Tech Hero in Another World
Chapter 123: [122] Kiriya’s past (3)

Chapter 123: [122] Kiriya’s past (3)

In the end, Kiriya pulled out every last trick to convince his father. At first, the man didn’t believe a word—until he met Ren in person and saw the down payment with his own eyes. After that, he didn’t hesitate. He signed the deal without a second thought.

As for money? Ren never worried about it. To him, modern finance was just another system to master—stocks, crypto, you name it. If you understood how it worked, it was yours to bend.

Years passed, and Ren’s projects only grew wilder once he entered middle school. Oh, and yes—he chose to attend the same school as Kiriya, even if it meant purposely lowering his perfect grades. To Ren, high scores were a kind of miasma—they pushed people away. So he nerfed himself, keeping his brilliance hidden behind the scenes.

Then one day, on a rare holiday, Ren completed his latest creation: the Techno Mark I armor. Powered by an arc reactor, much like in that one famous movie, the suit could function for at least five full hours a day.

And today... was test day.

Ren’s underground secret lab.

Ren drew in a deep breath inside the dim, subterranean chamber. The soft hum of flowing water and the faint clink of metal echoed through his private laboratory. His eyes were fixed on the Techno Mark I Armor hanging in the hangar doorway—its chest reactor pulsing gently, ready to soar for five uninterrupted hours. The warm glow of halogen lamps bathed the armored frame, highlighting every fine detail built by his own hands across countless sleepless years.

Beside him, Kiriya sat in front of a tower of monitors and control consoles, eyes scanning through sensor data line by line. Indicator needles moved with slow precision, confirming the suit’s readiness. "Yo, where the hell did you even roll this thing out?" Kiriya asked, the ever-loyal tech wizard and friend, half amazed, half horrified.

Ren smiled, part proud, part nervous. "Right in front of the mansion statue," he replied quietly. His eyes shimmered slightly as he recalled the countless nights he had to sneak out—not to steal, but to chase a real dream—to bring this armor to life.

Kiriya froze, eyes widening. "You’re not scared someone might walk by and see it?" he asked, his voice lined with real concern. It wasn’t exactly easy to hide a futuristic piece of tech like that on the lawn of an abandoned mansion.

Ren shook his head, relaxed. "It’s fine. That place is dead quiet. Hardly anyone ever comes near. And the statue? It’s already part of the scenery. No one looks twice." He tilted his head slightly, the image of composure. "I chose that spot because the spatial layout’s perfect. And the mansion’s way out on the hillside—not on anyone’s satellite radar. Besides, I installed vibration sensors around the statue. If anyone gets close, the armor retracts automatically."

Kiriya kept his eyes on the screen, reading code and graphs, narrowing his gaze as he tried to interpret the complexity. The arc reactor’s power usage and the suit’s core temperature gauges were adjusting in real-time. "Well, if you say so... then whatever," he replied with a half-laugh. He slapped the edge of the plastic table cluttered with wires and microcontrollers. "I’m ready as the remote test operator. We’ve got environmental sim protocols ready—humidity, air pressure, even localized weather sensors. All online."

Ren gave a firm nod, his expression calm but powerful—a look of quiet confidence fused with responsibility. "Alright, Kiriya. I want to see how it performs under rain, unstable terrain, even electromagnetic interference. I need you monitoring all those parameters."

Kiriya took a breath and locked eyes with the display. "I’ve prepped everything: thrust logs for the leg boosters, folding wing stability, thermal regulation systems—" He smirked. "If everything goes well, that means Mark I is ready."

"Alright then—everything on stand-by..." Ren said as he adjusted the sleek bodysuit beneath the armor. He walked toward the marked spot on the floor, then, without delay, robotic arms emerged from the mechanical tube system, one by one locking each armor piece onto his body...

The moment played out before Kiriya’s eyes like he was witnessing that iconic Iron Man scene—live, raw, and in real time—as the Mark III suit was assembled piece by piece.

Kiriya took a deep breath and focused on the monitor. "Thrust logs on the leg boosters—check. Foldable wing stability—check. Thermal-handling system—stable." He gave a slight smile, optimism shining in his eyes. "If this all works, Mark I is officially ready."

Ren glanced over and nodded with calm confidence. "Alright then, all systems stand-by..." His voice was steady, yet full of fire. He reached for a small panel on the side of the armor, adjusting the biocompatible underlayer beneath. Every fiber and sensor fit like second skin—human and machine aligned into a single entity.

He stepped backward into position on the floor markings labeled START.

Finally, the robotic arms descended from the mechanical rig. They moved with cinematic precision, just like that unforgettable Iron Man moment—each piece clicking smoothly into place as Ren raised his arms, locking them into the suit with pinpoint accuracy. The ambient hangar lights reflected off the red-and-gold metal plates, casting a futuristic glow that dazzled the eye.

Kiriya was in awe, eyes shining with excitement. "Damn... It’s like watching a movie in real life," he whispered in genuine amazement. "Mark I—no CGI."

Ren gave a light nod as the helmet descended over his face, the HUD panel activating automatically. A soft synthetic voice chimed:"Power systems online. Thrust vectoring calibrated. Thermal regulator at 85%. Sensor grid green."It was no longer a fantasy—this was science, fully realized.

"HUD good to go?" he asked toward Kiriya.

Kiriya checked the screen. Thrust meters stable, core coolant normal, all systems green. "All greenlight, bro."

Ren gave a classic Stark-style thumbs-up to Kiriya, then took a steady breath and looked upward. "Alright... let’s open the fountain plate—let’s finish this."

As he spoke, the ceiling of the hangar began to open. Mechanical grinding echoed around them. The upper chamber was connected directly to the base of the fountain in front of the mansion.

As the seal broke open, water began dripping through, lightly splashing against the armor’s surface—but not flooding. The drainage system activated immediately, and pale ocean-blue light from the evening sky filtered in through the opening above.

"Ceiling open. Altitude clear. Launch path is good," Kiriya reported over the suit’s comms.

Ren rotated his wrists—heaters activated, thrusters primed. "Time to take to the skies."

With a rising hum that quickly grew into a roar, the microjets on his legs and back flared to life. Blue plasma flared beneath his boots, and in a brilliant burst of energy, Ren shot up—piercing through the column of light and water like a rocket breaking through the surface. A spray of mist exploded upward with him, scattering over the fountain like a miniature supernova.

The sound of the boosters ripped through the quiet night air—raw, electric, alive.

---

Ren narrowed his eyes as he soared through the night sky above Kyoto. The city lights below sparkled like scattered stars, but the stealth mode on his Mark I armor kept him virtually invisible—dampening all light reflection as he flew low and silent.

"This is freaking amazing!" he shouted inside his helmet, pure excitement in his voice as the back and leg jets pulsed softly. The rush of wind across his folding wings felt so real, like he was dancing across the surface of the sky itself.

"Ren! Focus!" Kiriya’s voice exploded through the audio feed in his ears. "This test isn’t for fun! We’re running thermal and stealth performance trials!"

Ren dipped lower, skimming the treetops before pulling up again. "Relax, I know! But come on—feel this! It’s stable, right? No creaking in the motor joints, and the balance is awesome!"

"Fine," Kiriya replied, his voice controlled. "But don’t forget: thermal test first. I need reactor temperature data while switching between stealth mode, speed variance, and air pressure."

Ren nodded—though from the outside, it just looked like a flicker of light on his visor. He tapped the panel on his chest to activate thermal scan while the internal sensors kicked in.

For several seconds, he kept gliding in stealth mode—jets humming softly but minimizing outward energy signatures. "Stealth mode stable—thermal signature down by 45%," he reported, listening to the data feed in his earpiece.

"Good," Kiriya said. "Now for the endurance test: throttle max for thirty seconds in low-altitude mode."

Ren held his breath and boosted the throttle. The engines roared, the jets blazing with bright blue flames as temperature spikes flooded the screen.

"Danger threshold approaching," Kiriya warned—but Ren pushed on, riding the euphoria.

Second by second, the jets held. No signs of overheating. "Still stable!"

"Confirmed," Kiriya replied. "Auto-cooling system compensating—pumps up 20%, heat radiation down 18%. Reactor pulse up 10%. Nice."

Ren eased off the throttle, exhaling hard. "Still breathing. The muscle holds."

Kiriya paused. "Alright. Next phase: head toward the closest island. I want to run GPS hardpoint calibration, tracking stability, and sonar evasion data over water."

The suit’s HUD responded, "Route to target island: Aogashima—120 kilometers from current location."

"Okay. Activate radar suppress mode, maritime frequency spectrum," Kiriya instructed.

Ren hit another control, and a distinct electric whine followed—radar jamming engaged. "Silent mode on."

As he sliced through the sky, the waves below shimmered in silence. Ship radars picked up nothing. "Looks clear. Sonar readings clean," Kiriya confirmed.

Ren smiled behind the visor. "Stealth mission complete."

They neared the deserted island. Only the sounds of waves and wind remained. Ren slowly descended, folding back the wings for a water-landing protocol—bio-drains activated to prevent corrosion from sea mist.

His armored boots touched down on the white sands. The Techno Mark I gave off a soft hiss from internal stabilizers, helmet eyes glowing bright blue as he raised one hand in triumph. "Test mode complete. Thermal, stealth, endurance, navigation—all passed."

Kiriya chuckled over the comms. "Insane... This isn’t a toy anymore. But now comes the final test—hey, are you really gonna test the weapons?!" Kiriya’s voice was borderline panicked as he read through Ren’s handwritten testing notes.

"It’s not much of a weapon system," Ren replied. "No smart missiles or anything. Just a repulsor energy beam."

"You do realize that’s still dangerous, right?" Kiriya shot back.

"If it were at max power, sure—it could go right through a person. But this is just a basic functionality test. No lethal output," Ren reassured him.

No reply came for a few seconds. Then—"Alright. Pick your target. Since it’s an uninhabited island, a few scorched trees can count as... natural phenomena," Kiriya said dryly.

Ren stepped slowly into an open field. The white sand and wild grass rustled in the ocean breeze. The Mark I suit gave a soft click as internal gyros settled, and the glowing blue eyes of his helmet locked onto a target.

"Alright. Target locked. Coconut tree at the beach’s edge," Ren announced calmly, yet focused.

Kiriya sighed from the underground control center. "I can’t believe I’m approving this... But okay, sensor systems are online. Recording all thermal output, recoil feedback, and charge delay."

Ren adjusted his stance and raised his right palm. "Repulsor... Test Fire: Level 2."

A blue pulse glowed along his forearm—energy hissed like charged plasma. Then—

BOOM!

A concentrated blue beam shot from his palm and struck the tree dead-on. The trunk blackened instantly, then cracked and collapsed, leaving behind white smoke and the sharp smell of ionized air.

"Target destroyed. Recoil minimal. Delay: 0.3 seconds. Cooling system nominal," Ren reported, satisfied.

Kiriya exhaled. "Insane... But I’ll admit—it was smooth. Tomorrow we test firing stability mid-flight."

Ren chuckled. "Of course. But for tonight... I officially declare: Mark I is combat-ready."

Behind his helmet, he grinned with pride, while far off, the sea rolled on in peace—unaware that on this forgotten island, a young genius had just birthed a weapon from the future.

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