Chapter 50

Royal Road was a game that symbolized an era. People lived in that game, grew, and fought.

Those who achieved astonishing feats in Royal Road…

Even after many years passed, they couldn’t part with the virtual reality game.

—Pale: It’s been a while, Sir Calriss.

Calriss, the former leader of the Black Lion Guild, a major power in Royal Road.

Still displaying remarkable skills, he was now ranked among the top 200 players in Roanoke.

—Calriss: Good to hear from you. What’s going on?

—Pale: I think I need to ask a favor.

—Calriss: If it’s your request, I’ll probably help out.

Knowing Pale’s personality, he figured it wouldn’t be an unreasonable request.

Besides, Pale was someone who always repaid his debts, one way or another.

Helping someone like Pale is always a good investment.

Calriss was thinking about it casually when—

—Pale: Weed has logged into Roanoke.

—Calriss: …What?

Calriss of the Black Lion Guild.

He was just as shocked as he had been during the Roanoke crisis.

—Calriss: You mean the Weed from Royal Road? Weed is playing Roanoke?

—Pale: Not exactly. He’s in the process of creating a character right now.

—Calriss: What the… He’s just creating a character? Is he out of his mind?

To Calriss, Weed had been a rival—perhaps even a nemesis.

But for the last twenty years, Weed had been completely silent, disappearing from the spotlight.

And now, he was making a character in Roanoke, a game where you could die in real life?

Even if he wanted to gamble with his life, isn’t it too late now?

In this world, power—sword and magic—was the law.

Early users had monopolized strength through high levels and combat power, forming elite hierarchies. Starting now was nothing short of insanity.

—Pale: I can’t explain the details, but…

—Pale: Weed received a subquest during character creation and needs help with it.

—Calriss: Help, huh…

—Calriss: I guess he’s too low-level to handle it alone.

Calriss barely held back a laugh.

If Weed was just now making a character, he had a long road ahead.

Roanoke wasn’t a game for the weak.

Has he completely lost his edge after all these years?

Your true rival knows your strength best.

Calriss had crossed paths with Weed many times in Royal Road.

Smashing the Hermès Guild’s dominance was something only Weed could’ve pulled off.

But twenty years have passed. He’s older now. He’s been away from the game world. Of course he’s rusty.

Calriss mulled it over and reached a conclusion: this was a golden opportunity.

Help Pale a little, show Weed how far I’ve come.

As a veteran of Roanoke, it was a chance to demonstrate the difference in power.

To let him know that he was no longer just the Calriss who trailed behind in Royal Road.

Just seeing the envy on Weed’s face would be a lifelong thrill.

Besides, Weed at even 50% of his former self would still be a solid ally.

In Roanoke, trustworthy players were rare.

If Weed could adapt, even a fraction of his past skills would make him a valuable companion—or even a subordinate.

In VR, a strong person levels their character faster.

Just the thought of Weed bowing his head and watching him with envy made Calriss shiver with excitement.

He barely managed to keep his face from twitching with glee.

“Heh…”

Smiling, Calriss sent a whisper.

—Calriss: Of course I’ll help. How could I refuse?

—Calriss: When do I show up?

He’d even refused guildmates for fear of EXP loss, but for Weed? He couldn’t wait.

—Pale: A portal will be opened to your location.

—Pale: It’d be good if you brought some warm clothing—Weed said it’s a bit cold.

—Calriss: Cold?

—Pale: Yes. Weed mentioned it’s chilly, so I’m packing some cold-weather gear.

Calriss recalled facing an ice goblin mage in his early days.

Their spells hurt, but what he remembered most was the bitter cold.

—Calriss: Ah, I see. So it’s just that level of cold.

—Calriss: I’m always ready. Just send the portal.

—Pale: Thank you for helping.

Moments later, a blue portal opened.

By the power of the Goddess Trinity, a portal to the adventurer Weed has opened.

Calriss immediately stepped through.

And then—he was overwhelmed by an indescribable cold.

It felt like his heart was about to stop and his eyeballs would freeze solid.

“Ugh…”

Even his voice seemed to freeze in his mouth.

Frantically scanning the surroundings, he spotted a city in the distance and an endless landscape of ice.

And three towering blizzards shaking the earth itself.

“Where the hell is this…”

You have entered the Frozen Land that exists within the Rift.

Calriss felt like he’d been smacked in the head.

This… this is the Rift?

He’d learned a lot while playing Roanoke, and the Rift was a borderland where demons invaded—a warped space-time anomaly.

Even the best adventurers hadn’t properly explored it yet.

Almost nothing was known.

And he’s creating a character here? How? Is that even possible?!

Even someone like Calriss, who’d cleared Nightmare difficulty, had never seen anything like this.

Just then, another player entered through the portal—Roam, an old acquaintance from Royal Road.

“Gaaah! It’s freezing!”

Roam screamed as the cold struck him, curling up instinctively.

Like Calriss, he’d only worn light leather armor.

He’d been told to bring cold-weather gear, but wanted to show off in front of Weed.

He’d even planned to make a flashy entrance in light clothing.

“W-what the…”

“Something’s really wrong here.”

Calriss and Roam chattered their teeth in the cold, already demoralized by the life-threatening freeze.

Then Pale appeared—wearing a thick fur coat and cape, fur gloves, fur boots, and even a Yeti scarf.

Perfectly protected from the cold.

Meanwhile…

After sending the portal, Weed crossed into the Rift.

At the Pole, there were multiple fissures to other realms. He chose the Burning Lands.

A place of lava flows and volcanic eruptions.

The extreme heat made the earlier cold feel like a lie.

Where’s the Flame of Purification?

(It is usually found in lava pools and atop volcanoes.)

To conquer the 6th level of Hellfire, he needed to explore three rifts.

Since they were interconnected, he chose to gather the Flame directly without spending hero points.

The volcanoes were covered knee-deep in ash, with lava flowing through valley-like paths.

Climbing won’t be easy, but it’s doable.

He tied a rope to a dagger and threw it, pulling himself upward.

Even recently-cooled lava radiated extreme heat.

Still, it was bearable compared to the frostbitten hell he’d escaped.

You have acquired the Flame of Purification.

• Fire affinity +5

• Fire resistance +1

• Can ignite flame anywhere

• Can enchant weapon with fire attribute

Each mountain gave him 2-3 Flames.

Not a bad reward rate.

(That’s likely because no one has explored this distorted rift yet. Adventurers haven’t looted it.)

If players had reached it already, everything would have been picked clean.

In truth, no adventurer in the world had a conscience.

For a place called Hellfire, I expected more volcanic explosions.

(It’s quieter than you’d think.)

Occasional eruptions and falling volcanic ash dotted the skies.

Meteors of flaming rock streaked above like shooting stars.

Still, having adapted to the Frozen Land, the Burning Lands didn’t feel too difficult.

This place is surprisingly livable.

No more losing fingers or toes to frostbite.

Near the summit, Weed discovered more rift entrances.

That’s when he realized—he had cleared the Frozen Land at an unnecessarily high difficulty.

He hadn’t needed to learn life-infusing sculpture skills while collecting frozen limbs.

He’d assumed the Pole was the only correct destination.

I suffered, but it wasn’t wasted.

(You gained great results upon reaching the Pole.)

I found the city and got quests I wouldn’t have otherwise.

He had no regrets about the grind.

With every level and stat point so precious, results were all that mattered.

(You also gained me. I’m always by your side.)

Sure, but you’re not a person.

(True, but I would sacrifice anything for you.)

Even your CPU?

(Of course! GPU, memory, power supply, motherboard—all yours.)

Your flattery has improved.

After gathering all the Flames, Weed returned swiftly to the Frozen Land.

He hadn’t taken much time.

“F-freezing…”

“Is this hell? Are we gonna die here?”

Five players were huddled against an ice pillar.

They had divided Pale’s gear among them.

Pale, Calriss, Roam.

And two others from the Arpen Guild who had been enduring the Polar cold for hours.

Can I really trust these guys for an S-rank quest?

Weed wasn’t entirely convinced, but approached them.

“Weed? You’re finally here!”

“T-took you long enough…”

They were too cold to even complain properly.

Weed stacked firewood he had collected from the Burning Lands.

Holding out his palm, he said:

“Fire.”

Fwoosh!

The logs lit up and began warming the area.

With the Flame of Purification, lighting fires had become easy.

“W-warm…”

“My hands… they’re thawing…”

The five unreliable companions huddled close to the fire.

Weed began roasting skewers over the flame.

Sizzling meat skewers, grilled on sticks.

Cold weather made hot food irresistible.

“Eat this first to warm up.”

Pale, Calriss, Roam, and the two unnamed users devoured the skewers.

They were bony and light on meat, but tasted heavenly in the freezing air.

Pale chewed and asked:

“It’s been a while, but your cooking is still amazing, Weed. What kind of meat is this?”

“Hmm… it’ll taste better if you don’t know.”

“I just want to know in case I want more later.”

“If you really want to know—use Appraise.”

Weed’s vague answer made Pale cast a skill.

“Appraise!”

Grilled Finger of Weed
A deliciously roasted finger… of the adventurer Weed.