The Handsomer You Are, the Stronger You Become

"Welcome to the Supreme Hunter Training Facility," the receptionist greeted warmly.

"I’d like to register for 24 hours. Are there any VIP rooms available?"
"Same for me! I’ll register too!"
"I’m sorry, but all VIP rooms are fully booked. There are only five general training spots left."

"Line up, people! I was here first!"
At the Supreme Hunter Training Facility near Yangjae Station, the lobby was chaotic, packed with hunters eager to register for training.
Normally, the high prices left the VIP rooms empty, and the general training areas had plenty of availability. But for the past week, everything had been overbooked, with the staff overwhelmed by constant inquiries.

The reason was simple.
"They say the Yeouido Hunter is training here, right?"
"Yeah, every day without fail. I heard he’s training in the VIP rooms with Jin Seoyun and Han Sungbin."

"Did he join the Samcheon Guild? I should try to get his autograph when he comes out."
Kang Hyunsoo.
The hunter, now known online as the "Yeouido Hunter," had been the talk of the town. For the past ten days, he had been diligently attending the training facility, fueling public curiosity.

Despite the buzz, his identity remained a mystery.
The Hunter Bureau had restricted the release of personal information, and both the Muyoung and Ilsum Guilds had stayed silent, fearing that other guilds might snatch him up.
The only rumors came from the few who had spotted him at the training facility. However, most hunters couldn’t even catch a glimpse of him.

He exclusively trained in the VIP rooms, entirely separated from shared spaces, and spent his entire day immersed in training, rarely stepping outside.
"Haah, haah... Hyung… aren’t you tired? Shouldn’t we take a break?"
"Huff, huff... Sorry, but I can’t go on anymore…"

"Ugh… I need some water…"
Inside the soundproof, shock-absorbing VIP room, Han Sungbin, Yuhana, and Jin Seoyun slumped to the ground, drenched in sweat and utterly exhausted.
Meanwhile, in the center of the room—
Swish—! Whoosh—!

"Hup!"
Standing in front of a practice dummy, Kang Hyunsoo looked completely unaffected.
He had spent over three hours swinging his dual swords alongside his companions, yet only a light sheen of sweat graced his forehead. His breathing remained steady, his stamina seemingly endless.

It was as if he weren’t human.
‘Incredible… his perseverance and dedication are… unbelievable,’ Jin Seoyun thought, shivering slightly as she watched him.
When Kang Hyunsoo first announced he would compete in the Ultimate Swordsmanship Tournament about ten days ago, Jin Seoyun had decided to join him.

The tournament itself didn’t interest her much; she simply wanted to spend more time with Hyunsoo and, perhaps, understand how he had grown so much in such a short time.
But training alongside him revealed the grueling nature of his regimen.
He trained nearly 20 hours a day, with barely any breaks.

His schedule was meticulously structured: physical conditioning, swordsmanship drills, skill refinement, and quest reviews. Not a single moment was wasted.
He even limited himself to one meal a day, spending every waking hour in the training facility.
The results spoke for themselves.

Not only Jin Seoyun but even Han Sungbin and Yuhana were utterly drained, unable to keep up with Hyunsoo’s pace.
Even elite hunters from the Samcheon Guild couldn’t match his training intensity.
However, Hyunsoo himself was unsatisfied.

‘Haa… I can’t push myself as hard as I’d like because of my body’s scent and sweat. It’s so frustrating.’
Compared to the training he had endured in his past life, this was barely a warm-up.
That said, the past ten days had still yielded significant progress:

[You have completed Absolute Beauty Quest 11.]
[Condition: Maintain a Charm score drop of no more than 10 points for 15 consecutive days (10/10).]
[Reward]
[Charm +20]
[Acquired Beauty Skill: Flower Path (A).]
Additionally:

[You have completed Swordsmanship Quest 24.]
[Condition: Swing your sword at least 1,000 times daily for 15 consecutive days (15/15).]
[Reward]
[Sword Mastery +30]
[Acquired Swordsmanship Trait: Advanced Slash (B).]
[Advanced Slash (B): Basic attack power of slashes increases by 30%.]

Through relentless effort and minimal sleep—fewer than four hours a day—Hyunsoo even unlocked a hidden trait:
[Your training has surpassed its limits.]
[A hidden trait has been unlocked.]
[Acquired Swordsmanship Trait: Iron Body (A).]
[Iron Body (A): Increases stamina by 10%. Reduces stamina consumption while wielding a sword.]

It was a remarkable amount of progress for just ten days.
Yet Hyunsoo didn’t slow down.
With less than two days until the Ultimate Swordsmanship Tournament preliminaries:

[You cannot accept Absolute Beauty Quest 12 due to low Body Scent grade.]
[To improve your Body Scent grade, an auxiliary quest has been assigned.]
[Auxiliary Beauty Quest 18]
[Condition: Execute 1,000,000 thrusts, upward slashes, and downward slashes while maintaining a Body Scent grade drop of no more than 3 levels (0/3).]
[Progress]
[Thrusts: 800,000/1,000,000]
[Upward slashes: 790,000/1,000,000]
[Downward slashes: 810,000/1,000,000]
[Body Scent grade drop: 1/3]

"Complete the new quest as well."
This thought drove Kang Hyunsoo as he tirelessly pushed himself. The recently assigned quest happened to align perfectly with swordsmanship training, leaving him with no choice but to give it his all.
However, effort alone wasn’t enough.

[Swordsmanship Quest 25]
[Win in combat or sparring against awakened talents (35/50)]
The new swordsmanship quest required collaboration. Similar to a previous quest where he had to defeat awakened individuals, this one had a twist: the number of opponents had significantly increased to 50. Additionally, sparring was now acceptable, and he could face the same person multiple times.
But there was one major obstacle.

"Looks like everyone’s completely wiped out from the intense schedule," Swallow remarked from atop a training dummy, perched invisibly in a corner of the training room.
Jin Seoyun, Yuhana, and Han Sungbin lay sprawled on the floor, utterly drained of energy. They could no longer muster the strength for even a single sparring match.
‘It’s impressive they kept up this far,’ thought Hyunsoo.

Despite having to train alone now, Hyunsoo didn’t resent his companions. They had already helped him significantly, and he understood how grueling his training regimen was.
Even in his past life, no one had ever matched his pace or intensity. It was precisely this unwavering dedication that had elevated him to the title of Sword Emperor. Expecting others to meet the same standard was unrealistic.
In fact, he was grateful they had come this far with him.

Hyunsoo let them rest and focused on completing his auxiliary beauty quest by swinging his swords at the training dummy.
"Hyung, may I request a sparring match?"
Out of nowhere, Han Sungbin shot to his feet.

“Hm? If you’re tired, you should rest,” Hyunsoo replied, slightly surprised.
“Huff, huff! No, I can’t waste this valuable time you’re giving me! Please grant me the honor of a match!”
Despite his labored breathing, Sungbin hefted his greatsword and took his stance.

"That’s unexpected," remarked Swallow. "He’s taking this very seriously."
‘Right? What’s the deal with a guy who’s both handsome and diligent?’ Hyunsoo replied through their telepathic connection, slightly amused.
In his previous life, Sungbin had died tragically during a raid, just as he was gaining fame for his striking looks.

But this time, fate had shifted. Crossing paths with Hyunsoo had saved his life during the Babylon Incident.
What Hyunsoo had once thought of as a fleeting connection turned into something more. Despite Hyunsoo’s aloof demeanor, Sungbin treated him like a true older brother, offering advice on fashion and self-care while remaining steadfastly loyal.
"Let me cast a stamina recovery buff on you! It should ease some of your fatigue," Yuhana said, forcing herself upright to assist.

"And here’s a training watch for sparring," added Jin Seoyun as she fetched single-use protective devices from the room’s entrance.
Jin Seoyun handed out the watches, which generated full-body protective shields, to both Hyunsoo and Sungbin.
Equipped and ready, the two stepped into the sparring arena at the edge of the VIP training room.

"Zero wins and fifteen losses… This time, I’m going to win, hyung!" Sungbin declared, his determination shining through.
"Try it if you can. I won’t hold back," Hyunsoo replied, smirking as he raised his dual swords.
A heavy tension settled over the training arena.

Hyunsoo’s stance was calm but sharp, while Sungbin gripped his greatsword with both hands, lowering his body into a defensive posture.
"Achoo!"
The silence was broken by Yuhana’s sneeze as she collapsed onto the floor, completely drained from casting buffs.

“Haah!”
Using the moment as a cue, Sungbin charged at Hyunsoo with explosive speed.
His greatsword cut through the air in a diagonal slash aimed at Hyunsoo. Simultaneously, Sungbin activated a skill designed to unleash a shockwave upon impact. His plan was to follow up with a strike to Hyunsoo’s flank.

It was a tactic born from his previous 15 losses—each time Hyunsoo blocked the initial attack and countered from the side. This time, Sungbin was determined not to fall for the same trick.
He felt a burst of pride as his greatsword swung down, anticipating the clash.
But—

"…Huh?"
Something was wrong.
Instead of the metallic clash and shockwave he expected, his greatsword sliced through empty air.

The answer was clear: Hyunsoo had dodged instead of blocking.
The realization hit Sungbin just as Hyunsoo disappeared from his line of sight.
Thud!

"Urgh!"
A powerful impact struck Sungbin’s back, sending him sprawling to the ground.