Chapter 1 — Master?
"Servant—Saber. I have answered your summons. I ask you… are you my Master?"
The clear, dignified voice of a young girl echoed in the quiet air.
Standing before Raizen was a slender yet valiant-looking girl clad in silver armor that gleamed under the pale light. A blue dress fluttered beneath the plates of metal, and a sword rested lightly in her hand as though it were an extension of her body.
Her golden hair shimmered like sunlight, though what caught the eye most was the single stubborn strand sticking up from the crown of her head.
Her emerald eyes were steady, filled with knightly resolve as she gazed directly at him.
Faced with such a surreal scene, Raizen could only stare blankly.
His mouth opened slightly, yet no words came out.
His mind had completely shut down.
Two hours earlier, however, none of this had seemed even remotely possible.
---
At midnight, an excited shout suddenly echoed through a narrow alley in an ordinary city.
"Got it! Finally!"
The voice was filled with unrestrained excitement.
After what felt like endless grinding for Saint Quartz, the young man sitting in front of his computer slammed the desk triumphantly.
"My Blanket King's Noble Phantasm is finally maxed out!"
The eighteen-year-old youth looked far older than his age suggested.
His hair was a tangled mess, sticking out in every direction as though he hadn't combed it for days. A faint bluish shadow of stubble lined his lips and chin, giving him the rough appearance of someone in his mid-twenties.
In truth, he looked less like a student and more like someone who had spent days surviving in the wilderness.
The room itself was hardly better.
Empty snack bags littered the floor, and several instant noodle cups had been pushed aside near the keyboard. The air carried a faint mixture of instant soup broth and stale energy drinks.
Yet none of that mattered to Raizen right now.
His eyes were glued to the computer screen.
Displayed there was a radiant golden card.
On it stood a heroic-looking girl clad in blue and silver armor. Her expression was resolute and dignified, as if she had stepped straight out of a legendary battlefield.
The small strand of hair sticking up from the top of her head only made the otherwise majestic figure appear slightly adorable.
Seeing the completed Noble Phantasm level indicator, Raizen finally leaned back in his chair with a deep sigh of satisfaction.
"All that grinding… worth it."
He stretched lazily, his stiff shoulders popping audibly.
Only then did he reach for the cup of water sitting beside the keyboard.
But after staying awake for far too many hours and pushing his body well past its limits, his movements were clumsy.
The moment his fingers brushed the cup—
Clatter.
The cup tipped over.
Water splashed across the desk and began dripping toward the power strip beneath it.
Raizen blinked sluggishly.
"Huh…?"
His eyelids felt unbelievably heavy.
He tried to push himself up to grab some tissues, but the exhaustion in his body was overwhelming. His limbs felt like they were filled with lead. Standing up suddenly seemed like an impossible task.
"Forget it… I'll just… rest for a minute."
Muttering to himself, Raizen lowered his head and leaned forward against the desk.
His vision darkened almost instantly.
But the spilled water continued spreading across the tabletop.
Drop by drop, it seeped down toward the power strip.
The computer screen flickered violently.
BZZZT—
A sharp electric current suddenly surged through the desk.
The young man's body jerked violently as the electricity shot through him.
Then everything went black.
---
When Raizen opened his eyes again, he found himself standing in the middle of a vast plain.
A gentle breeze brushed against his face.
The sky above stretched endlessly, an ocean of blue without a single cloud.
The horizon extended so far into the distance that it seemed to merge with the earth itself.
For a moment, Raizen simply stood there in silence.
"…Huh?"
His brain struggled to process what he was seeing. Just moments ago, he had been sitting in front of his computer.
Now he was standing in the middle of nowhere.
"What the hell happened…?"
He turned slowly in place, trying to find some kind of landmark.
There was nothing, just open grassland.
Oddly enough, however, the atmosphere felt incredibly refreshing. The air was clean and cool, and the warmth of sunlight gently rested on his skin.
Raizen stretched lazily.
"Man… feels like it's been forever since I felt this comfortable."
But just as he relaxed, something moved at the edge of his vision.
Several dark figures flashed across the distant plain with astonishing speed. Within seconds, they were already rushing straight toward him.
Before Raizen could even react, the three figures landed directly in front of him. They moved with incredible agility, stopping only a few meters away.
Raizen blinked and looked them up and down.
Their outfits were unmistakable.
Dark uniforms. Flak jackets. Forehead protectors engraved with a spiral leaf symbol.
His eyebrow twitched.
Those are… Konoha ninja uniforms.
The kind seen countless times in Naruto.
"…Right."
Raizen nodded to himself.
"This has to be a dream."
The three ninjas began speaking to one another.
Their voices were serious and cautious, but the language sounded unfamiliar to Raizen's ears.
He couldn't understand a single word. However, one thing was clear. From the moment they arrived, their eyes never left him.
And the weapons in their hands remained raised.
"…Damn," Raizen muttered quietly.
"This dream feels way too real."
The moment those words left his mouth—
Shing!
Cold steel pressed against his neck.
The three ninjas had instantly drawn their weapons and surrounded him.
Their expressions turned sharp and hostile.
One of them spoke to him sternly, clearly asking a question. But Raizen simply stared back blankly.
Inside his mind, he was sighing helplessly.
Yep.
They definitely suspect my identity.
Still, he wasn't particularly worried.
After all—
It's just a dream.
Even if things got worse, he would wake up eventually.
Right?
One of the ninjas suddenly pulled out a sheet of paper. The document was filled with writing, along with a portrait photo of the ninja himself. At the top of the paper was a symbol of flames beside the emblem of the Hidden Leaf Village.
Raizen tilted his head.
"…Is that an ID card?"
Since when did Naruto ninjas carry ID cards?
He stared at it blankly, unable to react.
The ninja holding the paper frowned.
After waiting several seconds without receiving any response, he shouted something angrily.
Raizen still didn't answer.
And just like that— He was arrested.
Iron chains were locked around his wrists and ankles. As the metal restraints tightened, Raizen looked down at them with a strange expression.
"…Damn."
"This feels incredibly real."
Being detained for the first time in his life—even inside a dream—still felt unpleasant.
Very unpleasant.
The three ninjas dragged him forward across the long dirt road.
They walked for what felt like hours.
The rough ground rubbed painfully against the soles of his feet, and the constant pushing from behind only made his mood worse.
His patience gradually wore thin.
"Why haven't I woken up yet?!"
Raizen shouted inwardly.
His body ached, his mind was exhausted, and the entire situation felt absurd.
Eventually, a massive gate appeared ahead.
The towering wooden structure was instantly recognizable, as the entrance to Konohagakure—the Hidden Leaf Village.
One of the ninjas stepped forward and spoke with the gate guards. After a brief exchange, another shinobi arrived and took custody of Raizen.
Then the journey continued. As they moved through the village streets, countless eyes turned toward him. Villagers stopped what they were doing and stared.
Some whispered among themselves. Others pointed openly.
Their expressions were filled with suspicion… and even disgust. To them, Raizen looked exactly like a captured criminal.
Seeing those gazes, Raizen's sense of grievance only grew stronger. At the same time, a faint chill of fear crept into his heart.
This dream… feels too real.
Way too real.
"Wake up… wake up… wake up…"
The words repeated endlessly inside his mind.
But no matter how many times he wished for it— He never woke up.
Eventually, he was brought to a small interrogation room.
The door shut with a heavy thud, as his body was forced into a cold metal chair, and thick restraints bound him tightly in place.
The restraints cut into his wrists and ankles, the stiff leather straps digging painfully into his skin whenever he struggled even slightly. The chair itself was bolted to the floor, leaving him completely immobile.
Loneliness, fear, hunger, and exhaustion wrapped around him like invisible chains.
By now, at least ten hours had passed.
Yet he still hadn't woken up.
At first, Raizen had believed this was nothing more than a strange dream. But as the hours dragged on—his body growing stiff, his throat dry, his stomach aching with hunger—he gradually realized something terrifying.
The pain and fatigue felt too real.
Even the faint smell of damp stone and rust in the air felt painfully real. Deep down, he already had a vague understanding of what had happened to him.
He simply refused to acknowledge it.
Transmigration?
Impossible.
His thoughts grew increasingly chaotic.
My parents spoil me so much. Even though we don't have much money, they always try to give me the best they can.
My aunts and relatives care about me too.
How could something like transmigration happen to me?
That kind of thing only existed in novels and anime.
Reality didn't work that way.
It couldn't.
With a sudden burst of anger and desperation, Raizen began struggling violently against the restraints.
The metal chair rattled slightly under the force of his movements. But the leather straps only tightened further.
The more he struggled, the deeper they bit into his skin. Soon his wrists were burning with pain.
Yet he didn't stop.
In truth, what he feared most—what he absolutely refused to accept—was something else entirely.
If he had truly transmigrated…
And the first situation he encountered in this new world was being arrested and interrogated by ninja…
Then this situation was practically a dead end.
Eventually, after who knew how long, the door of the interrogation room creaked open.
A man stepped inside, dressed like a ninja, but over his uniform he wore a white lab coat, giving him the appearance of a medical researcher.
Raizen immediately tensed.
The man walked over without saying a word.
He spoke briefly, but the language was still incomprehensible to Raizen.
Then the man placed a hand directly on Raizen's head. In that instant, Raizen's heart skipped violently.
A mental technique… They're checking my memories!
Cold sweat immediately formed on his back.
If these people could freely examine his memories, then everything about him—his origins, his world, the fact that he knew about Naruto—would all be exposed.
He clenched his teeth tightly. However, he could do nothing.
Bound to the chair like this, he had absolutely no ability to resist.
The ninja remained like that for a long time.
Finally, he withdrew his hand and silently left the room.
Not a single explanation was given.
Shortly afterward, Raizen was dragged away again.
This time, he was thrown into a prison cell.
The cell was crowded with several other prisoners. The air inside was heavy with sweat, filth, and hostility. The moment Raizen was shoved inside, countless unfriendly eyes turned toward him.
Despair filled his heart.
When food was later brought into the cell, Raizen hadn't even managed to move before the bowl in front of him was snatched away.
A burly prisoner grabbed it and began eating greedily. Raizen tried to protest, but the next moment a heavy punch slammed into his stomach.
His body doubled over from the pain. More fists followed.
The guarding ninjas standing outside the cell watched everything unfold. But they simply smiled faintly. Not one of them made any attempt to stop it.
To them, it was nothing more than entertainment. Raizen slowly collapsed against the cold stone wall.
Night gradually fell.
The prisoners eventually scattered to claim the few crude beds in the cell.
Raizen wasn't even given the chance to climb onto one. In the end, he could only curl up in a corner of the cold floor.
His fists slowly tightened as hatred began to fill his heart.
Hatred toward the entire Hidden Leaf Village.
At the same time…
Another emotion quietly surfaced.
Longing.
He thought of his parents, who spoiled him despite their modest life.
He thought of his relatives, who always treated him warmly whenever he visited.
He thought of his friends, with whom he could talk endlessly about games, anime, and all sorts of trivial topics.
Those simple days that once seemed ordinary now felt unimaginably precious.
Before he realized it, tears had quietly filled his eyes.
It wasn't that men never cry. It's simply that the pain hasn't yet reached the breaking point.
And right now— Raizen had finally reached it.
Just then, a gentle female voice suddenly echoed inside his mind.
"Conditions fulfilled. Welcome to the Heroic Spirit Summoning System."
Raizen froze.
Before he could react, another line of information appeared.
"Master: Raizen
Strength: E-
Endurance: E-
Agility: E-
Mana: E-
Luck: EX
Noble Phantasm: None."
A glowing blue virtual panel slowly materialized in front of him.
The light was faint but unmistakably real.
Raizen stared blankly at the information displayed. Then, the corner of his mouth twitched.
"The other stats being E-… I can understand that."
His voice was hoarse.
"But Luck?"
"I'm locked in prison and somehow my Luck is EX?!"
As if sensing the complaint in his thoughts, the female voice spoke again.
"Master, transmigrating itself is an extremely fortunate event. Therefore your Luck value is very high."
A brief pause followed.
"But at the same time… it might also be very low."
"…Damn it."
Raizen almost cursed out loud. But the anger quickly faded into helpless resignation.
After all, if this thing really was a system…Then it might be his only hope of survival.
Taking a slow breath, he asked,
"System… what functions do you have?"
The female voice immediately replied.
"Master, I am not called 'System.' My name is uu. Please remember that."
"As for my functions… can't you just look for yourself?"
Raizen blinked.
"…What?"
Is this really a system spirit?
Suppressing the irritation rising in his chest, he slowly reached out and tried touching the glowing panel.
His finger passed straight through it, and the panel rippled slightly but remained intact.
Taking another breath to calm himself, he forced his tone to remain polite.
"Hey, uu… how exactly am I supposed to operate this thing?"
For several seconds, there was no response.
The silence stretched long enough that Raizen thought he had been ignored.
Grinding his teeth, he tried again—this time sounding far more respectful.
"Dear uu… could you please tell me how to operate it?"
This time, the reply came immediately.
"Master must concentrate your mind. Control it with your thoughts."
Understanding dawned on him. Raizen quickly focused his attention and attempted to manipulate the interface with his will.
The virtual panel flickered.
Then the screen finally changed.
The Exchange Interface appeared.
But when Raizen looked closely—
It was completely empty.
Not a single item.
"Is my authority too low?"
He frowned slightly and switched again.
The Shop Interface.
Still completely blank.
"…Seriously?"
He switched once more.
Finally—
The Summoning Interface appeared.
A soft voice rang out.
"Welcome, Master, to the Summoning Interface."
"Since this is your first time opening it, you receive one free card draw. Would you like to draw?"
Raizen's heart immediately began pounding.
"Start!"
His eyes filled with anticipation.
He was extremely familiar with this system.
Because it was clearly the same game he used to play before transmigrating— Fate/Grand Order.
Electric sparks crackled across the interface.
Golden energy surged across the screen like lightning.
Then—
A brilliant explosion of golden light erupted.
Countless particles of radiance cascaded downward like falling stars.
"Heroic Spirit Summoning!"
The voice of uu echoed again.
"Master, would you like to summon the Heroic Spirit?"
Raizen swallowed nervously, his gaze fixed unblinkingly on the glowing golden card forming before him.
"Summon!"
The golden card rotated slowly.
The class symbol appeared clearly.
Saber.
The King of Knights.
Artoria Pendragon.
Suddenly, the virtual panel vanished.
In its place, a pillar of brilliant light erupted in front of Raizen.
The prison cell was instantly illuminated by dazzling radiance.
A figure slowly stepped out from the light.
Silver armor, a blue dress. Golden hair tied neatly behind her head.
In her hand rested an invisible sword.
Her emerald eyes calmly looked toward Raizen.
Then she spoke.
"Servant—Saber. I have answered your summons."
Her voice was clear, dignified, and unwavering.
"I ask you…"
"Are you my Master?"
Looking at the valiant young girl standing before him—
Raizen was completely stunned.