In an empty warehouse, stacked with wooden planks, old furniture, and iron barrels emitting a foul odor.
Bai Ye waved his hand, clearing away the floating dust, and found an open space in the center.
This was an abandoned warehouse, and Bai Ye thought it would be a good place to perform the summoning ritual, hoping to avoid detection by other chosen ones.
Bai Ye set up the summoning circle on the ground, eager to see what kind of Servant he would summon.
Soon...
The magic lines began to glow, faint at first, then gradually intensifying until...
The golden radiance seemed to explode, filling the entire warehouse.
From within the golden light, a man clad in armor stepped out.
In that instant, Bai Ye felt momentarily blinded.
His armor was forged from brilliant gold, accented with black stripes, and it shone resplendently in the dim warehouse.
The man himself possessed an incredibly handsome face, with features as exquisitely chiseled as if carved by an axe, and short, golden hair swept back, giving him a sharp, capable appearance. Golden earrings, also seemingly made of pure gold, adorned his ears.
Bai Ye couldn't help but click his tongue.
Dressed entirely in gold, he looked like the epitome of a nouveau riche, yet he didn't appear vulgar or ostentatious.
Indeed, if one was handsome enough, anything would look good.
As Bai Ye made a sound, the man's gaze fell upon him.
"Mongrel!" the man spat disdainfully, looking at Bai Ye. "Are you my master?"
Bai Ye pointed to himself, questioning his own ears. What did this fellow just call him?
The man glanced around, a look of disgust on his face. "This place is too dirty. It's beneath my status. I demand a cleaner environment."
"Hey, I summoned you to fight," Bai Ye retorted, displeased. "Do you think you're here for a vacation?"
The man stared at Bai Ye. "Mongrel, do you know who you're speaking to? You must kneel when addressing a king!"
Bai Ye raised his hand, pointing to the magic crest on his hand. "Do you know who you're speaking to? I am the one who can make kings kneel!"
The man instantly became enraged. "You dare threaten me?"
Bai Ye replied, "Shall we test it?"
The man sneered. "Three magic crests, meaning you have only three chances to command me. So, you intend to waste such precious opportunities on this? Do you not wish for me to eliminate your enemies?"
"It doesn't matter," Bai Ye said. "Even without you, I can defeat them alone. So, straighten your attitude and think before you speak to me, or I can make you kneel three times."
The man's gaze was locked firmly on Bai Ye.
After a moment, the man suddenly burst into laughter. He walked over to a tattered sofa, sat down, placed his arms on the backrest, and crossed his legs.
"Very well, since you say so..." the man looked at Bai Ye. "This King shall watch here and see how you resolve this. I hope you won't beg me to intervene later."
Bai Ye shrugged indifferently. "As you wish!"
He had considered that the summoned Servant might have a terrible personality, but this one was exceptionally awful.
However, Bai Ye felt it didn't matter.
Without a Servant, he could handle it himself!
He had a gacha machine, he could cheat!
As Bai Ye thought this, he glanced at the screen. It was the right time. Better to rely on oneself than others; the gacha machine was more dependable.
"Golden Gacha!"
Bai Ye decisively consumed a Divine Stone Fragment. Immediately, the mechanical whirring of the gacha machine echoed, and soon, a golden gacha ball rolled out.
Bai Ye casually took the gacha ball and opened it.
High-Tension Steel Armor (Item) (Gold): Advanced composite steel, primarily used for the armor plates of the utilitarian mobile suit Zaku I (MS-05).
Bai Ye felt a cold sweat trickle down his temple.
"Uh..." Bai Ye turned to the man, rubbing his hands and smiling obsequiously. "Esteemed King, I feel it would be rather boring for you to come all this way and do nothing, wouldn't it?"
The man leaned back, propping his face with his hand. "Mongrel, beg me?"
The playful and mocking tone made Bai Ye's expression harden, and he dropped the ingratiating smile.
The next moment, Bai Ye suddenly executed a side kick, sweeping his leg towards a nearby iron barrel and launching it towards the man.
*Clang!*
The man raised his hand sharply, deflecting the flying iron barrel.
"You wait for me," Bai Ye said sternly. "See if I can manage without you."
Bai Ye turned and left immediately. Damn it, he couldn't possibly end up being bullied by a Servant!
This guy was, essentially, just a dead person.
"Wait a moment!" the man suddenly called out to Bai Ye, straightening up. "You are a bit more interesting than I imagined."
As the man spoke, he held up two fingers.
"First, I will not stay in such a filthy place. Second, good food and fine wine."
Bai Ye considered. "Agreed!"
Although the other party's attitude deeply annoyed Bai Ye, these two conditions were not too difficult to meet.
The man stood up. "Let's go. I wish to leave this place fit only for maggots."
After speaking, the man strode towards the warehouse exit.
Bai Ye glanced at his retreating back, then looked at the screen.
He had been arguing with the man for so long, he hadn't had time to check his identity.
Gilgamesh (Servant) (King of Heroes): The king of ancient Mesopotamia in the Early Dynastic period, the protagonist of humanity's oldest epic, the Epic of Gilgamesh, and the oldest King of Heroes in human history.
"Holy crap!" Bai Ye exclaimed, astonished. "He's that legendary?"
Bai Ye knew of Gilgamesh; he was an incredible figure in human history.
The Epic of Gilgamesh was the world's oldest known epic, and its protagonist was thus known as the King of Heroes.
The term "King of Heroes" implied that Gilgamesh was the king of all heroes in the world, as all legendary figures in surviving myths could trace their lineage back to Gilgamesh.
After all, no heroic epic predated the Epic of Gilgamesh.
"No wonder he's so arrogant," Bai Ye muttered. "With such a background, it's hard to deny that he has the right to be arrogant."
"Hey, mongrel," Gilgamesh turned back at this moment, his voice haughty. "Hurry up, what are you dawdling for?"
"Damn it!"
Bai Ye couldn't help but clench his fist and let out a curse.
When the Holy Grail War was over, if he had the chance, he'd beat him up, regardless of whether he was the King of Heroes!
...