I am Loki the Frost Fruit Ability User

The Heist of the Kryptonian Sunstone Vault

After gaining the life-saving skill of Reflection in Crystal and Shadows in Light, the system gave me a new task: to infiltrate the Vault of Rao and steal the Codex of Krypton.

To make things worse, the system added a bizarre requirement—use the stolen Codex to temporarily trap Kal-El, the future Superman, in an energy prison.

Compared to the earlier task of pranking Kal-El 100 times, isn't this difficulty ramping up a bit too fast?

You see, the Vault of Rao isn't just some museum where one can waltz in and take what they like.

It houses Krypton's most valuable relics and artifacts, treasures collected over generations by the Council of Krypton and safeguarded against potential threats.

The Codex of Krypton, the target of my mission, is one of these powerful relics. It contains the genetic blueprint of every Kryptonian ever born, a cornerstone of Kryptonian civilization.

Then, there's the Phantom Drive Core, which would later be used to banish criminals to the Phantom Zone.

One can imagine how heavily guarded the Vault of Rao must be. Breaking in and stealing anything is nearly impossible.

However, with my mastery of Kryptonian cloaking technology and the Reflection in Crystal and Shadows in Light ability, entering the Vault wasn't the hardest part of this task.

Even using the Codex to trap Kal-El in a temporary stasis wasn't too daunting—I've already pranked Kal-El 100 times and felt no guilt.

The real challenge lies in the Codex's origins.

It originally belonged to the House of Zod, a family whose bloodline I've learned I share.

Yes, the great Jor-El, father of Kal-El, adopted me, raising me as his own. But in truth, I am Dru-Zod, the biological son of Alura and Dax-Zod, outcast due to their crimes against Krypton.

Jor-El, being the benevolent genius he is, took me in when he discovered me abandoned in a collapsing military installation after a rebellion.

In my past life, I might have hated my biological parents, but here, I couldn't care less. Jor-El and Lara are the only family I recognize now.

But that's exactly why this mission feels so risky.

What if my infiltration of the Vault leads Jor-El to suspect I've learned the truth of my origins?

Would the trust and love I've cultivated with him and Lara shatter in an instant?

The Risks and Planning

The Codex of Krypton isn't just a relic. Kryptonians with Zod blood, like me, can activate it, but doing so would reveal my true origins. Even Jor-El's advanced science can't mask the genetic markers in my blood.

So, if I take on this mission, I must carefully plan every step to ensure neither Jor-El nor Lara ever suspect a thing.

"System," I asked cautiously, "what exactly is the reward for completing this task? If it's not worth it, there's no way I'm risking my life and family trust."

[Host, rest assured. The reward prepared for this task will far exceed your expectations and align perfectly with your abilities.]

[Skipping this mission would be a mistake you'll regret for the rest of your life.]

The system's cryptic assurances only added fuel to my curiosity.

If I could pull this off without anyone finding out, I'd gain not only immense power but also the confidence to take control of my destiny in this dangerous world.

Moreover, this mission would take far less time than the previous task of pranking Kal-El 100 times.

Could I afford to gamble on this one?

After pacing in my chambers for hours, I finally made up my mind—I would accept the mission!

The Execution

For the next few days, I maintained my usual routine: attending Lara's lessons on Kryptonian philosophy and honing my scientific knowledge under Jor-El. I avoided Kal-El, trying not to remind him of my earlier pranks.

Kal-El, for his part, seemed embarrassed as well. After his last outburst nearly harmed me, he had been avoiding me too. But knowing his carefree nature, I could tell his guilt would fade soon.

In fact, after just a few days, Kal-El seemed to have completely forgotten everything. If anything, he found it suspicious that I wasn't playing any pranks on him.

I couldn't help but smirk at the irony—my absence was making him paranoid. But this gave me the perfect opportunity to carry out the mission.

Breaking into the Vault

The Vault of Rao, buried deep beneath Krypton's Council Chambers, is shielded by multiple layers of security: advanced AI drones, plasma locks, and the Sunstone Shield, a near-impenetrable force field.

Using my Reflection in Crystal ability, I bypassed the drones and hid my movements from the AI systems.

Once inside, the real challenge began. Activating the Sunstone Shield requires either Council authorization or a direct genetic match.

As a descendant of Zod, I was able to temporarily override the shield. My hands trembled as the Codex came into view. Holding it felt like holding Krypton's future in my hands.

Freezing Kal-El

The next part of the mission was even easier than I expected.

I waited until Kal-El was asleep and used the Codex's stasis function to encase him in a glowing energy cocoon. It would dissipate harmlessly by morning, leaving him none the wiser.

By the time Jor-El and Lara awoke, I had already returned the Codex to the Vault without leaving a trace. Kal-El, of course, woke up completely unaware of what had happened.

As I stood in the library later that day, pretending to read Kryptonian scriptures, the system's notification chimed in my head:

[Mission complete! Reward unlocked: Phantom Genesis, the ability to manipulate phantom constructs and energy barriers.]

I clenched my fist, feeling a surge of power course through me. If I continued down this path, I'd ensure my survival in this universe, no matter what threats came my way—be it Darkseid, the Anti-Monitor, or even the destruction of Krypton itself.