Ronan's "cheat" had finally arrived, and the system was activated.
However, the system didn't provide him with any immediate means to survive. Instead, it gave him a choice:
Two paths lay before him:
1.Give in and die shortly after
2.Struggle with every ounce of his wit and strength to chase the faint hope of survival, knowing that this world might be destroyed in the process.
On one side of the scale was his own life, and on the other, the lives of billions in this world.
Was there any doubt? Of course, he'd choose his own life!
After all, this was just a game.
Ronan wasn't the type to sacrifice himself for others or play the hero. He wasn't some selfless saint.
Sure, Aurelia, the alluring nun, was tempting, but in Ronan's heart, his own life was far more valuable. As long as he was alive, there would always be possibilities. Sacrificing himself for a single tree and giving up an entire forest? Laughable!
Especially when he only had ten minutes to enjoy that tree's beauty.
The real problem was how to survive.
Ronan's magic was weak. With just a wisp of magic and a small fireball, it was almost impossible to fend off Herman and his 500 Holy Knights.
Sitting at the table, Ronan's fingers tapped lightly, his expression calm.
Though the countdown to death ticked relentlessly, with every "tick-tock" reminding him of his approaching demise, he remained composed.
In such moments, the key was to stay cool-headed. Panicking would do nothing to change the situation.
According to the system, Herman and his knights were determined to kill him. But Ron wasn't relying solely on the system's assessment.
He understood the situation perfectly. Another force was also after his life.
That was Dawn Farrok, the second-in-command of the Eternal Freedom Cult's branch in Lanaka City. In the game, Dawn's betrayal was a key factor in Ronan's failure to escape and subsequent death.
Not only that, nearly every follower in the branch was loyal to Dawn.
They had orchestrated Ronan's demise by setting him up to be eliminated by Herman's forces.
Ronan's lips twitched slightly. This added up to over six hundred enemies. Surviving against such odds? The difficulty was self-evident.
"Damn it!" Ronan cursed inwardly. "I just got transported into this world, and it's already this hard? No beginner's protection period? Seriously?"
A wave of frustration bubbled up in his chest, but he quickly suppressed it. His mind raced.
Escape? Impossible.
The area surrounding the Eternal Freedom Cult's Bruno Street branch was already sealed off by the Holy Knights. There was no way out.
Talk his way out? Ridiculous.
For someone like Dawn Farrokh, whose ambition was to usurp Ronan's position, killing Ronan was an obsession. He was even willing to betray the cult's interests to achieve this. Someone like that couldn't be swayed with words.
As for Herman? Even more hopeless. Herman was notorious for his temper. He wouldn't even give Ronan the chance to speak before turning him into minced meat.
With those options ruled out, Ronan was left with one choice:
Fight. Survive through sheer strength!
For Ron, who was pathetically weak, even this choice seemed absurd.
Yet, after ruling out all other possibilities, this was the final answer.
Ron's mind began analyzing every advantage he could leverage:
He had beaten the game. He knew the story inside out. He knew the locations of every treasure chest: which ones contained advanced magic, and which held legendary equipment. He knew every strategy for the game's dungeons, as well as the personality traits and weaknesses of all the key characters. He knew all the in-game glitches and exploits.
Ron's lips curled into a sly smile.
An exploit!
This revelation made the remaining nine minutes before Herman's arrival extraordinarily precious to Ron.
Aurelia silently observed Ron, a growing suspicion surfacing in her heart.
He didn't seem like a member of the Eternal Freedom Cult anymore.
When Ron stood up, Aurelia flinched instinctively. Her slender neck trembled as she swallowed nervously, her golden eyes brimming with caution and fear.
If she could, she would've crossed her arms over her chest for protection.
"W-What are you going to do?"
Ronan glanced at her briefly. "Relax. I'm not interested in violating you. Unless I suddenly decide to save the world—which I won't—I have no intention of… harming you."
He couldn't afford to waste precious time on Aurelia. Besides, nine minutes? What could anyone do in nine minutes?
Aurelia gasped sharply.
Her face flushed red, and her entire body trembled with fury.
She knew she shouldn't react this way. Ronan's lack of interest in her should have been a relief.
But she couldn't help being angry.
What did he mean by that?! He would rather let the world perish than do anything to her? Was she that undesirable?!
Her eyes burned with rage as she glared at Ronan, her desire to kill him rising to unprecedented levels.
Ronan was bewildered by her reaction.
"What's with this woman?" he thought. "I'm sparing her, and she's still mad? Is she insane?"
Ronan shook his head, dismissing her as incomprehensible, and walked toward a screen in the room.
Behind him, the once-poised nun screeched in fury.
"Ronan, you bastard!"
Outside the Eternal Freedom Cult branch, Bruno Street was bathed in cold moonlight, a layer of frost covering the ground.
The damp, sticky night breeze brushed against the faces of everyone nearby.
In front of the branch, a crowd of cult followers had gathered. They were undoubtedly the scum of the earth.
Hearing Aurelia's outburst, several exchanged lewd smirks.
"Tch, tch, tch…"
Though they resented Ronan's rise to a high position despite his lack of strength, they grudgingly admitted he had "talents" in other areas.
After all, look at Aurelia, the once pure and reserved nun. Now, she was screaming his name, seemingly reluctant to let him leave.
What a show.
If Aurelia's fiancé, Herman, saw this, his reaction would surely be priceless.
Back inside, Ronan retrieved a round, smooth enhancement stone from his storage ring.
As this world was a direct reflection of the game, it retained many game-like mechanics—including equipment attributes.
Ronan pulled out a heavy, black-covered magic book.
[Deluxe Edition Dark Bible: Ordinary White-Tier]
-Enhancement Level: 0
-Magic Attack: +5
-Physical Attack: +7
Description: "The standard issue for members of the Eternal Freedom Cult. Though labeled 'deluxe,' it's mostly just heavier than the regular version. Surprisingly effective as a blunt weapon."
Ronan took a deep breath and made the cult's prayer gesture, tracing a rising sun over his chest. With a solemn face, he muttered under his breath:
"Praise the damn Dawn Goddess!"
It was absurd—a follower of a dark god performing the Dawn Church's prayer and uttering sacrilegious words of mockery. Yet, this was no joke.
The enhancement stone glowed, and moments later, the Dark Bible's enhancement level rose from 0 to 1.
The exploit worked.
In the game, enhancements could skyrocket an item's power. Even a basic white-tier item could become monstrously powerful if fully enhanced.
Ronan began chanting the prayer repeatedly, feeding enhancement stones into the Dark Bible.
By the time the process ended, the book's attributes were astonishing:
[Deluxe Edition Dark Bible: Fully Enhanced (+13)]
-Magic Attack: +164
-Physical Attack: +275
-Special Effect 1: Titanic Strength – Increases the wielder's Strength by 182 points.
-Special Effect 2: Knowledge is Power – Physical attacks with this item deal double damage.
Ronan grinned as he felt the massive boost in power.
And this was just one piece of equipment.
If he could fully enhance his entire gear set…
With his knowledge of this world's mechanics and his mastery of the game, his confidence soared.
This time, the advantage was his.