Swish! Shraaaaa—!!

“Gyaaaaang…!”

[You have defeated the Lv. 35. Rampaging Alpha Wolf.]

[You have gained experience points.]

[Level up!]

[Reward: Strength +2, Stamina +2, Magic Power +1.]

“Huff, huff… That was awesome, wasn’t it? How’s that for swordsmanship?”

On the open field, where a giant wolf over 2 meters tall lay defeated, I raised my sword triumphantly, shouting to Swallow, who hovered in the sky above.

The reason for my confidence was simple.

[Remaining Health - 100%]

Despite defeating the dungeon’s boss monster and clearing it, I hadn’t lost even 1% of my health.

However, the response I received was far from enthusiastic.

“That’s a failure, Master.”

“What? I didn’t lose a single point of health!”

“That’s true. But when you dodged the boss monster’s attack earlier, the wolf’s fur lightly grazed the left shoulder of your armor. Although it didn’t deal any damage, the system registered it as a hit, so the quest is a failure, Master.”

“What? Are you kidding me? Damn it…!”

Even though I had finished the raid with 100% health, the result was a failure.

And unfortunately, Swallow’s words were correct.

[Absolute Beauty Quest 1]

[Clear the dungeon without taking a single hit (0/1)]

Although I had defeated the boss monster without losing any health, the Absolute Beauty Quest remained incomplete.

Grumbling at the floating message in the air, I muttered, “Come on, can’t this count as a clear?”

“No can do. And the system, not I, determines whether the quest succeeds, Master.”

“Wow, this is just ridiculous.”

It was futile. Complaining to Swallow didn’t magically complete the quest.

Still, not everything was a total loss.

Status Window

[Lv. 56. Kang Hyunsoo]

[Title: Completely Awful Swordsman]

Stats

[Strength: 69] [Agility: 72] [Intelligence: 60] [Stamina: 95] [Magic Power: 55]

Talent Stats

[Sword Proficiency: 27] [Charm: -78]

Skills

[Bloom (S)] [Powerful Slash (E)] [Counterattack (F)]

Talents

[Lv. 2. Swordsmanship]

Special Talents

[Lv. 1. Beauty]

Talent Traits

[Summon Assistant] [The Handsomer You Are, The Stronger You Become (A)]

Since leaving home, I had entered more than ten dungeons trying to clear the Absolute Beauty Quest.

During my first attempt, my arm was lightly scratched by a monster’s claws. On the second try, I made an overly wide evasive maneuver and drew aggro from three monsters at once, losing over 10% of my health.

It had been a series of challenges.

Still, there had been some rewards for my efforts. My level had risen by five, and although I hadn’t completed the quest, I considered it progress.

‘I didn’t clear the quest, but this isn’t bad. My stats and skills are already way better than in my previous life.’

Having already experienced these events once before, and without unnecessary burdens holding me back, my growth had accelerated significantly.

Plus, I had gained skills I never had in my previous life.

That’s when I noticed something unusual.

“Hey, why doesn’t your summoning trait have a grade?” I asked Swallow.

Normally, skills and traits come with grades, but for some reason, the Summon Assistant trait had none.

I tilted my head and questioned him.

“Well, that’s because I’m special,” Swallow replied confidently.

“…”

Hovering in midair, Swallow slicked back his feathers with his wing, his sunglasses gleaming as he answered with overwhelming arrogance.

…This self-absorbed little bird.

No matter how many times I saw it, I couldn’t get used to it.

Shaking my head in disbelief, I rubbed my chin and pondered. In any case, it wasn’t something crucial. What mattered was revising my strategy to finally clear Absolute Beauty Quest 1.

‘Maybe I should lower the dungeon grade to F.’

The current dungeon was E-grade. I had chosen it because it was a 30-level range dungeon that allowed me to level up while working on the quest, but it seemed like I needed to aim lower.

I had thought the quest simply required me to avoid losing health, but apparently, even a glancing touch disqualified me. A lower-difficulty dungeon might be my only option.

“What about reducing the dungeon to F-grade, Master?” Swallow echoed my thoughts, flapping his wings in midair.

However…

“No. The efficiency would drop too much.”

I shook my head immediately.

F-grade dungeons were at least an hour away and crowded with low-level hunters, making it difficult to even enter.

And more importantly…

“A man has his pride. I won’t lower the difficulty just to clear a quest. I don’t even sing in a lower key.”

My pride wouldn’t allow it.

After all, I had once achieved the title of Sword Emperor in my previous life. I wasn’t about to stoop to embarrassing tactics just for my first quest.

“Then what about using a ranged weapon like a bow?” Swallow suggested.

“I’m a swordsman. I can’t use a bow. Besides, your weapon needs to match your talent. If they don’t align, item effects drop by over 20%, and skills won’t activate. Plus, they’re expensive.”

“What if you sold Seo Jieun and Choi Taehun’s weapons?”

“No. I’ve got plans for those later.”

For the same reason, ranged weapons were a no-go.

Honestly, if I grabbed a bow and went into an F-grade dungeon, I could clear it easily. But the cost-to-benefit ratio didn’t sit well with me, and neither did the idea of losing face.

Putting the loot into my inventory, I walked toward the portal that had appeared after defeating the boss monster.

“This time, I’ll clear it for sure.”

Blinding Flash! WHOOOSH!

The view shifted entirely.

Upon stepping out of the dungeon:

"Looking for a hunter with scouting talent!"
"Experienced party here! We can clear it in three hours!"

All around, I saw gates set up and dozens of hunters preparing for raids.

This was the Yangjae Station Hunting Ground, a cluster of E-grade dungeons where low-level hunters gathered to level up and develop their talents.

After clearing the wolf dungeon, I left the hunting grounds.

As I did, Swallow, who had been flying close by, tilted his head curiously and asked:

"Hm? Where are you headed, Master? Weren't you going to try again?"

"Hold on. There's somewhere I need to stop by first."

Swallow looked puzzled, but I ignored his question and stepped out of the hunting grounds.

<Samdae Gukbap – Yangjae Station Branch>

I entered a restaurant near Yangjae Station.

The place was bustling with hunters who had just finished their raids.

"Welcome! How many in your party?"
"Just one."
"Alright, please sit over there."
"Thanks. I'd like three bowls of sundae gukbap, please."

Following the staff's guidance, I took a seat by the window and placed my order.

At this, Swallow, now partially transparent in his stealth mode, tilted his head in confusion.

"Hm? What's with the sudden meal break, Master?"

"They say even the most beautiful mountain comes after a meal. I've been raiding all day; I need to eat. Excuse me, ma'am! Three bowls of sundae gukbap and one plate of boiled pork slices, please!"

It was peak dining time, and people kept pouring into the restaurant.

Clack! Clack! Clack!

"Careful, it's hot."

The gukbap and pork slices arrived almost immediately after ordering.

Whooo, whooo. Slurp...!

I poured myself some water, took a sip to wet my throat, and dove into the gukbap.

From his perch on the windowsill, Swallow clicked his sunglasses in disbelief and remarked:

"My word, Master, you're eating a lot."

"Of course. Do you know where human strength comes from? From food. Even a hunter with superhuman strength needs meals to keep going. That’s the truth."

I kept shoveling rice and soup into my mouth with my spoon and chopsticks as I replied.

Since hunters possessed bodies beyond ordinary humans, their food intake was naturally high.

Frontline hunters, especially, required even more, so I always made it a point to have hearty meals before and after dungeon raids.

But then, something unexpected happened.

[You have consumed too much food. Your weight has increased by 3kg instantly.]
[Your belly is starting to protrude. It does not look aesthetically pleasing.]
[Penalty incurred.]
[Appearance Power decreased by -1.]
[Appearance Power: 4.]
[Appearance Power Effect: All stats +4.]

Just as I was devouring my sundae gukbap, a message popped up, announcing a drop in my Appearance Power.

Chewing on a piece of meat, I muttered, "Mmm… What the hell is this?"

"It’s exactly what it says, Master. Your Appearance Power has dropped due to overeating. A body with excessive fat is not considered beautiful," Swallow explained matter-of-factly.

"What’s wrong with my body? Do you think hunters are idols or something? To fight monsters, you need muscles and a bit of fat for energy."

"True, but not all hunters rely on that approach, do they?"

"Well, sure, but still…"

Honestly, I was just making excuses.

A hunter’s strength was tied to their stats, not their muscles.

Choi Taehun had similar strength to mine but was much leaner. Seo Jieun, too, could slay monsters just fine and was as slim as an idol.

On the other hand, I…

…I had gained enough weight to turn a double chin into a triple chin.

The grueling physical toll of honing my swordsmanship and the stress from the gaslighting by those two had driven me to find solace in food.

Still…

Even if it was true, I didn’t want to admit it.

"My body’s fine as it is. Do you know how many men out there don’t work out and have no muscles?"

"You may have plenty of muscles, Master, but the excess fat makes you overweight. You’re now farther from the ideal of absolute beauty."

"There’s no such thing as absolute beauty. It’s all subjective."

"Incorrect. While preferences may vary based on context and relationships, there are universal standards of beauty that most people instinctively recognize. Humans who lack the courage to confront their own unattractiveness often deny this truth."

I replied casually while eating, but Swallow’s tone turned stern as he insisted on his point.

Beauty, he claimed, had an absolute standard.

And as if to prove his argument, while I was eating and chatting with him, I overheard voices from the table across from me.

"Haha, look at that guy. He’s so damn ugly."
"Wow, he’s really shoveling it in. What an orc. Unbelievable."

Two hunters were snickering as they looked in my direction.