I Awakened as a Dark History - Chapter 74

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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 74
I wasn’t the only one who cried out.
We looked at each other at the same moment.
‘Daria Golden.’
Regardless of what we felt toward each other, we shared the same anxiety.
Daria Golden stepped forward ahead of the party.
“Silk on Ground, Roof in Sky.”
He spoke the incantation and I beat my wings, lifting myself into the air.
Yoo Ho-yeon tried to chase after me immediately at my sudden movement.
“Healer!”
I held up my palm toward him, signaling him to stay back.
“You need to stay there!”
Yoo Ho-yeon hesitated at my firm call.
In that gap, Daria Golden’s skill wrapped around Yoo Ho-yeon as well.
“Let There Be Light. Bloom.”
A roof descended over the entire raid party.
Daria Golden didn’t stop there—he swung a sword that materialized in his hand.
A solid barrier of defense formed before him.
I couldn’t just stand by and watch.
“Flowers, help me! Bring me the Stone Tablet!”
Wooden vines and roots stretched out from all directions.
The Dragon brushed them aside easily with a single sweep of its wings.
The wooden vines fell helplessly to the ground, but that was all right.
“Full Bloom!”
Flowers bloomed in profusion all around.
A subtle fragrance drifted through the air, and the wooden vines reconnected once more.
The Dragon couldn’t hide its confusion, its head turning in all directions.
Sharp claws tore through the wooden vines and its tail swung to strike down the roots.
Roooar—
The Dragon seemed to realize it couldn’t fight head-on against this barrage of attacks.
The Dragon opened its mouth wide toward me.
Golden mana gathered within that gaping maw.
I was confident in my agility, but even a bare-handed brush with its Breath would be dangerous.
I rapidly fled behind the strongest barrier in this place.
“Well met.”
Light blazed from Daria Golden’s sword.
The Breath erupted from the Dragon’s mouth, colliding with the barrier.
Boom!!
Despite the violent explosion, the barrier stood firm without shattering.
Behind the barrier, Daria Golden swung his sword.
Though the movement was light, its force was tremendous.
Daria Golden’s blade split the Breath in two.
Grunt.
The Breath ceased, and the Dragon let out a surprised snort.
Daria Golden kicked off the ground.
He charged toward the Dragon at incredible speed.
At the same time, his sword slashed through the empty air in rapid succession.
Pillars of ice thrust up from the ground, shoving the Dragon backward.
The Dragon gripped the ground hard with all four legs, as though defending the Stone Tablet.
Daria Golden wrapped a barrier around his body and rammed straight into the Dragon.
Thud—
It was crude brute force, but it was effective.
The Dragon’s body reeled as if it would tip over backward.
But the Dragon held its ground with its tail. Support was needed.
“Flowers, grip and pull!”
From moments ago, wooden vines had been coiling around the Dragon’s neck, now yanking it backward.
Shriek!
The Dragon’s golden body toppled backward, sending up a spray of earth.
Like any four-legged beast that falls on its back, the Dragon thrashed and struggled to right itself.
But Daria Golden was not about to let that happen.
He swung his sword at the Dragon’s neck.
Despite its massive frame, the Dragon crouched with surprising speed.
Clang!
Daria Golden’s blade only shattered the hard scales without landing a meaningful blow.
The moment the Dragon protected its vital point, it straightened again.
The Dragon struck Daria Golden with its wing.
“Golden!”
My cry of worry that he might crash into the wall proved unnecessary—he landed lightly against the stone.
A low growl rumbled through the Cavern.
“Hah!”
I wasn’t in a position to worry about anyone else.
I felt the shadow descending over my head and beat my wings.
Bang! Bang-bang!
The Dragon brought its front claw down on me as if pinning a mole.
I tucked my body beneath the Dragon’s belly.
From a distance, Daria Golden swept his glowing sword through empty air in rapid succession.
With each swing of his blade, a column of flame erupted skyward.
Boom!
The flame column struck the Dragon’s face, igniting thick black smoke.
Daria Golden pushed off from the wall and charged at the Dragon once more.
“Secure the Stone Tablet!”
Right—how could I forget?
While Daria Golden drew the Dragon’s attention, I had my own task.
I flapped my wings quickly and approached the Stone Tablet.
The Stone Tablet had already absorbed most of the blood pool.
I had no idea what it would unleash, but I sensed nothing good could come of it.
I reached down to pry the Stone Tablet free from the blood pool. Or rather, I tried.
“Hngh!”
The Stone Tablet didn’t budge—as if it were glued to the blood.
I embraced the Stone Tablet and pulled with my full body, then pushed with all my strength.
But I was forced to admit defeat.
“Why won’t this move?!”
My strength alone wasn’t enough to shift the Stone Tablet.
Even if a Healer’s form was typically weak in raw power, that was only in comparison to other Synchronization Rates.
I wasn’t so feeble that I couldn’t lift something this size.
Which meant only one thing: the Stone Tablet was fixed in place for some reason.
The skill had already activated. There was no stopping what came next.
“……What am I supposed to do?!”
I gripped the Stone Tablet and sank down. Not in surrender.
“What does it say? Is there anything about stopping this? Any way to halt it?”
I read frantically through the inscriptions carved into the Stone Tablet.
Above me, the Dragon and Daria Golden’s battle grew more intense.
Meanwhile, my Mana was reaching its limit. The Full Bloom that had been flowering faded.
The tree roots binding the Dragon snapped uselessly away.
[■ to ■■ the Method
■ shall Stack ■■
Enemy ■ ■, ■’s ■, ■■ ■
When ■■ has Completely ■■, ■■ it.
■■ of ■■ Open the ■■■
■ shall ■■■■ not ■■■ do.]
The Stone Tablet remained illegible.
I struck the indecipherable Stone Tablet with my fist.
“Damn it, what does this even say?”
A deep rumbling roar echoed through the space.
From above, I heard the sound of something being drawn inward.
I lifted my head to assess the situation.
The Dragon was opening its maw again, gathering Mana.
Daria Golden raised a shield barrier.
Crash—!!
The Breath and the barrier collided, unleashing an explosion that threatened to tear the entire Cavern apart.
I crouched low, bracing myself in case the Breath’s shockwave caught me.
‘Ah, it hurts…….’
The heat radiating from the golden Breath pricked my skin with a sharp, stinging sensation.
It felt as though my skin was tearing. Yet amid the pain, my mind grew oddly sharp and clear.
‘Once the Breath stops, I need to show the Stone Tablet to Daria Golden. Maybe he can read the parts I can’t.’
I had to decipher that Stone Tablet somehow.
At last, the prolonged Breath ceased.
The moment I pushed through the pain and heaved my upper body upright—
“Don’t get up yet!”
Yoo Ho-yeon’s voice cut through the distance.
I twisted my head to look back at him.
But my vision was consumed by a brilliant, glinting gold.
Smack!!
My body flew upward.
The impact that jolted my brain was incomparably worse than the skin-tearing sensation.
‘What—?’
What just happened?
My elevated body plummeted and tumbled across the ground.
“Agh! Hack…… cough!”
Blood poured from my nose and mouth.
My arms and legs wouldn’t respond.
I clamped my eyes shut, then snapped them open again.
Through the crimson haze clouding my vision, I saw the Dragon’s tail slamming into the ground.
It seemed the Dragon had timed its tail strike for the moment my Breath ended, catching me while I was defenseless.
‘It’s like getting hit by a cannon…….’
How do Tankers endure this kind of agony and keep rising again and again?
Belated admiration filled me as I pushed my trembling arms beneath my body and lifted my torso.
My throat tickled, and a cough erupted.
“Hack!”
With the cough came a gush of blood across my palm.
The wet blood pooling in my hand felt revolting.
I focused my senses on my back, desperate to forget that sensation.
Rustle.
My wings responded to my will, making a soft, papery sound.
‘My wings are fine.’
Barely gathering strength in my legs, I pushed myself upright.
My wings fluttered and lifted my body into the air.
“Hah…….”
I have to get Daria Golden to examine the Stone Tablet.
Driven by that singular resolve, I was raising myself up—
Crack— screech—
The Stone Tablet split cleanly in half with a sinister sound.
“What……why?”
I seemed to be the only one who noticed the Stone Tablet’s transformation.
Daria Golden was occupied fighting the Dragon, and the other Hunters were too far away to perceive any change in the Tablet.
The bisected Stone Tablet resembled a Stone Gate.
The gate began to open slowly.
And I met eyes with the darkness beyond.
Though it was only darkness, I felt as if our eyes had truly met.
And a premonition gripped me.
That gate must not open completely.
My body moved on pure instinct, flying toward the Stone Tablet.
Without knowing what I was doing, I seized it with blood-smeared hands.
Like someone gripping a doorknob to keep an uninvited guest from entering.
“No. Absolutely not.”
I held the Stone Tablet with all my strength, but the force pushing from the other side was overwhelming.
The Tablet kept spreading wider and wider.
I gritted my teeth hard.
The darkness beyond the Tablet rippled, as if reacting to my desperate struggle.
It felt like mockery.
So my grip on the Stone Tablet tightened.
I muttered toward that darkness like a fever dream.
“You think you can open the door? Who gave you leave?”
■ had already seeped through.
The darkness beyond the Stone Tablet surged violently.
The force pushing against the door grew slightly stronger, but it would not budge further.
“You dare enter without permission.”
I will not open this for you.
Not this door. Not the passage leading to this place.
The darkness roiled beyond the gap, as if bewildered.
I raised my voice toward it.
“This door is sealed! Get out of here!”
Bang—!!
And the earth trembled.

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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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