I am the king of gambling!

[You have been recognized by Logistics Officer Bronya and become her personal guard.]

[Bronya Rand's favorability towards you: 40]

...She really has an eye for talent, doesn't she? She saw through my ordinary guard facade to recognize my true potential.

Ron was a bit shocked, not expecting that he, a mere guard, could catch Bronya's attention.

And who would have thought? The usually serious princess was actually warm-hearted underneath her cold exterior...

But why is her favorability towards me so high? Starting with a favorability of 40, if I keep increasing it, I might be able to, uh, win her over completely...

Damn, with Duck's trust in me, I have to win this game!

Cocolia, just wait to be disciplined by me!

Ron was full of confidence and spent several days working as a guard with his mind on his off-hours.

During these days, he used all his spare time to grind the Life Simulation Game.

In the game, he simulated two full years, during which he rallied the guards and accumulated power. Except for those on the front lines, all the guards in the logistics area were now completely loyal to him.

To ensure the success of the coup, Ron had also been interacting with Bronya intensely over the past two years, working hard to increase her favorability. After finally raising it to 70, a special event was triggered:

[Bronya has noticed your intentions and seeks you out for a late-night conversation.]

An image appeared on the screen:

The wind and snow blew over the outer walls of Belobog, covering the fortress's iron thorns and barriers with frost.

With bullets loaded, the girl pointed a gun at the back of the guard's head, her emotions slightly agitated as she questioned:

"I trusted you so much... Why is it you who's been making these moves in the logistics area?"

"Why are you rallying those guards and stealing the armory keys? What are you planning?"

[Choose—]

[1. Use flowery words to hide your goals and deceive Bronya.]

[2. Reason with her and explain your plans.]

[3. Confess on the spot and beg for Bronya's mercy.]

Did you think I raised your favorability for nothing?

Ron confidently chose the second option.

In the image, the neatly dressed guard removed his helmet, revealing Ron's face.

Ron looked leaner than in reality, but his eyes burned with determination, exuding a stern and iron-blooded aura.

He showed no fear of the gun in Bronya's hand, not a hint of dread about death.

He simply looked at Bronya with a trace of hope in his voice:

"Cocolia is incompetent, and Belobog is suffering. The people need a hero."

"If we want to protect Belobog, a coup is the best choice..."

"Bronya, you are more suited to be the High Guardian than her."

The Bronya in the image remained silent for a moment, her gun shaking slightly, her finger on the trigger turning white as if she were about to pull it—

But she eventually lowered her weapon.

"In a month... if there's no good news from the front lines and my mother refuses to retreat, I'll agree to your plan."

She took the stolen armory keys from Ron and walked away through the snow.

Seeing this scene, Ron felt immensely proud of his own cunning.

Raising Bronya's favorability was indeed the right decision. Based on his memory of the Star Rail plot, Bronya was very loyal to Cocolia, stubbornly so.

It wasn't until she witnessed the suffering of the miners in the lower district that she realized her mother's mistakes. Until then, she had only trusted Cocolia.

If not for Ron raising Bronya's favorability high enough over the past two years, she would have certainly pulled the trigger just now without hesitation.

"Two years have already passed; what's another month?"

Ron was full of ambition: "When Bronya gives the order, I'll lead 300 axemen to storm Klipperfort and take Cocolia down..."

But the subsequent storyline in the simulator gave Ron a harsh reality check.

[October: The front line collapses completely.]

[Captain Gepard returns severely wounded with the remnants of his army, the troops shattered like snowflakes, no longer able to form a solid defense.]

[Rift creatures surge like a tide, and Bronya temporarily assumes command in place of Gepard, but the hastily formed defense line crumbles instantly. The rift creatures are about to invade the administrative district of Belobog.]

[As Bronya's personal guard, you are entrusted with the command of the front line.]

[Choose—]

[1. Rally the remaining troops, temporarily conscript civilians, use all the armory's resources, and launch a counterattack against the rift.]

[2. Lead a retreat, abandon the attempt to stop the rift creatures, and fall back to Klipperfort.]

[3. Rally the remaining troops, make a last stand, blow up the bridge, and defend the peripheral routes.]

"What the hell, why now of all times?"

Ron was a bit helpless. Just when he was about to overthrow Cocolia with Bronya, securing everything, the front line, which had held for two years, suddenly collapsed in just one month. Captain Gepard was critically wounded, and rift creatures surged in like a tide...

The logistics area had unexpectedly become the front line, completely hindering Bronya and Ron's plans.

"I spent the past two years building relationships, putting all my points into interpersonal skills, and now I don't know a thing about leading troops..."

Ron looked at the text on the screen, feeling a bit of a headache. If he had known, he would have chosen more training options over the past two years, conducting drills with his subordinates...

But now, with the urgent task at hand, he had no choice but to step up, prepared or not.

After all, it was just a game, and losing didn't matter much.

However, when it came to choosing among the options the Life Simulation Game presented, Ron hesitated.

The first option seemed like something only a madwoman like Cocolia, who intended to embrace destruction, would choose, so it was out.

But both the second and third options had their merits—

Leading a retreat to Klipperfort was undoubtedly the most rational choice.

The rift creatures were hard to fend off, and with the Silvermane Guards being remnants, fleeing to Klipperfort might allow them to form a strong defense and preserve the last hope of humanity.

The cost would be abandoning the administrative district, leaving the citizens to the mercy of the monsters, listening to their innocent screams.

Making a last stand by rallying the remaining troops and blowing up the bridge, though aggressive, had its merits—blowing up the bridge would at least slow down the rift creatures, giving them time to build a simple but solid defense line.

If they could hold back these monsters, they could protect all of Belobog, and there was still a chance to regroup and fight back.

But it was a gamble, betting on the future of Belobog—if they failed to hold off the rift, and the Silvermane Guards were completely wiped out, Belobog would fall entirely, and even Klipperfort wouldn't be safe.

The last spark of civilization on Jarilo-VI would be extinguished, and this snowy planet would fully embrace [Destruction].

Ron gritted his teeth: "Back then, Chan Ho-nam turned 20 bucks into 37 million; protecting Belobog with the remaining Silvermane Guards is no problem for me!"

"Retreating to Klipperfort might get us overthrown by Cocolia, so we might as well take a gamble..."

He tapped the third option on the screen decisively: "Let's do this!"