I Awakened as a Dark History - Chapter 75

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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 75
Can an earthquake happen inside a dungeon?
Or was it a dragon’s skill?
But there was no time to dwell on the question.
“The dungeon—!”
Someone pointed upward with a finger, toward the ceiling.
Everyone’s eyes snapped reflexively to the sky above.
The Boss Room began to crumble first, and beyond the rupture, the heavens came into view.
Beyond the torn sky, another sky appeared.
The distant sky was dark, like the night sky.
It must have been the sky outside the dungeon. Few stars dotted it, and a handful of small lights moved slightly faster than true stars should—likely airplanes or something of that nature.
The natural sky that should never have hung above us was now draped directly overhead.
Grit-grit-grind.
With a sound identical to the opening of a door, the stone tablet began closing again of its own accord.
When I’d pulled at it with all my strength, it wouldn’t budge; now it slid shut like an automatic door.
‘Almost as if it were scared and rushing to seal itself in.’
Soon the tablet was fully closed, and the stone that no force could move moments before now lay before me.
“What in the—?”
I lifted the tablet effortlessly. I had no idea why it suddenly closed, much less why it was so light in my hands now.
But there was no time to puzzle over it.
Crash—!
“Mother of—!”
A massive boulder fell right beside me.
‘If that had hit me, I’d have been crushed to death.’
I quickly shoved the tablet into my Subspace.
With the dungeon collapsing around us, we had to escape fast.
I turned hurriedly to look at the Clearing Party.
The party members stared at Daria Goden and me with anxious faces.
I waved toward them to signal that we were fine.
I could see the relief wash over them from here.
The party and I turned our eyes toward Daria Goden simultaneously.
Daria Goden was still locked in combat with the golden dragon.
‘It seems we won’t be able to leave until the dragon is completely dealt with.’
If the dragon escaped the dungeon to the surface, the casualties would be catastrophic.
We had to slay the dragon before the dungeon collapsed entirely.
Daria Goden seemed to feel the same urgency—his movements had grown desperate.
Daria Goden raised his sword high.
Crack—!
But the sound that came had nothing to do with his blade.
“Watch out, it’s coming down!”
Our eyes went wide.
Screech!
Debris from the collapsing sky fell upon the dragon’s back, and the beast shrieked in agony.
The dragon’s scales, which had shrugged off nearly every attack, shattered helplessly against the falling fragments.
Thud.
When a fragment landed on my shoulder, I jumped back in alarm.
“What the—!”
I quickly brushed away the fragment and checked the wound, but my shoulder bore no mark.
Even my hand, which had struck the debris, showed no trace.
The sky fragments that fell to the ground melted away like snow.
“They’re harmless to people.”
But when they struck the dragon, the fragments did not dissolve.
Screech. Crunch!
A fragment from the collapsing sky lodged itself in the dragon’s neck.
As a piece nearly the size of a man tore across its throat, blood poured freely from the wound.
Gargled roar!
The dragon issued a harsh, choking cry and drew its body inward.
It seemed to be trying to shield itself from the falling debris at all costs.
But dodging the fragments alone would not be enough.
Daria Goden’s blade cut through the air.
Crack! Crack!
Ice erupted from the ground, binding the dragon’s legs and wings.
The dragon couldn’t dodge the shards in time, huddling uselessly against them.
Daria Goden didn’t stop there. He swung his blade again—this time channeling Yoo Ho-yeon’s skill.
Steel spears rose in unison, hurtling toward the dragon’s gaping wound.
Screeeeeech!
Ten spears drove straight through the torn flesh of its neck, piercing clean through.
Thud—
The dragon’s head rolled across the ground, and moments later its body collapsed after it.
The dungeon itself began to scatter.
We didn’t need to move.
The dragon’s corpse and all of us were simply deposited outside the dungeon.
Ding—
A chime signaled that we’d exited the dungeon.
I lifted my head and saw the notification window filling my vision.
[The dungeon ‘Honor of Five Trials’ has been cleared.]
[Your Contribution Rate ranks second.]
The moment I read it, all the tension drained from me.
I collapsed onto the ground and checked myself over.
Upon closer inspection, my body was in terrible shape.
‘I didn’t even feel it.’
My ankles and legs were a mess, and my upper body was swollen and throbbing in multiple places.
Belated as it was, I pulled a Potion from my Subspace and drank it down.
‘I need to get to a hospital.’
I’d planned to become a homebody once I left the dungeon, but with a body in this condition, rest isn’t really rest.
As the Potion brought the swelling down slightly, a new notification appeared.
[The dungeon has been completely cleared.]
[Dungeon closure… proceeding… proceeding…]
The notification glitched like a broken monitor before vanishing.
‘Even the notifications get the blue screen of death.’
I turned my head to check if everyone else was alright.
Daria Goden’s silhouette was slowly fading.
The Clearing Party members moved in perfect unison the moment they stepped out of the temple.
A dragon’s corpse had somehow emerged from the dungeon with us—it needed to be recovered immediately.
Baek Moon-il and Yoo Ho-yeon, who didn’t need to help with cleanup, rushed toward me instead.
Laughter came first at the sight of their worried faces.
I was about to raise my arm to show I was managing somehow when someone grabbed it.
“You!”
The AI interpreter’s voice came through poorly.
His voice was so agitated that the translator device was drowning him out.
“How… how could you… sale!”
Daria Goden was spilling out words.
He spoke so fast that the AI interpreter couldn’t keep up with him.
And his grip on my arm kept tightening.
“Ow! Wait, that hurts!”
Whether it was a bruise or swelling, the pressure on the wound made my body flinch.
I tried to wrench my arm away, but I couldn’t overcome Daria Goden’s strength.
“Answer me!”
I finally made out one full sentence, but it didn’t help much.
How could I answer when I didn’t even know what he was asking about?
All I knew was that my arm was in pain.
Since I couldn’t break free from Daria Goden’s grip, someone who’d rushed over grabbed his wrist.
“Stop it and let go!”
“You stay back!”
“He’s in pain!”
Their voices rose against each other.
I was nearly in tears.
‘Let my arm go and fight somewhere else! I think the bone’s broken!’
Yoo Ho-yeon’s words must have carried some weight.
Daria Goden’s eyes found mine.
Daria Goden’s grip on my arm loosened, then fell away.
Yoo Ho-yeon slipped quickly between us.
Daria Goden exhaled deeply, brushing his hair back.
Once he’d steadied his breathing, he spoke more calmly than before.
“You are the Stone Tablet seller, then?”
“Um, well…… Yes, that’s right.”
Daria Goden’s face twisted slightly.
‘Why, what, why indeed. What does it matter if it’s mine.’
I lifted my chin somewhat brazenly.
Of course, the moment his gaze turned back to me, I lowered my eyes respectfully.
“I apologize for the misunderstanding. You hadn’t mentioned it beforehand.”
Hm.
For the first time since becoming a Hunter, a misunderstanding had been cleared up.
“I mistook you for someone other than a Hunter. Thank you for reading the tablet and resolving the problem.”
This time, Daria Goden extended his hand to me.
I grasped his hand lightly.
We shook hands, moving them up and down gently.
Even that small motion sent a dull ache through my arm, and I grimaced.
Yoo Ho-yeon noticed my discomfort and pulled out a Potion, offering it to me.
“I’ve already taken one.”
“Drink another. And I’m calling an ambulance. Hospital first.”
Suddenly a stream of nagging poured out.
Yoo Ho-yeon reached into his Subspace for his Mobile Phone, regardless of whether I looked aggrieved or not.
Of course, his Mobile Phone had been dead for some time.
‘Mine would be the same.’
Yoo Ho-yeon looked down at the lifeless device with an awkward expression.
Calling an ambulance was impossible after that.
We’d probably only be able to call one when someone from the Association arrived to handle the situation.
In the meantime, Daria Goden shifted slightly to the side, as if Yoo Ho-yeon had made him uncomfortable.
It was an attempt to see me directly.
But Yoo Ho-yeon subtly blocked his path again.
Daria Goden sighed once, then spoke to me from that position.
“I’d like to discuss something related to the tablets. Let us examine the previous one and the current tablet together.”
If I refused, he looked ready to ride along in the ambulance all the way to the hospital. Reluctantly, I nodded.
Daria Goden brightened.
“Before the next meeting…… during the break, we’ll meet. Since you’re a Hunter, four days will be enough for recovery.”
Daria Goden seemed fully intent on setting an appointment.
I wish he’d give me a moment to catch my breath, but he’d already raised three fingers.
“We’ll meet in four days.”
Fine, fine. What else could I do.
In the end, I nodded to Daria Goden.
‘Don’t say anything even if I cancel that day’s appointments. Really.’
My body was too exhausted to even muster the energy for an argument.
I honestly wasn’t confident that four days would be enough to shake off all this fatigue.

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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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