The Handsomer You Are, the Stronger You Become

“Am I really seeing this again after seven years?”

In the middle of the dark cavern, it floated gracefully, emitting a soft glow.

As I walked toward the pedestal where the Hidden Piece hovered, memories from my previous life came flooding back.

Krrrk! Krrrrk! Kreeeeek!!

“Dammit, Hyunsoo, tank them for us! These things are such a pain—they explode when they die!”

“Hyunsoo oppa, look! More of them are coming!”

Back when I was around level 120, I had entered the D-grade Venomous Insect Dungeon near Daechi Station alongside Choi Taehun and Seo Jieun.

It was supposed to be a straightforward raid.

The dungeon typically required about six hunters to clear, but the three of us had decided to go in alone to maximize our experience and loot.

At first, things went smoothly. We dealt with the Venomous Caterpillars easily enough.

But the Explosive Dragonflies were a different story.

Their numbers overwhelmed us, and no matter how many we killed, even more seemed to swarm in.

“Damn it, let’s retreat to the entrance! We can’t handle this!”

We decided to retreat and bolted for safety.

But instead of finding our way out, we ended up deeper in the jungle, near a cluster of towering rocks.

To make matters worse, the swarm continued to grow, filling our vision entirely.

As we fought off the incoming dragonflies—

BOOM! BOOM-BOOM-BOOOM!!!

“Shit…!”
“Aaaahhh!”

A chain reaction of explosions caused the ground beneath us to collapse, and we fell into the cavern below.

Surprisingly, what seemed like disaster turned out to be a stroke of luck.

“Is that…?”
“No way, a Hidden Piece?”

In the heart of the underground cavern, we discovered it: a glowing book floating atop a pedestal.

An unexpected fortune amidst peril.

Back then, we were stunned, our mouths hanging open in disbelief.

Now, years later, Swallow was equally astonished.

“Master, are you alright—wait, is that a Hidden Piece!?”

As I walked toward the pedestal, Swallow spotted the glowing book and gawked, his beak hanging open.

Standing before the pedestal, I looked up at the book and muttered softly.

“Yeah. In my past life, this was the Hidden Piece that ended up with Choi Taehun.”

Memories of that time resurfaced vividly.

We had stumbled upon the Hidden Piece by chance after falling into the cavern. The glowing book was eventually claimed by Choi Taehun.

Not because we had agreed on it, but because—

“I’ll go check it out first, guys!”

He had dashed up to the pedestal under the pretense of scouting.

The moment his hand touched the Hidden Piece—

Flash! FWOOM!

The book dissolved into light and was absorbed into his body before any of us could stop him.

That was how Choi Taehun had obtained the Hidden Piece, which later turned him into one of the strongest warriors.

“Honestly, it suited me better back then… but it couldn’t be transferred once absorbed. Now it’s finally meeting its rightful owner.”

Even Choi Taehun had admitted in the past that the Hidden Piece would’ve been better in my hands. He had apologized for claiming it without discussion.

But in hindsight, his apology was hollow.

If he truly thought I deserved it, he wouldn’t have grabbed it so selfishly in the first place.

Now, after everything, I finally had my second chance.

I stepped onto the pedestal and placed my hand on the book.

And just like before—

Flash! FWOOM!

The book dissolved into a brilliant light and was absorbed into my palm.

At last, the Hidden Piece had found its rightful owner.

“Congratulations, Master! I see now why this cavern wasn’t in my memory—because it originally belonged to Choi Taehun’s Hidden Piece.”

Swallow flapped his wings in celebration, but this wasn’t the time to relax.

Buzz! BUZZZZ!

[Lv 117. Subterranean Venom Wasp.]
[Lv 116. Subterranean Venom Wasp.]
[Lv 117. Subterranean Venom Wasp.]

“Well, it seems we have some uninvited guests. Looks like there are over a hundred, Master. Shall I block the entrance with a barrier to buy us some time?”

While I absorbed the Hidden Piece, flying monsters began emerging from the tunnels along the walls of the cavern—just like in my past life.

From the dark corridors came the faint glow of nameplates, indicating the swarm’s approach.

Swallow raised his wings, preparing to seal the entrance with a barrier, and awaited my command.

The Venom Wasps were even more challenging than the Explosive Dragonflies, with higher levels and far greater numbers.

But I shook my head.

“No, let them come. I can take them all out.”

Had this been a few minutes ago, I might have considered retreating. But now, there was no need.

Because I had gained—

[Hidden Trait: Dual Wielding (S) acquired.]
[Hidden Trait: Dual Wielding (S): Enables mastery of two swords simultaneously. Skills from both swords can be integrated or used separately. Increases the effect of sword-based skills by 22%.]

With the power to obliterate them all.

And not just the Hidden Trait Dual Wielding.

“Time to put this to the test.”

I stored my battered old longsword back in my inventory and drew two others.

[Lightweight Shortsword]
Grade: Advanced
Effect: Attack Power +45
Skill: Quick Slash (E)

A weapon left behind by Seo Jieun.

[Heavy Steel Blade]
Grade: Advanced
Effect: Attack Power +60
Skill: Iron Slash (E)

And one that had belonged to Choi Taehun.

Swallow, hovering nearby, immediately recognized them.

“Those are their weapons.”

“Yeah. I’ve avoided using them because they feel… tainted. But my old sword is on the verge of breaking, so I don’t have a choice.”

Though the two weapons were superior to my old longsword in terms of stats, I had avoided using them.

Even though Seo Jieun and Choi Taehun had betrayed me, wielding their weapons felt unsettling.

But now, with my old sword cracking under the strain of Frenzied Slash, I had no choice but to wield these blades.

After all, unlike my past life, I had to face this swarm alone—and at a much lower level.

[Swordsman Quest 15.]
[Reach Level 60 (57/60).]

Besides, I needed to complete my long-neglected Swordsman Quest, and hunting was the best way to level up.

BUZZ! BUZZZZ!

Dozens of Venom Wasps swarmed into the cavern, surrounding the pedestal.

“Shall I assist you, Master? I can put up a shield if you’re in danger.”

“No need. For these pests…”

I dismissed Swallow and crouched low, gripping both swords tightly.

“...One minute is more than enough.”

With that, I launched off the pedestal and charged at the monsters, dual blades slicing through the air.

***

‘Hmm... Did I come too early?’

At the Yangjae Station Hunter Training Center, Jin Seoyun walked into the public training hall, glancing around as she searched for someone.

“Wow, she’s here again. Isn’t she showing up almost every day now?”

“According to the Hunter community, she’s been running dungeon raids nonstop too. Impressive.”@@novelbin@@

“Not only that, but she’s so down-to-earth. Most elite hunters stick to private facilities or exclusive training rooms, but here she is, the daughter of a conglomerate family, training in a public hall.”

“I thought she’d be difficult to approach, but she’s actually perfect.”

The hunters in the hall couldn’t help but express their admiration.

Famous hunters typically used the state-of-the-art facilities provided by their guilds, or if they did come to public centers, they only trained in private rooms. Jin Seoyun, however, broke the mold by utilizing the public training area.

Her actions drew constant praise from the other hunters, but she paid no attention to their comments.

Her focus was elsewhere.

‘Could it be that he’s not coming today?’

She wasn’t here to impress anyone. She was here for him, the man who practiced in the corner, relentlessly striking the training dummy.

As she roamed the hall, waiting for him to appear, Jin Seoyun couldn’t help but grow restless.

‘Maybe I really did come too early.’

Unable to spot him anywhere, she began pacing around the area where he usually trained.

Finally, she gave up on waiting idly and decided to mimic what she had seen him doing.

Unsheathing her saber, she raised it above her head.

Thwack!

She swung down with all her might at the training dummy.

It wasn’t a skill-enhanced strike, but it was a genuine effort.

However—

Thud.

The dummy barely vibrated.

Despite her strength, it showed no signs of damage. Not even a scratch.

‘Did that guy seriously manage to cut this thing? I can’t even leave a mark. Who… what is he?’

From what she knew, the training dummies were made from the hide of a monster called an Amos, which resembled a mammoth. Cutting it required a minimum level of 300.

Even if the durability had weakened with age, only someone with significant skill could slice it.

Curiosity burned within her.

Though he wasn’t her type appearance-wise, Jin Seoyun’s fascination with him had grown to the point where she had come here on her day off, hoping to see him again.

But as the hours ticked by—one, two, then three—he still didn’t show.

She had arrived early in the morning, and now, after waiting for hours, she was left with nothing to show for it.

‘Is he really not coming today? Maybe I’ll wait just one more hour.’

Even as boredom crept in and swinging at the dummy lost its appeal, she decided to give it one last try.

But just then—

“Young miss, there you are. I couldn’t reach you, so I came looking.”

Her secretary, Jang, had arrived at the training hall.

She turned to him, puzzled.

“Secretary Jang? What brings you here? Isn’t today your day off?”

“Yes, but an urgent matter came up, so I had no choice but to come in.”

“An urgent matter?”

“A new Open Dungeon has appeared near Daechi Station. It’s classified as D-grade. We’ve secured the rights to the first raid, so it would be best for you to head there immediately. You’ll need it to complete your Talent Quest, won’t you?”

Jang held up his phone, showing her a photo of a black portal.

Open Dungeon.

A rare, one-time dungeon that disappears once cleared. Unlike regular dungeons, which can be raided repeatedly, Open Dungeons are significantly harder but also offer superior rewards.

An opportunity like this didn’t come around often.

Jin Seoyun hesitated, glancing back at the corner of the training hall where the dummy stood.

Her curiosity about the man hadn’t waned, but it seemed today wasn’t the day.

“What about the raid party?”

“We’re gathering guild members as quickly as possible. It should take around three hours to assemble everyone.”

She sheathed her saber, turned toward the exit, and replied, “Alright. Let’s head to Daechi Station.”