Blood dripped down the blade, forming small pools beneath Seo Jieun's collapsed form.

"Hyunsoo… oppa…? What…?"

Seo Jieun’s trembling voice barely escaped her lips as her wide eyes alternated between the wound in her abdomen and Hyunsoo’s cold, unyielding expression.

The realization of betrayal hit her like a sledgehammer.

Her confusion, pain, and disbelief mirrored the chaos of the moment, but reality was undeniable—her blood stained the ground beneath her.

This wasn’t over.

“Cough—!”

Seo Jieun choked on her own blood as Hyunsoo yanked the blade from her body.

Slash!

He swung again, this time a diagonal strike that left her gasping in agony.

“You crazy bastard! What the hell are you doing?!”

Choi Taehun roared, rushing at Hyunsoo with his blade raised high.

Though stunned by the ambush, he quickly recovered and lashed out in retaliation.

But—

Whoosh!

His sword sliced through nothing but air.

Hyunsoo had already leaped backward, keeping a calculated distance between them.

“Seo Jieun! Jieun!”

Taehun called out, his voice laced with panic as his gaze darted to her crumpled figure.

“Ugh… a-aah…”

Seo Jieun groaned weakly, her body trembling from the severe wounds to her abdomen and chest.

Her condition was critical—her life hung by a thread.

Taehun turned his fiery glare back to Hyunsoo.

“What the hell is wrong with you?! Why are you doing this?!”

"Why...?"

Hyunsoo’s voice, laden with anger, echoed Taehun's words as if mocking the question.

The reasons were overwhelming.

Betrayal. Deception. Infidelity.

In their previous life, Seo Jieun and Choi Taehun had stabbed Hyunsoo in the back—literally and figuratively.

Though that betrayal had inadvertently granted him the opportunity to regress seven years into the past, it didn’t erase the pain or scars they left behind.

Their confession of betrayal revealed that it had started with infidelity, a truth that was as valid now as it had been in the past.

The moment Hyunsoo stood before them at the dungeon gates after regressing, rage consumed him.

He longed to repay the suffering they inflicted on him.

But circumstances had forced him to delay his vengeance.

The dungeon's entrance was crowded with other hunters, making an immediate attack risky.

Instead, Hyunsoo had decided to bide his time, planning to strike them down during the dungeon raid.

Yet, during the raid, another opportunity presented itself—monopolizing the Hidden Piece.

In their previous life, Seo Jieun and Choi Taehun had collected several Hidden Pieces, but Hyunsoo resolved to claim them all for himself in this life.

Killing them was one way to settle the score, but stealing the Hidden Piece and thriving while they suffered seemed like a more poetic form of vengeance.

Hyunsoo had initially planned to sever ties with them completely after the raid and pursue his goal of becoming the strongest hunter on his own.

He considered it an act of mercy to spare their lives while taking what should have been his.

But things didn’t go as planned.

When Taehun and Jieun discovered that Hyunsoo had claimed the Hidden Piece, they had crossed the line.

• "You found the Hidden Piece, didn’t you? We’re supposed to share everything equally. Hand it over."

• "Oppa, give it to me! Now!"

Their demands were wrapped in false camaraderie and unspoken coercion.

This was classic gaslighting.

It was how they had always operated.

They always ensured they got the best items first, and their share of loot was always higher than Hyunsoo's.

Hyunsoo’s sacrifices in their previous life—the Hidden Pieces and countless other items—had been the foundation of their rise to power.

Their entitled demands showed no signs of stopping.

But this time, Hyunsoo refused.

• "Do you want to die?!"

Taehun’s facade shattered, and his true nature revealed itself.

The once-friendly eyes that Hyunsoo knew were now the same cold, manipulative gaze he remembered from his final moments in their previous life.

Jieun, instead of siding with Hyunsoo, stood silently, her arms crossed, watching the situation unfold.

This wasn’t how it had gone in the past.

Their betrayal was happening earlier this time.

In that moment, Hyunsoo realized the truth:

“This relationship was always going to end the moment I stopped giving.”

To Taehun and Jieun, Hyunsoo had never been a friend or lover—just an easy mark.

And with that realization, Hyunsoo made his decision.

“I’ll break this cycle with my own hands.”

Hyunsoo’s resolve returned to its original course.

Mercy had no place here anymore.

His attack on Seo Jieun had been the first step.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t know?”

“What…?”

Hyunsoo’s voice was calm yet cutting as his gaze shifted between the two.

“You two… Did you really think I wouldn’t know about your affair?”

“……!”

Choi Taehun froze, his expression a mask of shock.

Even Seo Jieun, writhing in pain on the ground, flinched at the accusation.

Hyunsoo’s voice carried on, steady and cold.

“And treating me like an idiot? That stops now. I gave you everything. I shared loot, took the smallest share, and you still pulled this crap?

Did you think I wouldn’t notice? Did you think I’d keep putting up with it?”

His voice trembled with suppressed fury, the hand gripping his sword quivering in anger.

He could have listed every injustice, every slight, every betrayal, but his words already hit their mark.

Seo Jieun lay silent, unable to respond.

Choi Taehun’s defiant glare faltered, but he still shouted back.

“Even so, killing us is insane! Are you some kind of psycho?! You’re out of your damn mind!”

Hyunsoo scoffed, his laugh devoid of humor.

He hadn’t expected an apology, but even a shred of regret would have been enough.

Instead, all he received was anger and denial.

“People don’t change…”

That truth echoed in Hyunsoo’s mind.

His grip on the sword tightened.

“The real psychos are you two.”

There was nothing left to say.

Hyunsoo lunged at Taehun, his blade aimed directly at his chest.

Clang!

The two swords collided, sparks flying as the clash echoed through the foggy forest.

“You piece of shit! I’ll kill you myself!”

Taehun roared, his voice filled with rage, but his movements were reckless and sloppy.

Thud!

He kicked Hyunsoo in the stomach, forcing him to stagger backward.

Taehun pressed the advantage, swinging his sword in a wide arc.

The blade screamed through the air, but Hyunsoo sidestepped, countering with a precise strike.

His blade aimed for Taehun’s heart, but—

Thunk!

The attack failed to pierce Taehun’s leather armor, the blade deflected harmlessly.

“Die!”

Taehun swung again, his blade descending toward Hyunsoo.

Hyunsoo rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the strike.

Shk!

Pain shot through him as the edge of Taehun’s sword grazed his arm.

A shallow wound stretched across one shoulder, and blood trickled down. Hyunsoo glanced at his bleeding shoulder, his brow furrowed in irritation.

“Tsk, this is why I wanted to strike Taehun first.”

It wasn’t easy to pierce the leather armor Taehun wore with his old, battered sword. That was why Hyunsoo had initially planned to ambush Taehun first—when there was only one chance to strike, it was smarter to target the more formidable opponent.

But the opportunity never arose.

Earlier, he had closed in on Taehun, but the angle for a clean stab didn’t present itself, forcing him to target Seo Jieun instead.

Still, Hyunsoo thought, it’s not over. I still have a solid chance.

Despite the nearly 10-level gap between him and Taehun, Hyunsoo had the skills and experience of someone who had once achieved the title of Sword Emperor.

Moreover, he had just leveled up after defeating the Lake Guardian, and the boost in Charm had enhanced his stats further.

I can handle this. Hell, I can end this quickly.

Clutching his old mercenary blade tightly, Hyunsoo began strategizing the best way to take Taehun down.

“Ha! What’s the matter, scared? That’s what you get for messing with me, you bastard!!”

Taehun charged forward, his earlier fear now replaced by smug arrogance.

To him, Hyunsoo’s brief hesitation looked like fear. Emboldened, he pressed his attack with increased ferocity.

Shiiing—! Thud—! Clang—!

Taehun’s blade slashed through the air, cutting into trees and splitting rocks on the ground with brutal force.

His strikes were fast and powerful, enough to send most hunters running.

But not Hyunsoo.

“You’re slow. And your attack patterns are laughably predictable.”

Hyunsoo dodged effortlessly.

Without the encumbrance of leather armor, his movements were fluid and light.

Even with a 10-level disparity, Taehun’s attacks felt amateurish to someone like Hyunsoo.

Years of fighting alongside Taehun in his previous life had made his movements all too familiar.

“Shut up! What the hell do you know?!”

As expected, Taehun lost his temper at the smallest provocation.

Furious, he roared and raised his sword for a wild, reckless strike.

“Die, you bastard!!”

Rock Splitter.

A skill designed to cleave through even the sturdiest defenses.

Taehun lifted his sword high overhead, pouring all his strength into a single, decisive blow.

This same move had devastated the Kobold Chief earlier.

Given the level gap, dodging would have been the safest option.

But Hyunsoo didn’t dodge.

Instead, he gripped his blade with both hands and pushed off the ground to meet Taehun’s strike head-on.

As Taehun’s sword descended—

【Activated】

[Counter (F)]

Clang—! Shhhhk—!

Two blades crossed in a blinding arc.

Blood sprayed into the air.

A body crumpled to the ground.

With a single exchange, the battle was over.

Hyunsoo stood tall, his sword still poised mid-swing.

Taehun knelt on the ground, blood dripping from his lips as he coughed violently.

“Cough… you monster….”

Taehun spat out the words between ragged breaths.

He had known Hyunsoo possessed the Counter skill, but its F-rank designation had led him to underestimate it.

He thought it was useless unless perfectly timed.

But Hyunsoo had executed it flawlessly, turning Taehun’s strength against him.

Years of shared combat had become Taehun’s undoing.

Hyunsoo turned to face him, his eyes cold and unyielding.

“No remorse, even at the end, huh? Fine. Reflect on it in hell.”

Hyunsoo raised his sword, ready to deliver the final blow.

But just as he swung down—

“Die, you bastard!!”

Seo Jieun screamed, lunging at Hyunsoo from behind.

Despite her severe injuries, she had seized the opening and attacked with everything she had.

Flash—!

【Activated】

[Bloom (S)]

[For 30 seconds, your latent beauty is maximized.]

[Charm: 999]

[Effect of Charm: +999 to all stats.]

Hyunsoo’s body erupted in a dazzling burst of light.

When the brilliance subsided—

“What…?”

Seo Jieun stumbled, collapsing to the ground.

Her attack had missed.

She and Taehun turned their heads, their gazes locking onto the figure before them.

“……?”

“Who… who the hell…?”

A stranger stood where Hyunsoo had been.

Gone was the rugged warrior they knew.

In his place was an impossibly handsome young man, his sharp features glowing with an almost ethereal aura.

“Hyunsoo… oppa?” Seo Jieun stammered.

“No way… is that really you?” Taehun whispered, disbelief etched across his face.

Though his appearance had changed dramatically, the clothes and weapon he carried were unmistakably Hyunsoo’s.

For a brief moment, confusion and awe froze them in place.

But instinct soon took over.

The two exchanged a glance and lunged forward, weapons raised.

Hyunsoo didn’t speak.

His response was swift and decisive—a single diagonal slash.

Slash—! Thud—!

Both bodies hit the ground in unison, lifeless.

[30 seconds elapsed.]

[Bloom has ended.]

[Your appearance has reverted to normal.]

Hyunsoo’s features returned to their original form.

He stood silently, staring at the motionless figures before him.

Taehun and Jieun lay in a pool of their own blood, their bodies still and lifeless.

The weight of his vengeance hung heavy in the air.

Hyunsoo’s grip on his sword loosened, and it fell to the ground with a dull clang.

He gazed down at them, his expression a mix of sorrow and bitter satisfaction.

In the end, revenge had led him here—to death, and nothing more.