Genesis Code: The Genetic Awakening

For many years. Caleb had stayed true to his ideals and mission; to use the power of genetics to change things.

However, things don't always go according to plan as even with his genius intellect, he still hit a wall like everyone else before.

For the most part, he was fine and strong-willed to keep going, but as the pressure from his work and life piled up, he ended up finding solace in reading novels and watching his favourite animes.

"At least, fiction won't disappoint you," he told himself one night at home. 

But then, life takes a drastic turn for him when he gets into a truck accident that claimed his life before he could be saved.

And in that moment, his last words were, "I hope Truck-kun takes me to a better plan."

It was something he said as a joke to himself before passing on, but Truck-kun seemed to have heeded his prayers.

....

"Ah!"

Abruptly, Caleb opened his eyes and sat up as he gasped for breath which was quickly followed by a sharp pain in his chest.

And when he lifted his clothes, he noticed a stab wound right where his heart was.

"What the hell? This isn't as a result of a truck accident." He muttered in confusion before abruptly looking at his clothes and his surroundings.

"And this isn't the hospital either."

The clothes he wore were reminiscent of what he saw in animes set in a fantasy world of magic, beasts and various races.

The environment was a lush forest with high trees that allowed sunlight to pass through the gaps, giving the space a magical feel.

The sound of a running river nearby shifted his gaze as he took in everything in a daze.

"I don't believe it. Truck-kun really did it's magic." 

His expression was morphing into that of excitement as the realization that he had transmigrated hit him like a brick.

"Huu... Deep breaths, deep breaths..." 

Caleb just realised he died moments ago as well. As if the stab in his chest was anything, it was that the body he transmigrated into was killed not long ago.

Beneath him was the evidence of such an act as the ground was tainted with blood. 

Slowly, he moved towards the flowing river in the distance as the chirping of the birds and insects filled the forest with its melody.

"Please don't let there be any monsters or the people who killed this poor fellow. My heart can't take more of this."

His eyes darted about, searching for any signs of danger and when he found none, he sighed in relief.

Arriving at the riverside, Caleb removed his tattered clothes and went to wash off the blood on his body.

And as he did so, he checked out his new appearance and nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad, not bad at all. It will definitely turn some heads and raise some skirts," He chuckled at his own words and continued to rinse his body.

His new body was well-toned and well-built for action. It was a body he could have had if he dedicated a lot of time to training.

Caleb finished his cleanup and went to find a nearby tree to lean on and do some thinking.

"Okay... Let's go over what I know from literature."

he told himself and while he knew those were just works of fiction, they were the only guide he had.

"I don't know anything about this body or if he had a family, so I'd have to keep a low profile or at least find a way to cover my face.

"Then, there is the is the issue of knowledge."

He had no memories of the previous person. Be it his name, age, country or kingdom of origin, nor anything the being knew of this world.

"I'm as clueless as a newborn," he placed his hand on his chin in thought.

There was nothing like a bag on himself, a ring that could be a storage artefact or a parchment. 

"Whoever killed this being must have taken his everything."

Then he looked at the environment again and took a deep breath. 

"The air is fresher than anything I've ever inhaled before and there's something else..."

"Magical energy." He grinned in delight.

He didn't need to be a genius. With everything he had experienced right now, it was the only missing link.

"But I have no idea what to do," he said after trying to do something but felt nothing, not even a sparkle of light.

"Couldn't I have been lucky to have gotten a noble family or something?"

He complained to whatever forces or powers brought him here, feeling aggrieved for being left to fend for himself. A few gold coins and resources wouldn't have hurt anyone.

"And a system would have been a game changer too. Haa... If only..."

And as if in response to his wish, the atmosphere around him changed as everything felt like the slow-motion button had been hit.

Caleb narrowed his eyes gazing at the slow-falling leaves with sombre eyes. He knew that something was about to happen and he slowly got back on his feet and looked around with vigilance.

'When something like this happens, it's usually when some powerful being or artefact reveals itself.

'Maybe...' 

He didn't want to get his hopes up, but he couldn't help it as a bright smile lit his face.

Then, it happened.

A rectangular screen appeared in front of him and before anything could be generated, Caleb bellowed in joy.

"YESSS....!"

He raised his arms high and roared to the heavens, scaring the birds and alerting any creature that might have been in the vicinity, but he didn't care.

*DING*

[Host Detected...]

"What...?" He muttered in shock.

Why did the thing sound like a pathogenic system finally finding a suitable host?

[Analyzing magic potential of host]

[#Error... #Error. No potential detected. Analyzing past memories...]

"Huh? No potential? What does that mean?" He wondered.

With no information, he couldn't make any concrete guesses and while he had his own thoughts, he planned on getting more information before drawing conclusions.

Then the system continued its thing as Caleb watched with bated breath. 

'Please, please, please, something good should come out of this' He prayed with crossed fingers.

[Past skills analyzed. Creating suitable skill...]

He opened one eye to look when another ding sounded.

*DING*

[Skill created: Congratulations, host has awakened the skill: Genetic Manipulation.]

"The fuck?"