As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider

Just as the cat-shaped Orphnoch was about to press its advantage and stab Faiz in the head with its claws, its own movements slowed down. It gasped for breath, its chest heaving violently, clearly exhausted. A hint of resentment flashed in its vertical pupils, but it could only stop, facing Faiz from a distance, both of them struggling to breathe, temporarily trucing themselves.

Faiz, supporting himself on his knees, slowly stood up. Heavy breathing came from beneath his armor, sounding even more exhausted than the cat-shaped Orphnoch. The red light bar dimmed further, almost going out.

Lin Chen looked at the scene before him and shook his head inwardly. This cat-shaped Orphnoch was clearly just a low-level species that had recently awakened. It hadn't even mastered the power of the Orphnoch yet and was fighting entirely on instinct.

This Faiz is even more outrageous. He doesn't seem to know how to use the Rider System at all. His punches and kicks are all like those of an ordinary person. He hasn't brought out the true power of the Faiz Armor. He's probably just a novice who just got the belt and can barely transform.

To be honest, he wasn't much better off himself. Although he was a high-level Tiger-type Orphnoch, possessing strength and physique far exceeding that of ordinary Orphnochs, his awakening time was too short, and his combat experience was almost zero. His previous kill of the Leopard-type Orphnoch relied entirely on instinct and the attribute advantages granted by the system. When facing Lucky Four-Leaf Clover, he only managed to gain the upper hand through sheer savage ferocity. If he were to encounter a truly powerful opponent, he would probably end up like these two, relying solely on instinct to fight haphazardly.

Thinking of this, Lin Chen felt a sense of urgency. Although his lifespan had increased by 17 years, he was unsure whether the Orphnoch transformation would continuously consume his lifespan. If he couldn't improve his combat skills and control his power as soon as possible, let alone find a way to evolve his life form or find his way home, he would probably perish in some battle sooner or later due to insufficient strength.

On the open ground, the panting of the cat-shaped Orphnoch and Faiz gradually subsided. They stared at each other again, a fierce glint in their eyes, clearly preparing to attack once more. The cat-shaped Orphnoch arched its back, its tail taut, poised to pounce, while Faiz clenched its fists, the red bars on its armor glowing faintly, obviously gathering strength.

Just as the two were about to engage in combat again, Lin Chen made a move.

He knew he couldn't stand by and watch any longer. If these two continued fighting, either the cat-type Orphnoch would kill Faiz, or Faiz would barely win thanks to the advantage of his armor. Neither outcome would be good for his plan. Faiz couldn't die; he needed Faiz to distract Clover and Kurosawa. And this unruly cat-type Orphnoch who had transformed on its own in the back mountain could serve as his "pledge of allegiance," proving its loyalty to Clover and Kurosawa.

Moreover, he also wanted to take this opportunity to test the true strength of his Tiger Orphnoch form.

Chapter 11 Stealing Kills

Without the slightest hesitation, the moment Lin Chen emerged from behind the tree, the Orpheus factor within his body surged wildly. Silver-black scales rapidly appeared from his neck and wrists, spreading along his skin to his entire body.

A sharp claw blade, about an inch long, flicked from his fingertip, gleaming with a chilling light. Sharp tiger ears stood up from the top of his head, and his amber pupils narrowed into thin slits. An aura of bestial power belonging to a high-ranking Orphnoch instantly spread from his body.

In the blink of an eye, Lin Chen completed his Orphnoch transformation, his figure becoming a faint shadow in the night, rushing towards the two figures on the open ground with a whistling wind.

His sudden appearance stunned both the cat-shaped Orphnoch and Faiz on the open ground, causing their poised attacks to halt instantly.

The cat-shaped Orphnoch sensed the overwhelming pressure emanating from Lin Chen, far surpassing that of a high-level Orphnoch. A flicker of fear flashed in its vertical pupils, and it instinctively curled up, trying to flee. Faiz, on the other hand, stood frozen in place, clearly not expecting that another Orphnoch, and one of such formidable strength, was hidden in the woods behind the mountain.

Lin Chen gave them no time to react, his target fixed on the cat-shaped Orphnoch. In his eyes, this low-level cat-shaped Orphnoch was nothing more than an ant that he could crush with a flick of his wrist, not worth his effort at all.

His speed was incredibly fast; his agility was on full display at this moment, and he instantly rushed in front of the cat-shaped Orphnoch. The cat-shaped Orphnoch was terrified and frantically swung its claws to block Lin Chen's attack, but its movements were as slow as a snail in front of Lin Chen.

Lin Chen raised his hand, his tiger claw slamming down with tremendous force towards the cat-shaped Orphnoch's head. He held nothing back with this strike, unleashing the full power of his physical attributes; the claw blade sliced ​​through the air with a sharp whistling sound.

The cat-shaped Orphnoch's claws were no match for Lin Chen's attack. The moment they collided, the cat-shaped Orphnoch's claws snapped instantly, and black blood gushed out. Lin Chen's tiger claws did not stop at all, continuing forward and slamming hard onto the cat-shaped Orphnoch's head.

"Oh!"

With a dull thud, accompanied by the sound of bones shattering, the cat-shaped Orphnoch's head was instantly smashed open. Its body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily to the ground. It twitched a few times and then lay still. Immediately afterward, its body began to rapidly turn into sand, transforming into a pile of black ash. The night wind blew it away without a trace, leaving only a pool of black blood, starkly conspicuous in the open space.

The whole process took only three seconds.

The open space fell into a deathly silence, with only Lin Chen's heavy breathing and the rapid heartbeat coming from under Faiz's armor.

Lin Chen remained frozen in place, his amber eyes wide with bewilderment, his claws still extended. He stared at his tiger claw, then at the pool of black blood and the dissipating ashes on the ground, his mind filled with confusion. He knew he was stronger than this cat-shaped Orphnoch, but he hadn't expected it to be this strong—a single swipe of its claw had reduced it to ashes.

Could it be because the opponent is just a newly awakened low-level species, too weak? Or is it because my Tiger Orphnoch form inherently possesses extremely strong explosive power?

Lin Chen was stunned for a few seconds before slowly coming back to his senses. He withdrew his tiger claws, turned around slowly, and stared intently at Faiz not far away with his amber pupils.

At this moment, Faiz seemed to have panicked. The red light bars on his armor flickered violently, clearly due to extreme fear, even his Knight System had become unstable. He looked at Lin Chen, his body instinctively retreating, wanting to escape. In his view, this suddenly appearing tiger-type Orphnoch was far too powerful; even the cat-type Orphnoch had been reduced to ashes with a single swipe of its claws, and he was no match for it.

Lin Chen approached Faiz step by step, the cold light on his tiger claws flashing in the night, his beastly aura locking onto his opponent. He could clearly feel that the energy fluctuations on Faiz's body were getting weaker and weaker, and the light of his armor was getting dimmer and dimmer. He was obviously at his limit. If he took one more step forward, he could crush his opponent into ashes with one swipe.

This Faiz is truly incredibly weak. Lin Chen thought to himself. He couldn't even defeat a newly awakened low-level cat-type Orphnoch, and was almost defeated by it. With such strength, he was simply not worth mentioning in this perilous world. No wonder he was being chased around by Clover and Kurosawa.

But even if he couldn't kill Faiz, he couldn't bring himself to do it. Faiz didn't pose a threat to his safety. If he became bloodthirsty after becoming an Orphnoch, would he still be himself?

Lin Chen slowed his pace, a calculating glint in his amber eyes. He needed to find a suitable opportunity to let Faiz leave, while simultaneously making it appear as if he had tried his best to pursue her but, for various reasons, allowed her to escape. Only then could he give an account to Clover and Black Swamp.

Just then, Faiz suddenly did something that surprised Lin Chen.

He didn't turn and run, nor did he raise his hands in a defensive stance. Instead, he staggered back half a step, his breathing inside his helmet suddenly becoming heavy and rapid, carrying a sense of desperation. He trembled as he raised his left hand, his fingertips fumbling haphazardly at the Faiz phone at his waist. Several times he almost lost his grip on the slipping phone, his whole being as panicked as prey cornered on a cliff edge by a wild beast, yet he gritted his teeth, refusing to retreat.

Lin Chen's steps faltered instantly, a hint of surprise flashing in his amber vertical pupils. He hadn't expected that this novice, who couldn't even defeat a low-level Orphnoch, would not only not run away from him, but instead fight to the death, facing a high-level being who could easily crush him. He simply stopped his approach, stood there with his arms crossed, wanting to see what tricks this rookie knight could pull.

On the other side, Faiz finally managed to frantically pry open the instruction memory from the phone, while his other hand frantically ripped off the Faiz cursor from his waist. His fingertips trembled violently, and it took him two tries to finally insert the memory card into the slot. A cold, steady mechanical electronic voice immediately rang out in the silent forest: "Ready."

A piercing electrical crackling instantly shot through his body from his fingertips, making him shudder and nearly fling the cursor out of his hand. Gritting his teeth, relying on the operation procedure he had only seen once, he frantically snapped the cursor onto the armor clip on the outside of his right leg. The crisp metallic click of the metal snapping shut was followed by an almost instinctive press of the Enter key on his phone.

"Exceed Charge!"

A high-pitched electronic sound suddenly exploded, tearing through the thick darkness of the forest! The red photon veins, which had been flickering violently and almost extinguished due to insufficient energy, were instantly illuminated! Scalding high-energy photon blood surged wildly along the crimson veins, sweeping from the core of the belt all the way to the right leg. The entire suit of armor emitted a hum that could not bear the strain. The dazzling red light exploded instantly, and even the surrounding darkness was forced back by this sudden energy.

The energy burst forth so violently and rawly that Faiz himself hadn't anticipated such a powerful impact. He staggered uncontrollably, nearly falling into the mud. He felt as if his right leg had been thrown into a raging furnace, a terrifying, uncontrollable force exploding wildly through his bones. His body didn't obey his brain's commands, moving entirely on the instincts of his armor.

He staggered two steps, kicking two deep holes in the wet mud beneath his feet, and used the momentum to leap into the air. But he couldn't even maintain his balance after the jump; his body wobbled in mid-air, and his right leg, which should have been kicking straight out, wobbled violently. He completely lacked the sharpness of a finishing move, and instead looked like a toddler who had just learned to walk and had lost control and fallen.

Even so, the Faiz cursor mounted on his leg faithfully executed the command, instantly shooting out a scarlet cone-shaped energy pointer that precisely locked onto Lin Chen, who was standing still. A huge red Φ-shaped mark suddenly appeared on the tree trunk behind Lin Chen, dazzlingly red. Immediately afterward, spiraling crimson energy surged out from his right leg, transforming into a constantly spinning scarlet drill, carrying a howling wind pressure, and slammed towards Lin Chen.

This is Kamen Rider Faiz's signature finishing move—the Crimson Drill.

However, the ultimate move that should have been powerful enough to destroy the world appeared crooked and weak in the hands of this novice. Most of the force was lost, and even the energy was extremely unstable. The edge of the drill kept flickering, as if it would collapse at any moment.

As the crimson drill whizzed towards him, Lin Chen's amber vertical pupils showed no sign of flinching, but instead flashed with a knowing, calculating glint. In a flash, he had already devised an even more flawless plan—to take the fatal blow head-on, then feign injury and let his opponent escape. This would give Smart Brain and Clover an impeccable explanation: he hadn't intentionally let him go, but had been severely injured by the knight's ultimate attack, allowing his target to escape by sheer luck.

The moment the thought settled, Lin Chen did not retreat. Instead, he roared and took half a step forward to meet the crimson drill. His tiger claws, covered with silver-black scales, suddenly tightened and grabbed at the spinning crimson energy!

"clang--!!"

A deafening metallic clang erupted through the forest, the sharp sound waves causing the surrounding leaves to rustle and fall. Spiral photon energy frantically tore at Lin Chen's claw blades, sparks exploding like a rainstorm, and blinding red light illuminated the entire clearing as if it were daytime.

This crimson electric drill, unleashed by a novice, ultimately failed to unleash its full power. Its energy was unstable and poorly concentrated; even a head-on collision couldn't penetrate the scales of Lin Chen's high-level tiger-type Orphnoch. Lin Chen only felt a warm impact on his palm, without even a scratch, yet his movements were anything but slow. Using the force of the impact, he deliberately let out a suppressed roar of pain, staggering backward as if struck by a heavy hammer, crashing heavily into a tree trunk behind him.

The massive ancient tree shook violently from the impact, scattering leaves everywhere. Lin Chen slid down the trunk to the ground, deliberately arching his back, one hand bracing against the ground, the other clutching his right claw that had just blocked the fatal blow. Heavy, painful breaths escaped his throat. He had even bitten his tongue beforehand, a mouthful of blood, tinged with the metallic scent of blood, spilling from the corner of his mouth and dripping onto the fallen leaves, making him look wretched and miserable.

He deliberately suppressed the beastly aura emanating from his entire body, even his vertical pupils became slightly unfocused, pretending to be severely injured by this fatal blow and on the verge of losing his Orphnoch form. Only deep in his eyes remained a trace of clear calculation.

Meanwhile, Faiz, who had just unleashed his ultimate attack, crashed heavily to the ground, staggering and leaning against a small tree to barely regain his balance. He had thought that his attack, which had exhausted his last bit of strength, would at most only force his opponent back, and might not even be able to break through his opponent's defenses. But when he saw the scene before him, the person inside the helmet froze instantly, even his heavy breathing paused for a moment.

He... actually managed to injure this terrifying high-level Orphnoch?

The red light on his armor dimmed rapidly, visible to the naked eye, and even the golden light in his compound eyes began to flicker—this fatal blow had completely drained the last of his strength. He barely had the strength to lift his hand; if his opponent had been unharmed, he would never have been able to leave this forest alive today.

But the scene before him gave him a glimmer of hope.

Lin Chen remained kneeling on the ground, clutching his injured paw. His aura was chaotic, and even the scales on his body showed signs of fading, making him appear to have suffered severe internal injuries. He was unable to pursue the enemy for the time being.

Don't miss out!

Faiz reacted instantly, his heart pounding wildly inside his helmet. He glanced warily at Lin Chen, who was kneeling on the ground, and without daring to linger for a moment, he turned and staggered into the dense forest behind him.

He even used his last bit of strength to keep changing direction under the cover of the trees, and his figure quickly disappeared into the thick darkness, leaving only the soft sound of his armor rubbing against the branches and leaves, growing farther and farther away, and finally completely dissipating in the night wind.

Lin Chen only stopped performing once he was sure that Faiz's presence had completely left the forest.

He concealed the pain on his face, slowly straightened up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and casually flicked his previously "severely injured" right claw, leaving not a scratch. His amber vertical pupils regained their clarity and sharpness, and the high-level pressure he had previously restrained spread out again like a tide, showing no trace of his previous disheveled and severely injured appearance.

He looked up in the direction where Faiz had disappeared, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips.

This game was even more perfect than he had expected.

By taking the fatal blow head-on and feigning injury, Faiz gained the most reasonable opportunity to escape, and also gave Clover and Kurosawa an explanation that left them with no room for criticism—he did his best to stop the low-level Orphnoch who was breaking the rules, and then took the Rider's fatal blow head-on and was seriously injured, which allowed the opponent to escape by chance. In terms of both reason and emotion, no one could find fault with him in the slightest.

The night wind swept through the forest, stirring up the remaining black ash on the ground. Lin Chen stood in the ravaged clearing, slowly retracting his Orphnoch form. The silver-black scales faded from his skin, and he returned to his human appearance. He glanced down at the pool of remaining black blood on the ground, then looked up into the depths of the dense forest where Faiz had disappeared, a profound meaning flashing in his eyes.

See you next time. Hopefully, this rookie knight, who can't even hold his ultimate move properly, will have improved a bit and not let his "severely injured" performance today go to waste.

Chapter 12 Report

Lin Chen straightened his black uniform, ran his fingertips through the remaining wrinkles in the fabric, carefully patted away the dust and dead leaves, then kicked away the black bloodstain on the open ground, covering it with layers of rotten leaves. After confirming that no traces had been left at the scene, he turned and walked towards the campus.

The night wind on the back mountain grew increasingly fierce, whipping up the chill from the forest and stinging his face, but Lin Chen was oblivious, his mind racing as he quickly calculated the wording he would use to report to Kurosawa.

He had to put on a convincing act of "pursuing with all his might but failing due to injuries and a fatal blow," so that Kurosawa and Lucky Clover wouldn't suspect anything, while also buying himself as much breathing room as possible—the old wound from being struck by the energy whip during his confrontation with Lucky Clover during the day was still throbbing, and the consumption from transforming into an Orphnoch hadn't subsided yet; the numbness in his back was surging in waves, and he desperately needed time to rest and, more importantly, to confirm the lifespan consumption of this transformation.

When he returned to campus, it was already past midnight. The disciplinary team's office building was still lit with cold white lights, and Kurosawa was obviously still waiting for his report. Lin Chen took a deep breath, deliberately slowed his pace to make himself look more tired, pushed open the office building door, and walked straight to Kurosawa's office.

The office door was ajar, a faint smell of cigarette smoke wafting out, mixed with a cold, metallic scent. Lin Chen raised his hand and lightly knocked on the door. Immediately, Kurosawa's emotionless voice came from inside: "Come in."

He pushed open the door and entered, his head slightly lowered, his face displaying just the right amount of annoyance and fatigue. He hunched his back slightly, deliberately shifting his weight to one side, pretending to have injured his right shoulder, and stood quietly in front of Kurosawa's desk.

Kurosawa sat behind the table, a lit cigarette between his fingers. The smoke obscured his expression, but his sharp, cold eyes were fixed on Lin Chen in the dim light, scrutinizing and intimidating: "Any unusual activity tonight?"

"Reporting to Captain Kurosawa," Lin Chen's voice was deliberately hoarse, trembling slightly from exhaustion, "While patrolling tonight at the border of the back mountain, we discovered a cat-shaped Orphnoch that had awakened on its own and was secretly transforming to fight someone. I eliminated it on the spot, turning it to ashes. Also, the person it was fighting was Faiz."

Kurosawa's fingertips tapped lightly on the wooden surface of the desk, producing a rhythmic "tap-tap" sound. His tone remained icy, but with a hint of sharpness that was almost imperceptible: "Oh? You found Faiz? Where is he? Why didn't you bring him back?"

Lin Chen slowly raised his head, his brows furrowed tightly. He pressed his hand against his right shoulder, his fingertips applying slight pressure, feigning pain from aggravated old injuries. A hint of helplessness played on his lips. "Captain, as you know, during the confrontation with the Lucky Four-Leaf Clover members during the day, I was struck in the back by an energy whip, sustaining considerable internal injuries that I hadn't had time to recover from. Tonight, after discovering Faiz, I immediately gave chase, but Faiz, cornered, unleashed his trump card with all his might. I hastily took the hit head-on, barely managing to block it, but the devastating energy shock damaged my internal organs, causing my old back injuries to flare up completely. My right claw was also burned by photon energy, momentarily slowing my movements and allowing him to escape into the depths of the dense forest behind the mountain, disappearing without a trace."

He paused, raised his hand to wipe the corner of his mouth, deliberately revealing a faint trace of blood, and his face showed intense resentment: "I chased him for nearly a hundred meters, but my strength was simply exhausted. The Orphic factors in my body were disordered due to the energy impact, and I could barely maintain my form. I was also worried that there were other unruly Orphicians on campus who might take advantage of the chaos, so I had no choice but to turn back and report to you. If I were in good physical condition, I would never have let Faiz escape so easily!"

His words were half true and half false. He truthfully reported the results of eliminating the lower-ranking Orphnochs, while attributing the reason for letting Faiz escape to "an old injury flaring up and taking a fatal blow head-on." This was consistent with his current "state" and showed his dedication to the mission, leaving Kurosawa with no reason to criticize him.

Kurosawa stared at him silently for a long time, gradually slowing the rhythm of his tapping on the table. Smoke slowly escaped from the corner of his mouth, shrouding his face in a hazy shadow, making it impossible to guess his thoughts. Lin Chen's heart tightened slightly, but he maintained his frustrated and pained expression, even deliberately making his breathing heavy, not daring to make the slightest movement.

After a long silence, Kurosawa finally spoke, his voice devoid of any emotion, yet carrying an undeniable authority: "I understand. Eliminating a low-level out-of-control species is part of your mission. But letting Faiz escape is a dereliction of duty."

Lin Chen immediately lowered his head, bending his back even lower, his tone respectful yet filled with guilt: "Yes, your subordinate knows his crime and is willing to accept punishment."

“No need for punishment,” Kurosawa flicked his cigarette ash, which fell softly into the ashtray on the table. “The academy is in dire need of manpower right now, and you are a rare high-ranking tiger-type Orphnoch, so you are still useful. However, you are not allowed to rest and recuperate. Starting tomorrow, you will not only continue patrolling at night, but you must also join the patrol team during the day, expanding the area to the entire campus, including the human teaching area and the entire back mountain area. You must locate Faiz as soon as possible, and report immediately once you find him. No unauthorized actions are allowed.”

These words struck Lin Chen like a block of ice. The relentless patrols, day and night, gave him no time to recover his body and Orpheus factor. It was clear that they were using him as a tool without any scruples, both to exploit his high-level combat power and to wear him down with endless missions, while also constantly monitoring his every move.

Lin Chen's fingertips curled slightly at his sides, his nails digging into his palms. He suppressed the gloom in his heart, but dared not resist in the slightest. He could only bow his head and respectfully reply, "Yes, Your subordinate obeys."

He knew perfectly well that from the moment he was recruited into Smart Brain Academy, Kurosawa and Lucky Clover had never truly trusted him. They seemed to have given him a "place to stay," but in reality, they were just keeping him under their control, using his power to fight against Faiz and eliminate the out-of-control species. Once he lost his usefulness or showed the slightest disloyalty, he would only suffer the same fate as those low-ranking Orphnochs—being wiped out on the spot and reduced to ashes.

It was past 1 a.m. when Lin Chen left Kurosawa's office. He dragged his heavy steps toward the dormitory building. Along the way, he could clearly sense several hidden gazes falling on him from various corners of the campus. These were Lucky Four-Leaf Clover's spies planted in the shadows, monitoring his every move at all times.

Lin Chen didn't care about this at all. He simply quickened his pace and went straight back to his single dormitory room. He locked the door behind him, shutting out all the surveillance, oppression, and chill.

Only after confirming that he was alone in the dormitory did Lin Chen let out a long sigh of relief, leaning against the cold door as if all his strength had left him, panting heavily. The old injury on his back had been aggravated by the deliberate performance earlier, and the combined exhaustion from transforming and taking a fatal blow had pushed his body to its limit; he barely had the strength to lift his arm.

He didn't rest immediately, but instead urgently summoned the system panel in his mind. The pale blue screen instantly appeared before his eyes, the words on it clear and cold, reflected in Lin Chen's eyes:

Ultimate Evolution System

[Host: Lin Chen]

[Race: Tiger-type Orphnoch (Primary Form)]

Core Attributes:

Constitution 18/83 (Human Form/Orphnoch Form): Physical Strength, Physical Defense, Wound Recovery Speed

Agility 19/83 (Human Form/Orphnoch Form): Movement Speed, Neural Reaction, and Dexterity

Spirit 21/58 (Human Form/Orphnoch Form): Sensory Range, Body Control, Mental Defense

*The three attributes complement each other; a weakness in any attribute will limit overall strength. Maxing out all three attributes unlocks the conditions for form evolution.