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9.31% The legendary Moonlight Sculptor / Chapter 15: Chapter 5 The One Who Does the Worst

Chapter 15: Chapter 5 The One Who Does the Worst

Weed and his party members managed to safely gather the Skeleton Knight bones from the first floor of Memphis Hall and complete their quest.

However, there was bad news as well.Apparently, Pale, Romuna and Irene were real life friends who lived in the same neighborhood. In fact, Surka was Romuna's younger sister. They had not mentioned anything so as not to make Weed feel awkward.But now, they had to reveal the truth.

"Sorry… our parents…"

"It seems we won't be able to get online for a while."

They had already become addicted to Royal Road and played continuously to the point of even skipping school but their parents, who had been on vacation, soon found out. Obviously, they were all grounded.

"You guys… are playing games instead of doing homework?"

"GO TO SCHOOL RIGHT NOW!"

The log-in licenses to the expensive capsules were thus confiscated, and their requests for extended leave from school were cancelled. But luckily they had learnt their lesson from watching Weed that success depended on the ability to find profit even in an unfavorable situation! They simply made their parents log onto Royal Road asking them to just experience it for themselves.

A new player could go outside the castle in four weeks. Their parents, however, were completely satisfied with staying confined. After all, it was a perfect rendition of a fantasy world.

The parents had grown up playing games and reading fantasy novels. But when they got jobs and started raising children, they were no longer able to do these things. This here, however, was a whole new universe. The paradise they've been dreaming of.

This game is like a whole new world where they can escape from their work and business without going to faraway country.

"Games are not all that bad."

"It's certainly fun."

"By the way, Jungee's mom, I heard you got a 'quest' at the Weapons Shop?"

"Yes, it's really more of a chore. I have to buy five Whetstones for the shop…"

"Do you have enough money?"

"Yep. I got 3 silvers to buy them. Whetstones are 50 coppers, so I'll be left with 50 coppers to spare."

"Share with us!"

The parents started at Serabourg Castle all together. They wandered around together, doing quests and befriending the NPCs.

Like that, four in-game weeks went by but in the real world only a week had passed. Now the parents were free to go in and out of the castle. When Pale and Surka had told them they could now leave the castle their parents just laughed.

"Come on… how can we hunt monsters?"

"Hunting is for you youngsters."

"We like staying in the castle and helping people, doing chores for money, which we can then use to buy good food."

But upon leaving the castle out of curiosity, the parents' attitudes changed dramatically. The following was the conversation that transpired between Romuna and her parents.

"Bastard Swords deal more damage than Long Swords… Why is that?"

"Because it's a two-handed sword. It's big and heavy, so you can't swing it as fast."

"So you mean instead of several small hits, it's one strong hit?"

"Yep."

"That's the kind of weapon I want… But the Bastard Sword costs over 10 gold from the shop…"

"Should I buy one for you?"

"Well… I'll only say this now… But how much do you think we went through raising you? When you were just a baby, we provided you the best food and covered you in the best clothes. Since we care so much about you, we don't really want to force you to…"

Pale's situation was quite similar. His parents were schoolteachers and thus very strict. When he was young, he could not so much as breathe loudly in front of his parents. His father, who had been an Army Ranger in his youth, had developed significant charisma from his years in the military. On the night he left the castle for a short time, Pale had the following discussion with his father over dinner:

"Hmm, it seems those damn foxes are very strong."

"…?"

Pale, whose real name was Oh Dongman, was thinking hard to figure out what his father was saying.

His father hinted once again. "Damn foxes. They're too strong.".

Only then did it occur to Oh Dongman.

"They're a bit challenging at first. If you don't have any equipment, that is."

"I do have some…"

"You didn't try to fight them on your own, did you?"

"I did…"

"Well of course it's hard if you try to fight the foxes alone. At your level, Dad, it's almost impossible"

"Th-then you mean you can beat them? Foxes?"

"Of course."

Oh Dongman's father grasped his son's hands."Avenge your father!"

Like that, the parents were also sucked into the world of Royal Road. Since neighboring families were also playing the game together, Royal Road became hot topic at town meetings and family gatherings.

Now, instead of discussing real estate and finance, parents chatted about Royal Road over drinks. Apparently, there were many people their age that played the game. They had, in fact, been late to discover the joy of Royal Road.

Hyun had long since predicted that a day like this would come. In most games, the value of items dropped over time. Same for currency like gold or silver. This was natural since the average levels of users rises over time. However, if the users are not confined to 10 to 20 year olds, and if adults who are set for life become addicted to Royal Road, the value of the game's currency would not diminish.

When there was a great item, people started a bidding war. They bought weapons, armor and accessories the same way they bought good cars.

This actually had more merit than in the real world. If one went into battle wearing good equipment, then they could actually feel themselves becoming stronger and taste the sweetness of victory.

As time went by, more middle-aged users appeared, buying items at increasingly high prices as if they were buying race cars. This was also how the parents were lured into playing Royal Road.

Due to this, Pale and the party were no longer able to train in Lavias.

"Sorry, but we have to help our parents. At least until they adjust to the game…"

Pale spoke without hiding his disappointment. Weed understood why they had to go. It was unavoidable since they were doing it for their parents. However, Weed still had things to do, so he stayed behind alone in Lavias.

"328,200 won spent on food this month. I heard the price of rice is increasing. But we should still avoid imported rice…"

Hyun was writing on his accounts ledger.

He did not want Hye Yeon or his grandmother to eat American rice, which might be genetically modified. Regardless of how cheap it was, it just simply could not be trusted.

"We've been spending too much. I should stop using the recipes I had learnt online. Next is the heating… but there's no way to save money on that because of grandma."

Hyun checked all the expenses of the month. He had shopped for groceries, cooked food, cleaned the house and handled the money all on his own.

Only a meager 90 million remained of his family's entire fortune after the loan sharks seized 3 billion. At one stage, his anger had led to many sleepless nights but in the end he was able to calm himself. That was all in the past. He even felt somewhat relieved knowing it was all over. He would have continued to suffer had the debts not been paid off.

They hounded Hyun for eight years, waiting for Hyun to become an adult so they could force him into dangerous work like drug dealing or worse – murdering members of rival groups. If Hyun was caught, they could just bribe the police and frame him for all their crimes. That was how they avoided most of their troubles with law enforcers.

Hyun had lived such a troubled childhood that the press and public would simply assume it was only natural for him to have committed these crimes.

One might even say such people deserved to be punished since there was no hope of salvation for them. But the wiser would understand the dangers these people had endured. Surely they too were afraid of going to jail? After all, what would happen to their families if they were arrested?

He only had his grandmother and his little sister.

The thought of them waiting for Hye Yeon to become an adult was truly frightening. Or perhaps they would not even bother to wait that long. Young women sold for better prices, after all. In Hyun's case, a young man dealing drugs and murdering other gang members would undoubtedly draw attention.

Most people cannot fathom why a young boy would go as far as to deal drugs and assassinate gang members. Perhaps they're forced into it, or perhaps they're being framed.

If Hyun had gone to jail in such a manner, leaving his baby sister to live a hard and cruel life, he might have gone insane. Clearing the debt prevented all that from happening.

"90 million won. Plus another nine million if we add the five that we got from selling the old house and the four million we saved for emergencies."

However, they had spent 50 million on a new house. They were able to buy a house for that little because it was in a less desirable neighborhood. Though they had 49 million won remaining after that, they had spent around 20 million over the last year. Looking back, it was an incredible loss. To begin with, the capsule for playing Royal Road cost 10 million, and the monthly subscription fee was 300,000. The rest had gone to basic living expenses and Hye Yeon's school fees.

"29 million won… Just about enough to last around 2 more years."

Hyun, dressed in a uniform, fell to despair. It was time to start living an even thriftier lifestyle.

"Oppa, I'm home!"

At that moment, Hye Yeon opened the door and entered the room. Surprised, Hyun quickly hid his accounts book and bank book inside his uniform.

"You're early. Your grades come in today, right?"

"Yeah, here it is."

"Let's see…"

Hyun impatiently opened the report card. This was an important moment for Hye Yeon, who was in her second year of high school.

"3rd place in your class, 14th place in your grade… Your rank went up a bit since last time."

"Of course! Whose sister do you think I am?"

"Well, let's leave it at that."

"What's with that tone?"

Hye Yeon pouted.

Hyun then looked at the list of prospective colleges at the bottom of the report. Korea University was at the top of the list, with a 98% chance of her being accepted. Until a short time ago, she would hang out with kids who might have been a bad influence, but Hye Yeon still had a good brain. Once she returned to being his gentle little sister, her grades improved rapidly. Eventually, it became almost certain that she would be able to get into university.

'Still…'

One could spend over 10 million won a week going to college. Not just paying for classes, but transportation, food and books, so that she can keep up with her peers.

* * *

"These test results are very good. Eyesight isn't bad, and the liver and kidneys are very healthy."

"How is the marrow?"

"Great. Though for a bone marrow transplant, there needs to be a matching recipient. But I'm sure a buyer will appear soon. The reactions of the intestines are very good, and the bloodstream is also free from infections."

Hyun listened to each and every word spoken by the doctor.

"Then the tests are over?"

"Yes."

"Thank you. Please send me the documents. I will sell whatever makes me the most money fast. But let me wait 1 year and 4 months. If I still need the money then, I'll get the surgery."

"I will send the documents."

Coming out of the hospital, Hyun didn't feel any better hearing he was physically healthy.

Selling organs.

He had discovered this hospital through the black market. 50 million won for a single eyeball, 30 million for a kidney. Though livers and bone marrow needed a compatible recipient, they could be sold for about 20 million won each. He had only about 1 year and 4 months left.

Royal Road would become money, he was certain of that. However, he needed to consider the alternate possibilities. If Hye Yeon needed more money to go to college, Hyun was prepared to sell his body parts.

Royal Road, a game to be enjoyed.

But Hyun could not afford the luxury of being so carefree. He had to force himself to work harder to earn more money and become Royal Road's richest man.

'Lee Hye Yeon, you must succeed my unfulfilled dreams. I will make sure you won't have to make the sacrifices that I have had to make.'

Hyun, wearing worn-out clothes, came back home muttering like a possessed man. He did not care what happened to him. Losing one eye would not affect his life much, not when it came to earning money.

He wanted to make sure that at least his sister would grow up cheerfully away from the harshness of life.

If one went through too much hardship, a shadow would appear across the face. It is inevitable since they would be different from those who grew up in a good environment. The mind would weaken, giving way to fear which in turn erodes self-confidence. Out of greed, Hyun had tried hard even at a young age to attain the confidence and intellect attributed to rich kids.

Even if he himself could not eat or be clothed properly, he would make sure his little sister would never need to be jealous of others. There aren't many men who would do this for their younger sister. Maybe not all older brothers are like this, but Hyun's feelings for his little sister were unrivaled. She wasn't just his little sister.

Hye Yeon had lost her parents at a young age. Since then, the one who cared for her and raised her was not the busy grandmother, but Hyun himself.

* * *

Now, there was no Irene's holy magic, nor Romuna's AOE spells or alarms. Surka's relentless punches were nowhere to be found, nor were Pale's lightning-fast range attacks. Nevertheless, Weed still had himself.

Hunting in a party was fine, but with more people arguments were inevitable, wasting time. In the worst case, the hunt ended before it could even begin.

In comparison, hunting solo had the benefit of simplicity. There was no pointless wasting of time and proved great for raising skill points. It was better to fight solo to improve Sword Mastery and other combat techniques.

"Grr, human!"

A Skeleton Knight, radiating battle aura, swung its sword. The armored Skeleton Knight's with its quick moves were undoubtedly intimidating, but Weed's moves were also unique. Gliding smoothly, he dodged the Skeleton Knight's attacks as he slowly whittled away his opponent's health. As a result, the Skeleton Knight's movements began to slow.

"Sculpting Blade!"

Finally, Weed's sword shattered the Skeleton Knight's ribcage. The light faded from the hollow eyes, an affirmation of death. Fights in Royal Road were very realistic. The special effects for things getting broken or smashed were flawless.

A solo player had great opportunities to boost the Strength stat. This particular stat determined the power behind attacks, just like in the real world. A player used that power when fighting monsters. Maximum damage was not dealt if attacks did not employ strength. For example, a punch thrown while running away had much lower destructive power as opposed to a punch thrown at a close range. Therefore, damage was determined by how much one could control his own power. Posture, muscle use, proximity, and explosion of power.

Royal Road was a virtual reality game that allowed players to exploit an enemy's weakness. Players of Royal Road, like veteran warriors, were keenly aware of their own strength. Not just via numbers on their stat window, but by actually experiencing their own destructive power. There was such joy in destruction! Of course, Weed was no exception.

He dedicated himself to practicing swordsmanship for a year in order to master accuracy, dodging and the basics of battle. Through his many practice matches, he became unafraid of battles to the point of actually enjoying fights against strong opponents.

The sword became his way and his tool. The sword was the best tool to use to understand the basics of movement and fighting. Of course, a person who startedRoyal Road without learning swordsmanship or martial arts could still become familiar with fighting skills. Actually, that was how most players did it, thinking of it as just another part of the game to get used to. But their perspective was different.

The tree whose roots run deep will grow taller. A player who fought monsters without a foundation in swordsmanship could only grow up deformed. Weed had practiced swordsmanship for a year before ever facing a monster! And by fighting progressively stronger monsters, his skills improved. This was the reason Weed was even stronger than his stats suggested.

"Hmm… With this, I have all the items I need to complete the quest."

"Whew… I should just replenish the mana." Weed's mana was half depleted, so he decided to take a brief break.

Since Weed was doing the work of many people on his own, he was always on the alert, never truly relaxing. While he waited for his mana to replenish, he sat and sculpted with enthusiasm. The sculpture he was making was in the shape of a crow.

Making a sculpture for the first time significantly raises both the Art stat and Sculpture Mastery. Since Weed had decided to make each new sculpture unique, his Art stat and Sculpture Mastery were rising quickly. His goal was to make sculptures for each Avian tribe in Lavias.

Weed returned to Lavias and distributed the sculptures he had made to the Avians.

"This sculpture is the only one of its kind in the entire world. I sculpted all your appearances with my own hands!"

"Thanks."

Each Avian received a sculpture that resembles them. As they took them, they said, "I can't take this for free."

"How much do you want me to give you?"

Each time they asked, Weed gave the same reply. "Let's not complicate our relationship by getting money involved. But I'm very interested in Lavias. Could you tell me something about this city?"

"Mmm… Then I'll tell you about the Northern Nest…"

"I'll tell you about the habits of the undead in the underground."

The Avians' stories became an important source of information. Though they were mostly just useless gossip, sometimes there was information about quests or hunting grounds.

Weed went to the Crow, who stood in front of the armor shop.

"What is this?"

"I made this sculpture for Crow-nim."

"Hoh, thank you," Crow said, flapping his wings in appreciation. Then he spoke up, as if a thought had just occurred to him. "Have you ever gone to the Dead Warrior's Cave?"

"The Dead Warrior's Cave?"

"Yes, if you come out of Memphis Hall and walk north for thirty minutes, you can see the entrance. Careful, though, there are Ghouls, Skeleton Mercenaries and Dullahan there. You won't survive if you go in without proper preparations."

In Royal Road, levels rose faster when fighting monsters above your own level. Skeleton Soldiers and Mages were no longer a match for Weed, and he was getting bored of the Skeleton Knights that only wandered around alone.

Weed prepared his bag with an abundance of medicinal herbs, food and fresh water. On the Continent, Weed would only need things like condiments and spices, since he could find edible plants or catch and cook animals with his Cooking Skills. But since Memphis Hall had only the Undead, he had to pack food.

On his way to the grocery store he met an Avian resembling a parrot."Oh, a human traveler. Come, come!"

"Nice to meet you," replied Weed with a sigh.

'What a bird-brain.'

Weed had met this Avian resembling a parrot a while ago, and of course given him a sculpture as a token of friendship. He had liked it very much at the time. But a few days later, Weed visited him again and he had forgotten all about Weed.

When Weed tried to remind him about the sculpture, he angrily told Weed not to talk nonsense. He then called Weed a thief and threw him out. Frustrated, Weed visited him yet again and was greeted warmly as a customer. That was when Weed realized something about the Avians.

'They have terrible memory!'

Don't people say that a goldfish can't remember anything beyond three seconds?

These Avians were better than goldfish, but the fact remained that they possessed the undersized brains of birds. They forgot Weed's existence even after he had introduced himself multiple times. Because of this, Weed's strategy to make friends with them wasn't working.

He ended up having to get everything he could out of them right then while they were still being friendly."I came to buy beans, sesame seeds, corn, walnuts, fish, leeks, pork, peanuts and spinach."

"Oh, is that so?"

The parrot-looking avian took out foods one by one as Weed ordered them and checked them several times before saying, "That'll be 19 gold."

"Here it is. Ah, but I only have 18 gold and 50 silver. Can I give you the rest the next time I come?"

The Avian merchant took a long look at Weed.

"You are not a merchant. I couldn't give you a discount because you're not experienced in bartering. You are a somewhat famous adventurer, but not that famous. But you have artistic talent. I can't deny someone who may be the next famous artist. I'll trust you and take that 50 silver next time."

Weed left with his goods, having paid 50 silver less.

The foods he bought could raise mana temporarily, so of course the price would be high.

Now the question was whether or not the parrot-like Avian would remember to ask for the 50 silver. Seeing as he had forgotten the 40 silvers weed had promised him last time, it seemed unlikely.

With that, the first step of his preparations ended. Next he had to hone his fighting skills.

"Stat window!"

Status Window

Avatar: Weed Type: Neutral

Level: 109 Job: Legendary Moonlight Sculptor

Title: None Fame: 365

Health: 5260 Mana: 1521

Strength: 335+20 Agility: 305+20

Vitality: 89+20 Wisdom: 16+20

Intellect: 24+20 Fighting Spirit: 143+20

Stamina: 174+20 Endurance: 55+20

Art: 84+100 Leadership: 74+20

Luck: 5+20 Offence: 231

Defense: 76

Magic Resistance: None+ 20 points added to All Stats

+ 80 points added Art.

+ 30% increase to Stats on Moonlit Nights.

+ Gained ability to equip class specific items.

+ Gained ability to learn all craft skills to the stage of a master. Crafting skills are optional. Advanced skills available.

+ Decrease in Mana Consumption for the Sculpting Blade technique based on level of Sculpting Mastery.

+ Gained ability to learn secret skills based on your level in Sculpture Mastery.

+ Fame increase upon creation of unique sculptures of artistic value.

Weed's Level was over 100. When Weed and his party discovered Memphis Hall and received double experience points, they had concentrated on hunting the whole time.

They decreased their sleep time by two hours, and even stayed connected while they slept. This way, Weed had gotten to level 95. Hunting solo, he had raised it to 109.

His stats had been greatly boosted thanks to the level gains. His Mana was now high enough to allow him to use the 4th Imperial Formless Sword Technique, Sword Dance; though only once.

The only unsatisfying part was that there had been no increase in Leadership. This skill rose not only when giving orders to NPCs, but also when one was a party leader. However, since he had been hunting alone, there had been no way to improve his Leadership skills.Certain other skills had also increased by very little.

Cooking: Level 8 — 45%

Sculpting: Level 9 — 99%

Repair: Level 7 — 25%

Intermediate Handcraft: Level 2 — 6%

Swordsmanship: Level 8 — 88%

Archery: Level 5 — 98%

Sculpting Blade: Level 7 — 49%

Imperial Formless Sword: Comprehension — 5%

First Aid: Level 7 — 11%

Item Identification: Level 5 — 14%

Sculpting was about to rise to mid-level. As for Sculpting Blade, the mana cost had significantly decreased after reaching level 7.

He had used Sword Kaiser a few times lately but for hunting solo, it was more effective to use the Sculpting Blade, due to its ability to cut through the unseen. This was critical when fighting the Undead as it effectively severed the soul. This sword technique was, therefore, akin to holy magic in its ability to destroy the Undead.

"Not bad."

Weed smiled as he headed toward the market to buy antidotes, medicinal herbs and bandages.

His eyes grew sad at the thought of spending money again. Truthfully, he had never bought items before. He made his own food, and sometimes even sold it.

Sculptures carved from cheap materials could be sold for a gold or two. Naturally, this was not a small sum.

When he was with Pale and the others, he always told them he had only 30 gold, even after taking his portion of the loot. But his profit from selling sculptures and food was 200 gold! He had accumulated 650 gold through hunting, selling loot and collecting quest rewards.

But to be in position to spend money was greater agony than being penniless. Weed's shoulders drooped and his face looked like one facing death whenever he went into a store.

Especially when paying, he seemed like a person having a near death experience. Therefore, no one could comprehend why his heart ached so, or why he was always short a few silvers.


Chapter 16: Chapter 6 The meaning Behind Royal Road

Weed now knew the first floor of Memphis Hall like his own home. He knew perfectly well where the dangerous Death Knights patrolled, and the best spots to hunt Skeleton Knights.

Being a solo hunter without a party, what Weed dreaded the most was an ambush right when he had low health and mana. For this reason, Weed prepared a few hideouts where he stashed plenty of bandages and herbs.

He had figured out safe spots to rest and places where he could most effectively target his enemies. Bandages and herbs were easily obtained, however the knowledge of the hideouts was priceless. He had selected these locations after countless trial and error. But afterwards, without regrets, he had cleared out those spots.

"It's here, huh." After going through the Northern area, Weed finished exploring the entire region.

You have completed Memphis Hall B1 Floor Map for the first time.

Your Fame has increased by 20 (+20 Fame)

When Weed first came to the City of Heaven, he had bought a map. Later the places he traveled to were added to this map. The Map of Memphis Hall's basement was now an item which could be sold for quite a high price at the General Store or to other users. There was no way he would pass up this opportunity to get easy money.

Weed left Memphis Hall and headed for the Cave of Dead Warriors. It wasn't a difficult place to find. The moment he descended into the cave, he heard eerie noises.

'What is this?' he could sense a light draft and the low growl of something dangerous. Murky darkness filled his vision and the noises were getting louder.

'I don't feel so good about this.'

Weed moved cautiously keeping his right hand on his sword just in case something popped up out of the shadows.

'So I'm not the first one to discover this place. I suppose the people, who first discovered Lavias also discovered this dungeon,'

A short distance away, Weed came upon an undead blocking his path.

"Human! Are you a knight?"

It was a huge, muscular knight with a body much bigger than a Skeleton Knight or a Lizard Man. He had broad shoulders and dangerous looking arms, but above the neck, there was nothing. The missing head was instead carried by his left arm. He was the most unique monster among all the undead – a knight that carried around his own head. It was this head that had spoken.

'A Dullahan, huh.'

Weed recognized his opponent – an undead around level 140!

"I am not a knight." Weed replied.

"Then what are you?"

"I am a Sculptor."

"Scul-Sculptor?"

Incredible disappointment filled the Dullahan's face. Dullahans loved to improve their skills through combat. They were a type of knight that made the Skeleton Knights pale in comparison.

"You're a Sculptor? What a disappointment," the Dullahan mumbled.

Weed was used to being underestimated because of his class. A Sculptor must look so pathetic that even the undead ignored them!

The creator of Royal Road was Unicorn Corporations. There was much controversy when they released the game. It was the first ever virtual reality game. A reality that was 100% based off of fantasy. But why was it named Royal Road?There had been so many names to choose from. Even though Royal Roadreceived worldwide attention, its title was somewhat disappointing. It wasn't a name that stuck with you when you heard it.

But there was a reason Unicorn Corporation chose the name Royal Road. No one on earth had been able to conquer and rule over every continent and ocean. This game was the road to that great empire. The unified empire that not even Genghis Khan, Napoleon, or Alexander the Great could achieve. The game paved the way for people to achieve that dream.

It was a hope for something never before seen in the history of mankind; an Emperor who would conquer every single continent. It taught people to dream, to hope to be whatever they want to be, and this hope would drive them towards their goal. This was the true meaning behind "Royal Road".

The first to conquer the entire land would be given prize money: 10% of Unicorn Corporations sales for one month. This was an enormous sum. In Korea alone, millions played the game. Globally, Japan, Europe and America combined; the users amounted to over 100 million. Royal Road cost $300 a month to play. It was difficult to calculate such a huge amount of money. 10% of that would make someone instantly rich.

hat was why most players in Royal Road chose fighting-type classes. Most users chose to advance from Swordsman to Knight, seeing battle-related classes as the fastest path to becoming the Emperor. Blacksmiths and other trade classes were looked down upon. There was no need to even mention Artists, Chefs, or Sculptors who couldn't even fit in with the trade classes. It was their fate to be belittled and ignored.

'Just like my own life,'Weed thought.

Without a word, Weed drew his Clay Sword. An icy blue aura emanated from it. The Clay Sword had a special ability to slow down an enemy's movements upon a direct hit.

"Uurrrg!" The Dullahan charged, swinging his axe fast. Weed raised his Clay Sword, parrying the attacks.

Slam!

Clay Sword's durability has decreased.

The message was accompanied by the shock of the impact that made Weed's arms shudder. He had just finished repairing that sword, but this one attack was able to lower its durability. It seemed that the Dullahan's specialty was his brute strength.

"I can't lose. Sculpting Blade!" Weed attacked relentlessly.

The two exchanged blows rapidly. Weed, charged with the intent to kill, aimed for the vital points. Battles had to be finished as quickly and simply as possible. That was the only way to minimize the risk of enemy reinforcements showing up.

For Weed, who hunted alone, another Dullahan or monster appearing would mean nothing but trouble. Besides Weed could sculpt as a side job while he rested. This meant that he had to reduce the time spent fighting as much as possible.

Bash! The Dullahan used a skill with his axe swing, pushing Weed back a great distance.

"Devil's Strike!" The Dullahan roared, initiating a chain attack.

The axe, now launched into the air, and spun violently as it came flying. Although Weed ducked to avoid the blow, his HP dropped by 300 just from the wind pressure.

If he had used the Seven Celestial Footsteps, he could have dodged completely, however he chose to get hit.

The point was to raise his level of Defense while working on his Endurance.

Now it was Weed's turn.

"Triple!" The first strike missed, while the second, more destructive strike came from the opposite direction. The enemy managed to dodge both attacks, causing Weed to execute a powerful swing from the bottom-up.

By then the throwing axe had boomeranged back to its owner and the Dullahan thrust it forward to block Weed's third attack. At that instant, Weed's sword crisscrossed through the Dullahan's chest, making a total of five consecutive attacks. Triple had evolved as Weed's mastery of the skill increased.

The Dullahan had somehow blocked the first three attacks, but the next two lowered his HP by more than 20%. He went into a frenzy trying to push Weed back by repeatedly using his Bash ability. But by now Weed had already worked out the skill's timing, and swiftly carved into the Dullahan's side.

"Aren't you dead yet? Sculpting Blade!" Milky white light surrounded Weed's blade.

Then came the merciless strikes!

The Dullahan's health points were decreasing rapidly as the strikes sounded.

He tried attacking, but Weed dodged them all.

Weed could anticipate the Dullahan's skills by watching his footsteps, and then dodge them by moving his upper body. Ultimately, the Dullahan wasn't a difficult enemy for him. The gap in levels might have been wide, but through jobs and training, Weed was above the Dullahan in terms of stats. Weed's Endurance stat was at the same level as the Dullahan's. Thanks to that, he had no disadvantage. Level 80 Skeleton Mages were actually more annoying.

Mages were troublesome to fight because they cast countless curses. When Irene the Priest was there, the curses were easily dispelled, but now Weed could only dispel the curses with potions after the battle was over. Each Curse Dispelling Potion cost three silvers. This sometimes took the profit out of hunting, so Weed hated Skeleton Mages the most.

"Uwwagggh…" Sometime later the Dullahan's body disappeared in a gray light as his horse neighed shrilly.

"Phew… that was easier than I expected. But one of them can take down 40% of my Health, it would be dangerous if two of them challenged me at once."

Weed headed to a hidden corner to level his sculpting after he picked up the greaves the Dullahan dropped.

"Let's try sculpting a Dullahan."

Weed's mastery didn't increase as much by making sculptures he had made before. But making a sculpture for the first time increased Handicraft and Art skills significantly.

Weed took out Zahab's Sculpting Knife and a piece of wood and started to sculpt the figure of the Dullahan he just saw. He was so used to sculpting now that if he simply pictured it in his mind, he could carve it. The cave was silent save for the echo of Weed's sculpting.

"It would be great if my Sculpting level would rise to Intermediate…" Weed thought.

His current Sculpting skill was 99% to level 10. He had also made five sculptures of Avians, so he thought it was possible to level up.

"Please let me achieve Intermediate level!"

Weed wished as he finished the Dullahan's head.

The Dullahan sculpture was complete: A knight with a buff body, menacing eyes and a huge blade.

Ding!

Your Sculpting Skill has reached level 10, Intermediate.

You can now craft using special metals and gemstones (Pearl, diamond, ruby, etc.).

For your class, Moonlight Sculptor, the current skills and stats will be affected:

– Effect of Sculpting Blade has increased by +50%.

– Additional effects have been added to Sculpting blade's skill.

– Mana cost for Sculpting Blade has been halved.

– All stats have increased by 10.

– Your Fame has increased by 20.

– Art Stat has increased by 20.

– You have learned Skill: Power Break.

Weed shook with happiness. Words couldn't describe Weed's feelings at that moment.

The sadness and loneliness he was made to feel as he learned sculpting!

The humiliation and scorn he had to suffer because of his job as a Sculptor! Weed felt his rage vanish into thin air.

Finally, he had achieved Intermediate level Sculpting.

The job of Sculptor, which he had wanted to quit so badly at first, felt like the job he was destined for.

The Sculpting Blade skill had proven to have the greatest efficiency so far! Every time Weed used Sculpting Blade, his sculpting skill increased ever so slightly and since it was closely tied to Sculpting, the skill was enhanced as his Sculpting advanced to Intermediate.

"Hmm, an additional ability? Information. Skill. Sculpting Blade!"

Sculpting Blade Level 7 (50%): Zahab's visionary sword skill, carried on by those destined to carve the invisible or intangible.

Defends against magic of lower mastery than Sculpting Blade. When spells are absorbed, the caster only incurs 50% of original mana cost.

Cost: Sustained – 25 mana per second.

Weed could only laugh. For knights, mages were the most difficult opponents. Long-range magic attacks were very hard to dodge. But now Sculpting Blade was able to absorb this magic. Even if the opponent only used half the mana they had, it was hundreds of times better than getting hit.

"Since the mana cost for Sculpting Blade is reduced, maybe I could use it when executing Triple or Backstab."

Sculpting Blade was more of a buff than an attack. Combining Sculpting Blade with the Imperial Formless Sword Technique would cost an enormous amount of mana, but Weed believed the result would be unparalleled. Besides, there was always Sculpture Destruction.

"Information: Sculpture Destruction!"

Sculpture Destruction: Sculptor's skill

The anger involved in destroying a self-made sculpture is converted to strength for one day. Art stat will temporarily serve as a battle related stat.Warning: Fame will drop and the corresponding points will be deducted from Art stat.

Destruction of ordinary statue: Art stat x2 and conversion to STR. Art stat -1, Fame -20.

Destruction of fine statue: Art stat x4 and conversion to STR. Art stat – 5, Fame -100.

Destruction of great statue: Art stat x6 and conversion to STR. Art stat -10, Fame -200

Destruction of masterpiece: Art stat x20 and conversion to STR. Art stat -30, Fame -1000.

The amount of Art stat converted to Strength depended on the quality of the sculpture destroyed.

Destroying a normal statue converted double the amount of Art stat into strength or dexterity for a day while destroying a fine or great statue would convert four or six times the Art stat into strength or dexterity.

This would be a commonly used skill for sculptors with low strength. Sculptors who only sculpt statues in the game would have a high Art stat, but it would be hard for them to hunt because of their battle stats. This skill allowed those Sculptors to change their Art stat to other stats but the problem lay in the Fame and Art stat penalty that accompanied its use.

The Art stat was hard to increase, meaning the skill had to be used cautiously. There was such an extreme penalty for destroying a statue that it felt very difficult and unsettling to use the skill.

In other words, the skill was a double-edged sword. Weed decided to stow it away and not use it if he could help it. Temporary strength was not true power. Even without Sculpting Destruction, Weed had become strong once his Sculpting skills reached Intermediate. All his stats had risen by 10 and Sculpting Blade's power had doubled as well.

Weed wasn't the only one to enjoy this advantage. Any trade skill such as cooking, tailoring, smithing, fishing, farming, held advantages such as stat, skill or Fame bonuses when proficiency went up. When it reached Intermediate, all stats gained 5 points; when proficiency reached Advanced, all stats gained an additional 10 points.

None yet knew how many points would be gained upon gaining Mastery in a skill. Any skill's proficiency rose based on the user. In Weed's case, he got 10 stat points; twice the amount gained by normal players, due to the secret class – Moonlight Sculptor – and thanks to his quest related to Zahab, Sculpting Blade had improved particularly well…

No one had ever mastered any of the production skills before because the path was too difficult. It had taken a Weed a lot of time and effort just to reach the intermediate level. It would be even more difficult to progress from Intermediate to Master. However, at that moment, Weed firmly decided that he would become Master in all trade skills.

Delicate aesthetic senses and burning passion for art had little to do with Weed, but he had a talent that no one else had: the talent of hard work.

The Cave of Dead Warriors was a hunting ground where Dullahan and Skeleton Mercenaries around level 120, and Ghouls around level 110 frequently appeared. Ghouls were lower level, but they always appeared in groups of four or five, and there were many kinds of ghouls. Upgraded or Named Ghouls sometimes had levels over 130.

Dullahans and Skeleton Mercenaries had great swordsmanship, so the battles were thrilling. But Ghouls usually just charged in, trusting their clumsy but strong defense.

Weed had to learn how to attack while dodging their vicious attacks.

"Good. This place is perfect."

Weed had chosen the Cave of Dead Warriors as his new hunting ground. Named monsters, whether they are Dullahan, Skeleton Mercenaries, or Ghouls, were a bit more dangerous, but fighting them had great advantages.

It was perfect for Weed, who fought mainly with fists or swords.

There was the odd Skeleton Mage here and there, but their magic was no longer effective. Blocking with Sculpting Blade nullified their magic; sometimes the spells would rebound, putting the mages in a difficult situation.

It seemed the rate of reflecting the magic depended on the mastery of Sculpting Blade. He needed to practice sculpting in order to raise it. Leveling his sculpting was now as important as gaining experience points and levels.

Weed, who was doing very well so far, still had one opponent he had to be wary of: the Death Knight. These monsters were over level 200 and appeared much more often in the Cave of Dead Warriors. They wandered about, never staying in any specific area. Weed had to hold his breath and move stealthily to hide from them. Death Knights had bad eyesight, so Weed could relax when he hid in a corner. He went so far as to dig some ditches and hide in them whenever a Death Knight approached.

"When did I become like this…"

When he had played Continent of Magick, every monster was weak against his max level character, but now he had to hide from Death Knights.

Nevertheless, Weed felt some satisfaction. With his high mana recovery rate and mastery in First Aid, Weed's down time was much lower.

Thanks to this, Weed was able to gain levels much faster. Plus there were much better item drops here compared to the first floor. So what if he had to do some lame things, Weed had come this far already, so going a little farther wouldn't hurt.

"Dullahan are the best monsters for hunting. But is there anything better? It'd be nice if there was something weaker than Death Knights but strong enough to give a lot of experience points…"

Weed moved cautiously not forgetting to make his hiding places in key areas. He didn't need anyone to teach him this, he simply persisted to adapt and survive like a cockroach.

After going through many Ghouls and Skeleton Mercenaries, Weed came upon a wide cavern where an underground river flowed gently.

Flowers and even some herbs were blooming all over. It was about time to rest since he had just been in a fierce battle against Skeleton Mercenaries. Weed refilled his water bottle and was just about to sit when he saw a silhouette. Upon further inspection, he found a woman sleeping in the middle of the dungeon, with nobody else around.

"Who are you?" she asked. Weed, who had been waiting for her to wake up, was startled.

"I'm Weed. Wh.. What about you?"

It was unpolished speech, not like him at all. Weed had never imagined that someone other than himself would be there.

And the look on her eyes as she woke… was exactly Weed's type.

"My name is Da'in," she said, smiling an aloof smile.

Hyun hadn't met many girls before. Of course, he had taken classes with girls, but he'd never spent time with one personally. It wasn't that he was unpopular. There were some girls who approached Hyun, saying that his downcast and detached aura was attractive. He found them foolish.

"You think this is cool? Try experiencing poverty yourself and you'll change your mind."

He hadn't gone on dates with girls either. Dining out, even just coffee cost money. Hyun found food samples from the grocery stores and home-cooked meals much more economical. What he really couldn't understand was why dating a girl involved spending enormous amounts of money every time there was some sort of anniversary.

Plus, when others went to the drive-in to watch movies, Weed climbed up a nearby telephone pole. The only time he watched TV was when somebody else had one. Of course, he'd picked up a TV that someone had thrown away, but he didn't watch it because it would run up the electricity bill. He only ever watched it around midnight when the electricity charges were much lower. The cheapskate Hyun, and therefore Weed, had almost no experience with girls.

Da'in. That name was deeply engraved into Weed's mind. Every man had a dream girl. Weed was no exception.

The woman of his dreams had long natural hair, a young, intelligent face, and a kind, attractive smile. But these were nothing but details.

If a girl could make him fall in love at first sight, then she was his dream girl. Weed developed a small crush on Da'in. That was it.

I don't trust anyone.

He hadn't completely trusted Pale or Surka either even though they had trained together. Humans changed.

They might appear to be friends at the moment but he highly doubted that they would take a bullet for him.

'Give as much as you take, no more and no less.' That was Weed's philosophy. He could not trust anyone except his family.

Weed's gaze sharpened.

"Da'in. How did you come here?"

Only Avians lived in the City of Heaven. Humans could not climb up there and judging by her clothing, she was an adventurer.

"Here? I've been here for three months already?"

Three months. A thought flashed into Weed's mind.

"By any chance, are you one of the adventurers who discovered the City of Heaven?"

"Yes, I was part of that group, but I don't want to talk about that."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm the only one left here."

"I see."

Da'in yawned gracefully and stretched.

"I am level 134 and a Shaman."

Her level was lower than Weed had guessed. He assumed she would be at least level 170 since she was alone in the Cave of Dead Warriors. Weed being there at only level 109 was also an anomaly. A regular player wouldn't have dared.

"What are you trying to say?"

"I mean if you are alone, let's form a party. What, you don't want to?"

"No, that sounds great."

Weed accepted, not just because Da'in looked somewhat like the girl of his dreams, or because he trusted her.

Weed, ever suspicious, couldn't trust a girl whom he just met just because she asked him to train in a party. But Weed liked to keep his enemies close.

The girl was suspicious. Besides, Weed had stored many items in his various hideouts within the dungeon so he couldn't just leave Da'in alone.

Shamans could use white magic to cast buffs that increased Strength, Agility and Speed, and black magic to decrease enemy stats. They could use offensive spells and healing spells, counteract poison and dispel curses. They could also wield swords and maces, meaning they had some physical combat skills.

In essence, they were the jack-of-all-trades! However, the shaman class was unpopular since they had a few skills in every aspect, but weren't outstanding in any of them. Their healing ability was weaker than a Cleric's, and the curses they cast were weaker than a Black Mage's. Their melee skills were comparable to that of an Archer with a sword instead of a bow.

Low HP, low Vitality and magic weaker than a Mage's. Stats couldn't be invested in just one area, but had to be equally distributed, so this was a class that couldn't do much. Weed had no expectations from Da'in. He just hoped she wouldn't hold him back! Maybe he could just ditch her after retrieving all the items from his hideouts.

"Grr!"

Skeleton Mercenaries appeared and Weed tensed. So far he had faced no more than three Skeleton Mercenaries at once.

No matter how great Weed's combat skills were, it was difficult to face five at once.

With his back turned, even one or two blows could add up to considerable damage, and he couldn't use first aid until the battle was over, so it would have been dangerous.

At that moment, Da'in raised her right hand and cast a spell.

"Light of courage descended from the ancients; give this hero the power to fight his enemy! Power up!"

Weed's body glowed with bright light and his strength was raised by nearly 100. Da'in then graciously raised her arms, as though she was awaiting an embrace.

"A breeze drifts past. Fight the enemy with a light heart. Light will be your steps. Up, spirit, Wolf"

Weed's Agility and Speed increased significantly. He took just one step towards the enemy and he felt as if he was running.

"You, fated to bring death, blood and carnage, the battlefield shall be your home! Bloodlust!"

Da'in's various Shaman buffs boosted Weed's stats, now he could easily take on five Skeleton Mercenaries. But at that moment Da'in cast curses on the Skeleton Mercenaries: Their speed and strength decreased, they could no longer heal their wounds and they lost their will to fight.

'No way can a Shaman's magic be this strong.'

Weed didn't understand the situation. After easily killing the five Skeleton Mercenaries, he didn't even pause to pick up the item drops before turning to question Da'in.

"Your magic is unbelievable for a level 134. How is that possible? If I don't understand the reason, we can't be in a party together."

He ran the risk of hurting her feelings, but she answered back with a happy smile.

"It's because of my hobbies."

"Hobbies?"

"Yes, please don't think I'm crazy. I don't like killing monsters, I just…" she spoke shyly.

"I use curses on monsters, holy magic, and sometimes ranged attack spells. After that when their HP drops, I cast Healing Hand on them…"

"On monsters?"

"Yeah, I just played around like that."

What Da'in was saying was shocking. She was level 134 but her magic was very advanced. So Da'in played around by cursing, then healing the Skeleton Mercenaries, Dullahan and Ghouls in the dungeon…


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