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Chapter 21
Weed watched as the sword he was forging began to glow.
Every strike of the hammer on the heated metal seemed to breathe life into it, emitting a clear and vibrant light.
‘That’s a pretty cool effect.’
He wasn’t nervous or overly excited.
He had crafted countless items in Royal Road—from sculptures to swords, armor, leather, ships, even buildings.
As a jack-of-all-trades character, he had experienced it all.
‘I want to do better. I can do better.’
Focusing entirely on the hammering, he visualized infusing life into the steel.
His blacksmithing skill was already Intermediate Level 3.
Although this was much faster than the average player, Weed viewed the skill itself as just an aid.
‘I’m doing what I can do.’
The light of the steel he struck grew stronger with each blow.
(A masterpiece weapon is being crafted.)
(At this rate, the result will exceed the limits of your current blacksmithing skill.)
Versa’s AI commentary didn’t matter to him.
He had spent the last twenty years away from virtual reality.
All that time was devoted to raising his daughter.
‘With my current abilities, I can’t create the best masterpiece in Roanoke.’
There were many reasons for that.
It had been a long time since he last forged a sword in VR, his blacksmithing skill level was low, and the materials and tools at his disposal weren’t top-tier.
Even so, he wanted to do his best to craft something good.
(Infusing carbon carries significant risk.)
He ignored the AI’s advice.
He chose to add charcoal and coal to the forging process, carbonizing the sword.
Even with his lacking skills, he mixed in a bit of luck.
(The odds of failure are higher than success. Masterpiece swords are rare opportunities. It’s not recommended to take this risk.)
Weed still did what he wanted.
Maybe it was foolish, but he put his heart into the steel he was hammering.
‘Sculptures weren’t enough.’
He had felt increasingly unfulfilled crafting sculptures over the past ten days in Roanoke.
He had only been copying old works and pasting them again—no fresh creativity.
‘I still haven’t created anything truly new.’
Weed sharpened the blade edge to a deadly point.
The result of doing exactly what he wanted as a blacksmith:
You have completed a Masterpiece Blacksmith’s Sword.
Material: Steel
Attack Power: 89–113
Durability: 50/50
Weight: 17
A masterpiece sword created by a blacksmith of true talent.
Its sharp edge and powerful impact can injure any monster.
Requirements:
Level 50
Strength 40
Options:
+30% power to Swordsmanship skills
+2,500 Fame
+20 Elegance
Extremely lightweight
+13% Attack Power
+15 Strength
+5 Spirit
You’ve crafted a masterpiece weapon coveted by all.
Fame has increased by 400.
All stats have increased by 2 due to crafting achievement.
Strength has increased by 10.
Blacksmithing skill has reached Intermediate Level 5.
Weapon and armor stats have increased.
You can now handle higher-grade materials and hotter temperatures.
Production speed has increased.
The moment the masterpiece weapon was complete—
The sword soared into the air, scattering radiant light in every direction.
People gathered from beyond the blacksmith district just to witness the spectacle.
“It’s finished.”
Weed didn’t feel overwhelming emotion.
His blacksmithing skill would continue to improve, and with the materials he had gathered from the Hellfire difficulty zone, he would be able to make even more fine swords.
Crafting one masterpiece wasn’t the end.
Considering Hellfire difficulty, he needed to produce many such weapons to help with character progression.
“A real masterpiece sword.”
“And he didn’t fail…”
“I was kinda hoping it would snap in half.”
Jealous and envious comments trickled out from other blacksmith players.
Meanwhile…
Han Seong-hyuk, Roanoke’s lead developer.
Though he created the world, he didn’t know everything about its vast content.
“Weed from Royal Road… he definitely lives up to the name.”
“He’s truly incredible.”
“There’s nothing he seems incapable of.”
Other developers at Abyss Corp were watching footage of Weed and expressing admiration.
He had cleared Stage 3 of Hellfire difficulty in spectacular fashion.
They had assumed he would take a break and relax while spending time in Roanoke.
But instead, he immediately created a masterpiece sword and achieved a crafting milestone.
He had manually overcome the limitations of his low blacksmithing skill—an unbelievable feat.
“He wasn’t called a legend in Royal Road for nothing.”
On internet communities and video platforms, Weed’s popularity was skyrocketing.
Broadcasts initially promoted “Weed Returns,” but now they highlighted his first successful Hellfire Stage 3 clear.
—Weed’s back and dominating like it’s the old days.
—A masterpiece sword? He hammered a few times and it was done?
—Been a Roanoke blacksmith for 6 months. Never even seen a masterpiece.
—How the hell did he do it? I know I can’t copy him.
—The legendary jack-of-all-trades writing history again.
—He’s mastered both art and production jobs, and he’s a monster in combat—of course he’s the one who clears Hellfire.
—Unless you’re on Weed’s level, don’t even think about Hellfire.
—Yeah, surviving Stage 3 is near impossible.
—Every streamer who tried called it unbeatable.
—I thought it was just a cruel joke of a difficulty, but someone actually cleared it.
—And he made it look easy.
Clearing Hellfire Stage 3 had already thrilled audiences—but crafting a masterpiece sword on top of it sent the hype into overdrive.
“Reports show that interest in Roanoke is rising across all age groups.”
“Criticism against our company has drastically dropped.”
Abyss’s developers were hoping Roanoke would finally become a hit.
If a major achievement like this didn’t grab public attention, it would have been demoralizing.
“The Weed Effect?”
Roanoke overtakes all OTT viewership in Korea
Weed surpasses 5 million live viewers
How far can Weed go after crushing Hellfire Stage 3?
Blacksmith Weed crafts a masterpiece sword on the spot
It was an overwhelmingly positive response.
Articles flooded in, and public attention zeroed in.
“Weed’s always been unusually popular with the media.”
“Probably because so many remember Royal Road and the era he dominated.”
“From ‘Once-Was’ to ‘The Legend Returns.’”
Developers also analyzed Weed’s battle data and videos for anything strange.
“It’s odd. We’ve never seen him sleep.”
“Sleep?”
“We hadn’t checked thoroughly before, but now it’s all over the news and forums.”
People noticed something odd in Weed’s videos.
—I’ve been watching since yesterday. When does Weed sleep?
—No idea. Never saw it.
—He nodded off a bit during Hellfire Stage 2, but after clearing it, he was more energized.
—Is it because of the Roanoke incident? In capsules, you can stay awake.
—Are you new? It’s still VR—you get tired like normal. Most players need to sleep.
Jo Un-chan, who monitored player behavior, personally reviewed Weed’s records.
“To be fair, most players who challenged Hellfire difficulty barely slept. Being chased by orcs, near-death experiences, adrenaline surges… all kinds of factors. But in Weed’s case, it looks… artificial.”
After a moment of thought, Han Seong-hyuk said,
“He must be using fatigue-reducing substances or high-purity stimulants.”
It wasn’t hard to guess the cause.
Otherwise, no human could stay awake for over ten days and remain mentally sharp.
“A workaround, sure. But it doesn’t violate any current rules.”
There were no limits on login hours.
It was an old trick from before the Roanoke incident—but nothing in the current terms or laws prohibited it.
Moreover, reviewing Weed’s performance in Stage 1 and 2 showed near-human limits of physical capability and combat proficiency.
“The Weed who conquered Royal Road has returned to challenge this new world. After 20 years, he’s found a virtual reality worthy of his skills, and he’s throwing himself into it.”
“Classic Weed. Maybe he really does want to stop Roanoke from falling.”
Han Seong-hyuk and Jo Un-chan smiled.
Roanoke, the world they created, was no easy place.
Since launch a year ago, its downfall had been nearly inevitable—and thanks to the players, it was coming even faster.
“No matter how hard you try, some things are just impossible.”
Han Seong-hyuk chuckled and looked at the monitor.
Watching Weed really was impressive.
It was clear that he was committed to living out a dramatic life in a collapsing world.
Elsewhere…
After the Roanoke incident, players were obsessed with gear optimization.
“I heard a master blacksmith joined the Flowing Molten Forge.”
“Blacksmiths are all the same.”
“Not this one. He does manual crafting, adds over five options, and made a masterpiece sword.”
Ashford, the capital of the Rebeid Kingdom, was a battleground for major guilds.
Even the guild managing the smithy district heard the rumors.
“A masterpiece sword? By who?”
“A wandering blacksmith, supposedly very skilled.”
“Not a well-known player?”
“Just showed up in Ashford recently. Notably, he does full manual crafting.”
Blade Dragon.
One of Ashford’s top guilds heard of Weed.
Even high-level players rarely acquired masterpiece swords, and they certainly weren’t easy to find.
“He’s not part of a rival guild?”
“Doesn’t seem like it. If he was, he wouldn’t be crafting in our territory.”
In Ashford, powerful guilds each controlled their own territory.
“If it was made in our area, then that masterpiece sword belongs to us.”
Guildmaster Pollon made the decision without hesitation.
To the leader of a major guild in Ashford, a single blacksmith player was a trivial concern.
