Bronya stared at the shimmering, animated portrait on the screen, her eyes fixated on the brilliant, crystalline golden gleam.
A gold card. Look at the starlight flowing around that border. This was a gold card!
Ron's golden talent was written with absolute clarity: he was a peerless genius capable of seizing any opportunity to solve any problem. Bronya had never met, or even heard of, such a person.
Not even the first Supreme Guardian, Alisa Rand, the universally acknowledged hero among the Architects of Belobog, was this ridiculously capable.
Compared to a peerless talent like this, all of those blue and white cards under her command combined were likely less useful than this single gold card...
With such an ally, the future she hoped for had a much greater chance of success.
Perhaps, with Ron's help, she could truly become a worthy Supreme Guardian and ensure the Preservation of Belobog!
Bronya patted her cheeks and gave her heavy, triple-bun hairstyle a little shake, trying to force the excitement from her mind.
This opportunity doesn't exist in reality. I must seize it in the simulation!
She prepared to offer this talent the greatest support she possibly could... Her mother often said that as long as one knew how to recognize and utilize people's strengths, one could become a worthy Supreme Guardian.
If I do everything I possibly can in this simulation, I should be able to give the people of Belobog a better life... right?
---o---
Full of such hope, Bronya was completely unaware that the man she now viewed as her pillar of support was lounging lazily in his old apartment in the Administrative District, as happy as a cat that got the cream.
The three-year period has come to an end!
Ron felt like his true "Dragon King's return" was at hand.
The reason, naturally, was the "Life Simulation Game" that had finished loading...
Through careful study of the game, Ron had drawn several conclusions—
Using the Life Simulation Game, he could simulate a fictional life. The simulation had no direct effect on reality, but Ron could extract "traits" from the achievements he made within it. The greater the achievement, the stronger the trait, which could then be equipped in reality for an ability boost.
Traits were ranked by their strength. There was no limit to how many traits he could equip. Ron could simply grind out a full set of high-level traits and become a "Shili Slope Sword God," sweeping through the world... not that he could be bothered to do so.
Such a powerful golden finger... Ron felt it possessed a beautiful kind of strength.
Before, he would occasionally worry that the Astral Express would be delayed, that the crew wouldn't arrive before the Stellaron suddenly exploded and hit Jarilo-VI with a Planetary Devastation. But now, he felt none of that mattered.
With the enhancement from the simulation traits, his slacking lifestyle had gained an extra layer of security.
As long as he farmed a few more traits, he had nothing to fear. Why worry so much?
Wouldn't it be better to play more games, slack off more, get closer to some pretty girls, and try out the new features of this game? Isn't that infinitely better than worrying about that damned Stellaron?
Driven by his anticipation for the game and the collection desires of a completionist player, Ron eagerly started a new game to test the waters—
[In the year 700 of the Fort-Building Era, the Fragmentum corrosion has grown more severe, spreading completely into the Administrative District of Belobog.]
[Faced with the Fragmentum threat, Supreme Guardian Cocolia chooses to mobilize the entire populace, conscripting more guards to enter the Fragmentum-corroded streets in an attempt to launch a counterattack.]
[The tides of war are surging, and you can only go with the flow. A military directive has been delivered to you.]
[Please make a choice—]
[1. Accept the directive. You have been conscripted as the captain of the armory guard team. Your direct superior is Logistics Officer Bronya Rand, appointed by the Supreme Guardian herself.]
[2. Refuse the directive. You will be prosecuted by the Belobog military tribunal and temporarily lose your freedom of action.]
[3. Flee overnight. You will seek a destination to escape to. Available destinations: Belobog Underworld (100% success rate), Astral Express (Not unlocked), The Xianzhou Luofu (Not unlocked)...]
A smile spread across Ron's face as he read the text on the screen.
"Wuhu, how could there be such a wonderful start?"
To land a cushy gig like guarding the armory during a time of crisis... Bronya truly was Belobog's greatest heiress. The extent of Cocolia's doting was plain to see.
Being transferred under her as a guard captain basically guaranteed a smooth and successful future—but that wasn't what Ron cared about.
What Ron valued most was the ability to get close to the future Supreme Guardian and gain control over a critical military location like the armory.
Cocolia had dispatched the Silvermane Guards to the front lines and repeatedly overstepped her authority to command them into bloody, suicidal battles, which had long ago sown discontent among the troops.
Although most of the front-line guards were faithful followers of the [Preservation] and, as soldiers, would obey orders without question and harbor no great malice towards Cocolia, the situation had still created an opportunity that made Ron's heart race.
Because of Bronya's decisive work ethic and inherent kindness, her reputation among the guards was extremely high, no less than that of Captain Gepard Landau, who fought alongside his soldiers. It was far better than the current Supreme Guardian, Cocolia.
As a result, the sentiment that "everything will get better once Bronya becomes the Supreme Guardian" was widespread. Everyone was full of hope for her.
...And that hope was exactly what Ron wanted.
If he were to stage a coup while the guards were at the front and Qlipoth Fort was undermanned, imprisoning Cocolia and propping Bronya up to take her place, Ron was certain that aside from a few overly rigid individuals, everyone would tacitly approve of the change.
At that point, with Cocolia—the biggest cancer—removed, Belobog might very well have the ability to solve the Stellaron problem.
And Ron, the man who initiated this revolution, would naturally go down in history for his world-changing deeds.
He could probably even farm a golden trait out of it.
With this thought in mind, Ron chose option one without a moment's hesitation.
[You accept the directive and become the captain of the logistics district's armory guard team.]
The text on the screen faded, and an exquisite image slowly unfolded.
A silver-haired girl in military attire looked up slightly at the fully armored Ron standing before her.
Bronya, whose usually serious and exquisite face rarely showed a smile, broke into one as she introduced herself.
"I am the current Logistics Officer, Bronya Rand... that was just a formal introduction. You can just call me Bronya."
"I heard you were previously the captain of the sentries at Qlipoth Fort? Such a position is a complete waste of your abilities. I hope to see you in a position you deserve."
The Bronya in the image stood on her tiptoes slightly and awkwardly patted Ron's shoulder, her approval for him obvious.
She took out a golden badge, the Architect's insignia upon it gleaming brightly in the sunlight.
She personally pinned the badge to Ron's chest and smiled with satisfaction.
"From now on, you are my personal guard."