Huan Huan Teppanyaki.
"Boss, I'll have the Number Three set meal."
"Coming right up!"
Ren Kurogane set his luggage aside and looked at Yang Huanying, who was busy cooking. "Boss, do you know of any places around here to rent an apartment?"
"Rent an apartment?" Welcome (Huanying) looked up, her gaze lingering on Ren Kurogane.
Ren nodded. "Yeah, I've just arrived and haven't found a place to settle down yet."
"Hold on, let me think about it~"
At that moment, they were the only two in the shop. Welcome's eyes darted around. Her small shop was special; ordinary people rarely noticed it. Those who walked in usually did so because of fate.
I just found the Flying Shadow Armor summoner a few days ago. This guy in front of me... couldn't be the Diamond Armor summoner, could he?
Immediately, Welcome used her Ares secret technique to observe Ren's magnetic field.
"Huh? What a strange magnetic field?" Welcome frowned. "His magnetic field is chaotic, yet it seems to operate according to a specific set of rules. Solar, Lunar, and Stellar—he has all three special magnetic fields... Could he be the Heaven-ordained summoner, capable of summoning any armor?!"
At that thought, Welcome's eyes lit up! With the Nether-Demons already starting to stir, she didn't have the luxury of being picky.
Ren Kurogane had no idea he was being scouted. He had come here primarily to see if he could snag the Ares (Shura) Armor. Compared to the other armors that already had established owners, the Shura Armor was the only one he realistically had a chance of obtaining.
Pity I don't have the Five Elements lineage, otherwise I'd have a chance to play as the Fire Armor summoner, Ren thought to himself.
Welcome was quick, and the steak set meal was soon placed before Ren. "Enjoy your meal."
"Thanks!" Ren said.
However, Welcome didn't leave after dropping off the food. Instead, she stared intently at him. Feeling uneasy under her gaze, Ren put down his utensils and gave an awkward but polite smile. "Um, Miss, I know I'm fairly handsome, but you don't need to stare at me like that, do you?"
He expected Welcome to be embarrassed, but he underestimated her. She sat down across from him quite boldly and smiled. "Let's get acquainted. I'm Welcome!"
"Er... hello, I'm Ren Kurogane..."
After a brief handshake, Ren asked, "Miss Welcome, why were you staring at me?"
Welcome smiled, her eyes crinkling. "Actually, not just anyone can walk into my shop!"
"Huh?" Ren was genuinely confused. He didn't recall the Armor Hero XT lore having such a strange setting. Oh no! If only specific people can see this place, and I walked in without being a summoner, she might think I'm a Nether-Demon!
Ren's internal panic didn't escape Welcome's notice. A streak of mischief rose in her heart. She stood up abruptly, looking down at him with a grin. "That's right. Everyone who enters here has, without exception, ended up as bones in a grave! You! Are you prepared?"
Ren's panic vanished the moment he looked at her expression. "Really now... Boss, don't scare people like that!" He wiped non-existent sweat from his brow and laughed. "What kind of ghost would blow their cover so quickly?"
Seeing Ren regain his composure, Welcome stopped teasing him. "You've got decent psychological resilience. What do you do for a living?"
Ren replied as he cut into his steak, "I originally planned to be an Armor Hero, but I failed the test. Still, I've built a strong body over the years. I'm planning to head to a construction site—two hundred a day to get by for now."
"You know about the Armor Heroes?" Welcome looked at him in surprise.
"Yeah. Fifteen years ago, it was the Fire Dragon (Yanlong) Hero who protected me."
This wasn't a lie. When Ren first arrived in this world, he had indeed seen the Five Elements Armor battle the Shadow World. Unfortunately, he was too young and lacked the lineage, so he could only watch from afar. He had decided then to train his body to the limit to ensure he could seize some form of transcendent power in the future timelines. Even if he couldn't get armor, he was willing to risk the Mutated (Oukesser) virus later on just to have a chance at the supernatural.
"Fire Dragon?" Welcome searched her memory. She had heard the name long ago, but there had been no news of those armors for ten years. The last appearance was the Emperor Armor.
"Yeah, surely you remember?" Ren looked at her with feigned surprise. "They saved the world; they were all over the news. Welcome, how could you have no impression at all?"
"I do, I do!" Welcome laughed quickly. "The heroes who saved the world! How could I forget! But since you know about Armor Heroes, things are much easier!"
Slap!
Welcome slapped a strange-looking contract onto the table. "This is an Armor Summoning Contract. Sign it, and you'll be the summoner for the Diamond (Jingang) Armor!"
Ren stared at the contract, stunned. "Just sign it? Really?" In his memory, the three armors chose their own masters. Since when were they bound by a contract?
Click~
A crisp sound echoed in the empty shop. Ren looked down to see a small, strange box lying by his feet.
"A card box!" Welcome cheered. "As expected, you are the Heaven-ordained summoner!"
She quickly picked up the card box, handed it to Ren, and urged, "Quickly, press your thumbprint on this paper!"
Ren took the box in a daze. Welcome pricked his finger with something, and he pressed his print onto the contract. Only after she tucked the "deed" away with a smile did he snap out of it. He... just became an Armor Hero? The tanky Diamond Armor at that? It felt so surreal!
"Alright, stop spacing out!" Welcome laughed. "From now on, you are the summoner for the Diamond Armor! The heavy responsibility of protecting Earth is in your hands!"
Ren rubbed the back of his head. "Um, so who is the enemy?"
"Evil aliens! A thousand years ago, to obtain the Earth's core..." For the next hour, Welcome told Ren everything she knew, with a fair bit of exaggeration—like how the Diamond Armor was the strongest. Actually, the previous user was strong enough to summon the upgraded weapons without even evolving the armor.
Another device appeared before Ren: a handheld gaming console. "This is the summoner?"
"Try it!" Welcome encouraged.
Ren didn't hesitate. He focused his mind on the device. It felt less like an object and more like an extension of his body. With a click, the console transformed into a square shape. Simultaneously, a belt appeared around his waist. Instinctively, Ren swiped a card from the box on the belt, and the summoner in his other hand caught it perfectly. He slotted the card in.
"Armor Fusion!"
Boom!
A wave of air surged, and the Diamond Armor appeared. Ren felt the sudden surge of power. Finally! After ten years of effort, I've stepped onto the path of the supernatural!
"Move around, test the power," Welcome said.
"Alright! Stand back, I don't want to hurt you!"
Ren took a step, and the ground seemed to tremble. He felt as heavy as a mountain. Oops, too much force! He carefully adjusted his control. He didn't have the money to pay for a broken shop!
"The mantra is: Unmoving as a Mountain, Moving like Thunder!" Welcome shouted.
Ren practiced his punches, getting used to the weight of the armor. Within a minute, he had mastered the centrifugal force of the armor's movements. Welcome smiled. "Seems you've gotten the hang of it. Soon, I'll introduce you to another summoner."
"Another one?"
"Yeah, quite the wealthy young master!"
Ren deactivated the armor. "I look forward to meeting my teammate." He remembered the Armor Hero XT plot was a bit tragic for the main lead and the three captains. The teammates often felt like supporting roles, but he didn't care.
"Welcome, does this Armor Squad provide housing?"
"Oh! Right, I forgot you're homeless!" Welcome laughed. "I have an apartment, but it's not free!"
She took him to a three-bedroom apartment. "Two thousand a month!"
"Two thousand?!" Ren cried out. He only had five thousand to his name. "If you find a roommate, it's half," Welcome whispered like a demon.
Ren sighed. "Fine. I'll help you find other summoners."
Over the next few days, Ren handed out flyers and delivered food to make ends meet, often "borrowing" meals from Welcome's shop to save money.
Ting-dong~
Inside the teppanyaki shop, Ren saw two other men. One was in a suit, talking on a phone. The other wore a red jacket and held a box, staring at Ren.
"Oh? We have guests today!" Ren sat between them. "Welcome, I'll have the fried noodles!"
Welcome rolled her eyes but quickly prepared the food. Ren chatted away. "I made nearly two hundred today delivering food! Soon I'll buy a computer and start my rise to fame!"
"Yes, yes, Mr. Future Influencer. Can you pay for today's meal then?" Welcome teased.
"No problem!" Ren handed her ten yuan. Welcome took it with a grin. "I actually got paid for once!"