As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider.

The forest behind the mountain is lush and verdant, with towering trees intertwined to form a natural barrier that completely blocks out the moonlight. Only occasionally, a few sparse spots of light filter through the gaps in the leaves and fall onto the thick layer of fallen leaves, disappearing in an instant.

Lin Chen crouched low, his back taut like a bow, his feet crunching on the soft fallen leaves, silently approaching the source of the sound.

As a high-level tiger-type Orphnoch, his superhuman physical abilities allowed him to control his body to the extreme. With each step, he first dissipated the force, his toes precisely avoiding the dry branches and crisp falling leaves. His movements were as light as a cheetah stalking at night, covering dozens of meters in the blink of an eye.

Throughout the entire process, they made almost no sound that could be detected, not even the chirping of insects in the grass.

The further they went, the clearer the chaotic energy fluctuations became. The Orphnoch's growl carried a hint of anxiety and ferocity, while the other energy fluctuations, which were of the light attribute, appeared somewhat disordered.

Lin Chen paused, then darted behind a thick tree that would take two people to encircle. Holding his breath, he peeked out with half his head, his sharp gaze piercing through the layers of shadows and landing precisely on the clearing in the woods ahead.

It was a small clearing surrounded by trees, no more than a dozen square meters in size, which had already been turned into a mess. The fallen leaves on the ground were trampled into pieces, mixed with the churned wet mud, and there were claw marks and footprints of varying depths everywhere. There were also several saplings that had been knocked in half, with fresh sap still sticking out of the broken ends. It was clear that the fight here had been going on for quite some time.

On the open ground, two figures were wrestling and fighting fiercely. But the moment Lin Chen, who was hiding in the shadows, saw the scene, he couldn't help but twitch his lips and almost burst out laughing.

One of the figures was a cat-like Orphnoch. It was slightly shorter than an average human, covered in short, grayish-black fur, with the fur on its back slightly bristling. Its narrow, vertical pupils gleamed with an eerie green light in the thick darkness, and three-inch-long, jet-black claws extended from its fingertips, gleaming with a cold, sharp light. A slender tail was taut behind it, constantly swaying from side to side, suggesting extreme agility.

However, this cat-like Orphnoch's movements were ridiculously clumsy. Despite being a natural feline predator, its claw strikes, though cunning in angle, were weak and powerless, completely lacking the explosive force an Orphnoch should possess.

Although it was able to dodge with its agility, it was always a beat too slow and its anticipation couldn't keep up with its movements. Several times it could have completely dodged the attack, but it still crashed into it. Several tufts of short hair on its body had been pulled out, revealing faint scars on the skin underneath. It was clear that it had suffered a lot in the entanglement.

The low growl from its throat sounded fierce, but upon closer listening, it carried an unconcealed panic and a show of bravado. Even its sharp teeth were trembling slightly, suggesting it was a novice that had only recently awakened and whose body had not yet adapted.

The other opponent wore a suit of silver-black armor, the black armor covering his entire body with clean, cold lines. Bright red photon veins meandered across his skin, like burning veins, gleaming faintly in the shadows. Silver-white metal accents adorned his shoulder armor, breastplate, and limb joints, creating a sharp contrast with the jet-black background.

Its opponent stood on the other side of the open space, his silver-black armor gleaming with a cold metallic sheen in the darkness. The matte black armor covered his entire body, its lines sharp and hard, exuding a strong mechanical feel. Bright red photon veins meandered across his skin, like burning crimson veins, shimmering faintly yet strikingly in the night.

The shoulder armor, breastplate, and limb joints are adorned with bright silver metallic armor plates, creating a sharp contrast against the jet-black background. The iconic Φ-shaped antenna atop the head is strikingly bright red, and the large single compound eye in the center emits a calm yet subtly shimmering golden light. The entire suit of armor has a cold and austere design; even just standing there, it exudes an aura of unapproachability.

It was Kamen Rider Faiz.

Faiz, who should have been a formidable fighter, was moving even more clumsily than the cat-like Orphnoch opposite him. His punches were stiff like a puppet's, completely oblivious to the armor's weight distribution, each punch accompanied by unnecessary swaying, his center of gravity wobbling.

His kicking angles were even more bizarre. Despite the Faiz armor's lightweight design being ideal for agile leg techniques, he stumbled and staggered even when lifting his leg, his movements being distorted several times due to the armor's joint restrictions. Even his most basic blocking was incredibly clumsy; he could only use his arms to block attacks without utilizing the structure of his chest and shoulder armor to deflect the force.

Several times he could have easily dodged the cat-shaped Orphnoch's attacks, but he was always a beat too slow, and the claws grazed his armor, making a piercing metallic scraping sound and sending sparks flying across the black armor.

Lin Chen leaned against the tree trunk, watching the fight with great interest. He had only one thought in his mind: what a bunch of chickens fighting each other. As he watched, he also remembered how he had fought blindly based on instinct when he first awakened.

The cat-shaped Orphnoch hissed and lunged at Faiz again, its claws aimed straight for his chest. Faiz hurriedly raised his hand to block, the armor clashing with the claws with a crisp "clang." Faiz was jolted back, stumbling and nearly falling. The cat-shaped Orphnoch seized the opportunity, its tail lashing out at Faiz's ankle. Unable to dodge, Faiz was struck and fell to his knees, looking utterly disheveled.

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.