Tick-tock. Tick-tock.

The sound of a clock’s second hand echoed through the small studio apartment.

Suddenly, the air began to shimmer.

Bzzzzzt—! Flash—!

In the empty space, light gathered and expanded before bursting outward, revealing a figure.

[Your Charming Companion has been summoned.]

It was Swallow, the sunglasses-wearing swallowbird.

“Phew, I’ve finally gathered enough strength,” Swallow said, wiping his forehead with a wing as he surveyed the room.

“Oh? Looks like it’s all over. You must’ve dealt with the Lake Guardian, Master,” he remarked with quiet admiration.

The last thing he remembered before his summoning had been Hyunsoo locked in battle with the Lake Guardian. Now, they were back in the apartment.

But Swallow’s observations were met with silence.

Hyunsoo was there, seated cross-legged on the floor.

Clink.

He tipped a soju bottle to pour himself another drink.

“Huh? Drinking, Master? What’s the occasion?”

Empty soju bottles were scattered across the floor.

By Swallow’s estimate, at least ten bottles had been consumed.

The bird landed on the drying rack, tilting his head in curiosity.

Still, no answer came.

Hyunsoo simply kept drinking.

That was when Swallow noticed something in the corner of the room.

It was a pair of swords—those of Seo Jieun and Choi Taehun, lying abandoned.

“…Ah.”

The moment he saw them, Swallow understood.

The Lake Guardian wasn’t the only thing Hyunsoo had defeated.

“You succeeded in your revenge, Master,” Swallow said quietly.

Hyunsoo didn’t respond.

Instead, after a long pause, he spoke in a calm, detached voice.

“I filed a report with the Hunter Bureau. Picked these up after. Normally, a hunter’s belongings go to their next of kin, but neither of them had family left. Like me, they lost everyone during the Great Upheaval. Since we were in the same guild, I was allowed to take them.”

“…I see,” Swallow replied. He already knew this, thanks to the shared memories, but he let Hyunsoo speak without interruption. It was the only comfort he could offer right now.

Hyunsoo drained his glass before continuing.

“I succeeded in my revenge, but now… I feel hollow. What I really wanted was for all of us to live well. To overcome hardship together and find happiness. Wouldn’t that have been great? But I guess… that dream was only ever mine.”

Swallow had seen it in Hyunsoo’s memories.

Even when he was being manipulated and gaslit by Seo Jieun and Choi Taehun, Hyunsoo kept giving them valuable items because of a dream born of empathy and hope.

He wanted to help those who had suffered like him, believing that by making them happy, he could heal his own wounds.

But that dream had shattered with their betrayal, leaving a blade lodged in his heart.

And now, Seo Jieun and Choi Taehun had paid the ultimate price.

Knowing this, Swallow bowed his head.

“I don’t know how to comfort you, Master. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. None of this matters anymore. From now on… I’ll just live alone, like a solitary flower.”

“A solitary flower? What does that mean, Master?” Swallow asked, tilting his head again.

Hyunsoo let out a dry chuckle as he poured himself another drink.

“It’s an idiom. It means I’ll live by myself, untouched and unbothered.”

“Ah, so you mean to live free from entanglements this time around. No more messy relationships. I get it.”

“Exactly. If anyone wants to call me cold-hearted for it, so be it. Sure, I’ll miss people, but I’ll manage. There are plenty of ways to communicate without getting tangled up.”

Swallow nodded in understanding, his sunglasses glinting in the room’s light.

Hyunsoo picked up the remote and turned on the TV.

“Welcome to our Hunter Interview segment! Today, we’re joined by rising star Hunter Han Sungbin. Please give him a warm welcome!”

“Ah, hello, everyone. I’m Han Sungbin,” the young man on the screen said with a shy smile.

The screen showed a handsome, well-dressed hunter who could rival celebrities with his looks. At level 150, he was the talk of both online and offline communities.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen that face,” Hyunsoo muttered. “He’s ridiculously good-looking. Shame about what happens to him later, though.”

He took another sip of soju, his gaze fixed on the screen.

Swallow looked between Hyunsoo and the TV before shrugging his wings.

“Well, it’s good that you have something to keep you company. After all you’ve been through, no one can blame you for wanting to live alone. Honestly, I think it’s the smarter choice. If you don’t grow stronger, seven years from now, the invasion will destroy everything.”

Hyunsoo’s drink paused mid-sip.

“What did you say?”

Swallow adjusted his sunglasses and spoke matter-of-factly.

“Have you forgotten, Master? The monster that emerged from the dungeon trap during your regression—it will appear again in seven years. And when it does, it’ll turn the world into a wasteland. It was strong enough to kill you at your peak, remember?”

“Hey, I was already seriously injured back then—”

“Would you have won even if you were at full strength?”

“…”

Hyunsoo couldn’t answer.

He hadn’t thought much about the dragon-like creature that killed him in his previous life. He’d been too consumed by revenge to give it serious consideration.

But now that he did… he realized that defeating it, even at his best, would have been no small feat.

“And that was just the beginning,” Swallow added.

“What do you mean, ‘just the beginning’?”

“The creature you saw was only the appetizer. Remember the dimensional rift it came from? That portal was connected to an entirely different realm, teeming with monsters far stronger than it. The seals holding them back were weak and fragile. It’s only a matter of time before they break.”

“Is there any way to stop it?”

“Not unless a miracle happens. By my calculations, Earth’s hunters stand a 0% chance of survival.”

Hyunsoo’s brow furrowed. “Not even 1%?”

“None. Unless… you fully develop your two talents: Swordsmanship and Beauty.”

Hyunsoo stared at Swallow, the bird’s sunglasses gleaming mischievously.

“If I master both talents, I can stop it?”

“You’ve already seen what Beauty can do. Combine that with your Swordsmanship, and who knows?”

Hyunsoo stroked his chin thoughtfully. The power boost from Beauty’s Bloom skill had been overwhelming, but defeating a creature like that still seemed far-fetched.

“Do you think I can actually pull this off? Or are you just trying to sell me on this idea?”

Swallow’s response was simple:

“If you master Beauty, you won’t just grow stronger. You’ll be even more handsome than Han Sungbin on TV.”

Hyunsoo blinked, then burst out laughing.

“You’re really selling it hard, huh? Fine. Let’s see where this road takes me.”

As the screen flickered with scenes of hunters and chaos, a notification popped up in Hyunsoo’s vision:

[You have lost 4kg due to prolonged fasting.]

[Your jawline sharpens slightly.]
[Your Appearance Power increases by +1.]
[Appearance Power: 3.]
[Side Beauty Quest #6 completed.]
[Objective: Reach Appearance Power of 3 (3/3).]
[Reward: Strength +5, Agility +1, Stamina +3, Charm +15.]

Something unexpected had occurred.

A system message appeared, informing Hyunsoo that he had completed Side Beauty Quest #6, which had remained incomplete until now.

Narrowing his eyes, Hyunsoo carefully reviewed the messages.

“Losing weight improved my Appearance Power...?”

Since leaving the Misty Forest Dungeon, Hyunsoo had consumed nothing. Returning home from the Hunter Bureau, he had spent hours downing soju without any snacks. The unintended fasting had caused him to lose weight, which seemed to have enhanced his appearance.

But there was something even more unusual in the rewards.

After completing the quest, Hyunsoo’s Charm stat increased by a whopping 15 points. The result:

[Charm: -78.]
[Your Charm has reached a significant threshold.]
[Your Title has been upgraded.]
[Title: 'Ugly Swordmaster' has been upgraded to 'Really Ugly Swordmaster.']

His title had changed.

And that wasn’t all.

With the massive boost in Charm, a new message appeared:

[Condition met.]
[Main Quest: Absolute Beauty Quest unlocked.]

The main quest, previously locked due to his low Appearance Power, had finally been revealed.

[Charm increase improves your appearance.]
[Your face becomes slightly more handsome.]

Hyunsoo blinked at the unfamiliar message.

“What... is this?”

Floating in the air were lines of text he had never seen before.

He examined the details one by one.

[Title: Really Ugly Swordmaster.]
[Effect: Appearance Power +1, Sword Damage +5%.]
[Two talents synergize slightly.]
[Additional Effect: +20% Experience Gain when defeating monsters.]

The title upgrade provided clear benefits.

[Absolute Beauty Quest #1.]
[Clear a dungeon without taking a single hit (0/1).]

The new main quest resembled the growth mechanics of his Swordsmanship talent.

But what truly puzzled him was:

[Your face becomes slightly more handsome.]

The idea of becoming more handsome was foreign to Hyunsoo. For a moment, his brain struggled to process the incongruity.

That was when Swallow chuckled softly.

“Master, 'really ugly' is just short for ‘incredibly ugly,’” Swallow said.

“I know that already. What I’m asking is—what does it mean that my face is getting better-looking?”

“Why not find out for yourself?”

As usual, Swallow’s smug tone grated on Hyunsoo’s nerves.

Setting down his drink, Hyunsoo stood and walked to the full-length mirror.

And what he saw shocked him.

“What... what the hell?”

Hyunsoo’s eyes widened as he stared at his reflection.

Gone was the gorilla-like face marred by scars that he had grown accustomed to. Instead, a somewhat human-looking man stood in the mirror.

His jawline, once broad and undefined, was now slightly sharper. His eyes looked livelier, and even the dark stubble shadowing his face had lightened.

It was subtle, but it felt as though someone had used Photoshop on him.

“Am I drunk?”

Pressing his face closer to the mirror, Hyunsoo frowned in disbelief.

Watching this, Swallow covered his beak with a wing, chuckling.

“You’re not drunk, Master. This is the result of your Charm increasing.”

“You’re telling me I’m better-looking now because my Charm went up?”

“Yes. I mentioned this before, didn’t I? Charm stats have the power to improve physical appearance. And as you already know, the more handsome you become, the stronger your Beauty talent grows. Do you understand what this means?”

“What does it mean...?”

“It means you have a Swordsmanship talent. If you level up and invest in Charm, you’ll become more handsome. And as you grow more handsome, your strength will increase. It’s a feedback loop. Get stronger, get handsomer, get stronger again!”

“Is this some kind of infinite energy engine?”

“That’s the true power of the Beauty talent! It’s classified as a ‘Special Talent’ because of its unparalleled potential. Do you understand now, Master, the greatness of beauty?”

Swallow puffed out his chest, his sunglasses gleaming under the room’s lights.

Despite his pompous demeanor, Hyunsoo couldn’t deny the bird’s words.

“Damn it... he’s right.”

Thinking it over, Hyunsoo realized there wasn’t a single flaw in Swallow’s argument.

Completing Beauty Quests increased his Charm stat, which in turn boosted his Appearance Power, making him stronger.

Moreover, once he leveled up further, he’d receive stat points to invest in Charm.

The result? He would continue to grow more handsome, which would further increase his strength.

“It’s just as the talent’s name suggests: the handsomer you get, the stronger you become.”

And perhaps most surprising of all:

‘I... want to get even better-looking.’

When Hyunsoo used the Bloom skill during the Misty Forest Dungeon raid, the improvement in his appearance had been temporary. But now, staring at his reflection, a desire to permanently enhance his looks began to take root.

The urge was as primal as the drive for strength that his Swordsmanship talent had awakened in him.

Unlike Bloom’s fleeting effects, this improvement was here to stay.

• Oppa, I only like good-looking guys.

Seo Jieun’s parting words resurfaced in his mind.

The phrase, once a dagger to his heart, now fueled a blazing determination.

Turning away from the mirror, Hyunsoo’s expression hardened.

“So if I increase my Charm stat, I’ll get better-looking? Fine. The world’s most handsome man is coming for you all.”

He stuffed Seo Jieun and Choi Taehun’s swords into his inventory and strode toward the door.

The pain of his past had become the foundation for his new future.

There was no trace of regret or despair left in his steps.

“You’ve made your decision. Impressive, Master,” Swallow said with a grin, spreading his wings as he flew after Hyunsoo.