Chapter 6 – Stage One of the Hellfire Difficulty

Stage One of the Hellfire Difficulty.

Weed sprinted around busily, wielding a club he had taken from an orc.

(Thirty meters ahead, goblins will appear. Once you take them out, head immediately to the right for your next hunt.)

(I have identified the patrol pattern of the goblin scouting party. A larger force will arrive soon. I’ll guide you to a good ambush location.)

(It’s not crucial, but there is a net trap set by the goblins. Best not to touch the large tree branch on the ground.)

The AI Versa functioned like an all-purpose navigator.

Hunting, and more hunting.

Weed could clearly feel his old instincts from the Royal Road days awakening.

‘This is the feeling.’

Hunting monsters and animals, steadily leveling up his character.

70%, 80%, 90%.

His condition steadily rose, and so did his focus.

Level up!

With each level-up, his strength and stamina increased. He could allocate bonus stat points to enhance his physical abilities further.

This steady progression gave virtual reality games their strong addictiveness.

(There are blue fruits under the bushes to your right. They’re used in magical potions. I recommend collecting them.)

For over twenty years, Weed had largely ignored the advice of the Versa AI.

But in Roanoke, he followed its directions diligently.

You have acquired a Dalfoni Fruit.

Versa didn’t just help during monster hunting—it also ensured he didn’t miss any valuable loot.

‘It’s actually pretty useful.’

(It seems you are finally recognizing my abilities after twenty years. I’ve always been highly competent. The only one who didn’t realize that… was you.)

While Weed continued to level up through hunting, his base physical stats were already exceptional since the beginning of Roanoke.

The club in Weed’s hand smashed the goblins’ heads.

“Gyaaaah!”

Goblins died with anguished screams.

You have gained experience.

You have temporarily acquired a new trait.

Contempt for the Weak!
Goblins feel deeply intimidated when they see you.
Their attack and defense power is reduced by 10%.

Weed cleaned up the goblins in the forest with precision.

He wiped out three goblin villages and chased down every last member of a goblin patrol unit.

The moment he broke through the first stage with perfect play—driven by a compulsion for optimal clearing—

(Judging by the traces on the ground and the goblin population limits in Roanoke, it will be difficult to find more monsters.)

‘Shame.’

Weed thought the battle ended too quickly for him to fully enjoy the feel of combat.

Still, the exhilaration of growth he hadn’t felt in a long time—especially in the deadly Hellfire Difficulty that no one else had cleared—made it feel all the more rewarding.

‘This world must be one where strength rules above all.’

(Indeed. Life for the weak will be very difficult.)

‘Back in Royal Road, I was always conscious of how people saw me. I was obsessed with being a good person…’

(That’s hard to agree with, considering you scammed players and ran pyramid schemes exploiting large labor forces.)

‘History always gets romanticized. I unified the Versa Continent, so I’m right.’

Weed picked up every last piece of loot and returned to the starting point of the Hellfire stage—where the orc had been.

“Kreeeek!”

The orc was trembling in fear.

Unlike its initial bravado, it now lay crippled, unable to flee due to dozens of broken limbs.

Weed raised the club high.

“Farewell.”

“Kreek!”

The orc closed its eyes, prepared to die.

As a warrior race, it didn’t fear death—but it was ashamed of defeat.

But the blow never came.

“Kree…?”

The orc opened one eye, a sliver of hope forming.

Could it be… the human wasn’t going to kill it to pass the Hellfire stage?

Maybe he intended to simply survive the required time and spare the orc?

As it watched in nervous anticipation, Weed slung the club back over his shoulder.

“You’re sparing me? Kreek! Maybe you want to fight again when I’m stronger? Kreek-kreek!”

But the orc had no idea what kind of person Weed really was.

Twenty years had passed since Royal Road, but people don’t change.

“Equipment should be used with care.”

“Kreek?”

“Who knows how long this club will last? Gotta conserve its durability.”

Instead of the club, Weed beat the orc to death with his bare fists.

You have cleared the first trial of the Hellfire Difficulty!
You not only survived the designated time limit, but also defeated the orc.
You demonstrated exceptional combat ability.

You have acquired two unique traits.

Dragon-Blooded (Stage 1): Strength +10%, HP +20%, Magic Resistance +5%
Warlord (Stage 1): Leadership +10%, Field of Vision +30%

In Roanoke, possessing unique traits greatly enhances character growth.

Even a single good trait could make someone virtually unreachable by mere level grinding.

Top-tier traits could evolve up to Stage 12.

‘Dragon-Blooded and Warlord… what kind of traits are these?’

(They are extremely powerful traits obtainable only through Hellfire Difficulty and a few special quests.)

As Weed marveled at the sheer value of the rewards for clearing Stage One of Hellfire Difficulty…

You have successfully exterminated all monsters in the Zervio Forest.
You’ve achieved a feat of complete domination and are granted a special reward.

You have acquired one unique trait and a piece of equipment.

Master Hunter (Stage 1): +5% attack power against monsters
You have obtained the Wind Bow.

Weed stared at the rewards in disbelief.

Unique traits and equipment?

“They’re just throwing out rewards like candy.”

The first users to enter Roanoke quickly fell in love with the world.

A desperate setting on the brink of ruin.

After character creation, most didn’t start in well-developed cities, but in small pioneer villages with only a few households.

And those villages often collapsed under monster or demon attacks.

“Ah, Surube Village is gone too.”

“Damn demon raids doubled the price of wine!”

“Let’s run!”

“Which refugee group is the safest?”

Some became refugees. Others became mercenaries guarding them.

Living in a dangerous, chaotic world—feeling raw, primal survival—was exhilarating.

The nobles and lords in Roanoke were horrifically greedy and self-serving.

“The village tax doubled compared to last month!”

“They’re crazy.”

“They raise taxes but don’t spend it on the military—just hoarding jewels.”

“There’s no hope here. Let’s move to the city.”

“Then the village will collapse.”

“Other users are already leaving. Staying means dying.”

Players of Roanoke loved this brutal game of life and death, of survival and growth.

The strong were respected. The weak bowed their heads.

That was the law of this lawless world.

But players began to grow uneasy when they realized…

They couldn’t log out.

“Ah crap, I’ve got a job interview today… guess I’m missing that. Jackpot?”

“I was gonna order chicken… I’m starving. Free diet program, I guess.”

At first, it seemed minor, but after a few hours stretched into days, people grew alarmed.

“Isn’t this log-out issue lasting too long?”

“It’s been three days now. Is this even okay?”

“Confirmed garbage game. Never playing again.”

“This is serious. Something’s really wrong.”

Those logged in through full-dive capsules began worrying about their real bodies.

Even the healthiest users had never fasted this long.

“I don’t feel hunger here, but my real body must be starving.”

“I could last without food, but not without water. Will I have to go to the hospital when I finally log out?”

“Hopefully my parents hooked me up to an IV.”

“Ah… I live alone. I’m a total loner. If I can’t log out, I might just die mid-game.”

As players fell into fear and confusion, an announcement appeared in-game from the developers:

Welcome to the world of Roanoke.

If you’re panicking because you can’t return to reality, don’t worry.

Your lives continue here, in Roanoke.

You’ve chosen this life.

From now on, don’t think about going back. Live your life sincerely in this dying world.

This is a free and beautiful world where anything is possible.

To our new residents of Roanoke, here’s what you need to know:

1. The log-out function has been completely removed.

2. Death in Roanoke is now permanent.

3. If Roanoke is destroyed, all players will die.

4. A streaming service will broadcast your lives to people in reality. You don’t have to be heroic—feel free to be cowardly or vile if that brings you joy.

You also don’t need to fear punishment for crimes anymore. If this world perishes, you won’t face justice in the real one.

Burn your final life to the fullest!

Think of it as a hardcore mode for those who loved Roanoke.

Please enjoy! ^^;;

“What the hell is this…?”

“This has to be a joke.”

“Is it April Fool’s already?”

Everyone thought the devs were pulling a deranged prank.

How else could you explain such an insane announcement?

No log-out. Death equals real death. And their every move would be broadcast to the real world?

“If there’s a bug, fix it already. What’s with this trash announcement?”

“They’re killing the game.”

“Seriously… what are they doing? I haven’t cursed enough, clearly.”

But even after the announcement, log-out remained impossible. And slowly, players began to realize—

“Wait… was that announcement serious? If I die here… I really die?”

“They’re completely insane!”