I Awakened as a Dark History - Chapter 51

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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 51
These criminals were persistently stubborn beyond measure.
They wouldn’t surrender willingly, choosing flight to the bitter end.
I tracked their direction of escape and shouted to the Association Chairman.
“Chairman, about seven of them are fleeing to the right!”
“Please pursue them! I’ll follow from below!”
Even as Seo Il-hak called out those words, one more broke toward the right.
Having heard my warning, he’d apparently decided an escape route lay in that direction.
But making such a move now that the situation was known only made him more conspicuous.
Crack!
An Iron Sphere came flying through the air and struck the fleeing criminal’s ribs.
Yu Ho-yeon recalled the Iron Sphere with a steady hand, his composure unshaken.
The sphere stretched and took the form of a thin blade.
His skill to reshape metal so freely seemed remarkably useful from where I stood.
‘For the one on the receiving end, it’s a beating with a metal staff and a chain-whip rolled into one.’
I regarded Yu Ho-yeon’s skill’s destructive power with contempt, not pity.
‘Does breaking a few bones and coughing up blood pay any debt for their sins?’
I had no sympathy for those who trafficked in human flesh.
I tore my gaze from the criminal and moved without hesitation.
When I spread my wings and gave chase, the team below saw me and followed.
The distance between us and the fugitives shrank with each passing moment.
And then my eyes caught sight of their destination.
My heart quickened at the sight of that strange vortex, as if someone had pasted a CG rendering onto reality itself.
I cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted downward immediately.
“Chairman! Is there a dungeon here?!”
“What? No! There’s no report of one!”
Seo Il-hak answered in a loud voice.
I blinked, searching the space ahead.
The fugitives were running in a direct line straight toward the Gate.
“There is one! They’re heading right for it!”
By then, it was already too late to stop them.
The cooldown on Thorn Bush had roughly six minutes remaining, and Falling Flower wasn’t suited for stopping someone in their tracks.
In the end, I halted before the Gate where they’d vanished.
The Association’s Hunters who’d been pursuing me caught up and discovered the Gate.
All eyes fixed upward upon it.
[Dungeon Saturation Level]
87%
I let out a short breath.
Even a few lower-Rank Hunters exhaled in unison.
The Gate swirled in place, heedless of our haste.
Someone finally broke the silence first.
“When did a Gate open here…?”
His voice was thick with unease.
The Association Hunters began speaking up in turn, as if chiming in with agreement.
“Gates are supposed to be reported immediately when they form—who’s the local contact?”
“You can’t blame the civil servant. If someone’s intent on a cover-up, what can a bureaucrat do?”
“Shouldn’t we at least register the dungeon first before deciding what to do with it?”
None of them seemed eager to enter the Gate.
It made sense, really.
Their abilities were designed for suppression, not for lethal takedowns—mostly debuffs.
Going up against Magic Beasts with only those skills was a quick path to death.
Seo Il-hak listened to the Association Hunters’ conversation in silence.
After a moment’s consideration, he took out his Mobile Phone.
He switched it to speaker mode, making no effort to hide the contents from the others.
—Yes, this is Seo Yeon-hu.
“Hunter Seo Yeon-hu, have you finished escorting the suspects?”
Through the speaker, Seo Yeon-hu’s clear, crisp voice came back.
—We’re almost done. Should we send backup as well?
“No. Instead, check whether the suspects know anything about the dungeon at the Harbor.”

—What?! There’s a Gate there? Wait, wait a moment!
Through the speakerphone came the sound of hurried footsteps and shouting.
Seo Yeon-hu’s voice came through, rough and rushed.
‘So he does speak that way…. Does everyone?’
At the end, I heard something collapse—Seo Yeon-hu must have used force.
—Confirmed, sir.
His voice returned to the call, composed and measured.
It seemed he had one tone for threats and another for everyday speech.
—The Gate appeared about two weeks ago, but they hid it since the transaction was imminent.
“And they don’t even know what Rank it is?”
—No, sir. They appear to have no idea. Should I interrogate them further?
Seo Il-hak hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.
“…No. If there’s anything else I need, I’ll contact you.”
—Yes, sir!
Seo Yeon-hu answered with energy and hung up.
In contrast, Seo Il-hak’s expression only grew more troubled.
“It seems they threw themselves into the Gate to avoid being caught by the Association. At this rate, we’ll need to conduct a rescue operation, not an arrest.”
“Ah…….”
Someone let out a sound that was almost a scoff without quite meaning to.
They quickly realized their mistake and closed their mouth, but it was already too late.
We were all already staring at Choi Hyeon-ha, who had made the sound.
He finally owned up to it.
“Sir, the Gate is quite large. It’s bound to be at least B-rank.”
…….
The others nodded subtly in agreement, lending weight to Choi Hyeon-ha’s point.
“It would be difficult for us to enter. Shouldn’t we treat the suspects as presumed dead, or at most leave a waiting team here?”
Seo Il-hak knitted his brow, clearly reluctant.
“The Association doesn’t have enough spare personnel to detail a waiting team. And if we simply mark them as presumed dead and they escape later…….”
Seo Il-hak bit his lower lip hard, his mind clearly troubled.
Finally, Seo Il-hak turned to look at Yu Ho-yeon.
“Yu Ho-yeon. This isn’t your usual assignment, but would you be willing to help us enter the Gate and secure the suspects?”
Yu Ho-yeon, who had been standing silent like a bystander, nodded.
“I can do it.”
Seo Il-hak’s expression eased a little.
Having made his decision, he turned to look at me as well.
“Hunter, from what I understand, you possess offensive skills. Would you be able to help as well?”
I looked at the Gate once, then at Seo Il-hak.
Of course, helping Seo Il-hak didn’t feel unpleasant.
Above all, I had already been paid.
But thinking that this job meant rescuing criminals left me cold.
I didn’t hide my displeasure—I laid it bare without restraint.
“We can’t even properly confirm the Gate’s Rank. We don’t know what Magic Beasts are inside, let alone the environment. You want to enter that?”
“I understand it’s not a fair deal. But…….”
Seo Il-hak showed his regret.
I immediately raised my hand and drew a line.
“No, don’t misunderstand. I’m not unwilling to help you. I can do what you ask of me. It’s helping criminals that I won’t do.”
Of course, that line was drawn between Seo Il-hak and the criminals.
Seo Il-hak was taken aback by my goodwill, but at the same time lowered his head at my refusal.
Yet inside my heart, I felt no remorse whatsoever.
If anything, a snort escaped me.
“Those bastards deserve to die, and they stupidly stumbled into that place trying to run. Why should we pull them out? I’d rather push them back in and let them die there. Let’s just leave them.”
As I spoke sarcastically, Seo Il-hak’s expression actually hardened.
“That’s not possible. Without proper trial, if we can’t even confirm whether they’re dead or alive, the victims won’t be able to find peace.”
His face as he laid out his principles was set firm, as if to brook no argument.
I frowned, displeased.
Seo Il-hak looked at my expression and seemed to conclude that my mind couldn’t be changed.
“If you’re unwilling, I had no intention of pressing you. And if the suspects had any sense, they wouldn’t move recklessly in an unconfirmed Gate.”
Would someone stupid enough to enter a Gate just to dodge arrest really think that carefully?
I didn’t bother poking at Seo Il-hak with that skepticism.
“Two S-rankers should be more than capable of securing them. Hunter, please escort the suspects along with the other hunters.”
Seo Il-hak approached the Gate as if about to enter the dungeon right then.
A sigh escaped from my lips.
“I’ll go with you, Director.”
“There’s no need to force yourself…….”
Seo Il-hak couldn’t bring himself to refuse outright, his words trailing off.
I flew quickly toward the Gate.
“I’m not keen on helping criminals. But you said you wanted me to hear out the Director’s request.”
It felt awkward to refuse the plea of someone who lived uprightly and held fast to principle.
Besides, hadn’t they saved me in a crisis before?
I’d received their kindness, so I had to repay it.
I watched Seo Il-hak’s expression soften and added bluntly.
“Either way, wouldn’t it be better to have one more person?”
“You’re absolutely right.”
Seo Il-hak, oddly enough, agreed as readily as a schemer would.
His readiness made my resistance crumble just a little.

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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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