The Handsomer You Are, the Stronger You Become

“Master, that was truly incredible. As you mentioned, your Beauty talent is impressive, but your swordsmanship is equally amazing!”

“Hmph, so you’re finally acknowledging the brilliance of my swordsmanship.”

“It’s one thing to understand it mentally and another to witness it firsthand. The swordsmanship you displayed when finishing off the boss monster was genuinely breathtaking, Master.”

“Pfft, that’s nothing. As I’ve said countless times, this body once ascended to the rank of Sword Emperor. Such feats are like child’s play to me.”

Walking along the streets near Daechi Station, I chuckled at Swallow’s enthusiastic praise.

Before entering the Venomous Insect Dungeon, he had been full of complaints and doubts. Now, after the raid’s success, he was practically showering me with admiration.

The complete 180-degree shift in his attitude was understandable. Even I had to admit that the final moments of the battle were spectacular.

I opened my skill window to review the new skill I had acquired during the raid’s climax.

[Swordsmanship Skill: Blade of the Sky (B)]

• Envelops the sword with a silver aura imbued with celestial energy, significantly enhancing its piercing power and projectile speed by tenfold.
• Activates when the sword is thrown.
• Mana Cost: 50.

The B-rank skill Blade of the Sky.

As its name suggests, it represents a blade capable of piercing the heavens and is specifically designed for attacking distant enemies.

The skill activates when a sword is thrown, surrounding the weapon with a silver aura that drastically increases its speed and penetration.

In essence, it allows a sword to function like a spear, making it an incredibly versatile skill.

The greatest weakness of swordsmanship is its limited range. With Blade of the Sky, I could now target enemies at a distance.

Of course, if the thrown sword failed to kill the enemy, I’d be left defenseless, as I had been earlier. But that issue would resolve itself in time.

Once my level increased, I’d acquire a skill to retrieve thrown swords.

Swallow was well aware of this.

“With a few more conditions met, Blade of the Sky could evolve into Celestial Sword and eventually Celestial Greatsword.”

“Yeah, that’s the idea. Though, since I didn’t acquire it through conventional means, I’m not sure if it will evolve the same way.”

“Ah, that does make sense. According to the memories I have of you, Master, Blade of the Sky is typically a reward for advancing from the title of Swordsman to Swordmaster.”

Indeed, Blade of the Sky is a skill typically rewarded after completing all swordsman quests and upgrading to the title of Swordmaster.

It’s not a skill I should have been able to acquire at my current stage.

However, using my knowledge from my previous life, I forcibly broke through my mana circuit, which yielded significant benefits.

Not only did I obtain Blade of the Sky, clearing the Venomous Insect Dungeon, but—

[Swordsmanship Quest 16]

• Clear an open dungeon (0/1) or kill 1,000 monsters (0/1,000).

At level 60, I had unlocked a new swordsmanship quest.

That wasn’t all.

[You have completed Absolute Beauty Quest 2.]
Reward:
Beauty Trait: Hair Enhancement (D).

[Beauty Trait: Hair Enhancement (D)]

• Improves the condition of your hair.
• Treats baldness and results in voluminous, healthy hair.

When I defeated the boss monster, my Appearance Power remained above 10, granting me the Hair Enhancement trait as a reward for completing the quest.

This trait was revolutionary.

Years ago, a flame monster’s attack left a coin-sized bald spot on the crown of my head.

But with Hair Enhancement, my hair became lush and voluminous, instantly fixing the damage.

Even in my previous life, I hadn’t been able to resolve that injury.

‘As great as Blade of the Sky is, I might be more pleased with this.’

While Swallow marveled at my new swordsmanship skill, I couldn’t help but revel in running my fingers through my now-thick hair.

Frankly, I was tempted to drop the swordsmanship quests altogether and focus solely on clearing Absolute Beauty Quests.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option right now.

[Your Body Fragrance level is too low to unlock Absolute Beauty Quest 3.]
[Your body emits a strong odor.]
[Clean your body to improve your Body Fragrance level.]

After clearing the Venomous Insect Dungeon, my entire body was drenched in sweat.

In my previous life, sweating this much during combat was par for the course. But with these Beauty Quests providing real-time updates, it felt unbearably unpleasant.

Ssssht—

Spraying cologne on my clothes and hair, I continued chatting with Swallow.

“Anyway, if it weren’t for Blade of the Sky, I would’ve failed. Let’s see if I can acquire more skills like this later. For now, I need a bath.”

“A bath? Really?”

“Yeah, I sweated a lot, so obviously I need to clean up.”

“What’s gotten into you, Master? You’re willingly saying you’ll bathe? Oh, it’s because of the quest, isn’t it?”

“It’s not! What do you take me for?”

“Didn’t you usually skip bathing after raids? Remember, I have the memories of your past life, Master.”

“Well, that’s….”

I couldn’t argue.

In my previous life, I didn’t care much about sweating.

In fact, I’d been proud of it.

Sweat dripping from my chin was proof of a hard-fought battle.

Scars on my face were badges of survival.

A burly physique symbolized overwhelming strength.

But now, after acquiring the Beauty talent, I had changed.

I tried to avoid sweating as much as possible, avoided scars during battles, and even refrained from snacking during raids.

A complete transformation from my past life.

Technically, Swallow was right—it was because of the Beauty Quests. But looking back, I found my indifference to appearances in my previous life embarrassing, so I refused to admit it.

“Ahem! Quiet, birdbrain! You just don’t know—I’ve always been tidy.”

I brushed it off and glanced around while walking.

While I’d prefer to bathe at home, I planned to continue raiding, so going home wasn’t an option.

‘Is there a public bathhouse nearby?’

Just as I was scanning the buildings for a place to clean up—

“Excuse me…!”

“…?”

Someone suddenly called out to me, panting heavily as they approached from behind.

The voice sounded strangely familiar.

Turning around, I saw—

‘Huh? Jin Seoyun?’

Sure enough, the familiar voice matched the familiar face in front of me.

Jin Seoyun, daughter of the Yuseong Group chairman, stood before me, gasping for breath.

I looked around, pointing at myself in disbelief.

“Me…?”

“Yes, yes! You!”

There was no one else nearby, so she had to be talking to me.

Her wide, sparkling eyes met mine directly.

But…

‘She shouldn’t know me right now….’

I couldn’t help but tilt my head in confusion.

Four or five years from now, maybe—but in this timeline, I had no connection with Jin Seoyun.

Even after regression, the most we’d done was pass by each other at the training grounds. We’d never spoken a word.

Yet here she was, approaching me as if we were old acquaintances.

Something different from my previous life.

“Oh my, a beautiful lady rushing over to talk to you first… Seems like she has some interest in you, Master.”

Swallow, hidden from view, flew circles around my head, laughing as if he found the situation amusing. I, however, let his words go in one ear and out the other.

Since my regression, there hadn’t been any particular interactions between Jin Seoyun and me. Considering the irritation she’d shown toward me in my past life, the idea that she might have any interest in me now was preposterous.

But then—

“…What is it you need?”

“Would you consider joining me for a raid?”

The words that came out of Jin Seoyun’s mouth were the complete opposite of what I had expected.

For a moment, I thought I might have misheard, but that wasn’t the case.

“What? A raid?”

“Yes! I’ve just won the bid for a D-rank open dungeon. Would you consider coming along? I’ll make sure you get the highest possible share!”

She responded quickly, firing off her words like a machine gun, doing everything she could to recruit me.

This was something that had never happened in my previous life. Suspicious, I gave her a probing look and said,

“Thank you for the offer, but I don’t understand why you’d want to recruit me. Can you explain your reasons?”

“R-Reasons?”

“You’re Jin Seoyun, right? I know you’re famous, but we don’t know each other at all. It’s odd to suddenly invite me to a raid. You don’t even know my level, do you?”

“Oh, well… I saw you a few times recently at the Yangjae Station Hunter Training Center. You were training in the corner against a scarecrow, and it left an impression on me. Since I’m about to enter a D-rank open dungeon, and I need one more person to meet the minimum headcount, I thought I’d ask you. Honestly, your level doesn’t matter. High or low, it’s fine either way.”

“…….”

Jin Seoyun gestured animatedly as she explained, but her reasoning still didn’t make much sense.

The idea that she would take an interest in me was absurd, and her approach felt too sudden.

But she wasn’t the only one acting unexpectedly.

“Team Leader Jin Seoyun! Why did you suddenly run off—? Wait, is that… Hyunsoo?”

“Huh? It is! The swordsmanship prodigy, Kang Hyunsoo!”

Behind Jin Seoyun, two hunters who seemed to be her guildmates approached. I recognized them immediately.

Min Dongchan and Ha Jaesung.

Both were low-level hunters in the 70s, and I had raided with them a few times in the past.

A sudden reunion.

Judging by their attire, they’d joined the Samcheon Guild. Swallow seemed to recognize them as well, possibly from the memories he’d absorbed.

“Aren’t they acquaintances you’ve raided with before, Master?”

Unable to speak to Swallow openly, I simply nodded in acknowledgment.

And then—

“Hey, it’s been a while. How have you been?”

I greeted them with an awkward smile.

While I used to be close with them, our communication had gradually dwindled, creating some distance between us.

I didn’t dislike them.

We were similar in level, the same age—28—which made them easier to get along with compared to other hunters.

The only reason we’d drifted apart was Seo Jieun.

She had hated me contacting or meeting others, essentially gaslighting me into isolation.

Naturally, I lost touch with them. Now, they were more acquaintances than friends.

“Wow, Hyunsoo, fancy seeing you here. You’re looking great these days!”

“Do you two know each other? I was just offering him a spot as a mercenary….”

“We’re friends! We used to raid as a team all the time. He’s fantastic, Team Leader!”

Without hesitation, they introduced me to Jin Seoyun as their friend, even though it had been over a year since we last spoke.

Before I met Seo Jieun and Choi Taehun, I’d been genuinely close to them.

Maybe that’s why, even after all this time, it didn’t feel awkward seeing them again.

Apart from Seo Jieun and Choi Taehun, they were among the few people I had been close to.

However…

‘Can I really trust them?’

While I was glad to see them, I couldn’t bring myself to fully open up.

Even with Seo Jieun and Choi Taehun out of my life, the trauma they left behind made it hard to trust others easily.

It seemed Swallow picked up on my unease.

“If you’re uncomfortable, you can refuse, Master,” he whispered above me.

His advice was sound, but I shook my head lightly.

This was something I needed to overcome.

[Swordsmanship Quest 16]

• Clear an open dungeon (0/1) or kill 1,000 monsters (0/1,000).

Jin Seoyun’s offer was beneficial to me as well.

Her motives for inviting me were unclear, and in my previous life, our relationship hadn’t been positive. But there was no need to avoid her outright.@@novelbin@@

‘I’ll just take advantage of the opportunity.’

It wasn’t a difficult decision.

All I needed to do was pull my weight in the dungeon, and if they tried to exploit our familiarity, I could cut ties without hesitation.

In my past life, rejecting people had been my greatest challenge. But after exacting revenge on Seo Jieun and Choi Taehun, I felt no reason to shy away now.

Looking at Jin Seoyun, I said,

“Though it’s sudden, having friends here makes it hard to refuse. I’ll join the raid.”

“Really?!”

“However, I’ll need about an hour first.”

“An hour?”

Jin Seoyun tilted her head curiously.

“I just finished a raid and worked up quite a sweat, so….”

I pointed at a chimney rising between the buildings in the distance.

“I’d like to clean up at the bathhouse first.”