[Ron's speech has had a profound impact on you.]
[Just as a butterfly must break its cocoon and a child must grow, under Ron's guidance, you have successfully completed a "metamorphosis." ]
[Out of your respect and trust for Ron, you have accepted his words in their entirety.]
["A weak civilization cannot survive the night. To welcome the dawn, everything can become a bargaining chip... everything." A voice faintly echoes in your heart.]
[You have gained a completely new understanding of "salvation."]
[You have obtained the Trait: Cold-Blooded Reformer (Gold)]
[Cold-Blooded Reformer: The heavy burden of salvation is a weight that an entire civilization can scarcely bear. Even the slightest note of discord can invite annihilation. You have utterly cast aside the weakness in your heart and have taken your first steps on the path of a cold-blooded ruler.]
[Henceforth, your Stress value will no longer increase. Your administrative processing speed is increased by 50%, the execution rate of your decrees is increased by 100%, and the stability of regions under your rule is increased by 50%. When your people become dissatisfied with you, their dissatisfaction value will increase by an additional 50%.]
[Because the Trait "Cold-Blooded Reformer" aligns with your Path, under the guidance of your cold-blooded will, you follow the trajectory of Lan of [The Hunt] and take a solid step forward on your Path.]
The trait on the screen shimmered with a golden light. Its power was evident from the description alone.
This single trait had nearly doubled Seele's capabilities and would drastically alter her future.
But as Seele looked at it, she felt a cold wind blow past her, making her shiver slightly.
Right now, she couldn't access the memories from this simulation; she couldn't viscerally experience Ron's speech...
But just by reading the text and seeing the images, she could already feel the responsibility on her shoulders growing heavier—
This was the weight of [Salvation].
Seele had already experienced the conflict between the Boulder Town miners and the wanderers twice in the simulations. Each time, her choice had only temporarily halted the clash.
She had always believed there was a solution that would satisfy both sides, a way to eliminate the friction between the miners and the wanderers, a perfect method...
But now, it seemed she was terribly, terribly wrong.
Perhaps such a solution truly existed, but it was far beyond her ability to find.
Time was the greatest cost. The threat of the Stellaron and the Anti-Matter Legion was imminent. If they didn't use every means at their disposal, they would be buried by the calamity.
If thousands of years of civilization could be quantified, how much would it weigh?
Seele didn't know, but in the face of [The Destruction], it was surely lighter than a feather.
As a leader, the ideas she had held before were far too naive.
Although Ron's thinking was ruthless, Seele had to admit it was mature.
Just as Ron had said, a leader has a leader's way of living... Kindness could not save the Underworld.
Could kindness provide new clothes for the wanderers to cover their bodies, or food for the miners to fill their bellies... or bring the sky the children had never seen?
No, it couldn't.
And because simple kindness was not enough, she had to abandon her naivete.
This wasn't just for herself, but for the entire world.
Grandma... no, Natasha once said—"What's more important than the miracle itself is to protect people's hope for it."
She could not let the hopes of those who yearned for the miracle of salvation turn into an illusory bubble. She had to protect that hope—
Even if it meant staining her own hands with blood and becoming a cold-blooded ruler reviled by the people.
With these thoughts, Seele tapped the screen before her.
The trait reward faded, and new text appeared:
[After your successful metamorphosis, you began to carry out drastic reforms in the Underworld.]
[You regulated the lifestyles of the wanderers and miners, strictly controlled the supplies obtained from the Overworld, and began to implement a rationing system.]
[By monopolizing resources, you seized control of the Underworld's market.]
[Following your reforms, the Underworld was immediately filled with grievances and public discontent. Many people developed a deep animosity towards you.]
[But you have long known that these people are the biggest cancer in the Underworld—the wealthy merchants who, even in these difficult times, maintain the living standards of the Overworld's nobles.]
[They control the lifelines of many miners in the Underworld and possess armed forces that are no weaker than Wildfire's.]
[Because Svarog must lead the Automaton Defense Line to resist the Fragmentum on the front lines and prevent monsters from breaking into the city, you cannot rely on the automatons' military strength to round up these merchants.]
[To eradicate this cancer, under Ron's guidance, you have formulated a detailed plan...]
[Now, all you must do is wait.]
The text on the screen faded, and new words emerged:
[Your reforms have had a tremendous impact on the wealthy merchants. They conspire to overthrow Wildfire's leadership and kill you, the reckless upstart who dared to touch their interests.]
[Three months later, you suffer your first assassination attempt.]
[The assassin is a bare-knuckle boxer who has suffered extremely severe Fragmentum corrosion, but this has also made him as ferocious as a Fragmentum monster.]
[Unfortunately for him, an ordinary Fragmentum monster poses no threat to you. you successfully deal with the assassin.]
[But the assassination attempts come like a torrential storm.]
[After the first attempt, you are targeted for assassination every day. Sometimes it's a Fragmentum-corroded boxer, sometimes a gravely ill miner, sometimes a tattered wanderer... these desperate individuals have become the primary force for your assassination.]
[Each assassination attempt would bring a massive increase in your Stress value, but due to the "Cold-Blooded Reformer" Trait, your Stress value remains fixed.]
The text on the screen faded, and a new scene materialized:
Seele stood at the entrance to the Great Mine, facing a crowd of miners and wanderers who had gathered to listen to her speech.
She calmly analyzed for everyone what must be done for the Underworld's future:
"For the future of the Underworld, we must..."
But Seele's words were cut off by a venomous curse.
"The underground doesn't need a leader like you! Go to hell!"
A ragged wanderer, brandishing a sharpened wooden stick, charged out madly, thrusting it at Seele as she was giving a speech about "poverty-alleviating rations."
But Seele, as if accustomed to it, unhesitatingly drew her scythe and, with one clean motion, lopped off the wanderer's head.
Blood sprayed out. Although Seele had dodged nimbly, some of the warm liquid still splattered onto her cheek, trickling down its soft curve to drip from her chin.
"M-murder! She's a murderer!"
The Boulder Town residents who had come to listen to her speech instantly scattered. But after a moment, many of them returned—
Only this time, they came back with weapons in their hands and vicious looks on their faces.
Facing these menacing assassins, Seele calmly wiped the blood from her face.
The merchants' methods were growing cruder. They were now trying to openly besiege and kill her.
Unfortunately for them, the time had come.
It was time for the surprise attack.
The scene on the screen faded, and new text emerged:
[You were subjected to a crudely planned siege.]
[On the surface, you were completely unprepared, but in reality, this was merely your little ploy to lure the snake out of its hole.]
[Now, the wealthy merchants of the Underworld have dispatched all of their guards to surround and kill you.]
[Ron, leading a small Wildfire team, successfully captured all the merchants involved in the plot against you.]
[And you, facing the siege of so many assassins, revealed for the first time the power you gained after taking a step on the Path of [The Hunt]—]
[You transformed into a free butterfly, enveloped in Quantum energy like a bolt of purple lightning, and flashed past the crowd in an instant.]
[Your plan was a success.]
[The merchants were secretly executed, their assets converted into the resources needed to push the Underworld forward.]
[There are no longer any dissonant voices in the Underworld. Under your high-pressure rule, the Underworld is rapidly advancing on the correct path.]
[Ron has become Wildfire's General, responsible for commanding all armed personnel.]
[Under his training, the combat effectiveness of Wildfire's forces is improving at an unimaginable speed.]
[In your spare time, you hear that Bronya Rand has been sitting idly at the Wildfire base ever since she secured your agreement to cooperate, seemingly doing nothing at all.]
[You are curious about this but cannot find the time to understand Bronya's situation.]
[Under your high-pressure rule, a year passes in a flash.]
The text on the screen faded, and Seele saw a number of quantified attribute values pop up.
These attributes were for the faction [Belobog Underworld], such as Stability, Development Index, Combat Power, and so on.
After a year, compared to the previous year, the attribute values had increased by an unknown multiple.
Especially in terms of combat power. Because Ron was in command, their combat power had already surpassed that of the Overworld's Silvermane Guards...
Could it be... that the time is now ripe?
Seele thought pensively as she watched new text appear on the screen:
[You feel that the time is ripe.]
[You approach Ron, hoping he can help you contact Bronya Rand to jointly discuss launching a military coup in the Overworld.]
[Ron readily agrees to your request. He also believes that now is a good time.]
---o---
And at the same time...
"Ah, so tired."
Bronya lay on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Running back and forth between Boulder Town and the robot settlement, dashing all over the Underworld for an entire day, had left her whole body wracked with fatigue.
Her conversation with Svarog today had been a complete waste of breath. That big robot didn't care about what she was saying at all and had no intention of cooperating with her.
It was a painful failure...
Maybe... I should ask Ron to come with me tomorrow?
If it were Ron, he could definitely persuade that big robot, right?
The thought popped into Bronya's mind, but she immediately dismissed it.
No, no... I can't rely on Ron for everything!
This was just the first time. Things would definitely get better. There was no need to trouble Ron so early on...
Be confident, Bronya, you have to be confident!
This is just a small problem. How could you not be able to handle it...
While she admonished herself mentally, Bronya subconsciously opened the Life Simulation Game. She wanted to simulate the future to see if she could persuade Svarog.
She had grown accustomed to seeking answers from the Life Simulation Game.
However, just as she opened the game's screen, a prompt popped up:
[Player login detected. Do you wish to stop AI operation and switch to player control?]
Seeing this prompt, Bronya suddenly remembered that the game had randomly started a session today.
It was just that she had felt too busy this morning and had casually clicked to let the AI take over.
Still, the main objective she had set for the AI at the time was "Unite the Underworld forces and cooperate in a military coup to overthrow Cocolia." She wondered what the AI had managed to simulate...
Maybe it simulated something good? After all, with the main objective set like that, it shouldn't have gone too far off track, right?
Thinking this, Bronya, with a small sliver of anticipation, chose 'Yes' and switched back to player control.
Immediately after, new text appeared on the screen:
[Ron has come to ask if you are ready for the military coup.]
[He informs you that Wildfire is prepared and can break through the passage between the districts at any moment to launch a coup in the Overworld.]
[Faced with Ron's question, please choose—]
[1. I'm ready, I'm ready!]
[You tell Ron you have long been prepared, just waiting to ascend to the position of Supreme Guardian.]
[Selecting this option will trigger the "Military Coup" event.]
[2. I'm not ready yet... Let's explore the area above later!]
[You tell Ron you still need some time to prepare and are not yet ready to become the Supreme Guardian.]
[Selecting this option will most likely result in nothing happening, but there is a small chance it will trigger the "War Between Two Cities" event.]
So fast? The AI has already simulated to the point of a military coup?
But... something feels a bit strange. I just can't put my finger on what...
Bronya looked at the text on the screen with some confusion, but she couldn't see anything out of place.
Oh well. What could possibly go wrong?
She didn't pay it much mind, her attention returning to the options on the screen.
The coup was her goal all along. Without hesitation, she chose option one.