I Awakened as a Dark History - Chapter 84

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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 84
Until now, I’d been shown consideration every time—either excused from the Night Watch entirely or given only the first shift.
But now that I was standing a proper Night Watch for the first time, I was beginning to understand just how tedious the duty truly was.
Waking up in the middle of sleep, sitting alone and vacant-eyed, killing time—it was unbearably dull.
And waking up from sleep to sit around, then falling asleep again, was surprisingly difficult.
‘At least I synchronized. If this were my real body, I’d be too exhausted to get up.’
And there was evidence to support my observation.
“Ugh, ugh… ahhhh.”
“Wait a moment. Hold on, my neck—my neck, it’s stiff.”
“Sir, sir. Time to wake up now.”
The researchers were waking each other, their faces ashen.
One of the Hunters approached a researcher who couldn’t turn his neck and began kneading it firmly.
“Ahhhhh!”
The researcher thrashed about as if struck by lightning.
The Hunter continued kneading his neck for a moment, then stepped back.
“How’s that? Better now, yes?”
There was no answer.
The researchers had gone pale, trembling uncontrollably.
“He… he killed him.”
“Sir, please wake up! You can’t leave us!”
Watching this brief sitcom unfold, the Hunter blinked in confusion.
“Huh…? When someone gets a stiff neck, rubbing it like that always helps.”
The researchers stared up at the Hunter in alarm.
I closed my eyes tight, understanding their horror completely.
‘How would desk-bound Hunters ever understand the fragility of office workers?’
Clap. Clap.
The Leader drew everyone’s attention with applause.
Once people turned to look at him, the Leader smiled and pulled Energy Bars from his Pocket Dimension.
“Come now, everyone grab a quick breakfast. It’ll take considerable time to reach the Fire Rat habitat. If you don’t eat, you won’t make it.”
Unable to resist the Leader’s ultimatum, the researchers began picking up Energy Bars one by one.
I also pulled an Energy Bar from my Pocket Dimension items and put it in my mouth.
Crunch. Crunch.
Those not yet recovered from fatigue chewed in silence, saying nothing.
Only the sound of dry Energy Bars crumbling filled the Cave.
It was the kind of silence that made you wish you’d encounter the Fire Rats sooner instead. Everyone would probably agree.
‘I just want to finish work and go home.’
The yearning of every office worker crunched away.
* * *
This was the convenience of a Dungeon that had been cleared many times over: everything had its place and purpose, its proper sequence clearly marked.
Unless something unexpected arose, you could clear it simply by following the established order.
“We should see the Fire Rats’ burrow shortly. Stand by, please.”
The Leader gave his instructions before the Cave even appeared.
Everyone lowered their bodies and crept forward carefully, muffling their footsteps.
Halfway up the Volcano, where lava flowed to the side—there appeared a small burrow.
Gray-furred rats sniffed around the burrow entrance, repeatedly ducking inside and emerging.
They looked exactly like oversized sewer rats, and my excitement deflated instantly.
‘Not red-furred, then.’
The Leader made a light gesture toward the Mage. The Mage exhaled sharply and drew forth his Mana.
“Raindrop, gather and flow. Become me, become the sky, and flood without end.”
A long stream of water formed around him, then surged into the burrow.
Splash! Splash-splash!
Several Fire Rats panicked inside the burrow and came scurrying out.
Thud!
The Hunters hurled Short Daggers at the Fire Rats rushing toward them.
The daggers severed the Fire Rats’ necks cleanly, and their bodies went limp.
All the while, the Mage continued sending water into the burrow.
The sound of splashing echoed from inside.
Sweat beaded on the Mage’s forehead as he poured his Mana into creating water.
He bit his lower lip hard, his voice tight with strain.
“The burrow… is deeper than I thought.”
“If we can’t kill them all at once, it’s fine to stop. Don’t overexert yourself.”
As if waiting for the Leader’s signal, the Mage severed the stream of water.
But she didn’t dispel the water that had already flooded into the cave.
Instead, the Mage squeezed her eyes shut, concentrating on the water she’d sent inside.
Then she clenched both fists in the air and pulled.
“Hngh!”
Her Mana rippled, and the water that had filled the cave drained away.
The water that rushed out was choked with the drowned bodies of Fire Rats.
Splash! Hisssss—
The Mage set the Fire Rat corpses down on the ground.
The water spread across the hot floor, and steam rose with a sharp hiss.
The Leader gestured quickly to the Hunters.
“The Mage will stand by. Please catch as many Fire Rats as possible as they emerge from the cave. Don’t worry about the ones that slip through.”
Squeee— squeak! Squeee!
The Fire Rats that had barely escaped the flood came scrambling out of the cave.
The Dealers swung their blades as if they’d been waiting, severing the creatures’ throats.
Even the Tankers swung their Shields to catch the Fire Rats.
The Fire Rats, which would normally have swarmed in groups, seemed to have panicked from the water attack they’d just endured.
They fled in chaos without any thought of attacking their enemies.
I was nearly exhausted from the endless stream of Fire Rats pouring from the cave.
The creatures threw themselves into the lava one after another.
Watching them flee through the lava as if it were a ravine was rather fascinating.
Then one Fire Rat, braver than the rest, turned to face us.
Crack!
Its fangs sank into the Dealer’s arm and held firm.
The Dealer quickly split the creature in half, but blood dripped steadily from the wound.
The scent of that blood seemed to trigger the Fire Rats’ instincts.
Squeak— squeak—
More and more Fire Rats began to turn back toward us.
But it wasn’t a serious threat.
“Raindrop, become a sharp wave and pierce them.”
As if her Mana had recharged, water droplets shot from the Mage’s fingertips like needles.
Hisss! Squeak! Hisss!
The Fire Rats that had lunged toward the Hunters let out cries of anguish at the water that appeared before them again.
Even the bravest Fire Rat fled hastily into the lava, and no more creatures emerged from the cave.
I didn’t need to lift a finger.
The researchers and I gave silent applause or gave thumbs-up, careful to make no sound.
The Leader laughed at us as we worked to keep quiet.
“All done?”
“Yes. You can come out now.”
With the Leader’s permission, the researchers rushed toward the Fire Rat corpses.
The researchers examined the gray-furred Fire Rats with curiosity brimming in their eyes.
“This is my first time seeing a Fire Rat corpse up close.”
“Fire doesn’t affect them when they’re alive, but does it after they die?”
“Could we test one in the fire?”
During the run they’d trembled, but now that they were examining the corpses and indulging their curiosity, they had no hesitation.
The Leader calmed them down before they could act rashly and hurt themselves.
“After they die, fire will burn them. Be careful.”
The researchers reluctantly set aside their curiosity and began collecting the Fire Rat corpses.
This time, Ahn Je-hwan distributed test tubes and syringes among the researchers.
They took them and busily extracted something from the corpses.
Meanwhile, the Leader called the assault team close.
“Once the Fire Rat extraction is complete, we’ll escort the researchers to the Gate. Once they’ve exited through it, we’ll head for the Boss.”
I already knew from Choi Jung-moon that there was a Gate on each floor.
‘It’s almost like he’s telling the Hunters they’re allowed to run away.’
If blood had to accumulate, it would’ve been better to prevent the Hunters from escaping—ironic, really.
Of course, it wasn’t as if the Hunters actually made good use of the Gate.
‘Once you go through, you have to re-enter from floor one, so Hunters rarely use it—but for evacuation or rescue, it’s useful.’
Being able to get weaker people out of the way beforehand lightened the burden.
The Leader probably wanted to reduce the strain of fighting the Boss, so she was letting the researchers exit first, even if it meant going back out.
“The dungeon’s boss is a Balrog. It commands fire-based skills, and its health and defense are particularly high, so we need to be careful.”
Splash.
I turned my head briefly at the sound coming from somewhere.
Researchers hurried about collecting the corpse of a Fire Rat.
Every time they stepped in the puddles beneath their feet, the water squelched and splattered.
‘So that’s where the water sound was coming from.’
I quickly lost interest and turned my attention back to the Leader.
Whether it was only me feigning inattention, all the Hunters were nodding along to the Leader’s explanation.
I belatedly tilted my head and made a show of listening intently.
Fortunately, no one seemed to have noticed my lapse in attention.
“And be careful with your weapons. It’s an axe with a Weapon Destruction effect, so many Hunters end up having their gear shattered. Right here.”
Splash.
Beyond the Leader’s voice, I heard the quiet sound of water again.
It had to be the researchers stepping in puddles…….
Yet something about it kept nagging at me.

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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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