The Handsomer You Are, the Stronger You Become

The savage strikes from Hyunsoo’s sword spread like a dome across the spacious room.

“Evade! Evade!!”

“How is his attack range so huge—Gahhh!!”

As enemies were torn apart by his relentless slashes, Hyunsoo smirked.

Turning a crisis into an opportunity, he thought.

Though he’d been caught up in an unexpected disaster, it had led to his growth.

[Swordsmanship Quest 18]
[Subdue 20 talented Awakened (0/20)]

This was the quest Hyunsoo had received after completing Swordsmanship Quest 17.

It wasn’t easy, as it required subduing Awakened individuals rather than monsters. To count, the opponent couldn’t intentionally hold back or throw the fight.

In his previous life, completing this quest had taken a significant amount of time.

The options were limited: he could either request sparring sessions from other hunters or resolve disputes by subduing aggressive ones. But finding twenty willing opponents had been a monumental challenge.

Hunters were often reluctant to spar unless they were acquaintances. And even then, hiring sparring partners came at an exorbitant cost—upwards of 20 million won per session, even with lower-tier hunters. The risk of injury or unexpected complications during these duels made compensation terms unreasonably high.

In his previous life, Hyunsoo had partially relied on provoking hunters who insulted his appearance or mocked him to meet the quest requirements.

However, this life was different.

Thanks to his improved looks, incidents like the brawl at the soup restaurant had become rare. Few dared to mock or challenge him openly now.

To complete the quest, Hyunsoo had been saving up money to hire sparring partners. But fate handed him an opportunity instead.

Nearly forty hunters, far exceeding the quest’s requirements, charged at him simultaneously.

Given their speed and numbers, Hyunsoo knew that activating Full Bloom would allow him to handle them effectively.

While Andy alone was a formidable opponent, the temporary stats boost provided by Full Bloom—the equivalent of 400 levels—gave Hyunsoo the edge to fight dozens of enemies.

So, he let them close in before striking back.

First, Hyunsoo activated Full Bloom, amplifying his stats.

Then he unleashed Stomp, paralyzing the enemies.

Finally, he executed a devastating flurry of slashes with Frenzied Slash, finishing them off.

The strategy worked flawlessly.

Within the 30-second limit of Full Bloom, Hyunsoo had subdued every single one of them.

[Swordsmanship Quest 18 Complete.]
[Subdue 20 talented Awakened (33/20)]

Rewards:

• Strength +10
• Agility +5
• Swordsmanship Proficiency +20

[Swordsmanship Proficiency: 107]
[Congratulations!]

[New Skill: Stone-Cutting Slash (D)]

As the quest completion message filled his vision, Hyunsoo took in the rewards.

Not only had his stats increased, but reaching 100 Swordsmanship Proficiency had granted him a new trait and skill.

Hyunsoo had turned a life-threatening crisis into an opportunity for immense growth.

Meanwhile, his enemies were in complete disarray.

Their numerical advantage had transformed into their downfall.

What they believed was an overwhelming show of force ended with them being wiped out by a single man.

Even Andy Kim wasn’t spared.

“Damn it… How did he suddenly become this strong?!”

Andy had charged alongside the other Babylon agents, but the tide turned when a strange wave of energy immobilized him. Before he could recover, he was engulfed in a storm of slashing attacks.

The overwhelming barrage left no escape.

Andy, drawing on Babylon’s secret techniques, managed to cut through some of the aura-filled slashes as he advanced toward Hyunsoo.

But just as he reached Hyunsoo:

“Huh…?”

Andy froze.

Before him wasn’t the ordinary hunter Kang Hyunsoo he had fought earlier.

It was a devastatingly handsome man whose piercing gaze held him captive.

The sheer allure of Hyunsoo’s Full Bloom-enhanced appearance halted Andy in his tracks, even as he faced certain death.

Andy knew he needed to attack to avoid being swept away by the onslaught, yet he couldn’t bring himself to strike.

Slash-slash-slash!

“Guhhh…!”

Andy’s hesitation cost him dearly. He was ripped apart by the storm of blades and sent flying backward, his body bloodied and broken.

The tables had turned entirely.

This wasn’t just the effect of Full Bloom.

[Activation Triggered]
[Charm (D): Enchantment]
[Temporarily captivates the target. Those with a lower Charm stat than the user will have their thoughts disrupted.]

The enchantment had activated, freezing Andy in place at a critical moment.

The skill’s effectiveness was undeniable. Even in the heat of battle, opponents caught under its influence struggled to maintain their focus.

Hyunsoo remembered its first use in his previous life—back when his looks were far less appealing. While the results had been comedic (his opponent had vomited mid-battle), it still created an opening to secure victory.

Even so, Hyunsoo wasn’t fond of using the skill.

“Heheh! For someone who said they’d never use Charm again, you’re quite good at it, Master.”

“Shut up. I only used it because I had to.”

The memory of his opponent’s reaction in the past left Hyunsoo reluctant to use Charm, but the urgency of the situation demanded it.

With Full Bloom’s duration running out, he had to use every tool at his disposal to subdue the Babylon agents.

[Activation Triggered]
[Crimson Flame (B)]
[Blades of the Sky (B)]
[Stone-Cutting Slash (E)]

Fwoosh! Boom! Crash!

Hyunsoo unleashed a barrage of powerful skills, each one aimed to incapacitate the Babylon agents without harming the abducted hunters.

Searing flames, sharp aura blades, and devastating slashes tore through the battlefield.

By the time Hyunsoo had expended all his available skills, a system notification flashed in his vision:

[30 Seconds Elapsed.]

[Full Bloom’s duration has ended.]
[Your appearance has reverted to normal.]

In the vast underground space, the only one still standing was Kang Hyunsoo.

The Babylon agents, armed with swords, spears, and bows, had attempted to resist, but the overwhelming power of Full Bloom combined with Hyunsoo’s relentless skills had rendered them incapacitated.

“Urgh… gah… ugh…”

The groans of the defeated echoed through the underground chamber.

Dozens of Babylon agents were either unconscious or writhing on the ground in pain.

One hunter had singlehandedly neutralized an entire squad of agents.

“How… how is this possible?”

Even Andy Kim, his body covered in cuts, lay sprawled out, staring up at Hyunsoo with disbelief in his eyes.

Hyunsoo, however, didn’t answer.

Instead, he walked over to Andy, his footsteps echoing ominously as he drew closer.

Step. Step.

Hyunsoo stopped in front of Andy and pointed his flaming sword at the man’s neck.

“Do you know Seo Jieun and Choi Taehun?”

“…What?”

“I asked if you know Hunter Seo Jieun and Hunter Choi Taehun.”

The flaming blade inched closer to Andy’s throat, the heat palpable.

It was obvious what would happen if Andy didn’t answer.

But Andy merely smirked, the corner of his mouth curling upward in defiance.

“If you know my name, then you should know how meaningless that question is.”

Hyunsoo remained silent, but he wasn’t surprised.

The American Hunter Bureau’s confidential files had given Andy a nickname: Silent Andy—a man who never spoke under duress, no matter the circumstances.

There was so much Hyunsoo wanted to uncover: the connection between Babylon, Seo Jieun, and Choi Taehun; the purpose behind the abduction of hunters; the true nature of the purple aura.

His curiosity could fill a truckload.

But it seemed he wasn’t going to get any answers from Andy.

“Fine. Let’s see how long you can keep that up.”

Hyunsoo wasn’t about to show mercy.

Unlike official organizations bound by rules and scrutiny, Hyunsoo had the freedom to act as he pleased.

If Andy refused to talk, Hyunsoo would force him to.

Recalling a lesson from a white-haired old man in his previous life, Hyunsoo flipped his flaming sword into a reverse grip and prepared to strike.

But just as he swung his fist toward Andy—

BOOOOM!

A massive fireball came hurtling toward him, shaking the underground chamber with a powerful explosion.

Crack! Sizzle!

Red flames and acrid smoke billowed upward, nearly reaching the ceiling.

“Master, jump back!”

Swallow’s warning came just in time.

Hyunsoo leapt backward, narrowly avoiding the fiery blast. As he landed, he turned his gaze toward the source of the attack near the entrance.

Standing there was none other than Ji Wonhoon, the president of Jaewon University.

“P-President…!”

Andy, clutching his injured abdomen, struggled to lift himself halfway off the ground.

Hyunsoo, however, remained unfazed, his expression neutral as he addressed the man.

“…What do you think you’re doing?”

“I should be asking you that,” Ji Wonhoon replied, his tone calm but authoritative. “What are you doing causing such a ruckus in my school, Hunter Kang Hyunsoo?”

The scene certainly appeared incriminating.

The ground was littered with defeated guards, staff members, and hunters, with Hyunsoo standing alone in the middle of the chaos.

But Hyunsoo didn’t offer an explanation.

“Drop the act.”

His sharp retort cut through the air.

Hyunsoo knew there was no way Ji Wonhoon wasn’t involved. The presence of a Life Absorption Magic lab within the university and the sheer number of Babylon agents among the staff made it clear.

Yet Ji Wonhoon, with his background as an actor, responded effortlessly, his furrowed brows adding an air of sincerity.

“An act? What are you talking about?”

“Abducting hunters to use them as materials for Life Absorption Magic… That’s far too serious for you to feign ignorance.”

“You’ve misunderstood something. These are two separate matters. The research into Life Absorption Magic is for the advancement of Korea’s hunter community. As for incapacitating the hunters… that was to make them stronger.”

“Stronger?”

“Yes. The liquid in those IVs is known as ‘Holy Water.’ It helps awaken latent potential in hunters. It’s painful at first, but if they endure—”

Ji Wonhoon paused mid-sentence, raising one hand.

Fwoosh!

Purple flames burst to life in his palm, flickering intensely.

“They’ll gain power as magnificent as this.”@@novelbin@@

The energy emanating from the flames was far stronger than any aura Hyunsoo had ever encountered.

It was almost mesmerizing in its beauty.

But Hyunsoo wasn’t swayed.

The moment he saw the purple aura, his eyes narrowed.

“Ji Wonhoon… you’re part of Babylon too, aren’t you?”

Hyunsoo raised his twin swords to chest level, settling into a combat stance.