Bronya is coming

[Ron's speech had a profound impact on you.]

[Just as butterflies break free from their cocoons and children grow up, under Ron's guidance, you successfully underwent a "transformation."]

[Out of respect and trust for Ron, you fully accepted his words.]

["A weak civilization cannot survive the night. To see the dawn, everything must be a bargaining chip... everything." A voice vaguely echoed in your mind.]

[You now have a new understanding of "salvation."]

[You acquired the trait: Cold-Blooded Reformer (Gold)]

[Cold-Blooded Reformer: The burden of salvation is a weight that an entire civilization can barely bear. Any discordant noise could lead to destruction. You have completely shed your inner weakness and have embarked on the path of a cold-blooded ruler.]

[Your stress value will no longer increase, your administrative efficiency increases by 50%, your decrees are 100% more effective, and stability in your governed areas increases by 50%. However, when your people become dissatisfied with you, their discontent rises by an additional 50%.]

[Because the trait "Cold-Blooded Reformer" aligns with your path of destiny, under the guidance of cold-blooded will, you have taken a solid step on the trajectory of [Hunt] Arlan.]

The screen displayed the glowing golden trait, and even from the text, it was clear how powerful it was. This single trait nearly doubled Seele's abilities, significantly altering her future.

However, as Seele looked at the trait, she felt a chill, as if a cold wind had blown past her, sending shivers down her spine. She couldn't yet fully integrate the memories from this simulation, making it impossible to truly feel Ron's in-game speech.

But just from the text and visuals, she could sense the heavy responsibility on her shoulders—this was the weight of "salvation."

Seele had experienced the conflict between the miners and wanderers in Panyan Town twice in simulations, and each time, her decisions only temporarily halted the conflict. She always believed there was a win-win solution, a way to bridge the gap between miners and wanderers and find the best possible resolution...

But now, it was clear she was gravely mistaken. Perhaps such a solution did exist, but it was beyond her reach. Time was the greatest cost, and the threats of the Stellaron and Antimatter Legion were imminent. Without giving it their all, they would perish in the catastrophe.

How heavy would thousands of years of civilization be if it could be weighed? Seele didn't know, but in the face of destruction, it must be as light as a feather. As a leader, her previous thoughts were too naive. Although Ron's ideas were harsh, Seele had to admit they were mature.

Just as Ron said, leaders have their own ways of living... kindness alone cannot save the lower district. Kindness cannot provide the wanderers with new clothes, fill the miners' stomachs, or show the children the sky they have never seen.

It cannot.

Because pure kindness cannot, she had to abandon her naivety. This was not just for herself but for the entire world. Grandmother... no, Natasha once said, "What's more important than the miracle itself is protecting people's expectations of it."

She couldn't let the hopes of those expecting a miracle of salvation become an illusion. She had to protect these expectations— even if it meant staining her hands with blood and becoming a despised cold-blooded ruler.

With this in mind, Seele clicked the screen in front of her. The trait reward faded, and new text appeared:

[After your successful transformation, you began drastic reforms in the lower district.]

[You regulated the lifestyles of the wanderers and miners, strictly controlled the supplies from the upper district, and implemented a rationing system.]

[By monopolizing resources, you controlled the market in the lower district.]

[Following your reforms, the lower district was filled with resentment, and many harbored great malice towards you.]

[But you knew these people were the biggest tumors in the lower district, the wealthy merchants who maintained upper district standards of living despite the harsh conditions.]

[They held the lifelines of many miners and had armed forces no weaker than the Underground Fire.]

[Because Svarog needed to lead the automatons on the front lines to defend against the Fragmentum, preventing monsters from invading the city, you couldn't rely on their military strength to eliminate these wealthy merchants.]

[To eradicate these tumors, you developed a detailed plan under Ron's guidance...]

[All that was left was to wait.]

The text faded, and new text appeared:

[Your reforms had a significant impact on the wealthy merchants, who plotted to overthrow the Underground Fire's leadership and kill you, the bold young leader daring to challenge their interests.]

[Three months later, you faced your first assassination attempt.]

[The assassin was a black-market boxer heavily corrupted by the Fragmentum, making him as fierce as a Fragmentum monster.]

[But ordinary Fragmentum monsters posed no threat to you; you successfully dealt with the assassin.]

[However, the assassinations came like a storm.]

[After the first attempt, you faced daily assassination attempts. Sometimes it was corrupted black-market boxers, sometimes terminally ill miners, sometimes ragged wanderers... these desperate people became the main force trying to kill you.]

[Each assassination would significantly increase your stress value, but due to the trait "Cold-Blooded Reformer," your stress value remained unchanged.]

The text faded, and a new scene appeared:

Seele stood at the entrance to the Great Mine, facing a crowd of miners and wanderers gathered to listen to her speech. She calmly analyzed the future of the lower district for everyone:

"For the future of the lower district, we should..."

But her speech was cut short by a vicious curse.

"The underground doesn't need a leader like you, die!"

A ragged wanderer, holding a sharpened wooden stick, rushed out madly, aiming to stab Seele, who was giving a speech about "poverty alleviation rationing." But Seele, as if used to such events, drew her scythe without hesitation and decapitated the wanderer in one swift motion.

Blood splattered, and although Seele skillfully avoided most of it, warm droplets still landed on her cheek, tracing a path down to her chin before dripping off.

"K-killed! She killed someone!"

The residents of Panyan Town who had come to listen to her speech scattered in panic, but moments later, many returned—now armed and wearing fierce expressions.

Seeing the hostile crowd, Seele calmly wiped the blood from her face. The merchants' tactics were becoming more blatant; now they openly attempted to surround and kill her.

But, the time was right.

It was time for a surprise move.

The text faded, and new text appeared:

[You faced a poorly executed ambush.]

[On the surface, you were unprepared, but in reality, this was a small ploy to lure the snakes out of their holes.]

[Now, the wealthy merchants of the lower district had sent all their guards to assassinate you.]

[Ron led an Underground Fire squad, successfully capturing all the merchants involved in the assassination plot.]

[Facing so many assassins, you displayed your newfound power gained from taking a step on the path of [Hunt].]

[You transformed into a free butterfly, enveloped in imaginary energy like purple lightning, flashing before everyone.]

[Your plan succeeded.]

[These wealthy merchants were secretly executed, and their assets became resources to propel the lower district forward.]

[There were no more discordant notes in the lower district; under your high-pressure rule, the lower district was rapidly progressing on the right path.]

[Ron became the general of the Underground Fire, responsible for commanding all armed forces.]

[Under his training, the combat strength of the Underground Fire's personnel increased at an unimaginable speed.]

[In your spare time, you heard that Bronya Rand had been idly sitting in the Underground Fire's base since you agreed to cooperate, seemingly doing nothing.]

[You were curious about this but had no time to investigate Bronya's situation.]

[Under your high-pressure rule, a year passed swiftly.]

The text faded, and Seele saw numerous quantified attributes for the "Belobog Lower District" faction. Stability, development index, combat strength—every attribute had multiplied several times compared to the previous year. Especially combat strength, which had surpassed the Silvermane Guards of the upper district due to Ron's leadership.

Could it be... the time is ripe?

Seele pondered, watching as new text appeared on the screen:

[You feel the time is ripe.]

[You approached Ron, hoping he could help you contact Bronya Rand to discuss a military coup in the upper district.]

[Ron readily agreed, thinking it was a good time as well.]

Meanwhile...

"Ah, so tired."

Bronya lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She had spent the entire day running between the lower district and the robot settlement, feeling exhaustion seep into every part of her body. Her talks with Svarog today had been fruitless; the large robot showed no interest in cooperating, ignoring her completely.

It was a painful failure...

Maybe... she should bring Ron tomorrow?

If it were Ron, he could definitely persuade that big robot, right?

This thought popped into Bronya's mind but was immediately dismissed.

No, no... I can't rely on Ron for everything!

This was only the first time. Things would get better; there was no need to trouble Ron so soon...

Be confident, Bronya, be confident!

This was just a small setback. You can handle this...

She reassured herself, but unconsciously opened the life simulation game, wanting to simulate the future and

 see if she could persuade Svarog. She had grown accustomed to seeking answers from the life simulation game.

However, just as she opened the screen, a prompt appeared:

[Player detected, would you like to stop AI control and switch back to player control?]

Seeing this prompt, Bronya remembered she had left the game on AI mode earlier because she was too busy. At that time, she set the primary goal as "unite the lower district factions, cooperate for a military coup to overthrow Cocolia," not knowing what the AI would simulate...

Maybe it did a good job? Since the primary goal was set, it shouldn't go off track, right?

With a small hope, Bronya chose yes, switching back to player control.

Immediately, new text appeared on the screen:

[Ron came to ask if you were ready for the military coup.]

[He told you that the Underground Fire was prepared and could open the passage to the upper district at any time to start the coup.]

[Faced with Ron's question, please choose—]

[1. I'm ready, I'm ready!]

[Tell Ron you have been prepared, waiting to take the position of Great Guardian.]

[Choosing this option will trigger the "Military Coup" event.]

[2. I'm not ready yet... let's explore the upper district later!]

[Tell Ron you still need time to prepare and are not ready to become the Great Guardian.]

[Choosing this option will most likely result in nothing happening, but there is a small chance of triggering the "Dual Cities Battle" event.]

So soon? The AI already simulated to the point of a military coup?

But why does it feel a bit strange? What's off...

Bronya looked at the text in confusion but couldn't pinpoint the issue. Oh well, it should be fine.

She didn't dwell on it and focused back on the screen's choices. A coup had always been her goal, so she chose the first option without hesitation.