(Chapter 1) You call this my future life
As a healthy, growing human woman in this world, Anna's life could hardly be described as smooth sailing—if anything, it could only be called chaotic to the extreme.
Born into nobility, Anna was raised by her parents to be graceful and elegant. She was sent to a knight academy for training, and originally, she thought that once she graduated, she could become one of the rare female knights, inherit her family estate, and enjoy an easy life of leisure.
However, the word “noble” in her case was better prefixed with “impoverished.”
Anna could still vividly recall the conversation she had at her ailing father’s bedside.
“Dad, where’s our money?”
“I... don’t know.”
In the end, her father passed away prematurely because they couldn’t afford his medical expenses. Her mother, overcome with grief, also fell gravely ill and passed away before Anna could even graduate.
After struggling to work and study her way through knight school, Anna finally graduated, only to be assigned not to the prestigious Royal Knights but sent back to her hometown as a border knight—under the lofty pretense of “defending the kingdom’s lands.”
Fine, defending the borders it is, but could they at least pay her a decent salary? Even if she sold her family’s shabby house, she wouldn’t have enough money to take care of the aging horse her father had passed down to her!
To make matters worse, knights were required to own a horse and a set of armor. If it weren’t for this rule, Anna would have sold that old horse long ago to make ends meet.
Back in her hometown, not only was Anna struggling to make ends meet, but she was also constantly juggling odd jobs. To top it off, women from the red-light district often flirted with her. When Anna sternly explained that she had no money, they continued throwing her flirtatious glances and said:
“If you can’t afford to be our customer, why not join us as a colleague? It’s just as exciting, and you can earn money!”
What the hell?! How could the world come to this? Was Anna the kind of person who would fall so low as to become a lady of the night?
“Given your figure, Miss Knight, you could easily make fifty thousand gold a week and rise to the top of the industry! Plus, we’re very flexible—you can even choose to serve only female clients.”
…
Touching the single gold coin she had just earned from her meager monthly salary, Anna suddenly felt a pang of guilt.
No! No way! Anna, how can you even think about this? You’re a noble-born knight—no, a dignified knightly sister! How can you even consider selling yourself for a mere fifty thousand gold?!
…But fifty thousand gold could buy her a top-notch horse and replace her rusted longsword—the one so corroded it might give her enemies tetanus!
And in just two weeks, she could afford a grand house in the capital, eat meat every meal, and spray herself with imported Leighton perfume like a true noble…
The more she thought about it, the more tempting it became. Just as Anna was about to turn around and speak to the woman from the red-light district—
[Congratulations! You’ve won a “Life Simulator” as part of the event "Lucky Draw Bonanza." Please claim your prize within five days, or it will be forfeited.]
A glowing line of text suddenly appeared in her vision.
“…What the heck?”
Her restless heart instantly calmed as her attention was captured by the surreal message floating in front of her.
Anna tried to touch the text with her hand but ended up swiping at empty air. To passersby, she looked like someone waving aimlessly at nothing.
After repeated attempts and the increasingly strange stares from those around her, Anna finally confirmed one thing: This line of text was visible only to her, and she couldn’t physically touch it.
So, what was this “prize” anyway?
Anna had participated in plenty of raffles before—from spin-the-wheel events at stores to big school lotteries—but unfortunately, she’d never won anything. It was a small footnote in her otherwise chaotic life.
But now, a strange line of text out of nowhere was telling her she’d won something?
Never mind whether it was some sort of trap—whether it was an otherworldly invasion, a demonic temptation, or the ploy of an evil sorcerer—Anna figured she might as well claim the prize. Otherwise, wouldn’t it be a waste?
The moment Anna decided to claim it, the glowing text slowly disappeared.
[Activating Life Simulator—]
As another line of text appeared, accompanied by a steadily moving progress bar, Anna’s vision was replaced by a simple, minimalist UI interface.
[Welcome to the Life Simulator!]
[Start Simulation] [Simulation Tutorial]
She wasn’t entirely sure what this "Life Simulator" was, but better to check out the tutorial first—no harm in that!
The tutorial began:
[This simulator allows users to simulate their life starting from their current point in time, providing a trajectory of their life story.]
[Users may use the simulator once every six hours. During cooldown periods, the “Start Simulation” button will display the remaining time.]
The tutorial even included a graphic showing what the cooldown timer looked like.
[Upon unlocking the first achievement during a simulation, the Achievement System will be activated in the main interface. Each achievement grants Achievement Points.]
[Achievement Points can be exchanged for rewards in the Achievement Store. Work hard to unlock achievements and empty out the store!]
[Note: Characters in the simulation cannot and will not know about the simulator’s existence. Rest assured and enjoy your experience.]
The tutorial was short and sweet—honestly, it didn’t seem necessary for such a simple explanation.
…But this actually sounds pretty interesting!
Simulating her future life? She’d only ever read about things like this in novels imported from the Empire! And this “Life Simulator” was entirely beyond her understanding—an unprecedented, mysterious interface.
Forgive Anna for being just a fantasy-world native—she couldn’t even describe the UI properly.
“Alright, I’ll start the simulation!”
After finishing the tutorial, Anna eagerly clicked “Start Simulation.”
[Simulation Begins]
[Day 0: You went home, had a good night’s sleep, and nothing happened.]
[Day 1: You patrolled the entire town. Nothing happened.]
[Day 2: You patrolled the entire town. Nothing happened.]
[Day 3: You patrolled the entire town. Nothing happened.]
…Isn’t this just my regular workday?!
Anna stared at the monotonous simulation, speechless.
[Day 4: It was your day off, but your boss made you work overtime. So, you patrolled the entire town. Nothing happened.]
Her face instantly turned red with anger.
That damn bald, creepy knight commander made her work overtime again!
Ever since she became a border knight, had she ever had a single day off?!
[Day 5: You were supposed to have a compensatory day off, but your boss didn’t approve it and made you work as usual.]
[So, you patrolled the entire town. Nothing happened.]
This is ridiculous! Stand up for yourself, simulated Anna!
[Day 6: You decided that working for half a year without a single day off was outrageous. You resolved to defy your heartless boss and quit.]
Yes! That’s the spirit! That’s exactly what you should do!
[Day 7: For your deliberate absenteeism, your knight title and military position were revoked, leaving you unemployed.]
…
What the hell?!
Fine, if I can’t live off the kingdom’s payroll, I’ll still shine wherever I go! With my skills as a knight academy graduate, I’m sure I’ll find a job in no time!
[Day 8: Unemployed, you spent the day job hunting. No luck.]
No worries! Persistence pays off!
[Day 9: Unemployed, you spent the day job hunting. No luck.]
[Day 10: Unemployed, you spent the day job hunting. No luck.]
[Day 11: Unemployed, you spent the day job hunting. No luck.]
…
Anna was starting to panic. Her simulated self had been jobless for twenty days, failing to even land a job as a shop assistant.
What’s the problem?! I’m a pretty girl, okay? A certified pretty girl, even popular in the red-light district! How am I less qualified than those subpar receptionists at the adventurer guild?!
[Day 32: Your savings were already meager. After being jobless for so long, you sold your old horse. However, no one in the town wanted to buy your armor because the breastplate was too exaggeratedly curved. You earned one gold coin.]
What the hell?! The horse only fetched one gold coin?!
…Wait, considering that old nag’s bony appearance, maybe one gold coin was fair.
But what am I supposed to do if I still can’t find a job?
[Day 33: You realized this couldn’t go on. Then, you remembered the invitation extended by the red-light district woman a month ago.]
…
[Having searched through all possible jobs in the small town and lacking travel funds to seek work elsewhere, you found the woman who had invited you. She cheerfully introduced you to her boss.]
[Thus, you became a lady of the night.]
…
What?!
How did I end up as a lady of the night?!
What kind of nonsense simulation is this?!
[Day 34: You entertained a female client and earned a generous tip.]
[Day 35: You entertained another female client and earned another generous tip.]
[Day 36: Due to your rising fame, you entertained three female clients and earned a lot of tips.]
[Your skills improved.]
[Day 37: Your fame skyrocketed, and you entertained five female clients, earning even more tips. You felt satisfied.]
[Your skills improved.]
[Day 38: With your reputation at its peak, you entertained seven female clients, earning a fortune in tips. Among them was a junior knight from your border patrol days. She couldn’t believe you had fallen so far.]
[You were too ashamed to explain because, by now, you had fully succumbed to the pleasures of this life.]
[She gave you the largest tip of all.]
Then why not just buy me out of this life, huh?!
Anna numbly watched as the simulation progressed, day after day, until it ended with one final line:
[You became a legend in the red-light industry. Every young girl entering this line of work in the town would hear tales of your story.]
[Simulation complete. Calculating results...]
[Achievement unlocked: Queen of the Adult Industry (Bronze).]
…Damn it! My future life is not going to be like this!