‘W-What? It’s cleared already...?’
An abrupt completion and an unexpected reward.
Kang Hyunsoo stared wide-eyed at the messages floating in the air.
It was absurd.
He hadn’t even properly worn the coat, just draped it over his shoulders, and yet the quest was marked as cleared.
The most baffling part, however, was...
“......”
Yuhana hadn’t even voiced any praise.
She simply covered her mouth with her hand and stared at Hyunsoo with equally wide eyes. Yet, the quest condition—receiving praise from a woman—was fulfilled.
The reason became clear soon enough.
When someone is truly shocked, they may not be able to express it in words. Truly... the saying "clothes make the man" fits here. You look much more handsome than before, Master!
It turned out that praise didn’t necessarily have to be verbal or written.
Though it was slightly perplexing, it wasn’t entirely unreasonable.
After Swallow’s explanation, Yuhana’s reaction changed dramatically.
“W-Wow! You look amazing, oppa! Like, really, really good!”
Her reaction was so genuine that the word “praise” came to mind effortlessly.
With that level of sincerity, it made sense that the quest was cleared.
Still...
‘This much, really?’
Hyunsoo eyed the coat from Lazy Baek Jinnam’s new brand with a skeptical expression.
Achieving a total score of 10 was fortunate, but he couldn’t help but question if it was worth that much praise.
The material was better than cheap brands, but the design was fairly simple. The only notable details were the white stitching along the collar and the seamless finish on the shoulders.
To someone like Hyunsoo, who had no eye for fashion, these distinctions were hard to grasp.
‘Well, whatever, it’s cleared.’
He wasn’t one to nitpick when things worked out in his favor.
Despite his harsh judgment of Baek Jinnam’s reputation, Hyunsoo figured it was fine as long as the auxiliary beauty quest was completed.
Then he turned to Yuhana.
“Thank you, Yuhana. Thanks to you, I found a coat that suits me. The material’s sturdy enough to wear during raids, too.”
“Really? I’m so glad I could help! Hehe! Should I pick out some other clothes for you, too?”
“That would be great. I’ll treat you to a nice meal later.”
“Really?! I’ll find some combinations that’ll look perfect on you!”
Hyunsoo, always pragmatic, wasn’t one to refuse help when it benefited him.
Especially now, when simply wearing clothes could make him stronger and earn him praise from women.
Oh... Are you planning to sweep up Lazy Baek Jinnam’s collection, Master?
‘Yep. The overall scores are higher than other brands, and they boost my Appearance Power significantly. Plus, there’s something I want to check.’
After sending Yuhana off to play the role of stylist, Hyunsoo turned his attention to the rewards he had just received.
First on the list was the S-rank beauty trait, Multiform Wardrobe.
[Beauty Trait: Multiform Wardrobe (S)]
Provides 10 mini-inventories. Each inventory contains a mannequin modeled after the user’s physique, which can be dressed with outfits.
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[Multiform Wardrobe 1]
[Multiform Wardrobe 2]
[...]
[Multiform Wardrobe 10]
“This... feels like character skins in a game.”
While the term was unfamiliar, the concept reminded Hyunsoo of something he had seen in games.
When he clicked on the wardrobe, a grid appeared for storing items. Beside it stood a dark, mannequin-like figure representing Hyunsoo’s shape.
He placed Lazy Baek Jinnam’s coat into Multiform Wardrobe 1 and double-clicked.
[Character 1 is now wearing the coat.]
The mannequin in the first wardrobe donned the coat. Though it was entirely black and featureless, its silhouette clearly resembled Hyunsoo wearing the coat.
‘So, this is how I’d look wearing it....’
Hyunsoo studied the mannequin and decided to test out his newly acquired S-rank skill.
At that moment—
[Activation]
[Rapid Change (S)]
Swaps the user’s current outfit with the attire in Multiform Wardrobe 1.
The previous outfit is automatically stored.
Whoosh!
In an instant, Hyunsoo’s clothes changed.
From a formal suit with polished shoes, he suddenly found himself barefoot and wearing only the coat, like a flasher.
“......!!”
Gasp! M-Master...!
Even Swallow was stunned by the sudden transformation.
Realizing the mistake, Hyunsoo quickly reactivated the skill.
[Activation]
[Rapid Change (S)]
Swaps back to the original outfit stored in Multiform Wardrobe 1.
Thanks to his quick response, he avoided the disaster of drawing unwanted attention. But another issue became apparent.
[Beauty Skill: Rapid Change (S)]
Instantly swaps the user’s current attire with that of a designated inventory space. Consumes 100 mana.
“Whew... I thought it would just change the coat, but it swaps the entire outfit....”
Master, you’ll need to set up everything down to your underwear and socks to use this properly. That was almost a catastrophe.
While Hyunsoo and Swallow took a moment to catch their breath, Yuhana returned with a basket full of clothes.
“Oppa! I brought some clothes I think you’ll like.... Oh? Is that a talking bird?”
“Hmm?”
Yuhana, noticing Swallow for the first time, pointed at him with curiosity.
Upon closer inspection, it seemed Swallow’s invisibility had been undone due to his shock at Hyunsoo’s rapid outfit change.
Fortunately—
“My name is Swallow. Please call me that, Yuhana, rather than ‘talking bird.’”
“Oh, right! Nice to meet you, Swallow. Hehe!”
This wasn’t the first time Swallow had revealed himself to her.
Back during their battle with Ji Wonhoon, Swallow had helped Yuhana and the hunters from the Samcheon Guild. However, they hadn’t had the chance to talk properly since then.
Now, Yuhana handed the clothes to Hyunsoo while focusing her attention on Swallow.
“Oppa, here are some clothes that looked good! By the way, I forgot to ask before—Swallow, is he really your pet? I’ve never seen a talking bird before!”
“Well... sort of. It’s a type of summoning magic. Just think of him as a pet.”
“Really?! Ahh, he’s so cute! Can I pet him?”
Before Hyunsoo could respond, Swallow flapped his wings and descended.
“Of course, my lady.”
“Pfft! ‘My lady’? Where’d you learn to talk like that? You’re so adorable!”
As Yuhana hugged Swallow and nuzzled her cheek against his head, Hyunsoo stared in disbelief.
‘You little... You’re not really a bird, are you?’
Oh, Master, don’t be absurd. I’m simply a talking swallow.
A moment ago, he had insisted on being called Swallow instead of “talking bird,” but now he was shamelessly claiming to be a bird.
Unable to stomach the scene, Hyunsoo shook his head and tried on the clothes Yuhana had brought.
The results were impressive.
[Your fashion has changed.]
[Appearance Power: +10]
[Overall Score: 9]
[Your fashion has changed.]
[Appearance Power: +12]
[Overall Score: 10]
Most clothes barely added +5 to Appearance Power, but Lazy Baek Jinnam’s designs consistently scored over +10 and achieved near-perfect overall scores.
Although the styles—suits, shirts, sweatshirts, and cream-colored jeans—were similar to other brands, the details made a noticeable difference.
However...
‘Why on earth did they include swimwear?’
Among the selections was something bizarre, but Hyunsoo reluctantly added it to the shopping basket.
As much as he wanted to discard it, Yuhana had chosen it, and some dungeons featured beaches as their terrain.
Besides—
[Your fashion grade is still low.]
[To raise your fashion grade, you have been given an auxiliary quest.]
[Auxiliary Beauty Quest 16]
Collect 300 unique pieces of clothing. (52/300)
Duplicate designs, no matter the quantity, are counted as one.
Underwear and socks are excluded.
The new quest required him to own a certain number of unique outfits.
Even swimwear counted, so it was better to keep it.
Hyunsoo carried the clothes Yuhana picked to the counter.
Just as he reached the register, the smiling clerk approached him.
“Shall I ring these up for you?”
“Yes, and...”
Hyunsoo glanced around at Lazy Baek Jinnam’s brand display.
Then, in a line straight out of a drama, he said:
“I’ll take everything from here to there. All of it.”
***
"So, you're saying... Do Minjung has been in personal contact with Kang Hyunsoo?"
"Yes, that's correct. It hasn't been for very long, though."
Sunlight streamed through the open windows of the office in a high-rise building.
At her desk, Hayuri set down her pen and crossed her arms, a hint of amusement dancing on her lips.
"How curious. They ended up connected without us even lifting a finger."
"Should I have Do Minjung change her phone number and issue a house arrest order for the time being? That should sever their connection quickly," suggested Ahn Hyunjoo, her tone practical and straightforward.
As the most popular member of Asenne, any dating rumors involving Do Minjung could harm their energy-sourcing operations.
However—
"No, leave them be and give her even more free time," Hayuri countered, her response running completely against Hyunjoo’s proposal.
It didn’t take Hyunjoo long to figure out the reason behind Hayuri’s decision.
"Ah... you’re planning to use Do Minjung to get to Kang Hyunsoo, aren’t you?"
"Exactly. If Kang Hyunsoo gave Do Minjung his number, that means he has at least ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ a slight interest in her. He’s been impossible to crack so far—no intel, no weaknesses, nothing. But this? This is perfect, isn’t it?"
While a potential dating scandal could affect their energy flow, that concern paled in comparison to the opportunity before them.
"Leverage Do Minjung as much as you can. And then..."
Hayuri’s lips curled into a cold smile as she added,
"Bring Kang Hyunsoo to me."