I Awakened as a Dark History - Chapter 86

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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 86
The researchers barely made it across the Stepping Stones and back to solid ground.
They had lost three people, but they couldn’t afford to lose anyone else.
The Leader kept them at a distance from the Stepping Stones.
“I’d advise the researchers to stay back.”
The researchers, terrified, didn’t dare approach the Stepping Stones anyway.
As the victim on the Stepping Stones disappeared, they—the creatures—began surfacing one by one from the lava.
Kee-hee-hee…….
Hee-hee-hee-hee…….
The monsters that cried out in such a strange way looked almost like mermaids at first glance.
They swam leisurely through the lava, taunting us.
Thump—thump-thump—
The head of a researcher dragged into the lava was pulled back to the surface, then drawn down again, over and over.
The shape of the person melting in the lava grew increasingly distorted.
I couldn’t help but cover my mouth with one hand against the revulsion rising in me.
The Leader remained calm throughout, methodically studying the monsters.
“They look similar to what we call Nicksi among the demon beasts.”
“But Nicksi are aquatic demons.”
Someone cried out at the Leader, as if the very notion were absurd.
The Leader nodded as if conceding the point.
“I meant in appearance. We’ll need to kill them and confirm the exact species name.”
Whoosh—
Since we weren’t moving, the Nicksi made their move first.
Flame poured from the wide-open mouth of one of the Nicksi.
The Tanker quickly raised his Shield to block the fire.
Kee-hee-hee-hee…….
The Nicksi laughed with delight, watching the flames stream down the Shield.
“Nicksi are demon beasts that rank at B-Rank. One-on-one, they aren’t too difficult, but when they hide in the water like that and attack, it becomes a real ordeal.”
At least B-Rank meant the danger wasn’t astronomical.
“How do you normally catch them?”
“You release poison into the water, or since it’s clear water, you stay alert and…….”
The problem was that Nicksi living in lava couldn’t be caught that way.
These lava-dwelling Nicksi might need to be classified as a higher Rank.
I counted the number of Nicksi visible and not retreating into the Gate.
“Leader, I can see about five of them. Couldn’t we send the researchers out while we pin them down from range?”
The Leader shook his head.
“If there are Nicksi hiding in the lava, it’ll only make things more dangerous.”
We couldn’t gamble with people’s lives.
If there was even a slight risk, the wisest course was to avoid it.
The researchers turned pale, trembling uncontrollably.
One of them ventured a faint, hopeful remark through trembling lips.
“C-could someone on the outside notice if an Outbreak happened and come help……?”
“We can tell if an Outbreak has occurred by checking the Saturation Level, but that only works if someone’s watching continuously from outside.”
But the Leader firmly cut off that hollow hope.
“Besides, there likely isn’t anyone available to do that, and even if there were, it’s difficult to tell from outside whether the Saturation Level is dropping due to an Outbreak or normal conquest.”
It was rare for anyone outside to catch an Outbreak in time, the Leader sighed.
The researchers looked ready to collapse and weep.
Only An Je-hwan maintained a calm composure among them.
He stood alone, pondering something intently, then raised a hand.
“May I say something for a moment?”
The researchers looked at their team leader hopefully, but the Hunters turned to him with eyes devoid of expectation.
Unbothered by their gazes, An Je-hwan offered his opinion.
“The Nicksi are demon beasts that appeared via Outbreak. If it’s an Outbreak, there’s no need to fight them one by one. Once we deal with the Boss, Normalization will proceed.”
Once the Boss is dealt with, the system recognizes the dungeon conquest.
And from that moment of completion onward, the Outbreak disappears through Normalization.
Hadn’t I experienced that myself?
Though during my first dungeon conquest, I escaped the dungeon the moment we defeated the Boss, so I hadn’t felt it quite so vividly.
“So what you’re saying is, we should go defeat the Boss?”
“Yes.”
The Leader frowned in quiet contemplation. But ultimately, he shook his head.
“No. It’s too dangerous. During combat with the Boss, the researchers could get caught in the crossfire. It’s difficult to protect them and fight at the same time.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
An Je-hwan opened a Subspace Item and withdrew a Round Flask.
The object inside looked vaguely familiar to me.
“Ah, that…! Is that Urethane Foam?”
I reflexively pretended to recognize it. An Je-hwan looked puzzled.
“How did you know? This is the first time I’ve brought it out in front of the Healer.”
‘Oops, that’s right!’
The last time I’d seen that, I wasn’t the Healer.
I forced myself to meet An Je-hwan’s gaze so as not to betray my panic.
“My twin mentioned it. Said it was a fascinating item. It creates a protective barrier when you spray it outside, right?”
I pushed forward with the cover story that the Fairy and the Dark Fairy were twins.
Fortunately, An Je-hwan accepted it readily enough.
“Exactly. It’s made to expand on contact with air, much like urethane foam.”
But as I’d noted before, the item was single-use and its durability had been rather poor.
Perhaps An Je-hwan noticed the worry in my expression.
He shook the Round Flask.
“We’ve improved it repeatedly, raising the quality of the material. Durability has increased significantly, and our current supply is more than adequate.”
As An Je-hwan spoke, the Leader’s expression gradually softened.
“The researchers will shield themselves with this urethane foam at a safe distance and stay hidden. A cave would be ideal, but… we can create something similar if needed.”
He was saying he’d let us focus entirely on the fight.
An Je-hwan didn’t stop there, turning his attention toward the researchers.
“And among us, there are a person or two with Support Skills. We’ll cast those on you as well.”
It was a proposal that conveyed a clear determination not to be mere dead weight.
The Hunters exchanged glances with one another.
Their reactions were mixed.
Some still looked skeptical, while others wore expressions of goodwill.
“Just waiting in front of the Gate…”
“That’s not safe.”
“Coming with us isn’t safe either?”
“We shouldn’t abandon our protection duties.”
“They end up dead while we’re fighting?”
The Hunters whispered as quietly as they could, but their elevated Stats carried their words to my ears.
Still, what mattered most was the Leader’s decision.
An Je-hwan seemed to know this, keeping his gaze fixed on the Leader.
I alone watched them both with anxious eyes, shifting back and forth between them.
‘What happens if the Leader refuses here? They’re not actually going to abandon the researchers, are they?’
In the end, I carefully stepped in to back An Je-hwan.
“Fighting with heavy buffs seems safer, and if they’re hidden with that, they won’t get in the way, right? If you’re really worried, we could look for a cave.”
The moment I took the researchers’ side, the Leader’s gaze landed on me.
Soon the Leader seemed to have made up his mind.
“Returning without the researchers would damage our reputation. Waiting here is too dangerous—we’ll move forward together.”
The Leader’s expression was composed, though not cold.
The Hunters accepted his directive without complaint.
“An Outbreak Boss isn’t confined to the Boss chamber. It’s likely indiscriminately killing the native Demon Beasts to claim this dungeon.”
If we followed the direction of the commotion or where the Demon Beasts were fleeing, we should be able to find the Boss.
The Leader turned a hard gaze toward An Je-hwan.
“The moment you spot the Boss, use the item immediately to protect the researchers. We may not be able to shield them.”
“Understood.”
An Je-hwan, not being a combat specialist, showed clear tension on his face.
The Leader looked at the Gate before us.
Hee-hee-hee…
Hee-hee-hee…
Nymphs circled the Gate’s perimeter, laughing.
Even as they seemed to jest among themselves, their eyes fixed on us with malice.
They appeared to be hoping we’d charge forward or cross the Stepping Stones.
There was no way we could walk into such an obvious trap.
The Leader finally turned away with resolve.
“We’ll move out.”
The Hunters began to move, following in the Leader’s wake.
Until now, we’d kept the researchers in the center of our formation, but this time they’d fallen back to the rear.
The Demon Beasts spawned by the Outbreak were roughly two Ranks higher than ordinary creatures.
And our current raid team could barely manage an S-Rank Dungeon by the thinnest margin.
One misstep, and we’d be wiped out entirely.
Everyone felt the weight of that knowledge—tension hung over the group like a suffocating shroud.
Splash!
The sound of something swimming through the lava as though it were water pursued us from behind.
I turned my head to look back.
The Nicksi pair was stalking us from the depths, creeping ever closer.
Their eyes, black as pitch with no trace of white like a fish’s, made it impossible to tell what they were watching.
Yet our reflections gleamed clearly in that dark surface.
I drifted lightly upward, positioning myself beside the Gate, and counted the Nicksi surrounding us.
Still five.
‘Just as the Leader said—they were hiding beneath the surface the whole time.’
Perhaps we’d already stumbled into their trap.
A chill ran down my spine.

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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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