Chapter 18
**"Reality"**
**"June 17, 741 AD, 18:50"**
**"Evaluation: This is the longest episode you've survived. Congratulations! For the first time, you've made it through a simulation, finding the first path to survival."**
**"But who would have thought you earned this trust by selling out the system... Just be careful. If you mention this in reality or the old simulations, it would be you who suffers."**
**"You've truly stepped onto the path of the extraordinary in the simulation. This is a small step for you, but a giant leap."**
**"Take this. It's what you deserve based on your performance."**
**"Reward: Destiny Points *33, Unlock New System Feature [Save File]"**
**"The extraordinary character save file [Unnamed] has been automatically preserved in [Character Save], available for the host to [Load] in reality or the next simulation."**
**"Destiny Points: 43"**
**Chapter Seventeen: Save File — "Avenger" Shaer**
“...Is it over?”
Shaer propped herself up on the mattress, trying to sit up, but her arms quickly gave way, and she fell back down.
The experiences of reversing death and drinking the potion in the simulation had left her utterly drained.
Now, she found herself in a peculiar state; she had the intention to lift her hand, and after a moment, it did rise, but it soon flopped back down, unable to follow through on the next command from her brain.
It felt like playing a high-latency version of *Human: Fall Flat*.
Shaer decided to abandon any further attempts at movement and lay there, staring at the system prompts in front of her.
“Character... save file?”
Receiving 33 Destiny Points all at once surprised Shaer; it was even more than what she got for defeating the semi-extraordinary Thomas.
But thinking it over, it made sense.
In this simulation, she had lived a full 24 hours, effectively breaking free from the deadlock of being treated as a sacrificial offering.
This meant that as long as she followed the same path as in the simulation, she could go directly to the Church of the Savior Goddess and find Yulis, ensuring both her and her sister's survival.
However, Shaer didn’t rush to make a choice. Instead, she exited the system screen and reopened the interface.
**"Simulation"**
**"Character Save"**
**"Skills"**
**"Inventory"**
**"Point Shop"**
In the new system interface, a "Character Save" option was inserted between "Simulation" and "Skills."
Shaer clicked on this new tab.
A silver light flashed, and three rectangular boxes appeared before her. For a moment, it felt like she was looking at the character selection screen from *Dungeon & Fighter*.
In the foremost box stood a figure, gazing at Shaer through the system screen.
She wore a long black robe with silver edges, similar to Yulis's, and a pure white mask that outlined her features with silver geometric lines.
The figure in the black robe slowly raised her hands—one reaching for her hood, the other for her mask. As her sleeves slipped down with the movement, they revealed blood-stained bandages wrapped around her hands.
Shaer noticed some black scars on her hands, as if they had been burned and were still healing. At that moment, she began to piece together what was happening.
As the mask was removed and the hood was lifted, a cascade of fiery red, half-long, curly hair fell into view.
At the same time, a shadow with silver-white eyes knelt at the feet of the girl on the screen.
The figure in the interface was none other than Shaer herself.
Or rather, it was her from the simulation just moments ago.
Her once waist-length hair had been singed away by flames, now reduced to shoulder-length curls. Her brow was furrowed, and her usually calm face bore a hint of ferocity, with dark red eyes that seemed to burn with an inner fire.
As if sensing Shaer's gaze, the shadow that had been kneeling at her feet stood up, swaying slightly as it approached, leaning over the interface as if curiously examining the real Shaer outside. The entire screen was obscured by the silhouette of this burning version of herself.
A... stand-in?
A demi-human?
A Susanoo?
Regardless, it seemed that her previous self in the simulation had indeed successfully digested the potion. That entity resembling a stand-in was likely a power generated after drinking the potion.
“Avengers and ascetics share the same origin, both stemming from the Church of the Savior Goddess...”
Shaer recalled those moments in the simulation that she often found incomprehensible—like Thomas and Solari being forced to kneel by some unseen force, and those objects floating in the air.
Perhaps it was Yulis's ability at play, and since her past self was not an extraordinary being, she couldn't perceive it, which made it all the more bizarre.
“System, what’s the use of the character save file?”
Shaer directly inquired of the system.
Although there had been some explanations in the previous summary screen, they were too vague, so it was better to clarify.
**"The character save file allows you to preserve characters that survived in the simulation. All details are replicated 1:1, with their state retained at the last moment of the simulation."**
**"When the host selects a simulation, a character selection screen will appear, allowing the host to choose whether to enter in 'Pure Mode' or with a 'Saved Character'."**
**"'Pure Mode' is just like before, entering with the host's body template, while 'Saved Character' mode uses the character from the save file."**
**"Note: The background of the saved character has no connection to the new simulation. The system is not responsible for any issues that arise."**
**"The host can spend Destiny Points in reality to transform into a saved character and act for a period."**
**"Current exchange rate: 5 Destiny Points = 30 minutes."**
**"Note: Damage received by saved characters in simulations or reality will not be preserved. Damage in reality will be borne by the host's body, so proceed with caution."**
**"Note: A second transformation within the limited time will also consume Destiny Points and override the previous transformation; the two saves will not stack."**
A series of system prompts piled up before Shaer. After reading through all the text, she understood the purpose of the "Character Save."
Next time she entered a simulation, she could directly use a character from the save file, but without inheriting any background connections.
For instance, if Shaer chose to enter the previous simulation with this save, she would already be an extraordinary being upon entry, without needing to drink the potion again.
Previously, she had always entered the simulation as her original self; next time, she could choose to enter as a character.
Surviving for 24 hours in the simulation meant she could choose to save this character to a new file or overwrite the original, meaning she could retain the strength gained in the simulation within the save.
From there, it became even clearer.
Now, Shaer could spend 5 Destiny Points to transform into the extraordinary version of herself from the save file, possessing all the abilities she had in that form.
In other words, she could temporarily become an extraordinary being.
What an incredible ability...
After obtaining the potion later, she could even enter in Pure Mode to perform the ritual and then save it...
This meant that if she had enough save slots, she could create a save for each different potion path, effectively granting herself all the extraordinary abilities.
If she truly chose the path from the previous simulation and joined the Church of the Savior Goddess, her journey would be forever limited to the "Avenger" path. To gain new abilities, she would have to rely on "past" simulations, which would greatly waste her advantage of foresight.
To obtain a save with all abilities, her original self would need to remain more discreet, avoiding any affiliations while secretly gathering all powers...
At that moment, Shaer finally felt a sense of relaxation wash over her.
She had acquired an extraordinary save file, allowing her to temporarily become an extraordinary being, and now she had enough Destiny Points for four more simulations.
Without extraordinary abilities, she could already trade lives with the half-baked Thomas.
And with extraordinary powers, Shaer was confident she could resolve this trouble without a scratch.
She just needed to ensure that no one discovered she was behind it all...
The overwhelming fatigue from relaxation swept over Shaer. After four consecutive simulations, her mind was already exhausted. As drowsiness enveloped her, she slowly closed her eyes.
“Wake up... try the save... adapt...”
Shaer murmured something before drifting off into a deep sleep.
**Chapter Eighteen: Let’s Speedrun This**
**June 18, 741 AD, 3:50 AM, Boren City.**
In a small room on the second floor of a row house at 44 North-South Stone Street in the Bell Tower District, Shaer stirred awake from her dreams.
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