My vision was filled with an endless stream of notifications.
‘What is all this...?’
The first thing that caught my eye was something familiar.
After defeating the dungeon boss, the Skeletal Emperor, the usual system messages appeared.
[You have entered a B-rank dungeon.]
[You have defeated the boss monster of the B-rank dungeon.]
[Clear the dungeon by defeating the boss monster (1/1).]
[A portal to escape the dungeon has been created.]
As expected, the system recognized my success, and an escape portal formed. Standard procedure.
Following that were the rewards for my swordsmanship quest.
[Swordsmanship Quest 19]
Defeat a boss monster of Level 300 or higher (1/1).
[Rewards]
What truly mattered, however, was the outcome of the Absolute Beauty Quest.
[Absolute Beauty Quest 7]
Clear a B-rank or higher dungeon solo without taking a single hit (1/1).
Fortunately, it was marked as completed.
I had been worried that I might have grazed the Skeletal Emperor’s blade during our final clash, but I had defeated him before that could happen.
The rewards soon followed.
[Rewards]
Upgraded skin detoxification features and doubled basic speed bonuses from 5% to 10% thanks to the enhanced Body Frame.
With this, all my goals for the dungeon had been achieved.
Yet the most shocking revelation was still to come, appearing at the very end of the notifications.
[Explosion of Coolness!]
You demonstrated seamless swordsmanship combinations that surpassed your limits.
[Coolness Score: 100 points.]
[Achieve a Coolness Score of 100 points by surpassing your talent's limits (100/100).]
[You have completed Hidden Coolness Quest 2.]
[Rewards]
This was an entirely unexpected reward.
While the system didn’t reveal specific grading criteria, it seemed that perfectly chaining together high-level skills at my relatively low level had earned me full marks.
It was no easy feat.
Sky Splitter, Skyward Blade, Solar Flare: Black Sun Explosion—executed in sequence.
Each of these skills was so demanding that I felt utterly drained after using just one. Their ranks were far higher than what I could comfortably handle at my current level.
If not for the stat boosts from my Beauty Talent and the Sword Emperor’s knowledge from my past life, I wouldn’t have been able to attempt it.
The system’s recognition of my performance with a perfect score underscored just how difficult the feat was.
One misstep, and I might have ended up in a situation similar to my earlier battle with Ji Wonhoon. But this time, I had succeeded, and the rewards were sweeter than I could have imagined.
‘This is incredible!’
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Clenching my fist, I couldn’t help but celebrate internally.
Not only was I thrilled to have earned the system’s acknowledgment, but the stat increase was also staggering.
+50 to all talent stats.
This wasn’t just a simple numeric boost.
The increase itself was substantial, but talent stats also triggered special events upon reaching certain thresholds.
For instance, my Swordsmanship Proficiency now surpassed 150.
[Swordsmanship Proficiency has exceeded 150.]
[Condition met.]
[Swordsmanship Title Advancement Quest unlocked.]
[Swordsmanship Family Title Quest]
Legacy of a Swordsmanship Family
Titles within the Swordsmanship talent tree progress as follows:
Swordsman → Swordmaster → Sword Adept → Sword Ghost → Sword King → Sword Emperor.
Advancement to Swordmaster happens automatically with sufficient proficiency, but advancing beyond that requires completing specific quests.
Currently, my title was Swordmaster.
In my previous life, I hadn’t attempted the Sword Adept Title Quest until I was nearly Level 300.
But this time was different.
Thanks to the Beauty Talent and Hidden Quests, I had cleared swordsmanship quests and gained rewards far earlier than before, enabling me to break past 150 proficiency much sooner.
And that wasn’t all.
[Charm has surpassed 100.]
[Condition met.]
[Trait: Skin upgraded from D-rank to C-rank.]
With my Charm stat surpassing 100, several sub-traits under [Handsomeness Makes You Stronger] had been upgraded.
[Beauty Trait: Handsomeness Makes You Stronger (S)]
Sub-traits:
The sheer numerical gains were staggering, but the real impact was the significant external advantages I had accrued through this dungeon run.
The rewards had not only brightened my skin tone and eliminated body odor, but they also reduced penalties related to poor fashion and excessive sweating.
After confirming all the rewards, my jaw dropped.
“Wow... these rewards are incredible.”
Swallow, too, was awestruck.
“They truly are. This is all thanks to your exceptional swordsmanship, Master. You were absolutely stunning out there.”
“What’s gotten into you? Handing out compliments now?”
“What do you mean? I always speak the truth. These rewards are entirely your achievement, the culmination of your efforts from your previous life as well.”
Though a bit embarrassed, I had to admit it was true.
Unlike my past life, everything I had achieved now stemmed from the relentless dedication that had propelled me to the rank of Sword Emperor.
Acknowledging this wasn’t just about pride; too much humility could hinder growth. Eventually, I nodded.
“Well, you’re not wrong.”
“Of course not. But hearing you admit it so easily... that’s a bit obnoxious.”
“What did you say?”
“Nothing, Master. Please ignore me. By the way, are you planning to attempt the Sword Adept Title Quest right away? If I recall correctly, your current stats might make it challenging.”
“I’m still deciding.”
The Sword Adept Title Quest was available, but I wasn’t sure if I should attempt it immediately.
It wasn’t dangerous in the usual sense.
Swordsmanship title quests like this one take place in virtual dungeons, where injuries—even losing limbs—don’t affect reality. After the quest ends, everything resets.
However, the downside lay elsewhere.
[Sword Adept Title Quest]
Legacy of a Swordsmanship Family
Although the system provides a dedicated recovery quest to regain lost stats, completing it takes a significant amount of time. Moreover, repeated failures exponentially increase the time required for recovery.
This made caution essential when attempting title advancements.
In my previous life, I had received the Sword Adept Title Quest before reaching Level 300, but I hadn’t attempted it until I surpassed Level 350.
Still, my chances this time weren’t slim.
With my Appearance Power bringing my stats closer to my past life’s level, plus exclusive hidden pieces and newly unlocked skills, I had more options at my disposal.
There was one issue, though.
“I think I need at least one more rare-grade sword to attempt this...”
The second weapon in my arsenal was a concern.
While my Flame Sword was of hero-grade and more than adequate, I was alternating between Choi Taehun’s sword and Seo Jieun’s sword, both of which were advanced-grade at best.
To bridge the level gap and handle Sword Adept-level skills, I needed at least two rare-grade weapons.
As I mulled over this, Swallow interrupted.
“Hm... Should I check for anything useful nearby? Oh, Master! There’s an item dropped by the boss monster here!”
His announcement was a welcome surprise.
Amid the debris where the Skeletal Emperor had fallen, a glimmer of a sword peeked out from the junk loot.
I rushed over and picked it up.
[Fallen Emperor’s Command Sword]
I couldn’t help but laugh.
The golden-bladed sword exuded a luxurious aura.
“What’s so amusing, Master?”
“This sword... it has an insanely low drop rate.”
“How low? Hm, I don’t recall it being in my database. It must be quite obscure.”
“Exactly. I’ve only ever heard of it but never seen it before now.”
The Command Sword from the Emperor’s Tomb boasted top-tier performance among rare-grade weapons. Its drop ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) rate was so abysmal that one might only see it once a year, if that.
I hadn’t even bothered checking for loot earlier, convinced the odds were against me. But luck had clearly smiled on me.
“With this, there’s no reason to hold back.”
“Oh? You’re attempting the quest, then?”
“You know the saying—strike while the iron’s hot. When luck’s on your side, you go all in.”
In a situation where I needed to grow stronger as quickly as possible, the missing piece had fallen into place. There was no reason to delay.
[You have chosen to attempt the Sword Adept Title Quest.]
[A virtual dungeon is being created.]
Whooosh!
A white portal materialized as I confirmed my selection. Without hesitation, I stepped through.
[The Sword Adept Title Quest begins.]
[Prepare for battle.]
The dim cavern transformed into a training ground as sharp killing intent filled the air.
Sshhhk! Sshhhk! Sshhhhk!
Blades of pure energy rained down from every direction, heralding the start of the trial.