The Handsomer You Are, the Stronger You Become

Hunter Bureau Subjugation Division

Beneath a signboard hanging from the ceiling, a woman with ash-gray hair tied into a ponytail muttered quietly while staring at the papers on her desk.

“Hmm… Took down unidentified hunters all by himself, you say?”

Her slightly furrowed brow revealed her puzzlement.

“It doesn’t make sense…”

The woman continued scrutinizing the documents, lost in thought. But just as she was engrossed in her analysis—

Knock, knock, knock.

“Not off work yet, Chief Choi Jiwoo?”

A middle-aged man in a Hunter Bureau uniform, his slicked-back hair gleaming under the office lights, entered the room, waving cheerfully.

Choi Jiwoo, the woman in question, rose from her chair and bowed slightly at his arrival.

“Hello, Head of Personnel. I just have a few things to wrap up.”

“The Subjugation Division rarely has desk work, so I’m guessing this is about the incident at Daechi Station?”

“Yes, sir. You’re well-informed. The situation has been resolved, but there are some unresolved questions.”

While the event hadn’t made the news, the attack on the Samcheon Guild by unknown hunters had been a significant enough issue to reach the Personnel Team Head’s ears.

He smiled sympathetically at Choi Jiwoo and picked up one of the papers on her desk.

“Was it this guy? The one who dealt with the intruders?”

“Kang Hyunsoo… Yes, that’s him. A mercenary hunter who apparently handled them alone.”

The document Choi Jiwoo had been reviewing contained Kang Hyunsoo’s personal details.

The Personnel Team Head tilted his head in confusion, mirroring her earlier reaction.

“Certainly unusual. A low-level hunter under level 100 managing to defeat intruders strong enough to force the Samcheon Guild to retreat…”

“That’s exactly why I’ve been looking into it. I thought I might’ve missed something.”

The open dungeon raid had been neatly wrapped up.

The dungeon was cleared, the intruders eliminated, and while the Samcheon Guild hunters sustained injuries, no lives were lost.

However, questions lingered, all revolving around Kang Hyunsoo.

According to Jin Seoyun’s testimony, the masked hunters were strong enough to push the Samcheon Guild into retreat. Yet, they all fell to Kang Hyunsoo’s swordsmanship.

Based on his level and stats, such a feat seemed impossible.

Though Jin Seoyun had claimed she had assisted him, her story felt hastily patched together, leaving too many inconsistencies.

The Personnel Team Head was well aware of these irregularities.

“It doesn’t look like you’ve missed anything. It’s probably one of two things: either Jin Seoyun gave him all the credit as a token of gratitude, or this Kang Hyunsoo guy has something extraordinary going on.”

“Could be both.”@@novelbin@@

“That’s the most likely explanation. But Chief Choi, why are you so focused on this guy? Even if he has unique items or talents, he’s just a low-level hunter, and this isn’t even Subjugation Division business anymore.”

“Well, uh, that’s…”

Choi Jiwoo struggled to answer the question.

She’d responded to the emergency report and was present at the scene, but now that the case was resolved, it technically wasn’t her concern anymore.

Even she didn’t fully understand why she was so fixated on Kang Hyunsoo, leaving her flustered. Thankfully, she didn’t have to reply immediately.

The moment was interrupted.

“Chief! We’ve found traces of the masked hunters!”

A team member from the Subjugation Division entered, clad in the Hunter Bureau uniform.

“You’ve found something? Deputy Cha, is it true?”

“Oh, Deputy Cha Seunghyun. Always coming through for us, eh?”

The unexpected development drew wide-eyed reactions from Choi Jiwoo and an enthusiastic thumbs-up from the Personnel Team Head.

Deputy Cha saluted the Personnel Team Head and continued his report.

“Yes, sir. We reviewed all the CCTV footage around Daechi Station and found something. We first spotted their movement in an alley behind a motel near the station, but… it’s odd.”

“What’s odd about it?”

The brief excitement faded as both Choi Jiwoo and the Personnel Team Head frowned simultaneously.

Cha Seunghyun, now looking serious, held up his phone.

“Take a look at the CCTV footage. A violet portal appears, and the masked hunters emerge from it.”

Just as he described, the phone’s screen showed an empty alley where a violet portal suddenly materialized. From it, three masked hunters armed with a dagger, staff, and longsword stepped out and quickly cloaked themselves in invisibility.

“Personnel Team Head, that violet portal…?”

“...is exclusive to Babylon.”

The Personnel Team Head finished Choi Jiwoo’s sentence, his tone heavy with recognition.

“Babylon? What’s that…?”

Cha Seunghyun tilted his head, unable to follow their exchange.

An explanation was clearly needed.

However—

“This is bigger than we thought.”

“Yeah, these aren’t just petty criminals targeting low-level hunters. Survivors could be at risk.”

Choi Jiwoo and the Personnel Team Head ignored Cha Seunghyun, their expressions grave as they continued their discussion.

Shortly after, Choi Jiwoo tore her gaze away from the phone and walked toward the office door, issuing rapid instructions.

“Personnel Team Head, please report this to the Director. Deputy Cha, go with him.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

“Huh? Me? What about you, Chief?”

“I’m going to protect the survivor.”

As she exited the office, Choi Jiwoo held a sheet of paper tightly in her hand—the one containing Kang Hyunsoo’s profile.

***

Huff, huff, pant, pant... Is this the end?

Under the blistering sunlight, my breath came in ragged gasps.

I wiped the sweat dripping from my chin with the hand holding my sword and surveyed my surroundings.

What lay before me was the aftermath of a relentless battle. The desert dungeon was littered with fallen monsters.

[…….]
[Lv 200. Sand Armored Camel defeated.]
[Lv 202. Blazing Cactus defeated.]
[You have leveled up.]
[Reward: Strength +2, Stamina +2, Mana +1.]

A flood of messages filled my vision.

This scene had unfolded because I hadn’t stopped killing monsters since the raid began, not even for a moment.

My lungs felt like they were about to burst, and my entire body was drenched in sweat. It had been an intense fight.

The result?

[You have sweated excessively.]
[Your body odor has intensified.]
[Appearance Power -2.]
[Appearance Power: 24.]
[Appearance Power Effect: All stats +48.]

Sweat poured off me like rain, causing my Appearance Power to drop.

Even though I had defeated the C-rank dungeon’s mobs, the searing heat of the desert had taken its toll, effectively negating the benefits of leveling up by four points.

But I didn’t care much.

Even with the drop in Appearance Power, the monsters I had slain had earned me something far more valuable.

[Status Window]
[Lv 120. Kang Hyunsoo]

I had reached Level 120 in record time.

It was insane—a frenzy of leveling up. In my previous life, it had taken over three months to climb from Level 100 to 120. But now, by soloing a C-rank dungeon and taking advantage of experience buffs, I had gained 20 levels in a single raid.

The fact that leveling up could be this fast was almost laughable.

Despite the sweltering heat and the sticky discomfort of sweat clinging to my skin, the exhilarating progress was like therapy—a "level-up cure" far better than any financial reward.

Thanks to this, I had sprinted and slashed through the vast desert, wiping out mobs wherever I went.

“Hmm, hiding well, aren’t they?”

Now, there were no monsters left in sight.

I had killed so many that the once-plentiful creatures had all but disappeared.

At this point, I’d have to dig through sand pits to find more mobs, but that would be far too inefficient.

If Swallow were here, he could have scouted from the air and pinpointed the monsters’ locations. But currently—

[Summon Unavailable]
[You cannot summon your charming assistant.]

Summoning was off the table.

Thanks to the penalty from the Absolute Beauty Quest 4, Swallow couldn’t be called upon.

The old saying was true: “When you actually need something, it’s nowhere to be found.”

Just when I had a perfect chance to use him, I couldn’t.

Reluctantly, I decided that this was the end of my leveling spree.

After wiping my sweat with the cloak, I reapplied sunscreen all over my body.

Phew... This way, right?

I made my way to a sand pit I had noted while hunting mobs.

In the middle of the vast desert was a single, deep pit.

At first glance, it looked like a trap. If you got too close, the sand would cascade downward, dragging everything into its depths.

But I stood still and let myself be pulled in.

Whooosh—!

As my body was sucked into the center of the pit, I fell into the underground space below.

The scorching sunlight vanished, replaced by the cool air of a hidden cavern.

Tap!

“Good, it’s here.”

I landed softly on the floor and glanced around.

This was earlier than I had arrived in my previous life.

I had worried someone might claim the hidden piece before me, but thankfully, it seemed untouched.

As I scanned my surroundings, the torches mounted on the walls flickered to life one by one.

Crackle! Crackle! Whoosh!

The underground chamber lit up brightly, revealing its vast expanse.

And then—

Clank—! Boom—!

[Lv 210. Death Knight of the Sun Temple]

In the center of the chamber stood a knight clad in full plate armor, slowly rising from a kneeling position.

Despite the heavy helmet and armor, the figure was hollow inside—a Death Knight.

As its empty gaze locked onto me, a suffocating killing intent filled the air.

“Long time no see, you flaming tin can. How’ve you been?”

I greeted the Death Knight casually to ease my nerves.

But—

Thud—!!

Instead of replying, it launched forward, swinging its longsword at me without hesitation.

“Geez, talk about rude.”

Clicking my tongue, I untied the cloak from my waist.

Wrapping it around Choi Taehun’s sword, I intercepted the Death Knight’s blade.

There was a simple reason for this.

Fwoosh—!!

The moment our blades clashed, flames erupted from the Death Knight’s sword.

This was why I hadn’t worn the cloak around my neck—it was far more effective as a makeshift shield.

The Death Knight’s Sun Swordsmanship caused flames to ignite with most of its attacks, and wrapping the cloak around my weapon offered better protection.

Of course, that didn’t mean everything was solved.

Whoosh—! Clang—! Whoom—!! Fwoosh—!!

“Damn, it’s still as tough as ever.”

While the volcanic cloak could block the flames, it took an incredible amount of strength to counter the Death Knight’s sheer force.

Even after leveling up significantly by hunting mobs, the gap between us hadn’t completely closed.

Moreover, the Death Knight’s Sun Swordsmanship was nearly textbook-perfect, leaving me no openings for a counterattack or even a breather.

In my previous life, this fight had nearly killed me every ten seconds.

Although Seo Jieun and Choi Taehun had helped, I had been the one to hold its aggro, enduring its relentless assault.

It felt like reliving an old nightmare.

But this time was different.

Not only did I have the Beauty talent and exclusive hidden pieces, but I also knew something crucial.

“You’re doing it wrong, you bastard!”

The Death Knight raised its sword, flames roaring upward.

I mirrored its move, striking upward with Choi Taehun’s flame-wrapped blade.

BOOOM—!!

The Death Knight’s flames spiraled upward before rebounding back toward it in an explosive burst.

Hissss—

White smoke rose from its armor.

“How’s that? Feels bad to lose at your own game, doesn’t it?”

I leaped backward, putting distance between us, and smirked at the now-motionless Death Knight.

And then—

Something unexpected happened.

The Death Knight, who had ignored my earlier greetings, suddenly spoke.

“You... How does a mere grave robber know the Sun Swordsmanship?”