Chapter 4: Infant Quests: Crawl Before You Conquer
The first true dawn Bulleh experienced in Aetheria arrived with a chorus of unfamiliar sounds.
Roosters that crowed with a metallic undertone, as though their throats held tiny bells. Oxen lowing in slow, resonant bass notes that vibrated through the packed-earth floor. Children laughing somewhere beyond the hut wall—high, carefree peals that carried traces of mana, making the laughter itself feel faintly luminous.
His mother had already risen. She moved quietly around the single room: stirring a pot of millet porridge over the hearth, folding yesterday's laundry, humming a wordless tune that rose and fell like wind through tall grass. Every so often she glanced at the cradle, smiled, then returned to her tasks.
Bulleh lay on his back, staring at the thatch ceiling. A single shaft of sunlight pierced a gap between the reeds and struck his chest like a warm finger. He felt the mana in that light—thicker than yesterday, carrying the collective awakening of the village.
A notification bloomed directly in his line of sight.
[Daily Quest Generated]
Quest: First Milestone – Crawl
Objective: Travel a distance of at least 1 meter under your own power.
Reward: +200 EXP (×1000 = 200,000), Basic Mobility Skill (Crawl Proficiency Lv.1), 10 System Points, Minor Stat Boost (+1 to Strength & Dexterity)
Bonus Objective: Do so before your mother notices and interferes.
Bonus Reward: Stealth Crawl (Passive) – reduces chance of adult detection by 30% while moving on ground.
Time Limit: Before sunset today.
Difficulty: E (for normal infants); trivial (for you).
Accept? Y/N
He accepted instantly.
The moment he did, a faint overlay appeared on the floor of the hut: a glowing path indicator, pale blue, leading from the cradle to the far wall near the door. Distance marker hovered above it: 1.2 meters.
Challenge accepted.
But first—preparation.
He sank back into the Eternal Library.
The Combat Foundations wing had grown overnight. New shelves had appeared, as though the Library itself was eager to assist. He browsed quickly.
• Neonatal Muscle Activation Patterns – diagrams of tiny limb twitches converting to coordinated movement
• Mana-Infused Micro-Movements – technique to channel trace mana into muscle fibers, accelerating strength gain
• Crawl Trajectory Optimization – projected paths with lowest energy expenditure
He absorbed them all in seconds. Knowledge slotted into place like keys turning in invisible locks.
Back in the real world, he began.
First, he rolled.
The cradle was narrow; rolling took almost no effort. He tipped to his left side, then used the momentum to flip fully onto his stomach. The linen beneath him bunched uncomfortably against his cheek, but he ignored it.
His arms—short, pudgy, weak—pressed down.
Nothing happened.
He focused. Drew on the minuscule mana pool he had built from yesterday's Glow practice. A thread of warmth trickled into his biceps, triceps, shoulders.
Push.
His upper body rose a finger's width off the linen.
Again.
Another finger's width.
His mother turned from the hearth, bowl in hand.
Bulleh froze.
She tilted her head, studying him. "Already trying to see the world, little one? Strong boy."
She set the bowl down and stepped closer.
[Bonus Objective at Risk]
He needed distraction.
Mentally, he triggered Glow—not on anything visible, but inside his own palm, hidden against the linen. A soft, warm pulse of light bloomed beneath him, just enough to make his swaddling glow faintly gold.
His mother gasped.
"Elements preserve us… look at you!"
She knelt beside the cradle, entranced by the gentle radiance. Her attention fixed on his hand.
Bulleh seized the opening.
He planted both palms. Pushed.
Legs kicked—awkward, frog-like, but effective. His knees slid forward an inch. Then another.
The path indicator updated: 0.18 / 1.2 meters.
His mother cooed, reaching to touch the glowing spot. "Is this your blessing showing already? My blessed child…"
She lifted him slightly, intending to examine him more closely.
[Warning: Adult Interference Detected]
Bulleh acted on instinct.
He let out a soft, contented gurgle—the happiest sound an infant could make—and nuzzled against her shoulder the moment she picked him up.
She melted instantly.
"Oh, you sweet thing. Hungry again?"
She carried him to the low stool by the hearth instead of returning him to the cradle.
Opportunity.
While she settled with him on her lap and began to feed him, Bulleh waited until her attention drifted to the porridge pot. Then—slowly, carefully—he let his body slide downward along her thigh.
She adjusted her hold automatically, but not enough to stop the descent.
His bottom touched the packed-earth floor.
Success.
Now on the ground.
He planted his hands again.
Push. Slide. Push. Slide.
The glowing path curved gently toward the wall.
0.45 meters.
His mother noticed too late.
"Bulleh! You're on the floor already?"
She laughed, delighted rather than alarmed, and scooped him up again—but not before the counter ticked to 0.62 meters.
Halfway.
She set him back in the cradle, still chuckling. "Rest now, explorer. You'll have the whole village to conquer soon enough."
But the quest timer kept running.
And Bulleh was not finished.
Throughout the morning he repeated the cycle whenever she turned away: roll, drop (when she carried him), crawl in short bursts while she was distracted by chores or visitors.
A neighbor woman stopped by with a small basket of eggs.
While they talked at the doorway, Bulleh crawled three full hand-lengths toward the hearth.
An old man—perhaps his grandfather—came to see the newborn. He sang a rough lullaby, voice cracking with age.
Bulleh used the song's rhythm to time his movements, inching forward on each downbeat.
By midday the counter read 0.98 meters.
So close.
His arms burned—not true exhaustion, but the protest of muscles never before asked to do more than wave randomly. Mana helped, threading through the fibers, repairing micro-tears almost as fast as they formed.
His mother left the hut briefly to draw water from the well.
The door stood ajar.
Sunlight poured in, a golden rectangle on the floor.
Bulleh rolled out of the cradle one final time.
He crawled—determined, steady, no longer hiding.
Hands. Knees. Hands. Knees.
The path indicator flashed green as he crossed the 1.2-meter mark.
[Quest Complete: First Milestone – Crawl]
Reward: +200,000 EXP (split across current classes)
Basic Mobility Skill: Crawl Proficiency Lv.1 acquired
+10 System Points
Stat Boost: Strength +1, Dexterity +1
Bonus Objective Achieved: Stealth Crawl (Passive) unlocked
Levels surged:
• Peasant → Lv. 8
• Mystic Herbalist → Lv. 6
• Rural Mystic → Lv. 5
A warm flood of energy washed through his body. His arms felt noticeably stronger; his movements smoother, more controlled.
He sat—actually sat—back on his bottom in the center of the sunbeam, looking around the hut with new clarity.
The door creaked.
His mother returned, water jug balanced on her hip.
She froze.
Then she dropped to her knees beside him, eyes wide with wonder and a touch of fear.
"You… crawled out all by yourself?"
Bulleh met her gaze.
For the first time, he tried to smile—not the reflexive newborn grimace, but a deliberate curving of lips.
A tiny, knowing smile.
His mother's hand flew to her mouth.
Tears welled.
She gathered him close, rocking him, whispering thanks to the Elements, to ancestors, to whatever force had gifted her such a child.
Inside Bulleh's mind, the Library chimed softly.
[New Entry – Infant Mobility Log]
Stored: successful stealth crawl sequence
Analyzed: adult distraction patterns
Projected next quest: Standing / Walking precursor
Another notification followed immediately.
[Chain Quest Unlocked: Conquer the Cradle]
Phase 1: Stand (unsupported) – 0/1
Phase 2: Take first step
Phase 3: Reach the door unaided
Rewards escalate per phase.
Bulleh nestled against his mother's shoulder, letting her warmth seep into him.
Outside, village life continued—children playing, hammers ringing, oxen plodding through fields.
But inside this small hut, a poet who once questioned his own identity had just taken his first real step toward conquering an entire world.
One meter at a time.
[End of Chapter 4]