"Sync, starting."
In the shadow of the warehouse, a man's voice echoed, as though chanting an ancient incantation. Then, the metal sword in his hand was enveloped by a mysterious field. "Basic framework, constituent materials, analysis… alteration, reinforcement."
Some phenomena took place unnoticed—
Elements surged in the shadows, an invisible but immense magnetic field emerged, as if a giant forge was being built between heaven and earth. Mental fire danced across the weapon. The old metal was "killed," and new metal "reborn."
A successfully enhanced short sword was freshly forged—its edge sharp, gleaming, clearly surpassing any ordinary steel blade.
"Phew… Reinforcement successful."
The short sword was casually swung, carving an elegant arc through the air, easily cutting through a thick metal plate. On the ground beside him stood dozens of weapons, all similarly sharp and menacing, varying in length.
Holding the newly created short sword, the smooth blade reflected the maker's handsome face. The blade flipped up and down, showing his dark red hair and the clothes he wore—an UNIQLO color-blocked raglan, an Adidas black-and-white jacket.
These were typical casual styles for this era, but when combined with certain magical elements, like reinforcement or projection magic, a particular truth became certain.
In other words…
"I've transmigrated into Emiya Shirou."
This had happened a little while ago.
He had been complaining online about FGO being a money pit and low on content, but in the next moment, he found himself transmigrated into the protagonist of Fate, Emiya Shirou.
When he first arrived, he couldn't believe it, but his appearance and clothing matched. Moreover, he could feel the immense power coursing through his body, likely from his magic circuits. Emiya Shirou, as an originless magician, had decent talent.
He then tested his abilities with Shirou's signature reinforcement and projection magic, quickly finding he could easily reinforce various metal weapons. As for projection magic, after some practice, he was almost ready to master it.
Reinforcement magic works by using magic to enhance the attributes of an object, like increasing the sharpness of a blade.
For Shirou, his reinforcement magic was already quite proficient. What remained was improving efficiency, eliminating the need for incantations, and completing the task quickly, as well as improving the skill in projection magic.
Projection magic is the ability to create a copy of real-world items using magic. However, these creations only last for a short time, and the magic community generally regards it as an inefficient and wasteful technique.
But Shirou knew he was different. When he projected sword-like weapons, he could create items he had seen without expending much mana, and the projections lasted far longer than usual.
The reason for this was that he had awakened the "sword" as his origin. Once a magician awakens an origin, they gain extraordinary abilities in that field. Shirou's sword origin enhanced his projection magic, allowing him to break the usual limits of projection.
Truthfully, compared to reinforcement magic, projection was Shirou's most promising ability. The only issue was that he didn't have any inherited memories and had to start learning from scratch.
"Let's try the projection process again… identifying the concept, designing the basic structure… empathetic growth experience…"
Once more, an invisible field surrounded Shirou, but when he tried to project a weapon without materials, his attempt failed—his ancient chant had faltered, missing some key conditions.
What was missing?
Shirou paused, confused. He recalled that in the original story, Rin Tohsaka had mentioned that failed projections were due to a magician's fantasy not being strong enough. To properly project, the magician must fully understand the material, properties, and history to solidify the illusion.
So, to project a noble phantasm, should he first analyze the phantasm? But he didn't even have one…
Feeling puzzled, Shirou left the warehouse and returned to his bedroom to browse the internet. If nothing else worked, maybe the all-knowing netizens could help.
—
"Hey! Justice Guy, long time no see. Are you coming out to work again?"
A blonde, blue-eyed girl's avatar popped up with a flashing message. "Too bad, I don't have any commissions for you lately. If you're willing to lower yourself, this lady can offer you a butler position—"
The person chatting with Shirou was "Genius Girl Summer Green." Summer Green was a typical Western name, and Shirou had no idea which Summer Green it was—probably not Charlotte Corday from the French Revolution, right?
"Stop teasing me, and that 'Justice Guy' nickname really doesn't suit me…"
Shirou's screen name was "Justice's Partner," probably because he had been lurking too much and ignored people, earning the nickname. Meanwhile, Summer Green's avatar, profile, and accessories were all extravagant, giving off a heavy pay-to-win vibe.
Summer Green's "online persona" was that of a prestigious lady from a noble family, though it was unclear how much of it was real. She frequently discussed high-society topics with another person, "Gallo Governor," who pretended to be an aristocrat.
They often complained about their families—Summer Green had a stubborn academic grandfather who kept piling on homework, while Gallo Governor's father had a series of women who were never the same.
Shirou never joined in on these conversations, only silently labeling them as "Youthful Energy Lady" and "Arrogant, Flamboyant Young Master." Why he didn't join in was obvious…
He was an orphan.
"Now hiring a butler, with excellent pay! Sir, are you really not considering it? I'm offering a position you won't want to miss!" Summer Green sent a smiling emoji.
"No, thanks. Not interested," Shirou replied, ignoring the last odd part of the message.