“Wow, what the hell is this? Is it really okay to give out rewards like this?”

I couldn’t help but marvel at the messages floating in the air.

All I had done was spray myself with a single perfume, yet…

By completing the Secondary Beauty Quest, my Face section grade had improved, and even my title had changed.

The speed of these completions was on a completely different level compared to other talents.

But the advantages of the Beauty Talent weren’t just about speed.

Its effects were equally impressive.

“Haha, this is the result of your excellent choice, Master. Didn’t I tell you? Beauty is determined by the little things. Why don’t you take a look in the mirror?”

At Swallow’s suggestion, I stood in front of the full-length mirror.

“…Holy crap. I really have gotten more handsome.”

My eyes widened in disbelief. My appearance had genuinely improved.

The previously square, angular jawline had softened slightly, the stubble that once covered my chin had thinned to the point of being nearly invisible, and…

The narrow, slit-like eyes had grown slightly larger, while my once blunt nose was now a bit sharper.

Each change was subtle on its own, but when combined, the overall improvement was strikingly noticeable.

Of course, the title still deemed me "ugly," but from my perspective, the transformation was remarkable.

‘So there really is an absolute standard for beauty. I’m getting closer and closer to the look I have when I use Bloom.’

Previously, I’d thought beauty was entirely subjective, but seeing these changes, I realized an absolute standard must exist.

The very concept of "improvement" implies a baseline to measure against. Without such a standard, progress wouldn’t be possible.

And by that measure, it seemed the ultimate standard for my appearance was the version of me under the influence of Bloom.

As the grade of my Face section improved, I could see myself inching closer to that ideal.

This applied to my abilities as well.

As my Charm stat increased and I became more handsome:

[The grade of the Face section has increased from E to D.]
[Appearance Power +5.]
[Title: Homely Swordsman.]
[Effects: Appearance Power +3, Sword Damage +5%.]
[Two talents are synergizing, creating additional effects.]
[Bonus Effect: +50% experience gained from monster kills.]

The grade improvement raised my Appearance Power, and the title change added both bonus Appearance Power and an experience gain boost.

As a result:

[The Handsomer You Are, the Stronger You Become (S)]
[Appearance Power: 14.]
[Effect of Appearance Power: All stats +28.]

My Appearance Power had reached 14, granting the equivalent of a 28-level stat increase.

And then:

[Condition Met.]
[Charm has surpassed -50.]
[The Absolute Beauty Quest has been unlocked.]
[Absolute Beauty Quest 2.]
[Maintain Appearance Power of 10 or higher and defeat a boss monster of level 100 or above (0/1).]

The Absolute Beauty Quest, previously unavailable due to my low Charm, was now open.

Looking at my reflection and the notifications, I muttered as I held the perfume bottle in my hand.

“This perfume sure is effective.”

“It’s not just the perfume, Master. You cleaned yourself thoroughly, selected a fragrance that suited you, and applied it appropriately. Had you overused it or allowed sweat to mix in, your Appearance Power would have dropped instead.”

“So, sweat lowers Appearance Power… In other words, to complete the second Absolute Beauty Quest, I need to control my sweat, too?”

“Not just sweat, Master. You’ll also need to mind your facial injuries and attire. If your shirt or pants tear during battle or the perfume’s scent fades, your Appearance Power will decrease immediately.”

“What a pain. Basically, the quest is telling me to defeat a level 100 boss monster without taking any damage or sweating.”

Unlocking the Absolute Beauty Quest through perfume and growth was great, but the difficulty was no joke.

At my current level of 57, even with the 28-level boost from Appearance Power, I was still far from reaching level 100.

Boss monsters, being significantly stronger than regular monsters, typically required a minimum level of 110 to defeat solo.

That said, the task wasn’t entirely hopeless.

“It’s not impossible, is it? Master, with your skills, raising your level by about 20 should be enough to complete it.”

Swallow had a point. Thanks to resources like Appearance Power, Bloom, and Stomp, I could likely manage with a 20-level gap.

However…

“I can do it, but I need to save time. I also need to acquire the hidden pieces that Seo Jieun and Choi Taehun used to develop their talents.”

Waiting until I gained 20 more levels wasn’t an option.

Aside from developing the Beauty Talent, I had a mountain of other tasks to complete.

Many of Seo Jieun and Choi Taehun’s hidden pieces, like the Trust Bracelet, were located in standard dungeons, so I had to reach them as quickly as possible.

Even though I’d regressed, the timeline had already diverged, meaning someone else could discover those pieces if I delayed.

Additionally, since I needed to claim these pieces solo—without Seo Jieun or Choi Taehun’s help—I had to grow even stronger than I had been in my past life.

“Phew. No choice, then. Since the difficulty has increased, I’ll just have to raise my combat power to match.”

Having made my decision, I pulled a duffel bag from my closet and began packing.

Seeing this, Swallow adjusted his sunglasses with interest.

“Oho… Do you have a plan, Master?”

Apparently, the memory of my hidden skills hadn’t been included in Swallow’s knowledge base.

After stuffing the bag with perfumes and towels, I smirked.

“Of course I do. Just watch and prepare to be amazed.”

Grinning, I slung the bag over my shoulder and headed toward the Hunter Training Facility.

***

"We’ve arrived, Miss."

"Thank you for your hard work."

In the underground parking lot of the Yangjae Station Hunter Training Facility, Jin Seoyun stepped out of a luxurious car and headed toward the elevator, led by her personal secretary.

It looked like any other day for her—a visit to the training facility for practice.

But…

"Are you sure you’re all right, Miss? Today’s commute was rather long, so you must be tired."

The middle-aged secretary gave Jin Seoyun a worried look.

The reason for his concern was simple.

Lately, Jin Seoyun had been visiting the Yangjae Station facility daily to train, often right after finishing dungeon raids. Given the long commute, it seemed inevitable that fatigue would catch up to her.

There were other training facilities across Seoul, so her insistence on coming to Yangjae Station puzzled him.

Still, as her secretary, he had no choice but to follow her wishes. Jin Seoyun had specifically chosen this location, and her word was final.

"It’s fine. This much is nothing for me."

"How curious. You’re someone who usually begrudges even the time spent eating, yet you tolerate a two-hour round trip for this place. You must really like this training facility."

"Well… I just like how clean it is. And since I’ve been coming here often, fewer people seem surprised to see me."

Caught by the secretary’s curious gaze, Jin Seoyun hurriedly came up with an excuse.

Even she couldn’t fully explain why she insisted on coming here.

Or rather, she could, but admitting the truth was difficult.

Her body, however, was honest.

As soon as she entered the training facility…

‘He’s here…!’

In the corner where the scarecrow targets stood, she spotted the Homely Swordsman standing silently.

Jin Seoyun’s attention was immediately drawn to the man in the corner of the general training area.

"So focused that she failed to notice the greetings of nearby hunters."

"Hello, Jin Seoyun Hunter! You’re here again today!"

"Good luck with your training, ma’am!"

Despite the friendly greetings from hunters near the entrance, Jin Seoyun didn’t register them.

After a moment, she turned to her secretary.

"Oh, by the way, could you grab the water from the car? I forgot about it."

"Understood, Miss."

Once her secretary was out of sight, Jin Seoyun made her way into the general training area.

Normally, she would have gone straight to the private training rooms she reserved in advance. But today was different.

Having waited two days to see him again, her curiosity had reached its peak.

"Wow, so this is what the general training area looks like…," she murmured, feigning nonchalance as she slowly approached the man standing before the scarecrow target.

However, something felt off.

‘Huh? Where’s this pleasant scent coming from…?’

The training facility was usually filled with the pungent odor of sweat. But as she got closer to the scarecrow and the man standing before it, a sweet fragrance seemed to linger in the air.

And that wasn’t all.

‘What’s going on…? He’s just standing there today.’

The last time she saw him, he had been relentlessly striking the scarecrow. But now, he was completely still, holding a wooden sword in both hands and staring intently at the target.

He was so motionless that he could have been mistaken for a mannequin.

Unable to suppress her curiosity any longer, Jin Seoyun stepped forward.

"Um, excuse me…"

But just as she opened her mouth, her secretary returned, holding a bottle of water.

"Miss, here’s the water. Shall we head to the private training room?"

"Ah, y-yes. Let’s do that."

Caught off guard, Jin Seoyun glanced at the man one last time before turning away.

As she walked past him, she couldn’t help but notice something peculiar about his face.

‘Wait… Was he always like this?’

Though he still bore a gorilla-like appearance and was undeniably unattractive, his features seemed noticeably cleaner and sharper than they had a few days ago.

Feeling a strange ripple in her chest, Jin Seoyun hastily retreated to the private training room.

Hours later, after nearly three hours of striking a sandbag with her shield, Jin Seoyun emerged, resolute.

‘I’ll ask him next time. I’ll definitely ask him.’

However, upon returning to the general training area, she was met with disappointment.

‘No way… He’s gone?’

The corner where the man had stood was now empty.

The general training area had grown busier with more hunters arriving for evening practice, but the man was nowhere to be seen.

After waiting so long and failing to speak to him, Jin Seoyun bit her lip in frustration before stepping forward.

"Miss…?"

"Go wait in the car. I’ll join you soon."

Though her secretary gave her a puzzled look, he didn’t try to stop her.

Determined, Jin Seoyun walked deeper into the general training area.

One of the nearby hunters, noticing her presence, approached her with excitement.

"Wow, Jin Seoyun Hunter! I’m a huge fan! Are you here to train?"

"Ah, yes."

"You’re amazing! It’s inspiring to see how hard you work. By the way, you might want to avoid the corner. The staff cleared it out, but there’s still debris on the ground. You could hurt yourself."

"Debris?"

Jin Seoyun tilted her head in confusion, but before she could ask further, another hunter chimed in while punching a sandbag.

"Ah, you probably didn’t see it. Earlier, a hunter destroyed one of the scarecrows. He wasn’t anyone famous, but it seems the scarecrow was defective."

"Yeah, no way a scarecrow would break so easily unless it was defective."

"……?"

Their words were true.

As Jin Seoyun ventured closer to the corner, she spotted fragments of the scarecrow scattered across the floor—its head and body split into pieces.

But her curiosity only deepened.

‘To slice a training scarecrow into pieces like this… You’d need to be at least level 300.’

If the other hunters were to be believed, the man in the corner possessed skills far beyond her own level of 180.