For Early/Extra Chapters: patreon.com/scoldeyjodxd
Already 30+ Chapters Updated + Daily Updates
It is never a good thing for a child to be too sensible, too mature, or too understanding beyond their years.
Because parents will inevitably take that maturity for granted and thus completely ignore the fundamental fact that a child is, in reality, still just a child with a child's needs.
As a child, William Zhang genuinely believed he had done exceptionally well in meeting all expectations.
He wasn't like other children his age—teasing cats and dogs, causing trouble, demanding constant attention.
He studied diligently every single day without complaint, ranked first in his entire grade every examination period, and possessed absolutely no bad habits whatsoever.
But how to put it... a child is still a child, after all.
Every single time, William looked forward eagerly to his parents finally coming home from their business trips. But they would inevitably postpone due to this urgent meeting or that critical deal closing.
He rarely saw them more than a handful of times each year. Even on several birthdays and major holidays like Christmas, they were completely absent—not even a phone call.
Although William would always smile brightly and say with perfect politeness, "It's completely okay, Mom and Dad are working very hard and must be exhausted"—
The crushing emptiness and loneliness in his heart still weighed heavily on William's small shoulders, making it genuinely difficult for him to breathe sometimes.
Therefore, William's personal reason for playing Holy Grail War was fundamentally different from most other players.
William simply wanted to immerse himself completely in the VR world, emptying his troubled mind by peacefully enjoying beautiful virtual scenery and escaping reality for a while.
He'd heard through online forums that the immersive experience quality of Holy Grail War was absolutely excellent and unmatched.
So William had downloaded the game immediately.
At the same time, following recommendations from various online strategy guides, he deliberately chose the second dialogue option during character creation.
He did not summon a Servant for combat purposes. Instead, he flew his character to virtual Switzerland completely alone, simply to enjoy the breathtaking mountain scenery in peace.
It wasn't until half of the match preparation time had already elapsed that William—as if merely completing tedious homework to check off a requirement—casually drew a summoning circle on the ground for a completely random召唤.
But fate is always like this: wonderfully, inexplicably strange.
As the brilliant azure summoning light finally faded away—
The appearance of this battle-scarred, blonde-haired man with distinctive white metal gauntlets wrapped protectively around both hands made William sigh in later days at the absolute wonder of destiny and perfect timing.
"Yo! Are you my Master?" The man's voice was rough but warm. "You look a bit gloomy there, kid. Is something bothering you?"
"No, it's just..." William hesitated, unsure how to explain. "Anyway, it's... nice to meet you."
For reasons William couldn't quite articulate or understand, when facing this imposing blonde warrior, he always felt simultaneously a bit guilty for wasting the Servant's time—yet inexplicably filled with an overwhelming sense of security and safety.
Despite looking like a rough-and-tumble blonde older brother you'd meet at a gym, the man somehow exuded the reassuring aura of a genuinely wise elder, making one instinctively want to rely on him for protection and guidance.
At the same time, as if naturally sensing William's obvious social awkwardness and discomfort—
The blonde man didn't press further with invasive questions.
Instead, he smoothly changed the subject and asked the question that virtually every Master-Servant pair in the Holy Grail War would eventually ask each other:
"So, Master—what is the wish you want to entrust to the Holy Grail?"
"A wish? If there truly exists a Holy Grail capable of granting all wishes..." William's voice became small. "I hope my parents can spend more actual time with me instead of just sending money..."
"Parents, huh..." The blonde man's expression shifted, becoming unusually serious. "I found something strange from the very beginning, so it's true then, isn't it? Someone deliberately stuffed a child's soul into an adult's body for this game. Who did such an outrageous thing to you?"
"This... I..." William stammered, caught off-guard.
As mentioned above, when directly questioned by the blonde warrior, William instinctively spoke the complete truth without thinking.
And listening carefully to William's halting words, the blonde man's normally fierce face darkened considerably with barely restrained anger.
But seeing William stuttering nervously, completely unsure how to properly respond—
The blonde man suddenly laughed warmly again, no longer pressing the uncomfortable topic. Instead, he said to himself:
"It seems you also have many complicated reasons you can't easily speak about. That's perfectly okay. Since you desperately crave the Holy Grail and I also crave the Holy Grail for my own reasons, then let us win this Holy Grail together as partners."
"Okay..." William's voice was small but genuine. "May I ask what wish you're entrusting to the Holy Grail?"
"Me? It's actually very simple and straightforward. I just want to find worthy opponents to fight against. Don't let my rough appearance fool you—I'm actually a complete battle maniac at heart."
"That... I can actually tell from looking at you."
"Hahahahaha! Is it really that obvious?" The man's laugh was infectious. "Anyway, don't be so reserved and stiff around me. I genuinely believe we can become excellent Master and Servant partners."
"Mm..." William nodded, feeling something warm in his chest.
Humorous and naturally understanding.
Every single action and word from the blonde warrior made William feel an unprecedented level of comfort and acceptance he'd never experienced before.
He was no longer the one constantly accommodating everyone else's needs and schedules.
For once, someone was actually accommodating him.
If William was willing to speak openly, he genuinely believed the blonde man standing before him would be an excellent, patient listener who would never judge.
And if William wasn't willing to speak? The warrior wouldn't press or demand explanations.
Thinking about this realization, a genuinely relaxed smile appeared on William's face for the first time in months.
But as if suddenly remembering proper etiquette, after a light embarrassed chuckle—
William also put away the smile, then looked at the blonde warrior with visible embarrassment:
"By the way, what's your name? Of course, if you think I'm unreliable as a Master, you absolutely don't have to tell me your True Name..."
"Berserker-class Servant. Beowulf."
"Beowulf? I'm sorry, my knowledge of literature is somewhat limited. I'm not particularly familiar with your legend."
"That's completely okay. The most important thing for a child is to be happy and enjoy life. As for accumulating knowledge? That's something to build slowly after growing up properly.
As for my legend..." Beowulf scratched his head sheepishly. "It's actually a bit embarrassing for me to tell it myself.
But if you really want to hear the whole story, I'll tell it to you. We've got time to pass on the journey anyway, right?"
"Please, I'd love to hear it!" William's eyes lit up with genuine interest.
"Alright, alright! Don't get too excited now," Beowulf chuckled warmly. "My story is quite long. If I'm going to tell it properly, I'll have to start from the very beginning with that villainous giant Grendel and his terrible mother..."
Many Fate lore enthusiasts argue that the Grand Berserker position must inevitably belong to Tezcatlipoca from Aztec mythology.
But in reality, that assessment isn't entirely accurate or complete.
Tezcatlipoca merely embodies the fundamental concept of impermanence—the fickle, unpredictable wind that changes direction without warning. This perfectly aligns thematically with a Berserker losing their sanity and becoming violently unpredictable.
But when examining pure origin and historical precedent, Beowulf is absolutely in no way inferior.
There exists a scholarly theory that Beowulf's name actually derives from "Bee-Wolf"—an Old English kenning meaning "honey hunter," which is simply a poetic way of saying bear.
And in authentic Norse mythology, by donning the hide of a fierce beast like a bear, a warrior would transform into a berserker—becoming ferocious, mad, and unstoppable in battle.
The very etymology of the Servant class designation "Berserker" comes directly from these berserkers in Norse mythology.
Therefore, as the protagonist of the oldest surviving English literary narrative poem—the epic of Beowulf—
Beowulf himself, under the premise of bearing the symbolic name of a bear, accomplished the legendary feat of tearing off the monstrous giant Grendel's entire arm with his bare hands alone.
It is absolutely no exaggeration to say that Beowulf represents the origin and foundation of all Berserkers.
At the same time, Beowulf is also one of the extremely few Servants who remain completely unaffected by Mad Enhancement.
Whether positive stat boosts or negative sanity penalties brought by Mad Enhancement—both effects would completely disappear and have zero impact when applied to him.
However, contrary to his rough, scarred appearance and warrior's build—
Beowulf himself had actually been a great king who possessed no personal selfish desires, who governed seriously and diligently, and who had ruled his country with steady wisdom for decades.
In his youth, as a warrior and hero, he hunted down and slew the harmful giant Grendel with nothing but his bare hands.
In his old age, as a king and hero, he dragged his frail, elderly body into one final battle and fought to the death against the fire dragon that plagued and terrorized his beloved country.
And even after his own death, he left a will stating that the fire dragon's entire treasure hoard should be distributed among his people.
Although Beowulf himself didn't think any of this was particularly special or praiseworthy—believing it was simply what any decent king should naturally do—
After recounting his heroic deeds and legendary accomplishments in full detail—
Facing William's eyes, which had become filled with almost fanatical admiration and genuine awe—
Beowulf actually turned his head away slightly, feeling genuinely embarrassed by the attention.
Because truthfully, Beowulf didn't believe he possessed any special kingly talent or divine right. Nor did he particularly care about complex monarchical rule or political theory.
He had simply entrusted necessary administrative tasks to the appropriate qualified people.
And he himself went out to fight monsters and protect people because he genuinely enjoyed it. Nothing more complicated than that.
As for being naturally gentle toward the weak, women, and children? That went without saying—it was basic human decency.
In Beowulf's view, it was the most ordinary, unremarkable thing imaginable.
And that's exactly what true heroes are like.
Completely unaware that they themselves are heroes.
But it was precisely this humble, selfless personality that led to his destined encounter with William.
Because according to official information from FGO lore:
Beowulf does not possess a clear, specific wish for the Holy Grail. If anything, his only desire is finding worthy battles.
But if someone genuinely asks him for help—if they wish to be aided and protected—
Beowulf will respond without any hesitation whatsoever.
That is the entirety of who he is.
[NewCharacter]: Wait, who's this kid?
[Wholesome]: This is SO WHOLESOME!
[Protecc]: PROTECC THE CHILD!
[Beowulf]: Beowulf is such a good guy!
[Bear]: The bear symbolism is actually brilliant!
A new bond had formed.
Show Some By Powerstones
Next BONUS CHAPTER at 200 powerstones