Tearing the Gate Apart - Chapter 1

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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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Prologue
Lee Ha-gyeong turned around without thinking.
And there—crumbling to ash—were his comrades.
Axis Prime.
South Korea’s greatest Awakener Guild.
Yet even with the strongest forces assembled, they could not escape the brink of total annihilation.
The Ultimate Abyss was a cruel place indeed.
[The Abyss Ruler’s Confinement ability binds your body and spirit]
[Mana suppression effect: 99%]
Every inch of him felt as though it might crumble to dust.
He wanted to win. But there was no way.
One hundred and twenty of the nation’s elite Awakeners had been mobilized for this assault.
And yet, despite everything they had poured into it, the Abyss Ruler remained unbroken.
His comrades were drowning in the weight of defeat.
Then, suddenly, someone gripped Ha-gyeong’s shoulder.
“So this is the end, then.”
“…Father.”
When he turned, Ha-gyeong saw a man in his middle years, with a sorrowful, weathered face.
The man who had founded Axis Prime.
The hero who had charged to the very front lines of Abyss subjugation.
Lee Tae-heon. Ha-gyeong’s father.
But what good were those titles now?
They were all about to die.
Ha-gyeong clenched his eyes shut.
“We cannot end it like this.”
Too many had already paid the price.
They could not crumble away like this.
And then, soft and steady, came his father’s voice.
“Of course not.”
Ha-gyeong’s eyes snapped open.
His father was a legendary Awakener, was he not?
He had always found a way before.
Surely this time, too, he would find the wit to save them all.
But Lee Tae-heon only smiled softly.
He said nothing more.
Ha-gyeong looked around in confusion.
His comrades wore the same gentle smile as his father.
“Of course. Who are we to bow before such a trial, boy?”
“I thought you’d be a child forever, but look—you’ve grown. You know the sting of defeat now.”
“Ha! Twenty years old is plenty grown. What’s wrong?”
One by one, his comrades spoke.
Han Do-cheol, the Shattering King.
Seo Gang-min, the Radiant Marksman.
Noh Ji-hoon, called the Iron Wall’s Executor.
All of them were heroes who had defined an era alongside Lee Tae-heon.
A strange unease crept over Ha-gyeong.
He could not understand why they were speaking this way.
He voiced his doubt.
“No, Uncles. In a moment like this, what are you—”
“We have already made our choice.”
Lee Tae-heon turned to gaze at the Abyss Ruler.
Almost without meaning to, Ha-gyeong followed his father’s gaze.
A height easily over one hundred meters.
Five pairs of arms spread wide like wings.
Ten artifacts gripped tight in ten hands.
The powers unleashed in endless succession swept everyone away.
Axis Prime’s response had been formidable.
But they had managed only to destroy four of its arms.
The Abyss Ruler itself could not be brought down.
In that moment, crushed beneath the oppressive weight—
his comrades seized Ha-gyeong.
Thud!
“Why are you doing this?” he cried out in panic.
But the faces of his comrades remained calm.
Lee Tae-heon looked down at Ha-gyeong with a gaze of deep complexity.
“Most of us died destroying those four arms. We have almost no Mana left.”
“Then there’s no…hope?”
“It seems not.”
Click!
Suddenly, something heavy was fastened around Ha-gyeong’s wrist.
It was his father’s watch, unfastened and placed upon him.
A message appeared before his eyes.
[The Fate Clock is preparing to activate]
[Sacrifices are being assembled for the activation]
“Wait, please!” Ha-gyeong cried out reflexively.
He did not know much about the Fate Clock.
Artifacts were far too varied in their effects.
But he could not miss the gravity of the moment.
All around him, his comrades held him fast with solemn expressions.
How could he not understand?
Yet the tide of events flowed against his will.
[The Abyss Ruler’s Extreme Heat ability ignites a sea of flame]
[The Abyss Ruler’s Tempest ability summons a vortex]
Whoooosh!
A scarlet flame tornado descended, reducing everything to ash.
How many comrades had fallen to that very combination before?
They had endured somehow, but now it seemed they could not hold.
Then—it came.
[Fate Clock activation condition met]
Hisssss!
Lee Tae-heon and the others began to scatter into dust.
The result of casting their souls into the Fate Clock.
Ha-gyeong screamed with unbearable anguish.
“I can’t live on alone like this! If we’re to die, we die together!”
“…Forgive me. I love you. My son.”
His father’s final words.
Then the forms of all his comrades faded completely away.
“No!”
Ha-gyeong wailed, arms flailing.
But he could not stop the wheel of fate that had begun to turn.
[The Ultimate Abyss is being sealed]
[Lee Ha-gyeong, designated by the Fate Clock, is being expelled from the Abyss]
[The title ‘Ultimate Fugitive’ is bestowed upon the target]
Click! Boom!
A massive stone gate slammed shut before his eyes.
Immediately, an unknown force shoved him back with tremendous violence.
And so he escaped the Ultimate Abyss alone.
Episode 1.
Five years since Axis Prime’s fall.
The world had undergone countless changes.
The Abyss was no exception.
The Ultimate Abyss had vanished.
Various Dungeons had taken its place.
Squelch. Squelch.
Deep within the pit of the Abyss.
Someone picked their way through the mire, footfall by footfall.
A young man with a hood pulled low over his robe.
When the wind stirred, a sharp jawline was briefly revealed.
The man’s identity was Lee Ha-gyeong.
Once, at twenty years old, he had earned fame as a rising-star Awakener.
But recalling the past now, he offered a bitter smile.
‘All of that is ancient history.’
Ha-gyeong had been forgotten naturally enough.
He had not appeared in public for five years.
The first six months, he had drowned himself in drink, drowning in loss.
After that, he had regained his senses, but nothing had changed.
Ha-gyeong climbed atop a jagged pile of stones and murmured quietly.
“It should be around here somewhere…”
He was searching for the vanished Ultimate Abyss.
He had spent four and a half years searching the depths of the Abyss.
Some might have called it a fool’s errand.
But Ha-gyeong had grounds for his search.
‘Soul Mark. It will guide me.’
He recalled the moments right after being expelled from the Ultimate Abyss.
[Due to the ‘Ultimate Fugitive’ effect, the ‘Soul Mark’ skill has been added]
[Soul Mark senses the traces of a fragment]
Ha-gyeong had followed the guidance of Soul Mark.
As a result, he was able to discover an artifact called the Ultimate Abyss Fragment.
A small, violet shard of a key.
When he found it, he had been seized with elation.
[Ultimate Abyss Key Progress: 1/3]
If he could gather all the key shards, he could reopen the Ultimate Abyss.
But when he found the second fragment.
Ha-gyeong realized the journey would not be easy.
The Ultimate Abyss Fragments contained more than just key shards.
The second fragment held his old equipment: the Reactive Mana Armor.
Recovering his armor was joyful, but painful memories resurfaced.
“Hah…”
Ha-gyeong pulled himself from his reverie.
A deep breath steadied his wavering heart.
Six months had been enough to grieve the deaths of those he held dear.
Now was the time to move forward.
Ha-gyeong steeled his resolve.
Then, suddenly, every hair on his body stood on end.
Whirrrrr—
On the wind came a scent mixed with fragments.
Ha-gyeong was certain.
‘This is the place.’
His heart lurched downward with sudden force.
A thrill shot up his spine to the crown of his head.
His fingertips grew icy cold.
And yet, deep in his chest, a hot ember stirred to life.
Ha-gyeong moved forward cautiously.
Following where Soul Mark led.
At last, a different sight unfolded before him.
[You have entered the Dungeon ‘Collapse Abyss’]
[A space filled with poison and collapsing terrain]
[Find and defeat the Venom Drake hidden deep within the Abyss]
[Grade: Unknown]
[Reward: Weapon-type Artifact]
Thick fog poured down, obscuring Ha-gyeong’s vision.
Soon after, an acrid burnt smell hung at his nostrils.
With each step, his breathing grew strained.
The landscape before him wavered as though reflected in rippling water.
Ha-gyeong had entered a Dungeon deep within the Abyss.
‘It won’t be hidden anywhere easy.’
If it were, anyone could have obtained an Ultimate Abyss Fragment.
Ha-gyeong elevated his vigilance and began to survey his surroundings.
Boom-boom-boom-boom! Bang!
With a deafening roar, earth and stone cascaded down.
Massive trees collapsed without warning.
The Collapse Abyss was itself a labyrinth of traps.
But Ha-gyeong had traversed the Abyss countless times, building his experience.
He had lived here nearly half his life—he was more confident in exploration than anyone.
As Ha-gyeong moved with nimble speed, a massive pile of boulders tumbled down.
The unstable ground shook violently beneath him.
The terrain was impossible to balance on, yet Ha-gyeong stood with ease.
‘My senses have grown sharper thanks to Soul Mark.’
No system message appeared, but Ha-gyeong knew it to be true.
He descended deeper into the Abyss.
Light bent at odd angles.
Gravity inverted in bizarre phenomena.
Ha-gyeong evaded them all with ease.
Then—suddenly—
He felt a subtle movement.
Slither-slither-slither!
‘An Awakener?’
Ha-gyeong watched the movement intently.
Abyss Dungeons were extremely popular.
The danger was immense, but the rewards were equally vast.
If the other party was hostile, he might have to fight.
Ha-gyeong advanced cautiously.
But after a short distance, he stopped—
and a mouth full of sharp teeth burst forth before his eyes.
“Shriek!”
It was a moment that would normally have startled him terribly, yet Ha-gyeong smiled.
The Abyss always welcomed one so roughly.
And that greeting always led to a symphony of blood and flesh.
‘Nuisances have infested this place.’
The creature before Ha-gyeong was a Lizard Hunter.
A monster in the form of a massive reptile.
Its hind legs resembled a frog’s.
Two hooked claws sprouted from its shoulders.
Ha-gyeong batted away the claw that lashed toward him.
Whoosh! Clang!
His blade was already engulfed in pale grey flames.
Awakeners could infuse Mana into their weapons.
This was called Mana Tempering.
Normally, without using a special skill, the flames burned red.
But the aura wreathing Ha-gyeong’s sword was pale grey.
‘Soul Mark has changed so much.’
Four and a half years ago.
When he challenged the Abyss again.
[New skill unlocked: Abyss Tempering]
[You may now directly utilize Abyss energy]
Soul Mark was not merely a guide.
For Ha-gyeong, it was both a curse and a hope.
Abyss energy operated on a different principle than an Awakener’s Mana.
Ha-gyeong cut through the ranks of Lizard Hunters, swinging his blade wildly.
Crack! Sizzle-sizzle-sizzle!
“Shriek! Shriek!”
Those pierced by his attacks shrieked in agony.
The power of Abyss Tempering was indeed formidable.
The Lizard Hunters scattered in all directions.
They were clearly shocked by his overwhelming strength.
‘It’s best not to waste time on the monsters.’
The Collapse Abyss was a public Dungeon.
Someone else might clear the Boss before him.
Ha-gyeong did not pursue the fleeing Lizard Hunters.
He simply pressed deeper into the Dungeon.
Then a sudden chill ran through his entire body.
Soul Mark seemed to point him toward something.
[You have encountered the Boss of the Abyss Dungeon, the Venom Drake]
[Poison intensity increases]
[Mana efficiency reduced by 50%]
Ha-gyeong had reached the Boss’s lair.
Soon he would find an Ultimate Abyss Fragment.
But first, he had to defeat the Venom Drake.
Yet in that moment, his gaze caught on a group entering from the opposite side.
By sheer coincidence, other Awakeners entering at precisely the same time.
The presence of rivals was understandable.
But who they were—that was the problem.
‘That emblem is…’
A black wave and a three-pronged spear symbol caught his eye.
A mark anyone would recognize instantly.
One of South Korea’s four greatest Guilds.
Black Water.
Ripping Open Gates
Author |
Moraetop
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(주) Samyang C&C
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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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