As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider

The canine Orphnoch let out a low, hostile growl, its body slightly arched, assuming an attack stance. In its eyes, the Orphnoch was the mortal enemy of the Kamen Riders; for this fellow being to pick up the enemy's weapon was tantamount to betrayal. The boar Orphnoch also took a step forward, its heavy hooves grinding deep marks into the grass, its tusks scraping together with a grating sound.

But Lin Chen completely ignored their hostility. He held the cold Faiz phone, and the transformation scene of Qian Qiao in the short video flashed through his mind.

He held both ends of the belt and fastened it around his waist.

Then, holding the phone, I took a deep breath, flipped my wrist, gripped the edge of the flip cover with my thumb, and flipped it up cleanly and crisply—with a "click," the flip cover popped open completely, revealing the neat number keys underneath.

Without hesitation, his thumb fell and his fingertips pressed the three numbers in sequence, each keystroke crisp and clean, without the slightest delay.

"5"

"5"

"5"

As the three keystrokes faded, that cold yet familiar electronic sound instantly pierced the night, booming through the silent garden.

"Standing By"

Lin Chen held the phone with the input command already entered, raised his arm, and precisely aligned the phone with the card slot in the center of the driver. He then forcefully snapped his wrist down—with a "click," the metal clips locked together perfectly.

He raised his eyes and shouted the slogan he had secretly practiced before. His voice was not loud, but it carried immense power.

"Transformation."

"Complete!"

A high-pitched electronic sound suddenly filled the garden!

The core of the belt burst forth with a dazzling red light. Red photon veins, like surging crimson currents, radiated outwards from the belt, instantly spreading across the entire torso, then rapidly extending along the shoulders, neck, arms, and legs, outlining a complete silhouette on his body. The bright red photon veins shone like burning fire lines in the night, stable and intense.

Immediately afterwards, the silver-black base armor emerged and fitted piece by piece from the core of the belt, following the trajectory of the photon veins. First, the heavy breastplate and shoulder armor, with their cold, hard metallic texture, firmly covered the torso, their lines clean and sharp, perfectly replicating Faiz's signature mechanical aesthetics; then the arm armor, gauntlets, and leg armor snapped together in sequence, each piece of armor fitting perfectly, emitting a crisp metallic click, and gleaming with a matte, cold light under the moonlight.

Finally, the helmet fully covered the head from the back of the neck forward, the matte black helmet body wrapped around the head, the iconic fin-shaped armor on both sides unfolded steadily, and the huge round compound eye in the center suddenly lit up with a scarlet light, while the bright red Φ-shaped antenna on the top of the head stood up at the same time.

Chapter 15 Orga

Everyone was quite surprised to see Faiz reappear on the field.

Lin Chen, however, didn't care what they did.

The Orphnoch's body was the perfect fit for the Faiz belt. Lin Chen's body, having awakened a high-level tiger-type Orphnoch factor, brought the belt's power to its absolute limit.

Lin Chen slowly clenched his fist, feeling the photon power surging within the armor, completely under his control. The blood in his chest almost burst out of his chest. A dream he had kept hidden for who knows how long had finally come true at this moment.

The two Orphnochs opposite were utterly enraged. They couldn't accept that they had just defeated one Faiz, only to have another one appear. The canine Orphnoch let out a howl first, its body transforming into a gray-black afterimage, carrying a gust of wind that tore through the air, as it lunged towards Lin Chen's side of the neck, its sharp claws aimed directly at the gaps in his armor.

At the same time, the boar-type Orphnoch charged forward, lowered its head, and used its hardest skull and tusks to slam into Lin Chen's chest, trying to replicate the tactics that had just defeated Faiz, attacking from both sides to tear this new Faiz apart.

But they were no longer facing that novice who couldn't even control his own power.

Lin Chen's perception was already fully developed; he could predict every movement of the two Orphnochs, every muscle contraction, and even the trajectory of their next burst of power. The fighting skills he had honed day and night were finally putting to good use at this moment.

Faced with the canine attack, he didn't even turn around. He simply exerted a little force with his feet, and the agility he gained allowed him to dodge to the side at an incredible angle. At the same time, he raised his hand, and his elbow, following the momentum of the opponent's charge, slammed hard into the spine of the canine Orphnoch.

"Crack!"

The cracking sound of bones breaking was accompanied by a shrill scream. The canine Orphnoch instantly lost its balance and crashed heavily to the ground. Before it could get up, Lin Chen had already raised his foot and stomped hard on its head with tremendous force, pinning it firmly to the grass, unable to move.

The whole process took no more than a second.

On the other side, the boar-type Orphnoch's charge was already upon him. Lin Chen neither dodged nor evaded, meeting its momentum head-on, concentrating all his strength into his fist, and with the aid of the Faiz armor, slammed a powerful punch into the front of the boar-type Orphnoch's skull.

"clang!"

A deafening metallic clang rang out, and the boar-type Orphnoch's prized horn armor dented instantly under the blow. The immense impact brought its forward momentum to an abrupt halt, its massive body even being flung off the ground and sent flying backward before crashing heavily to the ground, sliding a full two meters and leaving two deep furrows in the grass.

Lin Chen slowly withdrew his fist, his golden compound eyes sweeping over the two struggling Orphnochs on the ground without pausing. He raised his hand and pulled off the Faiz cursor from his waist, skillfully prying out the instruction memory from the phone and steadily inserting it into the cursor slot.

"Ready"

As the cold, electronic voice faded, he locked the cursor onto the armor buckle on his right leg and pressed the Enter key on his phone.

"Exceed Charge!"

A high-pitched sound effect rang out again, and red photon blood surged wildly into his right leg, the blinding red light almost illuminating the entire garden. Lin Chen exerted force with his feet, his body leaping into the air, the cursor on his right foot lighting up with an extreme red light, leaving a long red trail in the night, like a meteor falling to the ground, crashing down hard towards the two Orphnochs on the ground.

Crimson electric drill!

The spiraling red light drill pierced through the bodies of the two Orphnochs in an instant. They didn't even have time to let out a final scream before their bodies were completely torn apart by the violent photon energy. Black blood splattered out, and the two massive bodies twitched on the ground a few times before rapidly turning into sand, turning into two piles of black ashes, which were blown away by the night wind and disappeared without a trace.

[Ding! Defeat a common-level monster (dog-type Orphnoch), gaining 10 evolution points.]

[Ding! Defeat Elite-level Monster (Boar-type Orphnoch), gain 20 Evolution Points.]

Current evolution points: 34

The system notification sounded in his mind, and Lin Chen slowly landed, deactivating his transformation. The silver-red armor turned into particles of light and dissipated. He held the Faiz belt in his hand, the coldness of the metal still lingering on his fingertips, but the throbbing in his chest did not subside for a long time.

He turned around, looked at the high school student who was still sitting on the ground, his face blank, walked over slowly, casually threw the belt in front of him, and turned to leave.

The high school student stared at him blankly, his lips moved, but he couldn't say a word for a long time.

The night breeze brushed against his ankles. Lin Chen's steps were slow, but the cool touch of the Faiz belt's metal shell still lingered on his fingertips. The image of his entire body being encased in armor and his photon blood surging through his limbs was still replaying in his mind.

That wasn't the clash of wildness and power in his Orphnoch form; it was a completely different, precise, and overwhelming force—a longing he'd kept hidden in his heart for fifteen years, a yearning he'd only dared to recall in the dead of night after arriving in this helpless world. From watching Inui transform through a screen to personally pressing Enter and unleashing that crimson drill that pierced everything, his past dream had truly blossomed into reality in his palm.

The pounding in his chest lingered, making his steps unsteady. He didn't turn around to look at the high school student who had collapsed to the ground.

For him, the transformation just now was nothing more than a dream come true by chance. The Faiz belt should have belonged to the protagonist of this world, and he only needed to hide in the shadows and find a way to survive by riding the torrent of this plot.

He knew the patrol route by heart, and for the remaining hours, he encountered no more unusual Orphnochs, only the sound of the night wind and his own heartbeat. It wasn't until the midnight bell rang from the school clock tower, signaling the end of his patrol time, that he suppressed the surging joy in his heart, concealed all the emotions in his eyes, put on his usual calm and indifferent demeanor, and turned to walk towards the disciplinary team's office building.

The lights were still on in Kurosawa's office. The man sat behind his desk, tapping his fingertips on the surface. He looked up at Lin Chen as he walked in, his tone as cold and hard as ever: "How's the situation tonight? Any trace of Faiz, or any unusual Orphnoch fluctuations?"

"Reporting to the captain, there are no abnormalities in the patrol area." Lin Chen stood straight, his tone calm and even, perfectly replicating the appearance of the taciturn ordinary team member who only knew how to follow orders. "Only two groups of low-level Orphnoch energy fluctuations were detected in the back mountain. By the time we arrived, they had already fought each other and died, leaving only traces of sandification. No Faiz-related signals were found."

Kurosawa stared at him for a few seconds, but couldn't find any flaws in his face. In the end, he simply waved his hand, indicating that he could leave. Lin Chen nodded slightly, turned around and left the office. Only when he closed the door did his tense shoulders relax slightly.

Back in his single room, the moment he locked the door and drew the curtains, Lin Chen completely shed all pretense, collapsing onto the bed as if utterly exhausted, a smile uncontrollably spreading across his face. It took him a long time to calm his excited emotions before he mentally summoned the system panel.

A pale blue virtual screen unfolded in his mind, with the words "[Evolution Points: 34 points]" standing out prominently. The points he earned from killing two ordinary Orphnochs tonight, combined with his remaining points, were enough to raise his core attribute by two points. But his gaze immediately fell on the column that worried him the most—"[Lifespan: 18 years]".

The numbers remained unchanged, without decreasing in the slightest.

Lin Chen's breath hitched, and he checked the command three times, his heart pounding wildly. He had been prepared; using his power would consume his lifespan, especially activating the Rider Belt, which required the Orphnoch Factor to transform, and unleashing a finishing move. Even losing a few years of his lifespan was within his expectations. But now, after a thoroughly exhilarating battle, his lifespan hadn't been diminished in the slightest.

A wave of immense joy washed over him; he realized that transforming into a knight to fight wouldn't hasten his death.

An idea popped into his head uncontrollably: since he could adapt to the Faiz belt and didn't have to worry about its lifespan being reduced, why not just get the belt and transform into Faiz to advance the plan? With his strength, he could hunt down monsters and accumulate evolution points much faster.

But he ruthlessly extinguished the thought as soon as it arose.

No. Faiz is the absolute core of the entire plot. Smart Brain headquarters, Clover, and all the hidden forces are keeping a close eye on Faiz. Once he transforms into Faiz, he will be immediately pushed to the very center of the storm, and he doesn't like the feeling of performing on stage.

He closed his eyes, forcing himself to calm down, and frantically searched his mind for all the memories of the Faiz World arc in the Decade TV series. Just then, a memory of the ending of the Faiz World arc suddenly surfaced clearly before his eyes.

Earth Emperor's Belt. Orga.

The strongest belt, which only appeared in the theatrical version and was compatible with Orphnoch, was only revealed at the end of the Faiz arc of Decade when the school's teaching building was destroyed in the battle. And now, this belt might be hidden underground in the main teaching building of Smart Brain Academy.

Lin Chen's heart started pounding again.

Compared to the much-anticipated Faiz, this hidden, unclaimed Earth Emperor's Belt was the real opportunity prepared for him. It allowed him to use the power of a knight without immediately exposing himself to everyone's sight, and it was also a perfect fit for his high-ranking Orphnoch body.

He looked at the 24 evolution points on the system panel, his fingertips tightened slightly, and finally chose to add the points to his physique—he remembered a saying that the Earth Emperor's Belt had extremely high requirements for the user's physical fitness.

[Constitution: 24/88]

Lifespan: 24 years

Their lifespan also increased by four years, reaching 24 years.

The moment the panel refreshed, Lin Chen had already set his next goal. He would use his patrol duties as an excuse to find the exact hiding place of the Earth Emperor's Belt, while continuing to hunt down low-level monsters to accumulate evolution points and steadily improve his strength.

Chapter 16 First Exploration

The next day, during the day, Lin Chen continued his patrol along the route given to him by Kurosawa. Looking at the vibrant, youthful figures on campus, Lin Chen didn't know whether to envy them or pity them.

Night fell quickly. The students who had been coming and going during the day had long since dispersed, and the entire building was so quiet that only the soft sound of the night wind rustling through the window sills could be heard.

Lin Chen's figure emerged from behind the roadside trees on the west side of the teaching building, his black uniform blending into the night.

He pressed his feet down, his fingertips lightly touching the wall, his senses expanding to the extreme, taking in all the movements within a hundred meters—the disciplinary team's patrol was still near the dormitory building on the south side, and he had left the hidden eyes behind under the pretext of taking a detour to patrol. This main teaching building was currently a surveillance vacuum.

His destination was the underground area of ​​the teaching building.

After transforming into Faiz and killing two Orphnochs last night, Lin Chen had a flashback to the Orga belt and put investigating the main teaching building on his agenda.

During his afternoon patrol, he happened to glimpse the disciplinary team members checking the side door of the teaching building. They just left it slightly open and didn't lock it properly. That half-open door became the perfect opportunity for him to sneak in.

Lin Chen walked to the side door and pushed it open with a little force, creating a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through.

The teaching building was pitch black, with only the faint light from the emergency lights seeping through the gaps in the corridor, barely enough to see the path beneath his feet. Like a cheetah darting through the darkness, he moved silently toward the stairwell.

The stairwell door was ajar. The moment he pushed it open, a chilly draft rushed out, carrying the dampness and oppressive feeling unique to underground spaces. Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Chen stepped inside.

He descended the stairs and soon reached the corner of the basement level. Just as he was about to turn the corner and continue exploring the second basement level, his mental energy suddenly issued a frantic warning, as if he had been pricked by a needle, instantly freezing his body in place.

Ten meters ahead, a familiar aura reached me through my senses—it was Kurosawa!

Behind them, in the previously silent stairwell, came the sound of rapid footsteps and the clanging of metal. The sound grew closer, clearly indicating that a large number of armed personnel were heading in this direction. The footsteps were steady and orderly, carrying a well-trained and menacing aura.

With Kurosawa in front and pursuers behind, he was surrounded from both sides and had no room to retreat.

Lin Chen's mind raced, a bead of cold sweat trickling down his temple. He never expected Kurosawa to suddenly appear in the underground area; he usually stayed in his private office. He also hadn't anticipated a large group of armed men arriving from behind. If he turned around now, he would surely be stopped by the armed men; if he remained still, he would only arouse Kurosawa's suspicion, and given Kurosawa's cautious nature, he would never overlook anything unusual.

The only way out is to pretend to have "stumbled in by mistake".

Lin Chen made the decision almost instantly, putting on an appearance of investigating something unusual and being completely unprepared, and slowly turned the corner with the momentum.

The space beyond the corner was slightly brighter than the stairwell, with an emergency light hanging on the wall, casting a dim yellow glow. Kurosawa stood beneath the emergency light, dressed in a black suit, his tall and straight figure accentuated by his sharp, cold eyes fixed on the corner, his gaze filled with scrutiny and icy questioning, as if he had been waiting for a long time.

"This area is not your patrol route, so why are you here?"

Kurosawa's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority, exploding in the deathly silent underground space like a block of ice hitting water, instantly freezing the air. His gaze, like a searchlight, swept over Lin Chen's entire body, trying to find a flaw in his expression and movements.

Lin Chen's heart skipped a beat, but he maintained his flustered yet cautious demeanor. He quickly stopped, lowered his head slightly, and hunched his back, adopting a posture of fear of authority. His voice carried a deliberate tension and hesitation: "Captain Kurosawa, I... I was patrolling outside the teaching building when I vaguely heard strange noises underground, like something hitting the wall or someone whispering. I was worried that an out-of-control Orphnoch might have sneaked underground, or that some unruly human student might have wandered into the restricted area, so I thought I'd come in to check. I didn't expect to disturb you, Captain. Please forgive me."

His words were half true and half false. He found a reasonable excuse, demonstrated his duty as a patrol member, and, more importantly, his flustered and fearful appearance perfectly matched his identity as a "wild Orphnoch who had just been recruited and was wary of the school's rules," leaving no room for criticism.

Lin Chen lowered his head, but out of the corner of his eye he secretly observed Hei Ze, while sensing the movement behind him—the footsteps of the armed men had reached the door of the stairwell, only a few meters away from him, and the clanging of metal instruments was becoming clearer.

Kurosawa stared at Lin Chen for a long time. He was obviously suspicious of Lin Chen's words, but he couldn't find any flaws—Lin Chen's breathing was steady, and his flustered expression was not pretentious. He looked exactly like someone who had accidentally entered a restricted area and was caught and was feeling fear.