I Awakened as a Dark History - Chapter 39

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

Episode 39
A single Prairie Dog summoned after so long.
‘Argh! Frying pan! Frying pan! Argh!’
I barely managed to swallow it. Bitter as poison going down, painful as if I’d bitten into something fiery.
“If you’d seen it, surely you would have mentioned it to the people around you. Haven’t you heard anything?”
“No, I haven’t heard a thing!”
I rushed to deny An Je-hwan’s words.
There was no helping it.
Who broadcasts their own shameful history to the world?
Yet An Je-hwan’s face didn’t look particularly hurt by my denial.
If anything, his smile widened with something like joy.
“So it was only I who witnessed it.”
A chill crawled down my spine at that reaction.
Why was he responding like that?
Knowing full well how often curiosity blinds people, I still couldn’t resist it.
“Um… ah, Team Leader? Is it alright if I call you that?”
“Yes. Please do.”
“Oh, just call me Healer, please. I operate anonymously, you see.”
It was absurd that we were exchanging names only after having a conversation, but neither of us seemed to notice.
“But what did you see that made you ask something like that?”
An Je-hwan’s gaze dropped to the ground at my question.
It looked like the response of someone feeling awkward.
“To be honest, I’m not entirely certain what I saw either.”
“Ah…”
I nearly let relief spill from my lips.
But I gathered what little patience I had left and waited for him to finish.
You can’t understand language until you’ve heard it all the way through.
“Whether it was a humanoid Demon Beast, or a Hunter, or perhaps the raging fire itself…”
An Je-hwan spoke in a dreamy voice.
An odd unease rose in my chest at his tone and expression.
“But one thing I’m certain of is that the sight was utterly beautiful.”
Beautiful?
I have no memory of how I looked in my dazed state, but it couldn’t have been beautiful.
I was covered in wounds and dust, clumsy from hastily deploying my first Skill.
“I cannot forget the flames that surged forth, nor their intensity. I was captivated by the sunlight’s brilliance, entranced by the beast’s ferocity.”
For a researcher, it was surprisingly poetic language.
And embarrassingly so at that.
I hid my flushing face behind my hair.
“It seems to have left quite an impression on you.”
“Yes. If I could see it again, I would gladly surrender my life.”
The intensity of his response made me feel mortified alongside him.
I tried to pull him out of his reverie with a lighter tone.
“Then it’s a shame the others didn’t see it too. We could have discussed it together. Doesn’t that bother you?”
And immediately regretted it upon seeing his eyes light up with a smile.
I shouldn’t have asked.
“Not at all. On the contrary, I’m grateful. That only I witnessed you… it felt like fate.”
No. It was simply that I happened to be there.
I buried the truth I couldn’t voice and smiled softly.
“Ah, I see.”
But it seemed my attempt to pull him from his contemplation fell short.
“I’ve always believed that nothing is as beautiful as strength. It’s human nature, after all.”
Something felt off about where this was heading.
With that sinking feeling, I glanced around nervously.
Only then did I notice that the people around us were watching me with sympathy.
And that my Synchronization Rate had crept up to nearly thirty.
“Humans find predators beautiful rather than herbivores. Even as we call them fearsome and repulsive, we marvel at crocodile and serpent skin, and carnivorous animals become our favored companions. Why do we find peace watching something that burns? Why?”
I thought I should probably keep my distance from An Je-hwan, but it was already too late.
“It’s all because their strength is beautiful. And what we saw in that Dungeon was both a beast and fire incarnate. Even calling it the very embodiment of beauty would be insufficient.”
His words cut straight through my cover story with such precision that my skin prickled.
Is this what researchers are capable of?
Or maybe I’m just embarrassed and the chills running down my spine are telling me to back off.
“I’d love to observe and study from the sidelines, but what a shame.”
……
It was survival instinct.
I knew An Je-hwan came from the Research Foundation, but my head was already crawling with mad scientists of every stripe.
“Ah, research? What sort of research…?”
Unlike my nervousness, An Je-hwan answered casually.
“The Research Foundation conducts a variety of studies. We investigate the activation principles of skills, the practical applications of byproducts from Dungeons, and we also research the full scope of Hunter abilities.”
With nothing troubling in the research description, my tension eased again.
After all, the foundation researcher hired by the Haje Guild wouldn’t be conducting anything strange.
The moment I lowered my guard, a loud voice rang out from ahead.
“Halt!”
The entire party stopped in unison, battle formations snapping into place at the same instant.
Whissssh—
Massive arthropods rose from the sand, stirring it upward as they moved.
Watching the countless legs squirm, an involuntary groan escaped my lips.
It wasn’t just me—everyone else wore expressions of visible disgust.
Something visceral turned our stomachs.
Only one person was exempt.
“Sandworms… The color is lovely, and they have such shine. Magnificent.”
Who’d planted a mad scientist in my ear.
I looked sideways with bewildered eyes.
An Je-hwan was scrutinizing the Sandworms with gleaming eyes.
A smile played at the corners of his mouth—he genuinely found them beautiful.
Indifferent to An Je-hwan’s admiration, the swarm of Sandworms began charging toward us.
And from the front, Baek Mun-il’s command rang out.
“Front line!”
The Hunters at the vanguard raised their shields in unison.
Crash—!
A defensive barrier formed by skill blocked the Sandworms’ charge.
Some of the creatures couldn’t withstand their own momentum, their heads crushed in the impact.
“Attack!”
With the defense holding firm, the offense became easier.
Arrows and magic flew from the rear, striking the Sandworms.
Shriek—!
The Sandworms screamed and began forcing their way through the defensive barrier.
Just as it seemed they’d break through our defense, Baek Mun-il’s voice rang out again.
“Forward! Attack!”
The Tankers at the front simultaneously dropped their defense and opened a path.
Through it, Hunters wielding melee weapons rushed forth.
The Sandworms had no time to adapt.
Spears and blades pierced precisely between their chitinous segments and carved them down.
‘I don’t even have a chance to step in.’
I watched the transparent blood soaking into the sand, lost in thought.
But there’s an old saying—speak of peace and trouble arrives.
The Sandworms regained their senses and began attacking the Hunters.
With their fangs bared in threat, the creatures’ attacks left wounds across the Hunters’ bodies.
At that, the Supporters in the rear began to speak.
“Winds of the world, descend upon our allies.”
“Solid earth, solid stone, solid mountain. Born from you, we too shall endure unwavering.”
I felt the mana flowing from the Supporters reach out to the Hunters.
There was no way I could remain idle.
I quickly checked my Synchronization Rate.
[Current Synchronization Rate]
41%
The Synchronization Rate had risen considerably at some point, now granting me access to skills.
I activated a skill just like the other Supporters.
“Honey Wine.”
Golden liquid bubbled up across the desert sand.
No matter how many times I saw it, the sight remained miraculous.
If I’m struggling this much, what must the others be going through?
The Hunters in the thick of combat froze for a moment, their eyes fixed on the golden liquid rising into the air.
The golden liquid seeped into my allies one by one.
Their wounds vanished without a trace in an instant.
‘Thank goodness none of them suffered deep injuries.’
I exhaled with relief at the sight.
And this skill’s effect didn’t end there.
Crack!
Boom!
The movements of the Tankers and Dealers changed entirely.
When they raised their shields lightly, the Sandworms couldn’t push past; when they swung their weapons rapidly, the creatures’ bodies flew apart.
“This is amazing!”
Someone couldn’t contain their excitement and cried out.
The Sandworms seemed to have finally realized they couldn’t defeat the Hunters.
They tried to burrow back into the sand and flee.
But there was a movement that blocked their escape.
Screech—
Ice spread across the ground, and suddenly an icy plain materialized in the middle of the desert.
My eyes sought the skill’s master and turned toward Baek Mun-il.
Baek Mun-il moved the ice platform with a casual gesture.
Thrust! Thrust!
The ice platform undulated and transformed into ice spears that tore through the sand.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The Sandworms writhed in agony, their heads breaking free from the sand.
But there was no escaping the ice spears.
In less than ten minutes, it was all over.
The sand was soaked with translucent blood, and the creatures lay limp.
Baek Mun-il watched the scene, then quietly turned to look at me.
A smile spread gently across his lips.
‘Is he pleased?’
Baek Mun-il quickly looked away.
He clapped to snap the guild members to attention and hurried them along.
“Come on, now! Wake up and start collecting items. Look for Magic Stones too.”
“Yes, sir!”
The guild members moved busily, smiles bright on their faces.
They confirmed every item scattered on the ground and split open the Sandworms’ corpses to extract the Magic Stones.
An Je-hwan rushed toward the Sandworm corpses as if he’d been waiting for this moment.
His eyes gleamed as he claimed one corpse entirely for himself.
“Captain An, Sandworm corpses don’t have resale value, so we don’t collect them—is there something you need?”
“Would you like help?”
“No, thank you. I’ll handle what I need myself.”
An Je-hwan’s eyes lit up as he drew a short blade from his belt.
The guild members had long since kept their distance from him.
A wise choice.
“Hmm.”
He didn’t hesitate before cutting out the Sandworm’s fangs and keeping them.
An Je-hwan caressed the fangs he’d extracted, his eyes wide with delight.
But he didn’t stop there—he split open the creature’s head and even extracted the venom sac.
The phrase “mad scientist” drifted through my mind again.
I barely managed to turn my gaze elsewhere.
Fortunately, the other side was filled only with Hunters collecting Magic Stones.
I approached them and asked carefully.
“Is there anything I can help with?”
At my question, the Hunters—covered in Sandworm blood and dirt—waved their hands frantically.
“Healers are always excused from this kind of work.”
“Just use your skill next time! Man, it was incredible!”
“Rest, rest.”
They made sure not a drop of blood touched me.
Left out of the way like that, I found myself standing beside Baek Mun-il before I knew it.
Baek Mun-il looked at me and smiled brightly.
“Your skill was incredible back there.”
“Oh, thank you. I’m glad it met your expectations.”
Baek Mun-il shook his head.
“It’s beyond meeting expectations. Healing, increased attack power, improved defense—didn’t it only provide healing before?”
He was referring to the auction house. I laughed awkwardly.
“This ability can’t recover from status ailments, though.”
Realizing that, I grew worried about the Sandworm’s venomous fangs.
“Now that I think about it, Sandworms are poisonous, aren’t they? I only healed the wounds…”
[Current Synchronization Rate]
55%
My Synchronization Rate had climbed again, silent as ever.
I stared at the number for a moment before turning back to Baek Mun-il.
Baek Mun-il smiled reassuringly and glanced at the guild members.
“Sandworm venom is weak enough that natural resistance takes care of it on its own.”
I exhaled in relief.
Baek Mun-il shrugged nonchalantly at me.
“Besides, the Haje Guild supplies Potions and Antidotes for use during Dungeon clears. I’ve stashed them in a Subspace Item, so use them when you need them.”
I recalled the various items stored in that Subspace Item.
As understanding dawned on me, Baek Mun-il asked quietly.
“Can I ask you something, though?”
“Yes? What is it?”
“You said you couldn’t make it, so why did you suddenly come to the clear?”
Baek Mun-il regarded me with a knowing smile.
I laughed and looked up at the sky.
This is why a guild master with sharp intuition is such a problem.

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