There is a kind of beauty of intensity

Bronya stared at the shimmering live2D portrait on the screen, her eyes fixed on the bright golden glow.

"A gold card! Look at that starlight on the border, it's a gold card!"

Ron's golden talent was clearly described: he was a peerless genius capable of seizing any opportunity and solving any problem. Bronya had never seen such a character before, not even heard of one.

Even Alyssa Rand, the first High Guardian and the hero of Belobog, was not this extraordinary.

Compared to this peerless genius, all her blue and white cards combined might not be as useful as this single gold card...

With such an ally, her hopes for the future had a greater chance of success.

Maybe, with Ron's help, she could truly become a qualified High Guardian and protect Belobog!

Bronya patted her cheeks and shook her heavy triple-turbine curls, shaking off the excited emotions from her mind.

There were no such opportunities in reality; she had to seize every chance in the simulation!

She prepared to provide the greatest support to such a talent... Her mother often said that knowing how to use people well was the key to being a qualified High Guardian.

If I do my best in the simulation, I should be able to make the people of Belobog live better... right?

With this hope, Bronya had no idea that Ron, whom she now regarded as a valuable minister, was lazily sprawled in an old apartment building in the administrative district, as happy as a red-scarfed dog who found a fish.

Three years have passed!

Ron felt like he was truly about to rise to glory.

Why, you ask? Because of the "Life Simulation Game" he had loaded...

Through careful study of the Life Simulation Game, Ron had drawn some conclusions—

With the Life Simulation Game, he could simulate a virtual life. The simulation had no impact on reality, but Ron could extract traits from the achievements he made in the simulation. The greater the achievements, the stronger the traits, and loading them into reality would grant him enhanced abilities.

Traits were divided into levels based on their strength, and there was no limit to the number of traits that could be loaded. Ron could grind high-level traits and become invincible... though he was too lazy to do so.

Such a powerful golden finger, Ron felt, had a certain beauty of strength.

Previously, he had occasionally worried about the Astral Express being late, the train crew not arriving before the Stellaron suddenly exploded, causing a catastrophic disaster on Jarilo-VI, but now he felt it didn't matter at all.

With the added security of simulated traits, his slacker life felt even more assured.

As long as he grinded enough traits, he had nothing to fear, so why bother with all those worries?

Why not play more games, slack off more, get close to pretty girls, and try out new game features instead of worrying about that damned Stellaron?

With expectations for the game and a collector's urge to gather everything, Ron eagerly started a game to test the waters—

[In the 700th year of the Builder Era, rift erosion became increasingly severe, spreading completely into the administrative district of Belobog.]

[Faced with the threat of the rift, High Guardian Cocolia decided to mobilize the entire population, recruiting more guards to enter the rift-infested areas in an attempt to launch a counterattack.]

[As the tide of war surged, you could only go with the flow. A military order was issued to you.]

[Please make a choice—]

[1. Accept the order.

You are appointed as the captain of the armory guard. Your direct superior is the logistics officer appointed by the High Guardian, Bronya Rand.]

[2. Refuse the order.

You will be prosecuted by the Belobog military tribunal and temporarily lose your freedom of movement.]

[3. Flee overnight.

You will seek a destination to escape.

Current destinations: Lower District of Belobog (success rate 100%), Astral Express (not unlocked), Xianzhou Luofu (not unlocked)...]

Looking at the text on the screen, Ron couldn't help but smile.

"Woohoo, what a wonderful start!"

In a time of wartime crisis, getting an easy job guarding the armory was a cushy position. Bronya, indeed, deserved to be known as the top second-generation in Belobog; Cocolia's favor for her was evident.

Being transferred to her command as the guard captain basically guaranteed a smooth future—though that wasn't what Ron cared about.

Being able to get close to the future High Guardian and manage such an important military facility as the armory was what Ron valued most.

Cocolia had repeatedly overstepped her authority, sending Silvermane Guards to the front lines to fight to the death, causing much discontent among the guards.

Though most of the guards who could be sent to the front lines were loyal followers of the Preservation, obeying orders without much resentment towards Cocolia, it still created an opportunity that excited Ron.

Due to Bronya's efficient and kind nature, she was highly regarded among the guards, on par with Captain Jepard Landau, who fought alongside the soldiers, and far superior to the current High Guardian, Cocolia.

As a result, there was widespread belief that "everything will get better once Bronya becomes High Guardian," and everyone had high hopes for her.

...And that's exactly what Ron needed.

If he could seize the opportunity when the guards were at the front lines, leaving Klipperfort empty, to stage a coup and imprison Cocolia, supporting Bronya to the position, Ron was confident that everyone, except for a few stubborn individuals, would approve of the change.

At that point, Belobog, free from the biggest obstacle of Cocolia, might just have the ability to solve the Stellaron problem.

And Ron, the one who sparked the revolution, would naturally go down in history for his unparalleled achievements.

Maybe he could even earn a gold trait.

With this in mind, Ron decisively chose the first option.

[You accept the order and become the captain of the armory guard in the logistics area.]

The text on the screen faded, and a delicate image slowly unfolded.

The silver-haired girl, clad in military attire, looked up slightly at the armored and armed Ron before her.

Usually stern and rarely smiling, Bronya now smiled as she introduced herself:

"I am the current logistics officer, Bronya Rand... That was just a formal introduction. You can call me Bronya."

"I heard you were once the captain of the gate guard at Klipperfort? That position didn't fully utilize your abilities. I hope you can be in the position you deserve."

In the image, Bronya slightly stood on tiptoe, awkwardly patting Ron on the shoulder, clearly showing her approval.

She took out a golden badge, its Builder insignia shining brightly in the sunlight.

She pinned the badge on Ron's chest with a smile.

"From now on, you are my personal guard."