[In order to find your mother, you ignored the guards' attempts to stop you and ventured deep into the Fragmentum.]
[But the Imaginary energy in the depths of the Fragmentum severely corroded you, and the constant siege of its creatures left you mentally and physically exhausted.]
[You were cornered by a Guardian's Shadow, your life in imminent danger.]
[Your personal guard, Ron, led a squad into the Fragmentum and rescued you from the Guardian's Shadow.]
[To ensure your safety, Ron chose to have his elite squad escort you away while he stayed behind to cover the retreat.]
[Thanks to Ron's rescue, you returned to Belobog and escaped the Fragmentum.]
[However, Ron never returned. Days later, you saw a Fragmentum creature with Ron's exact appearance roaming outside the defensive line, only to be dispersed by the revitalized guards.]
[Ron successfully saved you but left himself behind in the Fragmentum.]
[November. The Fragmentum corrosion worsens. You can no longer resist its tearing force and are annihilated into elementary particles.]
[In the same month, Cocolia, assimilated by the Stellaron, returned from the Fragmentum. Belobog's defensive line collapsed in an instant. The light of the Preservation was about to be extinguished on this planet.]
[With the world about to end, the lockdown between the Overworld and Underworld was lifted. Seele led the "Wildfire" organization out of the Underworld and launched a final counterattack.]
[Wildfire's counterattack failed.]
[Destruction embraced this cold world.]
[Game Over.]
[To ensure the player's gaming experience, simulation memories have been loaded.]
Bronya watched as the text on the screen stopped scrolling. Like a drop of ink dissolving into the ocean, the memories from the simulation flowed seamlessly into her mind, as if she had personally experienced it all.
Her gaze was a bit dazed. She looked through the window at the cold sun hanging high in the sky, but it was as if she were seeing a twisted, cursed sun.
The sensation of being corroded and annihilated by the Fragmentum was profoundly unpleasant. Although it had only happened in a simulation, the loading of the memories made it feel terrifyingly real.
Bronya even had the illusion that she had truly been twisted by the Fragmentum, reduced to nothing but drifting motes of the void.
She puffed her cheeks and shook her head, her triple-bun hairstyle swaying behind her as if trying to fling the illusions from her mind.
She shook until she was dizzy and had to sit down, steadying herself on the edge of her bed. Only then did the illusions in her mind finally dissolve, as if they'd been shaken into submission.
She opened her eyes. Everything before her was no longer strange and distorted; her bedroom was as warm and familiar as ever.
On her desk sat an old photograph of her and her mother. In the picture, a gentle Cocolia held a young Bronya, who was cluelessly grabbing the medal on her mother's chest, as Cocolia softly told her the history of the Architects.
Looking at the photograph, the stiffness in Bronya's face from the illusions instantly softened, as if she had returned to the time when she would listen to lullabies in her mother's arms.
The memories of the past two years also calmed within her mind, no longer stirring up turbulent waves.
The screen before her refreshed with new text at a fitting moment—
[Your score for this life simulation is: 20.]
[You have gained 200 World Experience.]
[As the much-anticipated commander of the Silvermane Guards and the next Supreme Guardian of Belobog, you failed to live up to everyone's expectations.]
[Your personal guard, Ron, paved the way for you and cleared every obstacle, but all his efforts were turned to dust by your willfulness.]
[Your follower gave his life to save you from the Fragmentum, yet the result was still the fall of Belobog.]
[As the last ruler in Belobog's history, although you knew how to recognize and use talent, you yourself lacked the ability to solve problems.]
[In the end, you were nothing more than a little girl chasing her mother's shadow, one who lost all composure the moment her mother was gone... You experienced no growth whatsoever.]
Reading the evaluation on the screen and recalling the events of the past two years, Bronya's expression grew complicated.
The memories in her mind were so vivid. She could still remember her late-night pact with Ron, the guards on the training grounds inspired by him to launch a counterattack, and him, staying behind in that虚境 (xū jìng - illusory realm), disregarding his own life to cover their retreat...
Thinking back, even at the final, desperate moment when the Fragmentum creatures besieged Belobog, if she hadn't recklessly charged into the Fragmentum, Ron would have surely been able to preserve the city.
The reason Belobog fell was, in the end, her own fault...
It was she who held Ron back.
At this thought, Bronya couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt, and her self-doubt deepened.
However, before she could wallow in self-pity, the screen before her changed again:
[You have successfully completed one simulation. Please choose—]
[1. Obtain "Armory Key" x1]
[2. Obtain "Silvermane Guard Commander's Attire" x1]
[3. Obtain "Cold Cut Sundown" x1]
...I didn't gain anything of value in this simulation.
Bronya looked at the rewards on the screen, feeling a sense of helplessness.
This simulation was a total loss. She had gained nothing and, due to her own willfulness, had lost the chance to preserve Belobog...
She sighed softly, chose the first option, and took the key to the Belobog armory.
A heavy, silver-iron key materialized from thin air and fell into Bronya's hand.
She chose it mainly because the other two options were useless, while this one had at least some potential utility.
For example, if the real her needed to stage a coup...
The thought flashed through her mind for an instant before she immediately cast it out, muttering to herself:
"No... I can't, Bronya! How could you have such a dangerous thought?!"
She forcibly shifted her attention away from this rebellious idea and back to the screen in front of her.
"I should just start another simulation... Strike while the iron is hot. I must correct all the mistakes from the last run..."
Bronya murmured to herself and tapped 'Begin Simulation'.
"The last run went wrong because of my willfulness. I held Ron back..."
"A capable person like him already has enough ability on his own. The things I did were just redundant."
"So this time, if I just do nothing and give Ron my full support, it will definitely succeed, right?"
By doing nothing, everything is done. All I have to do is wait for Ron, my gold card, to work his magic!
Filled with this thought, Bronya looked with great anticipation at the text appearing on the screen:
[In the year 700 of the Fort-Building Era, you were sent by Supreme Guardian Cocolia's directive to the logistics district armory, assigned only a few Silvermane Guards to watch the gate.]
[A squad of Silvermane Guards has joined your team.]
...
[You have promoted Silvermane Guard Officer Ron, appointing him as your personal guard.]
[April. Your personal guard, Ron, requests that you assign him a few Silvermane Guards. He wants to venture into the Fragmentum to clear out its creatures.]