The Legendary Moonlight Sculptor is a Korean light novel and web novel by Heesung Nam (남희성). The series has ended with 1450 episodes on the online website as of July 2019, and the latest published book is volume 57 as of April 2020.
Plot
The Legendary Moonlight Sculptor follows the adventures of a young man named Lee Hyun, who is an impoverished student living in a near-future Korea where virtual reality massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) have become the most popular form of entertainment and commerce.
Lee Hyun, also known by his in-game name "Weed," was formerly known as the legendary God of War of the highly popular MMORPG, Continent of Magic. In an attempt to help his debt-ridden family, he auctions his character to find it sell at ₩3.1 billion. Later, an unfortunate run-up with loan sharks causes Lee Hyun to lose almost all of his money, however, this caused him to step into the new era of gaming led by the first-ever Virtual Reality MMORPG, Royal Road, to help his ailing grandmother and save enough for his sister's future college tuition. Despite starting out with nothing, he quickly proves to be a highly skilled player, making use of his real-life experience in poverty to become an expert in frugality and resourcefulness.
As he explores the vast world of Royal Road, Weed also discovers the potential for creating art within the game world, and he quickly becomes famous for his ability to sculpt beautiful works of art. Along the way, he forms alliances and rivalries with other players, and he battles monsters and powerful enemies to achieve his goals.
As the story progresses, Weed's reputation as a master sculptor and powerful adventurer grows, and he eventually becomes embroiled in political intrigue and the machinations of powerful corporations that seek to control the game world. Despite the many challenges he faces, Weed remains determined to succeed and protect those he cares about, leading him on a thrilling journey of discovery, adventure, and self-realization.
Characters
Famous Characters
Weed (Lee Hyun) A high school drop-out, Lee Hyun is talented gamer with an enormous debt, primarily inherited from his deceased parents. To raise money, he places his gaming avatar, Weed from the Continent of Magic on auction, causing an uproar due its fame as the game's strongest avatar, and earns ₩3.09 billion (roughly $2.76 million) from it. Due to the inherited debt however, much of the money is collected by loan sharks, leaving Lee Hyun with around ₩90 million (roughly $75,000). With his ailing grandmother and younger sister in mind, he joins the recently launched VR-MMORPG, Royal Road to earn more money. Lee Hyun presently uses his old avatar name, Weed, on Royal Road.
Over the course of the story, he is given the secret class - Legendary Moonlight Sculptor. His quick growth and achievements earn him a spot in the Royal Road Hall of Fame, which allows the game's top 500 players to place videos of their adventures online. Through a series of quests, he becomes the Lord of Morata, and later the King of Arpen. He is often referred to as the Greatest Ruler in the North. He is sometimes expressed as head priest of puljook shingyo (grass stewism) because he enslaved hundreds of gamers to build a giant sphinx. He only gives grass stew for them.
Seoyoon (Jeong Seoyoon) Seoyoon, popularly known as the Goddess in Royal Road, is the female protagonist of the series. Described as a spectacularly beautiful woman, Seoyoon was left emotionless and mute due to childhood trauma. She started playing Royal Road as a method for trauma therapy, and plays as a silent berserker. In Volume 39, she begins dating Weed. As of Volume 42, Chapter 8, Seoyoon is at a level mark of 471.
Yurin (Lee Hayan) Lee Hayan is Weed's younger sister, and the primary reason behind the latter's actions to make money - college tuition. She is introduced in Volume 1 as a high school student, and later proceeds to enrol to a university as a student in liberal arts. After successful acceptance, she decides to start playing Royal Road alongside her brother. She is presently a level 80, Aqualight Painter affiliated with the Arpen Kingdom.
Da'in
Weed first encounters Dain in the City of Heaven in Lavia, inside a dungeon known as the Cave of Dead Warriors. She is an exceptionally skilled shaman due to her unique style of training, and is a founding member of the famous Hermes Guild. Through the course of their time together, Dain is encouraged by Weed's personality to undergo a high-risk medical surgery in the real world. She was also Weed's first love.