I Became a Cub in the Elven Kingdom - Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – He Became a Fairy Cub?

At 11:30 PM, Shu Li was hunched over his desk, memorizing English vocabulary. As he studied, his head drooped lower and lower, his eyelids heavy, and he drifted into a drowsy stupor.

Thump!

“Ouch! That hurt!”

Shu Li clutched his throbbing forehead, his sleepiness instantly banished. Tears welled in the corners of his eyes as he yawned twice in succession, shaking his head vigorously to force himself awake.

The national college entrance exam was just a month away, but his English grades were a disaster. Even with a private tutor, nothing seemed to help; no matter how hard he studied, he couldn’t grasp the language.

He understood everything in class, but the moment the bell rang, it vanished from his mind. This had earned him no shortage of nagging from his CEO father.

“Your eldest, second, and third brothers are all linguistic prodigies, fluent in English, French, and Russian. They don’t even need translators when conducting business abroad. How did you end up a linguistic idiot?”

Every time his father saw his failing English exam, he wore a look of exasperated disappointment.

Shu Li felt wronged.

His Chinese language scores had always been top-tier since childhood. How could anyone say he lacked linguistic talent?

“I’m just too patriotic!” Shu Li retorted stubbornly. “Dad, you’ve pulled three SSR Cards in a row! You’re bound to get a non-SSR Card eventually, right?”

“You brat! You have the nerve to slack off on your studies and act like it’s justified?”

President Shu grabbed the feather duster and chased after his son, ready to strike.

Don’t ask where the feather duster came from. The point is, the impeccably dignified President Shu at work was no different from any ordinary father when it came to disciplining his youngest son for his poor grades. Every time he saw Shu Li’s English test paper with a score barely above ten, he nearly had a heart attack from anger.

Shu Li, of course, wasn’t foolish enough to stand there and take the beating. The clever boy would either hide behind his mother or his older brothers.

As the youngest son of the Shu family, showered with endless affection, President Shu’s thunderous threats were all bark and no bite. The feather duster never truly landed on Shu Li’s backside.

“Li Li can’t learn it, so don’t force him,” his mother said. “He can just take a translator with him when he goes abroad. What’s the big deal?”

“With the three of us running the company, let Li Li develop freely!” his eldest brother declared.

“Li Li’s talented in music. He can pursue an arts career later, where the academic requirements are lower,” his second brother pointed out.

“If he really can’t get in, we’ll just donate a building to XXX University. If one isn’t enough, we’ll donate two!” his third brother offered.

Thanks to his family’s indulgence, Shu Li’s English remained mediocre at best.

With the college entrance exams looming, Shu Li was still cramming at the last minute.

Rubbing his face, he decided to play a few rounds of games to perk himself up. He cheerfully grabbed his phone, logged in, and his drowsiness vanished completely.

Five minutes later, Shu Li was passionately shouting into his microphone:

“Left, left! Watch out!”

“Ahhh—help me, help me—”

“Phew, I survived! Thanks, bro!”

“Quick, come support me! I’m surrounded!”

Knock, knock, knock—a rhythmic knock echoed through the room, abruptly silencing Shu Li’s shouts.

“Xiao Li, still up?” His father’s voice called from outside the door.

Panicked, Shu Li hastily quit the game, shoved his phone into his desk drawer, switched off the desk lamp, and scrambled toward his bed.

But in his haste, his foot slipped, sending him tumbling backward into the bookshelf. In a stroke of terrible luck, the brick-thick English dictionary fell from the shelf, striking him squarely on the head.

I’m done for!

Darkness flooded Shu Li’s vision, and he collapsed unconscious.

If there’s a next life, he vowed, he would absolutely, absolutely be reborn into a world where he never had to study foreign languages!

Shu Li slept soundly.

Since starting high school, he hadn’t slept so peacefully.

The bed beneath him was incredibly soft and warm, enveloping him in comfort. A faint floral scent lingered in the air, deepening his drowsiness and filling him with a sense of contentment. He wanted to sleep forever.

He rolled over, stretched out his limbs, and lay flat in a starfish position, letting out soft snores.

“&%@@¥&%……”

“&&¥¥#.”

Unfamiliar voices echoed in his ears, disturbing his peaceful slumber. Shu Li pouted in annoyance, muttering a few incoherent words.

“%%@#&&¥?”

The irritating voice grew louder, its piercing tone shattering Shu Li’s sleepiness.

Slightly irritated, Shu Li shifted onto his stomach, sticking his butt in the air and burying his head deep into the soft blanket.

Then, someone gently pressed his butt.

Shu Li was truly angry now.

He had been sleeping so well, quietly and obediently. Why was someone being so mean as to wake him up?

“&##%@¥,@¥%&#……”

A pleasant baritone voice spoke. Though he couldn’t understand the words, the sound sent a shiver down Shu Li’s spine. As a music student, he had always been a sucker for beautiful voices, utterly captivated by them.

Shifting slightly, Shu Li pulled his head out from under the covers, propped himself up on his arms, and forced himself into a kneeling position. He yawned widely, his eyes blinking groggily as he struggled to wake up.

But the moment a gigantic face loomed into view, all traces of sleep vanished instantly.

Shu Li froze, paralyzed with terror.

He finally understood why the people in that anime were so terrified of the giants peering over the city walls.

The visual impact is just too overwhelming, isn’t it?!

Even though the face looming inches away was undeniably beautiful, it couldn’t suppress his megalophobia.

Shu Li trembled violently, his tear ducts working overtime as he fought back tears. Terrified that the giant would open its cavernous maw and devour him, he desperately held back his sobs.

The effort was agonizing, and his small body shook even more violently.

“%?&%#@#@?” the giant murmured, confused, and extended a finger toward Shu Li.

Shu Li stared blankly, his eyes fixed in horror on the colossal finger pressing down toward him. Just as the fingertip was about to touch his head, that melodious baritone voice rang out again. The finger paused, then retreated.

With the threat gone, Shu Li secretly exhaled in relief, his heart still pounding. He cautiously turned his stiff neck to search for the owner of the baritone voice.

Soon, he spotted another giant, even more breathtakingly beautiful than the first.

Perhaps because this giant stood at a distance, not exerting any psychological pressure on Shu Li, he mustered his courage and scrutinized the figure closely.

It was a young foreign man.

He possessed long, straight hair that shimmered like molten gold, eyes as brilliant as emeralds, sharply defined features, porcelain-white skin, and a slender, graceful physique. He wore a pale lavender robe embroidered with intricate floral patterns at the cuffs and hem, radiating an aura of ethereal nobility.

Shu Li was instantly captivated, his gaze glued to the man.

But when he noticed the silver crown atop the man’s head and those unmistakable pointed ears, his jaw dropped in astonishment.

An… an Elf?

Only Elves had such long, pointed ears.

“&%¥#@,” the Golden-Haired Elf spoke to him, his voice gentle, his expression warm, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Though Shu Li couldn’t understand a single word, he was utterly mesmerized.

The man’s voice was simply too, too beautiful!

So beautiful it felt like his ears were about to get pregnant.

As Shu Li stared intently at the Golden-Haired Elf, the giant who had been crouching nearby suddenly leaned in, winking and making faces while muttering a string of gibberish.

Shu Li was once again seized by his fear of large objects. He shrank back, instinctively grabbing the blanket and pulling it over his head.

Huh? Huh? Huh?

To his astonishment, the object in his hand wasn’t the soft blanket he expected, but a large, fragrant flower petal!

Even more shocking were his own hands—small, chubby, delicate, and adorably miniature.

Shu Li’s mind seemed to freeze, temporarily losing its ability to process.

“Your Majesty, this Fairy Cub… do you think it’s underdeveloped?”

Why else would it be so dazed and unresponsive?

The Red-Haired Elf leaned closer to the flower bed, her face etched with concern.

Today, a new batch of Fairy Cubs had been born in the Fairy Forest. Twenty-five of them had awakened smoothly, their flower beds blooming open to release them. They eagerly spread their wings and soared into the Fairy Nursery, flitting about with boundless curiosity and energy.

Only the last Fairy Cub remained, lying sound asleep in its flower bed, showing no signs of awakening.

The Red-Haired Elf gently called out to it, but instead of waking, the cub simply stuck its tiny bottom up and buried its head beneath the flower petal.

The sight amused the Red-haired Elf, who couldn’t resist gently tapping the Fairy Cub’s soft, plump bottom with her finger.

Unfortunately, the Elven King, who was patrolling the Fairy Forest, witnessed this scene.

“Sayah, disturbing someone’s sleep is very impolite,” he said gently.

“Sorry,” Sayah, the Red-haired Elf, stuck out her tongue and withdrew her finger.

The Fairy Cub was finally awakened.

He poked his head out from under the petals, wobbled as he sat up, and knelt obediently between the flower’s pistils, his knees pressed together. His beautiful emerald-green eyes widened as he looked up, still dazed.

Seeing this, Sayah eagerly leaned closer to the flower bed, her face lighting up with a radiant smile. Just as she was about to speak, the Fairy Cub’s expression turned to terror. His green eyes grew wide and round, making him look utterly adorable.

“Huh? What’s wrong?” As an Elf from the Fairy Nursery, Sayah had never encountered such a peculiar cub before. She cautiously extended a finger, intending to touch the little one’s head.

But the Fairy Cub seemed even more frightened. Tears welled up in his eyes, and his small body trembled like a leaf in the wind.

“Sayah, you’re scaring him,” the Elven King gently reminded her.

Sayah retracted her fingers, taking a step back under the Fairy Cub’s terrified gaze.

As expected, the little one’s fear vanished the moment she retreated. Tilting its head, the cub curiously studied the King, its eyes filled with admiration, perhaps captivated by his perfect appearance.

Sayah felt frustrated.

Am I really that ugly?

Elves were the Light God’s favored children, the most beautiful beings in the world. Ugliness was simply not in their nature.

Refusing to accept this, Sayah leaned closer to the flower bed and addressed the Fairy Cub, “Hey, little one, I’m Sayah, the Elf responsible for taking care of you. Don’t be afraid, I won’t hurt you.”

Her attempt at gentle words only startled the cub further. It grabbed a petal and frantically covered its head.

Sayah: ……

I want to shut myself in.

The little one froze halfway through covering itself, staring blankly at its tiny hand, motionless for a long moment.

Sayah began to worry.

Light God above, could this Fairy Cub really be underdeveloped?

Shu Li was still in a daze, completely unaware that the Red-haired Elf had already judged him as a little simpleton.

He suspected he was dreaming.

Otherwise, how else would he be seeing pointed-eared elves? And why had he become so strange, as if he’d been transformed into a tiny, delicate body where even a single petal could serve as a blanket?

It must be a dream! Shu Li insisted to himself.

If he remembered correctly, he had been memorizing English vocabulary earlier. Tired of studying, he had sneaked in some time to play games, only to be caught by his father. Panicked, he had tried to pretend he was asleep, but his foot had slipped, causing him to crash into the bookshelf. Then—

He had been knocked unconscious by a thick, heavy book.

Shu Li sorted through his memories, feeling slightly relieved.

If it’s just a dream, that’s fine. Dreams are often absurd and bizarre, full of fantastical creatures. Seeing elves from myths is perfectly normal.

Having convinced himself, Shu Li released the petal, straightened up, and tilted his small head, peering around with curiosity.

With his fear gone, his courage grew. His bright, lively eyes darted around.

“@¥@%?” the Red-Haired Elf asked, her voice ringing with curiosity.

Shu Li couldn’t understand her words, so he simply grinned foolishly.

The Red-Haired Elf paused, taken aback by the Fairy Cub’s pure, innocent smile. She quickly turned to the Golden-Haired Elf and spoke in rapid whispers. The Golden-Haired Elf nodded slightly and replied with a single sentence.

Shu Li shifted from kneeling to sitting cross-legged, propped his chin in his hands, and watched the two giant elves converse with leisurely interest.

Their voices are so beautiful!

Like singing, like celestial music.

He really was an audiophile. Even without understanding the elven language, he found their conversation utterly captivating.

Dad always says I don’t work hard enough at foreign languages. He should see me in my dreams!

“%$#@%%.”

The Golden-Haired Elf, who had been standing slightly apart, suddenly approached. Shu Li suppressed his fear of giants, blinked his bright eyes, and smiled sweetly at him.

Elves truly were breathtaking creatures, their features sculpted as if by the gods themselves, perfectly aligned with his aesthetic preferences.

Shu Li’s heart pounded, and his smile grew even more genuine.

The golden-haired elf’s gaze softened, and he returned a warm smile.

Struck by his beauty, Shu Li was completely mesmerized until the golden-haired elf extended his slender fingers and gently touched his forehead. Only then did he snap out of his daze.

A faint warmth spread across his forehead, neither painful nor itchy, like a warm current flowing into his mind, leaving him feeling refreshed and clear-headed.

He instinctively covered his forehead, his face filled with confusion.

If this is a dream, why does it feel so real?