I Spread my Genes to Level Up in the Apocalypse

"So, how do I get stronger?" William asked as he strolled along the riverbank. His steps sent ripples through the water, each movement causing the river to quiver slightly.

[You have to kill living beings. The more living beings you kill, the more power you'll gain.]

"How will I know how much power I have?" William asked, a frown forming on his face. The fading sunlight cast its glow upon him, highlighting his unkempt hair and the mud stains smudged across his face.

*[Well…]*

Suddenly, a blue screen materialised in front of William, and his eyes lit up with excitement.

[Level Up

Name: William

Occupation: Ordinary Homo sapien

Level: 0]

"Level-up system? I can grow stronger by leveling up?" he muttered, a spark of determination igniting in his voice.

William felt a surge of pleasure in his heart as he stared at the screen. He wasn't entirely unfamiliar with the concept; anime and similar media had become a universal staple, especially with Ray's influence. Almost everyone in the world had encountered it in some form.

Who hadn't dreamt of being the protagonist in their own story, even if only in their imagination?

"Soon, I will take revenge on you, Ray," he muttered venomously, his voice dripping with hatred.

Determined, he began his killing spree. His first victim was a lizard casually wandering by. William stomped on it with his bare foot. The sensation of its body crunching beneath him sent a shiver of disgust through his spine.

As green blood oozed onto his foot, the stench and grotesque sight overwhelmed him, forcing him to vomit violently. Despite the nausea and filth, William gritted his teeth and pressed on.

William leveled up to Level 1 almost immediately, and a surge of warm energy coursed through his veins, gradually strengthening him.

"Is this the power I can gain?" he muttered, a chuckle escaping his lips as a new blue screen materialized before him.

[Congratulations! You have broken the chain of your gene and gained a new skill: Pyromancy.]

"I can manipulate fire again," William murmured, his tone tinged with disbelief and excitement. It felt like a dream—a sweet, intoxicating dream from which he didn't want to wake.

A small spark ignited in his palm, flickering like a newborn star. The sight made his excitement swell further.

"Now, can I create this fire infinitely and upgrade it?" William asked himself, his mind racing with possibilities.

Although he had wielded this ability before, it was vastly different this time. Previously, his pyromancy was severely limited—its power static and its duration brief. But now, with the potential for growth, William felt a glimmer of hope for true strength.

In the past, even to create that tiny spark, William had spent years painstakingly conducting research on his own. Despite gathering all the resources and assistance he could find, it had taken him five long years of relentless effort to achieve even a fraction of control over such a meager power.

But now, he wielded this skill effortlessly, as if it had always been a part of him.

[Using skills consumes stamina]

"Oh, is that so?" William raised his eyebrows in surprise, contemplating the implications.

"If I could level up even more, then I might be able to use this power infinitely. No—" his voice grew resolute, "to beat that monster, I need to become far stronger…"

With his fists clenched tightly, William walked forward.

In a typical story, a protagonist with such resolve might indeed achieve their dreams. But William's tale was anything but normal.

A shadow loomed over his journey—Ray, a villain far beyond comprehension, observed his every move with keen amusement. From behind a glowing monitor, Ray's eyes gleamed, entertained by the spectacle unfolding before him.

Ray sat comfortably on his throne, Yuna and Yukia resting in his lap, their delicate forms leaning against his broad shoulders. A glass of exquisite wine rested in his left hand, its rich aroma complementing the slow, deliberate sips he took as he savored its taste.

The unfolding scenes of William's struggles played out before him on an expansive screen. To Ray, William's efforts were no more than the fumblings of a child—neither impressive nor worthy of concern. However, his **True Eyes**, unparalleled in their insight, revealed something far more intriguing.

In William's shadow, faint but undeniable, a presence lurked—dark, ominous, and unmistakably alien. A sliver of power that had hidden itself expertly from ordinary perception pulsed faintly within him.

Ray chuckled softly, his voice barely above a whisper but filled with amusement. "That so-called universal being… how naive to think I wouldn't notice," he mused. "Or perhaps, he simply underestimated the reach of my True Eyes."

He leaned back further, his free hand gently brushing a strand of hair from Yuna's face. She murmured softly in her sleep, while Yukia nestled closer. Ray's smirk deepened as he continued to observe, his gaze fixed on William's every move, as he was nothing more than a chess piece in a game far beyond his comprehension.

"A system, huh? Interesting. The only problem is that this system of his level-up is extremely limited. Even if he could kill all the creatures, its peak strength is merely at most that of a Planetary being. Even if he could stretch himself to reach the Universal level, it couldn't surpass its creator. Not to mention, it is entirely reliant on the creators, who could take his power at any given time."

Countless thoughts flashed in his mind, and he could directly analyze them.

Ray's system was distinctly different from this fake system, which didn't offer a single benefit.

It was entirely dependent, while for him, his system couldn't take anything away since he doesn't level up and is more reliant on his gene.

As for his attribute, from Ray's understanding, it had become his own power and wasn't affected by the system. The system was merely a key to gain his power, not to control it. However, everything was controlled by the system for William.

Yet, something piqued his interest even more.

"The use of stamina instead of Mutation Energy, huh?"

This was something he hadn't thought about until now, and he didn't even know it could be accomplished.

For the skills gained from the genes, one needed an attributeless source of energy that could be ever-changing. Mutation Energy was the perfect catalyst for this, but stamina…

"Hmm, would it work since it should also be attributeless?" Ray pondered, as he had never researched stamina as a source of energy before.

Seeing that small spark of ignition from William had already sparked some new thoughts in him.

"It was worth it to spare such a tiny insect for a bigger fish."

Ray felt like he was fishing now; with the perfect insect laid out in front of him, he could glimpse some of the secrets of Universal beings while patiently waiting for it to take a bite.

"Why are you interested in this guy?" Yukia complained, her cheeks puffed up.

"Could it be…"

Ray raised his eyebrows and flicked her forehead gently. "Don't let any strange ideas fill your little brain."

"Eh, I don't have any strange ideas, though." She shook her head, grumbling to herself, "You didn't even let me know my sentence…"

"My dear Yukia, do you think your almighty husband doesn't know what you were going to say?"

At that moment, a soft hand gently pinched his waist.

Ray turned towards Yuna and smiled with glee. "Sorry," he said, and embraced both of them again, cuddling together in a tight hug.

While Ray was enjoying his time, the man on the screen in front of them gradually turned miserable.

As he walked along the riverside, he encountered a ferocious crocodile that stood three meters tall if it were on its two legs.

"This is…" William immediately felt a chill in his heart as he decisively turned around. Unfortunately, the senses of a true predator are much greater than those of its prey.

The crocodile swiftly swam through the river, slowly approaching him.

"Damn it, I need to get out of here."

William dashed to the left with an extremely frightened expression. In the water, the speed of the crocodile was greater than his, but on land, it was an entirely different story.

He was acutely aware of the difference and plunged into the jungle.

"Want to have some amusement while watching the monkey, my dear?" Ray asked, glancing at Yuna and Yukia.

"How?" Yuna cutely tilted her head.

"Haha, you shouldn't ask how. You should ask me how many!"

Ray chuckled.

The moment he said those words, William, who was running through the wild, immediately stumbled and fell into a pit.

"This is…" Before he could comprehend the situation, William felt countless creatures slowly slithering across his body; they were extremely slippery.

"What is this?"

William's eyes fluttered open, his vision blurred by the sunlight filtering through the hole above. A shiver ran down his spine as his breath hitched. Looming unnervingly close to his body was a small head—sleek, triangular, and terrifyingly still.

"A fucking snake!?"

He screamed, realizing that it wasn't just one snake but a den of terrifying serpents wrapped around him, completely covering him like bondage.

Ahhhh—

His loud scream grew more frantic.

"Eww, this is pretty disgusting," Yuna said, quickly turning away, as if trying to unsee the scene.

"Should I stop?"

"Eh, no. It's just that the scene is a little disgusting, that's all. But don't you want him alive? Won't this den of snakes kill him?"

"You don't have to worry about that. There's a Universal being inside him. If he can't even survive this, then he's simply not worthy," Ray replied, casually shrugging with the most nonchalant expression.

"I see."

As expected, a bright light soon shone, and the entire den of snakes was obliterated, turning to dust in the wind.

"Dance like a monkey, William, for my amusement," Ray muttered, watching the screen while sipping his wine.

"This is what you get for messing with my daughter…"

Snickering to himself, Ray watched William's suffering as though it were a circus performance. This was how his days passed—spending more time with his woman and watching the circus.