Feigned Redemption, Becoming a God by "Illegal" Means

[Completed] [Everyone Gets a Seat at the Table]

I transmigrated into a cyberpunk world where supernatural abilities reign supreme, becoming trash at the very bottom of society. The Dragon Lords decide who lives and dies based on their criminal scores.

The System I’m bound to keeps popping up now and then, forcing me to make choices. One wrong move and I’m sent straight to enjoy the afterlife.

Fortunately, my inherent flaws are off the charts. Lying low and putting on an act are what I do best.

My boss treats me like a disposable resource. I pretend to obey, then secretly plot to strike when he’s down.

The organization sees me as a pawn. I play dumb, keeping meticulous accounts as I plan my reckoning.

I feign concern for my backers and use them to my advantage.

I pretend to understand my teammates and squeeze every last bit of value out of them.

With every right choice, I gradually gain power and authority, stepping through the narrow gate to the top.

Along the way, I also “happen” to pick up a few beautiful troubles:

I take in an abandoned climbing vine, shelter a fallen noble who’s lost his home, rescue a caged bird imprisoned in a tower, and fish a priest out after he falls from his altar... Every “kindness” I offer comes with a price tag, carefully hidden away.

They’re so grateful they offer me everything, helping me seize power one layer at a time and climb each rung. Everyone praises me for being softhearted and kind, for being unable to stand seeing others suffer.

Yes, that’s exactly what I am.

How could I be hypocritical, combative, and fickle? I simply can’t bear to watch my “assets” cry and lose value. That’s why I’m so ambitious, chasing power and giving everyone a home.

After I use the authority and sincerity they offer me to fight my way through and complete the final mission, the System suddenly starts a countdown to the end of my life.

...Sigh. I was thinking I could call it a day. A life where I had both a career and a harem shouldn’t be too greedy.

Now it seems I still have a long way to go.

I should “invite” all the people in charge on the board to step down and take their place as the one who calls the shots.

[Reading Guide]

1. First-person narration.

2. The early chapters focus on worldbuilding and the struggle to survive. The romance is a slow burn that serves the main plot and gradually emerges as the protagonist’s power grows. There’s no vying for affection, only devoted followers.

3. The female lead has low moral standards, is something of a snarky commentator, understands people a little, has no bottom line or shame, and neither refuses nor takes responsibility.

4. The female lead isn’t a virgin. Everyone else is, except the devoted husbands.

5. All the male characters who get a seat at the table have one-sided crushes on her. Competition begins in the middle and later arcs, with a rotating cast of partners.

A record of an ant becoming divine: save yourself before saving others.

Theme: The sky is vast and the earth is vast, but freedom is greatest of all.