In a few, Rodiku was heading towards the forest.
He had decided to go test out his new skills and abilities in the forest.
On his way, he had a conversation with Phil.
'...then it shouldn't be a problem right? Come on, this shouldn't cause you anything ', Rodiku pleaded.
' No way, I won't do that. If you want to see what's up with Angy, go check it out on your own '
' You son of a... You know what, just tell me how tight the security around her is ', Rodiku looked really disturbed, knowing that Phil wasn't easy to convince.
' Really tight, really really tight. Guarded by the head of security himself ', Phil replied, revealing a bit of information.
' Shit! That's bad meern. Damn!', Rodiku felt helpless, hearing that the head of security was right beside his target.
How was he going to update the illusion without getting noticed.
' This is going to be a real pain in the neck. How can I even... ', Rodiku was still complaining when a thought suddenly hit him.
' Wait a minute. Aaah... Stupid...'
' Hahahahaa! Aahahahaa! After all the increase in intelligence, it took you this long to figure it out. You're still so dumb and stupid, hahahahahaha! ', Phil laughed at Rodiku, not forgetting the insults.
' Shut up Phil, it hasn't even been up to an hour since I received the level ups. It's still too early to make those conclusions ', Rodiku retorted in a rather calm manner, compelling Phil to drop it.
' After all, I was concentrated on exploring my achievements and the store ', he added.
' Well, now that you figured out the solution to your problem, all that's left is for the detective to be below your rank. Otherwise, you would have to engage in battle. I hope you know that ', Phil said, reminding Rodiku to be prepared for any outcome.
After a few minutes of walking, he reached the entrance of the forest.
Rodiku entered the forest through a point far from where the Jin and Lenox incidence took place.
He made sure to go very deep into the forest.
Though compared to the entire depth of the forest, it wasn't that deep.
Core Stars Academy's forest was so wide, there were parts that hadn't been explored.
It was one of the most important parts of the school as it served as an avenue for tests.
After a while, Rodiku was finally satisfied with how deep he had reached within the forest.
He could see trees of different sizes and heights surrounding him.
The environment had a few rocks of different sizes here and there.
In all, the surroundings looked natural and serene.
' Yeah, this will do. Now then, training has officially began!', Rodiku declared with a slight smirk on his face.
' Can't wait to see your black ass finally doing some training, you lazy dweeb ', Phil commented.
'???... Whatever ', Rodiku simply chose not to retaliate.
' Now let's see. Skills first or abilities first?', Rodiku thought.
' Skills are important but in my current situation abilities are top priority '
' In case things turn bad and I had to engage in a battle with the detective, I'll need to rely on my abilities to put an end to him... Or her. So then it's settled, abilities first ', he continued in his thoughts.
' I've already tested energy manipulation, energy regeneration and cell regeneration. I also have some experience with the impeccable eyes '
' I'll definitely need a test subject to practice power plug on, so it's out of the question. Morph is very important cuz I'll need to protect my identity. Well then I'll try morph first ', he thought.
For this, Rodiku took a seat on one of the few rocks around.
Closing his eyes and interlocking his fingers, he started focusing.
* Morph activated *
Rodiku began picturing a particular image, trying his best to capture enough details.
He suddenly felt his flesh warping and stretching in different ways.
In a few, he felt everything come to a stop.
' I guess it's done ', he thought.
Rodiku opened his eyes and began scrutinizing his body.
He couldn't help but smile in satisfaction, seeing the form his body had taken.
' Phil, can you project my 3D image for me to see how successful I was?', he asked.
' Sure ', Phil replied.
Suddenly, a wide screen appeared in front of Rodiku.
He could see his overall look on the screen.
' Perfect ', he mumbled, smiling like a maniac.
On the screen, he could see a flawless image of Mr. Inkoy, his class teacher.
He had successfully transformed into Mr. Inkoy, with no visual defect at all.
If it was only about looks, it was a 100% perfect.
But it was far from it, as he was yet to test voice and others.
' Phil, can you display a general data of Mr. Inkoy for me to compare to my transformation?', he asked.
Without answering his question, Phil displayed another image of Mr. Inkoy along with all his characteristics.
' Okay class, don't spell my name like this. Do that if you wanna die ', Rodiku spoke out loud.
' Phil, run a voice comparison test ', Rodiku thought.
*
Voice stimulation is perfect
All frequencies match up
*
Seeing the information displayed before him, Rodiku was starting to feel aesthetic.
' Good ', he thought.
' Now run a DNA test ', Rodiku requested.
*
DNA test complete
DNA matched
*
Seeing that even their DNAs were the same, Rodiku felt untouchable.
He was really astonished by the capabilities of morph.
' Run an ability test '
*
Ability match ( Mind manipulation )
× Ability functionality failed ×
*
' Oh yeah, I suspected this. The abilities are the same but I can't really use it. Hmmm not bad, considering it's just a transformation ability after all ', Rodiku was quite satisfied, even though the ability doesn't work.
The fact that it's there alone would get him pass any ability detection systems and all those sort of things.
That was good enough for him.
' I have more tests to run but, first things first. Now I need to work on ozz crystalization '
' I get the feeling that one is not going to come off as easily as morph, not necessarily though', Rodiku thought, remembering the complicated capabilities of ozz crystalization.
Rodiku stretched his hand towards the ground, staring intently at a particular point on the ground.
* Ozz crystalization activated *
The ground started changing form, appearing more crystalline over the second until it looked like a translucent crystal, with a faint purple glow within it.
There it was again; that mischievous smile.
Rodiku couldn't help smiling like a maniac, who had just discovered how to destroy the world.
Once Rodiku got a hang of it, he started increasing the range covered.
As the ozz crystal increased in depth and surface area, he noticed the rate at which energy was consumed.
In about a minute, he had completely transformed an entire 7,200m² worth of ground surface area into pure ozz crystal.
The crystal was 7ft in depth, making the entire platform sturdy and firm.
Even with it's size, it still emitted the faint purple glow, making it a nice sight to behold.
' It consumes quite the amount of energy, but it's worth it ', Rodiku figured.
' Considering my quick energy regeneration ability, it shouldn't be a problem at all ', he added.
' It did say it allows manipulation of ozz crystals formed, right? Then let's check it out '
Rodiku held out his hand again, focusing on a particular point on the ozz crystal platform.
Suddenly, a hude spike emerged from the platform almost in an instant.
The speed at which the spike emerged surprised Rodiku as he didn't expect it to be that quick.
' It would take a lot of reaction speed to evade such a move '
Seeing how deadly the crystal spike was, Rodiku instantly had an idea.
He closed his eyes and focused on the flow of his energy.
He started spreading his energy through the entire ozz crystal structure.
Just as he expected, he could see everything that came into physical contact with the crystal; this included the trees and all other organic matter that was trapped in the crystal.
Since the ability couldn't transform an organic matter into ozz crystal, the plant and animals in the ground were trapped by the crystal which replaced the original, earth matter.
Rodiku noting the location of all the trees and animals, quickly crossed his hands in an X format.
In an instant, long crystal spikes emerged from the crystal ground, piercing through all the trees and animals that were caught up in the crystal platform.
It happened so quickly, almost as if the spikes suddenly appeared within the plants and animals.
Seeing this, Rodiku became very happy.
His test was a success.
' This will make a good surprise attack. And with this, I can deal a great damage to an opponent without even seeing them. Oh wait, how about I.. '
* Energy absorption activated *
Increasing his focus, Rodiku was able to detect the energy flow of all the living things in contact with his crystal.
And there it was; that psychopathic smile.
' This is broken. Freaking over powered! ', Rodiku felt elated as energy streamed through his energy channels.
In no time, the trees became devoid of energy and dried up.
The animals lost their lives without a fight, as they were rid of every last drop of energy in their bodies.
In a few, Rodiku had successfully absorbed all the energy+hp of the plants and animals.
Looking around, Rodiku could see how the naturally beautiful environment had suddenly lost it's beauty.
The trees had lost all their leaves and had dried up, making the place look like a haunted forest.
The crystal platform was completely covered in dried leaves.
The faint glowing crystal ground was the only thing that was eye-catching.
' Hahahahaa... This is getting fun. I can't even imagine my full capability... Hahahahah ', Rodiku burst into laughter, seeing how he easily rid the environment of life.
After observing the results of his test for a while, he proceeded.
' Now that I successfully created ozz crystals, how do I make them revert back to earth matter? Hmmm... ', holding his chin in a contemplative manner, Rodiku wondered.
' Okay how about this ', he thought.
Rodiku began focusing, whiles picturing the crystal structure reverting back to the normal ground it was.
He increased his focus to his peak, hoping for yet another success.
After a few minutes of trying, he realized his efforts weren't changing anything.
Feeling helpless, Rodiku decided to ask Phil to give him a hand.
' Hey Phil, you think maybe you could... '
' Not a chance! Don't even think about it! In your face, you incompetent son of a...'
Phil cut Rodiku short before he could even finish his request.
' Tsk... ', Rodiku's face twitched, seeing how arrogant Phil acted just because of a little help.
' What a jerk! ', Rodiku thought, ruling out the option of seeking Phil's help.
Rodiku helplessly sat in a crosslegged format with his eyes closed, his mind running like a super AI.
He remained in this position for over fifteen minutes, thinking about how to revert the ground back to normal.
He obviously couldn't leave it as it was.
' Haaa... Hope it goes well ', with a vivid sigh, he opened his eyes.
He obviously had an idea he wanted to put to test.
Still maintaining his focus with his eyes opened, he attempted the crystal spike move again.
SSHRKK!
A long tree-size spike emerged in an instant.
' Grrrh...', he groaned in frustration.
' Way too fast '
Not being able to retract the spike, he focused on forming a different one.
The intense focus was evident in his point blank gaze as he tried creating another spike as slow as possible.
' Ooh oohohoho... I see what you're up to. It might work if you try hard ', Phil said, seemingly catching on Rodiku's plan.
' Shut up! Who asked for your opinion? ', Rodiku thought without losing a hint of his focus.
Maxing his focus and meticulously controlling the flow of his energy, Rodiku successfully erected another spike.
This time the erection of the spike was more visible, which meant it's formation was slower.
' Oh look! We're getting somewhere. Hahahahaha... ', Phil said with a burst of laughter.
' Shut!... Up!... The fuck!?', Rodiku blurted out, his voice filled with annoyance.
Obviously, Phil plans to make things more difficult than it already is for him.
* Sigh *
With a long sigh, Rodiku calmed himself.
Thus, regaining his focused state of mind.
' This is going to be harder than I assumed. With all the concentration I put into it, it was still this fast. Haaa... I did get the feeling it wasn't going to be easy ', Rodiku thought, feeling like he had a long way to go before successfully retracting even a millimeter worth of crystal.
Steeling his resolve, Rodiku began concentrating on the flow of his energy.
Peaking his focus on the distribution and frequency of energy flow within the crystals.
He maintained his focus on the flow of energy, not bothering to create another spike yet, as he already knew the outcome of it.
...
*** In a different part of CSA ***
...
Within an office, a man and a young lady could be seen having a conversation.
From the way the man sat behind the desk with the woman facing him, it was obvious the office was his.
The man looked no younger than sixty.
He had a long black hair that reached just below his shoulders.
His black hair had gray hair showing here and there, suggesting old age.
He wore an expensive looking black business suit with matching trousers, painting him as an important personnel.
In front of him sat a young lady who looked no older than twenty-two, sporting a long scarlet hair that reached her waist.
She was clad in white long sleeves shirt and a tight black skirt, making her look elegant and attractive.
In deed, she was quite the beauty.
' Yes sir, I attended to it as quick as I could ', said the young lady with a hint of urgency in her tone.
' And what was the agency's response?', asked the man.
' Uhm... Well... They said our request can be granted three days from now ', the young lady reluctantly replied.
BAM!
' Three days!?', the man smacked the desk, immediately rising to his feet.
' Principal Owen, can you please calm down?', the young lady muttered.
' Pardon me, Lady Rukia ', Principal Owen said, regaining his composure and taking his seat.
The frustration and helplessness, clearly visible on his face.
' You know it's not easy to arrange for an A-ranked detective. According to the agency, the best we could get immediately is a B-ranked detective ', Lady Rukia stated.
' Haaa... '
' This is bad, we must have this investigated as soon as possible. The parents of the victims wouldn't really be able to do much against the school but... The incident that happened just yesterday... We suspect it must be connected to this one. Just yesterday, three students died in the reserved forest. I had the school detective investigate it and we sent the results to the Houga family and Anold family.According to the detective's findings, the three boys died fighting themselves. It was a mere spar that ended up a battle to the death. But now, we believe that result was inaccurate. For some reasons, we believe reality must have been altered ', Principal Owen stopped for a while before continuing.
' We had one of the school's detectives investigate this morning's incidence as soon as possible. And his findings _ he found out the victims were under the influence of an illusion casted by a masked man. The victims ended up killing themselves unknowingly. Tsk... If it's true, then the other three victims from yesterday must have also been influenced by an illusion ', Principal Owen paused, looking helpless.
'The school's detectives are all B-ranked. If there is a culprit who could perform an illusion that can even alter reality, so that the results of an investigation would be as they pleased, then there is the need for an alpha-ranked ', said Lady Rukia.
' Exactly! It could be that even the findings where a masked man was responsible for the massacre is also a reality altering illusion. One that even affects all the sensory cameras and energy monitors of the school ', Principal Owen added.
' This is really an emergency. The school can easily fend it's self against the families of the victims but _ In a case where there is continuous mass deaths like this, the school's reputation might suffer greatly ', Lady Rukia realized, her tone carrying more urgency than before.
' I could get affected if this problem is not solved immediately. After all, I am the principal '
' I understand, Principal Owen. But, we can't really do much about the Crime Detective Agency '
' Haaa... I'll have an A-ranked investigate the case latest by tomorrow '
' Huh? Principal Owen, what's that supposed to... '
' Don't worry. When you've been the principal of such a big school for so long, you'd know people and people will owe you favors ', he continued.
Understanding what the principal was talking about, Lady Rukia nodded.
.
***
It's been over fifteen minutes since Rodiku started concentrating on his energy flow and he was still at it.
' Almost there. Just a few minutes more, I can feel it ', he thought to himself, still focusing on his energy flow like never before.
Since Rodiku closed his eyes, he didn't see how the purple glow in the crystal had increased even though he could sense the rising of energy in the crystal.
In a manner of six minutes, it was graciously glowing.
Just then, Rodiku opened his eyes.
* Smirk *
With a look of satisfaction, Rodiku stretched forth his hand.
Slowly, a long spike protruded from the surface of the crystal platform.
So slow that Rodiku could see the wonderful formation of the crystal spike.
Rodiku still maintained the same level of concentration as the spike formed , rising to a height of 16ft.
Peaking his focus, Rodiku tried to reverse the flow of energy from the spike.
As the flow of energy was reversing, the spike was also shrinking and reverting back to the surface.
The smile on Rodiku's face proved his test was successful.
Rodiku successfully retracted the spike he created.
Applying the same energy reversal principle, he successfully retracted all the spikes on the surface of the crystal platform.
' Hahahaha... Someone is not as dumb as he looks anymore, is he? Ahahahaha..! ', Phil kicked in once more, successfully ruining Rodiku's smile.
' Tch... Shut up, dummy! Like I needed your help, I'm smarter than you think ', Rodiku thought, yielding to Phil's tease.
' Aahahahahahah..! You wish, dweeb'
' Tsk! ', Rodiku's gritted his teeth, wishing Phil had a physical body.