Maddy triggered her Bioluminescence traitat maximum intensity. A blinding flash filled the dark chamber, searing the Ogre's retinas and forcing a howl of pain from his throat.
"MY EYES! DAMN YOU, WORM! ARGH! I'LL KILL YOU!"
He swung his bat blindly through the air, but Maddy had already slipped back into the soil. Bracing his leg, ready for another attack at his feet, he roared,
"Coward! You think the dirt will save you? Stop acting like a pathetic worm and crawl out here so I can crush you!"
The Chief stood ready, waiting for the ground beneath his feet to shift so he could crush her. But Maddy wasn't aiming for his feet this time; she was eating the very foundation of the room. She devoured the earth at a frantic pace, creating a massive, hollow hole beneath the heavy monster.
The floor gave way, and the Chief Ogre plummeted into the dark pit with a look of pure shock.
"WHAT THE—"
[System Notice]
[Congratulations! You have acquired a skill: Pitfall.]
[Pitfall: Rapidly consumes earth to create inescapable traps.]
Maddy hovered at the edge of the pit, her mouth unhinging to an impossible size. She prepared to dive down and swallow him whole while he was off balance. This was the moment to end the nightmare once and for all.
"TIME TO CHOMP YOU DOWN, DEMON!"
Suddenly, an ominous pressure radiated from the darkness of the pit. A soft, otherworldly black and red light crackled like lightning. The chief ogre was chanting an incantation…
"DΣMӨПIᄃ BᄂӨӨD ΛЯƬ…"
Maddy froze. Her worm sensitive skin screamed that this was something she couldn't afford to get hit by. The chief finished his chant and roared from the pit below,
"DΣMӨПIᄃ BᄂӨӨD ΛЯƬ: Hell Body!"
His veins bulged, glowing like a flowing lava beneath his skin. The dark energy also surged into his war bat, coating the metal hissing demonic words in the air. Before Maddy could retreat, he exploded upward, the force of his movement shattering the rim of the pit.
"YOU'RE DEAD!"
The bat hitted Maddy's flank, and for the first time, she felt that PAIN. She scream in agony as Her crystalline skin, which had withstood every impact thus far, spiderwebbed with deep, glowing cracks.
"ARGH!!!"
[System Alert!]
[You are taking True Damage. Physical defense and magical defense is being ignored. Avoid all contact.]
"T-true damage? It really is true… because it hurts!"
[IMMEDIATELY]
The pain felt horribly familiar. A memory surfaced… her husband's fists, the repeated punches to her face, the kicks to her stomach. The same helplessness. The same burning shock. This pain… it was just like before.
The chief laughed in his demonic voice as he kept batting Maddy around.
"You're breaking, little worm! That cracking sound… that's music to my ears!"
His magic and might fusing into a terrifying speed that Maddy couldn't track. Every strike sent her flying across the chamber, her body bouncing off the stone walls like a discarded toy. Blood sprayed against the floor, and her vision began to swim as her internal organs rattled under the relentless assault.
"I won't let this be my end… I won't let anyone beat me to death again. Not this time. I got a second chance, and I'm saving someone… No. I'm still not giving up."
[Response: Suggestion—applying your newly gained trait to your body may increase your chances of survival.]
"YOU COULD'VE REMINDED ME BEFORE THIS BASTARD STARTED USING ME LIKE A PIÑATA!"
Her mouth kept running like a machine gun.
"AND REMEMBER, I'M A FREAKING WOMAN IN MY THIRTIES!"
She screamed the command,
"DAMMIT! Open Trait Storage! Open my goddamn vault!"
A holographic list flickered before her eyes, glowing with the traits of everything she had consumed so far. She remembered devouring three of demonic ogres. Their traits filled her vision even as the chief kept battering her, laughing the whole time.
[Trait Storage]
[Enhanced Strength and Stamina]
[Greatly increases physical power and endurance, allowing stronger attacks and longer exertion.]
[Tool/Weapon Use]
[Grants instinctive proficiency with weapons, traps, and constructed tools.]
[Demonic Blood Art]
[Unlocks a unique skill of the Demonic Ogres who formed a pact with the Primordial Evil, Satan. Allows the user to amplify their body or specific body parts in exchange for Vitality. Attacks inflicted deal True Damage and apply a Weakening effect. Skill expression varies by user.]
Before she could read the last trait, the chief ogre slammed her into the ground and raised his weapon for the final crushing blow.
"I've never used Demonic Blood Art on a monster before… It drains every ounce of my strength just to manifest it. But you… you're no ordinary prey. You were strong, bold enough to become a predator yourself. Now… die!"
He began chanting another demonic blood art, his voice warping with power.
"DΣMӨПIᄃ BᄂӨӨD ΛЯƬ: BONE BREAKER SMASH!"
His war bat was swallowed by a throbbing mass of bloody red and black energy, screaming with an eerie, demonic wail as he brought it down toward Maddy. Panic exploded in her mind.
"F*CK IT, I DON'T HAVE TIME TO READ ALL THIS! Just—just inherit all of them, GOSH!!"
[Response: By your command… applying all stored traits directly to your body.]
Initializing…
"EVERY SECOND COUNTS, YOU CRAZY VOICE! GIVE IT TO ME—THAT BAT IS ABOUT TO HIT ME! AHHH!!"
Poof!
[Done.]
Just in time, as the War Bat and the deadly skill slammed into Maddy, the traits were inherited. The chief ogre lifted his war bat, but the Hell Body skill had vanished from his skin. He panted hard, his magical aura dissipated, and he looked drained. Smoke rose from the ground, coating everything in a thick haze.
"Hah… hahhh… I was about to make you my pet. But forget it. You're a threat to my very existence… no, to everyone. Now… that drained me. I need my demigod princess to… fill me up."
As he stepped back, the ground shifted beneath him. He heard something move, alerting him.
"Huh?"
Violent, snapping sounds echoed from the smoke stretching, tearing, bones grinding out of place. As a silhouette emerged, even the Chief felt a cold shiver of fear.