NOVEL NEXT Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Hellfire Difficulty, Stage 3
Weed observed the world of Roanoke firsthand, deciding on the user to summon.
Caw! Caw!
The sound of crows echoed through the air.
The landscape was desolate, filled with gray skies and the ruins of villages.
Fields that once grew crops were now burnt, with rotting corpses scattered along the roads.
“Is the entire Ils Continent like this?”
(Not entirely. The apocalypse hasn’t fully begun yet. It seems the Romos region has been devastated by noble disputes.)
In some villages, emaciated people in tattered clothes were struggling to work.
“I don’t see any players.”
(Most have moved to large cities.)
(In Roanoke, players can establish their own villages. They can either restore a ruined village or build a new one, becoming the lord of the land.)
“That was a feature supported in Royal Road too.”
Weed recalled his time as the lord of Morata.
Now in his 40s, his life was filled with memories, and seeing new things often brought back old memories.
“Expanding Morata Village in Royal Road was so much fun.”
(The residents here have a slightly different mindset than those in Royal Road. They have a severe fear of death and are poor.)
“So, they’re a bit rougher, huh.”
(Yes, they’re quick to revolt if they start starving.)
(Not all players are peaceful. Without proper defensive forces, they can easily turn into raiders.)
(In areas with established law and order, infamy builds, but if they commit a perfect crime, there’s no punishment.)
“That’s a bit unsettling.”
Weed’s gaze continued to scan the large city.
Magnificent towers and high walls were visible.
Archers were stationed on the protruding sections of the walls, which were designed for defense.
He noticed a player jumping off the high wall.
“What’s that about?”
(It seems that player chose death out of fear after Roanoke became a death game.)
Inside the city, players in shiny armor walked around with swords.
“They look skilled.”
(They’re members of the guild that rules the city. The guild that controls the region is known as the Line Guild, named for their practice of lining up to defend their territory during battles.)
“Do they maintain order in the city?”
(Rather than maintaining order, they fight other guilds and collect protection fees from players.)
“Nothing has changed since the days of Royal Road.”
(The guilds’ tyranny has become much worse. Players have become more aggressive.)
“Aggressive?”
(They think it’s only natural to use their power if they have it.)
Weed continued to examine the inside of the city.
He had to choose a player, after all.
“Let’s drink!”
“Yeah, let’s drink until we pass out.”
“We should’ve moved to a safer continent sooner. We could die any day now, so let’s just drink.”
“I still have some money left. I should spend it all before I die.”
In the shop, players were drinking heavily, creating a chaotic scene.
Relying on alcohol to cope with fear.
“There might be decent people, but it seems like a waste of time to find them.”
(You still need to choose someone.)
Weed found it troublesome to pick someone.
With the level 50 limit, Weed’s level had reached 40 after passing Hellfire Difficulty stages 1 and 2.
“Character Info.”
Character Name: Weed
Race: Human
Title: Challenger of Hellfire Difficulty
Fame: 0
Level: 40
Health: 830/830 Mana: 430/430
Strength: 64 Agility: 15 Endurance: 18
Magic Power: 22 Luck: 15
Constitution: 12
Traits: Dragon’s Vessel (Level 1), Warlord (Level 1), Hunting Master (Level 1), Seasoned Hunter
With his innate physical abilities and traits, his actual combat power far exceeded his level.
He didn’t expect to receive any help from others.
“You choose for me.”
(May I make the decision?)
“Yes, you’re better at it than I am.”
AI Versa began analyzing based on its vast database.
It quickly assessed the levels, abilities, real-life circumstances, relationships, and personalities of the players in the city.
(There are suitable candidates.)
“Select them.”
***
Three players in the city were summoned to the Hellfire Difficulty stage.
The message window they saw was shocking.
The Stage 3 Challenger of Hellfire Difficulty has chosen you as a companion.
Participate in the trial with the challenger and survive.
“Ah…”
“What?”
“Ugh!”
The players couldn’t believe their eyes.
There wasn’t a single player in Roanoke who hadn’t heard of the notorious Hellfire Difficulty.
“What? Hellfire?”
“No way… Why me…?”
“Was someone actually challenging this difficulty?”
“I want to quit! Please let me out!”
Two men and one woman.
They were so shocked and terrified that their minds went blank.
No one had ever passed the third stage of Hellfire Difficulty.
Being summoned here was essentially a death sentence.
Stage 3 Trial: The Remnants of the Imperial Army
The third stage of Hellfire Difficulty takes place in an abandoned fortress occupied by remnants of the Iprota Empire’s defeated army.
Within ten days, defeat the 300-strong group of remnants.
Warning! The remnants include two knights.
“Oh my God. It’s really Hellfire Stage 3.”
A man in his mid-40s, Barton, was one of the summoned players.
His class was a swordsman, and he had been playing Roanoke for three months.
Drawing on his experience from various games, he chose the difficulty “hard” during character creation.
He had some confidence in his combat skills, but the details of Hellfire Stage 3 that he already knew left him feeling hopeless.
“The knights’ levels usually exceed 60. And though they’re called remnants, they’re essentially a fully equipped army.”
Barton wasn’t confident he could defeat even one knight.
He remembered watching a video of a previous Hellfire Difficulty challenger.
The challenger had attacked and fled from the remnants, only to be caught and killed by the soldiers in the end.
Barton clung to a sliver of hope and asked the others.
“What are your classes and levels?”
“I’m Sen. I’m a priest, and my level is 35.”
“35?”
Sen’s level and class were too low for a Hellfire Stage 3 challenge.
The other person spoke up.
“I’m Luria. I’m an archer, and my level is 36. But honestly, I’m not confident.”
Luria, just over 20 years old, had the real name Seo Bitna.
She hadn’t lived a particularly bright life as her name suggested, having worked various part-time jobs, from convenience stores to other gigs.
“Wanna try Roanoke?”
“Me?”
“It’s a way to make money.”
She started playing Roanoke to earn money, selling items from hunting and gathering.
Because she mostly hunted in low-level areas and sold everything she got, her level and equipment weren’t very high.
Barton, understanding the situation, asked the two.
“So, what do we do now?”
The other players had no answers.
While a priest and an archer could assist in combat, it would be difficult to do much in the abandoned fortress where the remnants were stationed.
Barton explained.
“I’ve seen a video of someone attempting Hellfire Stage 3.”
“What was it like?”
“Is there a solution?”
Luria and Sen were keenly interested.
Having information about Hellfire Difficulty was incredibly valuable.
“The abandoned fortress has 2-3 meter-high walls, making it very advantageous for defense. The soldiers are called remnants, but they’re actually well-armed, well-trained elite troops. They’re so vigilant that you’ll be spotted if you get too close.”
“Oh…”
“There were hardly any openings. The soldiers are skilled in actual combat, patrol diligently, and the knights respond quickly.”
The famous players who challenged Hellfire Difficulty all failed at Stage 3.
It was so hopelessly difficult that it was known as the Fortress of Despair.
The three players, discussing their situation, felt death closing in.
***
Weed had summoned the three players to Hellfire Difficulty, but he was busy with other matters.
He had just connected to the newly discovered Legendary Library.
“It’s convenient to be able to access this from anywhere. In my day, you had to visit a city in person to reach the library.”
(People these days don’t like waiting.)
The Legendary Library that Weed entered was a vast place, covered in layers of dust from the passage of time.
Endless rows of bookshelves filled the space.
[ Swordsmanship ] [ Magic ] [ Summoning ] [ Spirit Magic ] [ Blacksmithing ] [ History ] [ Culture ] [ Monsters ]
“So, this is where I get skills.”
(You can also discover history and secrets. It costs Legendary Points to view related records.)
The fields of swordsmanship and magic would undoubtedly help him clear Hellfire Difficulty.
There was much to read and reference.
“It might
be a waste of time, but…”
Weed, recalling his old memories, decided to look for sculpting.
The class he resented the most in Royal Road was the sculptor.
Weaker in attack than other classes, with no defensive skills at all.
With each level, its health and mana increased only slightly, making it a class full of weaknesses when fighting strong enemies.
[ Sculpting ]
“So, they have sculpting here too.”
Weed took out a book on sculpting and began reading.
Sculpting: You can carve sculptures. Beautiful sculptures can sell for a high price. Good for impressing women.
“Huh?”
The text seemed oddly familiar.
As he flipped through the book, he came across a section about the special techniques of sculpting.
Sculpture Transformation: The miraculous technique of an unknown sculptor.
Change your body into the sculpture you’ve created.
Weed couldn’t help but be amazed.
“What’s going on here?”
Sculpture Transformation, Great Disaster Sculpting, Life Bestowal on Sculptures.
Various secret techniques of sculpting were all here in the Legendary Library.
AI Versa explained.
(The sequel to Royal Road that you created, Seven Stars, didn’t receive an overwhelming response from the public.)
“That’s how it was. The popularity of Royal Road hadn’t completely faded, and technological improvements don’t necessarily mean more fun.”
People weren’t ready to leave the familiar Royal Road behind.
(You instructed that the technologies related to virtual reality be opened up to other companies. So that people could develop and enjoy them freely.)
The data and key technologies used to create Royal Road and Seven Stars were made public.
Many game companies took on the challenge, and some of the data remained intact.
“I see.”
Weed understood what had happened. He quickly returned the sculpting book to its original place.