality weren’t physically prepared for this kind of challenge.

Expecting them to beat orcs with their bare hands was unreasonable.

Sure, one could use sticks or sharp stones from the forest as weapons, but hunting orcs like that was extremely difficult.

A player like Weed who hunted and progressed perfectly in stage 1 was virtually unheard of.

‘Stage 2 was a challenge too.’

Three orc hunters would pursue him.

Without enough stamina or mental fortitude, most would become exhausted—physically and psychologically.

Running through mountains and hunting animals was tough.

Eventually, one had to face and fight all three orc hunters—no easy feat.

Even if a challenger managed to escape and reach stage 3, another obstacle awaited.

A ragtag army of defeated soldiers.

A challenger who hadn’t grown sufficiently would struggle to take them down—and rarely get the chance to do so.

Failure was common if goals weren’t met within 10 days.

‘Growing as much as possible during stages 1 to 3 was the key to breaking through the later stages.’

Hellfire lived up to its name—it was a place unworthy of the unprepared.

A place that mercilessly burned challengers.

Yet stage 4 felt… oddly forgiving.

Sure, Weed’s swordsmanship was exceptional, but compared to the tension and effort required in stages 1 through 3, it felt too easy.

‘Why are they being so generous now? Something’s definitely fishy about the next stage.’

Weed had a natural instinct to distrust anything too convenient.

(Your instincts may be off, master. Stage 4 may have been extremely difficult for others.)

‘AI tends to be logical and rational.’

(Indeed. AI is highly intelligent.)

‘I leveled up through combat and hunting in stages 1 to 3. I learned new skills in stage 4. So what’s waiting in stage 5?’

Weed expected a level of difficulty in stage 5 that would surpass anything he had seen before.

‘There’s no way each stage is the same in difficulty. Stage 5 must be a truly insurmountable wall.’

Even stage 3’s defeated army had hidden exploits—but stage 5 might offer no mercy at all.

‘Better spend my Legend Points now instead of hoarding them.’

(Considering your safety and the uncertainty of the next trial, I recommend it too.)

‘Good advice.’

(I’m glad my advice was helpful, master.)

‘Of course, I would’ve done it anyway even if you said no.’

(…)…

Weed’s convictions weren’t easily shaken by the AI.

In Roanoke, Legend Points could be used to learn skills, buy gear, gain traits, rise in social rank, inherit bloodlines, or even recruit subordinates.

With 300 points, one could unlock the most overpowered class—Hero!

All combat skill growth ×5
Crafting/summoning skill growth ×3
Exclusive hero traits: status resistance, maximum affinity with mana and spirit arts
Auto-level-up by 7 when narrowly escaping death
Maximum fame
Even if you commit mass murder or destroy cities, you quickly lose your “murderer” status

[Official Broken Class: Hero]

If one could get the Hero class, Roanoke would become much easier.

But so far, no player had ever collected 300 Legend Points to unlock it.

Meanwhile, at Abyss Corporation’s Development Lab…

Core developer Han Sung-hyuk watched Weed’s footage in disbelief.

“He cleared stage 4 that easily?”

Weed had overwhelmed the instructors purely with swordsmanship—beating them down and claiming victory.

“He managed to overpower not just knights but legendary instructors… His skill is incredible.”

“Truly amazing.”

Cho Woon-chan and Kim Soo-won couldn’t take their eyes off Weed’s footage.

His raw, intense swordsmanship had demolished the top-tier instructors of Roanoke.

It was like watching an MMA champion clean up local thugs.

“I didn’t expect level equalization to feel like this. If stats are similar, Weed just toys with them.”

“We might say the stage design has collapsed. No one expected a mutant like Weed.”

“It’s almost ridiculous.”

Han Sung-hyuk glanced at the live chat reactions:

—“This is Weed!”
—“Weed: This is swordsmanship.”
—“Weed die in stage 4? More like the instructors died.”
—“There was Weed in our generation!”
—“It’s not that Hermes Guild was weak—it’s that Weed was too strong.”
—“Can’t believe people still don’t know about Weed.”
—“Thought he was a pushover when he was crafting weapons? LOL.”
—“Weed’s got a sword now.”
—“The old-timers weren’t joking about Weed. Kids’ll learn once they see it.”

The praise for Weed was nonstop.

And while having Weed was great for Roanoke’s popularity, Han Sung-hyuk couldn’t help but feel a bit annoyed at all the attention centered on him.

“Roanoke is about life and death. People should be admiring my design decisions.”

He summoned the main AI behind Roanoke.

“Reaper.”

—Yes, Team Leader.

“What’s the setup for Hellfire stage 5?”

Han Sung-hyuk hoped it would finally crush Weed’s momentum.

The developers listened as the AI explained stage 5.

“That’s… horrifying.”

“An absolute nightmare.”

“How is that… even passable?”