The changed appearance, the transformed life.
Since gaining the Beauty Talent, Kang Hyunsoo's life had improved significantly compared to before his regression.
He had severed toxic ties that once exploited his goodwill and had successfully brought Babylon to its knees.
The sneers and ridicule that once surrounded him had now transformed into looks of admiration and respect.
However, Hyunsoo didn’t believe that his handsome face alone had brought him direct benefits. While his Beauty Talent had altered many situations, much like his Swordsmanship Talent, ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) it felt more like a reward for his hard work rather than an inherent advantage.
That was until now.
In this particular Swordsmanship Training Dungeon, the effect of his appearance became unmistakable.
At first, the Gigantes came charging at him like an unstoppable force. But when he activated Charm, the towering monsters seemed to turn into willing instructors, offering to teach him.
Though verbal communication was impossible, their exaggerated gestures and body language conveyed their intent to guide him.
Following their movements, Hyunsoo began mimicking their sword techniques.
And then, suddenly—
Shwish, shwish! Swoooosh!
The sound of his sword slicing through the air began to change, and a faint white aura gradually formed along the blade's trajectory.
It was as if the Gigantes' earnest demonstrations and Hyunsoo's Swordsmanship Talent had synergized, accelerating his mastery.
"Could it be that they were always this generous with their teaching, and I just misinterpreted?"
The thought briefly crossed his mind, but it didn’t hold up.
After about five minutes, the Gigantes seemed to snap out of the Charm effect, quickly reverting to their hostile state and launching coordinated attacks.
To counter this, Hyunsoo repeatedly reactivated Charm, calming the Gigantes and resuming their impromptu lessons.
As a result:
[You have acquired a lost mythical swordsmanship technique.]
[Swordsmanship Skill: Colossal Slash (SSS) acquired.]
After mastering the skill, Hyunsoo turned to test his strength.
[You have defeated a Gigantes.]
[...]
[You have defeated a Gigantes.]
[Experience gained.]
[Level Up!]
[Reward: All stats +1.]
Leveling up during the process felt like an added bonus.
Clap, clap, clap!
"Master, you’re finally starting to live up to that pretty face of yours!" Swallow teased, his voice dripping with mock admiration.
"Enchanting even monsters? If it were anyone else, I’d laugh it off as impossible, but since it’s you, Hunter Kang Hyunsoo, I suppose it makes sense," chimed in Choi Jiwoo with a small smile.
Feeling inexplicably bashful, Hyunsoo scratched his cheek before turning to Jiwoo.
"Thank you for the kind words. By the way, Hunter Jiwoo, what brings you here?"
He hadn’t called for her, and her visit was entirely unanticipated.
Jiwoo clapped her hands as if she’d just remembered something.
"Ah, I forgot to mention! First, congratulations on winning the Swordsmanship Tournament. The main reason I’m here is for your rank reassessment."
"Rank reassessment, huh..." Hyunsoo nodded. "It’s definitely necessary. It’s not like I can hide it any longer, anyway."
"Exactly," Jiwoo agreed. "It doesn’t make sense for someone who defeated Kyle to be categorized as mid-to-upper tier. We’re at the point where people could file a formal information request if we keep holding back."
Hyunsoo had expected this outcome when he decided to participate in the tournament.
After all, as he grew more active, his reputation would inevitably attract attention.
And fame could work to his advantage during future raids.
"When should I come in for the reassessment?" he asked.
"Oh, you don’t need to visit in person," Jiwoo replied with a casual wave.
"Not in person?" Hyunsoo glanced at Swallow, who looked equally puzzled.
Jiwoo quickly clarified.
"You’ve already undergone one reassessment. We’ve agreed to update only your level and stat information this time. The rank adjustment will focus on those details."
"That’s fine, then," Hyunsoo said, relieved.
Jiwoo’s tone shifted as she handed her phone to Hyunsoo.
"By the way, you might want to take a look at this. Just... don’t be too shocked."
Hyunsoo raised an eyebrow at her ominous warning.
The screen displayed an image with the caption:
<‘Hunter Kang Hyunsoo’s Old Face’>
└ Wow... what’s with this busted face?
└ Is this really Kang Hyunsoo? A namesake, maybe?
└ Did he get plastic surgery? The difference is insane!
└ Even surgery wouldn’t fix that. His skill clearly transforms his appearance.
It was his old Hunter License ID photo that had somehow made its way online.
The comment section was a storm of mockery and disbelief.
Jiwoo hesitated, clearly uncomfortable.
"The photo surfaced on an overseas server, making it difficult to take down. We’re investigating the source, but it’s been tricky to manage."
"Got it," Hyunsoo replied, his voice calm despite the situation.
"The public sentiment has shifted quite a bit, hasn’t it?"
Yesterday, the comments had been filled with national pride and admiration.
Now, they were overwhelmed with scorn and ridicule.
└ Who cares if it’s surgery? If you’re jealous, go get it yourself.
└ Skill matters more than looks. Honestly, who cares about his face? As long as he’s handsome now, it’s fine.
A few supportive comments tried to fight back but were quickly buried under backlash.
"This is just a hunch, but I think there’s an organized group deliberately spreading hate."
Her suspicions struck a chord with Hyunsoo, who couldn’t shake the feeling that this was only the beginning.
"An organization?"
"Yes. I don’t even know where they got this photo, but it’s been uploaded simultaneously on multiple sites, almost like it was coordinated. There’s an unusually high number of people deliberately steering the comments in a negative direction. Interestingly, the offline reactions I’ve observed suggest that most people aren’t paying much attention to this at all. It feels like there’s... an organized group intentionally shaping this narrative."
Choi Jiwoo’s expression grew serious.
It seemed she had solid reasoning behind her conclusion, though the same could be said for Hyunsoo’s side.
Despite the negative public sentiment stirred by his old photo going viral online, Hyunsoo showed no signs of panic.
— Master, it’s just as Hayuri predicted. It seems the real overtime match is about to begin.
He nodded, his demeanor calm, as though he had anticipated it all along.
That composure carried through into his response.
"You don’t need to worry about it, Hunter Jiwoo," Hyunsoo said.
"Really? Are you sure?"
Hyunsoo returned the phone to Jiwoo and lifted one corner of his mouth in a faint smirk.
"I expected this, and it’ll be resolved soon enough."
***
“How do you like my guild’s handiwork?”
In a nine-seater van parked in the underground garage, Iron reclined his seat, glancing at his phone with a smug expression.
Kyle, sitting beside him, shook his head in exasperation.
“Still the same, I see. I thought all that noise had died down after we formed an alliance, but I guess not.”
“Why would I stop? It’s the source of my power,” Iron replied, raising one corner of his mouth in a sly grin.
At the edge of Iron’s vision, a familiar set of details appeared.
[Special Talent: Wrath]
[Wrath Trait: Aggro (SS) – When receiving anger from others, the power of Wrath charges.]
[Current Wrath Charge: 95%]
“Ah, as expected of someone globally famous. The power’s filling up fast,” Iron murmured, his grin widening.
After acquiring Kang Hyunsoo’s old photo, Iron had passed it to his guild’s operations team, instructing them to spread it online.
The goal was simple: create as much chaos as possible.
Iron’s Aggro trait allowed him to maintain contracts with up to 100 individuals, funneling their accumulated anger and frustration into his own power reserves.
Whether online or offline, as long as those contracted with him received hate or provoked others, the energy of Wrath would charge.
The online chaos—the trolling and inflammatory posts—was the very foundation of Iron’s strength. While not every disruption was orchestrated by him directly, the majority stemmed from his team’s deliberate efforts.
This time, too, the plan worked perfectly.
Supporters of Kang Hyunsoo clashed with his detractors.
No matter the argument, both sides escalated their rhetoric with increasingly extreme posts and comments, provoking anger across the board.
Thanks to this, Iron’s Wrath, which rarely exceeded 30%, had now surged to an unprecedented 95%.
This content is taken from freёwebnovel.com.
Watching the charge meter climb, Iron smirked and placed a hand on Kyle’s shoulder.
At that moment—
【Activation】
[Wrath Skill: Wrath Transference (S) – Temporarily transfers the power of Wrath to a touched target.]
A crimson energy radiated from Iron’s palm, coursing through Kyle’s shoulder and into his body.
[Current Wrath Charge: 45%]
Half of Iron’s stored Wrath had been transferred to Kyle.
Kyle trembled as the immense energy coursed through him, his entire body surging with strength.
Iron, observing his reaction, finally spoke.
“Everything’s set up exactly the way you wanted. But... are you sure about this? The backlash might be far worse than you expect.”
“If I was afraid of consequences, I wouldn’t have climbed this far,” Kyle replied, his voice steady and resolute.
“Even if it’s just a skirmish, after seeing Kang Hyunsoo’s power, I can’t ignore it. The sword manual is secondary. What matters is stopping him from completing the Sin.”
Iron’s cautious warning didn’t deter Kyle in the slightest.
And then—
A mechanical hum echoed through the underground garage.
The entrance in front of them slid open, revealing the figure they’d been waiting for.
Even with a cap partially obscuring his face, Kang Hyunsoo’s stunning appearance couldn’t be hidden.
“Alright, let’s get started,” Kyle said, his grin widening with anticipation.
“Hah, there’s no turning back now,” Iron muttered, shaking his head as though resigned to the situation.
Meanwhile, across the garage—
“Oh, heading out for a drive, Master?” Swallow’s playful voice broke the silence.
“Yeah, I need to eat something. All that swordsmanship training made me lose too much weight,” Hyunsoo replied nonchalantly, making his way toward a parked car.
He moved to open the car door when—
Swoooosh!
A razor-sharp wave of sword energy surged toward Hyunsoo’s back.