Genesis Code: The Genetic Awakening-Chapter 56: Tier 1

"Yeah... that’s dangerous." Caleb exhaled slowly, staring at his open palm.

With this power, the life of every living being was at his mercy. To control the genesis code itself—it was beyond insane. A shiver crawled down his spine. This wasn’t normal.

’This kind of power shouldn’t belong to a mortal. Someone gave it to me... but why?’

His fingers curled into a fist. Who had set him on this path?

He had no answer. What he did have was a dungeon to clear. Shoving the thought aside, Caleb turned his gaze elsewhere.

Not far from him, a nest of Serpents slithered across their habitat.

His figure flickered—then vanished. A breath later, he materialized in their midst, landing with a thunderous crash.

BOOM...!!!

The Serpents jerked in alarm before their instincts kicked in. They hissed as their spiked scraped against the trees. Then they struck toward him.

However, Caleb didn’t move. He didn’t flinch.

’This is what absolute power does to people. It makes them believe nothing can touch them.’

A shadow of unease flickered in his chest. It should terrify him. And yet, he stepped forward.

Because in this moment—he truly was untouchable.

With a wave of his hand, the Serpents’ genetic code unravelled before him, displaying their very essence. Another thought—another silent command and their bodies collapsed.

One by one, they convulsed. Twitched. Flesh rippled as their very biology turned against them.

Cells self-destructed at a molecular level. By the time silence settled over the ruins, only their broken remains were left.

The air felt thick, almost suffocating in its stillness. Without hesitation, Caleb strode forward to collect their cores.

Sometime later, his gaze shifted to the gateway ahead. It was time to move forward.

’I should quickly dispose of the boss and see what lies ahead.’

....

20th Floor.

[Ancient Forest Guardian: A guardian with bark-like skin and an emerald core.]

[Abilities: Uses vines to bind targets. Absorbs magic attacks and reflects them. Can harden its bark-like skin for an explosive burst of power and defence.]

Caleb read through the information and exhaled. "Similar abilities to some of the monsters on this floor." His tone was indifferent. "Not impressed."

He stood before the entrance of an ancient castle ruin, its once-grand structure now overrun with vines and thick foliage.

The roof was gone, leaving shattered pillars and crumbling walls bathed in golden light from the artificial ’sun’ above. Shadows stretched long through the halls, creating an eerie, quiet stillness.

’There’s nothing I want from this monster. This should take a few seconds at most.’

Without hesitation, Caleb stepped inside. He already knew where the boss was.

The throne room.

Inside, a massive creature lay dormant there, towering at over three meters. Its emerald core pulsed faintly, brimming with plant-based mana.

But, just like all the other cores he had collected, it was tainted with that foreign energy.

The moment Caleb neared the entrance, the air shifted. The monster’s eyes snapped open. A deep, guttural growl rumbled through the chamber as it glared at Caleb, its slumber rudely interrupted.

Slowly, it pushed itself up, vines curling around its massive frame.

Caleb met its gaze, unfazed. "Sorry, buddy," he said. His aura surged as raw power pulsed through the air. "But this is where your life comes to an end." He clenched his fists, stepping forward.

"As a floor boss, I’ll give you the courtesy of dying by my hands."

The monster didn’t understand nor care about what Caleb said, but it could tell he was dangerous. Its bark-like skin creaked slightly under the pressure pressing down on it.

Despite the monster’s imposing presence, Caleb was overwhelming it, and the creature didn’t like it.

ROAR...!!!

The guardian charged at Caleb, refusing to believe a puny thing could frighten it. But Caleb didn’t remain passive this time. He met the charge head-on, rushing toward the guardian with equal ferocity.

BOOM....!!!

Their fists collided, and the resulting shockwaves spread outward, crashing into the surrounding walls.

The bricks crumbled into debris, unable to withstand the force of the impact. Caleb’s punch overpowered the guardian, sending it flying straight into the distant wall.

The monster’s bark-like skin was now riddled with cracks, and the shockwaves shook its entire being. A low, pained growl escaped its maw as it struggled to rise.

When it lifted its head, it noticed Caleb was no longer in sight. Instincts flared, and the creature’s senses heightened.

Above, Caleb reappeared, diving down with another fist aimed squarely at the monster. But the creature wasn’t foolish.

It let out another roar as its emerald core glowed brightly and vines erupted from the ground and walls. The thick, arm-sized vines rushed toward Caleb, attempting to bind him mid-air.

However, the vines failed to capture him. Caleb spatially displaced himself, evading the attack while maintaining the momentum of his descent.

The monster’s eyes widened in confusion—this ability belonged to its minions, not its enemy. How could Caleb wield that ability? Still...

The creature reacted quickly, leaping out of the way just as Caleb’s fist struck the ground.

BOOM...!!!

The impact shattered the ground, creating a small crater and sending debris flying in all directions. Caleb raised his head, his iridescent eyes locking onto the monster. Then a blinding light flashed from his gaze, illuminating the chamber.

ROAR...!!!

As he guessed, the monster was affected. Without hesitation, Caleb charged forward again. With the monster blinded and disoriented, the opportunity was wide open.

Whoosh...! freeweɓnovel.cѳm

In a flash, Caleb plunged his right hand straight into the monster’s chest, grabbing the core and tearing through it with the momentum of a speeding bullet.

The floor boss dropped to the ground with a thud, its life signs completely extinguished. The battle lasted less than a minute as Caleb stood tall, his back to the fallen monster and a green core in his grasp.

It was larger than the previous boss’s core, and the energy it radiated was stronger too. Clearly, it was above high level, and the system notification confirmed it.

[Tier 1 core acquired]

"I see..." Caleb muttered. "Above high level comes the tiers. I was basically in the demo stage, huh?"

But this raised a question.

"System, how many high-level cores make Tier 1?"

[One hundred high-level cores = Tier 1]

"I figured as much." He sighed. "But why couldn’t the system just say to get one Tier 1 for the reward?"

Another issue lingered: how he had easily defeated the monster despite its grade. Maybe he was growing stronger faster than he realized.

A thought brought up his stats, confirming his suspicion and a ding from the system clarified his confusion.

[Remaining mana from upgrade used in increasing physical stats]

’So that’s why I felt so powerful when the upgrade finished. It wasn’t entirely psychological. The system transfers even the excess to me.’