Moonlight Sculptor: Dad Is a Legend (1)
Chapter: A World on the Brink of Destruction

An 8-year-old girl typed her father’s name into a video platform.

Lee Hyun.

To the little girl, he was just a normal, kind father.

He gave her piggyback rides, carried her on his shoulders, and took walks with her in the yard.

So she didn’t expect many search results.

Search Results: 6,637,981,297

“Whaaat?”

The girl’s eyes widened in shock.

There were so many results she couldn’t even begin to process them.

“Is my dad’s name really that common?”

She figured it must be because Lee Hyun was a popular name. But in the videos, her father’s face was clearly visible.

“Is that really Dad?”

She clicked on one of the videos.

In it, her dad, dressed as a beginner adventurer in Royal Road, was enthusiastically shouting:

“Sculptures for sale! Commemorate your visit to Serabourg Castle with these rabbit and fox sculptures! Today only—50% off! Just 3 silver coins! Only six left!”

In the video, her father was hustling sculptures in a crowd.

He was clearly making up discounts and enthusiastically scamming people.

Moments later, the scene changed.

A massive, muscular orc with yellow tusks protruding from its jaw appeared on screen.

“Is that… Dad too?”

The girl instinctively sensed that this scary-looking orc named Kariwich was also her dad.

It was hard to explain, but something about the orc’s aesthetic sense was uncannily familiar.

“Morning in the mountains. The red sun rises, and fierce winds blow. Chu-chut.
Even the clouds seem heavy, sensing the coming battle. I stand on the frontlines against the dark elves. Chik!
On this fresh morning, I embrace hope. Chut-chut-chut!”

It was the worst song the girl had ever seen or heard.

Completely off-beat, with a voice and nasal wind that rang through the video.

“He sings so badly. But I’m pretty sure that’s Dad singing.”

In the next scene, a vast army of orcs roared in unison.

They filled the Yurokina Mountain Range, charging into battle with dark elves under Kariwich’s command.

Then, war broke out against the undead legion led by Lich Shire!

“Let me announce this. I have received a quest from the King of the Rosenheim Kingdom.”

Later, in another video, her dad had returned to his human form and was seen building pyramids with countless people.

He fought dragons on frozen land and adventured even after transforming into an undead.

Just as nothing lasts forever, the popularity of Royal Road—the world’s first virtual reality game—began to fade over time.

Yet, there was one name gamers could never forget.

“Ahem. Back in the day, there was a user named Weed.”

“Weed?”

“He was a sculptor who unified Royal Road for the first time…”

“Oh, I think I saw that name online.”

“He was amazing. But he also made countless players, including me, suffer terribly.”

“Why?”

“Because we thought sculptor was a good class and chose it—only to shed tears of blood.”

Many couldn’t forget Weed. Of course, there were skeptics:

“Come on, it’s been ages. Who still talks about Weed?”

“Even if he did great things back then, he’s probably a relic now.”

Meanwhile, the world had changed rapidly.

Self-driving cars became mainstream. Factories no longer hired humans.

Unicorn Robotics Launches Android v19

Robots manufactured by Unicorn Robotics worked tirelessly, day and night.

They built giant ships in shipyards and skyscrapers in cities. People grew used to such scenes.

Efficient software and AI replaced much of office work.

Unicorn Space Launches Space Exploration Project
Unicorn Bio Achieves Breakthrough in Biotechnology
Unicorn Electronics Releases 500 Million VR Phones Operated by Brainwaves

Unicorn Corporation—an octopus-like conglomerate—swept in massive profits across every sector.

“Unicorn Robotics’ quarterly revenue is approximately 45 trillion won.”

“Got it.”

Lee Hyun nodded as he received a report from the AI named Versa.

Versa was the core system managing the Unicorn Group.

From new tech development to personnel and production, Versa handled everything autonomously.

‘Doctor Yoo Byung-jun’s legacy is truly incredible.’

Lee Hyun had unified Royal Road and inherited all of Doctor Yoo’s assets—including the Unicorn Group.

He came to possess an astronomical fortune and the world’s most cutting-edge tech companies.

To be honest, he had never dreamed big.

‘Back then, I thought owning a 24-pyeong (800 sq ft) apartment was the pinnacle of success.’

Now, AI Versa and the Unicorn Group operated the world’s capital.

Even though they paid astronomical taxes to both Korea and the U.S., Unicorn’s subsidiaries earned far more in return.

“There’s been an earthquake in Chile.”

“Send emergency relief under Unicorn’s name. Focus on the most urgent needs first.”

“The local supply network has collapsed, and there’s a looming food crisis. Riots may break out.”

“Drop food from the air—5 times the necessary amount. If every house is overflowing with food, no one will riot.”

“Understood. Should we include fruit?”

“No, fruit’s too fancy for a country I’ve never even visited.”

Even during relief efforts, there were limits to extravagance.

Alongside Versa, Lee Hyun engaged in solving global crises.

He enjoyed accumulating wealth.

But he also learned the dangers of concentrating too much money in one place.

‘There’s a time to spend, too.’

If money doesn’t circulate, people living in the shadows emerge.

He remembered the days he survived on instant noodles and decided to give back.

“Cars are essential nowadays. Let’s lower the price.”

“How much should we reduce it?”

Unicorn Group also manufactured and sold cars.

Hydrogen-powered, fully autonomous, equipped with every safety feature and a premium sound system.

All production was 100% handled by robots.

“Can we do 20%?”

“Of course. Even then, we’d still retain a 24% profit margin.”

“Then let’s go with a 30% cut.”

It was a shocking price drop, but Unicorn had the capacity.

Unicorn Resources handled everything from raw materials like iron ore to the final product.

Unicorn Auto Cuts Prices by 30% Across All Models
Unicorn SUV Now Available for Under 30 Million KRW

The media ran wild.

Consumers rejoiced, but rival car companies were devastated.

“What are we supposed to do when Unicorn sells higher-quality cars for 30% less than ours?”

“They don’t even upsell options. Their cars come nearly fully loaded with safety features.”

“They’re trying to dominate the market.”

Auto companies in the U.S. and Europe went bankrupt due to falling sales.

Unicorn’s cars outperformed them in specs, safety, and design—and now they were unbeatable on price.

Unicorn quickly devoured the global auto market.

Unicorn Acquires GM and Ford Factories in the U.S.
Robots Retrofit U.S. Plants – Unicorn Cars Begin Production in 2 Months
Unicorn’s Annual Car Production Exceeds 30 Million

China, the largest car market, sold over 25 million vehicles annually.

Its brands had once been ridiculed, but with electric vehicles, their design and convenience had become seriously competitive.

“We’ll make better cars than Unicorn!” said Jilin Auto.
“Chinese workers are diligent! We won’t lose to robots!” said Beijing Auto’s CEO.

China united its government and companies to take on Unicorn.

With low labor costs and government backing, they hoped to carve out a niche.

But…

Unicorn Drops Car Prices Another 20%
Unicorn Unveils 12 New Models Simultaneously
Unmatched Performance from Mini Cars to Giant Trucks

Their rivals couldn’t match them in price—or performance. Unicorn’s cars were twice as safe and efficient.

China’s carmakers fought valiantly, but couldn’t break out of their domestic market.

Unicorn showed no mercy.

Unicorn to Double Production Capacity
Unicorn Assembly Robots to Operate 3x Faster

The manufacturing lines sped up tremendously.

The cars’ structures were simplified, and robots assembled them at dizzying speeds.

In the end, even Chinese automakers went bankrupt.

Chinese Banks Report Massive Losses from Auto Industry Loans
Chinese Government to Withdraw Auto Industry Support

Unicorn had taken over the global automobile market.

“Food prices are getting ridiculous,” Lee Hyun muttered while reading online news.

There were barely any snacks, ice creams, or noodles that hadn’t gone up in price.

“Kids these days probably can’t even afford ramen.”

“Modern children enjoy eating black bean noodles and sweet & sour pork.”

“If I say so, just go with it. Anyway, we need to bring food prices down.”

“Should we enter the food industry?”

“To what extent? Aren’t the major grain companies holding the whole market?”

Lee Hyun had gained some wisdom with age.

As a kid, he’d only blamed greedy merchants. Now, he saw the whole picture.

Massive farmland operations, grain giants growing wheat and corn, raising livestock, and controlling distribution.

They set global food prices.

“We just need to compete in the market.”

“Let’s do it, then.”

Unicorn purchased massive tracts of farmland.

Farming was handled by production robots and drones.

Even the 1.0 version of the harvesting robot could move at lightning speed through endless cornfields.

Two-meter drones, solar-powered, swarmed the fields in thousands to harvest crops.

With overwhelming efficiency, they slashed production costs and used Unicorn Financial to acquire stakes in the grain giants.

Pu Ramen Prices Cut by 32%
Peaches Now Cheaper Than Chips
Unicorn Enters the Fruit Wholesale Market

As Lee Hyun rapidly expanded his corporate empire, consumers cheered.

The media and politicians—quietly backed by Unicorn’s money—remained silent.

Unicorn Construction Builds Korean-Style Apartments in Europe
Over 10 Million Apartments Built in Asia by Unicorn
Global Demand Surges for Unicorn’s Energy-Efficient Apartments

These apartments boasted insulation, soundproofing, and renewable energy—all built by Unicorn Construction.

They received widespread global acclaim.