The legendary Moonlight Sculptor

*Rustle-Rustle.*

The brush danced in the hands of Petrov, the aqualight painter.

The Northern War was coming alive on a 7 meter wide canvas.

A painting in which Weed and Hestiger wipe out the Haven Imperial army!

Blink!

< Masterpiece painting! You have completed The War Hero.

In the hands of the painter who expresses the pain in the world and those in need, a new painting has been given birth.

A massive war that took place in the North; based on true events, the painting portrays the Arpen Empire emperor and savior Hestiger.

It is a piece that captured the vivid images of the heroes and many will desire to witness it.

As time passes, its historical significance will only increase.

Artistic Value: 2,960

Historical Value: 1,863

Special Attribute: Those that have seen the War Hero painting in person will have 32% increased health points and mana recovery rate for 24 hours.

Combat skills increased by 2.

Maximum health points increased by 14% ~ 67%, depending on their level.

Inflict a terrified status to monsters and enemies.

All stats increased by 13.

Experience and skill proficiency gain increased by 4%.

Does not stack with other paintings.

Completed number of masterpiece paintings till now: 42. >

"Whew. A masterpiece. This turned out alright. The amount of paint I used seemed quite a waste."

Petrov put away the completed painting and moved to Morata.

The joyful city of the Versailles Continent.

The shantytown and the luxurious residential area blended well and were blessed with the liveliness of the players.

Numerous artists from Rhodium gathered and the artwork they produced brought the city an elegant beauty.

"I am selling a month old lion cub! This one is a male that will turn magnificent with the right care. Novice players should not take it! You will be devoured if not raised correctly!"

"Selling an elephant. Accepting offers."

"I am a zookeeper. I'm looking for short-term jobs. I also handle wild animals. An expert with horses."

"A direct descendant of Nurung! I am selling the 12th generation of Nurung. It pulled up to 12 wagons at once."

In the town square, a ridiculous number of animals were being traded.

'This city is just so lovely.'

Patt wished to paint the images of the current Morata.

Though it was devastating, after Kaybern destroys Morata there would be a need for paintings to allow people to reminisce about the city.

"Wow. Your painting is amazing."

"This scenic painting is insane."

Patt's painting skills drew a crowd.

The buildings and streets of Morata, the tower of light in the distance and the goddess statue he drew delicately and gorgeously.

"His paintings look more beautiful than the scenery in real life."

"Isn't he Zeros-nim, the painter of cities?"

"He's different from him. His brushstroke technique looks like it slips but draws out a painting. That's a talent he was born with."

The crowd expressed admiration for Petrov as he painted a dozen paintings until the night passed. Their artistic worth wasn't high, but they expressed the scenery for what they truly were.

"Whoo… The scenery of this street is pretty much finished."

Patt piled up his paints, brush and papers. Then he activated the painter's secret technique!

"Paint Duplication Technique!"

*Flip-flip-flip.*

Fifty different sized brushes took a dip inside the paint cans and began dancing in the air, drawing out the painting on paper.

The skill could copy an original painting identically on paper!

Depending on the level of the skill, the user could control the total number of brushes and types, the use of paint and number of copies.

The duplicate paintings could take on 10% ~ 40% artistic value and attributes of the original.

The paintings created by painters were traded for high price among artworks due to their rarity and beauty. Like a living printer, he was stamping out rich scenic paintings.

***

"Intruders."

"Delicious dwarves are here."

"This is our territory."

'The space has gotten wider. About 25 meters. Judging by the echoes, there are at least several hundred of them.'

Weed thought to himself as he watched the monsters swarm through the corridor.

Kalamu.

This bunch were one of the higher ranks of Argoldia's monsters. It moved by using three legs simultaneously and it not only ran forward but also sideways and diagonally in an irregular fashion.

They were monsters that he despised facing against.

"Form a shield wall and cut them off one at a time."

"Huaah!"

Weed commanded the dwarves and as he fought hard, he felt his mind tangling up.

'Why is it that I feel disappointed about this hunt?'

For four days now he had been forging a path from the front.

The tickling sensation slowly distilled into disappointment about himself.

'I thought that I was near complete in terms of my combat ability. I feel like I am lacking something."

He learned thoroughly about sword techniques long before starting Royal Road.

It was about defeating the enemy with speed, precision and efficiency.

He was confident that he was at the pinnacle of skill utilization, health points, stamina and mana management.

He never possessed any bad habits that hindered his combat level.

On top of that, he possessed a vast range of experience that allowed him to identify enemy weaknesses.

- The scene of Weed's battle in the advanced training arena!

- The duel at Garnav Plains.

- The Great King of the Desert, Weed!

The combat videos of Weed drew out admiration from the viewers.

Players watched it multiple times, resulting in every video reaching millions in views.

His incomparable hunting speed was a result of all factors combining into the most optimized form.

Weed's mind was congested like a tangled thread.

'I'm mentally strong. So why do I feel so uneasy?'

Perseverance, decisiveness, focus and boldness.

If there was something he needed for combat he trained intensively until he mastered it.

Compared to his early days of Royal Road, he had transformed into a different person.

'I'm not concerned with being too low level or with being a sword master. But still… Why does it feel so lukewarm?'

Weed did not have to ponder for long.

It was an important concern, but he had someone who could always assist him.

"Teacher."

He whispered to Geomchi, receiving a reply after some time.

- Geomchi: Why are you calling for me, my student.

"Are you preoccupied at the moment?"

- Geomchi: Burp. It's alright. Speak.

Geomchi was happily drinking beer with the other students in the southern desert.

They had roasted five wild boars as snacks for their party and were eagerly devouring them!

"I came to a dungeon hunt. The battles are decent… but I feel stifled. It might be that I want to fight better than I currently am, but I cannot determine what it exactly is."

Weed's explanation did not convey his situation clearly.

Truthfully he himself did not know what to make of his feelings.

- Geomchi: Hmm… Seems like you hit a wall.

"A wall? You may be right."

- Geomchi: Getting more powerful is like climbing a flight of stairs. Forging yourself as you climb - you will eventually hit a wall.

"What should I do about it?"

- Geomchi: A wall isn't a wall for no reason. They call it a wall because it is hard to overcome.

"I'm not sure what it is that I am lacking."

- Geomchi: It can't be overcome by sheer efforts, nor is it easier to advance a step further even with great talent. So, just live as your will directs you.

"My will?"

- Geomchi: The will to be free from any bounds. Do not be caught up and do not be tamed. Don't hesitate for even a split second. That is the way of the sword.

"What if it still doesn't work out after that?"

- Geomchi: Then nothing could be done about it.

***

"Drink as much as you want."

"Ahahahaha!"

A cheerful liquor party was taking place in the desert.

Geomchi and the apprentices led the warriors who signed up for the assault squad and only took them to hunting grounds.

The completion of the nonstop hunting that spanned over a week!

They hosted a relief party with loads of meat and liquor until the day after.

"Ugh… I am usually such a lightweight. Why are the drinks so good?"

"Drink. Let's drink first and just die or something."

The players drank each glass served to them.

Both their body and mind were exhausted, so the liquor and meat found themselves almost involuntarily to their mouths.

'This is hell.'

'I want to escape. Back to high school Grade 12.'

'If I started hunting like this way earlier, I would have been Weed or Bard Ray, sigh.'

While drinking, the warriors checked on their status screen.

They had a huge level increase since the start of the hunt which brought smiles on their faces.

'I have to keep it up. I will train well and…'

'If I don't hunt, I'll fall behind.'

The players were pulling themselves in their own ways, though they did not have a clue as to what Geomchi and the apprentices were thinking.

"They are holding the grounds even on top of the eastern sand hills."

"I thought about 20% of them would fall off."

"I think it's going pretty well because we only took in the best from the Central Continent."

Geomchi smiled contentedly and nodded.

"Alright. Let's increase the difficulty after this hunt."

"How far should we take it?"

"Double I'd say?"

"…"

Geomchi2 and Geomchi5 thought it was too extreme. They themselves were rocks in the tide, but these players were just normal people.

They could already hear the screams of the players as they fell to their knees.

A high level body could withstand the challenge, but their mindset wasn't ready.

"I think that's a good boost. You are great, teacher."

"Amazing. These players, too, will grow substantially under your teachings."

"K-huhu."

In the middle of the feast, Geomchi exchanged whispers with Weed. Geomchi2 asked what it was about.

"Oh, it's nothing. It seems that our youngest one has arrived at a wall."

"A wall already?"

"Yeah. He got there quickly. As expected from his talents and determination."

Geomchi reminisced when he met Weed for the first time.

He who defeated his challengers with a single sword.

A ferocious, untamable beast.

Geomchi desired to hone those sharp claws and fangs and so he did.

"That brat took whatever I taught him and made them his own."

"He was a genius who also drove himself to his limits."

"Mmm. Though he approaches his fights too calculatively. He was most powerful when he didn't think about anything… I taught him an ocean of skills, so it is all up to him to realize it."

"Will he be able to penetrate the wall?"

"I did speak some words of advice to him, but a wall is a wall."

"I suppose so."

"Ku-ku. He needs to experience countless defeats, suffer and fail again and again."

(To be continued…)