"Sweetheart, you must be hungry. Here, let mama feed you."
A woman's soft voice drifted through the haze.
The next instant, Vyon felt something warm press against his lips, and his body moved on pure instinct, suckling without thought.
His mind floated in a strange fog. He was aware—barely—but his thoughts refused to form properly.
[Aether +1]
[Aether +1]
[Aether +1]
The notifications appeared as he drank, and suddenly his skull tingled. His brain felt like it was expanding, growing, reorganizing itself.
Then, emerging from nowhere, a translucent panel materialized in his vision.
[Name: Vyon Vermilion]
[Age: 33 days]
[Biological Level: Ordinary Tier 1]
[Biometric Attributes: None]
Vyon's fragmented thoughts finally coalesced into something coherent.
He'd been reborn. Transmigrated into the body of a newborn whose brain hadn't fully developed yet.
And somehow, he'd been given a system.
The revelation exhausted him. Before he could process anything further, sleep dragged him down into darkness.
---
Two months passed in what felt like both an eternity and an instant.
Vyon's consciousness had sharpened considerably. The first thing he did with his newly functional brain was investigate his system.
It operated on achievements. Complete certain tasks, receive certain rewards.
[Achievement: Accumulate 10,000 kicks]
[Reward: Obtain Biometric Attribute—Relentless Training]
[Current Progress: 1,024/10,000]
Vyon studied the progress bar, then settled into his crib and began kicking his legs methodically.
"Baby's kicking again?" His mother, Rachel Zhao, appeared in the doorway. "When did you wake up? You didn't even cry or fuss. Such a good boy."
Heavy footsteps announced his father's arrival. David Vermilion strode in with an expectant look.
"The kid's so active," David said, watching Vyon's legs pump up and down. "All that movement—he's definitely got talent for physical enhancement. Mark my words, Rachel, he'll become a Splicer one day. Maybe even a Cyborg at minimum."
Splicer? Cyborg?
Vyon's legs stopped mid-kick. This world... it wasn't the same as his previous life.
---
Another month crawled by. Vyon had averaged three hundred kicks per day, and finally, the counter hit its target.
[You have accumulated 10,000 kicks. Achievement completed.]
[You have obtained the Biometric Attribute: Relentless Training]
[Relentless Training: Continuous exercise of any body part causes that part to evolve and strengthen indefinitely. Cannot exceed the biological limits of carbon-based lifeforms.]
He immediately resumed kicking, eager to test his new ability.
[You are kicking. Vital Aether +1, Leg Muscle Strength +1, Kicking Proficiency +1]
Power surged through his legs—subtle but unmistakable. His muscles felt denser, stronger, more responsive.
He spent nearly a week cycling through different movements to train his entire body. By the end of that week, Vyon could sit up in his crib on his own.
Normal infants needed around seven months before they could sit up independently. He was barely four months old.
Over the following weeks, Vyon mastered crawling, then walking.
[You are crawling. Vital Aether +1, Body Coordination +1, Crawling Proficiency +1]
[You are walking. Vital Aether +1, Body Coordination +1, Walking Proficiency +1]
He knew better than to reveal his abilities too early. Being labeled a prodigy would bring attention—the kind that led to research labs, talent scouts, reality shows, and constant surveillance.
So he waited until his parents fell asleep each night before climbing out of his crib to practice.
He also began paying attention to the television. News broadcasts gave him his first real glimpse into the world he'd been born into.
Earth had changed. Mutated. Monsters called Primordial Beasts had emerged from dimensional rifts, and humanity had been fighting for survival ever since.
To combat these creatures, humans had developed two paths to power.
Splice Alchemy—a dangerous process of merging Primordial Beast DNA into human genetic code to gain supernatural abilities. Fighting monsters by becoming part monster. Those who walked this path were known as Splicers.
Cybernetic Grafting—replacing flesh and blood with advanced technology. Overcoming biological weakness through engineering. Those who chose this route became Cyborgs.
"This world is dangerous," Vyon thought, watching footage of a massive beast tearing through a city district. "I need to keep my head down, train quietly, and avoid drawing attention until I'm strong enough to protect myself."
---
At six months old, Vyon could already run. His parents invited him to demonstrate his crawling ability—something within the realm of advanced but not impossible for his age.
"David, look!" Rachel's voice pitched high with excitement. "Vyon can crawl already! And he's so fast!"
David crouched down, watching his son scuttle across the floor. "He's barely six months old and crawling like that. Our son's a genius!"
*Ding dong!*
The doorbell interrupted their celebration. David found their new neighbors standing on the doorstep—a young couple bearing a housewarming gift.
The visitors were in their late twenties. The husband held a gift basket while his wife, Melissa Morgan, cradled an infant girl.
The two families settled in the living room with tea. Small talk revealed that their children—the neighbor's baby girl and Vyon—had been born just one day apart.
Vyon studied the infant girl with curiosity. She had large, expressive eyes and a face that would probably grow into real beauty. When their gazes met, she smiled—a bright, radiant expression.
When Rachel set him down, Vyon immediately took off crawling to continue his training.
[You have crawled 10 meters. Vital Aether +1, Body Coordination +1, Crawling Proficiency +1]
[You have crawled 100 meters. Vital Aether +10, Body Coordination +10, Crawling Proficiency +10]
He circled the room repeatedly, moving with speed and precision that drew stares.
Melissa watched with wide eyes. "That's incredible! Your baby learned to crawl so quickly. My Sophia just learned to sit up recently."
David and Rachel exchanged proud glances. Having a genius for a son felt pretty damn good.
---
Another two weeks slipped past. With Relentless Training active, Vyon had mastered running, jumping, and basic speech.
But he was only seven months old. Revealing too much would invite problems he wasn't equipped to handle yet.
"Vyon, let's go. Mama's taking you to play at Sophia's house."
The mothers had become close friends, which meant frequent playdates. Vyon tolerated them—Sophia was harmless, if clingy.
At Sophia's apartment, he immediately crawled away to circuit the room, keeping his body in motion. Sophia tried to follow but could only sit and watch with adoring eyes.
Then she suddenly urinated, creating a puddle on the floor. The baby girl stared at the liquid with fascination, then started slapping it with her palm, giggling with pure joy.
Vyon scrambled backward to avoid getting splattered.
"Are you made of water?" Melissa groaned, scooping up Sophia. "You just went half an hour ago!"
Rachel watched her friend disappear down the hall and felt grateful. Her Vyon had stopped wetting himself after the first couple months and never cried at night. Raising him felt almost too easy.
---
Time moved forward relentlessly.
By eight months old, Vyon's body had grown strong enough to perform push-ups and sit-ups. He trained only when his parents were asleep.
[You are doing push-ups. Vital Aether +1, Arm Muscle Strength +1, Chest Muscle Strength +1, Push-up Proficiency +1]
One evening, Rachel gave him a bath and noticed something unusual. Her baby had visible abdominal definition—six distinct sections of muscle.
"David! Get in here!"
They both stared at Vyon's abs in stunned silence.
"How does an eight-month-old baby have abs?" David asked faintly.
That night at dinner, the news showed a child prodigy from the Capital City—a two-year-old who could lift a twenty-kilogram dumbbell with one hand.
David sighed. "Those old families in the Capital have incredible bloodlines and resources. Must be nice."
Rachel bristled. "Our Vyon is exceptional too. He won't lose to any of those so-called family geniuses."
Vyon studied the prodigy on screen. "I wonder if I could lift twenty kilograms with one hand when I'm two," he thought. "That would put me on par with the best the Capital families have to offer."
---
Six months vanished like smoke.
At one year old, Vyon discovered another aspect of his system. Reading counted as training too.
[You are reading. Mental Strength +1, Comprehension Ability +1, Knowledge +1]
[Achievement: Accumulate 100,000,000 words read]
[Reward: Obtain Biometric Attribute—Photographic Insight]
[Current Progress: 250,389/100,000,000]
During a shopping trip with both families, Vyon convinced Rachel to buy him books about Primordial Beasts, Splicers, and Cyborgs instead of toys.
Back home, he devoured the information.
He learned that Ordinary humans capped at Tier 9 without enhancement—that was the ceiling for pure baseline humanity. To push beyond required either Splice Alchemy or Cybernetic Grafting.
Splicers merged beast DNA into their genetic code, gaining traits like enhanced strength, regeneration, or elemental manipulation. The process was dangerous—rejection rates ran high, and unstable DNA could cause mutations.
Cyborgs replaced organic tissue with mechanical components. The technology was reliable but expensive, and extensive modification could affect psychology.
Late that night, Vyon trained in the darkness of his room.
[You are doing push-ups. Vital Aether +1, Arm Muscle Strength +1, Chest Muscle Strength +1, Push-up Proficiency +1]
His small body moved with mechanical precision.
Outside, the city slept, protected by walls and patrols and powerful warriors.
Inside this modest apartment, a one-year-old boy trained alone, building strength that would one day eclipse them all.