TMSDL 31

Chapter 31

Moonlight Sculptor: Dad is a Legend (31)

Before the 5th stage of Hell difficulty began.

Weed entered the Legendary Library to use the points he had accumulated.

‘Who knows what kind of stage will appear. I have to not just pass that stage but achieve perfection.’

The instinct of a Korean.

The monsters and enemies that appear in the 5th stage—if you don’t wipe them all out and achieve 100%, it’s a failure.

‘First, I should look through what skills are available.’

Weed began browsing for shopping.

The countless skills lined up on the bookshelves.

Forbidden magic is incredibly powerful, but it comes with considerable restrictions.

Cases like the Abyss Mirror where pain returns as the price were bearable.

Many forbidden magics require specific sacrifices, or take life, health, stats, or contracts with demons as collateral.

‘I could learn swordsmanship or magic, but that feels a bit lacking…’

Ordinary skills that aren’t forbidden magic have their power determined by level, stats, and skill proficiency.

When you first learn them, skill proficiency is low, so it’s hard to display powerful might.

‘It’s such a shame that I can’t level up skills through cramming.’

(Have you also done cramming before exams, Master?)

The AI Versa was quite interested in Weed’s past before she was born, or his unknown history.

Weed spoke confidently.

‘I didn’t study at school.’

(Ah…)

‘I wasn’t on the bad side grade-wise.’

(So you had the brains for studying.)

‘There were 3 guys in my class who were worse than me.’

(…)

‘Instead, I did quite a bit of cramming work.’

Weed had more memories of delivery jobs and construction sites than of school during his middle and high school years.

Even in manual labor, there was quite a bit of cramming to shorten construction periods.

Carrying bricks and sweating profusely, then receiving cash—nothing could be more refreshing.

Barony Noble of the Rivaid Kingdom

Authority and fame that commoners cannot enjoy!

Become a member of a glorious noble family.

You can look down on commoners and slaves.

Hero Points: 20

The Legendary Library also sold noble status.

Since you can obtain good status by clearing the character creation stages of Hell difficulty, there’s no need to buy it, but.

(How about looking at armor?)

‘That can wait.’

Spending Legendary Points on equipment felt a bit wasteful.

Equipment is something you can swap out anytime you find something better.

Moreover, even if Roanoke’s equipment restrictions are low, equipment bought with Legendary Points is top-grade or above.

Most of it couldn’t be worn due to level restrictions.

(I thought you would spend Legendary Points freely.)

‘I need to save as much as possible.’

Weed had planned to go all out before facing the 5th stage, but after coming to the Legendary Library, he decided to use points efficiently.

‘Living without things since childhood became a habit, so whenever I try to spend anything, I can’t spend carelessly.’

Because of his past living in poverty, overspending makes him feel guilty.

Even in reality he couldn’t spend money recklessly, and considering the value of Legendary Points, of course he couldn’t use them carelessly.

‘As expected, should I buy equipment.’

There were decent bows among the weapons even if none completely satisfied him, and armor doesn’t help much with hunting speed anyway.

Just as his thoughts were solidifying toward buying stats.

(You can obtain forbidden traits from the Legendary Library.)

‘Forbidden traits?’

(Yes, traits that are normally difficult to obtain. There are also traits that exist only in the Legendary Library.)

He moved to the bookshelf where forbidden traits were stored.

What immediately caught Weed’s eye was the trait of ‘Young Genius Mage.’

‘In exchange for level and stats being permanently reduced by 30%… wisdom doubles and magic power is strengthened 5 times.’

If he used the Abyss Mirror with 5 times the magic power, all living creatures in that area would turn into undead.

Even a simple Fireball’s power would be no joke.

For a mage, it was a trait whose value couldn’t be measured.

(You must check the description carefully.)

Weed read the small text written at the bottom of the booklet containing the ‘Young Genius Mage’ trait.

‘If you use magic frequently, you acquire the Sickly trait with a certain probability?’

Sickly included effects of frequently catching illnesses, getting sick, and fainting.

Weed didn’t want to have such defects during combat.

The forbidden traits alone numbered in the hundreds.

‘It’s a waste of time to look through all of them. Are there any you’d recommend?’

(How about the Body of Rodoa?)

‘What is that?’

(It grants you a robust physique. Even normally, while possessing the trait, physical abilities are strengthened by 30%.)

(When the trait is fully activated, physical traits are strengthened by 100%. Strength, agility, health, stamina, and even mana recovery speed are all improved.)

(It will greatly help with attack power, durability, and combat sustainability. It belongs to the finest tier 1 among traits humans can obtain.)

(Moreover, the Rodoa trait can only be obtained by an extremely small number of people born on Rodoa Island. It’s a rare trait that can’t be obtained even by clearing quests.)

‘What’s the price to pay?’

(When obtaining the trait, 20 Legendary Points are consumed. And each time the trait activates, hair begins to fall out with a certain probability.)

Weed had been enjoying the benefits of a powerful physique while playing Roanoke.

Balanced growth would be best, but in Hell difficulty that’s a luxury.

‘The Legendary Point consumption is a bit high. Besides hair loss, are there no other side effects?’

Weed thought there might be hidden side effects, recalling the genius mage trait that made one sickly.

Hair loss felt like nothing much.

(As level and stats increase, the body changes to be muscular, durability increases, and the body can grow larger. Not to the point of becoming a giant, but based on human standards.)

‘That doesn’t really matter.’

A body becoming muscular and larger couldn’t be called a side effect.

There are plenty of people who work out hard to build their bodies.

(But is it alright that your hair falls out?)

Weed hadn’t experienced hair thinning as he aged.

Human body modification had turned him into an optimal physique, but genetically there was no one in his family lacking hair.

He did love free things, but he hadn’t become bald as the saying goes.

‘It’ll probably be fine.’

(I understand that baldness is an extremely sensitive topic in human sensibilities.)

Baldness not only causes stress to oneself but many around also mock it.

‘Even if hair falls out, it won’t be all at once.’

He thought his hair wouldn’t all fall out before the world of Roanoke was destroyed.

If he were to be completely bald when the world was destroyed, that couldn’t be helped either.

It was a trait that could enhance character growth, so some side effects had to be accepted.

(If so, I recommend obtaining the Body of Rodoa.)

‘Good.’

Weed obtained the Body of Rodoa, and his Legendary Points were halved.

After worrying about the remaining points, he eventually turned his attention to necromancer magic.

‘I should learn Dark Rule.’

The magic of Barkhan Demoph.

It’s magic that declares a domain of the undead centered on oneself, continuously resurrecting corpses as undead.

It could shine in large-scale battles and was also good for creating variables.

The weakness was that it couldn’t be used when facing few but powerful enemies.

‘Someday there will come a day to use it.’

While clearing Hell stages 3 and 4, he was given the opportunity to obtain one treasure-grade equipment each.

He chose the carving knife with that.

(You always complained, but your affection for the sculptor remained, didn’t it?)

‘No.’

You need to make sculptures to accumulate Legendary Points.

It was a choice weighing efficiency to make a killing with sculpting.

Weed had also opened his eyes to other fields.

‘In the broad framework of art—sculpting, painting—they’re probably the same.’

If sculptors in Roanoke are beggars, wouldn’t painters also have a hard time making a living?

(Painters are also poor. They can’t compare to ordinary users who hunt or trade.)

‘It should be good for accumulating Legendary Points.’

If there’s a limit to earning Legendary Points through sculptures alone, he’ll paint pictures too.

Historically, there were many artists who excelled at both sculpting and painting.

‘There was a reason I couldn’t succeed with painting in Royal Road.’

The only art tools he’d used while attending school were 8-color crayons.

For complex colors, he’d only used a bit of leftover paint from friends.

He’d never properly done art class since childhood, so his sense of color was lacking, but.

‘Art also has things like embossing on paper like sculptures, right? Drawing old castles while piling up sand and stones and coloring them.’

Pictures that can be viewed three-dimensionally.

Not just expressing with paint colors, but using various materials like actual wood.

(That’s called relief. It’s a form combining sculpting and painting.)

‘I think it would be good to try that.’

(What about the color sense ability you lack, Master?)

‘You can help with that, right?’

Painters mix paints to create various colors.

With AI assistance, it was possible to create any color.

Normally Weed only gave one-sided orders, but this was almost the first time he asked for an opinion.

(I will thoroughly research the history of the art world.)

(From famous figures to nameless painters.)

(I will examine all the world’s architecture and industrial designs, and create virtual colors by combining various compounds.)

(I will prepare colors that reflect the unique color sensibilities of historical masters and the trends of recent painters.)

‘What I want is a color that isn’t too old-fashioned while preserving traditional beauty.’

(I will search diligently.)

‘Since we’re at it, it should reveal a colorful yet trendy sensibility. Give me an elegant and refined feel, intense yet chic, and I expect a color that comes out vibrant yet luxurious.’

(Huh?)

The fifth trial of Hell difficulty, ‘Desperate Survival,’ begins.

You, who were once a proud knight of the Empire, have lost both eyes and your right arm and become a slave of the arena.

There is only one goal.

You must survive somehow.

Goal: Survive for 30 days

Challenge: The death of Duke Benhasmer

Finally, Hell stage 5 began.

The moment he read the short message window, he couldn’t see anything.

His vision went dark, and not even a small light existed.

The whole world was filled with darkness.

“Whoaahhh!”

“Beno’s victory!”

“Tenacious bastard, survived again this time.”

Raucous cheers and the smell of blood and dust.

“Next up is Rosar.”

Some middle-aged man spoke in a rough, fierce voice from nearby.

‘Rosar?’

Weed read the message window and knew he had lost both eyes and his right arm in this trial.

Indeed, he couldn’t see anything, and he felt no sensation in his right arm.

“Rosar! Ready?”

Weed, using the sense he’d built up, thought the rough voice calling Rosar was probably looking for him.

“Yes, of course.”

He answered vigorously first, but.

“Good. You’re next. Go and die beautifully to make the crowd go wild.”