Her career as a field zoologist suddenly became a real challenge as new species she had never known appeared before her. Excitement surged through her, igniting her passion for animals and pushing her sorrow aside.
"A new species!? There's no invertebrate like this on Earth. Even the creatures buried deep underground, I know them all. Every single one! I have to record this… I have to but damn it, I don't have a pen… or arms to even write it!"
[System Notice]
[Congratulations! You acquired a unique skill: Map and Monsterpedia.]
"Huh? A unique skill?"
[Map: Records the places you explore and logs them automatically.]
[Monsterpedia: Automatically provides information on encountered monsters and records them for later viewing.]
[Both unique skills are accessible by voice command.]
"Now that's what I'm talking about! You really know how to please a middle aged woman. I don't know who you are, why you're in my head, or why you keep appearing, but I like this. You're giving me exactly what a field zoologist needs."
She focused on the floating text.
"A map that records where I've been. That's useful. I used to spend an entire day just making an accurate map of an animal's habitat."
Her misery eased as old memories surfaced, and for a brief moment, her thoughts drifted away from her marriage and back to her work.
"And a skill that records monsters. That's just like my zoopedia. I take notes on every indigenous species I encounter."
She stopped mid thought, her breath hitching.
"Wait. M-monsters? Did you just say monsters? You call the creatures here… MONSTERS?"
[Response: Yes. Every species in this world is classified as a monster. Because this world naturally produces magic, every species can evolve in countless ways. As a result, the Monsterpedia is endless. A prey today can become a predator tomorrow.]
Fear gripped her for a moment, but her passion quickly took over.
"That's a strong statement… On Earth, animals live by instinct alone. They eat, hunt, run, and die within fixed limits. But if monsters here evolve unpredictably…"
She paused.
"Then that means new possibilities. Not just hundreds, maybe billions of new species I can explore."
She laughed, wild and breathless, her old dream blazing back to life.
"Goddamn it, I'm in! I'm absolutely fired up to tear through that Monsterpedia and complete it. YES THIS IS EGGZOITING!"
Just as she was starting to enjoy the rush of having a new purpose in life, the system voice spoke again.
[To give you a better overview, I'll provide the data you've obtained so far.]
Uploading new content…
[New Map Content added: Area 5 — Upper.]
A digital map flashed to life, lighting up the space before her eyes. A blue dot marked her position, surrounded by a grid that revealed the section of the cave she was currently in.
"That's great. Now I know the structure of my habitat."
She studied the map more closely and noticed several marked points.
"Hm… this has to be an entry to another area, right? That's where the demons came out. And this one… it goes down?"
She turned her body and saw it. A hole descending into the depths.
"I'd better head that way. I don't want my first day here to be my last… That red demon's presence still sends shivers through me."
[New Monsterpedia entry added: Chimera Worm.]
"Oop! Information about me? Good. Let me read who the f*ck I turned into."
A new box appeared, displaying information about the Chimera Worm.
[Chimera Worm (Base Form) — Habitat: Cave]
[A worm that eats anything it can and can evolve into different forms depending on what it ingests, gaining traits from materials, monsters, or other sources, which it can add to its original form or integrate into an evolved form.]
Maddy stared at the information, completely stunned.
"I‑I… th-that's who I am? I was born to eat anything and… evolve infinitely?"
She swallowed hard.
"Oh god… that's terrifying. If I eat something, I can absorb it and make it part of myself. That explains that big worm earlier the spider like legs. It must've eaten a spider and fused it into its body. Holy sh*t… scientists back on Earth would lose their minds over a creature like this. Over me."
She remembered the demons arguing about mineral worms and their magical value.
"If I'm a Chimera Worm that can absorb anything I eat, then a mineral worm is just a worm that eats minerals… And if it's high in magic, that means… the minerals themselves are packed with magic?"
[Response: Yes. Mineral worms are part of your family group and consume magic rich minerals. That's why they are heavily harvested they carry the magic of everything they've eaten.]
A loud growl erupted from her stomach before she could even respond.
"Looks like my stomach agrees with what I need to do If I was born to eat, I won't waste it on anything useless. I'll go for the magic-rich minerals! Onwards to the mineral area time to explore!"
Maddy crawl toward the opening that led deeper into the cave, but she was painfully slow.
"Don't laugh. I'm trying my best to live as a worm."
Her frustration bubbled over.
"Damn it. It's hard to push your whole body across the ground."
The wet, dragging sounds echoed around her, almost ridiculous. She pushed herself forward inch by inch, straining until minutes later she finally reached the opening.
"Finally! A doorway to my kitchen."
A nervous laugh slipped out.
"I've never been this excited to eat minerals in my life. Well… it's not like I have any other options."
She slipped into the opening.
"Oooh… I love the feel of the earth here—Argh. Did I just act like a worm?"
With that, Maddy pushed herself forward, sliding into the new area. The path ahead was torn and widened, clearly damaged by the demons who was here earlier.