Chapter 9

Stage 3 of the Hell Difficulty.

Weed now stood in the world of Roanoke, surveying it himself to choose which users to summon.

Caw! Caw!

The cries of crows echoed around him.

A desolate landscape of ashen skies and ruined villages stretched endlessly. Fields once used for farming were scorched, and rotting corpses littered the roadside.

“Is the entire Ils Continent like this?”

(“Not exactly. The downfall hasn’t fully begun yet. It looks like the Romos region was devastated by noble conflicts.”)

In some villages, gaunt, ragged people worked with difficulty.

“I don’t see any users.”

(“Most have moved to the large cities.”)

(“In Roanoke, users can establish their own towns. They can either rebuild ruined villages or found entirely new ones and become lords.”)

“That was a supported feature in Royal Road too.”

Weed recalled becoming the lord of Morata.

Now in his 40s, he had accumulated plenty of memories from his life. Encountering new things often brought back recollections of the past, and it felt a little dull if he didn’t reflect on them.

“Expanding Morata was a lot of fun back then.”

(“The disposition of the residents here is a bit different from those in Royal Road. They’re deeply anxious about death and live in poverty.”)

“So they’re a little rougher.”

(“Yes, if they go hungry, they’ll rebel without hesitation.”)

(“And not all users are well-behaved. Without a strong defense force, they quickly turn to raiding.”)

(“In lawless areas, you gain infamy, but if you commit the perfect crime, there’s no punishment at all.”)

“That’s a bit much.”

Weed shifted his gaze toward a major city.

Massive towers and high walls loomed, with archers stationed along protruding battlements designed for defense.

Then, from atop a tall wall, a user jumped.

“What was that?”

(“They were likely overwhelmed by the fear of this death-game world and chose suicide.”)

Inside the city, users clad in shining armor walked with swords in hand.

“They look competent.”

(“They’re members of the guilds that dominate the cities. In battles, they form lines to protect their turf. Such factions are referred to as ‘Line Guilds.’”)

“So they’re the ones maintaining order?”

(“More like fighting rival guilds and extorting protection money from users.”)

“No different from the Royal Road days.”

(“Actually, guild tyranny has gotten worse. Users have become more aggressive.”)

“Aggressive?”

(“If they have power, they feel it’s only natural to use it.”)

Weed continued scanning the city interior.

He had to choose someone—anyone—to summon.

“Let’s drink!”

“Yeah, let’s drink until we pass out tonight!”

“Should’ve moved to a safer continent. No idea when I’ll die, so might as well drink.”

“I still have money left. Might as well spend it before I die.”

The shops were in chaos, packed with users guzzling down alcohol.

Drinking—just a way to cope with fear.

“There might be some decent people in there, but it’d be a waste of time to check them all.”

(“Still, you have to choose.”)

Weed found the process of selecting someone annoying.

The level cap was 50.

After passing Hell Difficulty Stages 1 and 2, he had reached Level 40.

“Character info.”

Character Name: Weed
Race: Human
Title: Challenger of Hell Difficulty
Fame: 0
Class: Unemployed

Level: 40
Health: 830 / 830
Mana: 430 / 430

Strength: 64
Agility: 15
Stamina: 18
Magic: 22
Luck: 15
Constitution: 12

Traits: Dragon-Bearer (Lv.1), Warlord (Lv.1), Master of the Hunt (Lv.1), Skilled Hunter

Thanks to his natural body and traits, his actual combat strength far exceeded his level.

He wasn’t planning to ask anyone for help.

“Pick someone yourself.”

(“Am I allowed to decide?”)

“Yeah. You’d make a better choice than me.”

The AI, Versailles, began analyzing with its vast database.

It quickly assessed the users in the city—their levels, abilities, real-life profiles, friendships, and personalities.

(“I’ve found suitable candidates.”)

“Choose them.”

Three users from the city were summoned into Hell Difficulty.

The message window that appeared before them was a shock.

“The Challenger of Hell Difficulty Stage 3 has selected you as a companion.
Face the trial together and survive.”

“…Ah.”

“Huh?”

“Uwaah!”

The users stared at the message window in disbelief.

Everyone in Roanoke had heard of the infamous Hell Difficulty.

“What? Hell Difficulty?”

“Why is this happening…?”

“Someone’s actually attempting that right now?!”

“I forfeit. Let me out of here!”

Two men and one woman.

They were so shaken, their minds went blank. All they could feel was fear.

No one had ever cleared Stage 3 of Hell Difficulty.

Being summoned here was basically a death sentence.

The remnants of the Iprota Military Empire.

Stage 3 of Hell Difficulty takes place in an abandoned fortress occupied by military remnants.
You must defeat the group of 300 within 10 days.

Warning: Two knights are among the enemy.

“…My god. It really is Stage 3,” said Barton, a mid-40s man and a user.

He was a swordsman and had been playing Roanoke for 3 months.

With prior gaming experience, he had chosen Hard Difficulty at character creation.

Though confident in battle, seeing the reality of Stage 3 left him utterly disheartened.

“The knights are usually level 60 or higher. And though they’re called ‘remnants,’ it’s basically a full army.”

Barton didn’t believe he could beat even one knight.

He recalled watching a video of someone challenging Stage 3.

The user would repeatedly attack the remnants and flee, only to get caught and killed in the end.

Barton clung to a sliver of hope and asked the others, “What are your classes and levels?”

“I’m Sen, a priest. Level 35.”

“35…?”

Too low a level—and priest wasn’t suited for offense.

The other user spoke up.

“I’m Luria. An archer, level 36. But to be honest, I’m not confident.”

She had just turned 20. Her real name was Seo Bit-na.

Despite her radiant name, her life hadn’t been easy—working part-time jobs from convenience stores onward.

“You should try Roanoke.”

“Me?”

“You can make money from it.”

She had started “rice farming” (in-game farming for cash) on a capsule rig at the recommendation of a frequent customer.

Hunting, gathering, selling everything she got—her gear and level remained modest.

Understanding the situation, Barton asked, “So… what do we do now?”

The others had no answer.

A priest and an archer—classes useful in combat, but not equipped for infiltrating a fortress filled with soldiers.

Barton began to explain.

“I’ve seen a video of someone trying Stage 3.”

“What was it like?”

“Did they find a way?”

Luria and Sen leaned in with interest.

Any information about Hell Difficulty was incredibly valuable.

“The abandoned fortress has walls about 2 or 3 meters high, so it’s great for defense. These so-called ‘remnants’ are practically elite troops—well-equipped and well-trained. They’re strict about patrols, and they detect you the moment you approach.”

“…Ah…”

“There weren’t any real weaknesses. The soldiers were skilled, patrolled constantly, and the knights responded instantly.”

That was why even the most famous users had failed Stage 3.

It was called “Fortress of Despair” because no one could find a way through.

The three of them shared a sense of doom.

Meanwhile, having summoned the three users, Weed was off doing something else entirely.

He was now accessing the newly discovered Legendary Library.

“Being able to access it from anywhere is convenient. Back in my day, you had to visit the city in person to use a library.”

(“People these days hate waiting.”)

The Legendary Library was enormous, filled with shelves stretching endlessly into the distance. Dust blanketed the space, as if it hadn’t been touched for ages.

[Swordsmanship], [Magic], [Summoning], [Elementalism], [Blacksmithing], [History], [Culture], [Monsters]

“So you get skills from these shelves.”

(“You can also uncover history and secrets. But accessing those records consumes Legend Points.”)

Swordsmanship and magic would be great help in overcoming Hell Difficulty.

There were many things to study and reference.

“Might be a waste of time, but…”

Weed began searching for Sculpting, bringing back memories.

Back in Royal Road, sculptor was the class he hated most.

It had low attack, no defense skills, and only a tiny boost to HP and mana with each level-up. It was a class full of weaknesses.

[Sculpting]

“So sculptors exist here too.”

He pulled out a book on sculpting and began to read.

Sculpting: Allows carving. Beautiful sculptures can be sold at high prices. Good for impressing women.

“…Huh?”

It was a familiar phrase.

He flipped through more pages and found descriptions of special sculpting techniques.

Sculptural Transformation: A mysterious skill of an unknown sculptor.
Allows the user to transform their body into a crafted sculpture.

Weed couldn’t help but be shocked.

“How…?”

Sculptural Transformation, Catastrophic Natural Sculpting, Life Bestowal on Sculptures…

All the secret sculpting techniques were right there in the Legendary Library.

Versailles explained.

(“This game is the successor to Royal Road, created by Master. After the release of Seven Stars, the public reaction was lukewarm.”)

“Makes sense. Royal Road’s popularity wasn’t completely gone. And better graphics don’t automatically mean more fun.”

People weren’t ready to let go of Royal Road.

(“Master ordered that virtual reality tech be opened up to other companies so people could develop and enjoy it freely.”)

The data and core technologies from Royal Road and Seven Stars were made public.

Many game companies began new ventures, and some of that massive data—including sculpting secrets—remained intact.

“I see now.”

Weed understood what had happened.

Then he quickly shoved the sculpting book back onto the shelf.