I Awakened as a Dark History - Chapter 17

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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 17
Crash―!!!
“Aaaahhh!”
The explosion and the screams of people shattered my concentration.
I rushed to the window and looked down at the street below.
“Oh no!”
Red blood streamed across the pavement and sidewalk.
Beasts had appeared without warning and begun attacking people.
Growl, growl.
They were hyena-like creatures, their forms a grotesque fusion of beast and human.
The pack wielded weapons in their claws, smashing obstacles in their path and chasing down fleeing people to maul them.
In moments, the street became drenched in screams and blood.
‘It’s too late to evacuate.’
Anyone in these buildings—myself included—would have their head in a beast’s mouth the moment they stepped outside.
‘I have no choice but to hide inside the building until the Association arrives.’
I crouched low, keeping clear of those creatures as they prowled and sniffed for prey.
Even so, my mind raced ahead, sharp and quick.
‘If I go back into the Bank, I won’t be able to Synchronize if things go south. The Restroom—that’s where I need to be.’
I moved carefully, anxious that my reflection might appear in the window.
Shatter!!!
“Aaaahhh!”
“No! Run! Ru—!”
The sound of glass breaking on the first floor and screams echoed loudly up the Staircase.
Fleeing people thundered up the stairs behind me.
“Damn it, I can’t move quietly with all this chaos!”
I had planned to hide inside the Restroom, but with things escalating like this, quiet hiding was no longer an option.
“Synchronization.”
Black thorny vines erupted around me and wrapped around my body.
In an instant, the thorns that had enveloped me vanished, and my short hair flowed down long.
My wings, unlike those of a mere fairy, were black. The only thing they had in common was their translucence.
I moved those translucent wings and burst out of the Restroom.
In a glimpse of the mirror, my eyes met my own—black irises staring back.
‘Black hair and black eyes—at least it looks more reserved this way.’
Far better than the other form.
With that thought, I arrived where the screaming was coming from.
Behind the fleeing people ascending the Staircase, I saw one of the creatures clutching an elderly person.
I immediately raised my hand and pointed at it.
No matter how fast or strong I was, I couldn’t rescue the old man held in the creature’s grip without harm coming to him.
But I could kill the creature.
“Hanpuri!”
Magical energy gathered at my fingertips and shot out like a bullet in an instant.
Thwack―!
Thump.
The bullet of magical energy pierced straight through the creature’s skull and buried itself in the wall beyond.
The force was beyond what I’d expected.
“A… a Hunter….”
All eyes on the Staircase turned toward me.
I said nothing, simply raising my hand to point at the next creature.
Without even speaking the skill’s name, my magical energy responded to my will.
Thwack!
Bang.
As the silent streak of energy pierced through my companion’s skull, the creatures faltered and stepped back.
I was a little surprised myself.
‘So if there’s no activation word, I don’t need to call out the skill name at all.’
In that moment, I moved my wings to position myself between the creatures and the people.
“All of you, keep going up. Quickly.”
“Oh! Thank you. Thank you so much, Hunter!”
Watching the people bow their heads in gratitude made me realize my mistake.
A Dark Fairy who acts kindly won’t increase their Synchronization Rate!
“…Ahem. I’m not helping you out of kindness. I hate saving humans, but I can’t simply leave the Beasts alone. Your thanks are unnecessary—now get out of my way and go.”
“Yes, yes! Understood!”
People rushed up the staircase in a flood.
Even the last elderly patron scrambled to the back of the bank and fled.
[Current Synchronization Rate]
15%
I’d just humiliated myself in front of all those people, and the Synchronization Rate had only climbed to 15%……!
“Seriously, this rotten Synchronization Rate is killing me.”
Growl. Growl.
The Nolls, oblivious to my indignation, gathered at the foot of the staircase with low rumbling snarls.
Fortunately, the Noll was classified among Hunters as a relatively non-threatening Beast.
Even the lowest rank, F-Grade, could be dealt with easily enough if a Hunter was properly equipped—so there was little else to say on the matter.
Yowl. Yap-yap.
The Nolls chattered among themselves in grotesque cries.
Soon they backed away warily, retreating down the staircase one step at a time.
I deliberately flew after them in slow, threatening pursuit, herding them toward the exit.
‘High ground on the staircase looks advantageous geographically, but it’s not—not really.’
Even low-rank Beasts could easily leap through a second-floor window.
If the Nolls came through the window, I risked being caught in a pincer attack, front and back.
‘I have wings. Geographical advantage will take care of itself anyway. Fighting in these tight indoor spaces puts me at a disadvantage.’
Crunch. Crunch.
The Nolls were driven completely outside, treading on the shattered glass of the entrance they’d smashed. From that moment on, I dropped the intimidation act.
Crack— crack!
With the sound of skulls fragmenting, the nearby Nolls crumpled one by one.
Yowl! Yap!
The Nolls further back turned and fled on all fours.
I launched myself upward and strafed the back of a fleeing Noll.
Thud!
Shriek!
Targets moving in all directions weren’t easy to kill in a single strike.
If my power wasn’t enough to sever limbs even on a glancing blow, this would have been dangerous.
“Ahhhhh!”
“No! Get away! Disappear!”
Once I stepped outside, screams that had been muffled indoors became sharper and more vivid.
Cries from people who hadn’t managed to flee—huddled in cars or hiding in single-story buildings.
“Dammit!”
I couldn’t pretend I hadn’t heard. Having heard them, I couldn’t ignore them.
I adjusted my aim. With a sound like a bowstring—ping—I released a burst of power that pierced straight through a Noll that had poked its head through a car window.
I fired another pulse of power toward the first floor of the opposite building, then landed on top of a sedan.
“What are you doing?! Evacuate! If you can’t reach the shelter, go to the nearest building!”
“Thank you. Thank you!”
[Current Synchronization Rate]
20%
I continued firing bursts of power while checking the Synchronization Rate from the corner of my eye.
But using power meant one thing—it had limits.
Fzzzt.
The power gathering at my fingertips suddenly cut out.
“This is ridiculous.”
The Nolls were cunning creatures.
The moment nothing came from my outstretched hand, they sensed the change.
Yap! Bark!
A Noll noticeably larger than the others let out a loud cry.
The Nolls that had been hesitating, fleeing, or keeping their distance bared their teeth and lunged straight at me.
Now I had no choice.
“All I can do is trust my Stats!”
Boom!!
Shriek!
My fist struck the Noll’s solar plexus with perfect precision.
The creature shrieked its death cry and flew backward, becoming a corpse rolling across the ground.
The Nolls yelped in alarm and barked frantically.
But I was more startled than they were.
“Weaker than I thought……?”
Or perhaps I’ve grown stronger.
“Here I come!”
I thrust forward rapidly toward the nearest Nol, beating my wings.
The Nol tried to block with its claws extended, but my hands were far faster.
I brushed its hand aside and struck its face with my fist.
With a sickening crunch, the Nol tumbled across the ground.
The moment I stopped feeling afraid, my movements became swifter and sharper still.
A low growl rumbled out.
A snarl.
But the Nols, as if they had nowhere to retreat, continued to throw themselves at me with bared fangs.
Screech! Shriek!
Screech!
They charged at me, shrieked, and flew backward, over and over.
Like dogs hurling themselves toward death.
I bared my teeth once more and, as another Nol charged, hurled it aside and stamped its chest.
Even as their comrades died, unlike before in that building, they did not withdraw.
Or rather, they could not seem to withdraw.
‘As if something far more terrifying lay behind this path……?’
A sudden chill seized me, and I hurled my body backward.
It was not a conscious reaction, but almost an instinctual impulse.
And it saved my life.
Crash―!
What appeared, trampling the spot where I had stood, was a colossal beast.
It was so enormous it could swallow two or three Nols in a single bite.
“What is that thing?”
The sharp claws on its feet, the hardened body—and from its head, as massive as its frame, emanated an oppressive aura that was utterly overwhelming.
Given that I hadn’t even glimpsed its approach, it must have moved with extraordinary speed or bounded here with sheer leg strength.
‘If that’s the case, its attacks would reach me even while I’m flying.’
I swallowed hard and began gathering mana to my fingertips.
In the meantime, what little mana had recovered began to coalesce, faint but tangible.
I fired the attack as it was.
‘Hanpuri.’
Pop!
But the situation was different from before with the Nol. My attack did not even pierce the beast’s skin.
The beast merely shook its head, and my attack bounced harmlessly away.
[Current Synchronization Rate]
20%
“I’m finished…….”
Tense, I fluttered my wings and slowly retreated.
And in that instant, the beast leaped toward me.
“Gasp!”
The speed and height exceeded all imagination.
I threw my upper body back as fast as I could, but the beast’s claws raked past my face.
The moment it landed, the beast drove its legs forward again and lunged at me.
In my unstable position, I could not evade in time.
As my mind went blank, I heard a shout.
“Push back!”

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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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