Chapter 46

Stories of Weed’s time in Royal Road often came up among people.

— He used to scam people with overpriced sculptures in Serabourg Castle.

— After defeating Rabias, he went into the Sky Island. There’s still a sculpture Weed carved into a wall there.

— Weed only became really famous after stopping the Immortal Legion, right? That’s when he turned legendary thanks to the video.

— The fight against Barkhan was his peak.

— Didn’t he defeat the Embinyu cult alone without help from other players?

While people reminisced and watched Weed’s current adventure on the sixth floor of the Infernal Hell, they remembered these tales.

At first, when he started carving the mountain of ice, people wondered what he was up to.

— An ice sculpture? That ice pillar is insane.

— Making sculptures even in that environment… he’s the real sculptor.

— Is he making an Ice Dragon?

— You can tell by the underwhelming hind legs. It’s definitely an Ice Dragon!

— I-C-E D-R-A-G-O-N.

— It’s the Ice Dragon!!! THE ICE DRAGON!!!!

Then, viewers in their teens and twenties, who were unfamiliar with the term, asked:

— What’s an Ice Dragon?

The response came immediately.

— A sculpture Weed gave life to.

— It’s a living sculpture, the strongest dragon in Royal Road today.

Weed didn’t have fond memories of the Ice Dragon.

It was the first masterpiece he ever succeeded in.

He made it after seeing all the ice and snow in the cold northern lands…

‘My Art stat was so low back then that it turned out really weak.’

The strength of a living sculpture depended on the Art stat.

Since his Art stat was low when he gave it life, the resulting dragon couldn’t even control its own body properly.

It was big, sure—but so weak it couldn’t even break out of the ice crust covering it.

‘Ugly or not, I ended up getting attached to it.’

(Still, the Ice Dragon is currently insanely powerful in Royal Road.)

‘Did it keep leveling up even after I left?’

(It never stopped hunting monsters.)

As a massive creature, regular monsters couldn’t stand up to it.

The once-feeble Ice Dragon grew stronger over time through constant monster hunting.

(Its presence alone drops the temperature by 20 degrees in nearby areas.)

(Its Ice Breath can freeze an entire fortress.)

‘I still can’t get used to that.’

Even after hearing how powerful the Ice Dragon had become in Royal Road, Weed found it hard to believe.

When he last logged out, the Ice Dragon hadn’t been that dominant.

‘I wonder if the other living sculptures I made are doing well?’

(Some, like the warrior woman Guernica, have retired, but most are still doing fine.)

‘What about Wasami?’

Wasami, the wyvern that famously said, “Wyverns are science.”

Even though he was sculpted during Weed’s early, clumsy phase, his flat back made him perfect for riding.

(He’s doing well. All of your sculptures live like family together.)

Even after the fall of the Arpen Empire, players didn’t hunt down Weed’s living sculptures.

They weren’t weak enough for regular players to hunt, and even large guilds were wary of Weed’s lingering influence.

“If we kill one of his sculptures, what if Weed comes back?”

“No way…”

“But Hermes Guild got wiped out too. If a fight breaks out, we’re doomed.”

“There are still many who follow Weed. We’d have to go past Duke Pale’s northern domain.”

And so the sculptures continued to flourish peacefully on the Versailles continent.

While Weed listened to the Ice Dragon’s tales, he endured the biting wind and snow to carve a massive ice pillar.

It was a task no ordinary person would dare attempt.

The pillar was 200 meters high and enormously thick.

‘The Ice Dragon’s face had such majesty.’

(Its eyes were fierce. And it had long whiskers.)

‘I remember. I could never forget it.’

It was a creation he made as a sculptor, and he’d adventured alongside it afterward.

His daughter Daye loved the dragon so much she’d had a plush toy of it made.

She used to carry it everywhere before she even entered elementary school.

She even cuddled it while sleeping—something that made Weed a little jealous.

(I’ve uploaded the Ice Dragon’s detailed blueprint to your neural net.)

‘So I just need to replicate it.’

Bracing against the blizzard, Weed began carving from the hindquarters of the Ice Dragon.

He sculpted the bottom of the ice pillar into a figure with frail hind legs and folded wings.

You have caught a cold.
All physical abilities reduced by 20%.

“Achoo!”

Weed sneezed but kept working.

He clung to the slippery ice pillar, enduring the blizzard.

He carved the dragon’s scales, using them as footholds to climb higher.

‘It’s great not needing sleep. I can just keep working.’

Working non-stop for 24 hours, he sculpted on and on.

The goddess Sarasvati, who governs art, music, and wisdom, is delighted by your creation.
She is touched by your dedication to sculpture even without sight, even in this life-threatening polar climate.

Art stat +5

Blessings from the goddess kept activating without pause.

Compared to Royal Road, Roanoke allowed characters to grow far more quickly.

The goddess Sarasvati is closely observing your sculpture.

“Sculptures should be large. A massive piece that many people can see is the pinnacle of art.”

Max HP +10
Art stat increases with every creation.

Unlike the old Royal Road, where he’d grind for days just to increase his Art stat by 1, Roanoke was paradise.

Back then, “grinding” was a way of life.

Fourteen hours a day in the same hunting grounds for six months.

A usable item every few weeks. A level-up every month.

That kind of player was once mocked for “not trying hard enough.”

Clang! Clang! Clang!

After finishing the lower body, Weed climbed up via the scales and spine, continuing his sculpture.

Carving hard ice was relatively easier than some other materials.

(A blizzard is approaching from the northwest.)

‘I’ll endure it.’

As snow pelted his entire body, he recalled the other sculptures he had created in Royal Road.

‘Back in Hell Level 5, I had no eyes. Now I have too much snow around me.’

(It’s depressing how old age has made you start cracking dad jokes.)

‘One day, you’ll be looking up dad jokes on the internet too.’

(Terrifying.)

While sculpting the Ice Dragon, Weed felt like his ears were going to fall off from the cold.

As the sensation slowly faded from his limbs, his daughter’s face came to mind.

‘Feels like I haven’t seen her in over a year…’

(It’s been less than 100 days.)

‘You just don’t understand a father’s heart.’

Weed always dreamed of being a great dad.

He hoped his daughter would learn and experience much in the world.

He wanted her to become a far better person than he was, and someday…

‘…when she brings home a boyfriend…
I’ll torture him. Then kill him.’

(…Excuse me?)

At times, the 20-year age gap really showed.

Roanoke was so generous with rewards that it made Royal Road seem like a relic.

‘There must be strong enemies and high growth limits in Roanoke to match these rewards.’

And indeed, the monsters of Roanoke were powerful.

The demon races wielded godlike powers and led armies.

Only expert masters in specialized fields could fight them.

‘Didn’t they say Roanoke is a world on the brink of destruction?’

(Yes.)

‘So how exactly does that destruction happen?’

Weed had come to Roanoke for his daughter and was focused only on growth.

But perhaps because of the cold, his mind grew sharper, and curiosity rose.

(The kingdoms have been torn apart by long wars. Royalty and nobles are addicted to luxury.)

‘That tracks. Honest politicians are rare anywhere.’

(There are many organizations that desire destruction.)

‘Of course. That was expected.’

(Seven races, including the devouring Lessers, pose extreme threats to humans. They’ve taken over ruins, deserts, forests, mountain ranges, and swamps, and they’re steadily encroaching on human, elf, and dwarf territories.)

‘Hmm…’

(There are also angry spirits, cults worshiping darkness, and groups summoning evil gods.)

‘Hmph.’

(Demonkind is hunting and breeding humans to increase their power.)

‘…’

(The gods themselves are actively intervening in the human world.)

The world of Roanoke was in chaos.

Weed had seen similar madness when wandering with Britina while blind.

Back then, bodies hung at the entrance of villages as “decorations.”

During his vacation, he’d only worked in the forge, so he hadn’t seen it firsthand.

But Roanoke now was no different.

A chaotic world full of users who fought and robbed each other.

Even if you committed crimes, you just had to not get caught—or bribe your way out.

(Unconfirmed, but it’s rumored a powerful Demon King with a massive army is eyeing Roanoke.)

‘So when does the destruction start?’

(The company Abyss announced that full-scale destruction would begin two years after Roanoke’s launch.)

‘It’s been around 1 year and 2 months now, right?’

(Meaning destruction begins in about 10 months. Right now, those factions are growing stronger.)

After three days of near-constant work with only minimal rest to warm up, Weed completed the sculpture.

Please name the sculpture you’ve created.

Time to name it.

“Ice Dragon.”

He could have gone with something fancier, but Weed’s naming sense followed a tradition.

Like his pet chicken at home that changed names every month—half seasoned, half fried.

Ding!
A Masterpiece! Ice Dragon sculpture complete!

A land frozen beyond time and space.
A sculpture made of ice that hasn’t melted in thousands of years, hidden in a warped rift.
Facing wind and snow, the great artist poured his life into this work.
Few may ever find it, but it will remain a marvel of the frozen lands.
A masterpiece recognized by the god of art.

Art Value: 21,100

Effects:

• Those who view the sculpture recover HP and mana 60% faster for a day

• All stats +15

• Cold resistance +20

• Endurance +20

• Ice-based skills gain additional effects

• Max HP +35%

• Greatly boosts cold tolerance in nearby area

• Nearby flying monsters suffer stat penalties

Sarasvati, goddess of art, is observing your creation.
Fame +2,000
All stats +5 from brilliant artistic achievement
Charm stat +30

First sculpture ever made in the Frozen Lands
Gained 5 Hero Points
Gained 5 Legend Points for creating a wonder

Sculpting skill has reached Intermediate. You can now handle special materials.
Craftsmanship skill has increased.
Production and combat skills now trigger bonus effects.

A wonder made in the frozen land.
A grand sculpture born in a place of nothing but snow and ice.

(How does it feel to have created a masterpiece?)

‘It’s the Ice Dragon, but… I think I made it too well.’