“Hmm, why is Kang Hyunsoo taking so long?”

“Yeah, this is taking way too much time…”

In a small clearing within the forest, Choi Taehun and Seo Jieun frowned as they stared toward the underbrush.

It had been about an hour since Kang Hyunsoo disappeared into the woods, claiming he needed to relieve himself.

Both had already rested, checked their gear, and waited patiently, but Kang Hyunsoo still hadn’t returned.

“Jieun, I think we should go look for him.”

“Yeah, we probably should, Taehun oppa.”

The two stood, preparing to head into the forest.

But just as they stepped forward—

Rustle, rustle, rustle—THUD!

“Whew, sorry I’m late!”

Kang Hyunsoo burst through the underbrush, his face drenched in sweat, his breaths ragged.

“Hey, what happened to you? Why are you so late?”

“Hyunsoo oppa, why are you sweating so much…?”

It was obvious from his soaked appearance that he’d been moving intensely.

Seo Jieun took out a handkerchief and approached him, concern evident in her expression.

“Oh, well…”

Hyunsoo looked flustered and instinctively took a step back.

At that, Seo Jieun grinned mischievously.

“What’s this? Are you hiding something? Did you find a Hidden Piece or something?”

Her playful tone belied the sharpness of her gaze.

Choi Taehun joined in, smirking.

“A Hidden Piece? Man, it must be something good if it kept you that long. You know you’ll have to share it with us, right?”

Their words carried a joking tone, but there was an undeniable undercurrent of expectation.

It wasn’t entirely unreasonable. Kang Hyunsoo’s delay was suspicious, and his awkward reaction only added to their curiosity.

“Uh, um… yeah, about that…”

Seeing Hyunsoo stammer and step back, Seo Jieun’s eyes widened with excitement.

“Oh my gosh! Oppa, is it true? What did you find? Show us!”

“Yeah, come on, don’t hold out on us!”

Their enthusiasm grew as they pressed him further.

Eventually, Hyunsoo sighed and reached into his pocket, pulling out an item.

“…It’s a Kobold Necklace. High-grade. I found it while killing a Kobold on the way back. How’d you guess?”

“Ugh, seriously? It’s not a Hidden Piece?”

“Of course not. Why’d I even get my hopes up? Let’s go already!”

Disappointed, Seo Jieun and Choi Taehun shook their heads and started toward the path leading to the boss room.

Hyunsoo followed after them, muttering under his breath.

“Man, this is a good item… You could at least pretend to appreciate it.”

Though he grumbled outwardly, inwardly, he sighed in relief.

I pulled it off. They’re not suspicious anymore.

The liquid soaking his body wasn’t sweat—it was the water that made up the Lake Guardian’s form.

During the final moments of their battle, Hyunsoo had been so close to the monster that he ended up drenched in its fluid when he struck the killing blow.

Thankfully, the liquid resembled ordinary water, though it was slightly viscous and didn’t wash off easily.

He had been worried that his condition might raise suspicion, but fortunately, he had encountered a stray Kobold on the way back and picked up an item from it.

The Hidden Piece—the Bracelet of Trust—remained his secret.

Unlike his past life, Seo Jieun wouldn’t get her hands on it this time.

Regression is amazing. Everything is going my way.

Hyunsoo smirked as he followed behind the other two.

From acquiring his special talent to stealing Seo Jieun’s Hidden Piece, he was growing far stronger than he had been in his previous life.

In the boss room, this growth shone brightly.

The boss monster of the Foggy Forest Dungeon, the Kobold Chief, wore heavy armor, and exploiting its vulnerable neck was key to victory.

Hyunsoo executed the strategy flawlessly.

In his previous life, he had memorized the predictable attack patterns of low-level boss monsters like this one, and his past experience as the Sword Emperor made the fight laughably easy.

Even with his current low stats, defeating the E-rank dungeon’s boss monster was a simple task.

What’s more, he had two allies this time.

With Choi Taehun supporting him, Hyunsoo downed the Kobold Chief in less than ten exchanges.

“Kyahhh!”

Thud!

[Lv. 57 Kobold Chief defeated.]

The boss monster was down, and they had completed the dungeon three times faster than the average party.

“Wow… Hyunsoo oppa, you were on fire today! What’s gotten into you? Did you level up or something?”

“Unbelievable. I mean, I knew you were skilled, but this is a whole new level. Are you sure you’re lower level than us?”

Seo Jieun and Choi Taehun stared at him in awe.

Hyunsoo brushed off their compliments with a nonchalant shrug.

“Come on, this is what a swordsman should be capable of.”

In truth, he had intentionally held back. Performing too well would have raised suspicions.

Fortunately, his strategy worked.

“You’re amazing, Hyunsoo oppa!”

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s grab the loot and head to the next dungeon.”

While Seo Jieun and Choi Taehun gathered the dropped items, Hyunsoo quietly observed their backs.

He placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

The perfect moment for an ambush had arrived.

Both were focused on collecting the mana stones and other loot, their backs turned.

If he wanted to exact his revenge, now was the time.

Hyunsoo’s eyes narrowed as he stared at them.

But—

No… Not yet. There are better ways to get back at them.

He released his grip on the sword and bent down to pick up some of the dropped items instead.

Hyunsoo had intended to kill them during this raid, but obtaining the Hidden Piece had changed his perspective.

Stealing Seo Jieun’s most prized possession had taken the edge off his anger.

Now, he found the idea of taking all the items they once coveted—and watching them squirm with jealousy—far more satisfying.

I can grow stronger than I ever did in my previous life just by hoarding the gear I used to give up for them. Killing them would be too easy. Watching them burn with envy as I rise above them? That’s real revenge.

He smirked, imagining their reactions as he surpassed them both.

But just as he bent down to grab an item—

Swish!

Something sliced through the air behind him.

“...!”

Hyunsoo turned instantly.

[Activated.]
[Armor of Trust (A).]

Reacting quickly, he activated the Hidden Piece’s skill to block the attack.

Clang!

A dagger struck the invisible armor and bounced off.

Hyunsoo’s eyes scanned the surroundings, searching for the source of the attack.

“A dagger? Are there still mobs left?”

But what he found stopped him cold.

Standing along the path the dagger had come from was none other than Choi Taehun.

“…What the hell are you doing?”

Hyunsoo’s voice was low, his eyes narrowing.

The attack had been far too strong to be a joke.

Taehun, however, merely laughed.

“Relax, man. It was just a prank.”

His smile faded as his tone turned serious.

“But… where’d you get that defensive skill? I’ve never seen you use it before.”

Seo Jieun chimed in.

“Yeah, Hyunsoo oppa. Are you hiding something from us?”

Hyunsoo’s gaze flicked between the two.

Something felt… off.

This didn’t happen in my last life… What’s going on?

The atmosphere shifted in an instant.

Choi Taehun throwing a dagger at Hyunsoo's back was not something that had happened in the Foggy Forest Dungeon in his previous life.

Even if this was seven years ago, such an extreme move wasn’t something one would forget.

Something feels off. If only I could summon Swallow and discuss this…

Hyunsoo narrowed his eyes at the two and activated his Summon the Handsome Companion skill.

[Summon Failed]
[The Handsome Companion has exhausted all its energy.]
[Unable to summon the Handsome Companion.]

No matter how many times he tried during the earlier fight, the result was the same.

Swallow’s earlier explanation proved correct—the skill didn’t require Hyunsoo’s mana but depended on Swallow’s remaining energy.

For now, he would have to deal with this on his own.

Hyunsoo locked eyes with Taehun, his voice sharp.

“Cut the crap and answer me. Why did you attack me?”

Taehun sneered.

“Why don’t you answer me first? Why are you holding out on us, huh, Hyunsoo?”

“Holding out? What are you talking about?”

“You picked up a Hidden Piece, didn’t you? We agreed to distribute items fairly. Why are you acting all innocent?”

“…!”

Taehun’s smirk deepened, and Seo Jieun chimed in, her tone filled with false disappointment.

“I saw you, oppa. When you didn’t come back for so long, I went to look for you. You were fighting… the Lake Guardians, right? That transparent armor skill—was that from the Hidden Piece? I wanted to see if you’d tell us, but you didn’t. How disappointing.”

Apparently, Jieun had retraced her usual steps from their past life and stumbled across him.

Hyunsoo had moved quickly, but it seemed their timing overlapped.

He couldn’t deny it any longer.

“Fine… you’re right. I found a Hidden Piece—the Bracelet of Trust. It creates transparent armor around the wearer. It’s a heroic-grade item.”

Hyunsoo sighed heavily, admitting the truth.

“Knew it!”

“Wow, that’s insane! Hand it over, oppa!”

Taehun and Jieun broke into wide grins, extending their hands expectantly.

But Hyunsoo tilted his head and smiled mockingly.

“Why should I?”

“What…?”

“Why should I give you the Hidden Piece I found?”

His tone was cold, sharper than they had ever heard.

Jieun faltered, her gaze flickering to Taehun for support.

“Uh… oppa?”

Taehun stepped forward, his voice rising in anger.

“Hey! Don’t you remember our agreement? Whoever finds a good item hands it over in turn. It’s Jieun’s turn this time!”

“I don’t remember agreeing to that.”

“What… what the hell? Are you insane? You’d better keep your word, Hyunsoo! If you can’t even remember an agreement, that’s your problem, not ours!”

Taehun stormed up to him, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword, his eyes burning with fury.

“Do you want to die?”

His expression darkened, his murderous intent filling the air.

The tension was palpable. Hyunsoo could already see where this was going if he refused.

His gaze flickered between Taehun and Jieun, their faces resembling the final moments of his previous life.

With a heavy sigh, Hyunsoo made his decision.

“Fine… take it. Here.”

He removed the bracelet from his wrist.

“Really? Thank you, oppa!”

“That’s more like it.”

The tension dissipated instantly.

Taehun smirked and stepped back, and Jieun hummed happily as she approached Hyunsoo to retrieve the bracelet.

“Wow, it’s so pretty!”

But just as Jieun reached for the bracelet—

Shk!

“Wha—?”

Hyunsoo’s sword pierced her abdomen.

Her eyes widened in shock as blood spilled from the wound, her hands trembling as they reached for the blade embedded in her.

“Op…pa…?”

Taehun froze, his mind struggling to process what he was seeing.

“What… what are you doing, Hyunsoo!?”

Hyunsoo’s voice was icy as he replied, his eyes locked on Jieun.

“Why should I hand over what’s mine… to a traitor?”

He wrenched the sword free.

Jieun collapsed to the ground, blood pooling around her as her breaths grew shallow.

Taehun’s shock turned to rage.

“You bastard!”

He drew his sword and charged, but Hyunsoo was ready.

With the Bracelet of Trust still active, Taehun’s attack bounced off harmlessly.

Clang!

Hyunsoo stepped back, smirking.

“Taehun, you’ve always been predictable.”

“Shut up and fight me, you piece of shit!”

The two clashed, the clearing filled with the sound of steel meeting steel.

Hyunsoo’s experience as the Sword Emperor shone through as he parried Taehun’s every move with ease.

“You were always so quick to take. Always demanding more. But you’ve never worked for it.”

Taehun growled, his strikes growing more erratic.

Hyunsoo saw his opening.

Slash!

His blade cut deep into Taehun’s side, sending him crashing to the ground.

Taehun clutched his wound, blood seeping between his fingers as he glared up at Hyunsoo.

“You… you’ll regret this…”

Hyunsoo loomed over him, his expression cold and unyielding.

“No, Taehun. The only ones regretting anything… are you two.”

He drove his sword through Taehun’s chest, silencing him for good.

The clearing grew silent once more.

Hyunsoo stood amidst the carnage, his gaze lingering on the two lifeless bodies before him.

“This is only the beginning.”

With that, he turned and walked away, the Bracelet of Trust glowing faintly on his wrist.