I Awakened as a Dark History - Chapter 40

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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 40
Baek Mun-il seemed to have caught onto something, that subtle smile never leaving his face.
The moment I tried to dodge the subject, Baek Mun-il spoke again.
“Actually, reasons don’t really matter. What I wanted to ask about is something else.”
There was no time for relief at not having to explain.
“Yes? What is it?”
My repetitive response finally drew a laugh from Baek Mun-il.
“What’s with you repeating the same thing? You don’t need to be so tense.”
I forced a smile and wiped the sweat from my forehead.
Under the harsh desert sun, perspiration gathered on its own.
It probably wasn’t cold sweat. Probably…
Baek Mun-il spoke lightly, as if it were nothing.
“It’s nothing major. I was just curious whether you still had no intention of joining the Guild.”
“Oh! That, yes.”
It was actually a relief that it concerned Guild business rather than something personal.
I relaxed and laughed.
“Well, since I’m maintaining anonymity, it might be a bit difficult.”
Baek Mun-il made a small sound of regret, as if he’d forgotten that detail.
But to me, even that seemed like a carefully calculated act.
So I wouldn’t feel burdened.
“Ah, that’s unfortunate.”
Baek Mun-il expressed his disappointment but didn’t press further.
“So you’ll keep doing Free Hunter Activity like this?”
“Probably, yes?”
Now that I’d suddenly become unemployed, I couldn’t abruptly stop hunting.
It would be different if I found new work or earned enough to not need to work anymore, but…
‘If I start buying items or potions, the expenses will bleed me dry.’
For now, I needed to be somewhat careful.
At my ambiguous affirmation, Baek Mun-il brought up his real purpose.
“Then, could I get your contact information?”
“My contact information?”
I hesitated for a moment, thinking that I’d have to give contact details linked to ‘Ha Cho-eun’.
Baek Mun-il smiled softly and explained.
“I want to lock in a spot as a client for a Free Hunter. Usually these things are first-come, first-served.”
To someone still floundering over how to conduct Free Hunter Activity, his words fell like rain on parched earth.
I readily accepted his offer.
“It’s not my direct personal line, but I have a number for receiving requests and calls. I’ll give you that. Feel free to contact me anytime you need something.”
While we spoke, the others finished organizing the Sand Worm corpses.
After leaving the remaining Sand Worm bodies behind, one of the men ran over and reported the situation.
“We’re finished, Guild Master.”
“Then let’s move out again. Back to your positions.”
The Conquest Team returned to their formation, and I made my way back to mine.
The good start had lifted my spirits.
Not just me—everyone walked through the desert with light, eager steps.
* * *
Thud—
The Sphinx’s body in the boss chamber crumbled, sending sand billowing into the air.
At the same moment, the fully bloomed flowers began to wilt one by one.
“We’ve got it!”
“Woo-hoo!”
People cheered, raising their weapons high.
I smiled along with their celebration.
I was quite exhausted from scraping my magical energy down to the dregs.
But I had gained something from it—a new insight.
‘So Blooming Flower maintains itself as long as I keep pouring magic into it.’
Perhaps Falling Flower worked the same way.
I steadied my breathing and straightened up.
An Je-hwan approached my side.
“You’re completely different from the original healer on staff.”
He spoke as if he knew the Haje Guild’s original healer.
I didn’t know this person, but I answered with humility nonetheless.
“Not at all. The healer from the Haje Guild would have done better, I’m sure…….”
I steadied my breath and gave a modest reply.
But An Je-hwan offered his assessment in a flat voice.
“No. We took down the boss and not a single scratch on any of the conquest team members. Range, potency, duration—everything is on a different level entirely.”
While Blooming Flower held, any wound healed perfectly. It was only natural.
Severed limbs, punctured flesh—it didn’t matter. Injuries knit themselves shut in an instant.
It was a far more tangible ability than when I’d viewed it as mere botany before.
An Je-hwan pondered for a moment, then spoke.
“Your stats don’t appear to be low either…… You could qualify for S-Rank Hunter status.”
Coming from a researcher, the words carried considerable weight.
I suppressed the flutter of interest and answered humbly.
“Thank you for the kind words.”
An Je-hwan maintained his deadpan expression, as if to emphasize that it was mere analysis, not praise.
The conquest team members worked steadily, dismantling the boss Magical Beast and collecting items and Magic Stones.
In the midst of this, An Je-hwan began moving about with visible purpose.
Watching him extract a bottle and Incense Candle from his Subspace Item sparked my curiosity.
More than anything, I wanted to replenish my Synchronization Rate, which had dropped from using Blooming Flower, so I ventured a question.
“Is there anything I can help with?”
[Current Synchronization Rate]
23%
As my Synchronization Rate climbed, An Je-hwan handed me the Incense Candle.
“I’ll light the candle shortly. All you need to do is keep it from going out.”
“Ah…… what’s it for?”
“It purifies poison.”
An Je-hwan answered as though stating the obvious.
I recalled the dungeon layout I’d been given earlier.
The first floor was the Burning Night Desert.
The second floor, the Poison Spring Swamp.
The third floor, the Queen’s Forest.
“Ah! You’re preparing for the poison swamp!”
An Je-hwan nodded.
He counted the bottles, then gathered beakers and flasks.
“So with this candle and the Detoxification Potion, the poison swamp won’t be a problem, right?”
“No.”
An Je-hwan handed me a Detoxification Potion.
I took it without much thought.
An Je-hwan elaborated at once.
“These are temporary measures. The candle lasts thirty minutes, the potion ten. To completely neutralize the poison in the swamp, we’ll need analysis and synthesis.”
“So I’d need to drink the potion every ten minutes?”
“Not if you stay within the candle’s range. Besides, since I came along, I can analyze it as quickly as possible and synthesize a custom potion on the spot.”
Now I understood why the research team leader had come.
To handle the poison swamp directly.
‘The hunters really do coordinate brilliantly.’
I looked back and forth between Baek Mun-il and An Je-hwan in admiration.
Their competence truly held the nation together against the dungeons.
“I’d like to collect the poison from the swamp right away and take it to the lab for analysis…… but I suppose we have to wait until the dungeon is cleared.”
…….
I pretended not to hear An Je-hwan’s words.
Baek Mun-il approached our group as if to help.
“Ready, team leader?”
“All set. Incense Candle and Detoxification Potion.”
“Good.”
Baek Mun-il checked the Incense Candle in my hand.
He nodded as if entrusting it to me, then turned away.
“We move to the next area now. I’ll distribute the potions—take them and prepare.”
“Yes.”
The hunters moved in sequence as they finished their cleanup work.
I took a potion and stood before the stairs leading to the next area.
I positioned myself at the very back of the group. Unlike them, who seemed calm, I felt a little on edge.
It was my first time moving to the next section of a dungeon.
‘They said the space shifts abruptly.’
I moistened my dry lips.
“Let’s move!”
The Conquest Team began climbing the stairs.
I followed them from the rear, walking briskly.
The staircase was short.
By the time I felt the humid air, we were already beyond the stairs.
Thud—
“Oh my!”
I spun around in alarm.
A door I hadn’t known existed swung shut, blocking the staircase behind us.
Already tense, the sudden change startled me more than I’d expected.
My sharp reaction drew laughter from everyone around me.
I covered my face with one hand, mortified.
My eyes drifted to the Synchronization Rate in the corner of my vision.
[Current Synchronization Rate]
42%
The Synchronization Rate had climbed while I wasn’t looking, deepening my embarrassment.
Before I could process it, An Je-hwan held out a match to me.
“From here on, it’s the Poison Spring Swamp. The air is toxic, so let’s light the Incense Candle.”
“Ah, understood.”
As I grasped the Incense Candle properly, An Je-hwan lit it for me.
The flame ignited, and the Incense Candle released thick smoke.
The smoke wrapped around us like mist.
I forced down my amazement.
I couldn’t afford another embarrassing moment.
“Wow.”
“Incredible.”
Instead, the others gasped in wonder.
I’d stifled my reaction for nothing.
An Je-hwan gave the Conquest Team a brief explanation.
“You won’t be affected by the poison while you’re in the smoke.”
“What if we leave the smoke and then come back in?”
Someone raised their hand lightly and asked.
“If you show symptoms of poisoning, the Incense Candle won’t work. If you leave the smoke and become poisoned, take a Detoxification Potion. You’ll be protected from any toxin for ten minutes afterward.”
However, the Incense Candle had a thirty-minute time limit.
“Before the Incense Candle burns out, we’ll analyze the swamp as much as we can and prepare an antidote.”
With that, An Je-hwan pressed ahead.
As we pushed through the vegetation, a marshy wetland came into view, water rippling across its surface.
Dark-colored mist continued rising from the swamp.
That must have been the toxic air.
An Je-hwan tried to approach the swamp first.
But a hand caught him by the nape of his neck.
“Wait, Captain. Safety first.”
Baek Mun-il made a light gesture with his hand.
For him, a swamp full of water was as good as home ground.
The water froze in place, piercing through the Magical Beasts concealed beneath the swamp floor.
I couldn’t hide my admiration at the soundless, swift, and precise attack.
“Impressive.”
But this time, I was the only one who reacted.
‘Why can’t I ever get the timing right?’
Fortunately, An Je-hwan gasped right after me.
“Frost Snapping Turtle, Stone Crocodile, Will Firefly….”
To my eyes, they looked like grotesque and fearsome turtles, crocodiles, and insects, but he recalled each Magical Beast’s name with precision.
He gazed at them with greedy eyes for a moment, then approached the water’s edge.
As he filled a flask with water, Baek Mun-il froze the entire surface of the swamp.
“Let’s find a safe place and rest for now. It’ll take time for the Captain to prepare the antidote anyway.”
“Yes!”
I cupped the candlelight with one hand and moved forward.
I became inadvertently tense, afraid my slightest movement might snuff out the flame.
Baek Mun-il continued freezing the swampland from the front of the line.
It was a way to secure both passage and safety in a single action.
“Guild Master, that spot over there should be safe.”
One of the vanguard hunters spotted a shelter first and pointed upward with his finger.
Since swamp surrounded them on all sides, his gesture aimed toward the trees overhead.
Baek Mun-il nodded in approval, and several hunters leaped into the branches.
“They’re going to tie up a tent and secure a resting place, it seems.”
An Je-hwan was too occupied examining the swamp’s toxins to hear me.
The hunters deftly lashed the tent to the tree limbs and secured it in place.
A shelter materialized in moments, and the hunters climbed up one by one.
An Je-hwan seemed oblivious to everyone’s departure, absorbed in peering at the flask.
I had no choice but to grab him and spread my wings.
“……You could’ve climbed up on your own, you know.”
“Still, it’s better if you keep focusing on that.”
An Je-hwan didn’t refuse twice, as if my logic made sense to him.
Truth was, he didn’t even have time to refuse.
I’d already lifted him onto the tent myself.
[Current Synchronization Rate]
57%
The only solace I had was the fact that my Synchronization Rate was climbing faster than usual.

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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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