I Awakened as a Dark History - Chapter 73

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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 73
The 5th Floor held a total of eight dragons.
Each one claimed a vast territory without overlap, which consumed considerable time.
Still, fortunately, the end of this floor was finally coming into view.
‘Including the boss, that makes nine dragons total.’
We lowered our packs and gazed up at the lofty Boss Room door for a moment.
Exhaustion was written plainly across everyone’s faces.
“God, I’d kill for some kimchi stew over rice right now.”
“Soft tofu stew for me.”
“Spicy Sichuan broth.”
“Tteokbokki…….”
“Actually, I’m fine.”
“Whatever I eat after I sleep, I guess.”
“Salad.”
……
“……We’ve lost it.”
The hunters’ voices carried no energy whatsoever.
I lay on the dirt ground, listening absently to their chatter.
Yoo Ho-yeon approached me and set an Energy Bar in my palm.
“Fill your stomach before we enter the boss room. You can’t fight on an empty tank.”
I’m so sick of these bars I can barely stomach them.
That’s what I thought, but my stomach growled loudly.
My appetite might have given up, but my body hadn’t.
“Don’t you get tired of Energy Bars?”
“Tired or not, you eat.”
Yoo Ho-yeon seemed worried I wouldn’t eat, so he retrieved another Energy Bar.
I couldn’t resist the way he peeled back the wrapper and held it out to me.
‘He takes care of people pretty well, actually. It seems ingrained in him.’
I pushed myself upright and accepted the bar.
Crunch.
The flavorless bar crumbled with the bite, and I chewed it listlessly.
The other hunters were doing the same, mechanically consuming their Energy Bars.
After nearly twenty days of three meals a day consisting of Energy Bars and instant rations, it was hardly surprising.
In the distance, Dariya Goden was also unwrapping an Energy Bar to eat.
Perhaps because I’d been staring too intently, Dariya Goden noticed my gaze.
When our eyes met, he didn’t look away—he stared right back at me.
The moment I broke eye contact, his stare felt like it was drilling through me.
I forced myself to act unfazed and struck up a conversation with Yoo Ho-yeon instead.
“Does Hunter Goden still suspect me, then?”
“Probably.”
Yoo Ho-yeon shifted his body, wedging himself between Dariya Goden and me.
Thanks to that, some of the pressure lifted.
I’d received this kind of consideration throughout the 5th Floor’s conquest, yet it still felt a bit strange.
Maybe it was because I thought of him as someone who disliked me.
‘Does he not know I’m the Healer?’
Come to think of it, I’d revealed myself as the Demon King in front of Yoo Ho-yeon.
I was caught by the Dark Fairy’s skill.
The Healer had such an altruistic personality that maybe that’s what earned Yoo Ho-yeon’s favor.
‘But thinking back to how he avoided me in the early days of the dungeon… maybe that’s not it. Or could it be related to Ha Cho-eun somehow? I really can’t tell.’
My head was a mess.
I decided to bury the confusion and simply accept Yoo Ho-yeon’s kindness.
“You said the 5th Floor’s boss room has never been scouted, right?”
“Yeah.”
An enemy we’d never seen before, yet tension didn’t rise to meet the occasion.
Fatigue weighed heavier than apprehension now.
As the dungeon’s floors climbed higher, the difficulty of conquest was partly due to this accumulated exhaustion.
I brushed the last crumbs from the Energy Bar into my mouth and pulled out a water bottle.
Once we cleared this boss room, we could go home, so there was no need to ration water.
I drank half and used the rest to wash my hands.
My hands weren’t actually dirty—I’d only eaten the bar—but I felt like washing them anyway.
‘I want a bath. A good hot soak.’
He shook the water from his hands and tucked the bottle back into the pocket dimension.
The other hunters did the same, shaking out their hands and checking their weapons.
Everyone seemed eager to get home quickly, their desire for rest evident in the quickness of their movements.
The hunters’ hands moved faster than usual.
“Almost there!”
“Let’s go!”
But no matter how the others urged forward, the order to enter still fell to the team’s Leader.
All eyes turned to Baek Moon-il.
He smiled briefly and walked toward the door.
“Prepare for entry.”
By now, finding his position came naturally.
Standing at the rear and looking up, he could see the Synchronization Rate.
[Current Synchronization Rate]
88%
Thanks to not spamming skills, the Synchronization Rate remained stable.
He could still use Honey Dew, and if he stretched the fight a bit longer, Blooming would be available soon.
Grrrrr—
A massive stone door swung open, its edges scraping against the floor with a terrible sound.
The Boss Room’s door never opened quietly.
It seemed designed to wake the boss with that very noise.
Shapes that had been coiled in the vast chamber stirred and rose.
One was crimson, the other glinting with golden brilliance.
“Two of them…?”
They’d struggled against one dragon at a time—to face two at once was a nightmare scenario.
The anticipation from moments before evaporated, and tension settled over the hunters’ faces.
ROOOOOAAARRR!
The red dragon spread its wings first, adopting a stance of vigilance.
“Brace yourselves!”
The hunters rushed forward into the chamber.
The vanguard moved up first with shields raised, and the team followed close behind.
The dragon, now fully aware of its enemies, thundered across the ground toward them.
“Hold the line!”
The hunters’ protective barriers snapped up in unison, layering atop one another.
As the dragon slammed into them, the barriers shattered in succession.
“Urgh!”
“Couldn’t hold even for a second…!”
The dragon’s claws descended toward the team’s heads.
They scattered, dodging the blow, fleeing in all directions.
Thud!
The dragon’s foot came down on empty floor. And from that brief clash alone, everyone understood the truth.
“Its stats are far superior to the dragons we’ve fought so far.”
Yoo Ho-yeon lifted a metal spear beside him.
Even with positions scattered, the hunters’ roles didn’t shift.
Crack-crack-crack.
Pillars of ice erupted from the ground, obstructing the dragon’s movement.
While the dragon thrashed its tail savagely to shatter the ice, the damage dealers moved in.
Spears and blades lunged at the thin membrane of its wings.
The dragon beat its wings to sweep away the assault and opened its maw wide.
By now, he didn’t need to wonder what that signal meant.
“Gather!”
The tankers raised their shields while the hunters sheltered behind them.
Dariya Goden’s jets of water spiraled around the tankers.
He triggered his skill immediately.
‘Honey Dew.’
Golden droplets and azure water entwined, wrapping the hunters in protection just as flame-like Breath erupted from the dragon’s throat.
Crash—!
Several barriers at the very front shattered with the impact.
Beyond the dwindling shields, he felt searing heat washing through.
“Ouch—it’s hot.”
As my skin flushed crimson, golden droplets settled across it. I’d thought it was merely heat, but it was a burn.
I shielded myself from the flames with one arm and peered ahead.
The dragon’s Breath faded gradually, and visibility returned.
Seeing the hunters still standing after the inferno, the red dragon grew visibly furious.
Grrrr.
Baek Moon-il raised his voice toward the dragon stamping its front legs heavily.
“Right after the Breath! Attack before the cooldown resets!”
Having fought the dragon several times already, the clearing team had grown accustomed to it.
They were already moving before the orders came.
The frontline Tankers advanced to the dragon’s face, drawing its attention.
A sharp spear of ice flew toward the dragon’s right wing.
Shrieeeek!
Though the ice spear failed to pierce the wing, it didn’t bounce away.
Instead, it clung there.
A web of ice gradually wound around the dragon’s wing, binding it.
Magical attacks followed against the dragon with one wing now trapped.
As elemental attacks continued, cracks began to appear in scales that had gleamed smooth until now.
The dragon realized its scales were being pierced.
The dragon’s front leg extended toward the mages.
“No you don’t!”
A Tanker raised his Shield and blocked the advancing leg.
Under the enormous weight, the Tanker was nearly crushed.
“Ugh!”
Though groaning in pain, the Tanker kept his Shield raised.
In that moment, Yoo Ho-yeon hurled an iron spear.
Crack—thunk!
The thin iron spear split through the gaps between scales and pierced flesh.
The dragon lifted its front leg high and let out a roar.
Shrieeeeeek!
A massive column of ice charged straight into the gaping maw.
Thud!
The ice pillar lodged itself in the mouth, unarmored by scales.
Blood streamed down the ice pillar from where the dragon’s throat had been pierced.
In agony, the dragon thrashed its front legs wildly.
The hunters seized the moment as panic seized the beast and pressed forward.
Blades found the dragon’s eyes while magic poured into its vulnerable belly where scales were thin.
It seemed the red dragon would be incapacitated soon at this rate.
I found myself rolling my eyes.
‘And yet that golden dragon still hasn’t moved.’
Wasn’t it supposed to be on our side, though?
It was around that thought.
The red dragon’s body slowly tilted to one side.
Thud—!
Blood pooling from the dragon’s body formed a vast puddle on the ground.
Only then did the golden dragon slowly rise to its feet.
‘Dragons never form alliances with each other, do they?’
I was grateful they hadn’t swarmed us together, but consecutive battles were inevitable regardless.
The hunters quickly drew Mana Potions and drank them, readying themselves for combat.
The golden dragon didn’t charge at once, unusually.
Instead, it lowered its head to the ground and let out a low cry.
Grrrrrr—
The sound resonating from deep within its throat resembled a warning Howling, yet was subtly different.
The tremors beginning from the dragon’s neck and chest traveled through the air and down to the ground.
The pool of red blood began to flow slowly toward the golden dragon.
Everyone watched the sight unfold with wide eyes.
No one dared move.
The blood gathering beneath the golden dragon didn’t pool—it vanished somewhere.
As if there were a drain directly beneath it.
‘Right. There’s something. Something’s….’
But it wasn’t a drain.
That thing drinking blood instead of spilling it—I knew it well.
“Stone Slab!”
“Stone Slab!”

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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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