The Handsomer You Are, the Stronger You Become

“Huff! W-What’s going on?!”

“E-Everyone, get to the perimeter!!”

The sudden explosion from the ceiling and falling debris sent the Samcheon Guild hunters into a panic. Eyes wide, they scrambled toward the edges of the boss room.

Fortunately, the explosion had concentrated in the center of the cavern, leaving the edges relatively unaffected by the falling rocks.

However—

“Ugh! My… my foot…!”

Amidst the chaos, someone was frozen in place.

Han Sungbin.

While collecting loot near the center, it seemed his ankle was caught, preventing him from moving.

And above his head—

Boom!

A massive boulder hurtled toward him.

“Damn it…!”

In desperation, Han Sungbin swung his greatsword upward.

His skill, Blade Wind, sent a burst of blue aura streaking toward the falling rock with ferocious force.

Boom! Crack!

The skill hit its mark, chipping away at the boulder.

But it wasn’t enough.

The rock was simply too large, and Han Sungbin’s attack failed to split it completely.

“Ugh…!”

Gritting his teeth, Han Sungbin swung his greatsword again. The boulder was almost upon him, and death felt inevitable, but he refused to give up.@@novelbin@@

Then, just as his sword moved—

Crash!

A miracle happened.

Though he hadn’t properly activated another skill, the falling boulder suddenly shattered, breaking apart into countless fragments that scattered in all directions.

Clatter!

Pebbles and dust rained down, coating Han Sungbin as he stood there, stunned. Slowly, he looked around to understand what had just happened.

And then, he saw him.

Kang Hyunsoo.

The mercenary Jin Seoyun had hastily recruited at Daechi Station had destroyed the boulder, saving him.

But—

How did he do it…?

Han Sungbin couldn’t comprehend it.

According to his teammates, Kang Hyunsoo was a low-level hunter, somewhere around level 70. Yet the power he had just displayed was far beyond what Han Sungbin, at level 175, could muster.

Maybe he has high-tier equipment? But the old, worn sword in Kang Hyunsoo’s hand quickly dismissed that theory.

The situation made no sense.

Still, Han Sungbin did the only thing he could.

“Th-Thank you, Hunter! You saved my life!”

He bowed deeply to Kang Hyunsoo, grateful for having his life spared, even if he didn’t understand how.

And Han Sungbin wasn’t the only one reacting this way.

“Sungbin! Are you okay? Ugh, what the hell just happened?”

“If Hyunsoo hadn’t stepped in, it would’ve been a disaster!”

“Thank you so much, Kang Hyunsoo Hunter! I don’t know how I’ll ever repay this debt….”

As the last of the ceiling’s debris fell, Min Dongchan, Ha Jaesung, Jin Seoyun, and the other Samcheon Guild hunters rushed over to thank Kang Hyunsoo.

But Kang Hyunsoo remained silent.

Instead, holding his old sword, he approached Han Sungbin.

Slash!

In one clean motion, he cut through the dark energy binding Han Sungbin’s ankle.

“……!”

“W-Wait, that’s… an ankle-binding skill!”

The hunters gasped.

The dark aura gripping Han Sungbin’s foot was indeed Ankle Bind, a skill meant to immobilize its target.

“Who could have…?!”

“Was this a trap?!”

“Now that you mention it, the explosion was strange, too! There weren’t any monsters left, so why did it suddenly happen?”

The Samcheon Guild hunters glanced around, their confusion mounting.

Traps activating after a boss was defeated were unheard of. This made the situation even more suspicious.

Meanwhile, Kang Hyunsoo remained calm.

He already knew the truth.

So this is why Han Sungbin died in my past life.

He remembered it clearly.

[Breaking News] Face Genius Han Sungbin Dies in Dungeon Accident
[Shocking Report] Samcheon Guild Announces Han Sungbin’s Death as Accidental
[Urgent] Hunter Bureau Investigates Han Sungbin’s Death

In his previous life, Han Sungbin had died.

At the peak of his fame as a “face genius,” a sudden report emerged of his untimely death, shocking the public.

The media went into a frenzy.

Domestic and international outlets reported the news non-stop. Fans around the world were devastated, and condolences poured in from every corner of society.

The Hunter Bureau launched an immediate investigation.

Within a day, Han Sungbin’s cause of death was revealed.

Cause of Death: Crushed by a Collapsed Structure.

The specifics were never fully disclosed, but it was stated that he had been killed during a dungeon raid when part of the structure collapsed on him.

The news reignited public outrage.

A promising hunter, killed not by a monster but by debris? The thought was unthinkable.

To make matters worse, subsequent reports revealed that the Samcheon Guild barely escaped and hadn’t been able to retrieve Han Sungbin’s body.

After this revelation, rumors circulated that Han Sungbin might still be alive, but the dungeon, being an open dungeon, had already disappeared.

Kang Hyunsoo had vividly remembered this incident because of its media frenzy. However, he hadn’t expected to encounter it in this very dungeon.

So it happened here….

While he wasn’t a fan of Han Sungbin, Kang Hyunsoo had stayed alert, keeping an eye on him just in case. His vigilance paid off.

Using his skill Raging Slash, he had shattered the boulders descending on Han Sungbin, saving his life.

It was a miracle born of past-life knowledge.

But something unexpected had been uncovered.

The Ankle Bind skill.

Someone had deliberately used the skill to trap Han Sungbin. This wasn’t an accident—it was a setup.

Kang Hyunsoo realized it immediately.

This was no accident. Someone planned this.

And he wasn’t the only one to come to that conclusion.

“Team Leader Jin Seoyun, it seems someone intentionally triggered the explosion and bound Sungbin’s ankle.”

“This doesn’t seem like a trap. We moved all around the boss room during the fight, and nothing activated then. The culprit is among us.”

“Sungbin, did you see anything? Someone using a skill or standing nearby when the explosion happened?”

“I… I don’t know…. It was so chaotic….”

The Samcheon Guild hunters began to suspect foul play and initiated an investigation.

With only ten people in the party, all but Kang Hyunsoo were guild members. Even so, Han Sungbin hesitated to accuse anyone outright.

As suspicion spread among the hunters, Kang Hyunsoo spoke in a low voice.

“There’s no need to find the culprit. Prepare to fight.”

“Huh? What are you talking about, Hyunsoo?”

“Fight who?” Jin Seoyun asked, confused.

Despite the lack of evidence, Kang Hyunsoo’s sudden declaration left them baffled. He wasn’t looking at anyone but instead stared into the empty air.

It was impossible to understand his intent.

But Kang Hyunsoo didn’t answer their questions.

Instead:

“They’re here, Master…!” Swallow’s voice broke the silence.

[Activation]

[Sky Blade (B)]

From the air, where Swallow was flying while cloaked, Kang Hyunsoo hurled his old mercenary sword downward.

Whooshhh—!!

The blade, enveloped in a razor-sharp aura, sliced through the air with incredible speed.

But then, something inexplicable happened.

Clang—!!

Even though there was nothing visible in the sword’s path, a metallic crash echoed, and the blade was deflected mid-flight.

The truth quickly revealed itself.

“How did that guy detect us while we were cloaked?”

“This is strange. A hunter capable of detecting us shouldn’t be in a D-rank dungeon.”

“He was impressive during the boss fight too… just who is he?”

Three figures, masked hunters wielding a dagger, a longsword, and a staff, had been hidden in the room all along.

“C-Commander! Intruders… we’ve got intruders!”

“……!!”

Clink—clink—clang!

As the intruders revealed themselves, the Samcheon Guild hunters quickly raised their weapons, assuming battle stances.

It didn’t need to be explained—context made it clear. These masked hunters were the ones who triggered the explosion and used the Ankle Bind skill on Han Sungbin.

A tense silence fell over the cavern.

Still, Jin Seoyun, demonstrating the poise of a top guild leader, tried to reason with the masked hunters before escalating into combat.

“Who are you? Why are you interfering with a raid in progress? Answer me now, or I will execute you on the spot.”

Her icy voice echoed throughout the vast chamber. Though laced with anger, it was evident she was suppressing her rage in favor of fulfilling her duty as a guild leader.

But—

“What a waste of breath.”

“Do you really think we’ll answer?”

“You’ve seen us, so we’ll take you all as sacrifices!”

Instead of replying, the masked hunters leapt into action.

Clang—clang—CRASH!

The metallic clash of weapons reverberated through the cavern as the masked hunters charged headlong into the Samcheon Guild hunters, who met them head-on.

“You’re the ones behind the Incheon Dungeon Massacre, aren’t you?!”

“How dare you target us? Say your prayers, you bastards!!”

“No mercy… not after this…!”

Min Dongchan, Ha Jaesung, and the other Samcheon Guild hunters were visibly enraged, their fury evident in their strained voices and the veins bulging on their foreheads. Even the usually mild-mannered Han Sungbin exuded bloodlust as he attacked.

Blow after blow rained down on the masked hunters.

However—

Slash!

“Argh…!”

“I-I can’t see them!”

“These bastards keep disappearing!!”

The ones suffering damage were the Samcheon Guild hunters.

Despite unleashing an array of ranged attacks, the masked hunters vanished repeatedly, only to reappear behind the guild members and strike at their blind spots.

Groans of pain filled the cavern.

The Samcheon Guild hunters sustained cuts on their shoulders, thighs, and calves. Their assailants’ tactics were as effective as they were frustrating.

“Damn cowards, using cloaking!”

“Keep your heads down!!”

Though Jin Seoyun and Han Sungbin rushed to provide support with their saber and greatsword, their strikes only hit empty air.

“Tsk, too slow.”

Whoosh!

Their blades missed entirely, and the masked hunters snickered before vanishing again.

What the masked hunters didn’t realize, however, was this:

“Master, they’re right below me!” Swallow exclaimed.

Through his sunglasses, Swallow could see their every move.

Kang Hyunsoo, retrieving his old sword, swung it toward the spot Swallow indicated.

CLANG—!!

A metallic crash rang out as the blade struck true.

“Who the hell are you?” snarled the dagger-wielding masked hunter, his weapon blocking Kang Hyunsoo’s.

“Would knowing help you?” Hyunsoo replied nonchalantly.

At that moment—

“You arrogant punk…!”

“Die!!”

The other two masked hunters, wielding a longsword and a staff, revealed themselves and charged at Kang Hyunsoo.

Their attack never connected.

The instant they broke their cloak to strike, Jin Seoyun, Han Sungbin, Min Dongchan, Ha Jaesung, and the rest of the Samcheon Guild surged forward, counterattacking ferociously.

Thud! Slash!

“Gahhh!”

Blood sprayed as the tables turned. This time, it was the masked hunters who found themselves wounded.

BOOM—!!

Realizing the danger, the masked hunters twisted their bodies to minimize the damage and created explosions with their weapons to force the guild members back, retreating to gain distance.

The masked hunter fighting Kang Hyunsoo used his dagger to shove away Hyunsoo’s sword before also creating an explosion and leaping back.

The explosions weren’t lethal, but the thick smoke now filling the cavern made visibility difficult.

Watching the retreating figures, Swallow offered a brief assessment.

“They’re skilled enough to take on nine Samcheon Guild hunters, but no more than that.”

“Agreed. It’ll take some effort, but we’ll win in the end,” Kang Hyunsoo muttered in agreement.

Though he had only fought them briefly, his past-life experience allowed him to gauge their abilities accurately.

The masked hunters were likely around level 200.

They were stronger than Jin Seoyun and Han Sungbin and capable of holding their own against the entire Samcheon Guild team, but they weren’t overwhelmingly superior.

The masked hunters seemed to realize this as well.

“Tsk. As expected of the Samcheon Guild.”

“This isn’t going to be easy. That gorilla-looking guy is especially troublesome.”

Recognizing their disadvantage, the masked hunters changed tactics.

“I permit the release of latent power.”

Instead of continuing their reckless assault, they lowered their stances, closed their eyes, and began channeling energy.

Then—

Shhhhhh—!!

A peculiar aura, like shimmering heatwaves, began to radiate from their bodies.

Kang Hyunsoo’s eyes widened as he observed it.

The aura enveloping the masked hunters was unmistakable.

That’s… purple aura?

He recognized it instantly.

It was the same power Seo Jieun and Choi Taehun had wielded in the final moments of his past life.