I Spread my Genes to Level Up in the Apocalypse

"It's been a long day, huh…" Ray muttered as he swirled his warm tea, watching his reflection in the cup as hot steam rose, gently caressing his face. The warm, inviting fragrance from the tea made him take deep breaths, savouring its aroma.

He opened his mouth and lightly blew the steam away, cooling the tea slightly before taking a delicate sip.

Immediately, his taste buds were overwhelmed with pleasure as the rich flavours of the tea burst in his mouth.

Ray closed his eyes in pure bliss, savouring each small sip, a contented smile playing at the corners of his lips.

The gentle breeze brushed against his face, the warm rays of the sunrise bathed him in light as he sat atop the most luxurious skyscraper.

The distant sound of chickens cooing and the bustling streets below walking in the paved roads with safety.

The shops began to open, and people appeared on the streets, walking calmly. Children started to play with each other, their faces lit up with smiles—something that should have been impossible in the apocalypse.

Ray felt a warm sensation in his heart. After all, this was his city, a place where even amidst the apocalypse, life could be maintained.

There was likely no other place on earth right now where children could smile and people could live peacefully like this.

"This is a blessing in disguise," he muttered, calmly setting down his tea.

"What do you think, Yuna?"

"It's beautiful," Yuna replied, her voice filled with fascination as she gazed at the sunrise, completely absorbed in its beauty.

She stood up from her seat and walked over to Ray, embracing him and snuggling deeply into his chest.

Ray shook his head helplessly but didn't push her away. Yuna and Ray had cuddled so many times that she wouldn't feel at ease or sleep at night without being in his arms.

After an hour of enjoying the peaceful moment, Ray softly muttered to her, "Are you going to lay on me the entire day?"

Yuna strained to open her eyes, then reached up to Ray and gently pecked his cheek. "Yes," she replied with a smile.

"It's time to work," Ray said lightly as he stood up from his seat, Yuna still clinging tightly to him.

"I'll stay like this," Yuna said, burying her head in his chest.

"Alright," Ray chuckled. He wouldn't mind holding this beautiful lady all day.

"Let's start the day by synchronising our genes. What do you think?" he suggested, a playful glint in his eyes.

"Eh," Yuna immediately looked up at Ray, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Let's do it then!"

"Why are you so excited?" Ray raised his eyebrows.

"I always feel this tingling sensation when our genes synchronise, and the power that courses through my veins fills me with satisfaction like an addiction."

"That's only a fraction of my power," Ray chuckled, his tone light. "Status."

—-

- Mutation Energy: 3426

—

He glanced at the mutation energy, then at his skills. A day had passed since Elyon and the other two were eliminated.

In fact, the only reason Elyon had been allowed to live up until now was because Ray didn't want to waste his mutation energy building the entire city. After all, he could always turn Elyon into an undead, which he did after his death.

That was the last bit of value he could squeeze out of Elyon.

"Let's just upgrade Gene Synchronisation first. Maybe I'll make a breakthrough using that," Ray muttered. Without hesitation, he channelled 100 mutation energy within his body to advance the skill.

*Swish!*

The wind blew across Ray's face as he focused, trying to sense any changes in his body. Yet, there was nothing significant—no sudden surge of power, no immediate transformation. Instead, a small stream of information flowed into his mind, but it wasn't overly complex or vast.

"Hmm?" Ray furrowed his brow, puzzled by the lack of a dramatic shift.

[Skill: Genetic Synchronisation (Awakening II)

A powerful awakened skill that allows the user to share their genes with others and inversely. When the user shares their genes, they temporarily gain a portion of the other person's abilities, as all awakened skills are recorded in the user's genes.

This skill can be used once per day. With prolonged use, the user may permanently acquire the other person's ability, depending on the Awakener's compatibility with the skill and gene. The chance of gaining the permanent skill has been enhanced, and you can directly synchronise with twenty people at once.

Condition:

-To share genes, the user must have an intimate and close connection with the person, both emotionally and physically.

Limitation:

-Consumes a massive amount of mutation energy and time to synchronise with the person. The temporary ability lasts between two hours, depending on the strength of the connection. The user experiences a period of vulnerability after the temporary skill is revoked.]

Ray looked at the details with squinted eyes. Almost everything was the same, except for some minor details.

"So, I have more chances to permanently acquire a skill, huh?" Ray touched his chin for a moment. He was also intrigued by the ability to synchronise with multiple people.

If he did so, not only would his strength increase, but he could also protect all his women more easily using his skill, and they would gain the power to assist him in fights if it ever came to that.

He glanced at the mutation energy required to advance to Awakening III—it was a thousand mutation energy, just as expected.

"Let's just use it," Ray murmured as the mutation energy rapidly vanished from his body.

—

-Mutation energy: 2226

—

There was no change in his body, but some new information appeared in his mind. Ray then looked at the panel again.

[Gene Synchronisation (Awakening III)

- Bind up to one hundred people.

- Fifty percent chance to permanently gain the ability of the Gene Synchronized person.

- Can share a portion of your skill with the Synchronized person.

- Once Gene Synchronisation is used, it ensures loyalty to the host, making the person never betray you while still retaining their free will and thoughts.

- Can only be used once per day if you want to obtain the skill of the person.]

"This... this..." Ray was stunned. "As expected, a skill that can reach A-class is definitely not weak."

A smile tugged at his lips. If it were anyone else who had awakened this skill, they might not even be able to display a sliver of its power.

But Ray was different, very different. He had the ability to use this skill to its full potential.

While thinking of this, Ray looked at Yuna, who was still cuddling with him.

"Let's Gene Synchronise now, Yuna."

"Alright." She immediately closed her eyes in anticipation, and Ray closed his eyes, utilising his mutation energy once more.

A green light emanated from their bodies, mingling together. The entire area was bathed in a soft green glow with only the faint shadow of the two bodies mingling faintly being seen.

Yuna felt a tingling sensation down her spine, followed by a warm feeling rising from her heart. Her genes seemed to undergo an inexplicable, powerful change.

"It feels different from before, but it's nice," Yuna hummed with a pleased expression.

Soon, the light subsided, and Ray looked around. He could sense that the world appeared slightly different from his perspective.

"Did I really gain the S-class skill: Space Mastery, so easily?"