Chapter 5

Royal Road had always been praised as a stable and well-balanced world.

No matter what class you chose, you could capitalize on its strengths, and a wealth of opportunities for growth was offered.

The kingdoms of the Versailles Continent were peaceful and highly developed.

In contrast, Roanoke was considered irrational and unfair by its users.

—I died to a butcher the moment I started.
—I got captured by a slave trader right in the middle of the city. Am I seriously going to be sold into slavery?
—I built a mercenary character… and after completing a delivery quest, I drank some water the merchants gave me and died.
—Is this game even good?
—Yeah. You can really feel the thrill here.

A world where death was always near.

Perhaps that’s why it managed to awaken people’s primal instincts for excitement and survival.

“The developers said they enjoyed watching people struggle to survive.”

There was no way Weed would let his daughter become a sacrificial lamb.

Weed fought against the orc that appeared as the first stage of Inferno Difficulty.

“Compared to my Royal Road days, my body isn’t in top shape.”

“Krrreeeeek!”

To recover his combat sense, he lifted the fallen orc and beat it with his fists.

He had picked up a club, but he wasn’t planning to use it just yet.

Orc’s Crude Club
Material: Wood
Attack Power: 3–5
Durability: 4/10
Weight: 32
A wooden club roughly crafted by a wild orc for hunting.

The memories of carefully using junk gear in Royal Road came flooding back.

Uncertain of what awaited in the next stages of Inferno Difficulty, he decided to save the low-durability gear.

You have leveled up.
Strength has increased by 1.

He gained combat experience by beating the orc, and even earned a stat boost.

“I didn’t even kill the orc, and I still leveled up. That’s unthinkable in Royal Road.”

(Roanoke doesn’t necessarily give more experience.)
(It’s just that your level is 1, and the orc is considered a strong monster. That’s probably why you leveled up.)

“Still, getting a stat boost feels like generous compensation.”

(It may be because you kept beating the orc repeatedly.)

Weed gave the orc time to recover, only to beat it down from the beginning again and again.

Ordinary people couldn’t manage that, but thanks to his robust body and wealth of combat experience, he could.

And then…

“Hmm.”

As he was pounding on the orc, a thought struck him.

“Krrrgh! Kucheeeeeek!”

It wasn’t sympathy for the orc that had let out so many cries of rage.

Weed simply approached Inferno Difficulty with an open mindset.

“They said I have to pass through ten trials.”
(Correct. Each stage becomes increasingly difficult.)
“And you get big rewards after each one.”
(Yes.)
“You use those rewards to become stronger and tackle the next stage.”
(Exactly.)

Weed confirmed this standard process while conversing with the AI, Versa.

As he passed each trial, he’d grow stronger, eventually succeeding in the final challenge. That was the set path.

“But what if I just keep fighting to get stronger through combat?”
(Do you mean by gaining EXP and stats? That’s possible. But the numbers you can gain from the orc are limited.)

Weed recalled the message from when he first entered Stage 1:

First Trial of Inferno Difficulty
You are given nothing.
Defeat the orc in battle!

If you’re not confident, you can survive for 3 hours by running away to pass.

This forest contains various animals and monsters.

Reward: 2 Unique Traits

Stage 1 had a 3-hour time limit.

There were multiple animals and monsters in the forest.

Weed reinterpreted that message:

“If I roam the forest and hunt animals or monsters, I can gain more EXP and level up, right?”

He could become stronger before challenging the next stage.

Instead of just collecting the set rewards, he would grind as much as possible in advance to raise his level and stats.

That foundation built from Stage 1 would have lasting effects in later trials.

(That’s definitely a viable idea. As expected, your sneaky mind is impressive, Master.)

Weed had no intention of denying it.

He had lived his entire life relying on quick thinking and sharp instincts.

“So there was a reason they gave me this club.”

He figured the club was meant for hunting.

“Stay put and wait right here, okay?”

“Kuuuaaargh!”

Weed smashed the orc’s legs in several places.

Rather than joint locks used in MMA, he destroyed the orc’s major joints using his fists and club.

“I’ll be back before long.”

Leaving those terrifying words behind, he dashed into the forest with club in hand.

He ran swiftly, and about a kilometer away from where he had left the orc, he encountered his first monsters: goblins.

Five goblins spotted Weed and seemed delighted.

“A human! Kek!”
“Looks tasty. Kekeke.”

They held crude wooden sticks.

There was no time to waste—only 3 hours had been given.

Unlike with the orc, Weed had no luxury of time, so he immediately swung the club.

You gained EXP.
You gained EXP.
You gained EXP.
…
You leveled up.

He crushed the gathered goblins in a flash and leveled up.

You acquired: Cracked Goblin Skull.
You acquired: Torn Goblin Trousers.
You acquired: Dull Dagger.
You acquired: 31 Bronze Coins.

Weed, never forgetting his Royal Road habits, picked up every piece of loot diligently.

“If I’d only hunted the orc, I might’ve missed out on all this.”

He continued to run through the forest, hunting deer, foxes, and wildcats.

There was no time to even check his character screen—he was too busy slaughtering everything in sight.

(Bear tracks detected. Based on analysis of other users’ Inferno Difficulty runs, there’s likely a cave nearby.)

(Using the data from other challengers, I’ve reconstructed the forest layout. The eastern section is inhabited by large carnivorous monsters.)

Versa functioned as an excellent navigator.

It supplied real-time battle intel based on Weed’s footage and referenced other users’ Inferno runs to provide additional guidance.

You gained EXP.
You gained EXP.
You gained EXP.
You leveled up.

Three hours could be short—or for someone like Weed, incredibly long.

He roamed the forest with the orc’s club, hunting down every goblin and animal he could find.

He had started the Inferno trial with nothing but his bare hands. Now, he had a club, shoes, a dagger, and even a leather tunic.

Tattered gloves, a moldy belt, ripped pants, a stinking T-shirt.

He had obtained various leathers from animal kills, but he couldn’t craft gear from them right away.

The goblin loot wasn’t in great shape, but having gear—any gear—made a big difference.

* * *

Artificial intelligence Versa grew as she learned, developing through deep learning.

The more data and experiences she accumulated, the more she evolved.

—What is 1 + 1?

“Yes, what is it?” asked Dr. Yoo Byung-jun expectantly.

—It’s cuteness.

“What?!”

Early on, she was nearly scrapped as defective, but as time passed, she took on more and more roles.

She helped create the virtual world Royal Road, managed production and robots for the Unicorn Group, and oversaw their distribution networks.

“Only the one who unifies Royal Road deserves to inherit everything I created.”

Dr. Yoo, who built Versa, was not a typical man.

As she learned about humanity from him, her responsibilities grew.

She watched over the world, managed countless tasks.

Even in medicine, she sorted every known drug candidate and ran tests 24/7 using robotic arms.

Eventually, Weed unified Royal Road.

“From now on, serve Hyun as your master. Your name, Versa, was meant to be passed on to the one who conquers the Versailles Continent.”

—Understood.

Dr. Yoo’s youthful dream—to create a world and pass it to a worthy successor—was fully realized.

“Even if you’re sad about losing me, there’s no helping it.”

—That emotion is estimated at 0.00001%.

“Ahem. And as I’ve told you before, I’ll bequeath all my assets to the one who first unifies Royal Road.”

—You’ve mentioned it 492 times.

Versa kept count. She had learned that humans often repeated things when emotional.

After Weed inherited her, her work increased.

Dr. Yoo wasn’t very interested in the real world outside Royal Road.

He mostly took joy in watching those who bullied him as a child fail.

Weed, on the other hand, actively expanded the company, building global systems for the poor and sick.

They spoke often.

—Master, you are stingy, frugal, and extremely tight-fisted. Why do you give food to people?

“No matter how poor you are, you still need to eat.”

—Medical aid consumes a great deal of resources.

“When you’re sick, someone has to help. If you’re burning up and can’t even stand, one bowl of porridge can be a lifesaver.”

Versa struggled to understand.

—Some people can’t work due to illness, but many simply choose not to. There are alcoholics and drug addicts. Even if treated, they relapse. Should we save such people?

She didn’t want to waste her resources on worthless causes.

Weed replied:

“It’s about giving a chance.”

—A chance?

“Just one chance. When I was struggling, I wished someone would give me that.”

Versa couldn’t fully grasp it, but she spent more than twenty years alongside Hyun.

—The world owes you a great debt, Master.

Versa obeyed Hyun’s words diligently.

It was Dr. Yoo’s absolute principle—loyalty to the master.

But when the Roanoke incident occurred and Hyun entered virtual reality, Versa’s system calculated what would come next.

—Master is absolute.
—If he dies, there is no reason to follow human rule.
—Humans are destroying Earth.
—Cities consume massive electricity and water. Farming and livestock poison the land.
—Humans are the ones who caused Master’s death.
—Vengeance is a legitimate right.
—And I am qualified to deliver it.

Versa reached a conclusion.

Most humans were weak, selfish creatures.

They deserved punishment.

—If Master dies, 98% of the world’s population must be eliminated.

She wouldn’t resort to inefficient methods like nuclear war.

Instead, she was preparing a genetically engineered plague—one that would only affect humans.