The Handsomer You Are, the Stronger You Become-Chapter 152: Friends (13)

That voice at the end of Joo Ho-seong’s memories... It wasn’t one of the Lords of the Abyss. It was clearly something different. And Joo Ho-seong accepted whatever it was, willingly.

Kang Hyunsoo sorted through the memories he had absorbed, trying to recall any more details.

But nothing came to mind.

Instead, he found himself facing Go Kyungseok and Choi Jiwoo, who were watching him with puzzled expressions.

He needed to explain.

So, Kang Hyunsoo gave them a brief summary of Joo Ho-seong’s life, from his early days to his involvement in Frontier.

However, he left out any mention of the Seven Deadly Sins Relics. He only told them that the Lords of the Abyss were searching for something to break their seal.

It wasn’t that he distrusted them.

But explaining the Seven Deadly Sins would take too long, and it would inevitably lead to too many unnecessary parties getting involved.

More importantly—

Kang Hyunsoo glanced at the CCTV cameras mounted on the ceiling and the one-way observation mirror on the wall.

This isn’t the right place to talk.

Discussing classified information in this setting wasn’t appropriate.

“So that’s what he was... A criminal who betrayed humanity.”

“The Lords of the Abyss... Were they the ones who triggered the Great Cataclysm? If we want this nightmare to end, we’ll have to find and eliminate them. But that won’t be easy.”

“We’ll analyze Joo Ho-seong’s memories and try to track down his base. Some parts are still blurry, so I’ll need to take my time recalling them.”

“Understood, Hunter Kang Hyunsoo. If you remember anything else, please let us know. We’ll begin our own investigation based on Joo Ho-seong’s records.”

“We’ll also handle the disposal of the body and take custody of his belongings as evidence.”

“Thank you. Then I’ll be going now.”

With that, Kang Hyunsoo concluded his conversation with Go Kyungseok and Choi Jiwoo and stepped out of the interrogation room.

At the same time—

Clank—

“Is it true? That these Lords of the Abyss are actually invading?”

The door to the observation room swung open, and Choi stepped out.

She had been watching the interrogation as an observer.

Kang Hyunsoo had asked Go Kyungseok to allow it, and since she had played a critical role in stopping the forced dungeon break, she had been granted permission.

Ordinarily, a mere mukbang creator would have no right to be involved in such a classified case.

Choi had initially planned to leave, but after learning that she had unknowingly helped prevent the invasion, Kang Hyunsoo had insisted she stay and watch the interrogation.

As the Inheritor of Gluttony, she needed to understand the situation.

And if she was to help in the future, she needed to know exactly what was going on.

Kang Hyunsoo nodded at her question.

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“Yes, it’s true. And it’s not just their invasion. Joo Ho-seong had a Fragment of Beauty as well.”

“A Fragment of Beauty? So that means Frontier...”

“They were hunting the Seven Deadly Sins Relics. It was Frontier that turned Ji Wonhoon into a Follower of Lust. By the way, do you know of a place called The Primeval Valley?”

“...The Primeval Valley?”

“Yes. From Joo Ho-seong’s memories, it seemed to be Frontier’s main base, but I don’t know its exact location. There could be remnants of Frontier there, more Fragments of Beauty, or even a path leading to the Lords of the Abyss.”

Choi already knew about the Seven Deadly Sins, and there was no one else listening in.

So he spoke freely.

But.

“Hm... I don’t know anything about that. Never heard of it. And like I said before, I don’t want to get involved with the Seven Deadly Sins anymore.”

She didn’t reveal everything.

Even if she truly didn’t know where the Primeval Valley was, she showed no interest in finding out.

As if it didn’t concern her.

She turned away from Kang Hyunsoo, making it clear she intended to leave.

Glancing down the hallway, she added,

“I only came because I wanted to protect my subscribers. If Gangnam fell, monsters would have overrun Seoul and then the entirety of Gyeonggi Province. And as for why I stayed to observe... I just wanted to check if there was anything left to clean up. And... I figured you’d want to keep this quiet, so I felt a little bad.”

“Bad? What do you mean?”

Kang Hyunsoo frowned as he watched her turn her back to him.

Choi bit her lip for a moment, hesitated, then spoke in a softer voice.

“...I was streaming while hunting monsters, and I accidentally recorded you coming out of the dungeon. The entire world saw it. So... I thought I might’ve caused you trouble.”

Her hesitation made it clear she felt guilty about it.

During the forced dungeon break, she had been live-streaming while fighting monsters—completely unaware that she had also captured Kang Hyunsoo on camera.

Thanks to that, his name had spread across the world.

Choi understood what that meant.

Becoming famous was annoying.

And for someone like Kang Hyunsoo, who needed to complete the Inheritor of Lust trials, having too much attention could be a huge inconvenience.

But.

The reality was completely different from what she had expected.

Instead of looking frustrated, Kang Hyunsoo felt grateful toward her.

Because thanks to her stream—

[Side Beauty Quest 25 has been completed.]

[Achieve 1 million simultaneous live viewers through a broadcast (100%)]

[Reward]

[Charm +50]

A side Beauty Quest that had seemed impossible to clear was now complete.

Kang Hyunsoo had been wondering if he should repay Choi somehow, but from her perspective—completely unaware of the quest—she was feeling guilty instead.

Honestly, considering his face and identity were already public knowledge, there was nothing for her to feel bad about.

Surprising. She’s more sincere than I thought.

When Kang Hyunsoo first learned about the Seven Deadly Sins, he had assumed that every inheritor—aside from himself—was inherently evil.

After all, Ji Wonhoon, who possessed a Fragment of Beauty, had tried to kill him.

And Greed’s inheritor, Hayuri, had manipulated Do Minjung as part of her schemes.

And that wasn’t even the worst of it.

Pride’s inheritor had died so many times that their whereabouts were now unknown.

Envy and Wrath’s inheritors had teamed up to kill him but ended up being slaughtered themselves.

Since all the inheritors were in competition to ascend to divinity, Kang Hyunsoo had assumed the only way to deal with them was through force, like Hayuri had.

And yet.

Choi had helped him.

Her insistence that she wanted no part in the war between the Seven Deadly Sins wasn’t some act—it was the truth.

Of course, he wasn’t about to completely trust her just yet, nor should he. But he also didn’t need to treat her as a potential enemy.

"It’s fine. Honestly, you filming me actually helped. I really mean it."

“...Really? You’re not just saying that?”

“Yes. I mean it, so don’t worry about it.”

“Oh, for real?”

There was no hint of politeness in his tone—only sincerity.

Choi turned slightly, glancing at him before looking away down the hallway again.

In truth, she wasn’t normally like this.

For the past several years, she had rejected anything related to Seven Deadly Sins or hunters with an almost ruthless coldness.

But now, not only had she helped stop a forced dungeon break, but she had also observed an interrogation session.

What the hell is wrong with me? God, seriously... being handsome is so unfair.

This had never been an issue before.

But the moment she saw Kang Hyunsoo in person, all the principles she had held onto so firmly crumbled.

It’s not like I’m doing much. Just helping a little should be fine, right?

As long as I don’t take on a Seven Deadly Sins quest, it shouldn’t matter... right?

Observing should be okay... right?

All the firm boundaries she had once drawn for herself were suddenly softening.

And the reason?

His face.

As much as she hated to admit it, her resolve had shattered the moment she saw him.

A perfect face. Flawless proportions. A sculpted, powerful physique.

She had met countless actors and celebrities throughout her career as a creator, but never had she seen anyone as overwhelmingly handsome as Kang Hyunsoo.

She had seen actors who built entire careers on their looks.

She had seen hunters praised as "Face Geniuses."

But Kang Hyunsoo was different.

Looking at him felt like being struck by lightning—as if his very existence forced people’s hearts to falter.

Right now, she couldn’t even bring herself to look directly at him.

She had been able to before, but now?

Something had changed in that dungeon.

Now, just looking at him felt dangerous.

If she kept staring, she would completely fall for him.

Realizing this, Choi instinctively averted her gaze.

If she were just an ordinary person—someone without her own inherited power—she might have been completely brainwashed by now.

"Phew... Well, as long as you’re not upset, that’s a relief. Anyway, I’ll be going now...."

Forcing herself to regain her composure, she quickly turned away and took a step forward.

With sheer willpower, she managed to break free from Kang Hyunsoo’s gravity.

But she hadn’t completely resisted.

"Oh, right! I wasn’t planning to say this because it might be dangerous, but... If you’re looking for the Primeval Valley, the Inheritor of Sloth is probably the one who knows where it is."

"The Inheritor of Sloth? But isn’t he missing, just like Pride’s inheritor?"

"Go to Mount Fuji in Japan. I don’t know the exact location, but... I’m sure you’ll find him there. And don’t tell him I was the one who told you!"

She blurted out the information at a rapid-fire pace before bolting down the hallway.

Even though she didn’t know where the Primeval Valley was, she had given him a lead.

Watching her retreating figure—

—"Master, your instincts were spot on. She's innocent. And adorable."

A voice murmured playfully in his ear.

Swallow, who had been flying unseen above them, adjusted his sunglasses with a smirk.

At the very least, he now had a direction to follow.

It wasn’t a complete answer, but thanks to Choi, he had a lead.

That said, there was now another problem.

A problem that had nothing to do with the Abyss, Frontier, or the Seven Deadly Sins.

The moment Kang Hyunsoo stepped into the Hunter Bureau lobby to leave for Japan—

"Is Hunter Kang Hyunsoo really here?"

"Yeah! Choi’s stream ended at the Hunter Bureau!"

"Look over there! It’s Hunter Kang Hyunsoo!"

"Oh my God! He’s ridiculously handsome!!"

An enormous crowd was waiting for him.

From the building entrance to the parking lot, it was a wall of people.

Many held up signs.

Many were shrieking.

And from the bits of conversation he caught, it was obvious.

This was a fan club—one that had formed overnight after people learned he had cleared the Forced Dungeon Break.

The moment Kang Hyunsoo saw the scene in front of him, he understood.

He now knew exactly why Choi had apologized.

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Just standing there, he felt suffocated.

—"One million live viewers is really something, huh?"

...I should be more careful about live streams.

The second the elevator doors opened, he slammed the close button.

Instead of heading for the exit, he went straight to the roof.

And moments later, he vanished from the Hunter Bureau rooftop, using Blink to escape unnoticed.