True Smithing

Angus Bjornson only ever wanted to craft exquisite weapons and armor. After an accident leaves him completely disabled, his children offer him a virtual rig connected to a fantasy world called Alterwelt. Playing on Manual mode, Angus — now known as Hephaestus — uses his lifetime of real smithing experience to create unique items that beat anything on the market. But a greedy guild enforces a monopoly on crafting and will do anything to shut down a lone blacksmith.

Hephaestus is living the dream — fulfilling orders and expanding his ever-growing smithing guild in Alterwelt. But a real-world movement of Moralizers who denounce violence in virtual worlds gains enough political traction to force a new patch that wipes every player's history, experience, gear, and levels — and completely disables Manual mode. Hephaestus despairs. But not one to quit in the face of adversity, he discovers one of the founding secrets of Alterwelt that might be the key to saving his beloved world.