Genesis Code: The Genetic Awakening-Chapter 37: Solo Dungeon Dive (3)

"Haa..." Caleb sighed, taking a moment to rest before continuing. No one had said anything about rushing through the dungeon.

This was his life at stake, and he needed to plan his approach carefully.

’But what does clearing the dungeon even mean?’ Caleb wondered, realizing he’d missed that detail in the briefing.

Did he need to wipe out all the monsters on each floor before progressing, or was it just the boss monsters he had to deal with, all the way to the final floor?

He wasn’t sure, and that uncertainty weighed on him. However, he also had his own agenda.

’Aside from the experience I’ll gain, I’ll get all the cores to fill my own core and grow stronger.’ Caleb smiled faintly. ’Too bad this isn’t the kind of world where slaying monsters directly grants you experience points.’

Shaking off those thoughts, Caleb focused on his HUD, scanning the details of the monsters roaming the tunnels.

[Cavecrawler Beetle: A large, iridescent beetle with spiked legs and glowing antennae]

[Abilities: Emits a blinding flash of light to disorient enemies and secretes an acidic fluid that corrodes weapons.]

"Yeah, not scary at all," he muttered, his expression souring slightly.

The system did a good job of showing images of the monsters, comparing their sizes to his own. Most of them came up to his knees.

Caleb was still a transmigrated individual, and he hadn’t been exposed to this kind of danger before—well, except in the lab, but that was a different kind of threat entirely.

"And there are a lot of them, too."

His gaze shifted to the next monster on the list, and once again, it didn’t disappoint in terms of danger.

[Burrower Worm: A segmented worm with a tough, stone-like carapace and glowing red eyes.]

[Abilities: Can tunnel through walls to ambush adventurers and cause tremors that trigger cave-ins.]

"I need to be careful with these ones." Caleb noted, shifting his attention to the next pair of threats.

[Lichen Stalker: A plant-like creature camouflaged as moss, with glowing fungal growths.]

[Abilities: Releases toxic spores that induce hallucinations and can regenerate by absorbing nearby plant life.]

"It’s always the harmless-looking ones..."

Each monster on the list grew scarier than the last. Hallucinations? Definitely something to avoid.

[Shadow Gremlin: Small, humanoid creatures with large eyes and jagged teeth, clinging to walls.]

[Abilities: Move silently in the dark, using their claws to rip apart enemies and sabotage gear.]

"Tsk. Reminds me of those little green devils. And they’re disgusting-looking to boot."

With the necessary information in hand, Caleb now needed to come up with a plan. He prompted the system to open his inventory, hoping to find something useful that could give him an edge.

"Gathering information beforehand is crucial," Caleb muttered, grateful for his system. Underestimating the monsters in the dungeon could cost him dearly.

"Some novels have the MC handling monsters like these as if it’s a walk in the park," he thought, realizing he almost fell into that mindset himself.

Most of the items in his inventory were still greyed out, but a few stood out and could prove helpful.

’The clothes themselves have some resistance to cuts, so that’s fine for now,’ Caleb pondered. ’If only I could get some skills. Unfortunately...’

The genetic system didn’t grant him skills—those were up to him to decide. Plus, he didn’t have the mana needed to cast any skills, even if he had them.

’Fire magic would have been effective against those moss-like monsters,’ he thought, but then a sudden realization struck him. ’Do these Stalker things even have cores?’

It seemed unlikely, given their small size. ’So, not all monsters in the dungeon have cores.’

Another useful piece of information Caleb was grateful to deduce.

He retrieved a black nose mask from his inventory. It had air-filtering properties, perfect for dealing with the toxic spores of the Stalker creatures.

Next, he pulled out a waist belt designed to hold weapons—ideal for the short sword he carried. ’Let’s add another to make it dual-wielding.’

After securing the swords behind his waist, Caleb stood up. With a solid plan in place for dealing with the monsters, he was ready for the confrontation.

The beetles were first on his list, and they were only a few hundred meters along the path he needed to take.

...

The Cavecrawler Beetles roamed their designated area, gleaming with iridescent colours as light hit their exoskeletons at different angles.

The predominant colour, however, was a turquoise green with silvery reflections that danced across their bodies.

Most of the beetles gathered in a spacious cavern, while others roamed the tunnel networks, forming a clear hierarchy.

The larger beetles dominated the cavern, while the smaller ones occupied the tunnels.

But their organized lifestyle was interrupted when a blurry figure swooshed past them. In the blink of an eye, many of the beetles collapsed, blood spilling from the joints where their heads connected to their bodies.

SCREECH!!!

Caleb appeared like a ghost, wielding dual blades with deadly precision as he sliced through the beetles.

When he first arrived near the monsters, he expanded his domain sense, spreading it in a 30-meter radius around him, making him aware of every movement in his immediate surroundings.

A closer look from his system revealed the perfect spots to strike for an instant kill.

Caleb’s plan to deal with the beetles was simple: speed. Take them down before they even had a chance to spit their acidic fluids or emit their blinding flashes.

With his blades held in a reverse grip, Caleb ran circles around the creatures, cutting through them with ruthless efficiency.

’Feels easy enough,’ he thought, but he didn’t let his guard down.

After the initial surprise attack and chaos, the beetles managed to detect him. Though Caleb was fast, they didn’t back off.

SCREECH!!!

The beetles screeched louder than before, calling for reinforcements. Many of them had their antennae glowing with bright white light, while others spat acidic fluids at Caleb. They were relentless as they pursued him.

Surprisingly, the acidic fluids shot out quickly, resembling jet streams of water the size of a child’s arm.

Caleb dodged them with practised precision, focusing on the beetles preparing to unleash their blinding light. He struck them down in one swift motion.

"Damn..."

Caleb muttered, his eyes narrowing as he observed the effects of the acidic fluids. They burned through the walls like paper, the rocks melting into a sludge-like substance.

The steam rising from the acid was pungent, and without his mask, it would’ve been hell for him.

Another loud screech from the cavern caught his attention. He hadn’t finished dealing with the beetles in the tunnels yet, but it seemed the larger ones were coming.

The bigger beetles were already emitting their blinding light, growing brighter and more intense as they charged toward him.

As if that weren’t enough, multiple streams of acidic fluid were now rushing toward him, larger and faster than before.

’Shit!’freēnovelkiss.com