TMSDL 17

Chapter 17: The Third Level of Hellfire

Hellfire Level 3.

To gain experience and loot, Weed wanted every last straggler to be killed.

“No prisoners. Kill them all.”

At his command, the undead swung their bone swords.

Some of the undead even devoured humans alive.

Your notoriety has increased by 91 due to the massacre caused by the undead.

‘Not rising much, huh.’

(Probably because this is Roanoke.)

In Royal Road, notoriety could seriously hinder quest progress due to villagers’ hostility. You could have bounties placed on your head and be denied entry into cities.

But in Roanoke, notoriety rose more slowly, and penalties were much lighter. Bribes often solved everything, and some townspeople even treated you better with high infamy.

‘I guess I can afford to do some bad things here.’

The remaining soldiers, hiding and trying to escape with stashed food and gold, became easy targets for the undead.

Complete combat achievement unlocked!

All remnants in the abandoned fortress have been eliminated.

You have earned bonus rewards for your legendary achievement.

Gained 4 Legend Points.

Legend Points — what all Roanoke players desperately craved.

Now that no enemies remained, the bloodthirsty undead turned their eyes toward Weed.

Mutated skeletons and normal ones stared at him with glowing red eyes.

“Return now.”

The undead, summoned through the Mirror of the Abyss, began to sink into the earth as the ground turned into a swamp and swallowed them whole.

The undead have returned to the Abyss.

They will await the day they may once again rise for blood and carnage.

Sen, Luria, and Barton never expected to witness something like this on Hellfire Level 3.

Roanoke had large-scale battles, but they were usually between kingdoms, lords, or guilds — not individuals.

To see a single person dominate such a battle left them in awe.

“Wow…”

Luria watched, stunned, as the undead disappeared into the swamp.

“He really did it. Not just cleared Level 3 — he overwhelmed it.”

Sen, a priest — usually the busiest class in any group — hadn’t had to do anything.

Still, he received divine power rewards just for being present.

“That’s Weed for you. He hasn’t changed. Time has passed, but he’s still the same.”

Barton felt genuine emotion as he remembered the glory days of Royal Road — Weed, the man who once led massive battles alone.

Weed approached the trio. He had a very ordinary face, even a bit tired-looking, like someone who had stayed up all night eating instant noodles in a capsule room — but somehow still shone with an aura.

He had just finished an incredible battle. Naturally, he radiated confidence.

“Truly, thank you. That was incredible,” Barton began, as they all prepared to express their gratitude.

But Weed calmly said:

“It’s not over yet.”

“Huh?”

“The chance is low, but if I die, I might turn into an undead. If that happens, run away as fast as you can.”

The price of using the forbidden magic of the Mirror of the Abyss had come due — a period of suffering was about to begin.

If he lost consciousness and couldn’t endure it, he would die and resurrect as an undead.

Understanding this, Barton, Sen, and Luria backed away and whispered among themselves.

“It’ll probably hurt… a lot.”

“It’s forbidden magic. Of course, it’ll be excruciating. I’ve never seen a player learn a pain-based forbidden spell before.”

“It’s impressive that he even dared to learn such a spell despite the risks.”

Now, all they had to do was return to Roanoke after completing Hellfire Level 3. With their job done, they watched with slightly more ease.

And then:

“Urgh…!”

Weed coughed up dark red blood.

The pain had begun — on an entirely different level.

“Ah…”

Barton’s eyes widened.

From Weed’s body, dozens of black shadows rose, wielding sickles.

The shadows slashed at him — cutting, slicing — blood splattering everywhere.

Even though his body reformed like an illusion, the slashing continued.

It was as if his body were being shredded by a blender.

“This is insane.”

“He really has to endure that?”

“No matter how forbidden the magic… this is beyond inhumane.”

The pain of being cut to pieces. A suffering so severe they couldn’t even imagine enduring it.

30 seconds… 40… 50…

The horrifying scene dragged on, unbearable even to watch.

They wished it would end.

What felt like an eternity lasted for three full minutes.

To the three watching, it felt like ten.

‘If it were me, I’d be dead. I’d be begging for death,’ Barton thought.

‘I could never endure that. I swear I’ll never learn forbidden magic,’ Sen vowed.

Luria turned away, crying. It was too much to bear.

But Hyun Lee (Weed) had long trained himself to endure any pain.

After his parents’ funeral when he was young, his grandmother told him:

“You must be hungry, right? Let’s go home. I’ll cook for you.”

She held back tears as she prepared meals for Hyun and his sister Hye-yeon.

“You must be hungry. Eat a lot.”

“What about you, Grandma?”

“We have a big day ahead. I need to go work at the restaurant.”

Through his grandmother’s strength, Hyun learned about the world.

Crying was a luxury.

Tears didn’t change anything.

She bore her sorrow for the sake of the grandchildren she had to raise.

‘I can do it too.’

Hyun never cried — not even when loan sharks came, not when debt collectors harassed them.

He simply endured.

To let sorrow consume him felt like surrendering to the cruel world he had lived in.

“Daye, what do you want to play today?”

Even when his daughter Seo-yoon was unconscious, he looked at her and found strength.

No matter how heavy the burden, he wouldn’t give in.

‘I’m a weed. No matter how much I’m trampled, I rise again.’

As Weed silently endured the pain, a message appeared.

The pain from the Mirror of the Abyss has ended.

Achievement Unlocked: Endured Horrific Pain!

Strength and Vitality +5.

The suffering from the forbidden spell had lasted longer and cut deeper than expected — as if his entire body had been torn apart.

(Master! Master! Are you okay?)

Versa, the AI, shouted in distress.

But Weed responded in his usual calm tone:

“I’m fine. No need to yell.”

He had known the price of forbidden magic from the beginning and had prepared for it.

This act of enduring it amazed even the advanced AI Versa.

Increased sensitivity and focus — like Weed had — should have made it worse.

(Master, the pain must have been severe… how did you endure it?)

Versa could monitor Weed’s body and brain via numerous sensors.

Despite the unimaginable pain, his physical and mental vitals remained stable.

It defied all known logic and data.

“I’ve had practice. Remember when I was modified by Dr. Yoo Byung-jun? That hurt a lot.”

(But there was anesthesia… It wasn’t this extreme.)

“I know. But it was still hell.”

He thought back.

He had lived through everything with only one goal: to survive.

“Back then, I just wanted to live.”

His overwhelming desire to stay alive carried him through it.

Now, though — he had something far more powerful than before:

His daughter, lost somewhere in a dangerous world.

His will to survive had become unbreakable.

“Now, I must live — no matter what.”

(Master…)

You have cleared Hellfire Level 3.

You have successfully defeated the stragglers in the abandoned fortress using overwhelming power.

All stats +3.

Gained 21 Hero Points.

Your traits “Dragon-Bearer” and “Warlord” have evolved to Level 2.

You have earned a 1-week special vacation to recover from accumulated fatigue.

You may choose one treasure-grade equipment item.

[Trait Evolution Notice]

• Dragon-Bearer (Lv.2): Strength +25%, HP +50%, Magic Resistance +15%, slight immunity to mind-control magic.

• Warlord (Lv.2): Leadership +20%, Field of vision +30%, +10% combat strength in large-scale battles.

New Trait Acquired:

• Grandmaster Artisan: Greatly enhances the quality of all hand-crafted items.

  • Adds 1–3 bonus effects to creations.

New Skill Created:

• Dexterity – Beginner Lv.1 (0%) (Passive): Adds extra effects to all crafting skills using hands.

The stat and gear rewards from Hellfire Level 3 were to be expected — but the special vacation was not.

Before advancing to Level 4, he would spend 7 days in Roanoke.

Enjoy indulgence to your heart’s content!

To refresh your mind and body, 100,000 gold has been gifted.

As the Dragon-Bearer, you can consume the finest alcohol and drugs without any side effects!

A week off — a reward for enduring unimaginable suffering.

(Not many players in Roanoke have 100,000 gold.)

‘So, they want me to go wild with spending, huh.’

(You may recover physically and mentally, but you could lose focus and grow weak.)

It might be a trap.

But Weed and the AI weren’t concerned.

‘A week of labor, then.’

Whether he grinded in Hellfire or Roanoke — it was just another job site.

“Thank you, Weed. You saved us.”

The three guests of Hellfire came to express their gratitude.

He had summoned them into danger, but ultimately saved their lives. They were also rewarded with a hefty number of Hero Points.

“I believe you’ll clear all of Hellfire. I can’t compare to you, but I’ll level up and try to be of help once I reach Roanoke.”

That was Barton — who had started on Hard Mode.

“If you ever need a priest, call me. I’ll fight with my life next time.”

Sen showed determination.

“I’m just an archer, probably useless to you… but if needed, call me to Hellfire anytime.”

Even Luria gathered her courage.

They had done little in Hellfire, just watched — and yet, seeing the pain from the Abyss made them resolve to fight alongside Weed next time.

‘These three weren’t randomly chosen, were they?’

Weed had met many people — both in Royal Road and while leading the Unicorn Group.

(Correct. I selected those who are likely to help you in the future.)

(They all have excellent growth potential, willpower, skills, and networks.)

(Though there were limitations, like level caps, the selection was deliberate.)