As a doctor, Natasha had a dream.
She wanted to create a warm world, a world where no one feared the cold, where everyone could live safely amidst the wind and snow.
...This had once been a dream she shared with her brother.
But her brother had fallen ill, gravely ill.
A disregard for human life and a pathological pursuit of success had turned Natasha's brother into an unscrupulous demon.
He used unfinished potions on the people of the Underworld, callously disregarding their lives, caring only whether the potion was completed or not—
For this, Natasha drove him out of the Underworld, leaving him to fend for himself in the endless wind and snow.
...This left a deep shadow on Natasha.
Natasha's talent was far inferior to her brother's—
Vache, a top student at the Belobog Medical College, possessed knowledge and talent that few could match.
In the past, Natasha could only serve as his assistant, her knowledge far less profound than his.
Immunity to the snowstorm had been their shared dream, but after Vache committed such atrocities and still failed to achieve results, Natasha cast the idea to the back of her mind, sealing it away completely.
Because she knew that to achieve true snowstorm immunity, setting aside the talent of the pharmacist themselves, the sheer number of trials required to deduce the perfect formula was immense—
But on this entire planet of Jarilo-VI, almost all animals that could be used for clinical trials had vanished in the snowstorm. To test the potion, one could only use it on humans...
That would mean walking the same path of no return as Vache.
To view human lives as test subjects like a madman, to create a snowstorm immunity potion upon a pile of corpses, to become a demon that could no longer be called a "doctor"—
This was something Natasha, as a Pathstrider of [The Abundance], could never accept.
But now... she had a way to fulfill her dream.
Natasha looked at the light screen before her. This [Life Simulation Game] had suddenly popped up in front of her some time ago.
When she first saw it, she immediately suspected she was hallucinating and gave herself a full-body check-up...
The result was completely normal. There were no lesions on her body, and her life had been quite ordinary lately, so the possibility of a mental breakdown induced by some event could be ruled out...
This made her take this thing a bit more seriously.
After simply figuring out how to operate it, Natasha became very interested in what the Life Simulation Game could do.
The ability to simulate the future and test the outcomes of her choices was of great help to both her and the Underworld.
After all, the current Underworld was in chaos, with only the "Wildfire" organization maintaining order...
If Wildfire made a mistake, the entire Underworld would descend into a chaotic hell on earth.
Vagrants and miners would beat each other's brains out for a scrap of food. The rich merchants would unleash their private guards on the people, squeezing out their last drop of oil to maintain their own decent lifestyle.
This was entirely predictable. Using the Life Simulation Game to simulate the future could greatly reduce the likelihood of such a situation occurring.
However, it was frustrating that as the leader of Wildfire and the doctor of the only clinic in the Underworld, Natasha's daily life was spent in a constant state of busyness.
The matters she faced every day were either decisions concerning Wildfire's operations or surgeries that determined a patient's life or death. The amount of time she could spare in a day was extremely limited, leaving her with very little time to play the Life Simulation Game.
Therefore, she could only set the game to AI control while she attended to real-world matters, occasionally finding a moment to log on, make a few simple choices, and then dive back into her busy routine.
Unfortunately, due to the AI's dullness, these few simulations did not bring Natasha much benefit, only granting her decades of simulation memory and something she happened to find around Belobog using the power of the Empire after the founding of the Jarilo-VI First Empire in the last simulation—
"Snowstorm Immunity Experiment Records — Vache"
This was the final masterpiece of her brother, Vache, whom she had driven out of Belobog. It was created with all his heart and soul on the vast ice plains after he came to understand the value of life.
Opening the book, one could read from the densely packed script the immense hope Vache had poured into this potion, and it was indeed worthy of such hope—
The current snowstorm immunity potion could already make the human body automatically generate heat to resist the severe cold for a certain period of time without significantly damaging bodily functions... This was a huge improvement over the potions from his time in the Underworld.
And in the experiment records, Vache had even marked the direction for the final step.
A flawless snowstorm immunity would allow humans to live freely in the ice and snow, without worrying about the effects of low temperatures or the corrosion of the Fragmentum.
All that was needed was to make the person who took the potion resistant to Fragmentum corrosion...
And the Fragmentum, being a disaster caused by the Stellaron, Natasha knew its general situation from the research records she obtained from the Stellaron Research Squad in her simulation memory—
Although she didn't know the complex principles of the Fragmentum, it was very clear that its corrosion relied on the Imaginary Energy emanating from the Stellaron.
And to resist the corrosion of Imaginary Energy, one naturally needed the protection of the Imaginary Energy that humans could control from a Path. In terms of potion-making, this naturally required the intervention of a Pathstrider—but that was something Vache could not do.
Vache had never set foot on a Path... Even though he was one of the most brilliant students at the Belobog Medical College and the most knowledgeable person in medicine in all of Belobog, he had never resonated with the Path of [The Abundance].
Not being a Pathstrider, he was powerless to take this final step... but Natasha could.
Selflessness and dedication are the philosophy of the Path of [The Abundance]. And Natasha, who carried the people of the Underworld in her heart and whose daily life was dedicated to saving lives and maintaining peace, had already walked a considerable distance on this Path...
She had the ability to complete this potion formula and lead the entire world in a new direction.
However... it would require a huge price, and immense resources to accomplish.
According to her memories from the simulations, whether it was during Bronya's time as the Supreme Guardian or Seele's time as the Emperor of the Jarilo-VI First Empire, neither of them had invested many resources in medicine. Most of it was used to support military expenses and urban development.
But that wouldn't work—the endings of these few simulations had already proven everything.
According to Natasha's understanding, if snowstorm immunity could be achieved, humanity could completely coexist with the Stellaron and the Fragmentum. The extreme cold and Fragmentum corrosion would no longer be a threat. Only the Fragmentum creatures would need to be cleaned up, which was far simpler than facing the Anti-Matter Legion or even the Interastral Peace Corporation.
Therefore... Natasha needed a helper.
A helper who could govern Belobog and support her without reservation.
...She needed a Ron.
Natasha took a deep breath, her mind replaying the simulation memories she had loaded.
In the simulations, this person Ron was always able to shine brilliantly... For example, in the last simulation, as Seele's best assistant, Ron had successfully stabilized the Empire's situation even under high-pressure rule, allowing the entire Empire to flourish. He had even managed to completely contain the Stellaron with the Empire's power alone.
In the end, he even single-handedly dealt with the Anti-Matter Legion's greatest threat, the Doomsday Vanguard... Although the price of this was Ron's life, it also proved just how capable he was.
And now, Natasha had specifically delegated her work to Oleg and the others. The clinic was also unusually empty of patients. This was the free time she could devote wholeheartedly to a simulation...
In this simulation, she must bring Ron under her command and make snowstorm immunity a reality.
She would turn this imperfect world... into the one she looked forward to.
With this thought, she tapped the light screen in front of her and chose to start the game.
And at the same time, on the other side—
Ron tapped "Start Game," and new simulation notes appeared on the light screen:
[In the 700th year of the Architect Era, you became Bronya Rand's personal guard and followed her to the Belobog Underworld.]
[After lazily spending the day off she personally granted you, you spent a decadent night that only a sloth would live through.]
[You had thought that Bronya, who had instructed you about today's work the day before, would knock on your door before you woke up. But when you woke up, you found that it was already noon, and there was no sign of Bronya.]
[Confused, you went to Bronya's room, only to find the door tightly shut. You knocked, but received no response.]
[You keenly sensed that something was not right.]
[You went to the hotel front desk to call for Sister Gothe. Under her puzzled gaze, you took the spare key to Bronya's room and opened the door—]
[You were greatly shocked by the scene you saw.]
Greatly shocked by the scene I saw? What's going on?
Ron tilted his head in confusion—what could possibly be in Bronya's room?
Considering Bronya's abnormal behavior, perhaps she had run into some trouble... Could it be that her identity as a princess of the Overworld had been discovered?
At this thought, Ron's expression turned serious, and a terrifying image popped into his mind—
In the image, a pitch-black figure held a gleaming steel knife, standing by Bronya's bed. It gave Bronya a strange smile, and the knife in its hand plunged into her heart...
Don't tell me I've really stumbled upon a murder scene? Is the security in the Underworld that bad?
If that was the case, he really had to keep watch over Bronya tonight, to prevent his perfect, good boss from being harmed by villains.
Ron silently made up his mind, but as he watched the text on the light screen fade, his expression gradually became strange.
Because this was the scene he saw—
In the image, opening Bronya's door did not reveal a murder scene. Bronya herself was not missing. In fact, it was a buy-one-get-one-free deal, with a Seele included. Both were lying on the two separate beds in the room, sleeping peacefully.
They lay quietly and properly on the beds, looking like small children whose sleeping postures had been adjusted by their parents.
Leaning in closer, you could even hear their long, steady, and gentle breathing. They were clearly sound asleep.
He carefully inspected the room. It was clean and tidy, without a single strange thing.
Only two thick, heavy tomes were open on the table, detailing the business operations of the Underworld's mining teams and the income and expenses of the Wildfire organization...
It looked as if Seele and Bronya had studied these things together all night and, nearing noon, could no longer hold on, collapsing into a deep sleep on their beds.
...I know you like to overwork yourself, but you don't have to go this hard, Duckie.
For a moment, Ron didn't know how to comment on this. He could only watch as the 'him' in the image carefully closed the door, afraid of waking the two sleeping beauties.
The image on the screen faded, and new simulation notes began to appear:
[You carefully left Bronya's room. Getting a day off because your boss wasn't at work, you couldn't help but feel cheerful.]
[You began to think about how to spend the day—]
[1. Another day off, is there anything better? I must slack off with all my might!
You decide to perfectly obey your instincts, continuing to slack off and let things rot, pursuing nothing.
Choosing this option: You will gain 20 Nihility Points and spend the day peacefully.]
[2. Free time should be freely arranged. Everything in the Underworld is shrouded in mystery. You want to see this world with your own eyes.
You decide to walk around the Underworld and find something that interests you.
Choosing this option: You will be more likely to trigger random events.]
An introduction box followed this option:
[Nihility Points: Your Nihility Point limit is 100. When you reach 100, you will automatically set foot on the Path of [Nihility].]
Seeing the options on the screen, Ron scratched his head, hesitant—
His primary goal in this simulation was to set foot on a new Path. Option one was honestly very attractive.
After all, it was a stable opportunity to set foot on the Path of [Nihility]... But on second thought, Ron decided against it.
While Pathstriders of [Nihility] weren't weak, they didn't quite fit Ron's needs...
After all, he wasn't sure if his destructive power on the Path of [Nihility] could stand up to the Doomsday Vanguard. Nihility didn't seem like a DPS class at all; it was a pure support class.
If it were a classic DPS class like [The Hunt] or [Destruction], Ron would have chosen option one in a heartbeat, but [Nihility] was a tough choice.
Besides, to set foot on the Path of [Nihility], he would have to do nothing and slack off for five days. He doubted Bronya would let him rest for another four...
Might as well choose option two. Maybe I'll get lucky and find an opportunity to set foot on another Path?
If not a DPS class like [The Hunt] or [Destruction], getting [The Abundance] to max out his tankiness so he could survive the Stellaron explosion would be fine too.
After much hesitation, Ron clicked on the second option.
The options on the screen faded, and new text appeared:
[You chose to walk around the Underworld and find something that interests you.]
[Random Event Triggered—]
[Walking on the streets of Boulder Town, you see a Wildfire member handing out flyers.]
[You take a flyer. It states that Natasha's clinic is giving away "Cold-Dispelling Medicine" for free today, limited to one hundred doses, first come, first served.]
[From the Wildfire member, you learn that the "Cold-Dispelling Medicine" is a simplified version of a formula left behind by Natasha's brother, Vache, with the side effects removed.]
[The medicine cannot grant immunity to the snowstorm, but it can dispel cold to a certain extent and receive a small blessing from the power of the [The Abundance] Path, providing a slight resistance to Fragmentum corrosion.]
[Faced with this, you decide—]
[1. Go to Natasha's clinic and ask about the medicine.
You will have a chance to obtain information related to the [The Abundance] Path. The probability of setting foot on the Path of The Abundance will increase slightly.]
[2. Cold-Dispelling Medicine? What does that have to do with me?
You have no interest in this and decide to continue walking around Boulder Town. You will continue to trigger random events.]
The Path of [The Abundance]?
Ron immediately perked up—[The Abundance] was great! Although it couldn't compare to the grand prizes like [The Hunt] or [Destruction], it was definitely a solid consolation prize.
He wasn't going to gamble on the randomness of random events anymore. Choosing [The Abundance] would already allow him to steadily defeat the Doomsday Vanguard without dying. There was no need to ask for more.
He was quite curious to see what kind of tank monster he would become by combining [Preservation] and [The Abundance]... Maybe the Doomsday Vanguard wouldn't even be able to scratch him?
Ron thought with interest and chose the first option.
The text on the screen faded, and new simulation notes appeared:
[You have arrived at Natasha's clinic.]
The text faded, and a new image appeared—
A crowd was thronging outside Natasha's clinic. Everyone was rushing over for the Cold-Dispelling Medicine as if they were mad, afraid they wouldn't get a dose.
"Don't push, don't push... Dr. Natasha will be distributing the medicine for three consecutive days. If you don't get it today, you can come back tomorrow or the day after!"
A Wildfire member shouted with all his might, struggling to hold back the surging crowd.
"It's all gone! All gone! People at the back, stop pushing, come back tomorrow!"
The crowd lingered for a while, only reluctantly dispersing after confirming that there was indeed no more medicine, shooed away by the best efforts of the Wildfire members.
Ron approached at the right moment and was wearily stopped by a tired Wildfire member.
"No more, no more... come back tomorrow..."
Ron smiled. "I'm here to see Dr. Natasha. I met her the day before yesterday. Could you let me in?"
"Looking for Dr. Natasha? Are you sick?"
The Wildfire member looked at Ron skeptically but stepped aside from the clinic door.
"Then go on in, but don't say I didn't warn you. Don't go in and start begging Dr. Natasha for the medicine. It's really all gone. Dr. Natasha said the potion needs to be mixed on the spot..."
Ron nodded with a smile and walked into the clinic.
Perhaps because of the medicine distribution today, there were no patients in the clinic. Only Dr. Natasha was at a table with some bottles and jars, mixing the liquids inside them drop by drop...
Ron watched with interest for a while. It wasn't until Natasha finished mixing the potion in her hands and smoothed her hair that she looked up at Ron, saying with some surprise:
"You are... Ron? Bronya's personal guard?"
"Why did you suddenly come to the clinic... Are you sick?"
Ron shook his head and said amicably:
"I'm not sick... I just saw the flyers distributed by Wildfire and was a bit curious about the medicine."
As Ron spoke, he asked with a curious expression:
"I saw on the flyer that your Cold-Dispelling Medicine contains the blessing of the [The Abundance] Path? That it can protect the user to a certain extent and block the corrosion of the Fragmentum... Could you tell me about the Path of [The Abundance]?"
"I want to set foot on the Path of [The Abundance] and become one of its Pathstriders."
Natasha looked at Ron thoughtfully, pondered for a moment, and said:
"I didn't expect you to be interested in this... However, setting foot on the Path of [The Abundance] is a bit troublesome."
"I'm not sure exactly how to do it... because when I first set foot on the Path, I was just practicing medicine as usual. After prescribing medicine to a patient, the figure of 'Yaoshi' flashed before my eyes in a daze."
"There probably isn't a shortcut for this... If you really want to set foot on the Path of [The Abundance], then come and make medicine with me."
"Help me aid the people of the Underworld, and maybe you'll have a chance to set foot on the Path."
The image on the screen dimmed for a moment, and new options appeared:
[Natasha has extended an invitation to you. Please choose—]
[1. Accept the invitation.
You will join Natasha's personal faction and become Natasha's assistant. After a certain period of time, you will be guaranteed to set foot on the Path of [The Abundance].]
[2. Refuse the invitation.
You will lose the opportunity to set foot on the Path of [The Abundance]. Your personal faction will not change, and you will remain as Bronya's personal guard.]
What's so great about being Bronya's personal guard? Is it better than becoming a Pathstrider of [The Abundance]?
Ron chose the first option without hesitation. The options on the screen faded, and the scene continued to play:
"To set foot on the Path of [The Abundance], I am willing to become your assistant, Nata."
Ron said seriously. Natasha looked at him, and a "just as planned" smile appeared at the corners of her mouth.
But she quickly composed her expression and said gently:
"Welcome as my assistant, Ron."
And at that very moment—
Bronya was staring helplessly at the notes on her light screen, pressing on the throbbing vein on her temple, suppressing the emotions in her heart:
[You were attacked by Seele. She ambushed you at night and tied you to the bed like a rice dumpling.]
[She believes you are the biggest obstacle to her recruiting Ron. She decided to strike first, tie you up for a day, recruit Ron, and then release you.]
[Because you were ambushed, you were powerless to fight back. You could only watch in frustration as she flaunted her victory in front of you, proclaiming how she would recruit Ron and envisioning the bright future she and Ron would create together.]
[Just as she was gloating, you saw someone throw a white spherical object into the room. A milky-white powder sprayed out, and a sweet scent filled your nostrils—]
[You were hypnotized, and your mind became groggy.]
[In your daze, you saw a figure with a very magnificent chest gently remove the ropes from your body. She moved you and Seele to separate beds and gently tucked you in.]
[You saw her lightly kiss your forehead and wish you a good night.]
[You felt a motherly warmth from her.]
The text on the screen faded, and new notes appeared:
[Time flew by, and you gradually awakened from your deep sleep—]
[The hypnosis from ??? has ended.]
[At the same time, your personal guard, Ron, has left your faction.]
[Now, Ron has joined Natasha's personal faction. He is now Natasha's assistant.]
Bronya looked at the text on the light screen, her expression a storm of emotions.
What in the world... was going on???!