I Awakened as a Dark History - Chapter 25

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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 25
‘Twins. She’s my younger sister.’
It was a decent cover story.
I wiped beneath my nose with the back of my hand.
‘Perfect. Just perfect.’
To maintain the Dark Elf’s character, I kept my expression as cool as possible.
Now that I’d found the child’s mother and successfully rejoined the team, my heart felt lighter.
The satisfaction threatened to crack my composure into a smile, but I forced it down.
“And the pretty lady fairy did like this, and like this, and the flowers went away, and whoosh—, Mom, are you listening?”
The child’s vocabulary wasn’t quite clear, but seeing the tears dry from her face as she beamed like this was worth the sight.
‘But if Mom’s here now, who was that corpse in the swamp?’
I was curious about the dead person in the swamp, but I couldn’t ask the child—not after all the fear she’d already endured.
As I stared at the child, Choi Jeong-mun and Lee Ji-eum approached.
“Little sister.”
“What is it?”
Lee Ji-eum looked uncomfortable with my curt reply.
I felt apologetic too, but watching my Synchronization Rate climb, I couldn’t soften my tone.
“There’s something we’d like to request.”
I could predict Choi Jeong-mun’s request before he even asked.
“You want me to help you clear the Dungeon.”
“Correct. If I’m honest, we’d prefer the Healer’s help, but I doubt we’ll see her again.”
No, you will. It’s simple. If you leave me alone far from here, I can return as a Healer.
But I can’t say it.
I want to, but faced with something so heartbreaking—so impossible—I sealed my lips.
Interpreting my silence, Choi Jeong-mun continued.
“Besides, having someone who can attack alongside us will probably be more helpful right now.”
“Is that so?”
At my response, Choi Jeong-mun scratched his head sheepishly.
“We haven’t been able to locate the Gate or our teammates. We didn’t expect a Dungeon like this. While we search for the Gate and our team, we’d really like your help—someone who can fly.”
“But your sister could probably do that too—”
Choi Jeong-mun shook his hand with a laugh.
“We don’t even know what kind of Monsters are out there. I’d never forgive myself putting someone with no combat skills up in the air where they’d be exposed. We’re not quite that shameless.”
A chill ran down my spine.
If there were flying Monsters, I could’ve died before we even found the team—before we even got close.
‘I never even thought of that.’
So this was what experience meant. I swallowed hard.
“Then while I search from above for the team and the Gate, you’ll cover me from below?”
“Of course. We’ll keep pace behind you.”
I spread my wings wide, and a child’s voice rang out from behind me.
“Me! Me! Me too! Me too, Fairy Lady!”
“Not now, sweetie. You can’t right now. Ask me again later, okay? Let’s wait.”
Her mother’s soft voice soothed the child.
The exchange was so warm it made me forget I was in a Dungeon—and I almost laughed.
“The kid needs to be quieter.”
The words came out sharp, irritated. All three of us turned toward the speaker.
A man spoke without even trying to hide his annoyance.
“I mean, if the kid keeps making that much noise, something could show up. Who knows what.”
The others glanced at the child with unease, swayed by his nervous tone.
It was clear they all thought he had a point.
“And she can’t walk far anyway. She’ll whine to be carried, or keep asking for breaks. The mother needs to handle that better. She’s already making a fuss—how’s she going to soothe her when the kid gets fussy later?”
Logically speaking, I couldn’t say his words were entirely wrong.
But.
‘Then why am I so angry?’
I pressed my lips together and fixed him with a stare.
Sensing the tension, Choi Jeong-mun interjected.
“We’re looking after them, so please don’t worry too much.”
Thankfully, the others seemed to agree with his reassurance, and they pulled the man back.
“The Hunters are here with us now anyway. It should be fine.”
“Mom will do great.”
The child’s voice was small, but somehow it reached my ears crystal clear.
Hunters’ senses develop along with their physical abilities, and it seemed I was no exception.
Choi Jeong-mun stared at the man for a moment, then turned his attention back to the mother and child without comment.
“Please just make sure the child doesn’t make too much noise, ma’am.”
“Of course. I’ll be careful.”
The mother adjusted her hold on the child and patted his back.
The boy, sensing the suddenly heavy mood, looked toward me with frightened eyes.
I sighed and approached the child.
“I haven’t encountered any flying monsters on the way here. Either there aren’t any, or they’re not active right now. I’ll carry him.”
“Oh? But—”
“It’s fine. If flying monsters appear, you can support from below. Staying close to me will be much safer. Besides, we don’t know how far we still have to go, and the child won’t have the stamina for it.”
The child, who had come into my arms, broke into a bright smile.
I patted his back once and lifted off into the air.
The man who had complained to the child still wore a displeased look.
But when our eyes met, he flinched and looked away.
My Synchronization Rate ticked upward at the edge of my awareness.
Had he taken my glance as a threat?
I felt a flicker of irritation, but I said nothing and took to the sky.
* * *
I ended up flying all day long with the child in my arms.
“Are you all right? You’ve been holding him the whole time—your arms must be aching.”
“I’m fine. My Strength Stat is adequate.”
Still, holding the child in the same position for so long had made my arms grow numb.
I rubbed my arms discreetly while gazing up at the sky.
“And here I thought—even inside a dungeon, the sun sets.”
Lee Jae-cheon laughed at my murmur and joined in. “Of course it does! The sun sets, rivers flow, and there’s even an ocean sometimes. It’s like a completely different world!”
The first group to rejoin us consisted of Lee Jae-cheon, Seo Gyeong-se, and Yu Geum-chan.
With the arrival of a vanguard and an attacker, our sense of security grew, but so did the number of survivors we had to protect.
This was because the survivors they had rescued before meeting us had been added to our group.
The survivors, once their numbers had grown, seemed to find some peace and simply rested scattered about.
They all looked exhausted.
“Depending on the dungeon, sometimes you have to pass through multiple gates and clear several different regions. I’ve seen cases where we cleared the Lava Field and moved to the next area only to find ourselves in a Snowy Plain caught in a blizzard.”
Lee Jae-cheon chattered ceaselessly beside me.
Even as he talked, his hands busily distributed Ration Packs to the people around us.
“At least this place has plenty of water, so it’s relatively manageable. In areas without water, you have to carefully ration whatever drinking water you brought.”
He laughed, saying he would have died carrying supplies if he didn’t have a Spatial Storage Item.
“I see.”
Even though I responded curtly due to my Synchronization Rate, Lee Jae-cheon calmly looked after me.
“Here, water and a Ration Pack for you.”
“Thank you.”
Surely I could manage a word of thanks?
When I accepted the water and food with both hands, Lee Jae-cheon smiled broadly.
He moved about, distributing Ration Packs and water to everyone, and checked on the condition of the Campsite.
“Fairy, fairy. Here.”
The child, who had attached himself to me, held up a Water Bottle.
The child’s mother started to rush over, but I was quicker.
“Here, I’ve opened it. Let’s drink some water.”
“Yes!”
The child grasped the Water Bottle firmly with both hands and drank.
Meanwhile, I tore open a Ration Pack and held it out to him.
“Here, eat this too.”
The child handed me the Water Bottle and eagerly took the Ration Pack.
The child’s mother then drew her brows together in uncertainty.
“Hunter, I can do that—”
“It’s something anyone can do. Since I have energy to spare, it’s better that I do it. Conserve your strength. We may have a long way to walk.”
The child’s mother nodded, handing me the Ration Pack that would have been the child’s share.
I tore open the Ration Pack, put it in my mouth, and chewed.
It tasted like an energy bar, somewhat less appetizing than ideal.
The child, finding it a bit stiff to eat, continued alternating between eating the Ration Pack and drinking water.
After he’d eaten about half, the child quietly handed the rest to his mother.

“I can’t eat anymore…….”
“You need to finish it all. Can’t walk on an empty stomach.”
“Won’t you hold me if you ask?”
“Ugh! Hurry and eat with water. If you don’t finish, I’m telling Ye-eun never to carry you again.”
The child looked up at me with pleading eyes.
I glanced away and chewed the ration pack steadily.
I wanted to tell him I would, but I couldn’t know what tomorrow would bring.
‘I’m sorry, little one.’
My indifference seemed to work—the child began nibbling at the ration pack.
In that moment, Choi Jeong-mun stepped forward and addressed the group.
“It’s best not to move carelessly once darkness falls, so we’ll make camp here tonight. I apologize for the lack of supplies, but I ask that you rest as much as possible.”
He added that Hunters would stand watch through the night, so there was no need to fear.
The child sidled over and pressed against me.
Though it was somewhat uncomfortable and strange, watching the anxious mother beside us, I couldn’t bring myself to blame the child.
I simply patted the child’s back quietly and watched Choi Jeong-mun.
“Which watch should I take?”
“The first one, please.”
The first watch was rather a convenient slot, wasn’t it? I nodded in acknowledgment at this thoughtfulness.
The team members leaned against trees or lay down on bare ground with their outer jackets spread beneath them.
They seemed so accustomed to these rough conditions that it was remarkable how quickly they fell asleep.
‘They really do sleep well. Doesn’t it bother them?’
Contrary to my wonderment, the others soon drifted off one by one.
The long walk had exhausted them too much to notice any discomfort.
Some shifted restlessly, but none woke.
‘This isn’t sleeping—they’ve all passed out.’
I leaned back against a tree myself and wiggled my toes.
Even those who had been sitting rigid with anxiety began nodding off, and the clearing grew quiet.
The quiet brought a chill with it, and a creeping unease.
I found myself absently stroking the child’s hair pressed against me.
Deep darkness hid the forest, and the wet squelching of the swamp sounded distant and eerie.
Left alone in that silence, every sound became sharp and terrifying.
Without the moonlight, it surely would have been worse.
‘Both sun and moon rise inside the dungeon…… wait, why is it getting dark? Clouds, I guess.’
The cloud shadow lingered briefly before fading quickly.
Though sun and moon still moved, no rain fell, so the clouds dispersed rapidly.
“……No, but that was too fast, wasn’t it?”
Something more real than unease seized the back of my neck.
There had been no sound.
I lifted my head, tracking only the shadow that had flashed past.
“Wake up! Everyone, wake up!”
At my shout, those who had sunk deep into sleep jolted awake.
And toward them, enormous wings came diving.
“Harpy Owl!”
The fortune was that I had been awake and saw it clearly.
Mana stretched from my hands, deflecting the creature’s sharp talons.
The beast twisted, unable to snatch its prey.
I pressed my advantage, unleashing attacks at its wings.
People crouched low and screamed.
“Ahhhhh! Get away!”
“Watch out!”
The beast fled into the forest, flapping its wings powerfully to evade.
The movement was remarkably fluid and swift.
“It’s a flyer! It looks like an owl! Be careful—it makes no sound!”
“Harpy Owls! Block the air!”
I called out the warning, and Choi Jeong-mun made the judgment.
When Lee Jae-cheon raised his shield, a faint barrier of light descended overhead.
The Harpy Owls glided through the darkness and merely struck the barrier before fleeing again.
They were too fast and silent for melee fighters to approach.
Only Lee Ji-eum and I could barely intercept the ones that drew close.
Before we could find a solution, they discovered their own method first.
They hid themselves in the forest, diving at us from the flanks where the barrier couldn’t reach.
“Aaahhh!”
A harpy owl finally burst from the trees, snatching a person in its talons.
“No—!”
My wings spread wide as I lurched forward, but my body jerked to a sudden halt.
“Eek!”
The child clinging to my waist held firm, refusing to let go.
I couldn’t move freely—one careless motion and the child would be injured.
“Ye-eun, sweetheart! Let go of the hunter! Now!”
Her mother grabbed the girl and pulled, but the child only wailed louder, clutching me even tighter.
Choi Jeong-mun, seeing the situation, held up his hand to stop me.
“Stay where you are! Don’t move!”
Seo Gyeong-se dashed toward the harpy owl in my stead.
His blade tore through the creature’s wings, then slashed across its legs and throat in quick succession.
The person the harpy had captured tumbled to the ground with a gasp, crying out in pain.
“We’ll hold the ones coming from the sides! You just defend against anything diving from above!”
We’d saved one person, but the situation was far from good.
There weren’t enough of us to intercept harpies erupting from all directions at once.
[Current Synchronization Rate]
73%
Even that wasn’t enough to use Falling Petals.
I soothed the crying child while scanning our surroundings.
‘Here… Surely we won’t be wiped out….’
That’s when it happened.
“Devour them all!”
A voice tore through the night sky.

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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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