The Handsomer You Are, the Stronger You Become

Breaking News! Kang Hyunsoo Advances to the Finals of the Ultimate Swordsmanship Tournament After Defeating Muyoung’s Deputy Guild Master!
An Unprecedented Upset! Unknown Hunter Kang Hyunsoo Becomes the God of Underdogs!
Once Just a Rookie, Kang Hyunsoo’s Growth Knows No Limits—Where Will He Go Next?

The world was in an uproar.
From news outlets to online forums and even offline discussions, everything revolved around Kang Hyunsoo.
The Ultimate Swordsmanship Tournament had never garnered this much attention in Hyunsoo’s previous life. Back then, no Korean hunter had made it to the finals.

But now, with Hyunsoo reaching the finals, the public response had shifted dramatically.
“Congratulations on reaching the finals, Hunter Kang Hyunsoo!”
“You were amazing, Hyunsoo-oppa!”

“Ahh! That lightning strike at the end was phenomenal, hyung! It makes all those training sacrifices worth it!!”
Not only did his comrades—Jin Seoyun, Yoo Hana, and Han Sungbin—shower him with praise, but he also received an overwhelming flood of offers:
From: Guild Master Joo Ma-young of the Rampage Guild
Dear Hunter Kang Hyunsoo, I am writing to express my admiration for your incredible skills. It would be an honor to recruit you to our guild…

From: HuntingHunter, a Hunter Recruitment Agency
Greetings, Hunter Kang Hyunsoo. We understand you are not currently affiliated with a guild. If you entrust us with your representation, we can secure you a very lucrative offer…
From: Tams Guild
Hello, Kang Hyunsoo. Your performance in the tournament has deeply inspired us, and we’d like to extend…
His phone buzzed incessantly with messages.

Even when Hyunsoo tossed it into a corner of the training room, the battery didn’t last more than three hours before draining entirely.
It seemed like everyone wanted to meet him. Politicians, CEOs, even top-tier celebrities, according to Choi Jiwoo, the Subjugation Division Chief of the Hunter Bureau.
But there was only one person Hyunsoo wanted to meet.

Kyle Dusk.
His opponent in the finals.
A hunter blessed with the Sin of Envy, someone Hyunsoo had never defeated in his previous life.

If he could beat Kyle now, he would finally obtain the Swordsmanship Manual he had failed to claim in his past life.
Yet, it was far from easy.
“You seem worried despite your victory, Master.”
‘Because I still haven’t figured out his swordsmanship.’

Kyle’s swordsmanship was a puzzle—one Hyunsoo had been unable to solve in either of his lives.
In his previous life, Hyunsoo had struggled against Kyle.
During their preliminary match, he had swung his sword with desperate intensity. Moving rapidly, igniting flames with his Flame Sword, he had tried every possible strategy to exploit an opening.

But Kyle was unshakable.
Kyle didn’t attack. Instead, he mirrored Hyunsoo’s every move, as though he already knew Hyunsoo’s techniques.
The same was true of his matches with other opponents.

The moment a match began, Kyle’s opponents unleashed their trump cards, only for Kyle to erase them entirely.
It was like watching graphite being wiped clean with an eraser.
And when Kyle counterattacked, an invisible shockwave would inevitably follow.

BOOM!
His opponents were blown away without exception.
Even in this life, Kyle’s winning streak continued unbroken.

Despite Hyunsoo’s brainstorming sessions with Swallow, they had yet to uncover a viable countermeasure.
But there was one thing Hyunsoo could do: level up.
No matter what tricks Kyle had up his sleeve, Hyunsoo believed that raising his level would give him the edge he needed.

Looking at his comrades in the training hall, Hyunsoo broke into a bright smile.
“Thanks, everyone. Now, let’s get back to training. Next up is an A-rank dungeon raid.”
“W-What?”

“Wait, that’s all the celebration we get, hyung?”
“No party? I even booked a small gathering at a hotel banquet hall…”
It seemed his teammates had hoped for a party. Han Sungbin, Yoo Hana, and Jin Seoyun looked visibly disappointed.

But there was no time for festivities.
Hyunsoo needed to prepare for tomorrow’s finals. And right now, leveling up took priority.
[Absolute Beauty Quest #13]
Objective: Elevate your presence to an A-grade (Progress: 24%)

[Swordsmanship Quest #27]
Objective: Clear an A-rank dungeon with three or more teammates 27 times (0/27)
Both quests required party play, making this raid essential.
Determined, Hyunsoo spoke firmly.

“Let’s head to the dungeon. It’ll be better than any party—I’ll power-level all of you.”
“P-Power-level us?!”
“What are we waiting for? Let’s pack our gear right now!”

With success just one step away, Hyunsoo charged ahead.
***
"The world is buzzing. Every media outlet is talking about the Ultimate Swordsmanship Tournament."

In a penthouse overlooking the dazzling night view of Seoul, Iron, a muscular bald man, poured himself a glass of whiskey. He gazed out the window, continuing his musings.
"Of course, most of the buzz is about that hunter, Kang Hyunsoo."
Since the tournament began, Kang Hyunsoo had been the center of all discussions.

Even though Kyle had also secured overwhelming victories, it was Hyunsoo’s performances that captured more attention.
A string of upsets.
In every match, most bettors wagered heavily on Hyunsoo’s loss, only to have him shatter expectations and emerge victorious.

Rumor had it he was a former rookie tournament champion, a competition restricted to hunters below level 200. But now, he had grown to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the world’s elite hunters.
He had even defeated the deputy guild master of Muyoung, one of Korea’s largest guilds.
Because of this, there were now some who believed Hyunsoo could win—even against Kyle.

While the betting odds overseas still favored Kyle at 1:5, the gap had noticeably narrowed.
Iron turned his head to look at Kyle, who was lounging on the living room sofa, and asked again.
"What do you think, Kyle?"

"What about?"
"Kang Hyunsoo. Do you think you can beat him?"
Kyle smirked. "You’re asking the obvious."

"I couldn’t help but notice you’re unusually focused on analyzing your opponent. I thought, maybe, you weren’t so confident this time."
Kyle was sprawled on the sofa, seemingly relaxed as he fiddled with his phone.
But the reality was far from what it appeared.

Kyle was watching and rewatching recordings of all of Kang Hyunsoo’s matches, dissecting his swordsmanship.
In the past, even with matches scheduled for the next day, Kyle had spent his evenings swimming or partying with women, never sparing his opponents a second thought.
This time, however, he was taking a different approach. Not so much analyzing as preparing to devour his opponent’s strength.

"Is it because it’s the finals? Either way, it doesn’t hurt to be cautious. But… what if—just hypothetically—you lose?"
"Lose?"
Kyle paused the footage and glanced at Iron by the window.

Lose?
The very notion was laughable—so improbable it wasn’t even worth considering.
Yet Iron’s expression was serious. He wasn’t joking.

Kyle sat up, sensing the gravity of the question.
“A miracle would be more likely than me losing,” Kyle said, standing and picking up the sword propped against the sofa. Running his fingers along the blade from base to tip, he added with a faint smile:
"But if such an impossibility were to happen, then..."

His tone grew colder, more menacing.
"I’ll use my real power to take everything from him. Everything he has."
***

“The moment you’ve all been waiting for! The finals of the Ultimate Swordsmanship Tournament are about to begin!”
“WOOOOAAHHHH!”
Thunderous cheers erupted across the packed Sangam World Cup Stadium.

Not a single empty seat remained.
“Win this, Kang Hyunsoo!”
“Bet on our nation! Let’s go, Korea!”

“Show them what Korean strength looks like!”
The crowd’s energy was electric.
└ Look at all these people. Crazy.
└ Wow, check out those Kang Hyunsoo banners. There are like 100 times more than Kyle’s.
└ Please, Kang Hyunsoo, win this!

Even the online broadcast chatrooms were overwhelmed with messages of support for Kang Hyunsoo.
Of course, not everyone was cheering for him.
While dissenting voices were rare in person, as they didn’t want to face the crowd’s ire, they were much bolder online.

└ But isn’t Kyle the favorite in the betting odds?
└ Money doesn’t lie.
└ Kyle’s estimated level is over 700. How is a guy who was under 200 not long ago supposed to win? Wake up.
Though these negative comments were quickly buried by waves of support, they were a reminder that not everyone believed in Hyunsoo’s victory.
Even Swallow couldn’t shake his doubts.

“Do you really think you can do it, Master?”
In the waiting area, Swallow fluttered invisibly near Hyunsoo’s head, his tone filled with concern.
‘I’ve done everything I could. Without prior-life experience, I’ll just have to leave it to fate.’

Hyunsoo had pushed himself to his limits, reaching the finals after countless grueling battles. He had even spent the previous night grinding through an A-rank dungeon raid.
Now, all that was left was to face the results.
At the other end of the corridor, the sound of steady footsteps echoed.

Step. Step.
Kyle appeared, accompanied by a tournament staff member.
“Please wait here for a moment. Once the performance ends, you’ll both be called to the stage,” the staff instructed.

The process mirrored the semifinals, though the finals’ grand opening ceremony meant the wait was slightly longer.
Hyunsoo and Kyle’s gazes met.
Kyle spoke first.

“Your name was… Hyungsoo, right? I just heard it recently, so I can’t seem to remember.”
“…It’s Kang Hyunsoo, Gay Dust.”
Crack.

A vein bulged on Kyle’s forehead.
The tension between the two finalists was palpable, their verbal jabs like the first blows of the match.
Kyle paused, visibly contemplating a retort, but as he studied Hyunsoo, he tilted his head curiously.

“That’s strange… You look completely different from the person I saw yesterday.”
“…….”
It was no surprise that an elite American hunter like Kyle had such sharp observational skills.

Over the past night, Hyunsoo had transformed drastically—not just in appearance, but in power.
After grinding through the A-rank dungeon, he had completed multiple quests and gained substantial upgrades:
[Your Body Odor rating has risen from C-grade to B-grade.]
[Your sweat now emits a faint, pleasant fragrance instead of a foul smell.]

[Your Facial Features rating has risen from A-grade to S-grade.]
[Your Physique rating has risen from A-grade to S-grade.]
[Title: 'Handsome Sword Demon' has evolved to 'Elegant Sword Demon.']
[Title: Elegant Sword Demon]

Effects:
Appearance Power +70
Sword Attack Power +70%
Attack Speed +70%
Movement Speed +70%
[Two of your talents have begun to synergize, amplifying their effects.]
Additional Effect 1: Monster kill experience gain increased by 15x.
Additional Effect 2: Party member experience gain increased by 10x.
Hyunsoo’s transformation was so profound that even his title had upgraded.