Time flowed like a gentle stream, and before he knew it, Moros had turned one year old.
After celebrating his one-month and hundred-day milestones, Moros was now about to participate in one of the most significant pre-school events for children on the Mu Continent — the First-Year Grasping Ceremony (Zhuā Zhōu, a traditional activity where a child selects from symbolic objects to predict their future).
Although both Frakt and Emma were well-educated and not the superstitious type, they still wanted their child to experience this meaningful and ritualistic family tradition.
On the day of the ceremony, Emma woke up early and dressed Moros in a brand-new outfit, carefully brushing his fine baby hair.
She held him gently in her arms, gazing into his bright, crystal-clear eyes, her heart brimming with joy and anticipation.
Frakt, meanwhile, laid out a soft rug in the spacious hall of their newly-upgraded home.
Arranged neatly across the rug were a variety of symbolic items — books, musical instruments, coins, snacks, and more — each carefully chosen for its meaningful implications.
"Moros, go ahead and pick what you like!"
Setting him down on the rug, Emma leaned against Frakt's shoulder and smiled warmly as they both watched their baby with expectation.
Glancing back at his parents, who were clearly having way too much fun with this, Moros couldn't help but silently complain to himself.
What is this nonsense? A grasping ceremony? I'm a transmigrator! This is so beneath me!
Still, a grumble was just a grumble. Since his parents wanted to play this little game, Moros was willing to go along with it.
He began carefully examining the items on the rug, inwardly analyzing their implications.
After some deliberation, Moros turned and stumbled unsteadily toward Emma and Frakt—then hugged them both.
As a Level 1 supernatural being, it was perfectly reasonable that he could walk at one year old.
"Papa! Mama!"
The room instantly fell silent. Emma and Frakt opened their mouths, but no words came out.
Yet from the tears welling in their eyes, it was clear they were deeply moved by their son's gesture.
The touching moment from the ceremony didn't change Moros's daily life—he still enjoyed a pampered, worry-free existence as a high-quality human infant.
But unlike most children, Moros spent his time not just playing with toys but also studying the knowledge stored within his Magic Guild and gathering intel on the world he had transmigrated into.
Through television, newspapers, and eavesdropping on his parents' conversations, Moros slowly built a basic understanding of this world.
This was a technologically advanced civilization, slightly ahead of his previous life's Earth, though it had not yet entered the interstellar age.
And the Mu Continent, where his family resided, was the undisputed center of this civilization.
However, in this small city, technological development wasn't much different from what he had experienced in his past life.
Although no overt information about supernatural powers was ever mentioned, Moros remained cautious.
In his eyes, this lack of information was simply the result of the ruling powers of Mu Continent deliberately hiding the truth to maintain control over the population.
There absolutely are supernatural forces in this world.
The reason for this judgment was simple: after learning the prerequisite skill for meditation — perceiving energy particles in the environment — Moros discovered the presence of a strange energy unlike mana.
This energy appeared to have a harmful effect on the human body. Reckless absorption could easily lead to death.
But Moros also keenly sensed that, if one could withstand its negative effects, this mysterious energy could enhance the human body.
To him, this was undeniably good news.
While studying in the Magic Guild, Moros had come across an unsettling piece of information:
His chosen class, Necromancer, was indeed powerful — but the profession's core ability, Necromancy, came with side effects.
According to the tomes stored in the Magic Guild, as a mage delved deeper into Necromantic research, death energy would begin to corrode their physical body.
This was also the reason why Necromancers often looked monstrous or grotesque.
But this wasn't an unsolvable problem.
One could:
• Advance Necromancy to Master Level, thereby achieving balance.
• Or transform their race via Tier-5 Dark Magic — for example, the spell [Vampirism].
But now, Moros had a new option.
If the mysterious energy in the environment could strengthen the body, then perhaps it could be used to resist the corrosion of death energy.
Moros realized this might be an opportunity.
Of course, researching this new form of energy was far too early for a baby like him.
He hadn't even fully mastered the knowledge in his Magic Guild yet, and his power was still only slightly stronger than an average person.
Moros had the self-awareness to understand this.
Only after I level up can I begin to explore this dangerous energy.
With that in mind, Moros threw himself fully into meditation.
Over the past several months, he had completely mastered this most essential method for a mage to grow stronger.
Time continued to pass, and Moros gradually grew older.
At age four, Emma told him something surprising:
"You're going to start school."
"Mom, can I not go to kindergarten? I think I'm totally capable of self-studying…"
This wasn't just Moros bragging. Ever since becoming a Necromancer, his learning, memory, and cognitive abilities had all increased significantly.
To him, kindergarten-level material was a joke. Even elementary school or middle school content wasn't hard for him now.
As for high school knowledge?
Well, since Mu Continent's education level was higher than Earth's, their high school curriculum was still a bit challenging for him at this stage.
But Moros was confident — once he reached Level 2, he'd be able to learn that level of knowledge easily.
It's close — probably just a week or two away.
Over the past three years, Moros hadn't wasted a single day.
Even though his infant body limited how much time he could meditate each day, three years was still enough for him to accumulate almost enough EXP to level up.
Of course, some of that EXP came from learning other magical fundamentals stored in the Magic Guild.
If he had devoted all of his time to meditation, he would've definitely leveled up already, even with his limited daily time.
"Sweetheart, I know you're smart, but kindergarten is something every child needs to attend."
Emma couldn't help but smile when she heard his request.
"You'll learn lots of social skills there — things that can't be learned through self-study."
Seeing the seriousness in her eyes, Moros knew there was no persuading her.
After a brief silence, he nodded in resignation.
"Okay, Mom… I'll go to school."
After all these years together, Moros had truly come to see Emma as his real mother.
And he didn't want to disappoint her.