I Spread my Genes to Level Up in the Apocalypse

[Vase Name: Elaria]

[Memories: Sealed]

[Power: Planetary Level (Damaged, can only exert a percentage of her strength and is weakening over time)]

[Remark: The Mother Earth is sealed within her body, while Elaria is merely a vessel being used as a host.]

"Eh... what?"

For a moment, Ray was utterly stunned, the shock reverberating through his heart.

"What the hell is this!?"

He wanted to shout out loud but quickly restrained himself. He was standing right in front of Elaria, and he had no idea if this "Mother Earth" was aware of what was happening outside of her sealed state.

"But she's a Planetary being... why is she even here?"

Ray's mind swirled with confusion as he pondered the situation.

After a long period of thought, he quietly left the room. Elaria remained engrossed in her games, completely unaware of his presence.

"Time to start the hunt for more undead and spread my Genes," Ray muttered with a sly smile as he silently walked out of the city.

As he flew in the sky, a curious thought crossed his mind. "I wonder if there's even an undead that could reach the Celestial Level?"

With that, he began his killing spree, hunting the undead one by one. After leaving the city, he flew toward the nearest area where he could sense their presence.

"Are there any survivors?" Ray wondered as he scanned the area. All he could see was a desolate wasteland, the city reduced to ruins.

The eerie silence created an unsettling calm, peacefulness in destruction.

However, if one looked closely at the ground, they would see it was teeming with undead, slowly shuffling across the entire ruined city..

Ray scanned the area with his red eyes, which allowed him to see through things with hyper realistic detail, like a live-action x-ray. His Golden Eyes, on the other hand, were more adept at organising the vast amount of information his vision provided.

"There's no one here?" he muttered in surprise, his brows raised when he confirmed there wasn't a single living soul in the city.

"I guess all the survivors moved toward my Gene City," he thought, realising this city wasn't too far from it. By vehicle, it would take less than an hour to reach.

"Welp, destruction it is."

Ray took a deep breath, his body calm and composed, as power surged through his veins.

He extended his hand, spreading his fingers before pulling them into a tight fist. Drawing his arm back to build momentum, Ray focused all his strength, his muscles straining as power gathered in his body.

With a swift, controlled motion, Ray threw a light punch toward the city.

Boom!

An invisible force rippled outward, distorting the very air as it sped toward the city. The deafening sound drew the attention of every undead, but it was too late. A terrifying explosion erupted from the heart of the city, sending shockwaves across the landscape.

Destruction--utter destruction.

That was the only way to describe what Ray saw as he looked over the ruins. The ground had been torn apart, the earth upheaved, and a deep crater now lay where a city, once overrun by undead, had stood.

"Hm?"

Ray suddenly sensed the Mutation Energy stirring within him. A satisfied smile crept across his lips.

"This isn't bad," Ray said to himself, satisfied.

--

Mutation Energy: 5,209

--

This had been a small city, with barely any Level 1 undead, so it was no surprise that he hadn't gained much Mutation Energy. Still, he was content with the results.

Ray then shot off, moving at lightning speed, his body transforming into pure electricity as he travelled effortlessly toward the next city.

This was his fastest form of travel, and in this state, Ray could come barely close to the speed of light. However, maintaining control at such speeds was still extremely difficult for him.

"This Pseudo S-class skill is ridiculously useful..." he thought, as dark clouds gathered overhead. Without hesitation, he scanned the area to confirm there were no humans nearby.

In an instant, lightning rained down from the sky, striking the city with devastating force.

Just like that, Ray travelled from city to city, merely glancing to check for any humans before sending down a bolt of lightning to obliterate the entire area. He didn't even need to lift a finger.

In a short span of time, he had already visited almost every city in his country.

"Hmm," Ray muttered as he glanced at the red panel.

--

Mutation Energy: 99,876

--

"This is really not bad, but it's still not enough," he sighed, a bitter smile forming on his lips.

The sheer energy required to upgrade his current skills was simply mind-numbing.

Every skill he had now was at the S-class and A-class. Even a Pseudo S-class skill required a staggering 300,000 Mutation Energy just to advance. The terrifying gap between levels was clear without needing any further explanation.

"I guess I'll head to other countries... or even the sky," Ray thought, considering his next move. Although the internet was still functional, and some people from other nations had arrived in his Gene City, their numbers were small. No Awakeners from other countries seemed to have appeared.

"I've heard they formed some union of Awakeners and other things. Maybe I'll start with the country that was first hit by the nuclear bombs... then head to Russia," he mused.

Without hesitation, he sped forward, his thoughts racing. However, even without noticing, a slight, mischievous smile crept onto his face--a bit more perverted than before.

The sun hung high in the sky, radiating warmth across the earth, as an unassuming bolt of lightning streaked rapidly through the sky.

It travelled at a terrifying speed before coming to a halt over a massive island separated by the ocean.

"Hmm?"

The bolt of lightning came to an abrupt stop in the sky, gradually dispersing to reveal Ray's figure.

"This island seems to be sinking..." he thought, extending his hand forward as his mind focused.

Instantly, the entire island trembled, as if an earthquake had struck. Before his eyes, the land began to slowly lift off, the sinking slowing down.

"That should do it," Ray mused. "I can make this my city's base for gathering all the ocean's resources."

As he scanned the area, searching for any signs of life, he was stunned.

To his absolute astonishment, there were countless humans gathered in a major spot.