Chapter 1: Congratulations, It’s a Healthy Baby Teddy Bear!
by fnovelpia
A land untouched by humankind.
A mysterious, uncharted continent.
Deep within a remote mountain range, inside a shadowy cave…
“Grrrroooarrr…!”
A low, rumbling groan echoed off the cavern walls.
A creature classified as a monster.
A Flame Bear was going into labor.
“Grrroooaaar…!”
The first contraction struck.
The Flame Bear curled up in pain, muscles trembling.
After a long and grueling struggle with its own body, the beast finally brought its first cub into the world.
“Snort! Groooan!”
“Raaawr!”
A small bear cub with bright red fur.
It was a Flame Bear, just like its mother.
Despite being newborn, the cub was impressively large and looked healthy at a glance.
A proud smile spread across the Flame Bear’s face.
The first birth was a success.
But it wasn’t time to relax just yet.
There were still more cubs waiting to be born.
The Flame Bear curled up again.
Fifteen minutes passed with only pained moans.
“Nggh! Groooaaan!”
“Raaawr!”
The second cub slid out safely.
Another Flame Bear.
Slightly smaller than the first, but nothing seemed wrong.
The Flame Bear gave a satisfied nod.
Now, only one remained.
With another groan, the Flame Bear hunched over again.
Twenty more minutes passed.
Pop!
Something strange shot out of her womb.
It wasn’t a red-furred Flame Bear.
“…”
“Raaawrr?”
The Flame Bear froze in confusion.
Sometimes monsters give birth to mutants or crossbreeds—she knew that much.
She had prepared herself for the possibility of something different.
But this?
This, she had never even considered.
She had given birth to a Teddy Bear.
No, not a metaphor for a cute baby.
An actual stuffed animal shaped like a bear had popped out of her.
“Grrr…?”
Shove.
The Flame Bear scooted the teddy bear cub aside with her paw, then turned her back to it.
She pulled her two real cubs close.
That strange thing… she refused to acknowledge it as her child.
Even if it had come from her womb.
She could still love a runt.
But a lifeless doll? That stirred no maternal instinct at all.
“…”
In a dark corner of the cave, the teddy bear lay completely still.
It stared blankly at its reflection in the obsidian cave wall.
***
I had a good grasp of the situation now.
I died.
And was reborn.
As one of three cubs born to a massive bear.
…Is this really happening?
Am I dreaming?
Being reborn as an animal was weird enough.
But why… why the hell am I the only one who’s a teddy bear?
Can a living creature even give birth to a stuffed toy?
I’m so confused.
Everything I know about reality is falling apart.
But wait.
Maybe being born a teddy bear isn’t entirely impossible.
Those bears aren’t your average animals.
Besides their massive size, tiny flames flicker across their red fur.
They’re probably monsters—like something out of a fantasy story.
If that’s the case, maybe they can give birth to dolls or whatever.
Their biology must be completely different from normal creatures.
Okay.
Fine.
I’ll roll with it.
But now what?
I’ve been given a new life, but I have no idea what to do.
Being reborn as a monster isn’t the issue.
The problem is… I’m a teddy bear.
I can’t move.
I can’t talk.
I can’t even wiggle a finger.
What the hell am I supposed to do like this?
“Raaawr.”
As I cursed internally,
Mama Bear shot me a brief side-eye.
Hey.
Uh, Mom?
Are you seriously abandoning your own kid?
If you leave me like this, I can’t do anything!
But she turned her gaze away.
Didn’t even spare me a full second.
Heartless bear bitch.
Judging from her reaction,
I guess monsters don’t usually give birth to dolls.
That would explain her rejection.
I mean, imagine you’re giving birth and suddenly a stuffed toy pops out.
No matter how monstrous you are, you’re bound to be weirded out.
Okay.
I can understand that.
But that doesn’t mean I’ll forgive you.
Burning with resentment,
I glared at Mama Bear’s huge, lumbering backside.
And that’s when it happened.
Suddenly, glowing letters wriggled into view before my eyes like neon worms.
【Flame Bear Lv.35】
┗ Pw.105
┗ Rnk. Superior
…What the hell is this?
A game interface?
Is this some kind of status window?
At this point, nothing surprised me anymore.
I’d reached a level of calm that bordered on unsettling.
Maybe it was because I was a monster now.
I seemed to be taking all this in stride, far more than I should’ve.
Even I found my own reaction strange.
Shouldn’t I be panicking?
Not that I’m complaining.
In fact, it’s probably a good thing.
No sane person could endure this situation otherwise.
Wait—if I can see her stats, maybe I can see others’ too?
【Flame Bear Lv.2】
┗ Pw.6
┗ Rnk. Superior
【Flame Bear Lv.1】
┗ Pw.3
┗ Rnk. Superior
Nice. It worked.
My siblings were the same species as our mother.
Lucky bastards.
What about me?
I’m obviously not a Flame Bear.
Can I see my own status?
As soon as I thought that, another window popped up.
【Ragged Teddy Bear Lv.1】
┗ Pw.1
┗ Rnk. Normal
【Skills】
[Helper Lv.1], [Evolution Lv.1]
…What a garbage species name.
***
Day 2 of Being Reincarnated as a Teddy Bear.
Still lying alone in a corner, abandoned and forgotten.
On the other hand, the Flame Bear family was harmonious.
The mother bear hunted for food outside the cave, and the two baby bears were chomping down on the prey the mother brought back.
The mother bear watched her cubs with satisfaction.
Such a gaze filled with love. Would it kill her to share a bit of that love with me too?
Of course, there was no food for me.
Because I wasn’t acknowledged as one of her cubs.
The mother bear didn’t even spare me a glance. I was treated no different from a rock.
Well, I should at least be grateful that she didn’t tear me to shreds.
Even without being given food, it was fine.
It hurt to be treated unfairly, sure, but in the end, I didn’t even need to eat.
I guess that’s what it means to be a doll. Apparently, I don’t feel hunger.
In other words, I was a monster that could survive just fine without consuming food.
It was quite ambiguous.
Should I be called a living being or an object?
Well, at least I wouldn’t starve to death. …No, that’s not right.
Aren’t I basically already dead?
If all I have is consciousness but I can’t move, that’s just a corpse.
Technically, it’s more like a vegetative state…
No, in my case, more like a vegetable bear.
Only my sight remained functional.
Trying to think positively only made me feel more depressed.
***
Day 3.
I pulled up the status window with my information.
I had looked at it on day one, and again and again on day two, but since I had nothing else to do, it was the only thing I could fiddle with at will.
Alright, time to organize it again today.
Let’s find out who I am, this newly born me!
【Raggedy Bear Doll Lv.1】
Race: Raggedy Bear Doll.
Just as the name suggests, a pitiful doll.
Since I was born from inside a monster, I guess I’m technically a monster too, but in my current state, I was no different from any ordinary doll.
┗Pw.1
Pw stands for Power.
That’s not a guess—it’s confirmed information.
If I concentrate a little, more detailed info shows up.
Power 1
Like this.
My power was exactly as shown—just 1.
Quite the comparison to my siblings. One of them was the same level as me.
Even so, their power was 3.
And the gifted one born at level 2 had a whopping 6.
Even among those with the same level, power varied.
It seemed to be due to a difference in rank.
┗Rnk.Normal
Rank.
My rank was “Normal.”
This is just speculation, but I think Normal is the lowest rank.
I doubt anything ranks below me.
Man, now I’m getting depressed again.
Even mom is Superior rank, and all my siblings are Superior too… so why am I the only one that’s Normal?
Fortunately, it seemed like rank could be raised.
【Flame Bear Lv.1】
┗Pw.3
┗Rnk.Superior (Can break limit at Lv.30)
Limit Break.
That was probably the ritual to move up to the next rank.
For reference, Mother Bear and the Level 2 cub were marked as “Limit Break Unavailable.”
Which meant they’d be stuck at Superior forever.
Not that I was in any position to laugh.
I was also marked as unable to break my limit.
But still, I had potential.
Because I had this skill!
[Helper Lv.1]
A skill with status window system and various support features.
Ah, not this one.
The other one.
[Evolution Lv.1]
Allows you to evolve without breaking your limit.
Special evolution not allowed.
Consumes 1 level per use.
Does not change race rank.
Upon evolving, gain either a skill or permanent power.
Evolution!
A totally busted skill, just from the description.
The usage conditions weren’t even that strict.
And perhaps, through it, I could become a being capable of limit breaking.
Of course, it was useless right now.
To a mere teddy bear that couldn’t even move, it was no better than a pearl necklace on a pig.
Depression level: x10.
***
Day 10. Frustration.
I wanted to move.
I felt like I was going to go crazy… well, not quite.
Even though I was at depression level 100, I could still bear it somehow.
Guess my mental fortitude improved quite a bit after becoming a monster.
If it were my old human self, I probably would’ve lost it by now.
Just because I could bear it didn’t mean it wasn’t frustrating.
I wanted to move.
I wanted to jump up and dance.
I wanted to punch the mother bear right in the face with a Bear Fist.
While I was endlessly chanting those desires in my head…
【Achievement unlocked: “Desperate Will to Move.”】
Huh?
This Helper skill has voice support too?
Then why didn’t it talk to me sooner?
I’ve been super lonely this whole time.
No, wait. More importantly—what did it just say? An achievement…?
【You have acquired “Action Lv.1.”】
A voice told me I’d gained a skill, and I reflexively pulled up my status window.
【Raggedy Bear Doll Lv.1】
┗Pw.1
┗Rnk.Normal
【Skills】
[Helper Lv.1], [Evolution Lv.1], [Action Lv.1]
[Action Lv.1]
A skill that lets you act by consuming mana.
As long as you have mana, you can move no matter your state.
OOOOH! I got a skill called Action!
You can move no matter what state you’re in?
Even without muscles or joints?
Then it was a skill made just for me.
A must-have, an absolutely essential skill.
Finally, I’d be able to move…!
I was overwhelmed with emotion.
Without hesitation, I declared my will to use the skill.
Alright, let’s go.
Toward a truly new life!
【Not enough mana to use “Action Lv.1.”】
······Excuse me?
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