The Handsomer You Are, the Stronger You Become-Chapter 150: Friends (11)

[Breaking News] All SS-Grade Forced Dungeon Break Portals Worldwide Have Disappeared

[Urgent] Hunter Kang Hyunsoo Successfully Clears SS-Grade Dungeon in Just 30 Minutes

[Summary] U.S. President, Japanese Prime Minister, and Other World Leaders Express Gratitude to Hunter Kang Hyunsoo for His Swift Response

The crisis was resolved swiftly.

As soon as Kang Hyunsoo defeated the Succubus Queen and exited the dungeon, all the portals that had appeared in Seoul and across the world vanished.

Compared to his past life, the casualties were reduced to less than 1/100th of what they had been.

That alone was proof of the sheer magnitude of what he had accomplished.

Even without comparing it to his previous life, the fact that presidents, prime ministers, and monarchs from all over the world were personally expressing their gratitude showed just how significant his actions were.

But Kang Hyunsoo had no interest in their praise.

He knew it was meaningless.

Right now, there was something far more important in front of him.

“Joo Ho-seong. Age: 37. Talent: Magic. Registered as a low-tier hunter, unaffiliated with any guild. Is this information correct?”

“Yes, Hunter Kang Hyunsoo. According to the records in our Hunter Bureau, that information is accurate.”

The interrogation room at the Hunter Bureau.

As Kang Hyunsoo read from the chart in front of him, Go Kyungseok, sitting beside him, nodded in confirmation.

After subduing the masked Frontier inside the SS-grade dungeon, Kang Hyunsoo had brought him back to the Hunter Bureau and had him restrained.

It was the best course of action.

Even after seeing his face inside the dungeon, he was an unknown figure—someone Hyunsoo had never encountered, even in his previous life.

Neither he nor his allies, nor even Swallow, had any idea who this so-called Frontier really was.

In order to uncover even the most basic details, they needed the Hunter Bureau’s resources.

With the cooperation of Go Kyungseok and Choi Jiwoo, Frontier had been locked in the interrogation room, and his identity was checked.

Fortunately, they found something.

A fingerprint scan matched an entry in the Hunter Bureau’s database.

The records were from several years ago, but that didn’t matter.

Even if he had registered a long time ago, his name and date of birth wouldn’t have changed. His stats and level could be measured anew.

“I brought the advanced scanner, Director.”

“Proceed with the scan, Chief Choi.”

At Go Kyungseok’s command, Choi Jiwoo nodded and pressed the advanced scanner against Joo Ho-seong’s wrist.

The results appeared instantly.

“Level 380. His stats are at the level of a mid-tier hunter.”

“...How ordinary. How did someone like this trigger an SS-grade forced dungeon break?”

Go Kyungseok frowned in disbelief at Choi Jiwoo’s report.

But.

“......”

Joo Ho-seong remained silent.

Still bound by both handcuffs and ropes, he sat in the chair without saying a word.

He had been unconscious long enough to wake up by now, yet he showed no reaction.

Seeing this, Go Kyungseok reached for the sword at his waist and growled.

“You’re invoking the right to remain silent? I could shove this sword down your throat right now and shut you up permanently!”

“That won’t work. He already tried to kill himself with poison once.”

The usual restrained decorum of the interrogation was gone—this was a much more aggressive approach.

But there was still no reaction.

Kang Hyunsoo gestured for Go Kyungseok to hold back, then stepped closer to Joo Ho-seong.

Joo Ho-seong.

His face was unfamiliar.

But the name... something about it felt oddly familiar.

It was like a name he had heard somewhere before.

A few words might have been enough to jog his memory.

But his opponent refused to cooperate.

‘Looks like I’ll have to wake him up by force.’

Hyunsoo placed his hand on Joo Ho-seong’s shoulder and injected mana into him.

The reaction was immediate.

As an enormous surge of mana flooded into him, Joo Ho-seong gasped for air and snapped awake.

“Haaah...!!”

His eyes widened in shock.

And then.

“What... what?! I failed the mission, and I’m still alive...? No... No!! The curse is going to activate!!”

The moment he regained consciousness, he darted his terrified gaze around the room and started screaming like a madman.

Even when Hyunsoo tried to reassure him, it was useless.

“No one can get in here. There’s no one who can harm you.”

“Y-You don’t understand! You have no idea how ruthless they are! Do you think I prepared poison for no reason?!”

Joo Ho-seong glared at Hyunsoo and continued.

“Kill me. Quickly! If they figure out what’s happened and the contract is invoked, I...!!”

He wasn’t begging for release.

He was begging for death.

It wasn’t just Hyunsoo who was bewildered.

Both Go ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) Kyungseok and Choi Jiwoo exchanged puzzled glances, struggling to make sense of the situation.

And then—

“Guh...! Ugh...!!”

Just as Joo Ho-seong thrashed against his restraints, he suddenly began foaming at the mouth, his eyes rolling back.

And then.

“Hmph. So full of confidence, and yet he failed.”

“Good thing we placed a failsafe.”

“Humans are such unreliable creatures.”

Three distinct voices echoed from Joo Ho-seong’s mouth.

This was no act.

Joo Ho-seong had no reason to put on a performance, and yet his gaze flickered wildly, carrying the presence of three separate entities.

“Hoooh? Not only did he fail, but he was captured as well?”

“He was so sure of himself, and yet he’s nothing but a disgrace. These humans will be nothing more than our slaves when we finally break free.”

“But... there’s an interesting one here. The inheritor of Lust himself.”

Joo Ho-seong’s gaze locked onto Kang Hyunsoo.

“...Who are you?”

Hyunsoo stared down at him and drew his twin swords.

This was too dangerous for mere conversation.

It was likely that these were the ones Joo Ho-seong had been referring to.

The voices chuckled through Joo Ho-seong’s lips, their tone slow and heavy.

“We are your masters. The rulers of mortality’s edge, the ones who once governed the finite universe.”

“But we were momentarily deceived and lost our influence. Now, we seek to reclaim our power....”

“How about it? Would you like to join us? You are far more worthy than this pathetic failure.”

Their introduction was immediately followed by an offer.

And then—

A system message appeared before Hyunsoo’s eyes.

[The Sealed Lords of the Abyss have proposed a contract.]

[Will you accept the Apostle of the Abyss contract?]

Those who called themselves the rulers of the universe.

Judging by the contract proposal that had appeared in front of him, they weren’t lying.

As Kang Hyunsoo gazed at the system message hovering in the air, he spoke.

“The Apostle of the Abyss... If I accept your offer, what’s in it for me?”

“Ohh. You seem open-minded.”

“H-Hunter Kang Hyunsoo!!”

Choi Jiwoo’s eyes widened in shock as she shouted at him.

It was an obviously dangerous proposition, yet he was showing interest?

She tried to step forward, but before she could, Go Kyungseok raised a hand, signaling her to stop.

Meanwhile, the sealed Lords of the Abyss began explaining the benefits of their contract through Joo Ho-seong.

“If you accept the contract, you will gain access to the power of the Abyss as one of its apostles.”

“Combined with your own abilities, the potential for growth is limitless. You could connect the Abyss to this world, create dungeons at will, and command monsters.”

“And if you achieve the ultimate goal we propose... you will transcend mortality and gain eternal life!”

Dungeon creation and monster control.

That made it clear.

“......!!”

“So they’re the ones behind the dungeon break...”

As Go Kyungseok muttered, the reality of the situation became apparent.

The so-called Lords of the Abyss were the ones creating dungeons and controlling monsters.

Whether or not they were responsible for every dungeon, the sheer power radiating from them in this interrogation room made it highly plausible.

Their offer was tempting.

Tempting enough for Kang Hyunsoo to murmur, almost to himself.

“Creating dungeons and living forever, huh...”

But his contemplation didn’t last long.

“I refuse.”

Kang Hyunsoo rejected them immediately.

The reason was simple.

For one, he didn’t have enough details about the contract.

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[If you do not respond within 30 seconds, the contract will be automatically enacted.]

Like a forced game of rock-paper-scissors where silence meant losing, the contract was set up to trigger automatically if no answer was given.

That alone was a red flag.

If it were truly a beneficial deal, there would be no need to force it upon him.

And most importantly.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Joo Ho-seong’s body was slowly melting, starting from his feet.

His voice was still controlled, but his body trembled violently, unable to withstand the agony.

He wasn’t screaming, but there was no doubt—he was experiencing pain worse than death.

Hyunsoo didn’t know the details of Joo Ho-seong’s contract, but now he understood why the man had begged to be killed.

“This contract is trash. And so is the way you treat your contractors.”

Kang Hyunsoo scoffed at the Lords of the Abyss and crossed his twin swords.

Then.

Swish—!!

He swung his blades through the air above Joo Ho-seong’s head.

It was a strike that didn’t actually touch Joo Ho-seong, seemingly meaningless.

But the moment Hyunsoo’s swords passed through—

“Gyaaaaah!!”

“How does a mere mortal sever a dimensional link?!”

“That should be impossible without insight!!”

The Lords of the Abyss shrieked in pain.

The reason was simple.

Kang Hyunsoo had precisely severed the dimensional connection between Joo Ho-seong and the Lords of the Abyss.

Not only had he cut off their energy flow, but he had also managed to deal damage to the high-dimensional beings hiding within the Abyss.

“Curse you, we’ll remember this!”

“The next time we meet, you’ll weep blood!”

“Prepare yourself, inheritor of Lust!!”

Grinding their teeth, the Lords of the Abyss retreated from Joo Ho-seong’s body.

And then—

Sizzle—

Joo Ho-seong’s body melted away completely.

He had failed to complete the forced dungeon break, and this was the price.

Hyunsoo felt no sympathy.

Joo Ho-seong had betrayed humanity and thrown the world into chaos.

But.

“Damn it, in the end...”

“That was too fast. We had so much more to find out.”

As Choi Jiwoo and Go Kyungseok lamented, they regretted missing out on valuable information.

However, just as they were about to dwell on that regret—

Flash—!!

A sudden light burst from within Joo Ho-seong’s robes and shot toward Hyunsoo.

[You have absorbed a Fragment of Beauty!]

[Special Talent: Beauty has leveled up.]

[Condition met.]

[Fragrance Grade has increased from B to A.]

[You no longer sweat easily, and when you do, your sweat emits a floral scent.]

[Physical Appearance Grade has increased from S to SS.]

[Your Title has been upgraded.]

[Title: ‘Dashing Swordmaster’ has changed to ‘Godlike Swordmaster.’]

[Effect: Appearance Power +100, Sword Attack Power +170%, Attack Speed +170%, Movement Speed +170%]

[Effect 2: Destructive power of swordsmanship and the number of projectiles increased twofold.]

[Two talents have begun synergizing.]

[Additional Effect 1: Experience gained from monster kills increased by 22 times.]

[Additional Effect 2: Party members’ experience gain increased by 17 times.]

Joo Ho-seong had been carrying a Fragment of Beauty.

Hyunsoo’s power had risen significantly.

And that wasn’t all.

The moment he absorbed the energy of the Beauty Fragment—

[You have absorbed some of the memories stored within the Beauty Fragment.]

Brilliant light filled his vision.

And Joo Ho-seong’s memories began to unfold before him.