(Chapter 30) New Character
Although Anna felt that there probably wouldn't be any new achievements, she thought there was no harm in running a couple of simulations since she had nothing better to do.
After all, if she was just idling around, why not check out a new run?
And since she had met with Louise yesterday, there might even be a new branching path this time.
[Simulation Start]
Might as well give it a try, it's not like she'd lose anything.
[Day Zero: You patrolled a few streets. Nothing happened.]
[Day One: You patrolled a few streets. Nothing happened.]
Ah, the familiar mundane scenario… Don’t tell me this simulation is just going to have her patrol until the sixth day, when Helga arrives, and then get blown to pieces by that explosive arrow again?
Please spare me!
[Day Two: When you arrived at work, Louise suddenly stopped you.]
[Louise informed you that one of her informants in town had spotted a female with Elven features currently active in the commercial district. She asked if you wanted to check it out.]
[You thought that it would be best to deal with the target as soon as possible, so you headed to the commercial district alone.]
[Upon arrival, your sharp eyes quickly spotted a good-looking woman wearing a black robe, her golden hair and pointed ears clearly marking her as an Elf.]
Wait, hold on! Isn’t this development a bit too sudden?
Why is she encountering the suspected assassin earlier than expected this time?
[The moment you spotted her, she seemed to have noticed you as well.]
[Upon seeing you, her body tensed slightly but then quickly relaxed.]
[You approached her and, under the pretense of having never seen an Elf before, asked if she would cooperate with an investigation.]
[You noticed that her expression became tense again.]
[She agreed to your request, and you led her into a nearby alley for a brief inspection.]
[You found nothing suspicious on her.]
[After apologizing, you left the alley.]
[Just as you stepped out, you suddenly heard a whooshing sound—]
[Turning around, you saw that the Elf had already drawn a longbow and aimed it at you.]
[Your armor was pierced by an arrow!]
[Your head was pierced by an arrow!]
[Due to a headshot, you died instantly.]
[The arrow exploded, sending your corpse flying.]
[Simulation Ended, Calculating Results…]
[Achievement Unlocked: "Boom" Headshot (Bronze)]
‘…Well, I saw that coming.’
If she recklessly approached the target like that, of course, it would make her wary! Does the simulator think she’s that dumb?
Since the outcome was within Anna’s expectations, she wasn’t particularly shocked.
In fact, she was more surprised by the fact that a new event had occurred in this simulation.
Could it be because she didn’t… share a lip-to-lip moment with Louise this time?
After running so many simulations, Anna had started to grasp a simple principle: even small changes in real life could lead to significantly different outcomes in the simulation.
"Still… judging from her initial reaction… maybe if I take a softer approach and try to befriend her instead of confronting her directly, things might turn out differently?"
It wasn’t too hard—just be a bit friendlier, ditch the armor, and casually mention she’d never met an Elf before. That should work, right?
…Well, she still had two days before the encounter, so she could run a few more simulations to test the waters.
As for the achievement…
["Boom" Headshot (Bronze): Got your brain pierced by an explosive arrow.]
[Reward: 1 Achievement Point] [Silver Unlock Conditions: None]
Short and straight to the point, unlike the other achievements, and there were no extra conditions to upgrade it.
The only real benefit was that her total achievement points had increased from 4 to 5.
This time, she was definitely going to save up 100 points to buy that Strength Enhancement Potion! No more wasting points!
Achievement points were getting harder to farm most simulations either repeated old achievements or gave her nothing at all.
If she didn’t start saving now, she had no idea when she’d finally hit 100.
Unless she somehow got lucky and landed another gold-tier achievement…
As for meeting that Elf…
Two days later…
Having changed into casual attire at Louise’s place beforehand, Anna now stood in the middle of the commercial district.
She looked more like a noble young lady than a knight at the moment.
Over the past two days, she had run multiple simulations regarding this Elf.
Although every outcome either ended with her being killed by an explosive arrow or experiencing a gruesome "Bloody Finale"—which, thinking about it, were both deaths—
At the very least, she had learned one thing: This Elf could, at least on the surface, be befriended!
It also seemed like the Elf wasn’t entirely determined to kill her.
Although Anna still had no clue why the Elf wanted her dead, she figured it would be a good idea to befriend her first and gather information through future simulations.
However, Louise seemed strangely displeased about her changing into casual clothes just to meet this Elf…
I’m not going on a date with her, okay?!
That’s someone who wants to kill me!
I’m just trying to gather intel, Louise, you’re overthinking this!
Anna silently grumbled about Louise’s overprotectiveness as her gaze swept across the street.
And then—
[Target found!]
A golden-haired Elf wearing a black robe, exactly as described in the simulation.
The moment Anna spotted her, the Elf also noticed Anna, just like in the simulation!
Now… it was time for Anna’s acting skills to shine!
Taking a slow breath, Anna deliberately put on an expression of surprise and delight.
The Elf, clearly not expecting such a reaction, tensed up immediately.
"Hello! Are you an Elf?!"
Putting on her best. She just saw a real life Elf for the first time, which, to be fair, was actually true—Anna eagerly grabbed the Elf’s hands.
"Eh…?"
The Elf let out a soft, surprised sound.
Her voice, though consisting of only a single syllable, was as clear as a canary’s song, so pure it was almost mesmerizing.
"Um… could you let go of my hands…?"
"Oh! I’m sorry!" Anna quickly released her grip and nervously fidgeted, as if flustered. "It’s just… this is my first time meeting an Elf, so I couldn’t help but come over and say hello. I’m really sorry if I made you uncomfortable!"
Seeing Anna lower her stance so apologetically, the Elf seemed at a loss for how to respond.
"Uh… you don’t have to apologize… I was just… surprised, that’s all."
Watching the Elf’s uncertain expression, her eyes even brimming with a hint of confusion and moisture, Anna suddenly felt a little weird.
Her first impression… seemed completely normal.
She even looked like someone who wasn’t used to socializing…
Was she really the same Elf who had repeatedly blown her to pieces with explosive arrows, almost giving her virtual PTSD?!