The Beautiful Monster - Chapter 33 - The Kiss

The year was 2026, and the world wasn't what it used to be. Ever since the Abyss Gates cracked open three years ago, spilling monsters and dungeons across the planet, life had turned into a chaotic mess. Cities were half-ruined, half-rebuilt, and people clung to whatever normalcy they could find. Hunters—those brave or crazy enough to fight the monsters—became the new heroes. Everyone else? Well, they just tried to survive.Fin wasn't a Hunter. He wasn't a hero either.He was just… Fin. A lanky 19-year-old with messy brown hair, a chipped front tooth from a dumb skateboard accident, and a power that everyone called useless. Absorption. Sounds cool, right? Like he could suck up energy or steal someone's strength. Nope. All it did was let him “feel” things he touched a little more than normal. He could tell you the exact texture of a brick wall or how warm a coffee mug was—big whoop. No fireballs, no super strength, no flashy moves. Just a glorified touchy-feely trick.“Fin, you gonna eat that sandwich or just stare at it like it's gonna confess its life story?” Meg's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.He blinked and looked across the rickety table at his best friend. Meg was short, loud, and had a wild mop of dyed purple hair that she swore made her look “intimidating.” It didn't.

An internet troll who wanted attention, the reader criticized his favorite web novel, saying: “The protagonist is dumb and the author is stupid.”

Ethan accidentally rode the wrong train and ended up in Brynhildr Magical Academy where Wizards and Witches are taught on how to use Magic.As someone who didn't have any magic powers, he thought that he would be punished for being in a place where he wasn't supposed to be. Fortunately, due to a stroke of luck, the teenage boy managed to avoid the worst case scenario, and ended up staying in the Magic Academy to learn magic.Ridiculed by many for being magically crippled, Ethan strived to adapt to his new school life with the help of his new friends, who made him realize what True Magic was all about.