The Handsomer You Are, the Stronger You Become-Chapter 139: Acceleration (9)
Choi slowly brought the hand she had stealthily pulled back to the front again.
The sudden appearance of Kang Hyunsoo had made her cautious, but she quickly realized there was no reason for him to know her secrets. After all, he wasn’t a member of her old team from the Endless Dungeon and couldn’t possibly know about her connection to the Sin of Gluttony.
More importantly...
“Nice to meet you. I’m Kang Hyunsoo.”
“Oh, y-yes... I’m Choi.”
As Kang Hyunsoo introduced himself with a polite demeanor, her wariness melted away almost instantly.
It was a strange feeling.
She had always resolved to resist with all her might if another inheritor of sin ever appeared. She had even rejected Iron’s proposal to join forces for revenge.
But with Kang Hyunsoo, she felt none of that.
At first, she was wary, but the moment their eyes met and he greeted her, her guard disappeared as if it had never been there.
“Would you like to sit here? I was just about to start grilling the next batch of meat.”
Choi pulled out the chair next to her and motioned for Kang Hyunsoo to sit.
The situation was obvious.
It was likely the production team had arranged for him to appear as a surprise guest.
This wasn’t the first time she’d experienced something like this.
And as expected...
“Really? That would be great. Thank you.”
Kang Hyunsoo sat down naturally, even attaching a microphone.
With that, the broadcast resumed.
Choi grilled the meat while Kang Hyunsoo played the role of the surprise guest, briefly introducing himself. They shared small talk while eating the food.
“Great work, everyone! Let’s take a short break!”
The filming wrapped up quickly.
“Wow, Hunter Kang Hyunsoo is even more stunning in person.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him do anything like this before. Is he planning to enter showbiz?”
The atmosphere was lively as people speculated about his appearance.
Choi turned to Kang Hyunsoo and said:
“Thank you for appearing. Thanks to you, the view count is going to skyrocket.”
“No, I should be the one thanking you. This was my first time filming content like this, and I had fun. But do you really eat like that regularly? The portions are enormous.”
Their small talk continued even after the filming had ended.
Though the crowd surrounding the area was noisy, they managed to have a brief conversation.
Choi laughed as she replied:
“This is barely half of what I usually eat.”
“Wow, that’s incredible. What kinds of food do you normally eat?”
“I’m not picky. I eat just about everything. What about you, Hunter Kang Hyunsoo?”
“I’m pretty similar. Is today’s filming over for you?”
“Yes, this should be the last shoot for the day.”
“I see. How’s your Sin Quest progression going?”
“Forty-six percent. Huh...?”
Sin Quest? How does he know about that? And why did I answer...?
The ordinary flow of conversation was shattered by an odd question.
Choi had answered instinctively, only to immediately realize her slip-up.
Oh no...
A sly smile spread across Kang Hyunsoo’s face.
“Forty-six percent, huh? That’s quite a lot of progress.”
Raising an eyebrow, he effortlessly took in the secret she had unwittingly revealed.
***
Sometimes, life takes unexpected turns.
For example:
You find yourself caught in a crowd and accidentally stumble onto a filming set.
[Absolute Beauty Quest 18 Complete.]
[Receive compliments about your appearance from 1,000 strangers (1,000/1,000).]
[Reward]
Charm +20Skill: Seduction (S) – Temporarily disrupt the target's mental state. The lower the target's charm, the more susceptible they are to seduction. When seduced, targets willingly obey the caster. Mana Cost: 500.Or, during the process, you complete a quest by receiving compliments from countless people.
- Master, Choi is here.
Or you end up meeting the Inheritor of the Sin of Gluttony at the filming location.
But the most bewildering thing about such situations is when events seem to unfold in rapid succession, as if orchestrated.
[Absolute Beauty Quest 19 Unlocked.]
[You must be able to wield the power of beauty even against the strong.]
[Use the Seduction skill on an inheritor of sin to learn their progression (0/1).]
When the crowd parted for him, Kang Hyunsoo initially had no intention of approaching Choi. He had planned to slip away before fully entering the set. After all, knowing who was there, he judged that nothing good could come from a direct encounter.
But then, a quest tied to Choi appeared.
It wasn’t as if he had to seduce her specifically. However, Envy had been scattered, Wrath, Pride, and Sloth were missing, and the only remaining option was Greed’s inheritor, Hayuri. If she refused to cooperate...
It would leave him at an impasse.
If it had to be done, now was the time.
[Path to Divinity Quest]
Path to Divinity (0/3) 1: Complete the Sin of Lust (91%).2: Collect Fragments of Beauty (38%).3: Pass the Shrine’s Trial (0%).The first path was nearly complete, and Kang Hyunsoo wanted to use the Seduction skill on Choi to finish the quest.
Thus, he deliberately approached the filming set and even participated in the broadcast with her.
It wasn’t difficult. He only had to walk onto the set. Both the director and Choi assumed the other had arranged for his appearance, and they welcomed him warmly.
Though they briefly discussed the mix-up during filming, they treated it as a joke and continued without issue.
Everything flowed smoothly.
Despite the supposedly high difficulty of the quest, things were progressing without a hitch. After conducting the mukbang broadcast with Choi, he used casual conversation to lower her guard. At the end of filming, he cast Seduction to extract her progression level.
Surprisingly, Choi disclosed it without resistance.
It was so easy that he momentarily doubted her honesty, but that wasn’t the case.
The proof was in the quest completion notification.
[Absolute Beauty Quest 19 Complete.]
[Use the Seduction skill on an inheritor of sin to learn their progression (1/1).]
Her progression level of 46% was indeed accurate.
He had confirmed her secret.
But the aftermath was tumultuous.
“How do you know that I’m an inheritor of sin?!”
After the broadcast ended, in an alleyway in Apgujeong, Choi blocked Kang Hyunsoo’s path as he was heading home.
She looked furious, her face flushed with anger. She was ready to attack at the slightest provocation.
In contrast, Kang Hyunsoo remained calm.
“Are you sure you’re okay? People might gather here if they notice us.”
“I set up a perception-blocking barrier, so that’s not a problem. Answer me. How do you know I’m an inheritor of sin? And why did you find out my progression level?”
“Well, it’s a long story...”
“You’re trying to dodge the question, aren’t you? I guess, as the inheritor of Lust, deception must come naturally to you.”
“...”
He had intended to give a vague answer, but it seemed that wouldn’t work.
- So Choi knew about it, too, Master.
Even Swallow, who was observing invisibly from above, chimed in.
Truthfully, Hyunsoo had anticipated this to some extent. Whether through independent research or information from Hayuri or Iron, Choi could have learned about his identity as the inheritor of Lust.
“This actually makes things simpler. No need to hide it anymore.”
Feeling unexpectedly liberated, Kang Hyunsoo spoke directly.
“I was just completing a quest. Nothing more.”
“A quest, huh? Well, I haven’t suffered any harm, so I could overlook it, but your hostility is far too obvious for that.”
Though Hyunsoo told the truth, Choi remained distrustful. She even summoned her hammer from her inventory as she continued.
“I don’t want to get further entangled in matters of sin, but if you keep acting like this, I won’t hesitate to fight.”
She seemed resolute.
However, Hyunsoo tilted his head slightly, puzzled.
“I don’t understand. If anything, it’s you showing hostility, not me. Aren’t you emitting a little too much aura?”
The air around them was thick with energy, prickling at Hyunsoo’s skin. He had already shifted into a defensive stance, ready to draw his twin swords at any moment.
The barrier and the concentration of aura in the air made him suspect Choi was preparing an ambush.
But then, Choi’s expression turned confused.
“Huh? Me? Emit aura? Isn’t that you?”
“It’s not me. If I were going to attack, I would’ve done it already. There were plenty of openings.”
“Well, it’s not me either... Then whose aura is this...?”
Both of them turned to scan their surroundings, perplexed.
The dense aura in the air had led them to assume one of them was planning something, but neither was responsible.
The truth revealed itself soon enough.
Wooooooom—
The dense aura suddenly «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» concentrated at a single point in the sky before tearing open with a deafening blast.
A black portal emerged, ripping through the clear blue skies above Seoul.
[Summoning ritual complete.]
[Forced Dungeon Break initiated.]
[Rank: SS.]
[Portal fully opens in 100 hours.]
“F-Forced Dungeon Break? What the hell is that!?”
Choi stared up at the sky, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Hyunsoo was equally stunned.
Though the misunderstanding about hostility had been cleared, a far more pressing issue had arisen.
A Forced Dungeon Break.
This was when a dungeon’s monsters would erupt into the outside world after a countdown.
But this one...
- M-Master, that’s...!
‘How can this be happening already?’
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This was supposed to occur years later, after Hyunsoo became the Sword Emperor.
In his previous life, similar events had happened simultaneously in Seoul, Tokyo, New York, and Shanghai.
And now, it was happening again.
“Ahhh! A portal! It’s a portal!”
“Tokyo and Shanghai have them, too! Paris as well...!”
At the far end of the alleyway, passersby stared at their phones in shock, shouting updates.
The situation was accelerating yet again.
