As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider.

Lin Chen returned to his room and gently closed the door behind him, shutting out the noise from the Guangzhao Photo Studio.

He walked straight to the bedside, lay down on his back, and sank his back into the soft bedding. His consciousness sank into his mind, and a pale blue virtual panel instantly unfolded before his eyes—

Ultimate Evolution System

[Host: Lin Chen]

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

Core Attributes:

Physical fitness 53/143

Agility 46/133

Spirit 47/123

Lifespan: 59 years

Evolution Points: 126

Without hesitation, he used 126 evolution points and tapped the panel with his fingertip.

Evolution points were evenly distributed among the three attributes: Constitution, Agility, and Spirit. The numbers on the panel jumped rapidly.

[Body Constitution 57/149]

Agility 50/139

[Mental state: 51/103]

Evolution Points: 6

After his attributes were upgraded, Lin Chen could clearly feel the power surging within his body growing stronger. But before he could fully savor the thrill of this increase, the panel suddenly trembled violently, and a line of dazzling golden text abruptly popped up—

[Ding! Host's Orphnoch form attributes have been detected and the evolution requirements have been met!]

[Should we initiate racial evolution immediately?]

evolution?

Lin Chen was overjoyed. After being bound to the system for so long, he had finally ushered in his first evolution. Without the slightest hesitation, he decisively responded in his mind: Yes.

The moment he finished speaking, a surge of violent energy exploded within his body, uncontrollably engulfing him. Lin Chen had no time to react; his body was forcibly pulled and reshaped by this force. Silver-black scales burst forth, tiger ears stood erect, claws extended, and he was forcibly transformed into a tiger-type Orphnoch. Seeing that his lifespan had decreased by two years on the system panel, Lin Chen thought to himself, "Just as I expected."

[A major flaw has been detected in the host race! During evolution, lifespan must be continuously consumed to maintain stable evolution and prevent the risk of genetic mutation and morphological collapse!]

[Should we continue evolving?]

Defect? ​​Distortion? Collapse?

Lin Chen frowned, a hint of hesitation creeping into his heart for the first time. The Orphnochs were a cursed race, with short lifespans and a tendency to turn into sand. Now, evolution would consume their lifespan, and a slight misstep could turn them into grotesque, inhuman monsters.

But the next second, his gaze swept over the lifespan value on the panel—65 years.

Even with continued depletion, his remaining lifespan is more than enough to sustain him. Besides, since he can evolve, he'll inevitably become stronger, and hunting even stronger monsters in the future will allow him to gain even more lifespan. What's there to be afraid of!

Lin Chen gritted his teeth, a resolute glint in his eyes, and nodded firmly: Continue!

The moment I confirmed my choice, a tingling sensation instantly spread throughout my body. It wasn't excruciating pain, nor was it a tearing sensation; rather, it was a strange, almost numbing, reshaping feeling, like slowly boiling a cocoon in warm water. Every scale, every bone, every strand of Orpheus factor was being disassembled, recombined, and sublimated.

Lin Chen closed his eyes, lay flat on the bed, and let the power of evolution wash over his body. He silently felt the changes within him.

One minute, ten minutes, half an hour... an hour has passed.

Time ticked by, and the reshaping effect of evolution not only didn't stop, but grew stronger. Anxiety began to rise in Lin Chen's heart; this evolution was taking far too long.

[Ding! Evolution in progress, lifespan -1 year!]

Current lifespan: 64 years

Another year deducted!

Lin Chen's heart sank, but he still gritted his teeth and endured. The arrow was on the bowstring and had to be released; stopping now would only mean all previous efforts were wasted, and might even trigger the risk of aberration.

He lay there quietly. The tingling sensation in his body never stopped, and a sudden wave of exhaustion washed over him. Finally, in a moment, his consciousness sank, and he fell into a deep sleep.

Lin Chen slept soundly, but the entire photo studio was in an uproar.

A low growl faintly emanated from his room, unlike his usual ferocity, but instead carried a suppressed sob, echoing dully throughout the entire photo studio, one after another, without end.

Tsukasa Kadoya, a light sleeper, was tossing and turning, annoyed by the noise. He pulled the blanket over his head. But the roar was like a demonic sound, extremely penetrating, and impossible to block out.

"Damn it... what's that sound...?"

He muttered to himself, thinking that he would stop after a while, but he ended up enduring it for a full two hours.

At two o'clock in the morning, Tsukasa Kadoya finally lost his temper, threw off the covers, and kicked open the door with a dark face, rushing out of the room, wearing a cartoon-patterned pajama.

He froze as soon as he reached the corridor.

Hikari Natsumi, wrapped in a coat, had red eyes, clearly having also been disturbed and hadn't slept well; Onodera Yusuke stood to the side, looking solemn; Koei Jiro leaned on his cane, looking helpless; even the little bat that usually only joined in the fun was flapping its wings, perched on the door frame, squeaking irritably.

A group of people gathered around the door of Lin Chen's room.

"Were you woken up too?" Tsukasa Kadoya asked, rubbing his messy hair, his voice breaking.

Everyone nodded in unison, but their expressions were not very pleasant.

"Then why didn't you knock on the door and wake him up?" Kadoya Tsukasa said speechlessly, and then reached out and grabbed the doorknob of Lin Chen's room.

"Wait! Shi! That's so impolite!" Hikari Natsumi hurriedly reached out to stop him, her cheeks slightly flushed. It was really inappropriate to barge into someone else's room without permission.

"Can politeness feed you? If I hear that yelling again, I won't be able to sleep tonight!"

Ignoring everything else, Tsukasa Kadoya twisted his wrist and opened the door with a "click".

The group filed in, and were immediately taken aback by the sight before them.

Lin Chen lay on the bed, his body covered in ferocious silver-black scales. His tiger-type Orphnoch form was fully extended, his fangs slightly bared, his chest heaving violently, and the low, whimpering roar emanating from his throat. Yet his eyes were tightly closed, and his brows were furrowed, clearly indicating that he was unconscious.

Guang Xia Hai gasped softly in fright and instinctively shrank back.

Tsukasa Kadoya calmly waved his hand, speaking casually: "What's the panic? Didn't you already know he was an Orphnoch? This is just his Orphnoch form, there's nothing dangerous about it. He's probably having a nightmare."

Despite saying that, a hint of seriousness flashed in his eyes. This state didn't seem like having a nightmare at all; it was more like a physical problem.

Gathering her courage, Guang Xiahai gently walked to the bedside, reached out and softly shook Lin Chen's arm, calling softly, "Lin-kun? Lin-kun, wake up..."

But Lin Chen didn't react at all, remaining unconscious, while the roaring continued.

Just then, something unexpected happened.

Lin Chen's body suddenly began to emit a faint white light, which was weak at first but quickly grew stronger, like the dawn light, gradually covering his entire body.

"Be careful!"

Tsukasa Kadoya's expression changed, and he subconsciously stepped forward to protect Natsumi Hikari behind him, his aura tense, ready to transform at any moment to deal with danger.

The white light was not aggressive at all; instead, it was warm and holy, as if a sacred power of light enveloped Lin Chen. Everyone stared in astonishment, discovering that Lin Chen at this moment not only lacked the ferocity one would expect from a freak, but also exuded a unique sense of holiness.

"What's wrong with him?" Yusuke Onodera asked in a low voice, his face full of confusion.

"I don't know either." Tsukasa Kadoya shook his head, his expression serious. "It looks like he's evolving. Let's not disturb him for now. Let's wait until this strange guy wakes up at dawn."

Everyone could only suppress their exhaustion and silently leave the room.

No sleep for one night.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, a group of people with dark circles under their eyes gathered again in Lin Chen's room.

Everyone's eyes were filled with exhaustion, and Tsukasa Kadoya looked utterly defeated, slumped over the table and wailed, "When is this guy going to stop sleeping... I'm so sleepy..."

"Shi, be quiet, don't wake him," Hikari Natsumi gently advised, her eyes filled with worry.

Just then, the white light surrounding Lin Chen suddenly receded, flowing back into his body like a tide.

Everyone instantly perked up and turned to look.

As the white light faded, the figure on the bed completely changed.

It was no longer a grotesque, silver-black monster, but a humanoid body forged entirely from bright silver cold metal, as if a piece of meteorite iron had been forged into a living being, with smooth lines yet full of oppressive power.

The helmet was shaped like a ferocious beast's head, with two cold, dark lights embedded in the eye sockets. The serrated outline beneath the visor exuded inhuman ferocity, and flame-like blades extended from the helmet's edge and shoulder armor, gleaming like a mirror in the morning light. The shoulder armor was as thick as a beast's shoulder, without any extra spikes, only smooth lines outlining an explosive sense of power, firmly wrapping around the shoulders and neck.

The chest was covered by layers of heavy breastplate, with a diamond-shaped, dark blue crystal core embedded in the center, surrounded by intricately carved metal patterns. It protected vital organs while giving the upper body a majestic appearance. The arm armor had sharp lines, with no sharp, claw-like protrusions on the forearms, only neat layers of armor plates covering them, ending in gauntlets that fit the palms, the protrusions at the knuckles concealing immense power.

The waist belt and waist armor tightened the body, the leg armor on the lower body perfectly conformed to the muscle lines, the diamond-shaped armor plates at the knees echoed the breastplate, and the armor at the ankles covered the claw-shaped foot armor, but there were no exposed sharp claws, only rounded blade edges, which were both sharp and elegant.

Instead of ferocious scales and exposed fangs, it possesses a suit of silver armor that seems to have been bestowed by heaven, where ferocity and holiness coexist, and wildness and order are intertwined.

Lin Chen's eyelashes trembled slightly, and he slowly opened his eyes.

As soon as he woke up, he saw a group of people surrounding him, their eyes filled with different expressions—surprise, curiosity, and worry—all staring at him.

Lin Chen was instantly stunned, his mind went completely blank.

The next second, he suddenly remembered the forced evolution last night, his heart skipped a beat, and his face changed drastically.

Oh no! I must have terrified them with my weird appearance!

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! I'll change back right away!"

Lin Chen hurriedly got up, apologizing hastily, and frantically tried to suppress the Orpheus factor and revert to human form. But no matter how much he activated his power, his body remained motionless; the silver armor seemed to be fixed in place and could not be dispelled at all.

"Lin Jun, don't worry, that's not what we meant!" Guang Xia Hai quickly waved his hand and hurriedly explained.

"Wait for me!" Yusuke Onodera realized what was happening, turned around, and ran out quickly. A moment later, he came running back carrying a full-length mirror. "You—look for yourself!"

Lin Chen looked at the mirror in confusion, and when he saw his reflection, he froze, his eyes filled with shock.

The "person" in the mirror was entirely silver, his armor as if cast in stone, his beast-head helmet imposing and domineering, his cold eyes exuding majesty, and the smooth lines of his silver armor perfectly blending power and beauty. He had none of the original Orphnoch's savage ferocity, but rather resembled a silver-armored war god awakened from a slumber, more handsome than imagined.

What shocked him even more was that this was not armor he was wearing, but a part of his body that was connected to his flesh and blood. It was a brand new appearance after his Orphnoch form evolved, a brand new form after a leap in the level of life.

"This, this is me..." Lin Chen murmured to himself, reaching out to touch the armor blade on his shoulder. It was cold and hard, yet he could clearly feel the texture, making it unbelievably real.

"Lin-kun, what's wrong with you? Why did you suddenly become like this?" Guang Xiahai couldn't help but ask, her eyes full of curiosity.

Yusuke Onodera, Tsukasa Kadoya, and Jiro Koei all looked at him, waiting for an explanation.

Lin Chen came to his senses and knew he couldn't tell the whole truth, so he could only give a vague answer: "I... my race is a bit special. I was in my infancy before, and my power hadn't fully awakened. Last night, I just happened to evolve to my complete form, which is why I made such a commotion and scared you. I'm sorry."

This reason is half true and half false, and there's nothing wrong with it.

The group exchanged glances, all understanding the other's thoughts. Everyone had their own secrets, and since Lin Chen was unwilling to elaborate, they didn't press him further.

"It's good that everything's alright." Tsukasa Kadoya yawned, looking exhausted. "It's all good now that the evolution is complete. I'm going back to catch up on my sleep; I'm going to die if I don't get some rest soon."

After saying that, he turned and left, his steps unsteady, clearly exhausted.

Guang Xia Hai smiled gently at Lin Chen: "Lin-kun, then we won't disturb you any longer. You should get some rest."

Everyone left, and the room finally returned to silence.

Lin Chen stood in front of the mirror, repeatedly examining his new form, becoming more and more satisfied with it. Compared to his original silver-black scales, this silver-armored tiger form was incredibly cool, and his combat power was bound to skyrocket.

He tried to revert to human form again, but still couldn't revert. Lin Chen frowned and looked down at the clock on the bedside table—a full 10 hours had passed since the evolution began last night.

He quickly summoned the system panel in his mind and immediately saw the lifespan value column, his heart tightening slightly.

Lifespan: 55 years

A full 10 years less!

Lin Chen took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart. Trading 10 years of lifespan for a perfect evolution, eliminating the risk of mutation, and unlocking a completely new form—it wasn't a bad deal. Moreover, he could clearly sense that the evolution was nearing its end, and it wouldn't be long before it was completely completed, allowing him to revert to human form.

He stopped worrying about the form and stared intently at the panel. Suddenly, his pupils contracted, and he showed an expression of disbelief.

At the bottom of the panel, the previously blank special ability section suddenly had a new line of text.