Chapter 2  

You Mi made it home before dark.  

The residential district of the capital had excellent security, and serious crimes rarely occurred at night. However, You Mi was currently an undocumented resident, and his body was far too small. Even if he didn’t encounter bad people, he was afraid of being accidentally trampled to death by the enormous monster passersby who might not see him.  

As for the issue of residency, You Mi had already researched it thoroughly on Lin En’s Optical Brain.  

The various regions of Snar Star were highly complex, with a vast diversity of monster species. Though they shared human-like living habits, they were generally not under unified governance.  

Apart from the largest central district—the capital—there were also mountainous areas, deserts, icy plains… and even volcanic regions where Snar Star inhabitants lived.  

Lin En had mistakenly believed that the Black Miasma Wasteland, where You Mi had previously been, was the most hostile environment, nearly uninhabited by Snar Star natives.  

The living habits and appearances of Snar Star inhabitants varied drastically across different regions.  

Generally, those from outside the capital district didn’t come to live in the capital. However, if their homeland was destroyed or became uninhabitable, they needed to work in the capital for at least a month before they could register for residency.  

You Mi was confident in himself. Despite constantly changing jobs, he had already worked for a week!  

Panting heavily as he reached his tiny house, You Mi locked his cart to the wooden cabin before carrying his handbag, lunchbox, and green jujubes inside.  

The jujubes, nearly half the size of his head, had been a gift from Lin En.  

You Mi always avoided eating in front of Snar Star natives, but the cabin was too stuffy. Now that it was dark, he wasn’t too worried about being spotted while eating outside.  

Still, just in case, he put on a hat.  

Sitting on the ground outside his cabin, he devoured his meal, the refreshing fragrance from the flowerbed serving as a natural air freshener.  

As he ate, he gradually sensed a familiar gaze on him. Slowly raising his head, he spotted a massive head peeking out from a high-rise window.  

The girl had two tiger ears, her blue eyes fixed intently on him. “Mi-Mi… can I come down and hug you?”  

It was Lily, the daughter of the house’s owner.  

Originally, You Mi had intended to move his wooden cabin to the slums where Lin En lived. But while passing by this house, he had coincidentally spotted an electronic notice at the entrance recruiting security guards.  

You Mi applied, but his tiny stature standing before the towering, burly owner unsurprisingly led to rejection.  

The turning point was Lily. The moment she saw You Mi, she was stunned. At first, she thought her parents had bought her a bionic doll. No matter how they explained, she insisted on keeping You Mi.  

Seeing their dilemma, You Mi suggested, “I don’t have to stay in the guard booth. My house is small—it can fit behind the flowerbed. You can let me try working for a while first.”  

“……”  

Her parents hardly dared to let him try. Such a tiny thing probably couldn’t even fight off a stray cat. But ever since transferring schools, Lily had been gloomy—this was the first time she’d shown such interest in an outsider… For the sake of their daughter’s happiness, they allowed You Mi to temporarily settle his cabin in the yard while they hired another guard.  

Thus, You Mi’s wooden cabin found stability. Nestled in a Snar Star native’s yard, at least he wouldn’t be driven away. And with the newly hired jackal guard, it was even safer.

“Mi Mi!” Lily had already run downstairs, speaking with childlike innocence, “When you eat, your horns pop out on your head? So funny… Can I feed you?”

“…I can do it myself.” You Mi wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but this kid seemed to treat him like a pet… He lowered his head and continued eating.

Lily didn’t leave, squatting beside him and watching intently as he took small bites, occasionally giggling, “Mi Mi…”

You Mi’s skin crawled from her laughter. After finishing his meal, he quickly took out the green jujube, washed it, cut it in half, and handed one half to Lily. “It’s getting dark, you should go home.”

Lily crunched down the half jujube in one bite, then squatted there watching him scoop out the other half with a spoon, her ears twitching excitedly. “So cute!”

Only after You Mi finished the jujube did Lily reluctantly head back inside.

He sighed in relief, borrowing Lily’s hot water to take a quick shower before locking his door and examining the newly bought Alarm Bracelet under the light.

The bracelet came with an account for storing Star Coins, and he planned to deposit all his cash into it tomorrow.

Though earning money was exhausting, You Mi was pleasantly surprised to find he could save more easily than the native Snarrians. Currently, he had no expenses for rent or clothes, and when it came to meals, buying the smallest portion could last him at least two servings!

You Mi put on the Alarm Bracelet—it was the smallest size the shop had, but still a bit loose. He adjusted the strap himself until it fit snugly.

The Alarm Bracelet was linked to Lin En’s Optical Brain. In an emergency, pressing the alarm button would automatically alert the authorities and send his location directly to Lin En’s device, ensuring a quick response.

Before bed, You Mi took out the workbook the furniture factory had given him and wrote down his priorities for settling down and striving on Snar:

1. Monster Horns  

2. Optical Brain  

3. Renting a place  

4. Buying a home…  

Once he had his own house and wore the Monster Horns, You Mi would truly belong here.

At dawn the next day, You Mi first headed out with his wallet to deposit his money.

Seeing the balance displayed on the screen filled him with a sense of accomplishment. After leaving, he pulled out a map and headed to the upscale restaurant advertised on yesterday’s electronic flyer for an interview.

The restaurant was located in a bustling downtown area You Mi hadn’t visited before. As he navigated the map and asked for directions, he paused at a narrow intersection, studying which way to go, when suddenly a massive shadow loomed over him.

You Mi hesitated before looking up.

Right in front of him stood an enormous Snarrian—but unlike most, this one bore no resemblance to a human. Its twisted form was covered in brown mottled skin, resembling more of a terrifying kaiju from the sci-fi shows You Mi had seen than the usual beast-like Snarrians…

This was a full-fledged Monster-form Snarrian!

You Mi froze, unable to move.

Other Snarrians on the street hurriedly stepped aside.

The monster took a single stride and was right in front of him.

Trembling slightly in fear, You Mi thought the creature had singled him out—the smallest in the crowd—to bully.

He glanced uncertainly at his Alarm Bracelet, but through its mirrored surface, he caught sight of another trembling monster face above him.

“…”

Before he could gather his thoughts, the monster spoke: “Your human form is so graceful… Did you think my disabled appearance was funny? Is that why you blocked my way on purpose?”

You Mi froze, only then realizing how narrow the intersection was. By not moving aside, the monster would have had to step over him to pass… He quickly stepped back: “I’m sorry!”

Just then, a speeding bicycle screeched to a halt beside him. Two tentacles swiftly lifted You Mi onto the backseat as Lin En addressed the monster: “He was just spacing out! He absolutely didn’t mean to look down on you!”

The monster walked away in silence.

Lin En started pedaling again with You Mi in tow: “Knew you’d get lost. Let me give you a ride to your interview!”

You Mi: “But you have work…”

Lin En: “Still got an hour! Plenty of time!”

After thanking him quietly, You Mi asked in a hushed voice: “That person just now… what was their disability?”

Though terrifying, the monster could clearly walk, talk, and see…

Lin En paused, astonished: “Mi-Mi, don’t tell me you’ve never seen a disabled Snarrian before?”

You Mi stayed silent.

Lin En chuckled: “Guess that’s what happens growing up alone in the wilderness… Listen, even the weakest Snarrian is born with Human Transformation Ability. When one can’t transform at all—whether from birth defects or later injuries—that counts as a disability here.”

This explanation helped somewhat, but You Mi still didn’t fully understand: “But even without transforming, daily life isn’t affected, right?”

Lin En: “Of course it is! Disabled Snarrians get rejected from jobs requiring human appearances. That’s why the black market sells those Humanoid Skin Suits… But fakes are still fakes. Snarrians who can’t transform struggle to find partners.”

You Mi lowered his head in contemplation. In some ways, he resembled those disabled Snarrians.

As the only human in this world, he was destined to never have a partner.