I Spread my Genes to Level Up in the Apocalypse

"I am not here to be hostile with you, Sapien number 789," the masked figure said, extending his palm forward.

"Hmm." Ray paused slightly. He was ready to take action, but at the same time, he felt a surge of curiosity. Weighing his options, he did what he thought was most logical.

Bang!

The surrounding space instantly shattered, fragments crashing like broken glass, as he appeared before the masked man in an instant and lightly flicked his head.

Another boom echoed as the masked figure was sent flying through the air, leaving a trail of blood before crashing to the ground with a heavy 'thud'. The figure struggled briefly, pointed at Ray as if in disbelief, and then fainted on the spot.

"Weak," Ray muttered casually, shaking his head.

He had expected the final chain binding the temple to manifest as some kind of terrifying creature. Contrary to his expectation, it turned out to be almost the exact opposite, leaving him quite speechless, to say the least.

"Now, let's take this mask off," he muttered.

Shaking his head, Ray focused on the masked figure and began applying force to it.

"Hmm, there's some resistance?" he mused, tilting his head in mild curiosity.

As he increased his strength, the mask remained stubbornly fixed in place, unmoving. However, the ground beneath them began to crack, the fractures spreading outward like intricate cobwebs around the fainted body.

Ray's pupils glowed even brighter, a mesmerizing blend of golden and crimson hues flickering in his gaze.

Slowly but surely, the mask started to lift, rising into the air. As it did, a layer of skin peeled away beneath it, revealing something far more unsettling beneath.

"This… is quite interesting…" Ray scratched his chin looking at the scene with widened eyes.

As the layer of skin was peeled away, the grotesque anatomy of the human face lay bare, exposing raw muscle fibers glistening with blood. Beneath the crimson sheen, the delicate structure of bone and cartilage became visible.

The eyes, wide and unblinking, stared out from hollow sockets, eerily devoid of eyebrows or lashes. Their expressionless gaze, set against the grisly backdrop of exposed tissue, sent shivers down the spine. It was a horrifying, gruesome sight to see.

"Is it also human?" Ray wondered silently. At first glance, the mask appeared ordinary, but it had successfully blocked his True Eyes, preventing him from perceiving anything about the figure beneath it.

Only after removing the mask did the truth reveal itself.

—

[Name: Percy]

[Species: Aeonian Hominids]

[Level: Peak Planetary]

[Abilities: Time Travel, Quick Teleport, Dimensional Travel (Blessed),...]

—

As Ray scanned the lengthy list of abilities, he felt momentarily overwhelmed. These were extraordinary powers, far beyond anything he had encountered, and all of them belonged solely to this masked individual.

His gaze shifted to the species name: "Aeonian Hominids."

"What a strange name for a species," Ray murmured, a faint frown creasing his face. "Timeless humans, huh?"

"So they are the keepers of our genes or something? Are they also inside me?"

Ray thought to himself. This was only one of the many genes that the human body possesses.

In his own body, the genes numbered in the billions, possibly even close to trillions. That meant there were nearly trillions of genes containing this temple and chains.

Just thinking about it made Ray shudder down his spine.

His body slowly lifted, and Ray disappeared with Percy in tow, leaving the torn corpse behind. A small darkness began to brew around it.

At first, it was very small, but it gradually started to enlarge by the minute. This darkness didn't carry a chilling feeling; instead, it felt warm, while the space surrounding it was extremely distorted.

The temple door within the broken temple of one of the genes creaked open, revealing an infinite void of nothingness.

Ray, who had been casually tossing Percy toward the research area, instantly felt the strange fluctuation emanating from the gene. Without hesitation, he reappeared in the room.

"What is this?" he muttered, his voice laced with caution.

As his True Eyes activated, their radiance intensified, casting an ethereal glow across the dark expanse. Almost immediately, sharp pain erupted in his eyes. Blood trickled down from them, staining the fractured ground beneath him.

"This is…" he whispered, his voice trailing off.

…

"Hmm, what be this?"

The Universal Being slowly opened its eyes, its glowing pink gaze piercing through the void. With an expression of utmost seriousness, it focused intently on a specific point in space, its eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

"I sense the tether of another realm within mine own dimension. How can such a thing be possible?"

"That wretched experiment—hath he shattered the gates and defied all natural order?"

Behind it loomed a massive black hole, its size comparable to that of a planet. It appeared far smaller than it once was—back when it had devoured entire stars from afar and even caused the pathways of an entire galaxy to shift under the sheer weight of its presence.

Now, the black hole seemed almost insignificant compared to before.

The Universal Being paused, its glowing pink eyes flickering faintly as it contemplated the situation in silence.

"Mother shall be most displeased with me... They have claimed yet another battlefield in their favor."

Contemplating this, the Multiversal Being's mood darkened greatly. With a flick of its fingers, it released a wave of unsettling power.

Then, as if unconcerned, it casually turned away and departed, leaving the space behind with an aura of indifference, disappearing into the vastness.

…

Ray didn't know what was happening outside, but he was certainly in disbelief as he looked at the distorted space and the portal that appeared in front of him.

This portal felt strangely familiar to him, as if he had some sort of affinity for it.

"It's… It's trying to call me."

Ray slowly walked forward, curiosity etched on his face. "Should I enter this place?"

Despite his mastery of space, Ray didn't know where this portal was linked to. It was incredibly vast and complex, even for him.

It was something beyond his understanding, and even trying to glimpse its secrets with his True Eyes caused a sharp headache to shoot through Ray's head.

"All I know is that this portal will send me far, far away."

He slowly approached the portal and curled his finger into it, trying to sense anything.

But despite his entire hand going through the portal, Ray couldn't feel anything; it was entirely dull for him.

Ray's five senses were not to be underestimated; he could essentially sense an entire planet relying solely on them.

Gulp!

He instinctively swallowed, a wave of nervousness washing over him, but in the end, he decided against entering, backtracking instead.

"I'm not going in without a plan," Ray thought with a sneer.

You only get one chance in life; if you are dead, then you are dead. He had a life to live, a woman to care for, and children even more so.

Ray wasn't alone; his entire family was behind him. If something were to happen, it would not only affect him but also lead to terrifying consequences for them all.

In the end, he chose not to enter.

He coldly watched as the portal gradually closed after half an hour.

"Let's get even stronger," he said to himself.

Ray shook his head and turned away. Just like that, his research on the mysterious Gene would have to halt for some time.

After walking away, Ray spent more time with his family, enjoying the company of all his women, and time passed in the blink of an eye.

He also had women from other races, along with various skills from Vanessa, Freya, and the other girls who had become planetary beings.

For some reason, whenever the mother was a Planetary being, they always gave Ray awakened children, and he was quite happy about it.

Although most of these skills were F-class or E-class, it was still progress nonetheless, so it didn't matter.

Eight years passed just like that, as Ray enjoyed his time to his heart's content.

Today, Ray was whistling as he walked, well-dressed in a gentleman's suit, with his long white hair neatly combed.

The contours of his well-defined muscles were visible, radiating power and pressure.

"I am such a handsome man," Ray nodded to himself with a sweet smile on his face.

This smile wasn't just self-praise; today was a special day for him—his daughter's eighteenth birthday!

Isabella was his eldest daughter, and Ray was quite satisfied with her; she was very sensible and intelligent.

As Ray walked out, Freya was still doing her makeup. He couldn't help but think that no matter how advanced technology became, women still spent hours on their makeup even to this day!

"Let's hurry, we don't want to make our daughter wait, do we?"

"Yes!" Freya replied, quickly adding the finishing touches before walking out of the room, leaning on his strong arms.

Soon, they arrived at a large mechanical room, and at the center stood a tall, two-meter girl, her posture proud and her back straight.

Her eyes were calm, radiating a sense of firmness.

"Mother, Father."

The moment she saw Ray and Freya enter, she immediately approached them and bowed her head to pay her respects.

"Look how sensible our daughter is, Freya! And you were complaining she was rebellious?" Ray said with a smile.

"It's only because you're here. In your absence, she can be quite difficult to handle," Freya retorted with a pout.

"Oh, what does she do?"

"She likes to fight a lot, I mean a lot."