I Awakened as a Dark History - Chapter 42

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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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Chapter 42
“Gasp, gasp……”
I gripped An Je-hwan’s arm tightly, taking stock of him.
I’d pulled him clear of the explosion just in time, but I couldn’t shield him from it entirely.
One of his legs was bleeding from the blast.
“Are you badly hurt?”
An Je-hwan’s face twisted in agony.
That wasn’t our only problem.
“Ahhh!”
“Damn it, put the Barrier back up!”
Thirty percent of the Raiders had been wounded in the Powder Kingfisher assault.
They raised the Barrier again despite their injuries.
The Dealers were too busy dispatching the remaining Powder Kingfishers inside the Barrier to think straight.
“Don’t shock them! Cleave them in one stroke!”
In the chaos of perfectly synchronized panic, the Hunters moved to their positions without hesitation.
It was a din and frenzy so overwhelming it felt like the world was ending.
“Healer!”
A distant voice calling for me snapped me back to focus.
It was Baek Mun-il who’d called out.
The moment his eyes found mine, he barked a clear directive.
“No critical injuries! Support the team! Boost attack and defense!”
At his command, my role crystallized in my mind.
I summoned my Mana without a word.
The force flowing through my body—like blood made manifest—surged outward.
Golden droplets materialized all around us.
The Hunters’ weapons grew far sharper and more resilient.
But overhead, the Powder Kingfishers were readying their third wave of attacks.
They spotted us from above, folded their wings, and dove.
“Intercept!”
Baek Mun-il and the ranged Dealers fired at the descending creatures.
But there were too many of them.
Worse, their habit of exploding on impact meant we couldn’t engage them at close range without risk.
An idea scraped across my mind, and I cried out urgently.
“What if—what if we tied them down with something like a net?!”
Unfortunately, no one here could answer for me.
It would be done or it wouldn’t. That much was in my hands alone.
Bang—! Bang-bang!
The Barrier, strengthened by the boosted defense, held firm against the assault.
But no shield could withstand endless explosions forever.
‘I have to act before the buff wears off.’
And we were running out of time besides.
For the third time, the Powder Kingfishers kicked off from the Swamp and launched skyward to reposition.
Their wings and legs brushed against leaves and vines.
Finally, I bellowed out an Incantation with all the roughness I could muster.
“Flowers! Seize their legs and wings!”
Even to my crude Incantation, the trees and vines answered.
Squeak?! Chirp! Squeeeeeak!
The Magic Beast, far too large to be called a kingfisher, cried out in a voice far too adorable for its size.
‘This is no time to find them cute.’
One by one, the Powder Kingfishers attempting to climb the trees found themselves tangled in branches and vines.
The Hunters, seeing the change, began attacking the snared creatures.
But half the Powder Kingfishers thrashed free of the snare.
They dodged the vines and shot skyward.
“Half of them got away.”
I bit my lip.
“The Incantation……”
A weak voice came from beside me.
When I turned to look, An Je-hwan rose on his partially recovered leg.
“Pay close attention to the form and structure of your Incantation. Form is how you convey what you want, and structure is your tone of voice.”
His voice grew faster as he spoke.
He understood perfectly well that he couldn’t afford to let the Powder Kingfisher slip away.
“Finding a perfect method right now would be difficult. What are the conditions for the incantation?”
The details didn’t come back to me immediately.
I conveyed whatever elements I could recall.
“I think they said the effect grows stronger the brighter and more cheerful you speak it.”
“What does the system description say?”
“It just says you can receive the help of plants…… that’s all.”
An Je-hwan nodded, then began ticking off points on his fingers.
“Fit the conditions as closely as you can and include words asking for help. And since it needs to be bright and cheerful…… think of the plants as small children and adjust your tone accordingly.”
The Powder Kingfishers were still tangled in vines, not yet fully clear of the trees.
I centered my mind, imagining a child of five or six years old.
“Flowers! Please help me! Will you tie up those birds’ legs and wings so they can’t fly away?”
As An Je-hwan heard my incantation, he quickly added further instruction.
“State your purpose one more time—the objective.”
“Um, uh…… please, please make it so those ones can’t attack us!”
That was as far as my mind could stretch.
But it was enough.
The vines’ movement became qualitatively different from before.
Now with a clearer sense of purpose, the vines wound densely around the Powder Kingfishers’ legs and wings.
But that wasn’t all.
Branches layered overhead like a net, stacking upon each other in dense ranks.
Chirp? Chirp-chirp!
The Powder Kingfishers were trapped inside the branches.
Unlike a barrier, the branches had gaps—when the Powder Kingfisher struck them, it only bounced back.
And the one that thrust its head through where a branch gave way found itself tangled by the neck, completely immobilized.
I stared at the sight, mouth falling open.
“So that’s how you use this skill.”
An Je-hwan let out a relieved sigh.
I found myself appreciating his competence from yet another angle.
In the meantime, the Hunters finished hunting the Powder Kingfishers, now bound helplessly.
As drops of blood tapped the Swamp’s surface, the battle finally ended.
I hurried to check An Je-hwan’s legs first.
“Your legs. Are you alright?”
“Yes.”
An Je-hwan examined his own raw, bright-red legs inside his charred clothing.
“First-degree burns, roughly. A little potion should be enough.”
He pulled a potion from his Dimensional Storage Item just as he said and sprayed it on his legs.
The wound vanished without a trace in moments.
The others wiped blood from their faces and produced potions as well.
Everyone was busy drinking or applying their own.
Fortunately, no one’s face bore any lasting damage.
Only then did I relax and descend into the Swamp.
I had no strength left to move my wings any further.
If only I’d cast Flower Calling a little faster, perhaps the battle would have ended more easily.
The moment combat ended, my head filled with reflection.
I muttered to myself like I was making excuses.
“I knew incantations needed to be poetic and archaic to work well…… but I didn’t know I had to match a specific form like that.”
“Knowing the most important elements is enough. Even without perfect form, if you just shape your tone correctly, the skill’s efficiency improves significantly.”
An Je-hwan’s response was casual, as if it were nothing special.
“Still, it would be good to experiment with using the skill in various ways and find the best form. Skills are a Hunter’s lifeline, after all.”
I nodded.
I resolved to engrave his advice deeply.
My skill was good for experimentation anyway, so it seemed worthwhile to prepare in multiple ways.
‘I should try it several more times in this Raid right away.’
It would be a shame to waste the chance of having both an experienced Raider and a researcher present.
“Your final support was excellent.”
Baek Mun-il, the experienced one, praised me with perfect timing.
The praise made me smile.
“I’m glad it was helpful.”
“I’ve seen a skill like this before but forgot about it. Going forward, should I consider this when giving instructions?”
I nodded quickly. It was what I’d wanted all along.
Baek Mun-il laughed at my eagerness.
That laughter felt like a bad omen, but the milk was already spilled.
“Then shall we try right now? I’d appreciate it if you could use your ability to scout the safety of our route.”
The very first instruction was way too high-level for me.
I turned to An Je-hwan for help.
“It’s fine. It’ll be good practice. Would it be alright if I observe and take some notes from the sidelines?”
I was defeated by the arrival of this unhelpful mad scientist.
“Flowers, dear flowers…….”
It was the first time I’d chanted an incantation without feeling ashamed.
And it was also the first time I felt this sorrowful.
* * *
Scratch, scratch.
An Je-hwan moved his pen busily, staying true to his word about keeping records.
I activated Flower Calling for the third time.
“Dear flowers! Tell me of the presence at your side! So that I might protect us all!”
The trees began to sway and move, leaves rustling of their own accord.
The trees along our path stretched their branches out, pointing across the Swamp.
It was a sign that Magic Beasts were there.
“Already the third time, and you still have plenty of Mana left. Your consumption is remarkably low.”
Baek Mun-il quietly created an Ice Spear.
The Hunters brushed themselves off and readied their weapons.
Baek Mun-il’s Ice Spear flew toward the location the tree had marked.
A bestial shriek tore through the air!
Water splashed as the Magic Beast impaled on the spear thrashed about.
Growl? Whimper?
The other Magic Beasts nearby sensed the attack and looked around nervously.
The Hunters seized the moment and rushed in, cutting down the creatures in one sweep.
Knowing their location meant there was no need for caution.
Under the Hunters’ relentless assault, the Magic Beasts quickly became items and were stored in a Dimensional Storage Item.
“The efficiency really is impressive, isn’t it? It looks like the skill works perfectly as long as your voice reaches them.”
Baek Mun-il spoke with satisfaction as he watched the scene unfold.
An Je-hwan diligently transcribed his assessment into his notepad.
“The Mana consumption is low, and the range is broad. It’s a skill with excellent versatility. I’d like to know how it activates when Mana is insufficient.”
“Is something like shared perception possible?”
For some reason, these men seemed delighted by my own skill.
Yet it was undeniable that their suggestions were actually improving the skill’s efficiency.
“Even without explicitly asking for help, the efficiency is acceptable. Now I think it would be best to adjust the form and shorten the incantation as much as possible—so you can use it immediately even in urgent moments.”
“……Is it not possible to eliminate the incantation altogether?”
I asked, grasping at straws.
An Je-hwan looked at Baek Mun-il with an expression that said he was just as desperate to try.
“I’d like to attempt that as well. But given that research results are meager and there are almost no documented cases, it doesn’t seem like an easy matter.”
I stared at Baek Mun-il alongside him.
‘Is it something only the naturally gifted can do?’
Baek Mun-il caught the glint in our eyes and smiled wickedly.
“For now, let’s make it our goal to improve the incantation’s efficiency during this dungeon raid. And should you ever succeed in activating the skill without an incantation, please do visit our Research Institute and cooperate with us on this research.”
An Je-hwan spoke while continuing to look at Baek Mun-il.
He went on to explain how this research could help many people, how meaningful it was, and how he would ensure it was never coercive or caused any side effects.
Baek Mun-il remained unmoved by this earnest courtship.
As the country’s foremost Guild leader, he seemed accustomed to such overtures.
“And Healer skills are progressing slowly in their research due to their rarity as well. If you could visit the Research Institute, we would be most grateful.”
I smiled softly.
“Many Hunters are afraid of research for no good reason. Yet it’s actually safer and more comfortable than dungeon raids. Just come visit, sit quietly, and…… Healer? Where are you going?”
And I slipped away from An Je-hwan.
My wings lifted me gently forward with unshakeable ease.
“Healer?!”
In this brief escape, I felt myself grow as a Hunter.
The ability to retreat naturally and comfortably from a dangerous opponent—grade A+.

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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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