The Handsomer You Are, the Stronger You Become-Chapter 161

She couldn’t help but feel pleased.

Not only had she defeated a level 650 monster, but she had also leveled up.

Such extraordinary growth.

Clearly, when partying with Kang Hyunsoo, her level increased incredibly fast.

Although she wasn’t exactly sure how fast, whenever she partied with Kang Hyunsoo, the "Beautiful Companion" effect kicked in, making the leveling speed dramatically faster.

Thanks to this, Jin Seoyun had managed to defeat a level 650 monster.

Of course, she hadn’t done it alone.

Yuhana was casting buffs that could be called the best in the world.

It had been truly monumental growth, so Jin Seoyun had followed Kang Hyunsoo ever since.

At first, it was just because of a liking for him.

She had originally denied it, but gradually, she realized she had been swept away by Kang Hyunsoo’s improving appearance, and that’s why she began following him.

During that process, she met Yuhana, who was in the same situation, and together, they grew while going on raids.

Kang Hyunsoo’s growth speed was so fast that, to keep up, they had recruited companions and worked together.

Honestly, at first, she had seen Yuhana as a rival and kept her in check, but now there was no longer any competition.

She learned that Kang Hyunsoo didn’t seem to care about relationships.

She had tried subtly flirting, but there had been no results.

She realized that if she forced her way in, their current relationship would undoubtedly fall apart, so Jin Seoyun kept a proper distance and continued to circle around Kang Hyunsoo.

And it wasn’t that there was no self-interest in this either. On the contrary, it was far better than when she had been living in the guild.

Yuhana felt the same.

At first, she had been a little wary of Jin Seoyun, but now, she followed her like an older sister, seeking growth together.

When the level went up, so did their value, especially since Kang Hyunsoo was starting to notice them.

Jin Seoyun and Yuhana worked together in unison, guarding the gates for over three hours with one shared goal.

"Older sister Seoyun, you’re moving so light today, aren’t you?"

"It’s because only one or two monsters are coming. If it stays this way, we won’t have too much trouble."

It wasn’t easy to defeat a level 650 monster.

But if there was only one or two, it wasn’t so bad.

They had equipped legendary or higher-grade items, and their levels were high enough.

However, as the saying goes, "the tongue slips."

While they were taking a brief respite, from the direction of the fortress—

Boom-! Boom-! Kooom-!!

[Lv 695. Unassailable Demon Grand Chief]

A huge monster holding a staff approached.

And that wasn’t all.

[Lv 660. Elite Demon Knight from the Fortress]

[Lv 660. Elite Demon Knight from the Fortress]

Behind it followed dozens of elite demon knights.

"Older sister Seoyun? That... looks like a boss monster, doesn’t it?"

They didn’t need to say it out loud to know.

Instead of answering Yuhana’s words, Jin Seoyun swung her saber.

Swoosh—Cha-cha-cha-cha-chak-!!

Dozens of sword strikes flew toward the Grand Chief.

But—

Boom-!!

All of them were extinguished.

When the Grand Chief swung its staff, all of those sword strikes vanished in an instant.

It was a single blocked attack.

However, the sense of danger in the process was more terrifying than anything else.

"Hana, get away...!!"

Jin Seoyun shouted at Yuhana to retreat.

She wanted to complete the mission given by Kang Hyunsoo, but the two of them couldn’t handle this level of threat alone.

However, escaping was impossible.

As they tried to retreat—

Whoosh-!!

When the Grand Chief swung its staff, their bodies suddenly floated up, and they were completely immobilized.

At the same time, dozens of demon knights charged at them.

"AAAH! L-Let go!!"

"Ah…."

Yuhana screamed, and Jin Seoyun felt a sense of imminent death.

She wanted to resolve the situation, but for some reason, she couldn’t use mana, and she couldn’t move.

Just as the demon knights’ swords were about to reach them, a miracle happened.

KAAAAAAA-!!

From the previously quiet sky, a sudden flash of light appeared, and a golden sword emerged, piercing through the demon knights and embedding itself in the ground.

That wasn’t all.

"KWEEEEEAAEK!!"

[Lv 695. Unassailable Demon Grand Chief has been defeated.]

The Grand Chief, who had neutralized Jin Seoyun’s sword strike, was now impaled by the golden sword and met its end.

The truth was soon revealed.

As the monsters fell—

"Phwuw, I’m glad I made it in time."

Behind Yuhana and Jin Seoyun, a new figure appeared, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"Ka-Kang Hyunsoo Hunter!!"

"Hyunsoo Brother!!"

Kang Hyunsoo smiled faintly at the two as he hurried over, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"You’ve worked hard, both of you. I wanted to come earlier, but I got caught up in something."

"It’s okay, really! Thanks to Kang Hyunsoo Hunter, we’re alive. We’re really grateful!"

"Phew! Thank you, Brother Hyunsoo! But what was that skill just now? It was so powerful!"

After a sigh of relief, a question followed.

Yuhana looked at Kang Hyunsoo with shining eyes.

Jin Seoyun felt the same way.

"It’s a newly learned sword technique. It took me a while to get the hang of it."

There was no need to hide it.

In fact, he wanted to boast about it.

The sword technique Kang Hyunsoo had acquired was—

[Linked Sword Technique: Judgment of the Sword Emperor (SSS) – The Sword Emperor’s and Sword Master’s techniques combine to create a sword imbued with the Emperor’s energy that falls from the sky to strike a designated point. Consumes 3000 mana.]

It was a linked skill combining the Sword Emperor’s and Sword Master’s techniques.

A full-fledged SSS-grade skill.

Kang Hyunsoo had used both the Sword Emperor and Sword Master skills simultaneously in his fight with the Sword Master.

When the link effect was triggered, a new sword technique was born, resulting in—

[Completed the Sword Emperor Title Quest.]

[Completed the Sword Master Title Quest.]

[Your titles are upgraded.]

[Title: ‘Handsome Sword Emperor’ has changed to ‘Handsome Sword Monarch.’]

[Title: ‘Handsome Sword Monarch’ has changed to ‘Handsome Sword Master.’]

[Effects: Appearance Power +110, Sword Attack Power +300%, Attack Speed +300%, Movement Speed +300%]

[Effect 2: Swordsmanship’s destructive power and the number of projectiles double.]

[Effect 3: When hit, Physical Damage –20% reduction.]

[The synergy of the two talents is beginning to take effect.]

[Additional Effect 1: Experience gained from monster kills increased by 35 times.]

[Additional Effect 2: Party members’ experience gained increased by 25 times.]

Kang Hyunsoo defeated the Sword Master and completed the Sword Master Title Quest.

A meeting with the Sword Emperor, which he never experienced in his previous life.

It was a one-time opportunity, and the difficulty was higher than the Sword King’s, but the outcome was excellent.

He had not only defeated the Sword Master but also leveled up from Sword Emperor to Sword Master.

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

[Sword Emperor's Swordsmanship: Overawing (SS) – Spreads the Sword Emperor's might, applying physical and mental pressure to the opponent. The wider the range, the more mana is consumed.]

[Sword Master’s Swordsmanship: Sword Prayer (SS) – Creates a sword from the Sword Master's energy and drops it from the sky. Consumes 1,000 mana.]

[Sword Master’s Swordsmanship: Blade Control (S) – Allows control over swords in the vicinity without physically touching them. The farther the sword, the more mana is consumed.]

With the Point Slash and Overawing from the Sword Emperor's techniques, he had acquired two more skills from the Sword Master’s swordsmanship.

After countless efforts and opportunities, he had finally surpassed his previous feats.

And as though to celebrate this achievement—

“Master, the boss monster left a gift behind!”

Swallow brought the good news.

From where the Grand Chief had vanished, it had dropped an item, which Swallow brought to Kang Hyunsoo.

[Demon Grand Chief's Staff]

[Grade: Mythic]

[Effect: Magic Effect +200%, Maximum Mana +200%]

[Skill: Null Prayer (SS) – Creates a defensive shield at a designated spot to nullify enemy attacks. Consumes 1,000 mana.]

[Skill: Silence Bind (S) – Binds a designated target and temporarily silences them, preventing them from using skills. Consumes 800 mana.]

It was the weapon the boss monster had been using.

“It’s a staff. The effects are quite good... I think Yuhana should use this.”

“Me? This is... a Mythic item! Can I really use it...?”

“Of course, you can. You’re the world’s best support hunter; you deserve something like this. Oh, and I’ll get a good sword for Sister Seoyun soon.”

“Ah, no... I’m fine. It’s a Mythic-level sword, you know.”

“That’s true, but this will be much better. Once we return to Korea, I’ll clear it and give it to you.”

Kang Hyunsoo handed the staff to Yuhana and promised to get a good weapon for Jin Seoyun as well.

Both of them had risked their lives to help him and would continue to do so, so it seemed right to make sure they had the proper items.

Thanks to this, the atmosphere became more relaxed.

Yuhana and Jin Seoyun hummed as they picked up the remaining junk items dropped by the monsters, and then, together with Kang Hyunsoo, they went through the portal to leave the dungeon.

However, right after exiting the dungeon, they soon became tense again, weapons raised.

"Blood...?!"

"It's a mess around here. Something huge must have happened!"

"Likely an ambush."

Returning to Mount Fuji, the place had turned into chaos.

Before entering the dungeon, there had been plenty of brush around, but as they came out, it looked like it had been bombarded—rocks were shattered, and trees had been torn apart.

What had happened here?

The three of them scanned the surroundings with tense expressions. Then—

Crunch— Crunch—

From behind, in the forest, someone was approaching.

“Finally coming out? Took you longer than expected?”

“Hayuri...?”

Kang Hyunsoo turned around, his eyes widening.

The figure stepping out from the forest was Hayuri, and her clothes were stained with quite a lot of blood.

That wasn’t all.

Behind her—

Thud— Thud— Thud—

Dozens of footsteps faintly echoed.

Kang Hyunsoo frowned and asked,

“Japanese hunters, huh? Why bring them all the way here?”

Even though they couldn’t see them yet, Kang Hyunsoo immediately recognized their presence.

The first reason was that, with the title of Sword King, he could sense the energy around him perfectly. The second reason was that—

Master, Japanese hunters.

Swallow, who had been scouting from the air, quickly assessed the situation and reported it.

It seemed that while they were in the dungeon, Hayuri had fought off the Japanese hunters, but she appeared to be completely unbothered.

“Blood...! Wait, let me treat you!”

“Were you ambushed!?”

“Heh! It’s fine. This isn’t my blood.”

Despite Kang Hyunsoo’s question and Yuhana’s concern, Hayuri laughed as she spoke.

“It’s not your blood?”

“Yeah. How could Japanese hunters defeat me? They came to ambush us, but I gave them a little payback.”

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

Hayuri’s words weren’t a lie.

Right after her statement, several Yakuza hunters, bloodied and battered, staggered out from the forest, groaning.

“P-Please forgive us…”

“Please just let us live…”

They crawled on the ground in front of Kang Hyunsoo and begged for their lives.

Hayuri looked down at the Yakuza hunters and said,

“I don’t mind killing them, but I decided to spare them for now. I didn’t want to get falsely accused. And these guys actually did something useful.”

“Did something useful...?”

How could the ones who ambushed them have done something useful?

After hearing her words, Kang Hyunsoo tilted his head.

The true intention soon became clear.

Hayuri smiled slyly and responded to Kang Hyunsoo’s question,

“These guys ran away, which helped me find where the Lazy is.”