The Handsomer You Are, the Stronger You Become

“……!!”

‘W-what is this...?!’
Their eyes locked.
Gwak Dowon felt his entire body freeze.

Facing Kang Hyunsoo’s clear, piercing gaze, he felt as though the hunter's sharp and savage intensity could stab through him like a honed blade.
A presence refined not just for decades, but centuries.
Though Hyunsoo merely stood there, Gwak Dowon felt a suffocating pressure grip his throat, forcing his hand toward the sword at his waist.

An atmosphere on the verge of explosion.
But Gwak Dowon never drew his blade.
“Opening ceremony is nearly finished! Please be ready to step out in 30 seconds! I’ll signal you when it’s time!”

Staff members approached, their voices breaking the tension as they stood between Hyunsoo and Dowon.
The razor-sharp mood dissipated instantly.
“Just wait, Kang Hyunsoo...!”

Gwak Dowon relaxed, lowering his hand from the hilt of his sword.
‘Shame. Should’ve let him swing.’
-Indeed, huhuhu. It would’ve been fun to watch him panic after that.

Hyunsoo clicked his tongue in mild disappointment, a sentiment echoed by Swallow, who hovered near him.
When Gwak Dowon had provoked him moments earlier, Hyunsoo had secretly been thrilled.
Dowon’s arrogant and brash personality had been well-known even in Hyunsoo’s previous life.

Despite being the vice guild master of the prestigious Muyoung Guild, Dowon was infamous for his short temper.
There were even rumors of him having anger management issues. However, when facing those stronger than himself, he displayed an almost supernatural deference.
Rather than "anger issues," it might be better to call it "selective anger."
Hyunsoo quickly figured out the reasons behind Dowon’s hostility.

First, he wanted to intimidate Hyunsoo before the match.
Second, he likely still bore a grudge from their previous encounter at the Yeouido hunting ground, where Hyunsoo had rejected his recruitment offer.
It must have been a significant blow to his pride.

Back then, Dowon had been kneeling and addressing Hyunsoo with utmost respect. Now, he was throwing insults and speaking informally.
So, Hyunsoo had decided to fight fire with fire.
Since the tournament rules strictly prohibited using force outside the arena, Hyunsoo had planned to provoke Dowon into drawing his sword.

By planting fear and anger, he hoped to make Dowon lose his temper and attack.
Though it was risky—Dowon’s strike could have been fatal—Hyunsoo had calculated the risks.
He had his Trust Armor skill ready to deploy and Swallow standing by to activate a shield if necessary.

Unfortunately, the arrival of the staff had ruined his trap.
All that remained now was to teach Dowon a lesson in the arena.
At that moment—

“Thank you for waiting! Now, let us welcome the stars of the semifinals!!”
“Wooooaaaaahhh!!”
“Kang Hyunsoo! Kang Hyunsoo!!”

“Show us another upset, Kang Hyunsoo!!”
“Gwak Dowon, fighting!”
The semifinals had begun.

Hyunsoo and Dowon stepped into the arena, standing opposite each other.
Dowon immediately resumed his psychological warfare.
“You’re still not wearing armor, I see. That arrogance of yours—I’ll shatter it completely today.”

“Why? Doesn’t my outfit look good? This piece cost a whole billion won.”
“Don’t joke around. Who in their right mind spends a billion on that garbage?”
Dowon sneered at Hyunsoo’s attire.

Hyunsoo was wearing the beige knit jumper he had purchased from Baek Jinnam the day before. To Dowon, it seemed like Hyunsoo had shown up dressed for a casual stroll.
Of course, the reality was far from that.
Hyunsoo had Trust Armor, a skill rivaling legendary-grade equipment.

And thanks to his Beauty Talent, wearing casual clothes provided far more advantages to his Appearance Power than traditional armor ever could.
Still, Hyunsoo saw no need to explain any of this to Dowon. He didn’t owe him an explanation, nor did he have the time for it.
Because at that moment, the match had officially begun.

“Let the match begin!”
Ding!
The sound of the starting bell echoed through the arena.

Swoosh!
Dowon’s blade shot toward Hyunsoo’s ankle like a flash of light.
The attack came so quickly it could have been mistaken as preemptive, striking almost simultaneously with the bell.

‘Got him!!’
Dowon celebrated internally.
This was his signature move—Iaido, or draw-and-strike swordsmanship.

It had carried him all the way to the semifinals.
The moment the match began, opponents typically stood still, unprepared for an immediate strike. The sound of the starting bell often masked the sound of his draw, making it nearly impossible to react in time.
Even if Hyunsoo somehow noticed the attack, his shield would still take significant damage.

Or so Dowon thought.
Clang!
An unexpected sound rang out.

Hyunsoo hadn’t moved a muscle, yet Dowon’s strike had been deflected.
‘...?!’
Dowon’s eyes widened in disbelief.

What just happened?
The truth became clear a moment later.
Whoosh!

Closing the gap instantly, Hyunsoo smirked as he whispered:
[Skill Activated]
[Iaido (B)]
“I know Iaido too, you fool.”

“You... you bastard!”
Gritting his teeth, Dowon swung his sword again.
The shock of having his technique countered was one thing, but the fact that Hyunsoo had executed it so effortlessly was even more infuriating.

Clang! Clang! Cla-clang-clang!!
Hyunsoo deflected each of Dowon’s subsequent strikes with his twin blades.
And then—

Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!!
Hyunsoo launched a whirlwind of slashes, creating gusts of wind that swept through the arena.
‘What... what kind of skill is this?!’

Dowon hastily activated his defensive skill, Blade Shield, which generated icy barriers along his sword’s trajectory.
But even with the shields, he had to retreat rapidly. Any further back, and he’d fall out of bounds, incurring a -3,000 penalty to his shield durability.
Ping! Ping! Ting-ting!

[Gwak Dowon’s Shield Durability: 6,432/10,000]
Seeing the numbers on his display, Dowon realized that if he hadn’t retreated, the match would already be over.
‘There’s no other way... I have to end this in one strike!’

Despite only exchanging a few moves, Dowon had already reached his conclusion.
Gwak Dowon specialized in Iaido, but now that Kang Hyunsoo had successfully countered and retaliated, Dowon knew he couldn’t afford a prolonged battle.
However, Hyunsoo had no intention of letting things proceed as Dowon wanted.

Just as Dowon readied himself to unleash a powerful skill, Hyunsoo charged forward.
[Skill Activated]
[Solar Flare (SS)]
A miniature sun ignited at the tips of Hyunsoo’s twin blades.

BOOOOOM!!
The arena was bathed in a blinding explosion of light and fire.
Yet—

“Hah! Did you think I wouldn’t prepare for that?”
“...What?”
Even after taking the full force of the Solar Flare, Gwak Dowon emerged unscathed.

Around him—
Crack! Crack-crack!!
A shield of ice had formed.

It was Frost Shield, an SS-rank skill that condensed freezing air into an impenetrable barrier, neutralizing the fiery impact.
“Heh, fire swordsmanship? Kang Hyunsoo, you’ll never beat me!”
Gwak Dowon smirked, swinging his blade.

Shhhk!
Wherever his sword passed, the air froze in its wake.
His true specialty wasn’t Iaido—it was Frost Swordsmanship.

Though fire and ice seemed like natural opposites, Gwak Dowon’s swordsmanship focused on cold energy, not just ice.
It wasn’t the ice itself that fought fire but the freezing aura, which excelled at suppressing flames.
Indeed—

Boom! Ssshhh!
Every time Hyunsoo’s sword unleashed flames, Dowon’s frost extinguished them almost immediately.
Forced to adjust, Hyunsoo stopped his aggressive charge and switched to a more evasive strategy, using projectile slashes to maintain distance.

“Hahahaha! Where’s all that arrogance now?!”
The tide had turned, with Gwak Dowon now on the offensive.
He pursued Hyunsoo relentlessly, his blade sending waves of freezing air as he swung.

And then—
“This is the end!”
RUMBLE!!

Dowon activated two skills in rapid succession:
Extreme Frost Mist (S), creating a freezing field that immobilized anything within its radius.
Supersonic Frost Blade (SS), a focused attack launched in a straight line.
The combination was devastating. The frost mist froze his opponent’s movements, making it impossible to dodge the precision strike of the supersonic blade.
These linked techniques had earned Gwak Dowon his position as Muyoung Guild’s vice guild master.

But—
Shhh! Ta-tap!
Hyunsoo avoided the frost mist with surprising ease, dodging the supersonic blade as if dancing across the air.

His movements were impossibly light, as though he was walking on clouds.
“How... how is this possible?!”
Dowon shouted, his eyes wide in disbelief.

Hyunsoo remained unfazed, calmly responding as he countered.
“No, you’re finished.”
In the same fluid motion, he raised his blade and unleashed an attack.

[Skill Activated]
[Lightning Slash (A)]
CRACKLE-BOOM!
A bolt of electricity shot forward, arcing toward Dowon in a straight line.

Though similar to his own Supersonic Frost Blade, the result was vastly different.
Dowon hastily deployed his Frost Shield, but—
“ARGH!!”

The electricity surged through the ice, striking his body directly.
[Status Effect: Paralyzed]
[Gwak Dowon’s Shield Durability: 2,432/10,000]
The shield could absorb physical damage, but it couldn’t neutralize status effects.

Dowon’s body froze in place, trembling uncontrollably.
Hyunsoo seized the opportunity.
He channeled mana into his blade, raising it high above his head.

[Skill Activated]
[Thunderstorm (SS)]
Dark clouds gathered overhead, and lightning struck directly above Dowon.
CRACK-BOOOOOM!!

The arena quaked as thunder and lightning engulfed Dowon.
Moments later—
[Gwak Dowon’s Shield Durability: 0/10,000]

“Gah... ugh...”
Dowon collapsed, his armor scorched black, sprawled lifelessly on the arena floor.
Though his shield had absorbed most of the damage, the overwhelming force left him utterly exhausted.

-Master, your hidden strength was far greater than expected.
‘So he thought frost could suppress fire, huh? Too bad electricity doesn’t care about that.’
While Dowon had analyzed Hyunsoo’s Solar Flare, Hyunsoo had anticipated Dowon’s frost swordsmanship.

Though Dowon had never showcased his frost techniques in this tournament, Hyunsoo’s prior-life knowledge had prepared him perfectly.
‘It would’ve been cleaner if I’d finished him with fire, but this works too.’
Hyunsoo smirked, shaking off the faint smoke rising from his blade.

Ding!
“Kang Hyunsoo wins...!!”
The announcer declared his victory as the sound of the bell rang through the arena.

“WOOOOAAAHHHH!!”
“He’s insane! Absolutely insane! That’s Kang Hyunsoo for you!!”
“The King of Underdogs, Kang Hyunsoo!!”

“Damn, I knew he’d do it!”
The crowd erupted into cheers, their roars shaking the stadium.
Although pre-match predictions had favored Gwak Dowon 7-to-3, Hyunsoo’s dazzling performance silenced any doubts.

The battle’s intensity and Hyunsoo’s overwhelming skill had left spectators breathless.
Amid the flood of adoration, however, Hyunsoo remained unaffected.
He turned his gaze toward the exit tunnel, his attention fixed on his next opponent.

Kyle Dusk.
His rival had been watching the entire match.