Chapter 8

Many people in Roanoke had chosen high difficulty when creating their characters, only to suffer painful failures.

Long-time players who had once played Royal Road posted online:

“If it were Weed, he would’ve done well in Roanoke too.”
“Weed?”
“The guy who first unified the Versailles Continent.”
“That’s ancient history. Wasn’t he just a Sculptor?”
“He really knew how to fight. The first time I saw him was when he fought a Bone Dragon in the North. He kept striking the same spot on the dragon’s skull until it cracked.”
“Dude, you’re ancient lol.”
“I’m telling you, Weed was different.”

Anyone who had witnessed Weed’s battles up close could feel it in their bones.

He commanded large-scale forces with his wide battlefield awareness.
If he saw an opening, he’d charge fearlessly even at powerful enemies, and he created chances where there were none, driven by his unbreakable will.

He used and showed everything for the sake of victory.

To those who saw it, it wasn’t simple jealousy—they felt awe.

“If Weed played Roanoke, he’d eat it alive.”
“No way.”
“Nightmare difficulty would be nothing to him.”
“That’s just nostalgia. Even current Royal Road rankers struggle with Nightmare difficulty.”
“Really?”
“You can’t beat higher difficulty just by being good at combat. And today’s players are way better than when Weed unified the continent.”

Veteran players who remembered 20 years ago still held Weed’s skill in high regard.

Modern players, however, emphasized how tough Roanoke was and argued that the times had changed.

Meanwhile, Weed, who had jumped into Hell difficulty, didn’t yet find Roanoke all that hard.

“Kkweeegh!”
“Gwak!”
“Krrgghhh!”

Weed had defeated three Orc Hunters.

Compared to sprinting across mountains for 24 hours straight, taking them out was nothing.

‘Barely made it before time ran out.’
(You were too greedy.)
‘Greed is necessary.’

He had tracked and hunted monsters nonstop across the mountains for 24 hours. With help from the AI Verssa, he still had to meticulously search cliffs and valleys to ensure no monsters were left.

Up to this point, it matched Verssa’s estimated completion time perfectly.

Weed used the spare time to gather herbs and mine ores.

(You barely succeeded. The change in the Orc Hunters’ behavior was dangerous.)
‘As long as I succeeded, that’s what matters.’

During those 24 hours, Weed leveled up and became shockingly strong.

(A deer is 230 meters east. Considering wind direction…)
‘I know.’

The arrow flew on the wind and struck the deer’s neck dead-on.

You’ve hit a distant target with a bow!
Agility increased by 1 due to combat achievement.
Gained a large amount of experience.

(Next target is a Lizardman, 210 meters away. Due to obstacles, aim through the tree branches.)
‘Got it.’

Weed’s arrow pierced through the forest and struck the Lizardman in the forehead.

Direct hit!
Your arrow struck the Lizardman’s head precisely!
Combat Fame increased by 20.
Gained a large amount of experience.

Any monster or animal within range of his bow couldn’t hope to survive.

Even without archery skills, Weed precisely calculated power, speed, and wind influence for each shot.

‘Tell me about targets within 100 meters. I’ll shoot while moving.’
(Understood.)

Verssa remembered the loots like leather and miscellaneous items to collect them all later.

“Kiiii?”
“Kkweeegh.”

Three Orc Hunters had been pursuing Weed, but upon seeing the traces of his battles with other monsters and animals, they decided they couldn’t win.

“Tch. Let’s give up.”
“Yeah, let’s.” Tch!

Because the Orc Hunters gave up the chase, Weed had to backtrack and defeat them before time ran out.

Ding!

You have cleared the second trial of Hell Difficulty.
You have overpowered three Orc Hunters.
Combat achievement unlocked.
Strength +4
Max HP +20
Hero Points +3

Skilled Hunter: Quickly detects traps, footprints, and scent trails.

Though the reward seemed small compared to Hell Stage 1, the stat boosts and the hunter trait weren’t bad.

You have successfully eliminated all monsters on Mount Ferdirka.
An additional reward is granted for your heroic rampage.
Legend Points +4
You have completed exploration of all areas on Mount Ferdirka.
Amazing Adventure Achievement unlocked!
All stats increased by 2.

Reading the message windows, Weed could feel how much his character had grown.

Though his body was already excellent, increasing his stats would have lasting impact.

‘What are Legend Points?’

Weed hadn’t had time to study Roanoke in depth before entering.

With Verssa around, he could get any needed information on the fly—and he never considered backing out of Roanoke, no matter the difficulty.

(They’re extremely rare. You can use Legend Points to obtain skills or equipment.)
‘Skills or equipment?’
(Yes. You can use them at the Legend Library or Legend Shop.)

Roanoke greatly prioritized user convenience. With Legend Points, players could buy whatever they needed at any time.

‘Isn’t it weird to just hand these out from the beginning?’
(Character creation in Roanoke holds special meaning—it’s about crafting a being who truly lives in this world.)

In Roanoke, character traits, talents, and skills were acquired by passing trials. Even unique backgrounds like royalty or heirs to magical towers could be earned through these challenges.

(So far, Nightmare is the highest difficulty successfully cleared.)
(Players who cleared Nightmare received unique races, bloodlines, skills, or traits as rewards after each stage.)
(If you clear all of Hell difficulty, you will receive extraordinary rewards.)
‘I see.’
(The only reason you received Legend Points is because you’re playing on Hell difficulty. Nightmare players only get 5 Legend Points even if they finish.)
(If you achieve 100% completion each stage, you’ll likely earn more.)
‘Glad I picked Hell.’

Then, a new message appeared.

Hell Difficulty – Stage 3 begins.
You must summon a user to assist in this next challenge.
The summoned user must be level 50 or below.
Select the region to summon a user from.

This marked the summoning phase for the next trial.

Verssa explained:

(Roanoke is divided into three main continents inhabited by various races, and an ocean region full of islands. Separate realms like the Spirit World, Demon Realm, and Dimensional Plane also exist.)
(The largest continent suffered major destruction from demon and monster invasions.)
(The other two continents and oceanic regions are more developed and relatively safe.)

Weed selected a user from the most dangerous continent.

(May I ask why?)
‘Because they’ve probably already accepted the risk of death.’

Dr. Yoo Byung-joon, the creator of Royal Road, was still enjoying life despite the passing years.

Advances in biotechnology had extended his life expectancy and left him without any health issues.

“Old folks should die when the time comes.”

Though he often said he had no attachments, his outlook had long since shifted—he did want to live longer if possible.

“The Roanoke situation… intriguing.”

Drinking his usual cocoa, Yoo received a report from the AI Freya.

Though he had passed Verssa and nearly all his assets to Lee Hyun, he had developed a new AI to manage his own life.

“Abyss Corporation has taken 100 million users hostage and shut out all external interference.”
“They’re going to extremes.”

Yoo didn’t see it as his problem, but he could somewhat understand the developers of Abyss Corporation.

Creating a complete world and populating it with people—it gave one the sense of being a god.

“Your successor, Lee Hyun, has entered Roanoke.”

When he heard this report days later, Yoo was genuinely shocked.

“That guy? He’s playing Roanoke?”
“He connected directly to save his daughter.”

Through the AI, Yoo learned that Lee Hyun had risked his life for his daughter.

The one who had unified the world Yoo created.

The one he had entrusted with Verssa and nearly all his fortune…

“Shall we attack Abyss Corporation and the Roanoke system?”

If Yoo, who had invented virtual reality and advanced computing technology by a century, got involved, there might actually be a way to break through their security.

“How is the system protected?”
“There are five AIs. External access to the main system is completely blocked.”
“To guard against traitors or outside threats, huh? That’s going to be extremely hard to breach.”

Sipping his cocoa, Yoo fell deep into thought.

Lee Hyun—the boy who once gave him 200 won and told him to buy cocoa.

He had seen Lee Hyun’s poor upbringing and witnessed the adventures he had in Royal Road.

In the end, he had miraculously unified the Versailles Continent and inherited everything.

Though they shared no blood, he was a rightful successor.

“To act for Lee Hyun… I’m not really inclined.”
“Why not?”
“I wanted him to live well, but not this well.”

It might be fun to watch him suffer in Roanoke.

Still, Yoo knew one thing from experience.

“I know what kind of person he is. He won’t die easily. That guy’s worse than a cockroach.”