The Handsomer You Are, the Stronger You Become

Inside Jaewon University’s campus.

“Hey, hey! Look over there, it’s Moon Minsu, the ‘Blazing Fist’!”

“The top prospect from Incheon? Wow, I’m seeing him in person for the first time—he’s huge!”

“Isn’t that Hwang Wonchang over there?”

“Hwang Wonchang? You mean the Hunter scouted by the major guild Muyoung?”

“Crazy, all the top rookies from across the country are gathered here. I can’t even guess who’s going to win this year!”

The streets were bustling with people.

Hunters poured into the campus to participate in the tournament, students and civilians marveled at them, and vendors set up stalls throughout the school grounds to capitalize on the crowd.

It felt more like a festival than a competition.

Swallow and I took in the lively scene, making conversation as we went.

“Hmm, there’s definitely a lot of people here.”

“As expected of the only rookie Hunter tournament in the country.”

The Promising Rookie Hunter Selection Tournament was an annual event hosted by Jaewon University, aimed at discovering the next generation of Hunters who would lead Korea. Its popularity had steadily grown over the years.

Jaewon University itself was a prestigious national institution specializing in fields such as Awakening, Gate Construction, and Dungeon Break management, attracting a large number of students. But what truly boosted the tournament’s reputation was the success of its past winners, who had become rising stars in the Hunter world.

For instance, the leader of the first winning team, Park Muyeol, had been a low-tier Hunter at level 190 just two years ago. After winning the tournament, he used the prize items and government support to establish a new guild, which quickly rose to prominence as a mid-tier guild—an impressive feat in an oversaturated guild market.

Simply put, winning the tournament came with immense benefits. This had turned the Promising Rookie Hunter Selection Tournament into a magnet for talented rookie Hunters from all over the country.

Each year, the competition grew fiercer.

But—

“Sorry, but first place is mine.”

I didn’t feel the need to dwell on it.

After all, my victory was a foregone conclusion.

Navigating through the crowd, I made my way to the operations headquarters set up in the main building. Inside the lobby, about ten staff members were seated at temporary tables, verifying registrations for the Hunters.

Approaching the nearest staff member, I handed over my ID.

“Hello, may I see your ID?”

“Yes, here it is.”

The process was straightforward: confirm my arrival via ID, then receive my assigned competition slot. I had done this before in my previous life, so it wasn’t unfamiliar.

However—

“Let’s see… Kang Hyunsoo… Huh? Are you competing alone?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Ah, please wait a moment. I need to double-check something.”

An unexpected issue arose.

Unlike the smooth process in my previous life, the staff member suddenly looked flustered and went to consult someone who appeared to be their team leader.

I quickly figured out what was going on.

Swallow, who had flown over to eavesdrop on their conversation, returned with an incredulous expression.

“Master, it seems you can’t compete alone in this tournament.”

“What…?”

Swallow’s words turned out to be true.

After a brief discussion, the team leader approached me with an apologetic expression and bowed slightly.

“Hello, I’m the operations team leader for the tournament. Are you Hunter Kang Hyunsoo?”

“Yes, that’s me. Is there a problem?”

“There seems to have been an oversight on our part. This tournament requires a minimum of two participants per team, with a maximum of five. Solo participation is not allowed.”

“What? I didn’t see anything about that in the announcement.”

I pulled out my phone and checked the tournament notice again. No matter how carefully I looked, there was no mention of such a rule.

The team leader acknowledged the mistake.

“That’s entirely our fault. We should have included that detail in the announcement, but it was accidentally omitted. Most teams naturally form groups of at least two to five members, so this issue didn’t come up during registration.”

“So, what happens to me?”

“If we follow the rules, you won’t be able to participate. However, since this was our error, we’d like to give you some extra time to recruit at least one more teammate. We’ll place you at the very end of the competition order to give you as much time as possible.”

This was absurd. Being restricted from participating due to the organizers’ oversight?

Though they were offering a solution, finding a teammate in such a short time seemed almost impossible.

Still—

“Alright, I’ll find someone quickly and come back.”

“Thank you so much, Hunter!”

I accepted their proposal and left the main building.

Arguing wouldn’t change anything, and wasting time complaining would only harm my chances of participating in the tournament.

“This is an unexpected turn of events. Who would’ve thought the tournament had such a rule?”

“Well, in my previous life, I participated with Seo Jieun and Choi Taehun, so it wasn’t an issue. Guess not everything stays the same, even with regression.”

Was this the butterfly effect?

Ever since regressing, I had noticed subtle changes in the future—results of the actions I had taken.

Meeting Jin Seoyun at the training ground, saving Han Sungbin’s life… all of these could be seen as ripple effects of my choices.

Even this situation, caused by cutting ties with Seo Jieun and Choi Taehun, seemed to be part of the same phenomenon.

Still—

“At least it’s not the worst-case scenario. I only need to find one person.”

While the situation was frustrating, it wasn’t entirely hopeless.

I didn’t need a particularly skilled teammate—just someone to fill the slot.

Stepping outside the main building, I pulled out my phone and started making calls.

But—

“The number you have dialed is currently unreachable due to the recipient being inside a dungeon. After the tone, you may leave a voicemail…”

Min Dongchan and Ha Jaesung.

Neither of them was available.

Both had likely gone on a raid, as indicated by the automatic message explaining that they were out of signal range.

This left me in a bind.

“Damn it. If not those two, then who…?”

My circle of contacts was already limited, and I couldn’t think of a single other Hunter to call.

Jin Seoyun and Han Sungbin briefly crossed my mind, but both had surpassed level 200 recently, making them ineligible for the rookie competition.

“Should I contact the Samcheon Guild and find out when they’ll be back? No, there’s almost no chance they’d make it in time.”

Even if I tried reaching out, there was no way to pinpoint which dungeon they were in, and with less than three hours until the competition started, there wasn’t enough time to coordinate their arrival and registration.

At that moment, Swallow, who had been circling above, pointed toward the campus sports field.

“Master, how about checking over there? There seem to be quite a few Hunters gathered.”

The area Swallow indicated was the Waiting Area for Participants.

“They’re probably all registered already. What are the odds any of them would join me?”

“Perhaps some are here just to watch or cheer on friends. It’s worth trying. Better than standing around wasting time, isn’t it?”

Swallow’s point was valid.

With no better options, I headed toward the waiting area.

Honestly, the odds didn’t look great, but as Swallow pointed out, doing something was better than standing around.

“If I find someone, I’ll give you a caramel.”

“Oh? Since when are you so agreeable, Master?”

“The odds are 100% that no one will be there, birdbrain.”

Why was it so hard to willingly go along with anything Swallow suggested?

Grumbling, I made my way toward the sports field where the waiting area was located.

But as I headed there, I encountered an unexpected figure.

“Hunters participating in the tournament, please come this way!”

Yoo Hana.

Currently working part-time at OnlyYoung, but destined to become a world-renowned Hunter in the future. She was holding a sign, directing people around the campus.

Our eyes met.

“Oh, hello there. Fancy meeting you here.”

Though it was sudden, I greeted her.

But—

“Huh? Who are you…?”

For some reason, she looked at me with confusion, tilting her head. It wasn’t that she was pretending not to recognize me; her expression made it clear she genuinely had no idea who I was.

Then, as if a light bulb went off—

“Oh…!! You’re the Hunter who bought out all the stock at OnlyYoung, right?!”

Her eyes widened in realization, and she exclaimed loudly.

“Bought out all the stock… Is that really my reputation now?”

I nodded awkwardly. “Yes, that’s me.”

“Wow, amazing!! Did you lose weight? I almost didn’t recognize you! How did you lose so much? And what brings you here?!”

Was she that surprised by my weight loss?

At first, she had taken a step back in hesitation, but now her eyes sparkled as she stepped closer.

Her reaction was almost identical to Jin Seoyun’s, with one major difference—she talked so quickly that I couldn’t even get a word in.

“W-wait a second… one question at a time….”

“Oh, sorry! I was just so amazed and excited to see you.”

“Is it really that surprising?”

“Absolutely! I didn’t recognize you at all at first! How much weight did you lose?”

“About 15 kilograms in a month.”

“Wow, that’s incredible! I struggle to lose even one kilogram….”@@novelbin@@

Yoo Hana’s eyes sparkled with admiration before her expression shifted. She poked at her side, looking genuinely dejected, as if lamenting her own struggles with weight loss.

I stifled a laugh and decided to ask her a question instead.

“What brings you here? Did you quit OnlyYoung?”

“Oh, no! It’s my day off, so I took this as a short-term part-time job. What about you? Are you here for the tournament?”

“I am, but honestly, it might be over before it even begins.”

“Huh? Why?”

I explained briefly.

“I registered to participate solo, but the organizers told me I can’t compete alone. Apparently, it was a mistake that my registration got approved in the first place. They gave me some time to find a teammate, but the Hunters I know are all in dungeons, so I can’t form a team.”

It wasn’t exactly the kind of thing you vent to a 20-year-old, but keeping it bottled up was driving me crazy.

Of course, from above came an unwelcome suggestion:

“Why not ask this lady to join your team, Master? You only need a body to fill the slot.”

Swallow’s voice was casual, but I shook my head subtly.

Asking someone dealing with trauma from losing her comrades to join me wasn’t an option. Even if I asked, there was no way she would agree.

However, I got an unexpected response.

“Then how about I join your team?”

“...What?”

“Believe it or not, I’m actually a Hunter too.”

I hadn’t even asked, but Yoo Hana was the one to offer.

Her tone grew serious as she pulled a card from her pocket and held it out.

<Hunter License>

• Rank: Low-tier Hunter
• Name: Yoo Hana
• Level: 195

The license looked a little worn, as if it hadn’t been used in a while.

As I examined it, Yoo Hana continued speaking.

“I only worked as a Hunter briefly during the early days of the Great Change. It might take me some time to adjust again, but I can at least pull my weight.”

Her offer was surprising. She didn’t share any details about her past, but knowing her secret, I understood the weight of the decision she was making.

I stared at her Hunter license for a moment before looking back at her.

“Are you serious? You won’t need to raid or anything—just being a placeholder is enough.”

“Yes, I’m serious! I quit being a Hunter because of bad memories, but I think it’s time to face my fears and get used to it.”

She clenched her fist, echoing the words I had once said to her. The encouragement I had casually given her back then had resonated deeply.

I smiled faintly and replied.

“Thank you for helping. If we win, I’ll give you all the prize money.”

“Huh? No, that’s not necessary… You should keep it. I don’t need it.”

“No, I insist. I’m only in it for the item rewards.”

Despite her flustered protests, I made it clear.

I wasn’t interested in the money, only in the items that came with victory. Besides, I knew the reason Yoo Hana was working part-time—she had been supporting orphanages since the early days of the Great Change.

Fortunately, she reluctantly agreed.

“If that’s what you want, I’ll go along with it. But you know this conversation only matters if we win, right?”

“Of course. Don’t worry about that.”

I turned to face the crowd of Hunters gathered in the waiting area at the center of the sports field.

“Because I’m going to win—no matter what.”