"What are these things?"
"As I said, they're upgrade materials."
On the table was a pile of strange items Robert didn't know the names of, like... uhh, Void Reborn? Or whatever the hell they were.
"It's a shame we didn't get anything particularly useful. Looks like we can only level up for now," Saber said, pointing at a bunch of star-shaped items.
"So... how do you upgrade?"
Saber immediately picked one up and ate it, chewing with obvious enjoyment.
That simple?!
Suddenly, Robert felt a portion of QP flowing from his Command Seal into Saber's body.
"When using... these things... it consumes a certain amount of... munch... QP. That's just an unwritten rule, Master," she said after swallowing, her face completely normal.
"...Umm, why don't I see any change in you?" Robert scratched his head while looking at Saber.
"Of course not. These are only for leveling up, not Ascension. Once I reach a certain level threshold, I can't level up anymore and will need to Ascend."
Ah, kinda similar with Pokémon. I get it now.
"Anything else?"
"Oh, there's also my active skills. You can check my status and upgrade my skills as well."
Hearing that, Robert immediately looked at Saber's stats and information.
Sure enough, her level had risen all the way to 17, and both her ATK and HP had increased.
As for active skills, she currently only had one:
Numeral of the Saint - Rank B
It allows her to increase damage by 18% for 3 turns (3 minutes), and also boosts her Buster performance when it's sunny.
Whoa, a tank who only gets strong when it's sunny? So fighting at night is basically nerfing her?
"How is it, Master? Are you getting used to this yet?"
"More or less. So now we have to find a way to increase your strength within one week?"
"Yes. The time is extremely short. We cannot afford to waste any, Master. Every second, our enemies are getting further ahead," she stood up and spoke with burning enthusiasm.
Her head slammed hard into the ceiling, causing a small crack.
"...Can you shrink your body a bit more?"
"I'm sorry, this is my limit..."
Seeing Saber looking deeply apologetic, Robert could only sigh.
Well, a one-week Holy Grail War really is pitifully short. Standing still definitely isn't an option.
Well, unless they somehow summon that 1-star Archer whose NP fires an atomic bomb that wipes out an entire continent... but that's only if they actually get him.
"Alright then, where do we go to increase your power?"
"They're called Singularities—distorted points in history that have been changed by someone's interference. Our job is to resolve them to correct history, and in the process, we'll obtain the materials we need for upgrades."
"So where do we find them?"
"I have no idea."
Oi oi, if even you don't know, how the hell are we supposed to find them?
"But don't worry, my nose is quite sharp. I'm sure we'll find one. Please trust me, Master!" She clenched her fist enthusiastically, even though she was still wearing a Peppa Pig apron.
...Well, might as well trust the experienced one.
After preparing everything, Robert checked his ammo.
Only 3 magazines left. He'd probably need to get more from the police station...
A knife? Uhh, he didn't think it would be very effective against monsters and Servants. Better to shoot from a distance.
"I'll follow behind you," Saber said, turning into spiritual form to hide herself.
'Servants really have so many convenient abilities,' Robert thought as he walked out the door.
Outside his apartment building, people were everywhere complaining about something, and police were all over the place.
...Right, of course. Yesterday there were monsters everywhere. Even though Saber had taken care of them all, her destructive power still caused quite a lot of collateral damage.
Robert walked down from the building and listened in for a bit.
"Whoa, you look like Leon Kennedy! Is a zombie apocalypse about to start or something?"
A familiar voice rang out, making Robert stop.
"...Ken, you scared the hell out of me."
"Ahaha! Even seniors can get scared?" A young man in a police uniform walked over.
He was a new recruit who had joined not long ago. He had a very friendly personality and strongly believed in justice.
Looking into the boy's bright, unscarred eyes made Robert feel a bit envious.
"Did the captain assign you to investigate here?" Robert asked.
"Yes! I thought you were on leave because of your injury?"
Robert raised his left hand. His bandaged hand only had 4 fingers left.
"Whoa! You're officially a cartoon character now! They usually have 4 fingers!"
"That joke isn't funny," Robert narrowed his eyes.
"S-Sorry!"
Robert then observed the civilians. Everyone looked confused and terrified about something.
...Strange? The incident last night didn't cause any deaths in his residential area. There was quite a bit of property damage, but it shouldn't be enough to make people look this anxious.
"What happened?"
"It's hard to explain... The thing last night was already weird enough, but this morning something even stranger occurred."
"Stranger?"
"Someone committed suicide."
...Alright, that's scarier than I thought. What the hell?
'Master, should we ignore this?' Saber asked through telepathy.
'...No, we'll have to postpone searching for the Singularity.'
"Lead me there, Ken."
"Huh? Aren't you on leave because of your injury?"
"The injury won't stop me."
Ken shrugged and then led Robert to the crime scene.
A crowd of people had gathered around a house, talking nonstop. Robert and Ken pushed their way through.
Two coroners were examining the body, and their expressions didn't look good.
"Over there," Ken pointed at the corpse covered by a sheet.
"How did he commit suicide?"
"...It's hard to describe. Better if you see it yourself."
Robert walked over. The two coroners recognized him and greeted him.
"Mind if I take a look?"
"Not at all, but it's quite bizarre and might be disturbing. Please be careful."
"Yeah, thanks."
Robert knelt on one knee and slowly lifted the sheet covering the victim's face.
...
...
"What the fuck is this?"
The face was deformed to a grotesque degree, to the point it was barely recognizable as human.
Strangely, a tree was growing out of the face.
...Was this really a human?
[illustration]
"...You call this suicide?" Robert turned to look at Ken.
"...The cause of death is too mysterious. No external trauma, no internal signs from the victim. Everything is... strangely normal," Ken replied.
"That's why we can only classify it as suicide. It's the only conclusion we can make."
"...Are you kidding me?"
'Master, there is no trace of magecraft from the corpse.'
'Then...'
'There's only one possibility: a Beast Servant.'