The Handsomer You Are, the Stronger You Become

A deep, resonant voice echoed from the hollow helmet.

“What the hell… you can talk?”

I furrowed my brows, staring at the Death Knight.

In my previous life, the Death Knight had never spoken. In fact, communication with monsters was deemed impossible.

Even in high-grade A-rank dungeons, conversations with monsters were unheard of.

Occasionally, rumors circulated on hunter forums about people claiming to have spoken with monsters, but they were always exposed as hoaxes.

This was something I’d never experienced in my previous life.

But it wasn’t a hallucination.

The voice had been clear and distinct, and the system confirmed it.

[You have fulfilled a special condition!]
[You have provoked the Death Knight's 'Pride of a Knight.']
[The long-dormant will of the Death Knight has awakened.]

The system notified me that something within the Death Knight had changed.

And then—

“I do not converse with grave robbers seeking to defile the temple. But for one who wields the Sun Swordsmanship, it is a different matter.”

The Death Knight’s voice rang out again, in perfect Korean.

It lowered its longsword and spoke while staring at me.

“I will ask again: how do you know the Sun Swordsmanship?”

A monster speaking fluent Korean.

It felt unsettling, yet not entirely shocking.

After all, I had already encountered Swallow, an exception to the norm.

And more than that, I sensed an opportunity—a chance to turn this unusual situation to my advantage.

‘This is different from my previous life. Something must have triggered it. Let’s dig a little deeper.’@@novelbin@@

Calming myself, I replied casually, keeping my composure.

“How do I know the Sun Swordsmanship? Answer one question of mine first, and I’ll tell you. Who are you?”

“Do you wish to know my allegiance? I am… the final knight protecting the Sun Temple.”

I had worried communication might break down, but the Death Knight responded without issue.

I continued my questioning.

“The final knight, huh? So, what are you doing here?”

“Eliminating grave robbers who trespass in the temple and awaiting the next oracle.”

“An oracle… are you referring to the will of a god?”

“Indeed. I safeguard the sacred relics of the temple while awaiting the radiant Sun God’s decree.”

“A sacred relic? Are you referring to the sword you’re holding?”

“That… I cannot answer. If you truly serve the Sun God, you would already know what I protect.”

Clang!

The Death Knight adjusted its stance, pulling its helmet slightly lower as if to scrutinize me further.

Its guard was clearly up.

‘Damn, I almost got it to spill about the relic. What a shame.’

I had tried to extract information through conversation, but this seemed to be the limit.

Now, it was the Death Knight’s turn to demand answers.

“Answer my question, outsider. How do you know the Sun Swordsmanship?”

“It’s simple. I… learned it from you. That’s how I know.”

The Sun Swordsmanship.

This was the swordsmanship skill acquired from the hidden piece in this dungeon. In my previous life, I had mastered not just the first form but also the second and third.

Although I currently didn’t have the hidden piece or the mana circuits required to activate it, I still remembered the patterns and techniques.

The flames I had used earlier were a result of adapting the Death Knight’s attack to my knowledge of the Sun Swordsmanship.

The Death Knight, however, mistook it for a deliberate execution of the technique.

While it was a bit of a stretch, my claim of learning the technique from it wasn’t entirely false.

But then—

“You claim I taught you the Sun Swordsmanship? Though centuries have passed since the temple fell and my armor rusted, I retain my memories as a knight. I am certain I have never taught the Sun Swordsmanship to an outsider. Are you mocking me?”

The Death Knight shouted, its voice brimming with indignation.

I hastily explained further.

“I’m telling the truth! Whether it’s the past or the future, I learned the Sun Swordsmanship from you.”

“Past or future? Your deceit grows ever bolder!”

This was getting frustrating.

Technically, in my previous life, I had learned the Sun Swordsmanship, so it could be considered the past. But in the present timeline, I hadn’t learned it yet, and defeating the Death Knight would grant me the skill, making it part of the future.

Even though I was telling the truth, the Death Knight saw my words as mockery and grew increasingly enraged.

It seemed I needed something more convincing to persuade it.

“You don’t believe me? The technique you just used is called Crimson Flame, right? How would I know that if I didn’t know the Sun Swordsmanship?”

“That alone proves nothing. If you truly know the Sun Swordsmanship, demonstrate it with your blade!”

“Uh… that’s a bit tricky right now. There are… circumstances preventing me from using the higher forms of the technique…”

“I thought you might be a descendant of the Sun Temple, but it seems you are nothing more than a fraud!”

“W-wait!!”

Despite my efforts to explain, the Death Knight refused to listen.

It roared in fury and charged at me once more.

Boom—! Fwoosh—! Whoooosh—!!

Its attacks were fiercer than before, as though fueled by its anger.

“Dammit! I really did learn it from you!”

“You shall be judged with death for mocking a holy knight!”

I dodged its flaming sword, shouting my protests, but the Death Knight ignored me, escalating its assault.

Not only did its blade ignite flames, but it also unleashed explosive bursts of energy.

Bang! Bang! BOOOOM—!!

Each swing sent fiery blasts in my direction, filling the air with smoke and fire.

While I managed to shield myself with the volcanic cloak and leap away, the Death Knight was relentless in its pursuit.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

‘Damn it, I’ve only made things worse. It’s even stronger than it was in my previous life!’

The Death Knight’s attacks were far more intense than I remembered, likely fueled by its anger at my earlier claims.

I had hoped to gain an advantage through conversation, but it had backfired spectacularly.

There was no choice now.

Time for a new plan.

While I had initially hoped to resolve this through dialogue, it seemed brute force was the only option left.

The Death Knight didn’t trust my words, and—

[You have received a Special Quest.]
[Gain the Death Knight’s Recognition (0/1)]

A special quest had appeared.

This was something I hadn’t seen in my previous life.

Ignoring the quest wasn’t an option, but how to gain its recognition wasn’t explicitly stated.

Judging from our conversation so far, however, the answer was clear.

Clang—! Clang—!!

Parrying the Death Knight’s blows with my twin swords, I shouted:

“Fine! If that’s how it’s going to be, I’ll show you the pinnacle of the Sun Swordsmanship! Don’t regret it if you lose!”

“You continue to spout lies, fraudster!”

Despite my warning, the Death Knight pressed on with its relentless attacks.

Flames surged from every direction, forcing me to counter with Wild Slash and retreat using Acceleration.

Huff... Let’s see if this works.

Crossing my twin swords in front of me, I closed my eyes and concentrated.

I hadn’t officially learned the Sun Swordsmanship in this life, but I tried to recall the patterns and mana circuits from my previous life.

It was far from easy.

Unlike the Sky Blade, which I had managed to activate through sheer luck, the Sun Swordsmanship required a more complex and expansive circuit.

“Do you think you can escape judgment by running away?”

Whooosh—! Fwoosh—!!

The Death Knight launched another fiery assault, leaving me little time to focus.

The flames, trailing like a massive phoenix, surged toward me.

If I stood still, I’d be incinerated on the spot.

But I didn’t move.

[Activating Skill]
[Armor of Trust (A)]

The hidden piece from Seo Jieun, the Trust Bracelet, enveloped me in transparent armor as I poured mana into it. The armor absorbed the flames, protecting me.

Within the shield, I closed my eyes and continued focusing.

Gathering mana in my heart, I directed it toward my dantian, then to my feet, and back again.

Slowly, I worked to open the blocked circuits, drawing upon my memories from the past life.

It was a delicate process, akin to forging a brand-new skill from scratch.

You have discovered a heated path for mana through the circuit.

A system message appeared as I concentrated.

I felt I was on the verge of success, but—

‘It’s not enough. To fully activate the technique, I’ll need external help.’

Completing the Sun Swordsmanship on the spot was impossible.

My circuits were too narrow, and the technique’s requirements too complex.

And the Death Knight wasn’t about to give me any more time.

“Pay for your lies with death!”

Seeing that its flames hadn’t worked, the Death Knight raised its sword and charged at me again.

It was time to settle this once and for all.

I opened my eyes and charged directly at the oncoming Death Knight, meeting its advance head-on.

And then—

Flash—!!

[Activating Skill]

[Bloom (S)]

[For 30 seconds, all latent beauty is maximized.]
[Appearance Power: 999.]
[Appearance Power Effect: All stats +1,998.]

With Bloom activated, I swung my twin swords.

My movements were light, almost effortless.

The tide of the battle shifted instantly.

Whoosh—! Clang—! Slash—!!

“W-What is this…?!”

The Death Knight brought down its longsword, but I didn’t even bother blocking. I dodged fluidly, countering with precise, repeated strikes.

The twin swords left countless gashes on the Death Knight’s armor.

Such was the overwhelming power of Bloom.

If I wanted to, I could have ended it right then and there.

But that wasn’t an option.

Despite showing the Death Knight my dominance through sheer skill—

[Special Quest: Gain the Death Knight’s Recognition (0/1)]

The quest had not been cleared.

‘I can’t stop here.’

I retreated a few steps, smirking at the Death Knight.

“Is that all you’ve got? So much for the mighty power of your vaunted Sun God.”

“How dare you?! Such blasphemy!!”

The provocation worked perfectly.

The Death Knight roared in fury, unleashing another wave of flames, even more intense than before.

But this time, I didn’t dodge.

Instead, I faced it head-on.

Using Choi Taehun’s sword, wrapped in the volcanic cloak, I absorbed the flames, channeling them around the blade.

At the same time—

[You have discovered infinite fusion energy on a new path.]

I broke through the mana circuit of the Sun Swordsmanship.

Though not fully mastered, it was enough to invoke Crimson Flame.

I unleashed this newfound power through Seo Jieun’s sword in my left hand.

Fwoooosh—!!

Crimson flames erupted along the blade, forming twin pillars of fire before me.

Seo Jieun’s sword carried the flames I created, while Choi Taehun’s sword burned with the Death Knight’s flames.

And then—

I crossed the twin swords and thrust them forward.

Woooooong—!!

The twin flames fused into one, swelling into a massive orb of fire, like a miniature sun.

The Death Knight seemed to understand what it was witnessing.

As it stared at the fiery orb forming at the tips of my blades, it uttered a single reverent whisper:

“Oh… Sun God…”

[Activating Skill]

[Black Sun Explosion (Incomplete)]

CRASH—!! KABOOM—!!

The small sun I had created by merging the two flames consumed the Death Knight, the final knight of the Sun Temple, in its fiery embrace.