(Chapter 17) My blood pressure is rising.
Cutting, cutting ruthlessly—severing the self inside the simulator from the self in reality. Anna decided, just like the previous times, to continue pretending she had no idea who the person in the simulator was.
Who is this? How did she suddenly become a slave? I don’t know this unlucky kid at all. What's her name? I have no idea.
How could such a terrible story possibly be immersive? There’s no need to empathize with the feeling of becoming a slave!
After hypnotizing herself for a while, Anna continued watching the bizarre developments in the simulator.
[After being bought by this woman, she seemed very gentle with you, so you asked where this place was.]
[She seemed surprised by your question but answered nonetheless.]
[That’s when you found out that you had been sold to the City-state Of Barritt, located in the far south of the continent.]
In just a few days, she had been transported across half the continent and straight to the southernmost region?
The efficiency of the slave traders is surprisingly high, huh.
[You tried to ask this woman for more information, but your questions were dismissed.]
[“A mere slave shouldn't be so arrogant.”]
[You had a rather unpleasant night.]
[You lost consciousness!]
[You suffered from dehydration!]
…Here we go again!
Even though the order is different from the last simulation, this time, unconsciousness came before dehydration, it’s still the same terrible outcome. What difference does it make?!
[Day 11: When you woke up, you found yourself dressed in extremely revealing clothing. As soon as you regained consciousness, several other slaves wearing similar attire pulled you up and started training you to dance.]
[Although you were extremely unwilling, you no longer had the right to refuse.]
[After a full day of dance training, that woman appeared again, and you had another unpleasant night.]
[You lost consciousness!]
[You suffered from dehydration!]
[You suffered from dehydration again!]
…Isn’t repeating it a bit too much?
Since this simulation no longer had any reference value, Anna had completely resigned herself to just making sarcastic comments.
[Day 12: Just like yesterday, you were taken for dance training. Perhaps you were born for this path, as you picked up the dance moves incredibly quickly, so quickly that others believed you were naturally talented for this.]
[Upon learning this, that woman appeared before you and gave you a reward.]
[You suffered from dehydration!]
[You lost consciousness!]
[You suffered from dehydration again!]
Now you’re trying different variations?!
[Day 13: Today, you were not taken to train. Instead, that woman kept you by her side.]
[It was then that you learned her true identity, she was the supreme ruler and absolute dictator of this city-state.]
[Under the scrutinizing gazes of the female officials in court, you were toyed with by this tyrant.]
[Because of your exceptional beauty, everyone remembered you as that slave.]
[And due to the extreme humiliation of the situation, you completely broke down.]
…Am I reading some kind of wildly inappropriate late-night novel?
[Day 14: You became extremely obedient. After learning to dance, you accepted the tyrant’s reward.]
[Day 15: You became extremely obedient. After learning to dance, you accepted the tyrant’s reward.]
[Day 16: You became extremely obedient. After learning to dance, you accepted the tyrant’s reward.]
…
Just like the first simulation, endless repetition… It’s unclear how long it continued before new content finally appeared.
[Day 132: You have learned everything you needed to. You have become the most talented slave under the female tyrant’s rule. Even though you know she will not always keep her eyes on you, you still wish to pursue this ‘love,’ even if you are eventually discarded like a rag.]
[You are very happy.]
[Simulation complete. Calculating results…]
[Achievement Unlocked: Sold into Slavery (Bronze)]
[Achievement Unlocked: Slave’s Love (Silver)]
…The same two achievements as last time. But looking at the final outcome in the simulator, Anna’s eyelid twitched violently.
That ending… is way too much.
Falling in love with some untouchable female tyrant as a slave? That’s some third-rate story at best.
Hmph, the experiences in the simulator must be used to improve the next attempt! Next time, there’s absolutely no way I’m ending up as a slave!
Right now, the biggest problem seems to be Philsey. There are still many unanswered questions, but since he’s already made a decisive move, it would be ridiculous not to suspect him anymore.
Even if he’s just an ordinary henchman for some mastermind, he’s still an enemy that must be dealt with!
The question is—how to handle him…
If I go confront him with Louise, it’ll likely lead to the same miserable situation as in the simulator. That’s definitely not the outcome I want.
And now, I’m also starting to wonder if there really is a traitor by Louise’s side.
Back when I told Louise to write a letter to her family, I already brought up the possibility of a mole. Looking at it now… doesn’t it seem like my suspicion was completely justified?
Any solid evidence? Anna couldn’t point to anything specific. But no matter how many times she reviewed this simulation, she felt an overwhelming sense of unease. At the very least, her instincts were screaming that there was indeed a traitor near Louise.
‘Thinking about all this is making my brain overheat… I should check the achievement store instead.’
There were too many things she couldn’t figure out. Thinking more wouldn’t help, so Anna decided to browse the achievements to clear her mind.
Though, looking at these blood-pressure-raising achievements wasn’t exactly relaxing either.
[Sold into Slavery (Bronze): Though difficult to believe, as a knight, you still ended up sold into slavery.]
[Reward: 1 Achievement Point] [Silver Unlock Condition: None]
[Slave’s Love (Silver): You fell completely and utterly in love with your master. Even if they ordered you to die the next second, you would obey without hesitation.]
[Reward: 10 Achievement Points] [Gold Unlock Condition: None]
Two achievements with no upgrade conditions. At least the 11 achievement points were something.
As for why these achievements were unlocked… it’s better not to think about it.
With a hint of escapism, Anna turned her attention to the achievement store to see what she could buy with her remaining 12 points.
If there was nothing useful, she would just save up for the 100-point Strength Enhancement Serum.
Filtering through the low-cost items that were useless to her at this stage, Anna eliminated them one by one.
“…This?”
Suddenly, her eyes locked onto a particular item.
She couldn’t afford it yet, but it looked like… she had just found a simple and direct way to break the deadlock.