Early in the morning, Gawain awoke from his slumber.
However, to his surprise, despite not having slept particularly long this time, he still seemed to be the last one to wake in the entire camp. Artoria, Bavanzi, and Oberon had all risen long before and were already sitting around the campfire at the center of the camp, preparing breakfast.
Well, judging from the heavy dark circles under Artoria and Bavanzi's eyes… perhaps their early rise had less to do with healthy routines and more with the fact that they hadn't slept at all.
"Good morning, Artoria, Bavanzi, Oberon."
After greeting each of his companions in turn, Gawain sat down beside the campfire as well, joining in the breakfast preparations.
Thanks to an encounter with some native Briton monsters on their way the day before—and after thoroughly annihilating them through teamwork—those fantasy creatures had rather conveniently become the main ingredients for their upcoming meals.
However, for some reason, both Artoria and Bavanzi were visibly off their game this morning, repeatedly making mistakes while they worked.
And the reason for their exhaustion wasn't hard for Gawain to guess… Clearly, those two had pulled yet another all-nighter running simulations.
Unlike him—who had carried the entire fate simulation solo, collapsed from sheer fatigue, and immediately passed out like a dog after a long race—Artoria and Bavanzi had both contributed far less in that particular run. Dissatisfied with such a conclusion, they had, naturally, chosen to continue grinding regular simulations through the night.
Truly, the ruin of the obsessed...
Gawain sighed as he looked at the two dazed and sluggish women. He soon took the ingredients from their hands with considerate gentleness, urging them to go get some proper rest.
"No worries. Oberon and I can handle breakfast from here. Since you two didn't get any decent sleep, why don't you go catch a few more winks? I'll call you when it's ready."
As the two women obediently returned to their tents, Gawain and Oberon exchanged a knowing glance and shared a wry smile before continuing their morning duties.
And while he worked, Gawain opened up his system interface to finally check the reward notifications he hadn't gotten around to reviewing the night before.
[You have defeated the Demon God King Goetia and successfully escorted Chaldea personnel to safety. The singularity "London" has been cleared with an exceptional outcome.]
[This session of FATE/Simulation has concluded.]
[Whether facing the ancient shadows of the past or the embodiment of human evil that seeks to incinerate all history, your resolve never wavered.]
[Even when your opponent was Chaldea, you held no grudges and once again safeguarded the future of proper human history.]
[Completion Rating: S (Perfect)]
An S rating in the end—just as expected. But… wasn't that closing remark a little weird?
No grudges? Was that really the right word? He didn't remember holding any kind of grudge against Chaldea to begin with.
Shrugging off the odd phrasing, Gawain scrolled down.
[New Keyword Draw unlocked.]
[Because you defeated a Shadow of the Old Ones and exceeded expectations in the simulation, you have received one additional keyword draw.]
[Because you defeated the Demon God King Goetia and achieved a perfect simulation, you have received one additional keyword draw.]
[You have three keyword draws available. Draw now?]
Of course—why wouldn't he?
With great anticipation, Gawain hit "Yes."
[Based on your performance in this simulation, your reward keywords are being drawn...]
As the familiar summoning interface spun, a now equally familiar golden glow shimmered into view:
[You have obtained Unique Keyword: Bloodhanded Butcher]
[Bloodhanded Butcher (SR): You are a butcher—not by trade, but by the fearful title others have given you. You've slain thousands; your hands are soaked in blood, your feet tread upon mountains of corpses.]
[You now understand how to kill more efficiently. Your knowledge of human anatomy has improved. Luck -1. Strength and Agility +1.]
Whoa. Was he finally not a pushover anymore?
Just as Gawain was grinning with delight at this long-awaited power-up, another flash of gold burst into view:
[You have obtained Unique Keyword: Genius, Cursed by Heaven]
[Genius, Cursed by Heaven (SR): You are a born polymath, capable of quickly achieving brilliance in many fields. But your brilliance incites the heavens' jealousy—making early death more likely.]
[Endurance -1. Your learning speed is greatly increased. Your stats grow faster. You're more likely to notice hidden clues and solve impossible problems.]
"Wahoo!!"
This time, Gawain couldn't hold back his joy and actually jumped up in excitement, causing Oberon beside him to glance over in confusion.
"Ahem. Just thought of something happy," Gawain muttered, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.
What could he say? Double gold pulls. Classic him.
Though these keywords came at a cost—namely reductions in Luck and Endurance—their benefits were undeniable. Bloodhanded Butcher gave him a direct combat buff, while Genius, Cursed by Heaven essentially handed him a high-speed learning cheat. Cram-study the night before the exam and still ace it? Say no more.
Still, those were just the cherries on top.
The real prize was yet to come.
[Because you completed a special mission and obtained a special reward during this simulation—Permanent Keyword: Hunter's Seal—your final keyword reward has been locked to "Hunter's Seal." Cancel lock and reroll?]
Not a chance.
Gawain didn't even hesitate before clicking "No."
Why would he reroll the best reward of all? That Hunter's Seal was, without exaggeration, the most overpowered keyword he had ever seen—bar none. Not even the exclusive keywords of the Sword Saint or Bloodborne Noble could compare.
It was thanks to Hunter's Seal that they had managed to clear this nightmare-difficulty fate simulation at all.
And with it now in his hands permanently, Gawain's overall strength would certainly skyrocket.
[You have obtained Keyword: Hunter's Seal]
[You are the hunter who walks the dark. For the sake of mankind's dignity and survival, you relentlessly hunt that which should never exist in this world. You are the sentinel standing between humanity and the abyss—willing to wield forbidden knowledge to confront forbidden foes.]
[But remember—when you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you. The more forbidden truths you uncover, the more you risk becoming forbidden yourself.]
[—Tonight, the old hunter joins the hunt.]
[This keyword is hidden from other players. When equipped, you also gain: Old Hunter's Forbidden Knowledge · EX (Hidden Skill)]
[Equip now?]
Did he have a reason not to?
Nope!
Without hesitation, Gawain eagerly equipped the keyword.
[Keyword equipped: Hunter's Seal]
[Skill unlocked: Old Hunter's Forbidden Knowledge · EX]
[This skill cannot be seen or identified by anyone but you. Its effects will appear as a disguised skill to others.]
[You can now comprehend some of the forbidden knowledge left behind by star-born entities. These truths take the form of runes, each conferring unique effects when remembered.]
[You may memorize up to three additional runes alongside the default Bloodborne Curse.]
[Rune: Bloodborne Curse – Exclusive to the Hunter. In order to fight the forbidden, you must harness the forbidden.]
[You may now perceive the weaknesses of all enemies. When they reveal an opening—either actively or passively—you may directly strike their vital organs, bypassing outer defenses for massive internal damage.]
[—Dust to dust. Blood to blood. All begins in blood; all ends in blood.]
While this powerful skill was now his, there was one small letdown: the runes he'd previously encountered in simulations couldn't be inherited. This was just the base state.
So then—where was he supposed to get more runes from?
Did he need to track down Servants with the Invoker class and extract forbidden knowledge from them?
As Gawain was pondering this, another system prompt suddenly popped up.
[Because you collected all three copies of The King in Yellow, you have earned a Rune Draw.]
[Because you fused all three copies into the original H A S T A, you have earned a Rune Selection.]
[Available draws and selections will be pulled from the runes you acquired during your last simulation.]
"Oh? That's generous."
Gawain's eyes lit up—but then he caught himself, hurriedly shutting his mouth.
"Uh… yeah, sure."
Oberon blinked, trying to follow his train of thought.
"If you're talking about the fire timing… I can handle that. I'm actually pretty good with temperature control."
"…Uh, no, that's not—uh, never mind. I'm counting on you!"
Clapping Oberon firmly on the shoulder, Gawain brushed it off and turned his attention back to the reward screen.
Now came the real thrill: the draws.
First, the random one.
[Drawing from Hunter's Rune Pool…]
[You've obtained Rune: Unification]
[Rune: Unification – A name-rune drawn from a god beyond the stars, embodying one of the Forbidden Powers. Can only be used by one who shares a deep bond with their counterpart beyond the gate.]
[Allows you to fuse multiple like entities into one, inheriting all pre-merge properties. Usable only on items or beings with shared origin.]
[One-time use.]
[—From the One came all things. To the One shall all return.]
…
Gawain froze.
Well… that was awkward.
Honestly, Unification was probably the one rune he least wanted right now. Sure, it had been his biggest cheat in the last simulation—basically the fusion dance of Goku and Vegeta—but there was just one issue:
Where was he supposed to find another him?!
Compared to this, Gawain would've preferred Powder Keg, which had offered a concrete combat boost and let him develop a pseudo-Mana Burst technique. Missing out on that was a loss.
Even Ten Thousand Lives, which granted forced no-damage separation, would've been super handy against calamities.
Still, he had one more option…
[You've selected: Rune · Overload]
[Rune: Overload – Knowledge drawn from a human sage who, after glimpsing the forbidden and attempting to merge with it, became part of that forbidden power.]
[At any time, you may consume up to double your usual mana to multiply the effectiveness of any action accordingly. If you're a Master, you may share this ability with your Servant.]
[Because of a certain knight's valor, the overload mana now carries a hint of crimson lightning.]
[—Because of you, I've started to believe in the future.]
Gawain glanced at the final line, tugging a crooked smile.
Damn system really knew how to play the emotional angle. Tugging at heartstrings, huh?
Too bad…
…he was a sucker for it.
He was absolutely keeping this one—as a memento of the friendship between him and that rebellious young knight.
Now then—time to see if the simulations from late last night yielded anything worthwhile.
Gawain scrolled further into the rewards panel… and froze.
It wasn't that the auto-simulations gave nothing—no, the issue was more important than that.
[Routine Simulation #1007 – You were killed by Fairy Knight Lancelot on Day 7. Score: 3]
[Routine Simulation #1008 – You were killed by Fairy Knight Lancelot on Day 18. Score: 10]
[Routine Simulation #1009 – You were killed by Fairy Knight Lancelot on Day 8. Score: 4]
[Routine Simulation #1010 – You were killed on Day 3. Score: 0]
[All four simulations scored too low to qualify for rewards.]
"…Wait."
Gawain stared blankly at the lines.
"She's seriously gunning for me?!"