My Gene Evolves Infinitely

“This is your last awakening ceremony. If you fail to awaken successfully, then you will live your life as an ordinary person. This may seem regrettable to you, but it also keeps you away from the majority of dangers—it might even be a blessing in disguise…”

The voice reached Lu Yuan’s ears, transitioning from illusion to reality.

He jolted awake with a start.

Lu Yuan lifted his head and surveyed his surroundings with a look of bewildered uncertainty. He was in a classroom filled with students, around forty in total. At the podium, a teacher past his fifties leaned on the desk, speaking.

‘…Where is this?’

Lu Yuan was shocked.

‘Didn’t I die?’

Lu Yuan had been a corporate drone for two years after university, enduring the “blessings” of a 996 schedule (72-hour work week) and occasionally a 007 (24/7 work connection). Now, the competition was so fierce that not overworking seemed like a disservice to the whole world.

Eventually, due to chronic overwork, unhealthy eating habits, and a poor sleep schedule, Lu Yuan developed cancer. Upon diagnosis, he didn’t feel much turmoil.

Isn’t life just about dealing with one disaster after another, each time thinking it couldn’t get worse, and then being surprised yet again?

Although this surprise was significant, Lu Yuan had grown numb to it. At the time of diagnosis, it was already at the advanced stage.

To lessen the burden on his family and alleviate his own suffering, after tearfully deleting his long-accumulated search history, Lu Yuan chose to end his life.

While it felt shameful to escape, Lu Yuan found it quite effective. He wasn’t worried about his younger brother taking care of their elderly parents; his departure was peaceful. But surely, his parents would be heartbroken?

Lu Yuan’s expression flickered briefly before returning to reality. Now the questions arose.

Who am I?

Where am I?

Lu Yuan understood each word the teacher on the podium said, but combined, they made no sense.

Awakening?

What awakening?

At that moment, Lu Yuan’s mind expanded, and a flood of information merged into his consciousness. The confusion in his eyes gradually cleared, giving way to lucidity.

It turned out he had been transported to another world, taking over the life of another young man named Lu Yuan.

In this world, everyone between the ages of 16 and 18 has an annual opportunity to awaken.

If successful, one could activate their gene chain, becoming a mystical Gene Warrior, and even venture into a realm known as the Land of Origin to seek extraordinary treasures and formidable powers.
Lu Yuan was not one of the Awakened, and his knowledge about the Land of Origin and the Awakened was scant.

He was an orphan, the sole survivor in his family after a mutation event during his childhood, raised under the care of the empire. Remembering the deep-seated trauma from the mutation event, Lu Yuan’s pupils constricted, and his body trembled—fear inherent to his body.

Now eighteen, if Lu Yuan could awaken and activate his gene chain, he could attend the Gene Warrior Academy in the future. If not, he could apply to a regular university, though the empire would no longer cover his tuition and living expenses.

After all, the empire’s foster care only extended until one became an adult at eighteen.

The memories of his original body faded up to this point in the class, ending when his body collapsed on the desk, losing consciousness.

Had he died?

Given his original self’s aloof nature, no one in the class noticed his death until Lu Yuan crossed over.

This realization startled Lu Yuan.

Based on his original self’s memories, despite being very aloof due to the mutation event and losing his parents, he had been physically healthy. How could he have died suddenly? He hadn’t even been staying up late.

Lu Yuan speculated it might be due to the long-term effects of the mutation event—after all, mutations were the most inexplicable phenomena in this world, and anything could happen.

Lu Yuan decided not to delve deeper. Having the chance to start over was fortunate enough. Since he was here, he resolved to embrace this new life wholeheartedly.

He just hoped this life wouldn’t be as relentlessly competitive; he truly couldn’t endure it.

“Okay, when your name is called, come up to the podium to begin the awakening ceremony. Wang Yi.”

The teacher’s words snapped Lu Yuan back to attention; he looked up at the podium with a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

Awakening.

He had read novels about extraordinary powers before, and naturally, he too longed for them. Having failed twice before, he hoped this time would be different.

Wang Yi walked up to the stage, his face marked by nervousness as he looked at the teacher.

“Don’t be nervous. You’ve done this twice before, remember? Place your hand on the awakening crystal and concentrate on feeling your existence,” the teacher instructed.

Wang Yi nodded earnestly, placed his hand on the crystal ball on the desk, and closed his eyes. The air grew tense, and the room fell silent. After a while, the teacher glanced at his watch and spoke indifferently:
“Okay, that’s one minute. The awakening crystal shows no response; your awakening has failed. Please step down.”

Wang Yi’s eyes reddened slightly at these words, and he walked back to his seat, looking dejected.

The atmosphere in the classroom grew sombre.

The teacher scanned the room and continued:
“The likelihood of an ordinary person awakening is only ten percent, and with each attempt, the odds diminish. Having failed twice before, the probability of awakening on the third try is exceedingly low. Set your expectations accordingly to avoid disappointment.”

Hearing this, the mood in the class darkened further.
Lu Yuan muttered under his breath, ‘Wow, this teacher really knows how to kill the mood.’
With those words, his heart sank halfway.

Was he doomed not to awaken?

Something seemed off.

Aren’t the characters who travel to other worlds in novels usually the protagonists?

If he doesn’t awaken, wouldn’t this world lose a potentially powerful Gene Warrior?

That would mean one less hero to stand against mutations and defend against foreign races—a loss the human race couldn’t afford!

“Next, Li Xi.”

…

The awakening ceremony continued as the teacher had predicted; the third attempt at awakening proved highly unlikely.

After about half an hour, with thirty students tested, not one had awakened.

Lu Yuan’s spirits continued to sink.

“Lu Yuan.”

When the teacher called his name, all eyes in the class turned to him.

Lu Yuan, an outsider in the classroom with no friends to offer encouragement, felt the weight of their stares. The teacher’s demeanour remained unchanged, his expression as impassive as ever.

Lu Yuan thought to himself with a trace of bitterness, “I don’t even get the protagonist treatment.”

In stories, isn’t the main character usually showered with attention or scorned? Why was everyone’s reaction so muted? Was he really not the main character?

Lu Yuan approached the podium, and the teacher repeated the instructions:

“Place your hand on the awakening crystal and concentrate on sensing your existence. Try not to be too nervous.”

Lu Yuan nodded, placed his hand on the cool, comforting surface of the awakening crystal, and closed his eyes.

He followed the teacher’s instructions and focused on sensing himself, but all he felt was darkness.

Time ticked away in silence, and Lu Yuan’s anxiety began to mount.

Had he felt nothing at all? Was he really unable to awaken?

In this dangerous world, some power was better than none.

As his anxiety peaked, a dim blue light emerged within the darkness. The next moment, a translucent, azure cube appeared, rotating erratically in the void. The moment the azure cube appeared, the darkness was torn asunder and white mist spread everywhere.

A towering double helix of light stood amid the white fog, its base rooted in white and its top lost in the mist.

As soon as the double helix appeared, the azure cube seemed drawn to it, approaching and revolving around the light column.

Gene chain!

Lu Yuan felt a surge of excitement in his heart. Had he awakened?!

Indeed, he had—it was just like him!

But what was this cube?

Although his knowledge about Gene Warriors and Awakening was limited, he was familiar with the basic concepts. He had never heard of anyone’s awakening involving such a cube.

Lu Yuan stared at the cube, and almost instinctively, he came to understand its purpose. The cube’s function was straightforward yet bizarre.

Evolution.

It was said that Gene Warriors could inscribe the genes of creatures from the Land of Origin to acquire genetic battle skills, as naturally as fish swim or birds fly, embedded directly into their genes.

Each advancement in a Gene Warrior’s rank adds a blank segment to their gene chain, providing an opportunity for fusion.

However, once fused, the genetic configuration becomes fixed and cannot be further enhanced. Low-level genes offer little benefit, while high-level genes can be risky and might backfire if not carefully inscribed.

Thus, selecting genes must be done with great caution, ensuring that each inscribed genetic battle skill complements the others.

However, this cube could evolve the inscribed genes further, essentially offering unlimited potential. Even if the weakest ordinary gene was inscribed, it could gradually evolve to the highest levels!

This represented boundless potential and endless possibilities!