I Became a Cub in the Elven Kingdom

After learning the level requirement for growing larger, Shu Li rubbed his stiff cheeks and decided he ought to calm down and put those unnecessary thoughts aside.

He was still only a cub a little over a hundred days old. Learning Elven properly would already be an accomplishment. Everything else could wait until later.

If his father knew that Shu Li had learned enough of a foreign language for everyday conversation in just over two months, he would surely be incredibly proud.

He would definitely praise him as a linguistic genius, right?

Shu Li looked at the innocent Fairy cubs in front of him and wept bitterly inside.

Compared with these genuine geniuses, he was nothing but a hopeless student!

Aisha recited an incantation, sealed away the power of her origin, and returned to her small, exquisite form before handing the dagger back to Shu Li.

Shu Li accepted the tiny dagger, hung it at his waist again, and raised another question. “Why do weapons, clothes, and jewelry all grow larger too?”

He had paid particular attention to it. Whether it was Chris or Aisha, every item they wore enlarged along with them when they changed from small to large.

Aisha explained with a smile, “That is because they were originally tailored to fit us at our larger size. While forging them, the craftsman adds a special material with extraordinary elasticity, then inscribes magical sigils that alter the object’s volume, creating a high-rank item capable of changing size at will.”

So that was how it worked!

Shu Li’s mouth fell slightly open in amazement.

As expected of another world with magic. It was incredible!

“Aisha, Aisha, can our clothes grow bigger and smaller too?” Disio asked, tugging at his clothes.

“No. The clothes you are wearing now are ordinary clothes.” Aisha shook her head.

“Ah~” Disio pouted in disappointment.

Aisha stroked his head encouragingly. “Study hard and awaken the power of your origin as soon as possible.”

“Mm! I will!” Disio nodded vigorously.

Shu Li propped his cheeks in both hands and watched Aisha fly back to her seat in the rear, his mind rapidly turning.

His present situation was like that of a beginner who had just entered an online game. He was level zero and could only wear the basic white beginner equipment provided by the system. He would have to complete quests, defeat monsters, and gain levels until he changed classes and became a Mage before he qualified to wear refined blue equipment.

To obtain epic purple equipment or legendary orange equipment, he would have to keep leveling up, collect rare materials, and find a master craftsman to tailor a set of top-tier equipment for him.

Or, if he found that whole process too troublesome, he could become a whale and throw money at the problem.

Of course, that required having money in the first place.

Failing that, he could risk his life challenging dungeons. With enough luck, he might pick up some high-rank equipment suitable for him.

Of course, reality was not an online game, and he was not a player. His path to growth would be extremely long.

Shu Li was immensely grateful that he had transmigrated into a Fairy cub.

Fairy cubs might not have parents, but every adult Fairy in the clan was practically a parent to them.

The clan freely provided food, clothing, housing, transportation, education, and even starting funds. The benefits were unbelievably generous.

Had he transmigrated into a human infant, his circumstances might have been completely different.

Unable to understand his “parents” because of the language barrier, there was a very real chance he would have been treated as intellectually disabled from a young age.

No wonder people often said that being born into the right circumstances was a skill in itself.

Before you could compete, you first needed the proper conditions.

With their comfortable lives and extraordinarily long lifespans, Fairies had already won at the starting line.

Lia’s slender fingers plucked the harp strings, and the background music began again, tactfully reminding the little cub to continue his performance.

Shu Li returned to his senses, organized his thoughts, settled himself, and began describing his adventure in the forest in detail.

The kind mother squirrel had not blamed him for pointing a dagger at her. Instead, she had kindly warned him to eat the fruit quickly before other animals stole it.

“...I was starving at the time, so I ate half a fruit.” Shu Li licked his lips. “It was delicious. It quenched my thirst and filled my stomach.”

“Why did you only eat half?” Budeno asked in confusion. Delicious fruit should obviously be eaten whole!

Shu Li looked at the pear-shaped fruit, which was both rounder and taller than he was, and spread his hands. “My stomach couldn’t hold the entire thing.”

“Hahaha—” Disio clutched his belly and laughed. “Budeno is so silly! The fruit is this big. How could anyone finish it?”

The other cubs laughed along, and Budeno’s round face flushed bright red.

“I-I could finish a whole one! I’ll eat one right now and prove it!”

That awful Disio had actually laughed at him!

Budeno lunged toward the fruit and opened his mouth to bite it, but Shu Li hurried forward to stop him.

“Wait until I finish the story before you eat it!”

Budeno had already eaten a great deal earlier. If he ate another entire fruit now, he would stretch his stomach painfully.

Budeno released the fruit with an angry huff and returned to his stool.

Disio wanted to tease him a little more, but Shu Li gave him a mild glare. He stuck out his tongue and obediently sat properly again.

Shu Li continued his story.

Once he had eaten his fill, he divided the fruit on the branch equally with the mother squirrel.

He took five, and the mother squirrel took five.

The mother squirrel called over her four babies to carry the fruit away, while Shu Li placed his share inside the storage ring the Elven King had given him.

“Thank you, Your Majesty, for giving me the storage ring.” Shu Li clasped his hands together with a devout expression.

That storage ring had given him the courage to cross the forest and return to the divine tree.

When the adult Fairies heard that he had decided to return to the divine tree on his own, they exchanged glances, seeing the same surprise reflected in one another’s eyes.

“Sperien, why didn’t you choose to stay where you were and wait?” Dosia asked.

The cub was so small and possessed no ability to survive in the wilderness. Flying through the forest alone was fraught with danger.

Shu Li answered seriously, “Because waiting frightened me even more...”

Crouching in one place and doing nothing, never knowing when rescue would arrive, would eventually plunge him into confusion, anxiety, and panic.

He had experienced those terrifying emotions before.

When he was young, he had returned to the old family residence and played hide-and-seek with a group of relatives’ children. He hid inside a cabinet in a storeroom, but even after a long time passed, no one came looking for him.

At first, he had been smug, believing he would be the final winner. As time passed, however, he grew anxious.

He wanted to leave, but he was afraid of losing. If he stayed, no one came to find him, and he only became more frightened.

The conflicting emotions tangled inside him, leaving him torn, restless, and uncertain of what he should do.

It was not until three hours later that the cabinet door opened. The moment he saw his eldest brother’s worried face, he burst into tears.

Afterward, his eldest brother rubbed his head hard.

“Are you an idiot? If you’ve waited too long, don’t you know to go out, assess the situation, and act accordingly?”

“But... what if I lose?” he had protested quietly.

“Then you lose. At least the initiative remains in your own hands.” His eldest brother pinched his cheeks, looking thoroughly exasperated with him. “Remember this: waiting means surrendering half your autonomy.”

From then on, Shu Li learned to take the initiative.

Dosia looked thoughtful after hearing his answer.

“Weren’t you afraid of encountering danger on your way back to the divine tree?”

“No.” Shu Li’s eyes shone as he grinned. “Siet said that the magical beasts and little animals in the forest are friends of the Fairies. I didn’t believe him at first, but then I met the kind mother squirrel, the helpful Mr. Serpent, and the brave plump bird.”

Siet froze.

The little cub’s courage to venture through the forest had actually come from that one statement of his.

Yet the further the cub’s account progressed, the more astonished he became.

To determine the direction of the divine tree, the cub had flown toward the top of a giant tree. When he tired and sat on a branch to rest, he had not forgotten to take out his notebook and study. As a result, he encountered an enormous magical serpent.

Despite being terrified, he had still greeted it in Elven, planting the seed of friendship. The magical serpent then carried him to the crown of the tree, allowing him to successfully determine the divine tree’s direction.

To thank it, the cub had given the magical serpent three red crystal flower seeds, and the serpent had returned the favor with a mountain-like pile of gifts.

Wait—

Was this warm and considerate magical serpent truly Bazien Bulgareth?

Could the cub have remembered the name incorrectly?

“Little Sperien, are you certain the magical serpent was called Bazien Bulgareth?” Siet asked with a frown.

“I’m sure!” Shu Li took out his notebook, turned to the page with the cartoon snake, and read the name again. “Mr. Serpent’s name is really long. I was afraid I’d forget it, so I specially wrote it down in my notebook.”

Siet coughed several times.

Oress looked at Aisha in confusion. Although the Bazien Bulgareth he knew had a personality entirely unlike the serpent described by the cub, Siet’s reaction seemed a little excessive.

Aisha covered a smile and whispered to Oress, “Sperien often says names incorrectly.”

For example, Siet had once complained to her that the cub had called him “Floor Mop.”

The magical serpent’s name was so long, yet Shu Li had not only pronounced it correctly but had solemnly written it in his notebook. That showed just how much the cub valued the serpent.

Oress nodded in understanding.

No wonder the little fellow had sung several of the gods’ names incorrectly while following Lia in the “Song of Creation” during his dance lesson.

So he had a history of this.

Kumandi drew a serpent in his notebook, wrote its name beside it, and added the notes: helpful, considerate.

After hearing this part of the adventure, all the cubs gazed at Shu Li with admiration.

“Sperien is so brave!”

“Yeah! If it were me, I would’ve cried from fear.”

“Mr. Serpent is so nice. When I have a chance to go into the forest, I want to visit him.”

“I’ll go too! I’ll go too!”

“We can all go together~~”

“Sperien, what happened next? What happened after that?”

“Did you meet the plump bird next?”

Even the adolescent Fairies joined in urging him onward.

They had already grown to ten years old, yet they could count on one hand the number of opportunities they had been given to leave the divine tree. They had always been curious about the magical beasts in the forest, and after hearing the cub’s experiences, they became even more interested.

With so many sparkling eyes fixed on him, Shu Li gradually grew accustomed to the attention and began speaking with ease and confidence.

“After saying goodbye to Mr. Serpent, I flew toward the divine tree by myself...”

He flew for a long time, continuing until darkness fell. Remembering Mr. Serpent’s warning, he refused to travel at night.

Instead, he searched everywhere for somewhere to spend the night.

His luck was good. On a branch more than twenty meters above the ground in a giant tree, he found a bird’s nest.

Inside lived a plump, snow-white mother bird.

Shu Li traded her a fruit in exchange for shelter and successfully moved into the nest.

The adult Fairies could not help praising the cub’s intelligence.

Sperien handled situations with far greater maturity than the other cubs. He knew how to use the resources at his disposal to improve his circumstances.

“...The nest was so soft, and the plump bird was very kind to me. She tucked me under her belly with the chicks and protected us. I slept wonderfully.” Shu Li spoke animatedly, making the other cubs restless with longing. They wished they could find a bird’s nest and experience it themselves someday.

“But—”

His tone abruptly changed, and his expression became solemn.

“In the middle of the night, I was awakened by the sound of a human crying.”

“Huhhh? A human?”

The turn came so suddenly that the cubs could not follow his train of thought. They all stared blankly.

Kumandi and the other adolescent Fairies stopped writing and looked up at Shu Li in surprise.

The adult Fairies even abandoned the fruit and snacks. They rose in astonishment, their expressions grave.

“Sperien, you encountered humans?” Aisha asked nervously. “Did you come face-to-face with them? Were you hurt?”

Light God above!

What terrible things had the little cub encountered last night?

Had the king not gone searching for him, would he have...

Aisha did not dare imagine what might have followed. The lingering fear made her legs go weak.

Lia, who had already stopped playing, supported her with a worried expression. “Don’t worry. He’s already back...”

It was unclear whether she was comforting Aisha or herself.

Shu Li had not expected the adult Fairies to react so strongly to the mention of humans. Aisha and Lia looked as though they were about to cry.

What happened afterward was even more terrifying. Now he did not know whether he should continue.

Dosia clenched her hands and gritted her teeth inwardly. She had gone too easy on Chris. She should have punched and kicked him several more times to make sure he learned his lesson.

“What happened next? What happened next?” Angel asked. “Why was the human crying?”

The innocent cubs did not understand how frightening humans could be. Once their initial surprise faded, they eagerly asked what happened afterward.

Shu Li steadied himself and softened the details slightly to keep the adult Fairies from worrying.

“At first, I didn’t know he was human. He was crying... very, very sadly. Maybe something had happened to his companion? I wanted to peek out, but the plump bird pinned me down and wouldn’t let me look.”

The adult Fairies simultaneously breathed sighs of relief.

Well done, plump bird!

“But before I could figure out what was happening, a whole lot of armored Black Knights arrived...”

“Black Knights!”

This time, it was not only Aisha and Lia. Even Siet and Oress cried out in shock.

The three female Fairies quickly flew to Shu Li’s side and stroked him gently.

“Sperien, don’t be afraid. You’re back now. You’re safe.”

“Darling, it was all my fault. I failed in my duty to protect you.” Dosia was overwhelmed with guilt.

“Thank the Light God you are unharmed. Thank goodness.” Tears filled Lia’s eyes.

Passed from one adult Fairy’s embrace to another, Shu Li felt touched, but also slightly embarrassed.

“Um... I’m fine. Please don’t be sad.” He hugged Dosia. “It wasn’t your fault. Everything that happened was an accident.”

Taken as a whole, it had been one enormous misunderstanding.

The one who most deserved punishment was that stupid bird.

Had it not stolen fruit and arrogantly challenged Chris, none of what followed would have happened.

“Aisha, what are Black Knights? Are they really frightening?” Disio asked, biting his finger.

Aisha calmed herself, but when she heard the cub’s question, she did not know how to explain.

Black Knights carried the aura of death and were agents of hell who came from the darkness.

Every follower of the light was prey to the Black Knights.

On the continent, when one encountered a Black Knight, there were only two choices: kill or flee. There was no third option.

“Black Knights are terrifying!” Seeing Aisha hesitate, Shu Li answered for her.

The cubs could not remain innocent forever. They needed to know that evil existed in the world. After what happened last night, Shu Li deeply understood how dangerous the world beyond the forest was. Without great strength, survival would be difficult.

Even the mage who summoned tornadoes had been helpless against the Black Knights. In the end, the Elven King had appeared and instantly annihilated them.

Shu Li’s admiration for the Elven King surged endlessly like a mighty river.

He recounted the battle between the Black Knights and the human mage to all the Fairies in full detail.

The adolescent Fairies and cubs listened with rapt attention, occasionally sucking in sharp breaths. The adult Fairies clenched their fists, hating that they had not been there to protect him.

They were deeply moved when they heard how the nest tilted and the plump bird desperately shielded the Fairy cub and her chicks.

Her name was Doris, was it not?

Provided she agreed, they wanted to invite her and her chicks to move to the divine tree.

The divine tree was far safer than the edge of the forest.

Yes, based on the cub’s description, they could now be almost certain that the detestable Sekern bird had carried him to the edge of the Faerie Forest. No wonder they had searched all its nests without finding any trace of him.

Only near the forest’s edge would humans be able to intrude.

That damned Sekern bird could forget about ever living in the Faerie Forest again.

“...The nest tilted so badly that the fruit I gave the plump bird accidentally fell out and struck a Black Knight.” Shu Li cupped his face, breaking into a cold sweat as he remembered the scene.

He did not dare imagine whether any of them in the nest would have survived had the Black Knight swung his sword at them.

“It... struck a Black Knight?”

Every Fairy was stunned.

Aisha looked close to fainting and repeatedly murmured, “Light God above, Light God above...”

“The Black Knight noticed you?” Kumandi asked calmly.

Shu Li nodded. “Yes. He definitely noticed us... Thank goodness the Elven King arrived...”

He raised his head and gazed at the rosy clouds on the horizon, remembering the moment the Elven King appeared.

When Shu Li had fallen into despair, the Elven King had been like a ray of light—brilliant and dazzling, driving away the darkness and shining into the depths of his heart.

Aisha exhaled.

So that was the situation in which the king had saved Sperien.

No wonder he had explained nothing before riding away on his unicorn.

Although Fairies and Elves were both children of the Light God, the Elves generally stood on the front lines whenever they fought the forces of darkness.

The Elves had suffered devastating losses during the War of the Gods ten thousand years ago, and their population still numbered no more than two thousand.

Compared with the Fairy Clan, which produced a new group of cubs every ten years, the conditions required for Elves to produce children were far more demanding.

The Elven tree bore only a single fruit every hundred years.

Once the fruit formed, it had to develop for another fifty or sixty years before it matured.

In other words, at least one hundred and fifty years passed between the fruit forming and an Elf being born.

Yet for reasons unknown, the Elven tree had not produced any fruit for a very long time.

It was not only the Elves who were anxious. The Fairies worried on their behalf as well.

After hearing the cub’s experience, the adults could not help becoming more vigilant.

The forces of darkness were returning!

“Chirp, chirp, chirp—”

The lengthy discussion meeting finally ended at Sifu’s clear call.

It was time for dinner!

The cubs’ stomachs were growling with hunger, and they stared at the four fruits with drool running from their mouths.

Shu Li put the fruit away and took it to the school cafeteria, where he asked an adult Fairy to prepare it by cutting it into small pieces and sharing it among all the cubs.

The four fruits were plentiful. Not only did every cub receive some, but even the adolescent Fairies were given several plates.

After dinner, Shu Li returned home with Kumandi.

“Kumandi, Mr. Serpent gave me many things. Take a look and see whether there are any materials you need.”

On the carpet, Shu Li removed a pile of strange and unusual objects from the storage ring.

“There’s no need.” Kumandi told him to put them away, then opened the notebook in which he had taken notes that afternoon. “Let’s review.”

“Huh?” Shu Li stared blankly at the densely packed writing in the quiet little top student’s notebook and swallowed.

Surely he did not want Shu Li to review the entire afternoon discussion meeting?

Kumandi said mercilessly, “Throughout your narration, you misused one hundred and seventy nouns, fifty-three adjectives, and thirty-six adverbs. Your grammar was an utter disaster.”

Shu Li stared at him, dumbfounded.

There... were that many?

Hadn’t everyone listened with great interest?

Even Siet had barely corrected him!

Noticing the cub’s unconvinced look, Kumandi placed the notebook in front of him and began teaching on the spot, working through every item circled in red.

As Shu Li listened, his shoulders gradually hunched lower and lower, and his face flushed with humiliation.

Wahhh.

He had really made that many mistakes?

How embarrassing!

When Kumandi saw that he had recognized his errors, his expression softened. “Although you made quite a few mistakes, your account was extremely vivid.”

Shu Li’s ears twitched. “Thank you,” he said bashfully.

So he did have some redeeming qualities... probably?

Looking at the discouraged little cub, Kumandi’s lips curved upward. He said calmly, “We’ll correct your pronunciation of the nouns first.”

“Okay~” The little cub nodded obediently.

Time slipped quietly by as they studied, and before they knew it, the night had grown late.

Shu Li yawned and put down his notebook.

After the quiet little top student guided him through the words once, he told Shu Li to practice them alone. Kumandi then took out another blank notebook and began writing continuously.

Shu Li craned his neck curiously. “Kumandi, what are you writing?”

Without looking up, Kumandi replied, “A children’s song and a poem.”

Shu Li was surprised. “Is it homework from Siet?”

“Mm.” Kumandi finished the final line and put down his quill. “Would you like to hear it?”

“Sure!” Shu Li agreed cheerfully. He was tired from studying, so a little entertainment sounded nice.

Kumandi took a small harp from his storage pouch, lightly plucked its strings, opened his notebook to the first page, and began singing as he read the tadpole-like script.

“In the beautiful Fairy orchard,

A brazen Sekern bird appeared.

It stole away a Fairy cub

And dropped him at the forest’s edge.

Brave Sperien,

Fearing neither hardship nor danger,

Resolved to cross the forest

And return to the divine tree...”

“Wait, wait, wait—”

Halfway through, Shu Li realized something was wrong. He pressed down on Kumandi’s harp-playing hand and stared at him in disbelief.

“Why is my name in the children’s song?”

This was a song about him being carried away by that stupid bird!!!

Without changing expression, Kumandi said, “The stories of Fairies and Elves have always been preserved in the form of children’s songs and poems. That allows them to be passed down more effectively.”

Shu Li’s mouth opened wide enough to fit a quail egg.

He knew that many Fairy children’s songs told stories of things that had happened in the past.

Like the song about the pot lid and chicken leg.

Oh, no. Those were the misheard lyrics he had made up.

The proper song was about an Elf and a dwarf.

But, but—

He had never imagined that one day he would become the main character of a children’s song!!!

Shu Li’s mind dissolved into chaos.

“You don’t like this one?” Kumandi seemed not to notice the cub’s mortification. “I wrote others.”

“Huh?” Shu Li’s pupils quaked.

Then the black-haired adolescent Fairy began singing in his clear voice:

“An unconscious Fairy cub

Awoke upon an unfamiliar branch.

He looked around helplessly

And discovered a mother squirrel.

He drew the dagger at his waist

And shouted loudly,

Back, back, back—”

Shu Li threw himself forward without regard for his safety and covered the quiet little top student’s mouth, two enormous tears swelling at the corners of his eyes.

“It... it sounds wonderful, but... please don’t sing anymore... Wahhh...”

His toes had already clawed an enormous enchanted castle into the carpet!!!