NoveLight ™
The youthful voice of Yuhana echoed through the store.
“Yes…?”
Kang Hyunsoo looked at her with a puzzled expression, startled by her sudden exclamation.
He had been selecting perfumes to complete a secondary Beauty Quest when he noticed an item missing from the shelf. Approaching Yuhana, he found her unresponsive.
Even after calling out to her and clearing his throat, she seemed lost in thought, staring blankly at the display case.
With no other option, Hyunsoo gently tapped her shoulder with his index finger, only to be met with an unexpected compliment.
“You suddenly look… handsome.”
The statement left not only Hyunsoo confused but also the customers in the store.
“Huh? What’s she saying…?”
“Did she just call him handsome?”
People turned to look, curious about the commotion.
However, it didn’t take long for their expressions to change.
“…….”
“Yeah, right…”
They quickly averted their gazes, the atmosphere becoming awkward.
Despite Yuhana’s bold proclamation, Hyunsoo looked far from fitting the description of “handsome” in their eyes.
The store fell silent.
“Oh no! I-I’m so sorry, sir!”
Realizing the situation, Yuhana flushed red and bowed repeatedly in apology.
Meanwhile, Hyunsoo’s eyes widened in recognition.
‘Wait, isn’t she… Yuhana?’
Looking at the apologetic girl bowing before him, he finally placed her face.
Yuhana, the Idol Hunter.
In his previous life, she was a support-type hunter with healing abilities, later known for her adorable looks and bubbly personality. She eventually joined Muyeong, one of Korea’s top five guilds, earning national adoration and even worldwide fame.
And yet, here she was, working as a part-time employee at OnlyYoung.
Though surprised by the unexpected encounter, Hyunsoo kept his composure. After all, this was something that would only unfold much later in the future.
“It’s fine, really. I must’ve startled you. By the way, could you check if there’s any stock left for that perfume on the display?”
“Y-Yes! I’ll check right away!”
Her face burning with embarrassment, Yuhana scurried off to the storeroom.
Watching her retreating figure, Swallow, perched on a nearby display, commented with a chuckle.
“Hmm… that young lady seems to have taken an interest in you, Master. Not only was her face flushed, but she even called you handsome.”
“Shut it, you little pest. She probably misspoke while lost in thought.”
“Tsk, tsk… You’re quite naive, aren’t you? That young lady was here the last time too. She was observing you closely even then, and now she’s calling you handsome? Clearly, she’s interested.”
“She was here before? Even if she was, there’s no way—”
Hyunsoo was about to argue further when Yuhana returned with the requested perfumes.
“Here they are, sir! Luckily, we had one left of each.”
“Thank you. I’ll take them all.”
“All of them? Ah, I’ll assist you at the register!”
The sound of barcodes being scanned filled the air.
Hyunsoo glanced at Yuhana as she diligently worked.
‘She hadn’t dyed her hair yet. No wonder I didn’t recognize her at first.’
According to Swallow, Yuhana had been the one to assist him during his first visit to OnlyYoung.
Back then, he hadn’t realized it was her. It was only upon seeing her up close this time that he connected the dots. The reason?
Golden short hair.
Her signature look in the future was her radiant, gold-dyed bob.
But seven years ago, her hair was black and tied into a ponytail, making her harder to identify.
‘Fascinating. Who would’ve thought she worked a part-time job here?’
This was an insignificant detail absent from his previous life, yet it intrigued him. Hyunsoo glanced at her again, marveling at the coincidence.
Just then, their eyes met, creating an awkward pause at the counter.
Flustered, Yuhana broke the silence.
“A-Are these for a gift?”
“Pardon?”
“I noticed some of these perfumes are popular among women. I thought they might be for someone special?”
Though she had hastily come up with the question, it wasn’t entirely random. Many of the perfumes Hyunsoo selected were indeed favored by women.
However, just like before, her assumption was wrong.
“No, they’re for me.”
“A-All of them?”
“Yes.”
“Ah… You must be layering the scents, then! You seem quite knowledgeable about perfumes!”
In truth, Hyunsoo was simply buying them to complete a quest.
But Yuhana, misinterpreting his intentions, concluded that he was an expert in layering fragrances.
Of course…
‘Layering? What the hell is that?’
Hyunsoo had no idea what she was talking about. Still, he decided against asking.
“That’ll be 800,000 won. Would you like to split it into installments?”
“No, I’ll pay in full.”
“Payment complete. Thank you! Please visit again!”
As Hyunsoo left with a paper bag full of perfumes, he couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Hey, Swallow, do you know what layering is?”
“I’m afraid not. If it’s not in your knowledge base, I wouldn’t know either. Perhaps you should ask someone?”
“No, forget it. I’d rather let her think I’m an expert. It’s not a bad idea to leave a good impression on a future celebrity.”
If everything went according to his plan, he would eventually raid dungeons alongside Yuhana.
Or perhaps, he might even rise above her.
Smiling faintly, Hyunsoo left the store.
Fragrance Layering:
A technique of combining two or more perfumes to create a unique scent.
Though the concept was simple, mastering it was far from easy. It required a keen sense of smell and a deep understanding of how different fragrances blended.
“Ugh, my nose hurts… How long does this take?”
“Master, learning something new takes time and patience.”
Back in his studio apartment, Hyunsoo placed all ten perfumes he’d purchased on the table and began sniffing them one by one.
[Experience the Beauty of Scents (1/10)]
[Scent 1 Completed]
[Scent 2 - Remaining Time: 10 minutes]
[Scent 3 - Remaining Time: 15 minutes]
To complete the quest, he had to inhale each scent for at least 20 minutes.
This was why he hadn’t finished the quest at the store—prolonged exposure was necessary.
At first, he thought simply sampling various fragrances would suffice, but Swallow had explained the time requirement.
It wasn’t a difficult task in theory. All he had to do was spray the perfume onto a strip of paper and sniff it for 20 minutes.
But in practice, it was torture.
No matter how pleasant a scent was, smelling it continuously for that long was exhausting. His nose grew fatigued, his head throbbed, and nausea crept in.
A unique kind of suffering, distinct from battling monsters.
Yet, just as he had endured countless trials in dungeons, Hyunsoo persevered with unyielding determination. Finally:
[Experience the Beauty of Scents (10/10)]
[Secondary Beauty Quest 7 Completed]
[Reward: Charm +15]
“Finally…!”
The sweet relief of success washed over him.
Three grueling hours of effort had paid off, and the reward was substantial:
A whopping +15 Charm.
Unlike basic stats like Strength or Agility, talent stats such as Charm were notoriously hard to increase, making this a monumental boost.
[Charm has significantly increased.]
[Appearance Power +1]
[Condition Met]
[Trait: The Handsomer You Are, the Stronger You Become (S)]
[A new detailed section has been unlocked.]
As my Charm stat increased by 15, it not only boosted my Appearance Power, but also unlocked an additional detailed section within the Beauty Trait.
Curious, I opened my status window to review the newly unlocked section.
“Hmm…? What’s this?”
I tilted my head in confusion.
[Beauty Trait: The Handsomer You Are, the Stronger You Become (S)]
<Detailed Sections>
[Appearance Power: 6]
[Effect of Appearance Power: All stats +12]
One of the previously locked sections had been revealed: Scent, graded at F.
At that moment, Swallow, perched on the drying rack, adjusted his sunglasses and offered an explanation.
“Oho! Congratulations, Master. The Scent section has been unlocked. From now on, your scent will influence your grade and contribute to your Appearance Power.”
“So the locked section was Scent? Beauty sure is influenced by a lot of things. But why is it graded at F?”
“Well… You’ve gone on over ten raids and trained all day at the practice facility without showering even once, Master.”
“…….”
For a moment, I thought Swallow was making one of his cruel jokes. But this time, he wasn’t.
Immediately after his comment, the system displayed a notification:
[The Scent section has been activated.]
[Due to the strong odor of sweat, the condition of your scent is very poor.]
[Appearance Power -2.]
[Emergency Situation]
[Secondary Beauty Quest 8]
[Clean your entire body to raise your scent grade to E or higher (0/1)]
The system not only revealed why the grade was F but also provided a solution. Unfortunately, it also penalized me, reducing my hard-earned Appearance Power by 2.
“Emergency situation, my ass…! Fine, I’ll shower. Just when I thought unlocking a new section would be a good thing, it turns out to be another hassle.”
Grumbling, I headed straight for the bathroom.
Despite enduring over three hours of headache-inducing sniffing to complete the Beauty Quest, I was now being penalized for smelling bad. It was a blow to my dignity.
Still, I supposed there was a silver lining.
After stepping into the shower, washing my hair thoroughly, and scrubbing my body clean with body wash, the notifications started rolling in.
[The strong odor of sweat has been completely removed.]
[Your body now has a refreshing scent.]
[The scent grade has increased from F to E.]
[Appearance Power +3.]
[Clean your entire body to raise your scent grade to E or higher (1/1)]
[Secondary Beauty Quest 8 completed.]
[Reward: Charm +10.]
Raising the Scent grade to E had ultimately increased my Appearance Power by a net gain of +1.
On top of that, I received an additional +10 Charm as a bonus reward.
“What the…? I just took a shower, and it was this easy to complete the quest? Why did the grade rise so quickly?”
Pausing mid-motion as I dried my hair with a towel, I furrowed my brows, puzzled by the unexpectedly high reward.
Swallow chuckled, covering his beak with a wing.
“Haha! That, Master, is the power of beauty. Even minor details can weaken it, but by attending to those details, you gain immense strength.”
Perhaps this was what people meant when they said God is in the details.
Every small aspect of beauty, from cleanliness to posture, fashion, and fragrance, had a tangible effect on my Appearance Power, fluctuating like a volatile stock.
However…
‘It’s a pain to manage, but damn, this talent is seriously overpowered.’
True to its title as a Special Talent, it was undeniably superior to other talents.
The overwhelming power of the Bloom skill alone proved that, but what made it even better was how easy the quests were, allowing rewards to pile up rapidly.
The next Secondary Beauty Quest was no exception.
[Secondary Beauty Quest 9]
[Exude a scent that complements you (0/1)]
“Exude a scent that complements me?”
“You just need to spray yourself with a suitable perfume, Master. But it must be one that matches your personality and style.”
“One that matches me? They all smell good, don’t they?”
“Some are quite feminine, Master. Such scents would clash with the energy your appearance projects and actually decrease your Appearance Power.”
“Wow, this is so nitpicky… Fine, let’s go with something bold.”
Following Swallow’s advice, I chose the heaviest scent among the perfumes I had tested earlier.
I wasn’t an expert in fragrances, but I at least knew that bold, musky scents tended to convey masculinity. Considering my rough appearance, a sweet or delicate scent would only clash with my image.
After drying my hair and dressing in a shirt and slacks, I applied the chosen perfume.
[Exude a scent that complements you (1/1)]
[Secondary Beauty Quest 9 completed.]
[Reward: Strength +3, Magic +2, Charm +10.]
This reward surpassed that of the previous quest, bringing even more significant gains:
[Charm: -43]
[Your Charm has reached a certain threshold.]
[Your face becomes slightly more handsome.]
[The grade of the Face section increases from E to D.]
[Your title has been upgraded.]
[Title: ‘Ugly Swordsman’ changed to ‘Homely Swordsman.’]
Both the grade of the Face section and my title had improved.