The Handsomer You Are, the Stronger You Become

‘It’s not perfect, but it definitely showed power similar to that skill.’

In my previous life.

I completed countless quests, mastering swordsmanship to the pinnacle level of Sword Emperor.

Back then, I possessed dozens of skills.

However, after regression, I could no longer use the skills I had acquired in my previous life.

There were two main reasons for this:

First, while I knew the mechanisms of the skills, my body had not been imprinted with the circuits necessary for them to manifest. Even if I replicated the actions, the skills would not activate.

Second, my current body was not built to perform swordsmanship techniques I had obtained at higher levels.

Swordsmanship isn’t something that can be executed through enlightenment alone.

Even if you understand the theory completely, without a body capable of performing it and a mana circuit to support it, the skills cannot manifest.

Moreover, many skills can be obtained through training, but the majority of my techniques had been rewards from talent quests. As a low-level swordsman now, I had no access to such opportunities.

This was something I confirmed multiple times before plotting revenge against Seo Jieun and Choi Taehun.

But now…

Things were different.

I had mimicked one of my frequently used skills from my previous life—a swordsmanship skill meant for attacking distant enemies—and it had shown similar destructive power.

This was no illusion.

‘Let’s confirm it one more time.’

“Craaaak…!”

The Giant Venomous Insect writhed in pain, likely from its cracked front leg. I hurled Seo Jieun’s sword in a straight line at it.

Swoosh—! Siiiiiik—!!

This time, I felt as if the mana in my body passed through a skill circuit.

And that wasn’t all.

Crack—!!

“Kyaaaah!!”

Seo Jieun’s sword flew in a straight line and smashed through the carapace covering the boss monster’s front leg.

Choi Taehun’s sword had only left a crack.

But Seo Jieun’s sword carried more destructive power and shattered the monster’s front leg entirely.

‘Good, it seems like this method works.’

Even after two throws, I didn’t feel particularly fatigued.

I had finally found a way.

Now all that was left was to dodge the boss monster’s ranged attacks while continuing to throw swords.

Of course, I’d need to retrieve the swords after throwing them, and the effort might leave me sweating, but there was a solution for that.

“Swallow, retrieve the swords I threw!”

High above the dense bushes, my helper was observing the battlefield from the sky.

Naturally—

“Oh? Didn’t you say you were fine without my help? How unbecoming of you to ask for assistance now, Master.”

“Are you sulking because I told you to stay back? A man shouldn’t be petty, you know!”

The sunglasses-wearing swallow seemed a little pouty, but that didn’t matter.

Rustle—Whoosh—!

I dodged the poisonous stinger shot by the Giant Venomous Insect and pulled a grape-flavored candy from my pocket, tossing it to Swallow, who was perched far away.

“Mmm, yum. Fine, I’ll generously help you this time, Master.”

Snatching the candy midair with his beak, Swallow immediately shifted his attitude.

Swish—!!

While the boss monster focused its attention on me, Swallow dove down, grabbing two fallen swords—one in his beak and another in his claws—and brought them to me.

I minimized my movements to dodge the Giant Venomous Insect’s attacks and created some distance between us.

Then—

“Throw them!”

“Yes, Master!”

Taking the twin swords from Swallow, I hurled them at the boss monster in succession.

The strategy worked perfectly.

Whoosh—! Slaaash—! Crack—!

“Keeeeeck!!”

Seo Jieun’s and Choi Taehun’s swords flew swiftly and struck the Giant Venomous Insect’s abdomen.

The creature screeched in agony, and its carapace shattered under the forceful impact.

However, it wasn’t enough to finish it off, leading to an unexpected consequence.

[Your body is drenched in sweat.]

[The clothes you are wearing emit a strong odor.]

[Appearance Power has decreased by -1.]

[Appearance Power: 10]

[Appearance Power Effects: All stats +20]

Due to the excessive sweat from throwing the swords twice, my Appearance Power dropped again.

If my Appearance Power fell any further, I would fail the Absolute Beauty Quest 2.

After checking the message, I turned my gaze back to the Giant Venomous Insect.

“Kerraak!!”

Although its abdomen had been struck, the creature was still alive—no, it seemed even more vigorous now.

As its health dwindled, it entered its second phase.

The Giant Venomous Insect ascended into the air and began spraying poisonous stingers across the ground.

When I avoided its attacks by darting from side to side, it switched to an area-of-effect assault.

Zzzzzzt—!!

The poison from its stingers melted the ground where they landed.

Hiding behind a tree, I sprayed myself with cologne to mask the smell of sweat.

But…

Nothing happened.

Perhaps because I had sweated so much, the cologne didn’t work.

‘Damn it, this won’t do. I’ll have to end it in one strike.’

I had one chance left.

I needed to amplify my destructive power.

“Swallow! Can you block its attacks temporarily with a shield?”@@novelbin@@

“It’s possible, but judging by the poison and wing blades’ power, it’ll only hold for about 10 seconds.”

“That’s plenty!”

Gripping the twin swords Swallow had returned, I stepped out.

Then—

“Kerraak!!”

I locked my aim on the glowing boss monster hovering midair.

As soon as it spotted me, it unleashed a barrage of green stingers, but they didn’t reach me.

The moment I emerged—

“Hmph, what a filthy insect, spitting venom everywhere.”

[A beautiful assistant activates a magnificent shield.]

Swallow deployed a brilliant blue shield.

Ping—! Ping—! Zzzzzzt—!!

The stingers bounced harmlessly off the shield, falling to the ground.

After confirming the shield’s effectiveness, I crouched and assumed a throwing stance.

But this time, instead of simply throwing—

Whirrr—!!

I circulated mana throughout my entire body.

From my heart to my head, and from my head to my dantian.

The flow was the same as before, but this time, I repeated it over and over—twice, thrice, and beyond.

It was an exhausting process.

Sweat beaded on my forehead.

“Ugh! I can’t hold on much longer, Master…!”

Crash—!!

Swallow’s shield finally gave out under the strain.

The boss monster’s stingers closed in rapidly.

But its attack didn’t harm me.

【Activation】

[Trust Armor (A)]

A transparent armor enveloped my entire body, granting me additional time.

Using every second of that reprieve, I gathered an enormous amount of mana and hurled both swords in succession.

“Take this…!”

“Krkkkeeck!!”

Whoosh—! Crack—!!

The swords struck the Giant Venomous Insect’s abdomen again.

But…

“Damn it…!”

It wasn’t enough.

Though I shattered its carapace, I failed to completely destroy the red core in its abdomen, its weak point.

Worse still—

“Kerraak…!”

The Giant Venomous Insect charged toward me at full speed.

Having learned from the previous pattern, it seemed to realize I had no weapons left after throwing the two swords, and it closed the gap.

“M-Master! I’ll fetch the swords immediately…!”

Panicking, Swallow flew off to retrieve the weapons.

Logically, I should have retreated.

But instead of fleeing—

“I’ve still got one left, you bastard!!”

I pulled out my trump card.

A worn longsword once used by a retired mercenary.

Though chipped and old, it was a cherished weapon from my early days.

Taking the trusty blade from my inventory, I dashed forward.

Wing blades blocked any reckless swings, so instead, I sent the sword behind my back, channeling mana from my head to my dantian.

“Raaaagh!!”

I leapt forward and threw the longsword with all my might.

The Giant Venomous Insect responded with a rain of venomous stingers.

In that instant—

Flash—!

[You have cleared the obstructed path of the sword.]

[You have acquired the swordsmanship skill: Blade of the Sky (B).]

Messages lit up the air, and suddenly—

【Activation】

[Blade of the Sky (B)]

The silver-imbued longsword sliced through the venomous stingers, soaring into the sky.

And then—

Crack—! BOOM—!!

[Lv. 120 Jungle Giant Venomous Insect has been defeated.]

[Your level has increased.]

[You have defeated the dungeon master.]

[The dungeon has been cleared.]

[Defeat a boss monster of level 100 or higher while maintaining an Appearance Power of 10 or more (1/1).]

[Absolute Beauty Quest 2 has been completed.]

In the moment of crisis, victory was mine.

***

“Is everyone here?”

“You’ve arrived, Hunter Jin Seoyun!”

“There are seven of us gathered so far. We just need two more!”

Near the portal at Daechi Station, guild members waiting for Jin Seoyun greeted her warmly as she approached.

But it wasn’t just her guildmates who welcomed her arrival.

“Wow, it’s Hunter Jin Seoyun! She’s probably going to clear that new dungeon, isn’t she?”

“Is she leading the raid? Damn, she’s unstoppable. She only joined Samcheon Guild recently, right?”

“She’s incredible. Samcheon is the top guild in Korea!”

Even the ordinary citizens watching nearby buzzed with excitement at her presence.

The Samcheon Guild, known as the best guild in South Korea, had earned its reputation for excellence. Judging by the scene, it seemed like Jin Seoyun was personally leading the raid.

The citizens’ guesses were correct.

Jin Seoyun turned to address the gathered hunters.

“As you’ve likely heard, I’ll be leading this D-rank open dungeon raid. Some of you may be meeting me for the first time, so I look forward to working with you.”

“It’s an honor to raid with you, Hunter Jin Seoyun!”

“We’ll do our absolute best!”

The Samcheon Guild hunters stood at attention, disciplined and focused.

While Samcheon’s structure was hierarchical, its sheer size—with over a thousand low-level hunters—meant that opportunities to raid alongside Jin Seoyun were rare.

Particularly because she was a high-profile member of the guild, usually part of elite parties. Unless it was a sudden arrangement like this, chances to join her in a raid were nonexistent.

It was a golden opportunity to leave a strong impression.

Though no one had instructed them to, the Samcheon hunters lined up neatly, their nerves on edge.

Jin Seoyun, however, appeared completely unfazed.

Swish—Swish—

While the hunters moved efficiently, she casually pulled out a handkerchief and began polishing her sword, waiting for the remaining participants to arrive.

‘He’ll show up at the training grounds tomorrow, right…?’

Her thoughts, in truth, were elsewhere.

She hadn’t seen the Scarecrow Man today, and no matter how open this dungeon was, a D-rank posed no real threat to someone at her level of 180.

But then—

“Young Lady, one of the hunters scheduled to join this raid has been taken to the emergency room. It seems they won’t be able to participate.”

The smooth operation hit a snag.

As she absentmindedly polished her gear, her personal secretary approached with a troubled expression.

Jin Seoyun tilted her head slightly in confusion.

“The emergency room? What happened?”

“They aren’t in life-threatening danger, but they’ve developed a severe case of enteritis. They said they’d join after treatment, but I put them on hold. If they were to…make an accident during the raid, the resulting odor would…significantly lower your combat efficiency.”

“…Just tell them to rest.”

It wasn’t just combat efficiency at stake.

If something like that were to happen, Jin Seoyun might lose her temper—or worse, abandon the guild members and leave the dungeon entirely.

She shivered in distaste at the mere thought and continued speaking.

“What about the other person?”

“They’re on their way.”

“That’s a relief. As for the person in the emergency room… we’ll need to find a replacement. Are there any available hunters in the guild?”

“All the hunters near Daechi Station are already here. We could summon more, but the selection rights for this raid required us to enter within six hours. We have less than two hours left now, and we still need to meet the minimum requirement of ten participants. It might be best to recruit a mercenary from the area.”

“A mercenary…”

Jin Seoyun scanned the surroundings in response to her secretary’s suggestion.

But there were no suitable candidates.

Beyond the portal, the area was bustling with people, but most were just onlookers. Even among the few hunters present, none seemed high-level. Daechi Station was known for its abundance of E-rank dungeons, so it was unlikely for skilled hunters to frequent the area.

Not that high-level hunters were strictly necessary.

A D-rank dungeon was manageable with just her and the Samcheon guild members.

However—

‘The issue is the payout distribution.’

A mercenary hunter wouldn’t receive much compensation.

While raid rewards were divided based on headcount, contributions were also taken into account.

Guild-centric raids like this one followed strategies and tactics devised by the guild, which made it uncommon for skilled hunters to join as mercenaries.

If they hired no one, they wouldn’t meet the minimum headcount of ten. But hiring just anyone risked hindering the raid.

As Jin Seoyun rested her chin on her hand, deliberating, something caught her eye.

‘Huh? That man…?’

Far off in the distance, across the street.

The Scarecrow Man she had been so desperately searching for at the training grounds was walking through the crowd.