I Awakened as a Dark History - Chapter 13

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 13
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When I stepped out of the escalator onto the tenth floor, the corridors teemed with people.
The entrance to the auction house recalled a theater or classical concert venue.
And as was always the case with such halls, staff members were stationed at the entrance.
“Three minutes remaining before entry closes! Those who haven’t entered yet, please come through now!”
I hurried to hand my ticket to the staff member before the doors sealed.
The staff member stamped my ticket and gestured me inward with a sweep of her hand.
Following that gesture inside, my first impression crystallized into a single thought.
‘It really is like a concert hall.’
There was little point in lingering to look around.
I made my way to the seat number printed on my ticket and sat down.
Most of the people in this section wore casual clothes like mine.
Closer to the stage, though, figures in formal suits stood out distinctly.
Even from behind, they carried an air of rigidity and severity that marked them as people best left alone.
‘They smell like management. I’d best keep my distance.’
I steadied myself mentally.
Soon enough, the lights in the auction house dimmed as if a performance were about to begin.
A lone figure—the auctioneer—stepped onto the stage, bathed in its single spotlight.
“Good day to you all. First, I wish to thank every valued client who has come to the Henket auction house. As always, today’s items will proceed from lower-grade to higher-grade, and I am Choi Jin-hae, your auctioneer for this event. Now then, let us begin.”
With the auctioneer’s announcement, staff members entered carrying merchandise, which they placed on a table at the center of the stage.
“Our first item: a B-rank Buff-type Item.”
The Buff-type Item was shaped like an earring.
It increased magical power by fifteen percent and generated a one-time protective barrier once every three days.
Had these effects been separate, the item would have held little value, but because both properties were combined, it merited a place on the auction block—or so the auctioneer explained.
“Starting bid: two thousand!”
“Twenty-one hundred!”
“Twenty-three hundred!”
Hands rose one after another as bidders called out their prices.
The auctioneer confirmed each raised hand and kept the bidding moving.
‘They’re throwing around those sums so easily. So Hunters really do make that much money… it’s true, then.’
I let my eyes roam, reading the room.
The B-rank earring sold for thirty-one hundred fifty before being carried away.
The moment the winning bidder collected his paddle, the next item appeared on stage.
The next piece moved just as quickly.
After watching three more items pass, I found my interest waning entirely.
Since I had no intention of buying anything, the boredom felt overwhelming.
Glancing around, I spotted others visibly suffering from the same tedium.
A few had even closed their eyes and begun dozing off.
‘Can I leave?’
I hadn’t been told that early exit was forbidden.
I rose quietly from my seat and slipped away.
As I approached the door, the staff member stationed beside it jolted awake at my appearance.
He quickly straightened himself and greeted me.
“Are you leaving? If you do, I’m afraid you won’t be able to re-enter until the auction concludes.”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
At my reply, the staff member glanced around before grasping the door handle.
The moment he pushed the handle forward…
Click.
“Hmm?”
A confused sound escaped the staff member’s lips.
I peered over his shoulder and blinked in confusion.
The staff member examined the lock mechanism below the handle and tried pushing the door again.
Click.
But still the door would not budge.
With an awkward expression, the staff member turned to me and spoke in a low voice.
“Ah, my apologies. Allow me to show you to another exit.”
“Of course.”
I followed the staff member to a side door nearby.
Click.
This door was no exception. When it wouldn’t open and only rattled, the people near it turned to look at me.
The staff member seemed quite flustered.
“This… the door……”
By contrast, I felt a chill of foreboding creeping through me.
The moment the staff member apologized and reached for his walkie-talkie.
Screech— screech—
A harsh sound crackled from the device before he could even press the button.
And then.
Boom—!
Rat-a-tat-tat.
With a small explosion, all the lights in the auction house went out.
As darkness fell across the entire auction house, people’s agitation became palpable.
“What?!”
“What’s happening?!”
People quickly pulled out their phones and switched on their flashlights.
Beams of light scattered and patches of brightness returned to the auction house.
But phone flashlights alone couldn’t illuminate the entire venue.
The auctioneer on stage, at least, regained his composure and began calming the crowd.
“Everyone, please… it appears there’s been a system or electrical failure. If customers would kindly move toward the emergency exits, I… uh……”
The auctioneer’s words grew slower and slower until they stopped entirely.
From the stage came the sound of something heavy collapsing.
“No, did you just hear someone fall—?!”
But that sound was only the beginning.
All around, people could be heard hitting the ground.
Even the staff member beside me toppled toward me.
“Oh…”
Without thinking, I caught the employee and gently laid them on the floor.
By then, everyone nearby had already collapsed, unconscious.
I stood frozen, caught between encroaching panic and terror, blinking helplessly.
Ding—
Then a chime that seemed to sound only in my ears jolted me awake.
[Mental Intrusion is underway. Synchronization is recommended.]
[Synchronization is recommended.]
I had no time to wonder what Mental Intrusion meant.
“Synchron… Synchronization.”
The moment I uttered the word as the system prompted, petals cascaded down from above and my hair turned white.
‘Won’t my strength increase in this state too?’
Recalling the moment I’d effortlessly lifted that melee DPS back in the previous dungeon, I grabbed the door handle again.
Creak-creak-creak-creak—
Of course, the door handle didn’t turn.
Only three words remained in my mind: I’m screwed.
“What do I do?”
As I clutched my head in distress, a strange sound echoed from above.
Bang!! Bang-bang!!
To be precise, it sounded like someone was smashing the door down.
So there was someone else conscious besides me.
“I really don’t like this.”
There was no choice.
Flutter.
I unfurled my wings and quickly flew up to the second floor.
In front of the second-floor door stood a figure, kicking at it hard.
“Hah……”
He seemed to realize just as quickly that the door wouldn’t budge, lowering his foot and turning around.
The moment I saw his face, my mouth fell open and I cried out.
“Baek Moon-il! Guild Master of the Ha Je Guild!”
He didn’t look startled at my sudden exclamation.
Instead, he smiled as if it were only natural.
“I am, sure enough—but it’s a bit disconcerting when someone calls out my name like that out of the blue.”
“Oh, oh! I’m so sorry. This is my first time seeing someone so famous in person, you see.”
As I quickly apologized, my Synchronization Rate in the corner of my vision ticked slightly upward.
‘Why is that……? I only greeted him. What makes me a naive fool?’
To use a skill, I had to raise my Synchronization Rate.
I decided not to dwell any longer on why my Synchronization Rate kept climbing.
……If I didn’t try to stop caring, I thought I might go mad.
“Still, it’s nice that you recognized it. Are you a Healer?”
“Huh? Yes, that’s right. How did you know?”
He merely shrugged and offered no explanation.
Was it a skill, or some ability of his?
The thought crossed my mind, but I wasn’t truly curious. Knowing wouldn’t serve any purpose anyway.
Once I left this place, our paths wouldn’t entangle again.
He examined me and the fallen people around us, then muttered something.
“Still, your Resistance stat seems quite high.”
“Resistance? Oh, you mean one of those Stats?”
Baek Moon-il nodded at me.
Truth be told, I didn’t even know what Resistance stat actually did.
Did my expression betray my confusion?
Baek Moon-il shrugged and added an explanation.
“Resistance is a Stat that defends against debuff attacks. The higher it is, the better you’re protected from debuffs. You must be an unregistered newcomer?”
“Ah, yes. Well. Hold on, Stats.”
As I called for my Stats, the status window materialized before my eyes.
My Resistance was 187, but I couldn’t tell objectively whether that was high or low.
I wanted to ask, but worried it might seem impolite.
As my eyes darted about, Baek Moon-il spoke first.
“My Resistance is quite high for an S-grade stat, so it’s hard for me to gauge the level of this Mental Intrusion attack. Would it be alright if I asked what yours is?”
If asked, it’s only natural to answer.
Since I’d been curious anyway, I replied without hesitation.
“Yes, mine is 187.”
The moment I answered truthfully, my Synchronization Rate climbed a little higher in my field of vision.
I should’ve just said it was a bit under two hundred…….
I didn’t realize that answering honestly would make me look like a naive fool.
Baek Moon-il furrowed his brow and reached a swift conclusion.
“That puts you at A-grade. This skill must be A-grade or lower.”
He remained composed, as if such situations were nothing out of the ordinary.
I glanced around and confirmed the fallen people.
“You don’t know who caused this?”
“I don’t know who, but I know what did.”
Baek Moon-il gestured toward the stage with his chin. Following his gaze, I saw a faint black smoke rising from it.
My eyes widened. I pressed against the railing and stared at the dark smoke.
The black smoke crawling across the floor slowly gathered into a single mass, taking on a colossal form.
The phenomenon—so divorced from reality—carried an unmistakable meaning.
A Demon Beast.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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