Chapter 1 - Prologue: Two Uglies

Prologue: Two Uglies

Every human being had a partner.

It wasn’t like that from the beginning. That happened after 1999 when the new millennium started.

Academics used phrases such as soul connection and foreign companion, but no one truly knew what they were.

A chat room opened, and we can now have one-to-one telepathic communication with people who lived outside of Earth even though we couldn’t even see their faces.

No, that’s not the only thing. The people said that they were inhabitants of Star Hatter, which is not on Earth and was surprisingly different from Earth.

They practiced magic like in old fairytales.

Monsters that are only likely to appear in movies and novels are now alive. Instead of shooting a gun, humankind wielded a sword to get rid of them.

Of course, a considerable shock hit humanity.

Some went crazy because they couldn’t stand the voices of strangers that they hear in their heads, and others began to speculate that Hatter might be another planet somewhere in space.

But all of it is to no avail.

No one could stop this phenomenon, and no one could find Hatter.

Without reason, the chat room soon disappeared.

Changes other than telepathic chat rooms came to Earth.

Hater’s inhabitants lived a very different life than modern Earthlings. Some were court wizards, some were commanders, and some were nobles of demons who were hostile to humans.

And from that moment, Earthlings were able to use the powers of those connected with them.

Magic, the power emanating from the tempered body, was vivid and deadly.

Humanity, of course, did not know why this was happening.

We didn’t know what to do with that power, but it was clear that we had to gather those who had the ability. The governments of each country created large institutions and embraced those who were capable by dividing them into different qualities and potentials. They received special treatment.

It was a belief without any scientific evidence, but many believed that something might be coming to Earth as a counterbalance to all the strange phenomenon. Therefore, competent people were being acknowledged as power representatives to each country.

In the process, it turned out that I couldn’t smile.

Chairman of a large company. Beautiful princess. World-famous sports player.

World-renowned people have acquired powerful abilities.

It was not a coincidence.

Hatter’s bad guys were connected to the bad guys on Earth as if they had been pre-woven.

It was a filthy world, everyone with a mouth said, but nothing changed.

Nobles are nobles; commoners are commoners—the gold spoons connected with the gold spoons and the soil spoon connected with soil spoons.

There were no exceptions.

Turning your life around after connecting with a powerful partner, was something that would only come true in a dream.

All I have left is resignation, and my disappointment is growing.

I am Korea’s ugly representative, poor Samryu University student, Kang Si-ha.

My contractor is Hatter’s ugly representative and poor farmer ‘Fate.’

It must have indeed been fate.

[Shiha, I want to show you! Farming is a huge hit this year!]

[Okay. That would be great, Fate.]

It was lecture time.

I attended to Fate, ignoring lectures that I didn’t understand, grazing my chin and drawing graffiti in the corner of my major.

I was listening to the business report of my partner, who was talking in a lively voice.

[Please be more pleased. If farming goes well, the probability of starvation decreases, so you’ll be fine too!]

All Earthlings were bound around their necks. It was straightforward. If your partner dies, you will die as well. Of course, the opposite circumstance was also valid.

[Siha, your world is not starving. I envy you.]

[I am starving too. I don’t have the money to buy lunch today.]

It didn’t take long for the facts to come out, and from that moment on, all the inhabitants of Earth and Hatter wanted their partners to live long.

There wasn’t much that we could do for each other.

[Then, the knights came out from the castle today. It should not have happened.]

[Don’t say anything, okay?]

My partner didn’t give me the power of a bean, but he still helped me. I was free to say any words to Fate since he was more stupid than me.

“That’s all for today. Let’s study, Chapter 3 thoroughly.”

This way, time can pass quickly.

As soon as the lecture was over, I yawned and put the textbook in my bag.

A friend came to me stretching.

“Shihaya, let’s go eat.”

“Where?”

“There is a pork cutlet near the door.”

I answered with agitation.

“It’s expensive there. I have no money.”

“Alright, I’ll buy the meal, Shiha. Let’s go eat it.”

“Really!?”

I could call him a friend and my brother. I was afraid he was going to cancel, so I pulled him, then left the lecture room and headed to the Chinese house.

We arrived in less than 10 minutes. I sat in the Chinese house where I saw ‘powers’ appear on the small TV.

My friend, who noticed my gaze on the TV, looked as well and told me.

“Oh, there’s a magic demonstration or something. Maybe today is that day.”

“Wizards are good. Did Fate suddenly awaken as a wizard?”

“It would be more likely that our zone will be given the Knights Letter.”

Of course, most of the students in college had partners with no abilities.

Some were hiding their abilities as if they were protagonists of a novel, but most of them were quickly overwhelmed by government officials.

It is challenging to hide from other competent humans because they have an unmatched amount of mana. Damn it, it’s unfair.

— This is a magic demonstration in Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul. We are with the proud Korean wizard, Young-woo Go.

— The magic to be demonstrated today is Arrow Baptism. It’s a powerful magic that creates dozens of arrows at a time and turns targets into ashes.

You can blame yourself for being weak and lacking power, but that’s still better than those who have met a wrong partner and died at a young age.

I attempted to comfort myself.

Then the Jjajangmyeon came out, and I picked up chopsticks.

[… Shiha.]

Suddenly, the trembling voice of Fate trembled to my heart.

[Uh, what should I do? The knight, the knight!]

[What’s going on? How did you come across those guys!]

The word knight only popped out, but I became extremely anxious. Hatter’s class system is absolute. There have been instances where you can lose your life just by opening your eyes incorrectly if you are a class with more than a two-level difference.

I’m glad to be alive, but if you’re unlucky …

Arrogant thoughts filled my mind. I lost the chopsticks I had in my hand.

[Shiha, what should I do? What should I do?]

[So tell me what’s going on!]

Damn, I’ve been living calmly and well, without any trouble! Now what!

[This is just the same name. It’s just the same name. It’s still me!]

[Hey! Hey dude!]

I was looking around strangely, I was to ask why my friend isn’t eating, but it wasn’t the time.

No matter how many times I called Fate, the guy did not respond.

But the crisis wasn’t just happening to Fate.

-Wow!

-Monster, monster! A monster appeared!

-Breaking news.

Something big had happened in the place where the magic demonstration was located; the screen turned into a news studio.

Then a window emerged as if it were in front of my eyes.

[Kang Si-ha (in synchronization)]

[Human Lv 3]

[Strength-3 Stamina-5 Magic-0 Luck-0]

[Skill-None]

“What is this?”

“My eyes are weird! Siha, do you see anything strange?”

[No, Shiha. Sorry… Sorry!”]

This is bad.

— This is a real situation. Currently, monsters appearing in Hatter are also appearing all over the world. In addition to this, natural disasters such as sudden landslides and earthquakes in mountain ranges occurred in many areas. So if you are out, evacuate to the safest place.

At that moment, the announcer tried to calm down and convey the information.

My friend was confused and held me.

There was a sound in my head of something being cut off.

I was sure that Fate was dead.

At the same time, the glass window that was covering my eyes, similar to the status window I saw in a game, disappeared like a ghost.

I didn’t even know who I was, and then I disappeared. The loss I felt at that time was beyond imagination. Perhaps I instinctively realized what it meant.

“All of this is real. Dear viewers, please act calmly. The authorities mobilized qualified people to ensure the safety of all the people.”

I chocked. My eyes turned bluish. My consciousness blurred.

The Jjajangmyeon bowl fell, and I slumped my head at the table. Only then did my friend notice what was happening to me. He was at awe, trying to shake my shoulders, but I was already unable to say anything.

The Earth seems to be in a crisis of extinction, but I don’t know what was happening. All the while, I was dying.

It was a trivial life.

I wanted to live for a long time, but it didn’t happen, My life ended insignificantly. It was so funny that I even laughed.

“Shiha! Hey, stay strong! Wake up! Be mindful!”

–The Earth is now in sync with Hatter! It is highly likely that you will suffer in the process of synchronizing with your partner, so viewers who listen to this broadcast will be as safe as possible.

Ah, if I were to die anyway, I wish I had eaten Jjajangmyeon before dying.

That was my last thought as a human.

[Kang Si-ha (Fate)]

[Goblin Lv 1]

[Strength – 7 Health – 9 Magic – 5 Luck-???]

[Skill-Ebon Heart, Predation Lv1, Escape Lv1]

What is this?

And this was my first thought as Monster Kang Si-ha.