This is the thing that just baffles me. Do you, and other players, really enjoy this? Do you really enjoy spending 100 hours of doing the same thing over and over again? Does this really bring you joy and/or a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment? Do you really consider this "playing" a game?
I, personally, just can't do it. I would fall into a depression if I spend that many hours in a video game, only for a petty weapon. The guilt would consume me. I could not invest that ridiculous amount of time when I know I could be spending it with my family, or my friends, or reading books that develop my work related skills, or even going to the gym and improving my health.
And the real saddest part is that people don't understand that it doesn't HAVE to be this way. Developer's don't design a quest like this so you can feel accomplished. They try to pass it off as a silly excuse for "gameplay".
