Baby System: I'm the Beast World's Only Hope!-Chapter 341: Episode 339: What are you?
The iron-wood door of the master bedroom opened with a soft, deliberate click, the heavy latch manipulated by small, surprisingly dexterous fingers.
A full month had bled past since that night. Thirty days of heavy snowfall, quiet Manor mornings, and an intense, relentless, and entirely desperate physical devotion between Roxy and the Fox King.
They had spent the month tangled in the furs, honoring the ultimate surrender Ren had made in the dark.
Actively trying for a baby.
The pale light of the morning sun filtered through the newly repaired arched windows, casting a warm, golden glow across the massive bed.
Roxy lay perfectly still beneath the heavy pelts, her breathing slow and even. She was completely enveloped in the warmth of her sleeping mate. Ren lay securely behind her, his broad chest pressed flush against her back, his large arms wrapped possessively around her waist.
His vibrant red hair was a messy halo against the pillows, and his breathing was incredibly deep, completely lost to the heavy, draining exhaustion of their constant, impassioned efforts over the past four weeks.
The soft, rhythmic padding of bare feet echoed faintly against the polished floorboards.
Roxy’s brilliant green eyes slowly fluttered open. She didn’t move to wake the Fox King. Instead, she tilted her head just slightly against the pillows, a warm, sleepy smile instantly touching her lips as a tiny silhouette approached the edge of the mattress.
It was Tanith.
In just a single month, the snake-shifter toddler had undergone a magnificent growth spurt. She was no longer a wobbly, uncoordinated infant who waddled everywhere.
Tanith had shot up at least two full inches, her little legs entirely steady and strong as she walked perfectly across the room. She looked like a proper, beautiful little girl now.
Her dark hair had been expertly braided by Dena the night before, tied up into two incredibly adorable, bouncing pigtails. But the most breathtaking change was her skin. The distinct, vibrant emerald scales that had previously dusted her small chin and forearms had completely transformed.
They hadn’t vanished; rather, as she matured, the scales had become entirely, beautifully transparent. In the morning light, they looked like a delicate, microscopic layer of shimmering glass dusted over her pale skin, catching the sun with an ethereal, iridescent gleam.
Tanith didn’t hesitate. She grabbed the edge of the thick furs with her tiny hands and expertly hoisted herself up onto the towering mattress.
She crawled over the mountain of pillows, her bright green eyes, a perfect, vibrant mirror of her mother’s, locking onto Roxy’s face. With a happy, completely uninhibited little giggle, Tanith scrambled forward and flopped down, laying her entire body weight directly across Roxy’s lower stomach.
"Oof," Roxy breathed out a soft, amused laugh, automatically bringing her hands up to wrap around the little girl’s back.
"Morning, Mama!" Tanith chirped, her vocabulary having expanded dramatically over the past few weeks. She rested her chin comfortably on Roxy’s chest, completely ignoring the massive, sleeping Fox King occupying the other half of the bed.
"Good morning, my beautiful girl," Roxy whispered, keeping her voice low so as not to wake Ren. She gently stroked the transparent, glass-like scales on Tanith’s arm, marveling at how smooth they felt. "Look at you, walking in here all by yourself. You are getting so big."
Tanith beamed, puffing out her little chest with immense pride. "I walked fast! Dena said I’m a big girl now."
"You are the biggest," Roxy agreed, pressing a tender kiss to the tip of the toddler’s nose.
Roxy shifted slightly beneath the furs, intending to sit up and pull Tanith into a proper hug. She felt a profound, overwhelming wave of maternal peace wash over her. The Manor was quiet. Her children were thriving. Her mates were safe. For a fleeting, beautiful microsecond, the world felt absolutely, perfectly right.
DING!
Roxy froze. Her breath caught violently in her throat, her green eyes narrowing into a frown.
Took the cunt long enough.
Directly in front of her face, hovering just inches above Tanith’s bouncing pigtails, a massive, glowing blue holographic screen materialized out of absolute nowhere.
The System had returned.
After months of absolute, suffocating silence, after abandoning her through the Wither-Rot, completely ignoring her during Tyara’s birth, and leaving her to drown in her overthinking, the system had suddenly, violently logged back in.
[Congratulations, Host! Pregnancy Confirmed.]
Of course, it was about time.
She was pregnant. The month of relentless, desperate passion with Ren had actually worked. She was carrying the Fox King’s heir.
But there was no time to process the joy, the fear, or the monumental reality of the new life growing inside her womb, because the System was not finished. The blue screen flickered, expanding to fill her entire field of vision with a terrifying, calculated list of gamified statistics.
[Calculating Maternal Enhancements...]
[The following Buffs will be applied to the Host’s Core upon the successful delivery of the Kitsune Heir:]
[+5,000 Maximum Stamina]
[Legendary Kitsune Illusionary Affinity Unlocked]
[Immunity to High-Tier Mind Alteration]
[Calculating Milestone Completion Reward...]
[Expected Life Points (LP) Reward: 1,000,000,000 LP]
Roxy stopped breathing entirely.
One billion Life Points. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚
What was he planning?
It was an astronomical, completely unprecedented number. The System had never offered a reward of that magnitude. It was enough points to buy anything in the digital store ten times over. It was enough to rewrite reality.
Why? Why was the reward for Ren’s child so catastrophically high? What mathematical, sick calculation was the System running behind its glowing blue interface?
Roxy slowly forced her trembling hands to steady. She looked down at Tanith, who was still resting happily on her chest, completely unable to see the massive, glowing blue holographic screen hovering right above her head.
"Tanith, my sweet girl," Roxy murmured, forcing her voice to remain perfectly level, despite the violent shaking in her chest.
Tanith blinked her bright green eyes, tilting her head. "Yes, Mama?"
"Mama is very, very hungry this morning," Roxy lied flawlessly, offering the toddler a strained but entirely convincing smile. "My tummy is rumbling so loudly. Do you think you could be my special helper today?"
Tanith’s eyes lit up like literal fireworks. The opportunity to be given an official, highly important pack duty completely overrode any desire to stay in bed.
"Yes!" Tanith nodded frantically, her pigtails bouncing wildly.
"I need you to go downstairs to the kitchens," Roxy coaxed gently, carefully lifting the little girl off her stomach and setting her on the edge of the mattress. "I need you to find Daddy Kaelen. Can you do that? Tell Daddy Kaelen that Mama is very hungry, and ask him to make the big breakfast. Will you tell him for me?"
"I tell Daddy Kaelen!" Tanith declared proudly, puffing her chest out. She practically vibrated with excitement.
"Good girl," Roxy praised, giving her a gentle, encouraging push toward the door. "Go fast, little one."
Tanith didn’t need to be told twice. The little snake-shifter slid off the tall mattress, her bare feet hitting the floorboards with a soft thud. She turned and skipped happily across the room, her transparent scales catching the morning light, absolutely thrilled to be running an important errand for her mother.
She pulled the heavy oak door open, slipped out into the hallway, and pulled it shut behind her.
Roxy was entirely alone.
She remained perfectly still for three long seconds, ensuring the toddler was safely down the corridor. Then, she slowly, deliberately sat up against the pillows.
Beside her, Ren shifted slightly in his sleep. The Fox King let out a soft, exhausted sigh, his face buried deeper into the furs. He was entirely oblivious to the reality that had just taken root in her womb, and completely blind to the digital entity currently invading their sanctuary.
Roxy did not wake him.
She pulled the heavy pelts up to cover her chest, then she clutched her fist tightly. She was not a pawn on a digital chessboard. She was the Queen of the Iron-Wood.
Roxy turned her head, her brilliant green eyes locking dead onto the glowing blue holographic interface. She stared directly into the center of the screen, as if she could pierce the code and see the invisible Architect standing on the other side.
The silence in the room was absolute.
"Who are you?" Roxy whispered, her voice a deadly, vibrating blade. She leaned forward, the blue light reflecting sharply in her eyes. "Or rather... what are you?"
