I Became a Cub in the Elven Kingdom - Chapter 234

Chapter 234: Dividing the Work

“What’s that noise?” Budno nearly dropped his flatbread, startled by the roar.

“Magical beasts?” Shu Li tilted his head, quickly rose, and grabbed his magic wand. “Everyone, prepare for battle!”

Instantly, the Light Squad abandoned their meal, gripped their weapons, and assumed combat stances.

“Waaah—!”

Two skinny youths leaped out from behind a massive boulder. Spotting Shu Li and his group, they shouted in Continental Common Language, “Hurry—run—!”

Behind them, dust billowed, accompanied by deafening roars and the thunder of footsteps. Hideous, colossal monsters suddenly materialized before the group.

Shu Li’s eyes widened in astonishment.

These creatures were towering and muscular, their bodies covered in black scales. Their faces were grotesquely ugly, each crowned with a crimson fleshy growth. They bared blood-red maws filled with razor-sharp fangs and crimson tongues, their bestial eyes gleaming with malevolent light. A chilling aura of darkness radiated from their bodies.

Seventeen or eighteen of them charged forward like lightning, closing in on the two fleeing youths.

“Are those magical beasts?” Hector froze in terror, his face paling.

In all his years, he had never seen such repulsive creatures.

Nasha and Cindy’s faces were no better. As the monsters drew closer, the terrifyingly potent dark energy nearly suffocated them.

Without hesitation, Shu Li raised his magic wand and silently cast the Wood Entangling Technique. Plant roots deep beneath the earth instantly erupted, ensnaring the monsters’ feet.

Immediately afterward, he chanted a Wind Magic spell, summoning a gust of wind to pull the two young men to safety.

This entire sequence took only seven or eight seconds. The others merely saw the monsters suddenly freeze, giving Shu Li the opportunity to rescue the youths with Wind Magic.

As Shu Li saved the youths, Kumandi, Decio, Est, and Celius simultaneously unleashed their own spells.

Wind blades, fireballs, and a fire serpent shot forth, converging on the monsters.

The monsters roared, directly confronting the magical onslaught. The wind blades and fireballs left only shallow marks on their dark scales, while the fire serpent, though inflicting significant damage on the lead monster, failed to deliver a fatal blow.

Enraged, the monsters strained against the tree roots binding their ankles, snapping them with brute force. Dropping to all fours, they charged forward with unrestrained fury.

Celius frowned, swiftly sheathing his magic wand and drawing the Silver Sword from his waist. In an instant, he unleashed a burst of sword qi.

Cross Slash—

The sword qi formed a cross-shaped white light that swept across the monsters. The creatures shrieked as their bodies were cleaved into four pieces, collapsing to the ground with a thunderous crash, spewing thick, green blood.

Celius’s one-strike kill had drawn all the monsters’ aggro. They temporarily abandoned their pursuit of the two youths, their predatory gazes locking onto him as they encircled him in a menacing semicircle, growling threateningly.

They were wary of the human who had slain their comrade, their eyes ice-cold as they scrutinized him for any weakness. At the slightest opening, they would swarm him, tearing him apart with savage bites.

Celius gripped his Silver Sword, facing the horde of monsters with unwavering courage.

“These aren’t magical beasts!” Est said grimly. “The Dark Force within them is extremely dense. Ordinary magic attacks will have limited effect.”

“Then what do we do?” Hector asked, his voice trembling with fear.

Apart from Celius, they were all just Mage Apprentices. Could they possibly defeat these terrifying creatures?

“Defend first!” Shu Li chanted a Senior Light-attribute defense spell, enveloping everyone except Celius—including the two rescued youths—in a protective barrier.

Having secured his teammates’ safety, he turned to the two silent youths huddled nearby. “Are you alright? Are you injured?”

The youths shook their heads in unison, pulling their hooded cloaks tighter with gloved hands, completely obscuring their faces.

Seeing they were unharmed, Shu Li shifted his attention back to the monsters.

Celius, with his strength as an Intermediate Great Swordsman, had temporarily intimidated the creatures. But their sheer numbers meant he couldn’t hold out alone for long.

While the attacks of the Mage Apprentices were negligible, the strikes from the Senior Archmages and Grand Mages were undeniably effective.

These monsters appeared formidable, but in reality, they were weaker than a Sixth-Tier Demonic Beast.

Shu Li calmly issued commands:

“Hector, isolate the monsters with Earth-Type Magic!”

“Angele and Amanda, attack with Light Magic!”

“Kumandi, Nasha, and Cindy, coordinate Wind and Fire Magic to focus your attacks on one monster!”

“Decio and Est, you do the same!”

“I’ll provide comprehensive support to everyone—hold nothing back! We must annihilate them all!”

Any creature corrupted by the Dark Force would lose its sanity, descending into madness and rampage. Allowing them to breach human territory would result in catastrophic slaughter and unspeakable consequences.

Moreover, these monsters were distinct from ordinary magical beasts, resembling the Hellspawn he had once seen in ancient texts.

Hellspawn in the Woba Grand Canyon?

Unheard of!

The Magic Association had issued no warnings to adventurers about such creatures.

Suppressing his growing unease, Shu Li raised his magic wand and joined his teammates in chanting a Light-attribute attack spell.

His earlier emphasis on holding nothing back was a deliberate signal to the little fairy and dragon: they no longer needed to suppress their true power. Eliminating the monsters was now the paramount objective.

Though Celius was outside the Light Barrier, in close proximity to the monsters, his body was protected by a layer of sword qi, providing both offense and defense. He moved through the swarm with calm precision.

When his teammates’ magic attacks joined the fray, the monsters’ aggro was distributed, creating more openings for Celius to strike.

Hector relentlessly cast earth spikes, creating barriers to prevent the monsters from focusing their attacks on Celius.

Angele and Amanda’s light orbs struck the monsters, eliciting piercing shrieks.

Light Magic was the bane of Dark Creatures. Wherever the light orbs touched, the monsters’ flesh sizzled and emitted wisps of blue smoke, their sturdy scales proving no match for the penetrating Light Element.

Kumandi, a Junior Grand Mage, led two true Mage Apprentices in focusing their fire on a single monster. Wind blades combined with fireballs sent the creature staggering, its flesh torn and bloody.

The monster roared in fury, attempting to breach the Light Barrier, but Kumandi’s wind binding spell held it rooted in place. Nasha and Cindy seized the opportunity to pelt it with fireballs—their attacks dealt minimal damage, but the humiliation was devastating.

Decio and Est’s coordination was even more seamless. A wind binding spell followed by a fire serpent trapped a monster, burning it alive. The creature instantly transformed into a massive fireball, its agonized screams piercing the air.

Before casting Light Magic, Shu Li would silently chant the Wood Entangling Technique in his mind. Plant roots surged from the ground, silently ensnaring the monsters’ feet and drastically reducing their mobility.

Light orbs rained down like celestial blossoms, densely striking each monster and mercilessly shattering their scales, leaving bloody craters in their wake.

In essence, he was simultaneously casting Wood Magic and Light Magic, maximizing his offensive efficiency.

If he weren’t concealing his true power, he could unleash Wood, Light, and Fire Magic in unison.

The Light Squad had perfectly suppressed the seventeen monsters, leaving Lanno and Luka, who had been desperately fleeing for their lives, utterly dumbfounded.

“They… they’re incredible!” Luka whispered to Lanno in Elven.

“Even stronger than that other group we encountered,” Lanno replied, subtly tilting his head to observe the emblems on the mages’ chests.

Mage Apprentices?

Apart from the Swordsman, everyone within the Light Barrier was a Mage Apprentice.

How is this possible?!

The previous adventurer team had boasted multiple Senior Mages and Senior Swordsmen, yet they had not only been helpless against the monsters but had suffered a devastating counterattack.

Seeing the situation turn dire, he and Luka fled, with half the monsters relentlessly pursuing them.

They stumbled through the wilderness, completely lost. They encountered no more adventurer teams or mercenary groups along the way. Just as the monsters were about to catch up, they collided with this adventurer team, composed almost entirely of Mage Apprentices.

To their surprise, the monsters were being utterly overwhelmed, unable to mount any resistance.

Could it be… that the monsters’ attack power weakens after they inflate?

The two Dark Elf youths spoke in hushed tones, but their words couldn’t escape the little fairies’ keen hearing.

Elven?

The five little fairies engaged in combat exchanged subtle glances, their eyes reflecting confusion.

Among humans, only Mages typically learn Elven.

As the world’s most difficult language to master, most Mages only study spell-related vocabulary, with only a handful achieving true fluency in daily conversation.

Yet these two young boys spoke flawless, accent-free Elven. If not for the incongruous setting, Shu Li would have strongly suspected they were fairy cubs.

But they clearly couldn’t be fairy cubs; their ages didn’t match.

The youngest fairy was only eight years old, and no adult fairy would ever allow an eight-year-old fairy cub to leave the Faerie Forest unsupervised.

Shu Li’s gaze fell on the youths’ hoods and gloves, and the image of the Dark Elf named Moryx flashed through his mind.

So—they’re Dark Elf Cubs!

Shu Li’s pupils constricted as he recalled the information the Mother Tree had shared with him earlier.

Ephit had left Vanaku to search for the runaway Lanno and Luka.

During Shu Li’s weekly visits to Vanaku to purify the Mother Tree’s Branch and sweetie fruit, Ephit had been absent. Instead, a Dark Elf Cub had been counting the fruit in his place.

Shu Li had met the cub before; he was about the same age as Lanno and Luka and was named Yagri.

Whenever Ephit had to leave Vanaku, Yagri would stand solemnly beneath the Mother Tree with a small notebook, meticulously counting the fruit.

For the past week, Yagri had been recording the data daily, making it clear that Ephit still hadn’t found Lanno and Luka.

Those two little fellows were such a handful! Not only did they run away, but they also provoked a group of formidable monsters.

If not for their lucky encounter with the Light Squad, their lives would have been in grave danger.

Lanno and Luka, still unaware that Shu Li had discovered their identities, anxiously observed the situation.

“Should we warn them about the big monster behind them?” Luka whispered.

“The big monster hasn’t shown itself yet,” Lanno replied. “Maybe the previous adventurer team killed it. Once these monsters are gone, we’ll warn them to leave the canyon quickly!”

Luka sighed. “If we’d known so many disgusting monsters would emerge from the depths of Woba Grand Canyon, we never would have snuck down here to collect medicinal herbs and crystal ore.”

Lanno puffed out his cheeks. “It’s too late for regrets now. I just hope Ephit doesn’t spank us when we get back.”

Hearing this, Shu Li paused his magic, turned around, and addressed the two cubs in Elven: “I’m afraid your hopes will be dashed. For disobedient cubs, a spanking is the best punishment.”

Lanno and Luka were shocked, staring up at Shu Li in disbelief.

This human… understands Elven?

Shu Li grinned, baring his teeth in a predatory smile.

The Dark Elf Cubs, even more terrified by the sight, instinctively huddled together.

Shu Li shrugged, ceasing his intimidation tactics, and resumed chanting spells to attack the monsters.

Ephit must be on his way. Once these creatures were eliminated, he couldn’t allow the two Dark Elf Cubs to run wild.

Lanno and Luka were inwardly churning with anxiety, unable to sit still.

Over the past week, they had traveled from Vanaku to the Woba Grand Canyon, successfully maintaining their disguise without any humans discovering their true identities.

Gradually, they lowered their guard, emboldened by the humans’ inability to understand Elven, and began communicating privately in Elven.

Never could they have imagined that their casual conversation earlier would be overheard by a human Mage Apprentice.

Hearing Shu Li mention “cub,” Kumandi frowned deeply. To confirm his suspicions, he deliberately cast a low-level Wind Magic spell inside the Light Barrier.

A gust of wind swept through, billowing everyone’s robes.

As expected, the Dark Elves’ hoods were blown off, revealing their silver-white hair, ashen skin, and pointed, elongated ears.

“My apologies, that was a mistake,” Kumandi said to his teammates, his expression unchanged.

Without waiting for his teammates’ response, he turned his head and sharply scrutinized the two bewildered young boys.

“Dark Elf Cubs!”

As soon as the words left his lips, the others turned in astonishment to stare at Lanno and Luka.

“By the Light God, I’ve actually encountered Dark Elf Cubs here!” Hector exclaimed, his eyes widening in disbelief.

With their true appearances exposed, Lanno and Luka’s delicate faces were filled with terror. They gripped their weapons tightly, aiming them at the humans with trembling hands.

Shu Li rubbed his forehead, trying to reassure them. “Don’t be afraid. We mean you no harm.”

Lanno and Luka, drenched in sweat, remained unconvinced.

Humans were notoriously opportunistic, often sneaking into Vanaku to steal Dark Elf Cubs and sell them for exorbitant prices to depraved nobles.

Ever since Ephit obtained the King’s decree to regulate cub education, humans had lost their chance to exploit the situation.

Before venturing out, Lanno and Luka had taken meticulous precautions, drinking potions to alter their Dark Elf features. However, after being relentlessly pursued by monsters for two days straight, the potions’ effects had worn off, leaving them no time to reapply and revealing their true identities.

They were, after all, just inexperienced children, and the exposure of their identities left them terrified and utterly lost.

“Roar—”

The Mage Apprentices paused their attacks, and Celius found himself under immense pressure, besieged by three monsters.

“Kill the monsters first!” Shu Li shouted immediately.

No one dared to slack off now, and they resumed casting spells.

Of the seventeen monsters they had faced, only six remained. With one final push, victory seemed within reach.

The two Dark Elf Cubs exchanged uneasy glances, their hearts pounding with anxiety. Once these humans finished off the monsters, would it be their turn to be dealt with?

What should they do?

Could they escape later?

Or should they seize this opportunity to launch a sneak attack from behind?

No, no, no. Ephit had taught them that Dark Elves weren’t inherently evil. As long as they controlled the Dark Force within them, they could live with dignity and honor.

The Light Squad intensified their assault, unleashing spells as if they were free, while Celius’s masterful swordsmanship cut down the monsters with ruthless efficiency. Soon, only two remained.

These two were the largest and most formidable. Though covered in wounds, they moved with undiminished agility and ferocity.

As the Light Squad focused all their attacks on them, the monsters threw back their heads and let out a mournful roar that echoed across the sky.

Celius frowned, retreating several meters in wary anticipation.

“ROAR—ROAR—ROAR!”

After the deafening roar, the two monsters collided, merging into a single, colossal entity!