Ronan stepped out of the president's room, leaving Takeru still contemplating while staring at the view of the city's construction, a sight he had long dreamed of. At that moment, Takeru still doubted whether modern weapons would be useful against fantasy monsters, even though he himself had tried them in the field and succeeded.
However, he realized that there were unforeseen possibilities that could happen. Especially for his subordinates who were new to this world, unlike himself, who could create objects to overcome difficulties.
Therefore, he had prepared something so that Ronan wouldn't die easily if he faced unexpected situations. Takeru still looked out the window, sighing and pondering.
"I hope this can help him," he murmured to himself. /----/
Ronan approached the changing room, and in front of it was someone who had been waiting. A tall man in a white suit like a doctor, wearing a black shirt and a red tie, as well as round sunglasses. The man was Noah Derman, an NPC with a background as a professor at a renowned technology university named Oxford. Noah was not only a professor there but also a developer of tactical weapons for the American military.
Although sometimes appearing a bit crazy when talking about his research, Noah Derman was someone who loved science more than anything else. Currently, he worked under Takeru as the head of state research, with absolute loyalty to him.
"Yo, Ronan..." Noah greeted warmly, waving his hand as if they were already familiar.
"Huh... What's up, Noah?" Ronan replied nonchalantly.
However, because his greeting was not responded to as warmly as expected, Noah seemed slightly annoyed, evident from his furrowed brow.
"Huh? Is this how you talk when Lord Takeru isn't around?" Noah retorted somewhat sarcastically.
Ronan turned his face away indifferently. "Hmph, you know. This is just my nature. Lucky for cloud people like you to see me talk normally," he said, leaving Noah confused.
'Huh, what does he mean by normal?' Even with his high intelligence, Noah couldn't understand Ronan. "Hey, I'm being friendly to you, and this is your response?" He felt annoyed, but because of Takeru's task, he chose to hold it back. "Hmph, I was ordered by Lord Takeru to prepare your equipment," Noah said, inviting Ronan into the dressing room.
Ronan entered the dressing room following Noah, and as they entered the seemingly ordinary room, Ronan's eyes were drawn to three suitcases on the table in front of him.
"Lord Takeru asked me to make these for you," Noah said, then instructed his companion to open the three suitcases.
As the suitcases opened, Ronan's eyes lit up slightly, and there was a sense of awe emanating from his face. As a professional and renowned mercenary, he quickly recognized the objects inside the suitcases.
"I didn't expect to see new American weapons up close like this," he exclaimed, his voice full of admiration.
Noah was flattered by Ronan's indirect praise. The contents of the three suitcases were modern weapons developed by him and directly funded by America at that time. However, because they were funded by America, the country had the right to own these weapons.
The weapons consisted of the Exoskeleton MK 01 suit, which could increase physical strength by up to 120%. Secondly, the Alacrity Boots, which could enhance the user's speed. Thirdly, what caught Ronan's interest was the plasma pistol capable of firing plasma bullets.
All these weapons, of course, were unknown to Takeru or even imagined by him before. All of this was Noah's reference result, as the one who developed them on earth. However, due to technological limitations and limited resources, only Takeru could materialize these weapons using his artifact. Thus, these three weapons were made exclusively to assist Ronan in his actions, and his first mission in the fantasy world facing unknown dangers.
"And, just so you know, Lord Takeru himself had them made for you based on my references, so use them well and don't disappoint him," Noah said while smoking.
Meanwhile, Ronan wore all the equipment provided. The Exoskeleton MK 01 suit was made of tight material that adjusted directly to Ronan's muscular body shape. Feeling somewhat embarrassed wearing such tight clothing, Ronan took the initiative to wear a thick jacket and comfortable synthetic fabric cargo pants. He also wore a pair of brown boots.
"I know," Ronan replied, putting on the Holster to place the plasma pistol on his waist. And not only that, Ronan also needed some weapons such as a titanium Dagger, hand grenades, flashbangs, and an assault rifle, the modified Barrett REC7.
Noah looked at Ronan skillfully preparing himself, and for the first time, he saw an international mercenary outfitting himself for a mission. Although he didn't like Ronan's past because some of his actions were inhumane, they were now working for Takeru, so all past could be forgotten, and they were colleagues to fulfill their master's requests.
"Well, I hope you succeed. And if you can, bring back samples of your prey. It will greatly help my research," Noah said, blowing cigarette smoke and smiling.
Ronan nodded, then set off, leaving Noah and his subordinates behind. Noah watched Ronan's back with hope that he would return with something interesting.
Hopefully, Ronan succeeds, he thought to himself, while blowing out cigarette smoke.
/----/
To reach the location, Ronan was provided with a sturdy trail motorbike. With courage, he rode through several construction areas towards the southwest forest where the iron mine was suspected to be located.
The journey took three hours until he finally arrived at the location. There, stood the tents of the expedition team. Ronan paused for a moment to gather information before carrying out his task.
After finishing the discussion, Ronan left the base and headed to the point where the monster's nest was suspected to be located. The monster was a giant lizard about ten meters tall that was aggressive and could spew fire from its mouth. The expedition team agreed to name the creature "Salamander".
Ronan carefully climbed up the steep path to the top of the cliff where the Salamander's nest was supposed to be located, so he parked his motorbike below. When he reached the top, he was surprised to see the creature.
"I'm really in a fantasy world... How do I kill this creature?" he thought, remembering that this was the first time he had to face a monster instead of a human.
Although slightly confused, Ronan didn't lose his wits. He knew he had to carefully plan a strategy to deal with this Salamander. Thinking quickly, he began devising a plan to defeat the creature.