Chapter 1: New World

"Ouch!"

Lin Xu immediately reached for his face, pulling his cheeks while pulling on his black hair.

"I'm… still alive?"

The college student began to breathe erratically, he had to remain calm—but that phantom pain coming from his head just wouldn't stop replaying itself. He wanted to pull out his hairs, rip it out. His vision blurred as he reached for his glasses on the ground.

"Wait…" It was as if the pain didn't matter anymore as something else took priority.

"If I'm still alive…" Lin Xu shoved his hand into the pocket, touching the cold hands-me-down iFone 6s from his elder sister. As his fingers felt a slight dent on the screen of the phone within his pockets, his heartbeats soared—easily surpassing the time when his parents nearly walked him on him doing something 'un-citizenlike.'

Lin Xu slowly started to turn his phone over.

Slowly.

He honestly didn't want to do it.

It's like the idea with Schrodinger's cat.

As long as he doesn't 'see' that the phone broke, then he can live with the hope that his phone is perfectly fine.

Why was he so worried?

Because he didn't take a picture of his binding code for his Fate/Grand Order account! Screw the pain; my heart feels 10x more pain!

Fate/Grand Order is popular mobile game that utilises the notorious gacha system to get better servants to fight for you. However, unlike the other gacha games, Fate/Grand Order is infamous for their abysmal Five-Star servant gacha rate at a measly 1%! Players could spend hundreds and hundreds of real-life currency and not get the Five-Star servant they wanted!

Lin Xu was one of those players!

He spent around 50,000 yuan to get his favourite servant, and he didn't get her! The only Five-Star servants he got was from the two guaranteed Five-Star gachas out so far!

He wanted cute girls! Not ikemen [1]!

Anyway, that's beside the point.

Despite how much profit Fate/Grand Order rakes in, they still don't have a proper login system! That's right! Only the bilibili version of FGO has the login system so why doesn't the main server have it?!

Fate/Grand Order uses a code system reminiscent to that of old Dra@gon Que&t games! And they stopped using that years ago!

On a side note, Dr@gon Ques&t V and XI are the best in the series.

A binding code is linked to every account in the case that the account was lost. The user can input the binding code and the password associated with it to get the account back on any device.

BUT LIN XU DIDN'T TAKE A PICTURE OF IT.

HE FORGOT!

And Lin Xu knew very well that he couldn't ask for support from their customer support.

Why?

Two reasons.

1) He couldn't write or speak in Japanese unless you count the universal phrases that everyone knows like 'yamete' and the like.

2) He broke the terms of service.

Fate/Grand Order only allows one account per device, but if Lin Xu could count the number of times he rerolled on his device for a good starting servant…

Talking to support is like a criminal willingly handing himself into the police.

Lin Xu may claim that he's an honourable citizen, but he's not that honourable.

As a matter of fact, Lin Xu wasn't the only one who engaged in breaking the terms of service, a good chunk of the player population engaged in rerolling their account to get a good starting servant, because a good starting servant like Hercules can carry you all the way to endgame by himself!

You have an army?

I have Hercules!

For the first time, Lin Xu felt an indescribable feeling in his chest. It's like losing a part of yourself.

It felt worst than getting hit by a drunk driver. If anything, he wished he was drunk as well.

He wished that this was just a horrible nightmare.

His 50,000 yuan, his Ushiwakamaru, his Saber Alter, Kuro-chan…

He wanted to cry, but for some reason, he couldn't.

It felt horrible because he couldn't let loose his emotions like a raging torrent.

It was like a dam, holding in all the negative emotions—preventing him from achieving catharsis.

"Ummm… sorry."

A melodic voice came out of nowhere, but Lin Xu didn't care. He just wanted to drown in his emotions, if he had too—he'll start by pouring water on his face!

Unbeknownst to him, an ethereal figure appeared out of the darkness and stood half a meter in front of the unfortunate student on the ground.

The voice sounded out again. "Lin Xu, born and raised in City B. Never visited anywhere outside of China. Goes to the College of City B, average grades, spends all of his time on ACG… No notable achievements unless you're counting the 'crammed for 32 hours straight without any external stimulation, only using pure desperation as fuel.' You're quite normal aren't you?"

"Are you a stalker?"

"Do I look like one?"

Lin Xu raised his head to look at the girl in half a meter in front of him. She was roughly the same size as him, eyes with a lovely shade of green that put his dull brown eyes to shame. Her blonde hair reached all the way to her waist. Her features were gentle, her smile even more so as it directed at him.

Lin Xu averted his eyes for some reason and quickly replied, "No."

The girl laughed and squatted down, their eyes meeting. Her slim and flawless fingers reached out and started to pull on his cheeks. "I know you want me to say yes, after all, who doesn't want a cute girl to be their stalker?"

"..."

"I'm just joking," She giggled, calming the atmosphere. "I'm your world's Goddess."

His brows raised as Lin Xu didn't know how to reply.

"So… any reaction to this beautiful Goddess before you?" The proclaimed Goddess asked as she stretched his cheeks even further.

"Will I be reincarnated?" Why else would he meet his maker?

"Yep, any particular requests?" The Goddess asked. She quite liked the feeling of pulling his cheeks, but it can only stretch so far… maybe she should make him a rubber man or something…

"Make Raiko my mom in my next life!" Lin Xu shamelessly begged.

"Silly," The Goddess commented, "this story is rated for genera—I mean, I can't do that."

"Make King Hassan my gramps!"

"No."

"Make me a member of the Round Table!"

"No."

"Give me Unlimited Blade Works!"

"You just wanted an excuse to use the chant."

Lin Xu felt like he had been exposed, but she was the Goddess after all. "Yeah, it's really cool. I would never say it out loud though; even I need to maintain a bare minimum amount of dignity."

He's in college, not middle school.

"Nope."

"Make me super powerful and send me into the Fate universe then!"

"N—" The Goddess stopped. She contemplated for a bit and then nodded.

"I can send you into Fate/Grand Order but not the super powerful part."

"So you can make me powerful then? Without the super?"

"Nope. Think about it, have you ever played a game where you felt like there was no way you can beat the boss and cheated? At first, you'll feel great, but then you realise that being all so powerful is not as great as you imagined it to be. You lose 'connection' to the game; you'll feel disconnected from it. There's no sense of accomplishment as everything's handed to you, you don't feel danger, you don't feel anything other than boredom. Eventually, you'll just quit. A game ruined simply because you typed into the console 'WhosYourDaddy[2]' or 'tgm[3]' or 'Motherlode[4]'. If people saw this they'll laugh at you and say, 'Easy Mode? How lame! Only kids play in easy mode!' You wouldn't want that would you? " The Goddess lectured as she tried to stretch his cheeks even more.

"This…"

The Goddess laughed and then gently rubbed his head.

"Because you won't be as powerful as the other servants, I'll give you a head start through a system and two blessings. You've heard of those before right? How you use it is up to you, you can become the strongest being in that universe with [The World Over Heaven], [All for One], [Boundary Manipulation] and the like, but you'll need to earn it yourself. Or maybe you don't want to dominate the world but want something more satisfactory, like making the lives of people more fulfilling through crafts. Or maybe you want to be the best chef in the world, who knows. The system will give you the opportunity to do it. I don't believe that you," she smiled, "have the capacity for evil. So I'll leave your fate to your own decision."

The Goddess motioned her finger in a circular formation, and the setting instantly changed to that of a garden. Lin Xu gasped at the sight, the trees that are pleasant to the eye, the fruits that appear to be even more delicious than the best Kobe beef, the water from the river that parted and became four riverheads looked to be fresher than the water from the glaciers in the north…

"It feels a lot better here than the streets doesn't it?" The Goddess smiled as she conjured up a table and a pair of chairs. A simple orange cake appeared on the table, the cake consists of orange cream, a macaroon base and orange icing. It is decorated with caramelised orange segments and a marzipan border and butter icing swirls.

"It'll take a while to explain, so it's best if you sit down." Out of nowhere, appeared a tea set. She poured the tea for Lin Xu. He took a sniff and found it to smell like a freshly peeled orange. "Da Hong Pao, lovely isn't it?"

"Anyway, to start, I can't just 'transfer' you to their universe. You'll need a background, a foundation of sorts. Is there anything you want in particular? You'll be a heroic servant after all, and what is a servant if they haven't accomplished anything?" She took her time to slice a part of the cake, and gently put it on his plate.

Lin Xu started to think. He didn't want to be grandeur like the two kings who wouldn't stop laughing, that's for sure.

"Just make me a general who served under the State of Qin. The State of Qin had many generals so they wouldn't question the appearance of another, or you can have me possess the spirit of one the generals, I don't really mind what you choose. As for the heroic feat, you can decide to make it whatever you want, something simple will do.."

Make no mistake, even though Lin Xu could be rambunctious at times, he does not desire glory or fame. He only wants to live a fulfilling life, and as such, he's quite okay with being average. If anything, he's that guy who blends seamlessly into the crowd.

"Hehehe... 'simple' you say... easy, easy, I can easily do that..." She gave an eerie smile as she wiped the cream from her face.

"Now then, everyone's favourite part—the starter set: the system and two blessings." Lin Xu took a moment to eat the slice of cake the Goddess gave him.

"Through my years of observation, I can already guess what you want."

"Really?" Lin Xu gasped. 'She can't possibly know right?!"

"One of the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan right?"

'Well… she is a Goddess after all.' Lin Xu thought to himself.

"One hell of a Goddess." She smiled as she twirled the fork in her finger.

"You're right. I do, but now that I've thought about it, I don't want it anymore."

"Ara?" The Goddess was curious; everyone wanted the abilities of the famed Sharingan. The abilities they grant when they reach the Mangekyou stage is downright crazy, from Tsukuyomi, Amaterasu, Kamui, Kotoamatsukami, Limbo, Susano'o, and even abilities like Izanagi which allow the user to overwrite reality temporarily!

"I could've sworn someone like you would want Kamui." She admitted.

That's right; Lin Xu did want Kamui. It had to do with Lin Xu's personality. Obito's Mangekyou Sharingan possessed the ability, Kamui, to phase anything in and out to an alternate dimension. This meant that he could become intangible!

So what if I can't hit you?

You can't hit me either!

Lin Xu had always wanted to look cool while being perfectly safe, just imagine the reaction of Gilgamesh when he realises that none of his weapons can pierce Kamui!

"Well, I imagined you would either want Kamui or Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap."

'I can't hide anything from her.' Lin Xu laughed. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap is a Stand Ability from a certain President of the United States. Ignoring the concepts of Stands and jumping straight to the point, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap allows the user to become pseudo-immortal. Whenever the user 'dies', the ability pulls a copy of the user from an infinite amount of realities to replace the original user, the copy gaining all his memories, his personality, and his purpose-- if it didn't already.

"Now that I've thought about it, I don't want D4C either. That wouldn't be me you know? It'll just be a perfect copy who 'is' me but also not 'me'"

"Silly, I could've changed it so that an alternative copy of you would die in your place, while you would be perfectly fine."

"That..." Lin Xu pondered for a bit. Then he shook his head, "No. They're basically family; I wouldn't do that to a family member." He reasoned. The alternate versions of him are still him; there's no 'him' that's higher than the rest.

Because of this belief, Lin Xu knew that the chances of him being screwed over by an alternate him would never happen-- if anything, they would cooperate.

"I like you," she smiled. She would never allow someone to reincarnate if they would so easily sacrifice others just to survive. "This blessing is quite expensive in the system, but because I like you, I'll offer it to you for free."

"?" Lin Xu prepared himself, if it is expensive then it must be good!

"Weather Report."

The table shook, Lin Xu almost fell out of his chair. Weather Report was a Stand that embodied Mother Earth's blessing. Weather Report allowed the user to control the weather through the manipulation of the atmosphere. Its passive ability is what makes it a blessing from Mother Earth; it is like Gaara's automated self-defence!

If a bullet were to be fired at Lin Xu, the wind would become so strong that the bullet changes direction, if Lin Xu is trapped in a fire, Weather Report will deprive the air of oxygen and thereby kill the fire immediately. Its primary goal is to keep the user alive—even if the user wants to commit suicide! If Lin Xu tries to jump off a cliff, the clouds will form out of nowhere to cushion his fall, if he decides to drown himself the water will instantly evaporate, and if he tries to stab himself-- the blade will rust!

And that's just the passive!

The active ability directly lets him control the weather!

If he wanted to, he could remove just remove the ozone layer and wipe the surface of the planet! Or create natural disasters! He can also manipulate electricity which means that he can control someone through their nervous system!

Or he can rain frogs.

Yeah.

Frogs.

Poisonous frogs.

"I really want it," He admitted, "but I can't."

"Why?"

"Don't you know?" The pleasant mood changed. The Goddess could feel her goosebumps as she stared at his serious eyes.

"Stand users attract other stand users."

"But that universe doesn't even have stands!"

"I'll earn it myself later or something." He took a moment to sip the tea; Da Hong Pao tea was something that even a commoner like himself knows. It's the world's most expensive tea!

He took another few sips and turned to the Goddess, "Why are you giving me so much? You're like a grandma who wouldn't stop feeding her grandkids!"

"Are you implying that I'm old?"

You don't need to have 100 IQ to know that he's stepping on thin boundaries. Lin Xu still remember the last time he called his aunt old. He reached for his spine, trying to massage it.

"Yeah, I'm pretty old," she admitted, "and are you not my grandchild? Everyone descended from me after all."

'Well, she's not wrong."

"When is great-great-great-great grandmother ever wrong?"

"Well, she's not wrong on that either.'

"Anyway, if that's the case, then what do you want?" She asked, "I know you have a lot to choose from but here are some ideas."

She brought her hands out and out came a fruit with weird patterns on it, "It can be any Devil Fruits, Ninjutsu like Shadow Clones, Nen abilities like Biscuit's Magical Spa Services and Piano Massage, Kishirika's Demonic Eye: Foresight, or items like Kururu's Magic Pen, Zoaholic, or Companions like Broly. You can even have someone's biology, like Broly's biology. Oh, poor Bah…[4]"

"Wait, any companion?"

"Naturally, who do you think I am… Wait. You can't bring me though."

"I didn't want to bring you to begin with."

The Goddess felt offended, was her current form unattractive? Or is the 'ara ara' type more popular nowadays?

"Can I bring Doraemon?"

The Goddess took a moment to think to herself. 'He just reminded that I should put Doraemon as an exception…'

"No."

"Goddessssssssssssssssssssssssssssss." He got off his chair and ran to hug the Goddess' legs.

The sentient robotic cat, Doraemon, is from the 22nd century where humanity has achieved a breakthrough in the 4th dimension. Humans in the current century are essentially gods to the 2nd dimension and so too is the 4th dimension to the 3rd. The breakthrough in the 4th dimension allows humanity to even manipulate the realities of the 3rd dimension, allowing humanity to prosper. Their technological inventions are so advanced that bringing any of the robotic cats, which possess the 4th dimension pocket, can easily destroy the world. That's why, from the future and on, the Goddess will make sure the system does not offer anything from the 22nd century onwards.

"Stop whining at me like how Nobita would do to Doraemon."

"Fine."

"I would prefer Doraemon continue helping Nobita right now, so I'll have Dorami go with you instead."

"Really?!"

"What an unfilial grandchild," she shook her head, "not even believing his grandmother."

The humans, and their creations, of the 22nd century, are all inherently kind. Doraemon and his sister are naturally good; it'll be fine if she let Dorami go with Lin Xu. Plus, she can rein him properly if he ever decides to do something stupid. She nodded to herself, 'Maybe I should have the Time Patrol on standby pay attention to his new home...'

"I-I…" Lin Xu didn't know how to reply.

"Silly, I was just teasing you. Don't be mean to Dorami okay? She's the sweetest girl that I know."

"Of course!" There was no he was going to treat Dorami wrong, Doraemon was Nobita's family, and so too will Dorami be a part of his! If anything, he'll spoil the robotic cat with her favourite melon bread.

"So what will be your second blessing then?"

If there was one thing Lin Xu had always wanted, it was the Shadow Clones. The Shadow Clone Jutsu, invented by the 2nd Hokage, was undoubtedly one of the best techniques in the whole series. It allows the user to retain memories of the clones he created, allowing the user to learn at an exponential rate. However, it came with a great curse, if the user's 'will' is not strong enough, they'll be unable to handle the amount of information forced into their brain when the clones disappear. Bondrewd's Zoaholic is a step further, the user can implant his consciousness into multiple organisms—granting the user pseudo-immorality, but it'll likely drive the user mad unless they have Naruto's stubbornness. Demon Eye: Foresight is great for general uses, but it'll also drive the user crazy from being unable to separate reality from the future if the user cannot handle it. Since Lin Xu doesn't like to fight, he does not need Broly's biology or even the Saiyans for that matter.

Lin Xu is different from the protagonists of other series.

While they may try to bring down the Heavens, Lin Xu does not.

Where would he go after death if the Heavens was destroyed?

He wants to live a fulfilling life, which is why he prioritises utility and the ability to 'live' a fulfilling life. Kururu's Reality Pen would allow the user to materialise whatever they draw, whether it be money, a Mobile Suit, a hot girlfriend, but Lin Xu can't draw.

He can use crayons pretty well though.

Out of all of them, Biscuit's [Magical Spa Services] and [Piano Massage] is the best. [Magical Spa Services] is a Nen ability of Biscuit, a unique ability that allows her to conjure up a masseuse called Cookie. Cookie is a girl who uses different massaging techniques and a Nen-transmuted lotion to relieve fatigue and restore vitality to anyone it massages. It can also burn off excess fat and cure arthritis, muscle tension and locked joints. It is particularly useful for training/recovery purposes and to treat aging ailments. Although only one massage has been shown so far, according to Biscuit, there are a lot more, some of which are cartilage massage, head massage, and roll massage.

Lin Xu knew how wonderful massaging is.

Especially when his sister massaged him with her feet stomping down on his back with the force of 50 kg at the speed of light, while he couldn't move after being 'massaged' by his sister for accidentally ruining her makeup, it did feel quite refreshing afterwards. Though that might have been his dark fetish awakening, or maybe it did actually feel good!

Despite how good Magical Spa Services is, Piano Massage is undoubtedly one of the most useful anime abilities ever. With this massage, 30 minutes of sleep will be equivalent to eight hours. It not only relieves physical and mental fatigue. A human sleep for a third of life--unless they are university students a few days before the finals-- which means a third of that life is wasted unless they find alternative methods of utilising that time.

Piano Massage makes it so that the recipient of the massage only needed 30 minutes, a naps worth, to get the same effect as a full eight hours of sleep while some people may still not feel refreshed after eight hours, Cookie massages so well that even the mental fatigue is removed!

Imagine waking up... and feeling good!

If only Lin Xu had it when he first discovered the internet... just imagine how often he cou--

"AHEM, I believe you have made a decision, yes?"

Wait.

What is he going to do with an extra 7 hours and 30 minutes anyway? Chaldea Security Organization, where he'll be sent, probably doesn't have internet because it is isolated from the rest of the world, and if it does, it's probably monitored anyway...

If anything, he'll want to sleep because it'll be so damn boring! And he'll be summoned as a Heroic Spirit so he wouldn't need sleep anyway.

Then he might as well choose a general purpose blessing then. Should he become a True Ancestor? No, that will bring up too many questions. Dead Apostle? While it's interesting, it'll also bring into question of how one can exist without the others realising-- plus, there's a servant that's already a Dead Apostle.

"Don't even think about it silly, I can't allow you to start that that 'high' in the hierarchy, which is why I offered you the Saiyan biology. Saiyans, while not much stronger than the average aliens they have immense potential as proven by Goku, a low-class warrior."

Lin Xu then remembered the fruit in her hands.

'Right! Devil Fruits!'

Devil Fruits are mystical fruits that provide the eater with a unique ability. They are separated into three variations, Zoan, Logia, and Paramecia. Zoan type Devil Fruits allow the user to change into an animal at will. Logia type Devil Fruits enables the user to become, create, and control an element or force of nature like fire. Paramecia type Devil Fruits are anything that isn't Zoan or Logia, such as granting the user the ability to manipulate their weight or control tremors to create earthquakes at will.

Since Lin Xu wants to live an easy life, the obvious answer would be a Paramecia like the Clear-Clear Fruit, which grants the user invisibility, or any Logia type Devil Fruit as it allows the user to become their element, and by proxy, be immune to damage.

'It would have to be a Logia after all.' Lin Xu nodded to himself.

Why?

'Because it's cool.' When Logias was first revealed in One Piece, Lin Xu was enamoured by how cool it is and as the series went on, he wouldn't even care about the invisibility fruit—Logias are where it's at! But the question is, which Logia? All Logia Fruits are cool, except maybe the Swamp-Swamp fruit, but that was because the user was inept at using it.

Chilly-Chilly Fruit (Ice), Dark-Dark Fruit (Darkness), Mag-Mag Fruit (Magma), Flare-Flare Fire Fruit (Fire), Rumble-Rumble Fruit (Lightning), Snow-Snow Fruit, Swamp-Swamp Fruit, Gas-Gas Fruit, Smoke-Smoke Fruit, Sand-Sand Fruit, Glint-Glint Fruit (Light)… Each has their advantage but if the ones that made Lin Xu scream cool had to be the Chill-Chill Fruit, especially when the user, Kuzan, solo'ed the Straw Hat Pirates during episode 228 or when Kuzan froze Doflamingo without even touching him! While the Rumble-Rumble Fruit (Lightning) or the Glint-Glint (Light) display more potential, Lin Xu felt that he wouldn't be able to use them at their full potential, especially the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, which by itself, made the bounty of the fruit's user, Enel, to 500 million!

"Please give me the Chilly-Chilly Fruit!" The prospect of being able to turn into ice, turn whoever he wants into ice, and being able to create ice out of nothing is cool enough for Lin Xu!

"Just don't freeze Chaldea okay?"

'Why would I freeze the place where I'll be living?!'

"Let's look at the system then."

[Acknowledged.]

A transparent panel appeared in Lin Xu's vision, it wasn't too big nor was it too small.

[

Name: Lin Xu

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Servant: One-Star Berserker

LV: 60 (Max)

HP: 6000

ATK: 6000

Parameters:

Strength: C (Average)

Endurance: C (Average)

Agility: C (Average)

Magical Power: E (Nonexistent)

Luck: E (Nonexistent)

Noble Phantasm: N/A (Unquantifiable)

Rating: You'll stay One-Star forever like the pathetic servant that you are.

]

"As you can see, your parameters are quite average, discounting Magical Power and Luck, since you weren't born in a world with magic and your luck is quite bad."

"But it can't be that bad right? I'm not a Lancer!"

[Accidentally defying fate by getting hit by a drunk driver? Chances of that are extremely low, lower than being ordered to kill yourself by your Master.]

"..."

[If you had an intelligence parameter, it would be E as well.]

"..." Isn't this system a bit too harsh?!

"Ahem, I believe you know why I had you become a One-Star Berserker right?"

Berserkers are both the weakest class and the strongest class, they deal bonus damage, but they also take bonus damage. The number of stars a servant has dictates their capacity for improvement.

Capacity, not potential.

A servant can only have so much Health Points and Attack Points, the number of stars they have decides the maximum value of HP/ATK they can have. A simple analogy would be water and a cup. A cup can only hold so much water before it overfills, the same applies to a servant—the higher the number of stars they have, the more water they can carry. If a One-Star servant is like a cup, then a Five-Star is like a massive bucket. One-Star servants capped at Level 60, Three-Star at 70, Five-Star at 90.

One-Star Berserkers can die in a few hits due to their low stats if their Master isn't careful, which is why they aren't popular unless they need to fulfil a niche, such as Asterios whose Noble Phantasm stalls the enemy.

However, this is good for Lin Xu, because his Chilly-Chilly Fruit can turn him into ice to nullify damage. His Master wouldn't know, so he wouldn't have any reason to use him.

'Which means I can just do whatever!'

"Yep, can I go now?" Lin Xu was quite eager to go into Fate/Grand Order; maybe he can meet his waifu!

"Promise that you'll call?"

"What?" Lin Xu short-circuited as he felt the floor disappear.

Then all he saw was the darkness.