“Haah…!”

Slash!

Amidst the dense, towering jungle, I spun my body and swung my old longsword horizontally.

Behind me—

“Kreeek…!”

[Lv 110. You have defeated a Venomous Caterpillar.]
[You gained experience points.]

Green blood spattered as the giant caterpillar collapsed to the ground.

“Ah, incredible! Truly remarkable, Master! I thought the level difference might make it difficult, but you handled it with ease!”

Swallow, flapping his wings as he hovered nearby, voiced his admiration.

I steadied my ragged breathing and glared at him.

“What’s with you? Weren’t you supposed to be snarking as usual? Why the sudden praise?”

“Snark? I merely provide information based on facts, Master. Emotions do not improve outcomes, so I aim to minimize them. Right now, I am simply acknowledging that you’ve dispelled previous concerns with your performance. Truly, when you say you can do something, it’s no empty boast.”

“Of course not. I don’t waste words. Ha, finally, you’re starting to recognize my greatness.”

I flicked the green blood off my sword and smirked at his words of praise.

After finishing my training at the Hunter Training Facility, I had ventured into the D-grade Venomous Insect Dungeon near Daechi Station to take down a boss monster above level 100.

The dungeon mobs were around level 110, while the boss monster hovered at level 125.

Considering my current level of 57, entering alone was a suicidal move.

Though my stats—enhanced by Appearance Power—put me on par with a level 100 hunter, clearing a dungeon with such a vast level disparity was theoretically impossible.

Strategically, I should have chosen an E-grade dungeon where mobs were around level 90 and the boss barely crossed level 100.

Even Swallow, armed with dungeon intel, had recommended a less challenging option due to the large number of monsters and the level gap in this dungeon.

But I had stuck to my decision, and now I’d proven myself right.

Upon entering the dungeon, I used the hidden swordsmanship skill Stomp, paralyzing the massive caterpillars over 2 meters long and dispatching them with ease.

The process was so smooth that I hadn’t sustained any injuries or even broken a sweat, keeping my Appearance Power intact.

It was overwhelming skill, pure and simple.

Still, it wasn’t the perfect solution.

“Stomp really is broken. But Master, if I may ask, why aren’t you using your second hidden skill? It seems like it would make this even easier.”

Swallow was right.

[Second Hidden Condition Fulfilled.]
[Remain motionless with a sword for 12 hours (12/12).]
[You have unlocked the second hidden swordsmanship skill.]

I had unlocked the second hidden skill through sheer endurance during training at the Hunter Facility. If I used it, defeating these monsters would be a breeze.

However—

“No can do. Overusing it could cause me to fail the Absolute Beauty Quest.”

I shook my head.

Unlike Stomp, the second hidden skill was far more intense, causing significant perspiration.

When I tested it during training, it made me sweat so much that my Appearance Power temporarily dropped by 1. Using it repeatedly here would jeopardize the quest entirely.

And then—

“Kreek… Kreeek!”

[Lv 110. Venomous Caterpillar.]
[Lv 110. Venomous Caterpillar.]

“Monsters like those are manageable with just one skill.”

A swarm of caterpillars—close to ten—emerged from the dense jungle, surrounding me.

Boom!

[Activation: Stomp (C).]

As I crouched and stomped the ground, a powerful shockwave rippled outward, paralyzing the creatures where they stood.

The rest was easy.

Swinging my old longsword repeatedly, I cut through the immobilized monsters.

[Lv 110. You have defeated a Venomous Caterpillar.]
[You gained experience points.]

They fell without offering any meaningful resistance.

With just one hidden skill, I overcame both the level gap and their numerical advantage.

Of course, Stomp wasn’t a universal solution.

After finishing off the caterpillars, I ventured deeper into the jungle, only to encounter a new challenge.

“Chirrr… Chirrr!”

“Chi-chirrr…!”

[Lv 115. Explosive Dragonfly.]
[Lv 114. Explosive Dragonfly.]
[Lv 115. Explosive Dragonfly.]

This time, giant flying insect monsters—higher in level than the caterpillars—swooped down toward me.

These were a different story.

Stomp only worked on grounded creatures. Against airborne monsters, it could momentarily slow them, but it wouldn’t paralyze them.

“Ah, airborne monsters! Now’s the time to use that skill, Master!”

Swallow flapped his wings furiously, urging me to deploy the second hidden skill.

But instead of following his advice, I sheathed my sword into my inventory.

Swallow tilted his head in confusion.

“Master…? What are you planning? Surely you have a method?”

“What do you think…?”

I turned away from the incoming dragonflies.

“I’m running!”

Whoosh!

With a powerful kick off the ground, I bolted through the jungle.

Trees blurred past as Swallow chased after me, shouting.

“Master, don’t tell me you’re looking for a bathroom again!”

“Bathroom, my ass! Swallow, lure every last one of those dragonflies here!”

“Excuse me? You want me to bring all the dragonflies together? That’ll cause a massive explosion!”

Explosive Dragonflies lived up to their name. When struck, they detonated violently. The more of them there were, the greater the combined destruction. Swallow’s concern was understandable.

But this wasn’t an ordinary situation, and it didn’t apply to me.

“Didn’t you say you have all my memories? How’d you miss this part? There’s no time to explain—just do it!”

“Hmm, I don’t seem to have any recollection of this, but… Understood, Master! I shall comply!”

Swallow turned and flew deep into the jungle.

Meanwhile, I kept running.

“Where is it? It should be around here somewhere.”

“Chirr! Chirrrr!”

The dragonflies buzzed furiously behind me as I sprinted, the swarm growing larger.

If my memory served me right, the location wasn’t far.

After about five minutes of running—

‘There it is…!’

I spotted the landmark: two towering, sword-like rocks in the middle of the jungle.

This was the battleground where I had fought alongside Seo Jieun and Choi Taehun in my past life.

I rushed toward the rocks and took cover beneath them.

At that moment—

“I’ve brought them, Master!”

“Chirr! Chirr!”

“Chirr, chirr, chirrrrrk!!”

Swallow completed his mission and returned, parting through the dense foliage with his sunglasses glinting. Trailing behind him were dozens of Explosive Dragonflies, easily numbering over fifty.

“Alright, time to get started. Leave the rest to me—fly up and keep your distance!”

“As you command, Master!”

I smirked at the swarm of giant dragonflies converging on me like flies to honey and gave Swallow the order to retreat.

Then—

Boom!

I activated Stomp, unleashing a powerful shockwave across the ground.

Of course—

“Chirr…!”
“Chirrrrk!!”

The Explosive Dragonflies were only mildly affected.

Since Stomp relied on solid mediums like the earth to propagate its force, its effect weakened against airborne targets.

However, it wasn’t completely ineffective.

For a brief three seconds, the swarm of dragonflies froze mid-air, and that was all the time I needed.

‘A larger swarm than I expected… but even better.’

I pulled my old longsword from my inventory, crouched low, and assumed a ready stance.

As soon as the dragonflies broke free of Stomp’s influence and charged toward me again—

“Huuup…!!”

I unleashed all the energy stored within me, activating the second hidden swordsmanship skill.

“Chirrrrrrrk!!”

The swarm of dragonflies rushed toward me, their wings beating furiously.

But not a single one managed to touch me.

[Activation: Frenzied Slash (B)]

From my worn longsword, sharp waves of energy radiated outward in a dome-like shape, slashing indiscriminately in every direction.

Shwoooosh!
Shhhhkkk-shhhhhkkk-shkk!

The rapid, violent currents of sword energy shredded through the Explosive Dragonflies, turning them into confetti.

[Lv 115. You have defeated an Explosive Dragonfly.]
[Lv 115. You have defeated an Explosive Dragonfly.]

The giant dragonflies, which had charged at me with their sharp mandibles ready to bite, were sliced apart like scarecrows.

And then—

BOOOOOM!!!

“Guhhh!!”

A massive explosion followed.

The powerful impact ignited the toxins within the dragonflies’ bodies, creating a devastating blaze that engulfed the jungle.

The fiery blast was so intense that it extended beyond my line of sight, consuming the forest around me.

“Master…!!”

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

The explosion was so overwhelming that Swallow’s voice was drowned out, and the ground beneath me gave way, sending me tumbling downwards.

I fell, colliding with rocks and dirt before landing at the bottom of a dark cavern.

‘Ugh… Even with preparations, this dizziness is no joke.’

The underground space was dim and cavernous, hidden beneath the jungle.

Despite the violent explosion and my fall, I emerged relatively unscathed.

The reason was simple:

[Activation: Armor of Trust (A)]

At the moment of the explosion, I had activated the Trust Bracelet’s defensive skill, enveloping my body in protective mana.

However—

[The hem of your pants is slightly torn.]
[Your outfit no longer matches your aesthetic.]
[Appearance Power -1.]
[You have sweated excessively.]
[A faint unpleasant odor is present.]
[Appearance Power -1.]

[Appearance Power: 12.]
[Effect of Appearance Power: All stats +24.]

My Appearance Power had inevitably dropped.

The intense movement and the explosion had caused me to sweat, and the hem of my pants had been slightly torn.

‘…Guess I’ll have to start carrying spare clothes.’

Even with the Armor of Trust and minimal movement, my Appearance Power had still taken a hit. The loss was equivalent to the boost of four entire levels.

Still, there was no need to dwell on it.

The fact that I’d made it this far meant that I was about to gain something far more powerful—enough to make up for the lost stats.

“Good, it’s still here.”

I turned toward the faintly glowing space at the far end of the underground cavern.

There, atop a tall pedestal, floated the unmistakable glow of a hidden piece.