Ch.BONUSWork Afterword

(Warning: This contains ending spoilers. If you haven’t finished the work, please press the back button.)

Hello. This is Manyuel.

“I Became the Witch Who Destroyed the World,” which began serialization on July 12, 2022, has concluded. I would like to express my gratitude once again to all the readers who followed along for 217 days and to the PD who helped me.

I’m not sure when I’ll write my next work. Honestly, I do have something planned, but I need to focus on my studies now. The rushed developments in the latter part were mainly due to academic issues. I hadn’t been attending school due to military leave, but with my return to school confirmed for March, I absolutely had to finish before then.

I thought it was better to properly conclude the story, even if imperfectly, rather than leaving it unfinished mid-serialization.

I unintentionally turned the later Returners into hated characters.

In fact, Aria became disliked because of this too. I wanted to explore the Academy storyline through clues… ㅠㅠㅠ.

Actually, the first Returner Olivia met was the Imperial Princess. I wanted to tell the chess story, magic story, and Academy story together. I’m sorry.

Despite many regrets, I feel relieved. I think I showed most of the scenes I wanted to write.

If I do write another work, it will probably be a possession story.

However, this time it will likely feature a male protagonist. I’ll drop him into a chaotic world like Cyberpunk 2077 and have him possess a penniless vagrant.

The inspiration for the name Olivia actually came from Maple.

One of the four friends who appear when choosing an adventurer class was named Olivia.

The most unusual name origin is actually the King of Martial Arts.

Ashe Balthar. When thinking about this muscle monster, the first word that came to mind was “Assei.”

So Assei (Ashe) + Viking name (Balthar)

That’s how Ashe Balthar came to be.

Anyway, thank you for reading until now.

I was able to come this far thanks to all of you, and received more love than my abilities deserved.

Thank you! I love you!

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Below is a Q&A.

Q1. What do you think about the achievement of “Not participating in consecutive uploads until completion”?

A1. I actually wanted to try consecutive uploads at least once. However, real-life issues and various circumstances made it impossible to create an environment for consecutive uploads. Still, I think I managed to keep my promise of uploading one chapter a day, except for the inexperienced early period. I remember when I had to be away for 5 days due to personal matters, I wrote 2 chapters a day to somehow maintain the daily uploads.

I’m glad I kept my promise to myself about diligent serialization.

Q2. How did you first conceptualize this novel?

A2. This work was actually planned somewhat impulsively. I had just been discharged from the military and was exploring what to do when Maple was doing Hyperburning. The character I raised then was a Sun/Cold mage. Yes, that was the beginning of the current Olivia. Possession of a game character who uses ice and lightning. That’s where “I Became the Witch Who Destroyed the World” began.

Q3. What parts or episodes were difficult to write and why?

A3. The most difficult part was probably the Loss episode where the clues overlapped. I was only on the second Returner, but the timeline was already so tangled that it took ages just to organize it. I could only relax after properly creating the timeline.

Q4. Who is your favorite character?

A4. My favorite is Melina. That’s why I put extra effort into Melina’s episodes. As an additional note, Melina’s name was taken from “Melina” in Elden Ring. I also borrowed her blonde hair and golden eyes from there.

Q5. Do you have plans for your next work?

A5. I have something in mind, but I wouldn’t call it a plan yet. As an engineering student, I have so much to do that I’m not sure when I’ll have time.

Q6. How extensive is the setting collection for this novel?

A6. Currently about four A4 pages. Including discarded and modified content, it would probably be around 10 pages.

Q7. Were there characters whose content increased or decreased from what you initially planned?

A7. The Devilhunter’s content decreased from what was planned, while the Serial Murderer (Cain)’s content increased significantly. The Demon Lord’s content was really reduced a lot.

Q8. What did you think when readers speculated about Asmodeus being the mastermind in the comments?

A8. The fact that the Demon Lord was only mentioned in a few lines was actually because of that mastermind theory. Until the early parts, Asmodeus was nothing more than a “lie to deceive Livga,” but at some point, he became the final mastermind. So I adjusted the story to make Asmodeus appear as the final mastermind.

Q9. What do you regret about this novel?

A9. I regret having to reduce the content due to personal circumstances. If not for that, I would have written at least 300 chapters and included the hostile Returners’ emotional breakdowns.

Q10. How many times did Olivia regress?

A10. At least 2,000 times.

Q11. What is your most memorable experience while writing this novel?

A11. Actually, until writing this work, I thought of it as just a light action story. That’s why the early parts were particularly comedic.

But after the “clue” device appeared, the atmosphere of the work changed dramatically. To my surprise. In fact, this was the main reason I couldn’t do consecutive uploads. The atmosphere changed so much that I had to completely overturn the existing story and come up with a new one every day.

Q12. Will there be emotional breakdowns for the hostile forces?

A12. I originally planned it. I wanted to write tearful regrets and afterstories for characters like the Master of Dark, the Devilhunter, and Carthian, but there wasn’t enough time. I have to return to university now, so I couldn’t possibly write that far. I’m sorry.

Q13. I was most looking forward to changing the Devilhunter’s past. Are you considering writing side stories about changing other Returners’ pasts?

A13. The Devilhunter is actually a character of love and hate. He was one of the people I was considering until the end whether to put on Olivia’s side or Aria’s side. But I abandoned it due to time constraints ㅠㅠ. For now, I’m not thinking about other side stories.

Q14. Did the Imperial Princess lose all her memories?

A14. Since that Imperial Princess eventually becomes the Emperor, we can say she regained her memories. After reincarnation, the memories of the 0th cycle flashed before her like a panorama of her life.

Olivia’s 0th cycle -> Emperor after N cycles -> Emperor in immortal cycle -> (Imperial Princess born) -> Olivia’s 0th cycle

Q15. Why did Olivia attack Cain when she went to find Aurelia?

A15. That was because the Demon God’s immortality went berserk. It didn’t escalate into a major incident because “Olivia” was somehow holding it back from within.

Q16. Why did “Massacre Olivia” laugh at empty space when entering Kiel’s memories?

A16. “Massacre Olivia” was entirely the result of immortality going berserk.

Q17. Despite noticing that Olivia was fighting these enemies alone, why did the Master of Dark interfere with Olivia?

A17. I actually had planned an emotional breakdown for the Master of Dark as well, but unfortunately had to abandon it due to time constraints. I wanted to create a juicy emotional breakdown like Melina’s or Kiel’s, but there wasn’t enough time. I’m sorry ㅠㅠ.

Q18. What profession has Olivia had all this time?

A18. According to the setting, she was a warrior twice in the beginning, and a mage for all the rest. She mastered all branches of magic.

Q19. Did Aria create the game?

A19. Only God would know that, wouldn’t He?

Q20. Why did Livga abandon her?

A20. Please understand it to mean that Livga was able to overcome her sadness, so she remained in that world.

Thank you…!

If you have more questions, please leave them in the comments!

Thank you for your love!