I am the protagonist

"Hmm, the senior is probably making noodles."

Sakura wondered if there was something wrong with her eyes, but what she saw was definitely her senior making noodles. However, Sakura had a big question: would her senior have ever made such difficult noodles?

Chapter Seventeen: Am I the male protagonist?

"Dragon beard noodles, come and try some."

Rin, Sakura, Illya, Saber, and Medusa each had a bowl of noodles in front of them, the noodles being so fine they were almost as fine as a strand of hair.

Looking at the hair-like noodles in the bowl, Rin, Sakura, Illya, Saber, and Medusa all felt a little unreal. They all knew Shirou's cooking skills were very high, but that was before his amnesia. How did Shirou manage to make noodles like this after losing his memory?

"Shirou, didn't you have amnesia? Ah, I mean, you probably don't remember anything from your past, right?"

"I can't remember anything at all. I don't even know how to cook it, but once I start, it's like I can make it, and I don't know why."

In fact, Shirou had absolutely no experience making noodles this time; he just seemed to know how to do it as soon as he started. Shirou knew he had absolutely no cooking experience, but he seemed to be able to make it, and even made it very simply.

[Muscle memory? Shirou, even if you lost your memory, would you still remember how to cook?]

Rin was utterly speechless. Shirou had lost all his memories, yet he remembered the recipes for cooking. Could Rin interpret this to mean that Shirou's past memories weren't even as important as the recipes for cooking?

"Shirou, this noodle is so thin."

"After all, it's dragon beard noodles, which are all about being extremely thin. Each noodle is almost as thin as a hair. It's not easy to stretch the noodles to that extent. It's just that the ingredients in the refrigerator were a bit lacking. I should have made it a bit lighter. Now I can only make seafood flavor."

Actually, the flavor of dragon beard noodles is a matter of personal preference. Shirou personally prefers a lighter taste, especially when eating dragon beard noodles. If the flavor is too strong, he can't appreciate the delicate beauty of the noodles. If he had to choose, Shirou would definitely choose a milder flavor.

[Whoa! Shirou seems to have flipped a different switch.]

Rin had never seen Shirou like this before. The Shirou of the past was very particular about food, but judging from what he said today, the noodles he made were actually quite ordinary. Rin looked down at the clear broth and the visible strands of noodles in the bowl. These noodles didn't seem like they were made in a very ordinary way; at least, she had never eaten dragon beard noodles before.

"Ilya, try it first."

"Ah."

Ilya picked up the soup bowl and took a sip. The subtle umami flavor instantly filled her taste buds, and just that initial taste made her eyes light up. The Einzberns were nobles, and Ilya now controlled all of Einzbern's wealth. She lived the life of a noble, but even in her noble life, she had never tasted noodles like this.

"So delicious! This soup is really good."

The others also picked up their soup bowls, took a small sip, and exhaled a soft breath of hot air as the umami flavor of the soup filled their mouths. Just as Ilya had said, it was truly a very delicious soup, with the taste of fish and clams, but these flavors didn't mix; instead, they complemented each other perfectly.

"It is indeed a very good soup. Shirou's cooking skills seem to have improved; he can actually make such a delicious soup with those ingredients."

Saber has a strong appreciation for delicious food. In the past, she could only afford to eat black bread, which was considered a delicacy. As the King of Knights, Saber is very particular about food, especially after coming to the modern era and understanding the abundance of food available there. Now, Saber can no longer control her appetite.

At the same time, Saber was also very surprised that Shirou's cooking skills had improved, and by a significant margin. There were only a very few ingredients left in the refrigerator. Actually, Saber felt a little embarrassed about what was in the refrigerator, because it was all leftovers; the rest of what she could eat was already in her stomach.

"Speaking of the ingredients in the refrigerator."

Saber stiffened for a moment.

"When I was preparing the noodles, I checked the refrigerator, and it seemed like there were no seasonings left. I looked in the freezer compartment, and it looked like there wasn't even any ice left... Do you guys still like to eat ice?"

Shirou knew that the food in the refrigerator had definitely been eaten, and while it was understandable that the food was gone, it was a bit much that even the ice cubes were eaten. Shirou had even planned to use the ice cubes to cool things down a bit, but now he couldn't even find any ice cubes.

Everyone's eyes unconsciously shifted to Saber. Since Shirou was hospitalized, Saber had been the only one living in the Emiya household. The missing ice must have gone into Saber's stomach.

[Who would have thought that Saber, driven mad by hunger, would even eat ice cubes?]

"Those ice blocks weren't for me! They were used up by Dahe last time he came!"

Saber's face flushed red. All she wanted to do was explain why the ice had disappeared. No matter how much of a foodie she was, she wouldn't just stare at the ice and touch it.

"Dahe?"

This was the first time Shirou had heard this unfamiliar name today, and he had no idea who it referred to. Shirou simply focused his attention on others who might know who the name referred to.

"Fujimura Taiga is a kind-hearted, goofy older sister. She is our class teacher and the one who took care of you, Shirou, as you grew up. It seems that Taiga has been taking care of you ever since your adoptive father passed away."

"Another older sister? Do I have many older sisters around me?"

"Taiga isn't like Illya, who doesn't act like an older sister at all. Taiga is even less like an older sister. You'll understand when you meet her, Shirou. Taiga is an adult who doesn't do anything right."

"Senior, Fujimura-sensei is a very irresponsible adult, but he is also a very good teacher."

Now there's another person he needs to get to know, but Shirou also realizes that he actually knows quite a few girls. Looking back on these girls, Shirou sometimes wonders if he's the protagonist of some kind of world? How come all the girls around him are of such high quality?

Of course, the girls around him are what Shirou is currently facing, but what Shirou is more concerned about is this wonderful world. Magic is something Shirou wants to explore now, and the matter of Heroic Spirits is also something he really wants to understand. There are far more things to learn about this world than in the previous one.

Chapter 18 grants access to [Territory Construction] and [Item Crafting]

Illya left in a private car, picked up by two maids dressed in strange maid outfits that Shirou couldn't understand. Shirou admitted that he preferred ordinary maid outfits, probably because his interests were rather mundane.

"Senior, my sister and I are going to take a bath now."

"Take a good soak; thank you for your help these past few days."

"That's impossible."

Sakura certainly didn't think she had troubled her these past few days. If she could, Sakura really wanted to spend more time taking care of her senior. However, Sakura knew that her senior wasn't someone who needed taking care of much; in fact, he was quite good at taking care of people.

[Moreover, the main reason for the senior's amnesia is his sister. If his sister and Saber had been more careful, the senior wouldn't have suffered from amnesia.]

Amnesia is not a good thing, but for Sakura, it's a great opportunity. Not only will she completely erase her past disadvantages, but even though Sakura knows her sister has a significant advantage, that was a previous advantage. This time, she will make the most of it.

"Hmm~~~ I'm going to rest too."

Watching Sakura leave to take a bath, Shirou stretched his limbs. He'd been busy all day, and it was finally time to relax. Shirou now needed to inspect and explore other things, such as the Origin Shop.

[Now that we know who the chosen one is, could the Origin Shop offer me a little surprise?]

Shirou opened the shop, and a dense list of product names appeared before him, each with its own price in terms of Origin. Shirou glanced at it and saw that most of the items were inexpensive, but considering that the way Origin was obtained was unusual, even just 1 point was already quite expensive.

There are so many skills, and quite a few of them actually require 2 or 3 points.

Shirou's attention was primarily focused on the A-rank skills, such as [Eagle Eye], which allows one to see over a kilometer away. However, these skills usually come with a [World Limited] attribute, meaning they can only be used in one world, which diminishes their appeal to Shirou.

It's a pity that most of these are world-limited. Some items still need to be spent wisely, taking future uses into account before making purchases. Skills usable only in one world are too inefficient; at least universal versions across multiple worlds are necessary.

When searching for skills he needs, Shirou prioritizes universally applicable skills, as these can provide him with the greatest benefit. Such skills do exist, but they are somewhat inferior to powerful support skills.

For example, the skill "Position Construction (A)" is quite excellent, as it allows you to create your own secret base in a certain place.

For example, the skill of prop making (A) is equally excellent. It is a skill that can use materials to create all kinds of magic props.

Both of these skills are support skills, but they are not directly applied to oneself. Skills like Eagle Eye (A) directly affect one's vision, allowing one to see clearly objects thousands or even tens of thousands of meters away.

Base Construction (A) is essentially a skill for defending your base and building infrastructure. It enhances your base's capabilities and can prevent unwanted people from entering and causing trouble. Item Crafting (A) allows you to create many things, but these items require certain materials. In other words, this is a high-level support skill, but it requires both materials and time to craft.

Because these two skills don't directly enhance the user, they only require 1 point of World Origin. Shirou's interest in these skills isn't due to their low price, but rather because they are universally applicable due to their inherent limitations.

These two skills are universally applicable, and should be the ones that best suit my current needs.

Shirou isn't worried about his own strength. He now possesses a certain level of self-defense capability, so he can set aside his own power for the time being. Defending his home and the people around him are the key priorities right now. The defensive capabilities of the base and the assistance of magical artifacts made from props are what Shirou values ​​most right now.

[Would you like to spend 1 point of World Origin to purchase Skill Base Structure (A)?]

[Spend 1 point of World Essence to purchase skill item crafting (A)?]

Yes!

A flood of information slowly poured into Shirou's mind, with knowledge about terrain formation and item crafting gradually taking root. Unlike cooking, which can be memorized through muscle memory, terrain formation and item crafting require the transmission of relevant knowledge, so Shirou needed time to process this large amount of information.

Three hours later, Shirou opened his eyes on his bed and glanced at the phone placed beside him.

Three hours... that's considered pretty fast. I never imagined that making the props would involve so much. There are so many intricacies involved in setting up the base. I've really learned something new this time.

After receiving all the information, Shirou realized just how extensive the crafting of these items was. No wonder they were categorized as universal; many items were extremely difficult to create and required a considerable amount of time, essentially skills that needed to be considered long-term. However, after receiving this information, Shirou also understood how useful these two skills would be to him.

Although many magic props are difficult to create, with Prop Making (A), making props becomes much simpler, even significantly reducing production time and the amount of materials needed. It truly lives up to its reputation as a skill requiring the essence of the world; its uses are immense.

Shirou believes these two skills are extremely valuable, even more so than many other skills that enhance his abilities. Now, with the help of this knowledge and skill, Shirou can create many things using the materials at hand.

However, strengthening myself is also quite necessary. As things stand, the world I'm in now contains many heroic spirits from different eras, and their strengths vary. Perhaps the troubles I'll face in the future will be even more troublesome than theirs. The remaining 9 points of world essence need to be used to enhance myself; it seems I still need to find some more powerful skills.

Chapter Nineteen chose something ambiguous.

[Mystic Eyes of Death Perception (Rainbow Rank): Allows the wielder to directly see death—Universally usable across all realms.]

[Twisted Mystic Eye (Rainbow Rank): Can distort what the wielder sees—Universally usable across all realms.]

[Seeing the Ancients (Rainbow Level): Allows the holder to grasp everything they have ever seen—universally applicable across all realms.]

After browsing through many abilities, Shirou focused his attention on these three skills, which were undeniably powerful, even to the point of being indescribable. Even though Shirou had realized the world was vast, he hadn't expected that there were so many truly bizarre and overpowered abilities.

The skill descriptions are too brief. A more detailed explanation would allow me to make a clearer judgment. The descriptions for the other skills are easier to distinguish, but these three skills have such simple explanations.

Shirou has actually eliminated many skills. Either the descriptions of those skills revealed problems, or the skills themselves had limitations. There are other potential skills, but only these three are in the top tier.

Having reviewed virtually all the skills, these three are undoubtedly among the highest tier. The ability to see death, the ability to distort what is seen, and the ability to control everything—each of these abilities is exceptionally outstanding.

Yes, Shirou knew from the hidden price tag behind the skills that these three skills were definitely exceptional. These three universal skills all required 9 points of World Origin, which was quite expensive, and even Shirou felt that the price was discounted.

As for why it feels like the price is discounted, it's because Shirou went back to check the Lucky Character shop, and the prices of all the characters he saw last time seemed to be 20% higher. In other words, the first purchase might have a 20% discount.

If we follow the 20% discount concept, then these three skills would require at least 12 points of World Origin to afford. The price calculation is less than 12 points, but Shirou knows that even an extra 0.01 is still rounded up, since this stat sheet doesn't look like it's a charity offer.

[The Twisted Eyes are understandable; they can distort everything they see... If they could distort everything, then simply looking at something would be enough to kill someone. It's like a black hole, yet this skill is used with the eyes.]

The sheer power of this magical eye is evident even from its literal meaning, yet it possesses a fatal flaw.

Shirou knew that this twisted divine eye only worked within the area of ​​vision. If that were the case, then once the eyes were blocked, or if dynamic vision couldn't lock onto the opponent, then no matter how strong the twisting force was, it would be useless. This was the most fatal flaw of this skill, and the reason why Shirou was the first to eliminate it.

Yes, the first skills to be phased out.

Skills that only possess pure destructive power don't significantly enhance Shirou's strength. In fact, the world's destructive power far surpasses that of such a skill. After summarizing and analyzing, even though the Mystic Eyes is an excellent skill, Shirou eliminated it immediately.

[Regarding the skill "Jian Jigu," if we're talking about strength, this skill is definitely the strongest of the three. It allows the user to have complete control over everything they see; if this description wasn't intentionally written this way, then the skill truly lives up to its description.]

This incredibly powerful skill is something Shirou greatly covets. Even with his god-like "Super Growth" skill, there's still so much he wants to learn, and sometimes his growth rate can't keep up with cheating. For Shirou right now, this cheat-like skill is absolutely necessary.

Shirou could have easily chosen this skill directly, but while organizing his inventory, he saw another skill: the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, which allows the user to see death directly… This ambiguous description almost completely captured Shirou's attention.

[The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception allow the wielder to directly see death... Death is supposed to be just a concept, yet this skill allows someone to see it. A highly abnormal skill, completely defying common sense.]

The ability to see death is, no matter how you look at it, a power that Shirou knows is utterly illogical. The human eye cannot see such things, and death cannot possibly be imaged on the human retina. It is precisely because of this incomprehensible ability that Shirou hesitated.

Although Shirou had no idea what the practical use of being able to see death was, this ability was not to be underestimated. Death is not something that can be seen with the eyes, and the mere fact that one could see death with the eyes was enough to make Shirou waver.

Should we choose a direct cheating method?

Should we choose the unconventional and uncertain option?

You can only choose one of these two skills. Even if you choose either one, Shirou believes that he can greatly improve his strength. The key is whether to choose the safe and reliable one or the one with uncertainties ahead.

Undoubtedly, choosing the easier path of learning through trial and error is the better option, since the skill's simple description already reveals it to be a rather overpowered ability. Abandoning this option means Shirou will have to learn it on his own, which, while more meaningful, will also take much longer.

Well, what I lack right now isn't time. If we're just comparing it to a time-saving skill, the cost-effectiveness is much lower. It seems I've already made my choice deep down.

[Should I spend 9 points of World Essence to purchase the skill Mystic Eyes of Death Perception (Rainbow Rank)?]

Yes!

The moment Shirou made his choice, tears of blood streamed from his eyes, a sharp pain filling them. However, this pain didn't last long; it subsided in a very brief moment. It was simply because of the pain that Shirou couldn't open his eyes immediately; the pain needed time to subside.

That really hurt.

The pain in his eyes was far more intense than the pain in his body. Shirou felt a little better and was able to open his eyes slightly. But the moment Shirou opened his eyes, he saw a completely different world—a world of unknown line drawings.

Death... I never imagined that seeing death with my own eyes would be like this.

Chapter Twenty: Senior, most girls still do housework.

Stepping out of his room, Shirou looked at the night sky still shrouded in darkness. The sky he saw was also marked with black lines. These lines were invisible to Shirou before; their existence meant death.

Shirou looked at the black lines that appeared before his eyes, and gently traced them with his finger. Death also exists in this world, and these black lines appear because death exists. Shirou simply couldn't imagine that death in this world was so close to ordinary people like them.

"Kakaka!"

Where Shirou's finger traced, a large crack appeared, as gruesome and terrifying as a gash cut into a human body. This phenomenon surprised Shirou as he observed the spatial rift, which began to spread rapidly into the surrounding space.

"Can't it be closed? It seems this skill is not just about letting me see death at such a superficial level, but also about letting me personally guide death to my doorstep."

"I don't want to make too much of a fuss."

Shirou reached out and gently ran his hand across the crack in the space, which was immediately filled back in by the surrounding area. The crack itself wasn't a big deal, but the fact that it didn't recover at the moment it was torn apart, but instead worsened, gave Shirou a better understanding of this skill.

[More comparative experiments are needed to fully understand the power of this skill. Eyes that can comprehend the concept of death... it's truly an extraordinary skill. Perhaps I should go and ask Rin about it.]

Shirou closed the glass door behind him and went back into the room. It wasn't early morning; he could stay in the room a little longer. Yawning, Shirou went back into the room. He still had time to lie in bed a little longer.

After Shirou returned to the room, time began to fly by, and the night quickly disappeared and was covered by sunlight.

"Ha~~"

Rin has a terrible temper when she wakes up in the morning, and it's very difficult for her to get out of bed early, especially during winter break in the middle of winter. The inside of the bed is warm and cozy, but the outside is freezing cold, and Rin really doesn't want to crawl out of bed on such a cold day.

Sakura, who was sleeping on the side, had already woken up early in the morning. She had folded the blankets and quilts and had gotten out of bed early.