I Awakened as a Dark History - Chapter 34

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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 34
“Leave me behind?”
What on earth was he talking about? We were speaking the same Korean, weren’t we? When did I ever have him to abandon?
A flood of words echoed in my mouth. None of them made it out.
The first reason was that the man before me appeared to be a considerably high-ranked Hunter.
The second reason was that his expression was far too desperate.
The way he looked at me—as though I were some lifeline—made it hard to open my mouth.
Instead, I took in my surroundings slowly.
The deafening roar had stopped. When had that happened?
A Dungeon Wave had definitely occurred—hadn’t it?
Doubt crept in, but what bothered me more was the grip on my arm.
“Um, my arm—it’s starting to hurt.”
Either my complaint registered or he loosened his hold slightly.
I could feel his fingertips trembling from the effort it took him.
Whatever his intention, being grabbed by a stranger wasn’t pleasant.
‘Should I Synchronize?’
There were people around, but if I Synchronized quickly and escaped, no one would have to know about my Skill.
I tensed my arm slightly, preparing to pull free the moment I Synchronized.
He continued to bare inexplicable hostility, growling.
“If you were going to abandon everything and run, you shouldn’t have made a promise in the first place. You should have just—”
As he clenched his teeth, the light in his irises blazed brighter.
Crack. Crack-crack-crack.
Fragments of concrete around us trembled and clattered loudly.
To anyone watching, it was clearly a Skill activating.
It was the moment I was about to commit to Synchronization.
“Yu Ho-yeon! Release the civilian and step back!”
I abandoned Synchronization and whirled around.
“The Chairman!”
He’d been close by all along.
I broke into a wide smile.
The man called Yu Ho-yeon slowly turned his head toward me.
At the end of our respective lines of sight stood Seo Il-hak.
“I’m telling you again. Yu Ho-yeon, release the civilian and step back. You are under the Association’s custody. If you do not comply, I will subdue you by the Association’s authority.”
Seo Il-hak’s voice remained measured as he pressed the demand.
Yu Ho-yeon did not release my arm despite hearing this.
Seo Il-hak approached slowly, careful not to provoke.
“To a Non-Awakened, the strength of a high-ranked Hunter is threatening. Release her now and step back.”
“…Non-Awakened?”
Yu Ho-yeon murmured softly.
His golden irises fixed squarely on me.
He asked once more, clearly.
“Non-Awakened?”
The question made my chest tighten.
But I had no reason to answer him.
Seo Il-hak didn’t miss the moment Yu Ho-yeon’s gaze shifted to me.
In a flash, a Red Rope materialized and wound around Yu Ho-yeon’s arm and torso.
It was a Skill made manifest, not an item.
Yu Ho-yeon tried to the last to keep his grip on my arm, but Seo Il-hak seized his wrist and wrenched it back forcefully.
My freed arm immediately went behind my back as I stumbled away in panic.
Seo Il-hak pinned Yu Ho-yeon to the ground and held him firmly in place.
“Yu Ho-yeon, deactivate your Skill.”
Instead of complying, an Earth Pillar erupted upward.
Seo Il-hak destroyed the pillar with one arm while pulling the Red Rope tighter.
Black smoke rose from where the Rope made contact.
“Are you unable to stop your Skill?”
I watched Yu Ho-yeon grit his teeth, drawing power upward with visible strain.
As his Mana surged, debris around us quivered finely.
For Seo Il-hak, that was answer enough.
“Then I will keep you restrained until your Skill breaks on its own.”
The black smoke intensified, pooling shallow around his feet.
I shuffled backward, desperate to put distance between myself and the two of them.
That was when Yu Ho-yeon’s gaze found me.
“Gasp.”
The shock froze my body in place.
Seeing my expression, Yu Ho-yeon bit his lip as if suppressing something.
The trembling debris around us stilled, and the electric flicker dancing in his pupils faded.
Thud.
Yu Ho-yeon collapsed as if consciousness itself had been severed along with his Skill.
Seo Il-hak checked his condition, then slowly released his hold.
Yu Ho-yeon remained motionless, as though deep in sleep.
Only then did Seo Il-hak turn to me, his voice laced with concern.
“Miss Ha Cho-eun, are you all right? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No. Well, yes. I mean, no. No injuries.”
My words tumbled out in fragments.
Watching me stammer, Seo Il-hak pulled out his phone and began typing urgently to someone.
“Firefighters and an ambulance should arrive shortly. If you need emergency care, you can head that way.”
I nodded numbly.
Still reeling from the shock, I could barely process what he was saying.
Seo Il-hak extended a hand to me as I swayed.
“It might be best if you stepped into the tent for a moment and sat down to rest.”
I shook my head firmly.
“No, really, it’s not that serious. I was just frightened. But this wasn’t a Dungeon Wave, was it?”
My question darkened Seo Il-hak’s face.
He bowed deeply, looking genuinely ashamed.
“No, it wasn’t. There were no Dungeon Waves recorded in Seoul today. I apologize for the Association’s delayed response and the danger it caused.”
I smiled faintly to reassure him.
“Not at all. Thanks to you coming, I wasn’t hurt. I’m grateful.”
As I exchanged words with him, a vehicle bearing the Hunter Association’s logo came racing up from the distance.
Behind it, a fire truck and ambulance followed in quick succession.
“Association Director, we’ve arrived!”
It was a Weight Manipulation Hunter I’d seen once before.
Seo Il-hak gestured toward him.
“Lee Joo-kyung, please transport them by vehicle.”
“Yes, sir!”
Lee Joo-kyung rushed over and checked on Yu Ho-yeon and the person he’d been wrestling with.
The latter was the same person I’d nearly collided with, so I craned my neck away and stole a glance.
Seo Il-hak seemed to read my discomfort as anxiety and offered his hand.
“I’ll help support you to the ambulance.”
“Shouldn’t that person get to the ambulance first? They were thrown quite hard just now.”
I pointed with my hand at the person lying on the ground.
Seo Il-hak shook his head quietly.
“That person is a wanted fugitive. A B-rank Hunter who appears to have orchestrated a prison escape. It looks like Hunter Yu Ho-yeon subdued them.”
Ah. I quickly withdrew my hand.
Lee Joo-kyung produced Handcuffs from his pocket and arrested the B-rank Hunter.
He then lifted both people and transported them in the Hunter Association vehicle.
Now I turned my attention to Yu Ho-yeon.
“What about this person?”
Seo Il-hak hesitated before speaking.
It seemed he’d decided he needed to ease my worries.
“This person is currently a Hunter under Association supervision due to Skill destabilization. We believed his Skill was gradually stabilizing and deployed him under supervision to apprehend the escaped prisoner.”
He bowed to me.
“We failed to properly manage Hunter Yu Ho-yeon, and this danger resulted from our negligence. I apologize.”
“No, it’s fine. I wasn’t hurt, after all.”
Even as I accepted his apology, a question I couldn’t suppress bubbled up.
“But what exactly do you mean by Skill destabilization?”
“I’m afraid I cannot disclose that due to privacy protection laws. I hope you understand.”
I realized my mistake and covered my mouth with one hand.
Seo Il-hak looked contrite, but this wasn’t his fault at all.
It was mine—my thinking had become muddled by the strangeness of the hostility and resentment Yu Ho-yeon had displayed.
“I’m sorry. I forgot about privacy laws. Haha.”
Even as I laughed it off, doubt lingered in my mind.
Did I have any prior acquaintance with Yu Ho-yeon?
I couldn’t recall a single memory of him.
I stared blankly at the car door sliding shut, then looked up at Seo Il-hak.
“So, have you caught all the escaped prisoners who are currently wanted? Now that you’ve captured the ringleader, it’s over, right?”
“Ah, not quite. We still have five remaining. Since we’re coordinating with the police, we should locate them soon enough.”
He offered no further reply and gently nudged my shoulder toward the ambulance.
The paramedics moved about diligently, tending to various injuries, before noticing me and approaching.
“Are you injured?”
“No, it’s just that my legs feel weak…….”
“Debris might have struck you, so let me take a look.”
The paramedic sat me down and examined me carefully.
Upon closer inspection, I found myself scraped and bruised where stone fragments had struck me.
The paramedic sprayed disinfectant over the affected areas.
“Will you be heading to the emergency room?”
I waved my hand in polite refusal and stood up.
Few others around us were boarding the ambulances.
Most of the people caught in the blast seemed to have sustained only minor injuries.
Under the circumstances, that was a mercy at least.
‘If I just leave things as they are, won’t something like this happen again?’
A rare and decidedly troublesome resolution settled over me.
For my own peace and safety, I would catch the wanted fugitives.
……Not for the twenty million won or anything!

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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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