Chapter 2: first quest

"Mmmmhmmmm...*yawn*...*stretch*... That was one of the best sleeps ever. It feels nice to have no college stress," I mumbled as I woke up in my comfy bed. The soft mattress cradled my body, and the warm sunlight filtering through the curtains cast a gentle glow across the room. Looking around, I still wasn't used to how drastically things had changed. "This place feels like home, and I do like the room. But I can't get over it all happening in a single day," I said, my mind drifting back to the events of yesterday.

*Flashback*

"Hey, what's the quest anyway?" I asked my system, which had recently turned red, its preferred color.

{Ah, yes, the quest! I almost forgot about that. Your quest is simple: you will be sent to the 5th Holy Grail War in an altered timeline where, due to an irregularity from another world, the Grail has been turned into a greater super grail. Your objective is to just take care of that irregularity.}

I listened carefully to the system until I heard the words "Grail War."

"Wait, first of all, don't forget about the quest, you dumbass. I'm the one who pays the price if you mess up. Second, Grail War? Like in Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works?" I asked, my brow furrowed in confusion.

The system, having heard what I said, replied, {I don't know about UBW since I was just born when you and I came to be. We share thoughts, not memories. But the quests are written in a way that you'll understand what they mean. They want you to have some knowledge to comprehend the quests, as they don't want to throw you completely into the unknown until you're more capable.}

The system moved around, trying to appear as if it was imparting great wisdom, when it was clearly more lost about things than I was.

"Okay, I get that you don't know much, but before the quest even began, couldn't we have done all this back in my original world? Why did you have to teleport everyone out of the bus and then send me alone onto a boat?" I asked, trying to make sense of the situation.

The system stopped moving, looked towards me, and tilted slightly. {What are you talking about, user? It's not like the hosting world will affect the quest, so why would we put in the effort to transport you and waste energy?}

If I could have seen my own face at that moment, I'm sure it would have been the most surprised expression imaginable. "Ehh... bu-... wha- but I wa-... but I was sure you gu-... ehh, wait, what could-... wha-..." I stammered, looking down and continuing to mutter, utterly confused by the system's response. My hands trembled slightly as I tried to process this new information.

My mind raced with questions and doubts. I had been certain that the system had orchestrated the events leading up to this point, but now it seemed that my assumptions were completely off-base. The more I tried to make sense of it, the more perplexed I became, my thoughts spiraling into a jumble of half-formed ideas and incomplete sentences.

{Host, get a hold of yourself,} the system commanded, but before I could look at it and respond, the void opened up another hole and pulled me in. 

As I opened my eyes, I found myself standing in the middle of a spacious living room, sunlight streaming through the large windows. "Wait, why are we in a modern house?" I asked, confusion evident in my voice.

{Host, this is the city of Fuyuki. We just made the house so you can be comfortable while living here,} the system explained.

"Well then, system, how will I do this quest? Since that irregularity is so strong that it can alter the rules of the Grail War, I don't think it will be simple," I said, hoping the system had a way to help me. Though I did feel like I had forgotten something really important, my mind was too beat up with all the crazy events to work properly.

{User, this being the first quest, I am actually allowed to assist you in many ways, like this house, for example. But there are also limitations. I can't directly help you. I can indirectly help you, like if you have mana storage, I can be the supplier for anything you need, so you don't have to worry about that. But I won't cast spells for you. I can make food for you, but I can't make food when situations are dire. So things can really get complex when it comes to when I can help and when I can't.}

"I see. The simple explanation is that the only thing that's helpful from you, other than basic living, is extra mana," I said, deadpan, knowing I was doomed.

{Not just any amount of mana, but infinite mana! You know what mages would do for that... right?} Karma said, trying to make it sound important while clearly having no clue if it was.

"Yeah, they start the Holy Grail War for it. The Third Magic, which is basically infinite mana plus more. Well, at least I think it's for that. Heaven's Feel does other things too, so that could also be it. Who knows, probably Nasu," I replied without a care in the world.

{So that's why they are doing a Grail War. It makes sense to have a conflict of a magnitude that will be the end of this world for something so powerful.}

I froze in place when I heard that. "Wait, what do you mean by the end of this wor-" *thump* My words were cut off as my body suddenly collapsed to the ground.

{User, are you okay?!} I heard Karma panicking, but before I could respond, my consciousness faded away.

After story:

[Junior finally gets to stand up from the couch after the episode ends, and he can feel the MC's dilemma on a personal level. After a few understanding nods to the MC, he looks at the shadowy figure and asks in a demanding voice.]

Junior: "Who are you? And are you the one who brought me here?"

[Then he hears a small giggling that turns into sobbing and full-on crying.]

Forgotten: "This can't be happening! Now the universe forgot how I LOOOOOOOK!"

[With Junior even more confused, we shall leave it at this cliffhanger.]