An imposter among us [2]

[System: The host has activated one of the skills of the [The golden eyes of abyssal tiger]

[Abyssal shift]: Allows the host to teleport to their desired location after once fully enveloped in darkness

Rank: Catastrophic

Attribute: Dark element

Cost: 50 mana/chi

Cooldown: 1 hour

Special effect: The enveloped darkness will grant the host a temporary cloaking effect for about 30 minutes]

Neon promptly appears at the entrance of the principal's office by the time he'd heard the news given by his subordinate. "The third evolutionary path or Synchron sure has given me loads of benefits. Ever since the time I put them in their place, they reduced the cooldown period for my benefit. But now that it came to this I should probably tinker with the spell,"

Before Neon reunites with his men he summoned Vestal to aid him in the following steps. "I'm at your service my liege!"

'There's a chance I'll lose the protection given by the principal, but let's be honest I'm holding back so much back on these students. There's no need to hide my strength since im not even human many wouldn't doubt my stats. However, the problem lies in the sheer power I have, it's overkill if I use this on those next generations of guardians,'

"Vestal have you fully understood the commands that I uploaded in your mind?" He sat down and sees Vestal and her swarm preparing for the technique

[Race unique ability: Few of the guardians ever-evolving [Lesser homunculus] have far exceeded a normal combatant!

Advance summoning perks: Summons that exceeds a threshold will be given titles to differentiate themselves from the pack

Titles: Summons that are given titles will be granted admission to obtain a [Class] chosen by their summoner]

[Vestal the hive LVL 33

Title: General

Class: Mage

Race: Lesser homunculus

Special abilities: Manipulative hivemind]

"Hijacking the spell in three two one," Vestal with his helpers plunge their inhumane string-like tentacles into Neon's body where lies an ongoing spell

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Vestal said in her voice field with doubt

'Hush! I wouldn't need your help if I built a foundation on my circles but I've been rather busy. The other way to change the spell coding is to either have a circle or two if not then a third party to help. Begin the unwinding now, don't force your way in, or else you'll get ejected, the caster of this spell is the principal so we need to be mindful,'

Vestal along with her hivemind subjects began their process as everyone followed Neon's instruction at mind. The structure of the spell was released upon Vestal breaking the outer shell which functions as the spell countermeasure. In this momentary vulnerability of the spell Neon tweaked the spells in his favor and as he assumed its defenses came undone

[System: You've successfully tampered with the functions of a high-level spell!

Status: Due to your lack of foundation in magic, the system deems your feat extraordinary!

Outcome: You've been given the title; Hacker]

"What did you change my liege?" Vestal and her subjects retrieve their tentacles upon their successful procedure

"It's nothing special, I still retain a few of its coding... for instance if I kill someone they won't be notified of a player but a simulated monster. On the other, I still gain some points, even though im classified as a monster, the difference is that I have no protection,"

"Pardon?"

Neon creepily turns his head like an owl when he veered his head and faces his minions full of curiosity. "I can earn real-life wounds, something that wasn't supposed to happen if im still coded as a player. You needn't worry. Since when I have been so weak? Before I built the swarm I hunted on my own, you lots only need to keep them from escaping, I'll be going for a hunt!"

"As you wish my liege! All of us will stay here and watch. We'll forbid anyone from going in or out as we speak,"

In front of his subjects, Neon drives his pointer finger and pierced his skull catching everyone off guard. "Manipulation,"

[System: The host utilized one of the catastrophic skills of the [Manipulative hivemind] on himself?

(Manipulation) Passive: Anything within reach will have their mind manipulated by the desire of the caster

Outcome: You now temporarily think of yourself as a monster! The sub-ability of the Homunculus shift has been triggered!

Status: You're now Shapeshifting!]

The once human-looking physique Neon naturally owns shifts to an alternate form displaying each catastrophic trait. His skin is replaced with behemoth scales his teeth become unusually sharp and his body grew in size displaying the juggernaut. Bone-like armor popped up and at the center of his chest lies a radiating pulse of the dragon is heart

"Now this feels right," After his transformation, he jumped down to the hidden passage where he met a few masked guardians guarding the chamber

"Monste–" He flattened his first victim with no help of his skills but sheer strength came to be unsealed in his transformation

[System: You've met a guardian monster!]

Neon's disguise and the adjustment to his title brought fear to the hearts of these terrorists and spared no thought of attacking. Wave after wave of bullets paired with the bombardment of spells they thought the end was nigh. Numbers may equal someone's strength but little did they know the volume of their strength can't compare to their adversary

"I have no time to play!" Neon uttered whilst his voice was altered to sound freakishly deep as he emerges from the smoke unscathed

"Abyssal slash!"

One by one their numbers decreased for his attack came to be imperceptible to the untrained eye. The wave of darkness spread and eventually tore everything apart in its venture, and he proceeded like so. He never blinked or dare stray away from his path and only anger came surging through his veins with every step he takes

'Just you wait, I'll be killing all of you! But first I need to memorize your faces. Those fuckers on the outside are nothing but scapegoats, so it's a dead end. But you guys, ohohohohohoh! I'll be enjoying torturing you even if im forced to use the catastrophic beast,'

His path to the end became bloody as hell for he met countless guards meeting the end of their lives by his needle-like bones. For once even without transforming his body seemingly acts similarly to his catastrophic form with every cell bidding his command. The moment a bystander was detected his body was unknowingly shot by a lethal needle riddled with his deadliest poison. Even if they survived the needles strike the poison forbids them to move or even mumble as their whole body froze

"Damn it! After every combination we tried why won't it open? What's so special about this safe, it's been heavily reinforced to this level. Are the Intel's even correct– Argh!" When the terrorist grew restless and thought of breaking the safe his hand came to be pierced by one of Neon's needles

"What are you doing here?" Neon appeared crawling through the ceiling walls with his horrendous figure which gave them a fright

"Shit! Who triggered the alarm? I thought you dingle heads said you got rid of every alarm? So help me im going to–" Neon rushes himself and fires a rain of needles at the enemy flank with little to no strength to enough to kept them alive

"Change of plans, kill that thing! If we die here then nothing will come about our trip you hear me! It's unacceptable if we don't bring the boss any meaningful intel– Kieeek!" Suddenly Neon's heightened sense of hearing uncovers a familiar tone from the head of those thugs

'Ragnir? You fucker! I thought you'd be a sore loser from the entrance exam and petty enough to hire a bunch of thugs. Oh boy, I knew this guy was a little suspicious, how could he easily improve so fast, and yet I never saw him train?'

The terrorist was stunned in place when they saw their leader strangled by the monster who unknowingly appeared out of thin air. "You traitor! I knew I shouldn't have thought you a lesson when I had the chance. But who knew you would stoop this low to get where you are now,"

As Neon spoke of this Ragnir and his goons never once heard of his voice for the poison clogged every one of their senses. Apart from pain, they can no longer hear, see, or even speak as they breathe the poison the odorless poison creeping in their limbs. Eventually, he breaks Ragnirs neck ending his part of the exam whilst his lackeys followed right after they died of suffocation

"I can't wait to see you after this is all over," That marks his fourth day within the rift and only a week and a half was left until he and the other students have passed