The Handsomer You Are, the Stronger You Become

“Ba… Babylon…!”

My breath hitched as I locked eyes with the man standing behind Ji Wonhoon. He bore an uncanny resemblance to the Babylon agent from the classified documents.

Instinctively, my hand moved to my waist, ready to summon my dual swords in case of an ambush.

But nothing happened.

“…?”
“Hm? Are you all right, Kang Hyunsoo Hunter?”

Ji Wonhoon looked at me with concern as I stiffened, and the man behind him—who I was certain looked like a Babylon agent—merely tilted his head in curiosity. No attack came.

That’s when I remembered something I had overlooked.

Chief Choi Jiwoo had told me that the Babylon agent who had infiltrated the U.S. and was listed in the classified documents had been assassinated in prison.

The man before me wasn’t an agent of Babylon. He just happened to resemble him.

Realizing the truth, I quickly straightened up and answered, “Ah, sorry about that. I think the intense raid earlier made me a bit dizzy.”

“Hyunsoo oppa, are you okay? Should I use a healing skill on you?”
“No, no, it’s fine. I’m okay now.”
“It might be best to wrap up the awards ceremony quickly, President Ji.”
“Good to hear you’re feeling better. Let’s proceed, then.”

Yoo Hana gave me a worried look, but thankfully, the incident ended as a minor misunderstanding.

Still, a nagging doubt lingered.

“Master, that secretary behind the president… doesn’t he look exactly like the Babylon agent from the classified documents?”

Even Swallow, observing from the shadows, noticed the resemblance.

Indeed, the man’s appearance was a near-perfect match for the photos in the documents.

But I quickly raised a finger to my lips, signaling Swallow to remain quiet. "There’s nothing we can do for now. He might just be an innocent civilian."@@novelbin@@

Given the circumstances, the probability that this man was truly a Babylon agent seemed low. After all, he hadn’t shown any hostile behavior, and the current setting made it impossible to act without attracting attention.

“The president of Jaewon University, Ji Wonhoon, has presented medals to all the winners. This concludes the 3rd Promising Rookie Hunter Tournament. Please give a round of applause to celebrate the champions!”

“Waaaaaah!!!”

The emcee’s announcement, the applause from the audience, and the gazes of countless hunters were all focused on me. If I were to confront Ji Wonhoon’s secretary here, accusing him of being Babylon, it would only disrupt the atmosphere and lead to nothing productive. I didn’t have concrete evidence or the authority to investigate anyone.

“Congratulations again on your victory. Rest well, and I hope to see you at the winners' party tomorrow.”
“Thank you, President Ji.”

I offered my thanks and stepped down from the stage. The tournament’s objective had been achieved, and the matter of Ji Wonhoon’s secretary could be left to Chief Choi Jiwoo.

But my respite was short-lived.

As soon as I descended from the stage, I was swarmed by reporters.

“Congratulations on your win, Kang Hyunsoo Hunter! Can we get a comment?”
“This is Hunter Daily! Your strategy to use the mid-boss to cross the mountain was impressive. How did you come up with that?”
“Gate News here! Why did you only participate with two members instead of the maximum five? And which guild are you affiliated with?”

The barrage of questions came from every direction.

On top of that:

“Please sign this for me, Kang Hyunsoo Hunter!”
“I’m a fan now! Yoo Hana, you’re so beautiful!”

The audience surged forward, joining the chaos. The crowd grew thick, resembling a sea of people pressing in.

This was eerily similar to what had happened in my previous life. After the awards ceremony, it had taken over an hour just to escape the throng of people. The only difference was that back then, the attention had been on Seo Jieun and Choi Taehun, while this time, the focus was entirely on me.

The reason was clear, as Swallow smugly explained.

“Hoho, people are finally paying attention to you, Master. This is the power of beauty.”

Beauty.

Unlike my previous life, my improved appearance was drawing interest. It was a shallow, appearance-driven perspective, but I couldn’t deny its validity.

In my past life, no matter how extraordinary my feats were, I had failed to garner attention. It wasn’t just because Seo Jieun and Choi Taehun had stolen the credit. The public simply didn’t care about me.

All because of my looks.

There was even a meme in the community that said if I had been better-looking, I would’ve been scouted by the world’s top guilds long ago.

If my appearance hadn’t changed, Yoo Hana might have stolen all the attention this time, just as Seo Jieun and Choi Taehun had in the past.

But this time was different.

I could feel the crowd’s gaze on me more than on Yoo Hana. Still, I couldn’t afford to bask in the moment.

The reporters swarmed me with questions.

“Ah… ugh! My… my head…”

Yoo Hana suddenly clutched her head, swaying unsteadily.

“Yoo Hana Hunter…?”
“Please… stop. I just wanted to save my teammates. Please stop asking questions…”

Her voice trembled as she squeezed her eyes shut and covered her ears. She seemed to be suffering from some kind of flashback.

PTSD.

It wasn’t certain, but judging from her words, the questions had triggered memories of losing her teammates and being hounded by reporters. Her trauma had resurfaced.

It was clear that continuing the interview wasn’t an option. Thankfully, I had allies who stepped in to help.

“Congratulations again on your win, Kang Hyunsoo Hunter!”
“That medal looks great, Hyung-nim! Was the other participant Yoo Hana Hunter? Thank you for supporting him… Hm?”
“Something seems off about her. Her face looks pale.”
“All right, interviews and autographs will have to wait. Clear the way, everyone!”

Jin Seoyun, Han Sungbin, Ha Jaesung, and Min Dongchan—all members of the Samcheon Guild—took charge of the situation.

“Interviews will have to wait for another time.”
“Whoa! That’s Han Sungbin Hunter! Damn, he’s so handsome!”
“If you’re okay with my autograph instead, line up here. I’ll sign for you!”

Ha Jaesung and Min Dongchan played the role of bodyguards, holding back the reporters. Han Sungbin charmed the crowd, diverting their attention, while Jin Seoyun supported Yoo Hana and examined her condition.

“She doesn’t seem to have any major injuries, but… I’ll take her to the medical room for now.”
“Jin Seoyun Hunter? I hope this isn’t too much trouble for you.”
“It’s nothing. Compared to the help you’ve given our guild, this is no trouble at all. You should rest too, Kang Hyunsoo Hunter.”

After a moment’s hesitation, I agreed to her suggestion.

“All right. I’ll leave Yoo Hana Hunter in your care.”

With Yoo Hana’s condition stabilizing and knowing that time would help her recover, I turned my attention to other priorities—like contacting Chief Choi Jiwoo.

[Your Charm stat is too low to accept Absolute Beauty Quest 6.]
[A supplementary quest has been assigned to improve your Charm.]

[Supplementary Beauty Quest 12]
[Your sense of fashion is growing too slowly.]
[As the saying goes, ‘Clothes make the man.’ Fashion enhances beauty.]
[Achieve a +5 increase in Appearance Power through outfit changes (0/5).]

A fashion-related quest. Conveniently, the winners’ party tomorrow would be the perfect opportunity to prepare.

“Then I’ll contact you later, Kang Hyunsoo Hunter!”
“Are you leaving now, Team Leader?”
“I’ll clear the way. Catch you later, Hyunsoo!”

Jin Seoyun, guiding Yoo Hana, headed for the medical room with Min Dongchan and Ha Jaesung clearing a path for her.

Once the situation settled, I made my move.

“Let’s go. Time to complete a quest.”
“Yes, Master!”

With Swallow fluttering by my side, I left the tournament venue.

***

"How was the tournament, President Ji?"

Inside a luxurious black sedan heading back home, a neatly groomed man with jet-black hair spoke quietly as he drove.

From the back seat, Ji Wonhoon gazed at the still-bustling campus in the rearview mirror and responded.

"It was entertaining. Two records shattered in a single day. Particularly, the way the winning team utilized the mid-boss was rather innovative."

"You’re referring to Kang Hyunsoo, I assume. Perhaps he’s a talent capable of surpassing Park Mooyul. However..."

The secretary paused, his tone dropping.

"His appearance is lacking. His skills are exceptional, perhaps the best we’ve seen, but with looks like that, his potential is clearly limited."

Despite their admiration for Kang Hyunsoo’s abilities, Ji Wonhoon and his secretary harshly criticized his appearance. For hunters, skill was supposed to be paramount, but they seemed to prioritize physical beauty even more.

Their superficial values were further revealed as their conversation continued.

"I completely agree. Han Sungbin, wasn’t it? If Kang Hyunsoo’s looks were on par with his, I might have higher expectations for him."

"It can’t be helped. You can only work with what you’re born with. Lacking beauty, we’ll have to place our hopes on that Yoo Hana, the hunter who was with him. Oh, by the way, has there been any news about other potential candidates?"

"None yet. With so much focus on beauty, we haven’t had the capacity to delve deeper into other talents. Shall we squeeze the current ones harder, perhaps using... certain persuasive methods?"

"No need to rush. The prophecy will come true eventually, and we are already leading in this field. Besides, we’ve just secured some excellent materials."

"Hoho... as always, your insight is unparalleled, President."

The ominous chuckle of the secretary echoed inside the car. Ji Wonhoon smirked as he scrolled through his phone, his gaze settling on an article about the tournament’s victory. His expression turned sinister.

"I’m looking forward to it," Ji Wonhoon murmured. "Let’s see just how useful these new slaves will be."