The Speedrun Manual of Miss Witch - Chapter 17

“…Is it over?”

Ciel propped herself up on the mattress, attempting to sit, but her arms gave out, and she collapsed back onto the bed.

The combination of using Death Reversal and drinking the potion during the simulation had left her mentally drained to an extreme degree.

She was now in a strange state—she could think about moving her hand, and after a moment’s delay, her hand would rise, only to flop back down when her brain failed to issue the next command.

It was like playing a high-latency version of Human: Fall Flat.

Ciel gave up trying to move and simply lay on the bed, staring at the system notifications in front of her.

“Character… Archive?”

Gaining 33 Fate Points in one go surprised her—it was more than the points she’d earned for killing the quasi-transcendent Thomas in the previous simulation.

But after some thought, it made sense.

This time, she had survived the full 24 hours of the simulation, breaking the seemingly inescapable deadlock of being sacrificed in a ritual.

In other words, she now had a clear survival path. As long as she followed the trajectory she saw in the simulation—going directly to the Church of the Savior Goddess to find Uris—both she and her sister could make it out alive.

Still, Ciel didn’t rush to make a decision. Instead, she exited the system screen in front of her and reopened the interface.

「Simulation」

「Character Archive」

「Skills」

「Inventory」

「Point Store」

A new function, 「Character Archive」, had been added between 「Simulation」 and 「Skills」.

Ciel clicked on the new tab.

A flash of silver light revealed three rectangular frames before her. For a brief moment, Ciel felt like she was looking at the character selection screen from Dungeon Fighter Online.

In the foremost frame stood a character, facing her through the system screen.

The figure wore a black robe with silver trim, similar to Uris’s attire, and a pure white mask depicting a human face. Several silver geometric lines traced the mask, outlining the facial features.

The black-robed figure in the frame slowly raised both hands—one reaching for the hood, the other for the mask. As the robe’s sleeves slid down with the movement, they revealed hands wrapped in blood-stained bandages.

Ciel noticed that the figure’s hands bore black scars, as if from burns that hadn’t fully healed yet. She had a vague sense of what was going on.

The mask was removed, the hood pulled back, and a cascade of fiery red, wavy hair—now shortened to shoulder length—came into view.

Kneeling at the figure’s feet was a black shadow with glowing silver eyes.

The person in the frame was none other than Ciel herself.

Or rather, the version of her from the simulation.

Her once waist-length hair had been scorched by the flames, leaving it at shoulder length, with a slightly curled texture. Her brows were furrowed, adding a hint of ferocity to her usually calm face. Her dark red eyes seemed to hold flickering flames within them.

As if sensing Ciel’s gaze, the shadow kneeling at her feet stirred. The silhouette rose shakily and stepped forward, pressing itself against the system screen, as if curiously observing Ciel on the other side. The burning black outline of Ciel’s “shadow” now completely obscured the screen.

A… stand?

A humanoid spirit?

Susano’o?

Whatever it was, it was clear that the version of her from the last simulation had successfully digested the potion. That shadowy figure, similar to a stand, was likely the ability granted by the potion.

“The Avenger and Ascetic potions come from the same source—the Church of the Savior Goddess…”

Ciel reflected on the strange occurrences she had witnessed in the simulation—such as Thomas and Solari being forced to kneel as if pinned by some invisible force, or objects floating in the air.

Perhaps these were the effects of Uris’s ability. Unable to perceive transcendent powers at the time, Ciel had found the events baffling.

“System, what’s the purpose of the Character Archive feature?”

Ciel asked the system directly.

While the settlement screen had provided some information, it was vague. She wanted to clarify its exact mechanics.

「The Character Archive function allows you to retain characters who survived simulations, preserving all their details exactly as they were at the end of the simulation.」

「When selecting a simulation, you’ll see a character selection screen, allowing you to choose between entering in ‘Pure Mode’ or using a ‘Saved Character.’」

「‘Pure Mode’ uses your current physical template, as before, while the ‘Saved Character’ mode lets you enter as the saved character.」

「Note: Saved characters have no background connections in new simulations. If any discrepancies arise, the system bears no responsibility.」

「Additionally, in reality, you can spend Fate Points to temporarily transform into a saved character and act with their abilities.」

「Current conversion rate: 5 Fate Points = 30 minutes.」

「Note: Damage received by saved characters in simulations or reality will not carry over. However, damage taken in reality will be borne by your physical body. Proceed with caution.」

「Note: Transforming into a saved character a second time during the same time frame will incur the same Fate Point cost, overwriting the previous transformation. Saved characters cannot stack.」

A flurry of system notifications appeared before Ciel. After reading through them carefully, she fully understood the function of 「Character Archive」.

The next time she entered a simulation, she could choose to use a saved character. While the character’s background wouldn’t carry over, their abilities would.

For instance, if she selected the saved version of herself from the last simulation, she would enter as a transcendent immediately, without needing to drink another potion.

Previously, she had always entered simulations using her main body. Next time, she could choose to enter using a saved character.

If she survived 24 hours in a simulation, she could choose to save that improved version of herself, effectively preserving her progress.

As for reality, it was even easier to grasp.

Ciel could now spend 5 Fate Points to temporarily transform into the transcendent version of herself, gaining all the abilities of her saved counterpart.

In other words, she could now temporarily become a transcendent in the real world.

What an incredible ability…

In the future, once she acquired more potions, she could even enter simulations in Pure Mode, complete rituals for new abilities, and save those versions of herself.

In other words, if there were enough save slots, she could theoretically create a save file for each different potion path, effectively granting herself access to all transcendent abilities from every path.

If she followed the path in the last simulation and joined the Church of the Savior Goddess, her future would be locked onto the “Avenger” path. Acquiring new abilities would then require using “Past” simulations, which would waste her advantage of foresight.

To create a comprehensive archive of abilities, her real-world self would need to remain independent—free from any affiliations—secretly collecting powers from every path.

At this moment, Ciel finally felt at ease.

With a transcendent save file in hand and enough Fate Points for four more simulations, she was in a strong position.

Even without transcendent powers, she had managed to take Thomas down in a one-for-one exchange. Now, with transcendent abilities, Ciel was confident she could handle this current mess without taking a scratch.

All she needed to do was ensure no one discovered that she was the one behind it all…

A wave of exhaustion from her mental exertion swept over Ciel. After four consecutive simulations, her spirit was utterly drained. Overcome by the weight of her fatigue, she closed her eyes.

“Wake up… test the save… adapt…”

Mumbling to herself, Ciel drifted into sleep.