Back in the depths of the cave, a soft chime rang in Maddy's mind.
[System Notice]
[Congratulations! By ingesting a Demigod and gaining Divine Sight, combined with your Chimera Worm's extreme sensory abilities, you have acquired a new skill: Appraisal.]
[Appraisal: Allows you to see the numerical value of a being's Magic and Might.]
Maddy stared at the system prompt while carrying the Demonic Ogre and Demigod hybrid baby.
"Numbers? I can see actual numbers now? So I don't have to guess from aura size anymore… that's way better."
She lifted the baby under his arms and held him up to eye level.
"Alright, little guy, let's see what you've got."
Her vision focused, and glowing text appeared beside him.
[Magic: 290,000 | Might: 300,500]
Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as she realized how powerful this baby was.
"Magic: 290,000… Might: 300,500… WHAT?!"
That magic and might aura around him pulsed wildly as Maddy studied the size of it, comparing it to the numerical values she could now see.
"Goddamn… I really have to raise you right. If you turn out like your father, that might be the end of the world, I swear."
As the memory surfaced, a chill ran across her very human skin. The Chief Ogre's words echoed clearly now, and the meaning finally clicked.
"With her mind shattered, she's useless. And with you here… what a fine day to be alive. As if the Primordials themselves are handing me this miracle!"
"EEK! That idiot was trying to make me eat the Princess and copy her whole body just so I could—could be his new breeding body?!"
Before her anger could rise any further, a warm liquid suddenly splashed across her face. The sharp, unmistakable smell hit a second later. The baby had peed right into her eyes… and was giggling.
"AHH! NO—MY EYES!"
Maddy yelped, nearly dropping him before catching herself at the last second. She shifted him to one arm and frantically wiped her face with the other, blinking hard.
"Why is your aim so good?! I just unlocked Divine Sight and you baptized it already?! You naughty boy!"
The baby crawled away while she was still blinded, her mouth running nonstop.
"You've got your mom's face, but you act just like your dad... great. I swear I'll do everything I can to erase his genes from you. Ugh, what is that smell? How many worms did you eat? Why does your pee smell like this—ack! It's so salty! It got in my mouth!"
When her vision finally cleared, she froze.
"Wait… where's the baby?"
A faint chitter echoed through the cave. She turned and saw the baby a few steps away, happily rolling around with a spider twice his size. Her first reaction wasn't fear for the baby but excitement at the sight of a new species.
"A spider with… uh… a can opener?"
[New Monsterpedia Entry Added: Sword Spider]
[Sword Spider (Base Form) — Habitat: Cave]
[A fast cave predator with bladed forelegs sharp enough to slice bone. Hunts in ambush and prefers live prey.]
Maddy snapped back into mother mode instantly. Every instinct screamed danger.
"A SWORD!? THAT'S A SWORD—IT'S DANGEROUS! No, no, no! Don't you dare, spider. Touch my boy and I'll smite you with divine magic!"
In an instant, Maddy's fear flipped completely. The spider was the one in danger. The baby casually smacked one of its bladed forelegs, and the limb tore clean off, spinning across the cave wall. Maddy just stood there, stunned.
"W-what in the hell…?! Did that baby just slap that huge spider!? Wait—lemme check that spider's stats. APPRAISAL!"
[Magic: 0 | Might: 150,000]
Maddy stared at the number, then slowly looked back at the baby… who was happily trying to grab the spider's remaining legs like toys.
"You've got to be kidding me…Okay. Noted. You're the predator here. Every monster in this cave should be running from you."
She pointed dramatically at the wounded spider.
"Yeah! Go on, little demon, show it who's boss!"
Maddy cheered wildly as the baby effortlessly tore apart the spider's limbs and started devouring it. The spider screeched once before the baby stuffed half of it into his mouth. Her eyes went wide in shock.
"Eh? You're that hungry? YEAHHHH! EAT!"
In mere seconds, the Sword Spider was reduced to nothing more than a meal. The baby even used one of its detached sword-like forelegs to swipe food off its tiny teeth, burping loudly with each bite. Maddy laughed, shaking her head.
"What a little boss… ohhh, now I have a rival in food! Someone's here to steal my snacks, and it didn't even leave a single bite! Confirmed. You are absolutely a demonic baby."
She hurried over to pick him up then paused. The ground trembled with tiny vibrations. Her eyes widened as dozens of red dots appeared in the dark.
"Ah… that's not good."
Shapes poured from cracks in the cave walls. Spiders. Dozens and in seconds… hundreds. The baby clapped his hands excitedly and crawled toward them.
"Why are you happy about this?!"
Maddy cried, scooping him up only for him to wriggle free and plop back onto the ground, giggling as the spiders rushed closer.
Her Monsterpedia began flashing rapidly.
[New Monsterpedia Entry Added: Spear Spider]
[Spear Spider (Base Form) — Habitat: Cave]
[Long, lance like legs built for piercing attacks. Charges prey in coordinated groups.]
[New Monsterpedia Entry Added: Shield Spider]
[Shield Spider (Base Form) — Habitat: Cave]
[Heavy bodied defenders with hardened shell plates. Forms living barricades for other spiders.]
[New Monsterpedia Entry Added: Spitting Spider]
[Spitting Spider (Base Form) — Habitat: Cave]
[Ranged variant that spits sticky, corrosive webbing to immobilize targets.]
[New Monsterpedia Entry Added: Spark Spider]
[Spark Spider (Base Form) — Habitat: Cave]
[Stores static energy in its body and releases it on contact, shocking attackers.]