Chapter 33
Though transformed into a Luna Clan cub, Lin Ran was now a small, white fluffball, a color rarely seen in the demon world. Such a cub would struggle to survive in the wild, its white fur too conspicuous, offering no camouflage.
But it was undeniably beautiful, like a fluffy cloud of snow or a vanilla marshmallow. Even Shao Mian was momentarily stunned, then cautiously extended a paw towards the small creature. His territory seemed to be attracting more and more cubs.
Lin Ran, however, seeing the lion’s dirty paw approaching his head, his human cleanliness instincts kicking in, exclaimed, “Yuanbao, stay back! Your paws are dirty…”
Shao Mian paused, looking at Sootball and Snowball, then back at the white fluffball, recognizing the familiar voice. How could the human transform into a demon? And why should he clean his paws? No self-respecting predator washed their paws! He found it absurd. He had, however, noticed Lin Ran’s cleanliness habits, having seen him brushing Sootball’s teeth.
“Cheep cheep!” Sootball flew over, holding the Moon Brooch, unsure how to give it to A-Ran in his current form.
“Mew?” Snowball looked at Shao Mian, hoping the powerful demon had a solution.
“…” Shao Mian, however, had never encountered such a situation. Humans transforming into demons usually meant mutation, but Lin Ran’s case was different. A mutated human couldn’t possibly awaken a Luna Clan bloodline. His gaze fell on the brooch.
“Roar…” You gave it to him?
“Cheep cheep.” Sootball, balancing the brooch on its head, explained it was the stone it had given A-Ran, which had turned into a brooch, granting him magic, but it had stopped glowing. It then tried to “recharge” the brooch with its purple aura, but the brooch didn’t absorb it.
Perhaps it was bound to its owner and could only be used by him, Shao Mian thought.
“…” Lin Ran, feeling a strange sense of embarrassment, was being examined by three fluffy creatures, his exhaustion amplified by the situation. He just wanted to sleep.
“Mew…” Snowball tugged at the lion’s mane, worried about A-Ran, whose usually bright eyes now looked sad, his fur drooping. He looked so cute and vulnerable, on the verge of tears. These human emotions, amplified by his cub form, were hard to ignore.
Even Shao Mian felt a flicker of anxiety. How did one comfort a cub? He had never learned such things. He wondered if there was a demon race skilled in childcare. Perhaps he could kidnap one. But for now, he should take the human home.
Lin Ran, however, realized a crucial problem. He didn’t know how to fly! His small wings flapped uselessly, almost sending him into a pond. He looked at the long journey home, despairing. He would have to bathe again before going to bed. He should have just gone to bed instead of trying to deliver the fish and pet Yuanbao. Ossi, though cute, wasn’t fluffy.
Suddenly, the world spun. Shao Mian had scooped him up and was carrying him home on his back.
Lin Ran: !
He opened his eyes, clinging to the lion’s mane as the scenery whizzed by. Shao Mian, mindful of his precarious position, wasn’t running at full speed, glancing back occasionally. Lin Ran, buffeted by the wind, burrowed deeper into the mane.
The small, warm weight on his back made Shao Mian forget the strangeness of carrying a human. It felt like carrying a precious treasure, which, in a way, Lin Ran was, being the only human in “Demon World.”
Living in beast form accelerated demonic energy recovery but also increased the risk of full beast transformation, especially for powerful demons. This was why many ancient demons limited their time in “Demon World.”
Until Lin Ran appeared. Whenever the human touched his mane, he felt a strong urge to return to his human form, perhaps out of annoyance, but also curiosity about the human’s reaction.
Within minutes, he reached the house, the cubs following excitedly. An Xun, watching Shao Mian, wished he could grow up quickly and carry A-Ran on his back too.
Shao Mian noticed Atylanthos in the newly formed lake.
“Ah?” And Ossi, looking at him curiously. Where had the human found these cubs? And an adult one this time. Was he turning his homestead into a demon shelter? It seemed like he was, and quite successfully too.
Recognizing them as Scythe Clan merfolk, an ancient and reclusive race rarely involved in demon world affairs, their ocean freight business providing them with ample wealth in the human world. Unlike other ancient races, Atylanthos was the youngest clan leader, his predecessor having transformed prematurely. The Abyssal Monitoring Committee had tried to understand the Scythe Clan’s rapid beast transformation but had found no answers. They suspected Atylanthos would also transform prematurely, the scales appearing on his body a clear sign. Fortunately, he had a younger brother who could succeed him.
Atylanthos, though claiming not to be a bodyguard, was instantly on alert as the golden lion approached, his power diminishing on land. And he couldn’t sense the lion’s power, which was unsettling. Either the lion was incredibly weak, or incredibly powerful. He had never seen such a beast form before.
“Cheep—!” But as he prepared to attack, Sootball flew between them, Snowball gesturing for silence.
“Cheep cheep cheep!” A-Ran is sleeping! Be quiet!
Shao Mian noticed the small, white fluffball asleep in his mane, its breathing shallow. He froze, careful not to wake it.
“Is that him?” Atylanthos asked, looking at Lin Ran, then at Sootball, unable to believe his subordinate was now a weak cub. Was he supposed to be a bodyguard for a cub?!
“Cheep.” Sootball nodded and nudged the lion towards the house.
Atylanthos, seeing their familiarity, realized the lion knew the human. So, the human had connections with powerful demons? He felt a pang of annoyance, his earlier wariness seeming unnecessary. Was he really going to be this human’s bodyguard? He was acting like a tsundere, claiming not to care while diligently patrolling the waters, capturing any approaching demons.
He then recognized the lion from the livestream, the one being fed grilled meat. That livestream had caused a surge in late-night barbecue consumption in the human world.
“Ah…” Ossi, looking at his tail, then enviously at the cubs entering the house, wished he and his brother could grow legs in the game.
“Legs?” Atylanthos flicked his brother’s head. “Growing legs for humans is foolish.”
“…Ooh.” Ossi, clutching his pearl, swam away, sulking. He settled in a corner, watching the lights of the house, his cheek resting on his arm.
Shao Mian, carrying Lin Ran upstairs, realized the little fluffball was clinging tightly to his mane.
“Cheep—Cheep!” Sootball tried to retrieve A-Ran but was afraid of waking him. It gave up and sat in front of Shao Mian.
Shao Mian: ??? He glared at Sootball, urging it to help. He couldn’t reach his back with his mouth.
“Cheep… Cheep.” But Sootball looked at A-Ran, then at Shao Mian. Since A-Ran was asleep, they could wait.
[Cub favoritism.jpg]
Shao Mian sighed, choosing to be a temporary bed instead of throwing the fluffball off. Sootball, seeing him lie down, flew over, its eyes filled with gratitude.
Shao Mian paused. Cubs were difficult to understand.
Sootball then curled up beside A-Ran, using the lion’s mane as a blanket.
Shao Mian flicked his tail in disbelief: ?
“Mew…” Snowball, seeing this, looked at Shao Mian longingly. It wanted to join them.
Lin Ran slept soundly, waking up to find himself back in the real world. His phone was warm from running all night. He tried to remember what had happened. He had met Ossi and Atylanthos, gotten the Moon Brooch, awakened his magic… and then turned into a white Luna Clan cub!
He sat up, trying to remember what happened after that, but his memory was fragmented. He only remembered riding on Yuanbao’s back. Why had he turned into a cub? And would Atylanthos be injured when he logged out?
He contacted customer service, which quickly replied. He had transformed because he ran out of magic while using his new skill.
[…This is a negative status effect to maintain game balance. Please manage your magic usage to avoid danger.]
It made sense. A skill that allowed unlimited magic and shape-shifting would be overpowered.
But turning into a cub was embarrassing… He buried his face in his pillow, then decided to forget about it. No one in the real world knew about it anyway.
As for Atylanthos…
[Logging out automatically cancels the subordinate bond. He has left.]
“Oh…” So, Atylanthos and Ossi had returned to the sea? He felt a pang of regret; Ossi was so cute.
[But he left gifts. Please check them after logging in.]
Gifts?
[Treasure Conch: Allows communication across vast distances, even to the deepest depths of the ocean.] He looked at the image of a glowing conch shell and clicked “Receive.” A romantic gift from the sea. So, Atylanthos and Ossi were his only connections in the underwater world. They could help him with future water-related quests.
Then, he noticed another gift beneath the conch: Ossi’s pearl, the “Song of the Sea God.” It seemed like a high-level item.
“Two gifts… The pearl is from Ossi. Is the conch from Atylanthos?” So, he could contact them if needed? He chuckled, finding Atylanthos’s tsundere behavior amusing.
“Another busy day. School is starting soon,” he sighed, getting ready for the day. The village’s new industry was thriving, thanks to the generous investor. And his livestream sales were steady. Though sales had dropped slightly after the peaches were sold out, the quality of their produce and their loyal customer base ensured repeat business.
But he didn’t know that his transformation wasn’t a secret. Oni and Yorke, now regularly video-calling Nemo, were staring at the screenshots he was showing them.
“Cheep~” Like A-Ran taking pictures of him, Sootball had taken screenshots of A-Ran’s cub form, initially wanting to ask his parents about it, but it had turned into a show-and-tell.
A-Ran is so cute— I love him!
“A white Luna Clan cub!?”
“Oh, he looks so sweet! His eyes are like the night sky!” Oni and Yorke responded enthusiastically, having never seen a white Luna Clan cub before. And it was undeniably beautiful, captivating every Luna Clan demon who saw it. Even the butler, puzzled by the human’s transformation, examined the pictures carefully. It was just too adorable!
“Could it be a descendant of some ancient ancestor?” Yorke wondered, trying to justify his concern for the human cub. It had to be a lost, rare variant of their clan! No wonder they were the first to encounter it.
The “Demon World” system remained silent. If this made them happy, it wouldn’t correct them, at least not before Lin Ran awakened his second racial skill. [Shrug.jpg]
