Tearing the Gate Apart - Chapter 14
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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 14.
After completing the Qualification.
Once Ha Gyeong passed through the Gate, he called Ma Do Hyeok.
―You’ve already cleared the Tower of Judgment? You’re incredibly fast.
“I couldn’t help myself—I was desperate to see what the Bottomless Abyss is like.”
―How did the version of me you faced look?
……
Ha Gyeong fell silent for a moment at Ma Do Hyeok’s question.
To be honest, his opponent hadn’t been particularly difficult.
Being an older version of himself, there were quite a few openings in his technique.
Moreover, the gap in skill power had been stark.
The Abyss Energy wielded by the Mirror Shade was weaker than Ma Do Hyeok’s magical force.
All things considered, it had been a good match for Ha Gyeong.
“You must have cleared this quite some time ago, judging by how your fighting style differs from now.”
―Sharp observation.
“If it had been the latest version, I would have barely managed.”
―Ha, ha, ha! So you know how to be humble too.
“How do I get into the Bottomless Abyss now?”
―The method is simple. As you dig through the Abyss Chasm, you’ll sense something different from before.
“Only someone with the right Qualification can perceive it, then.”
―Correct. Entry itself is straightforward, but prepare yourself thoroughly before you go. The difficulty there operates on an entirely different level.
“Thank you for telling me.”
―Consider it payment for my life. I don’t settle for mere words like the rest of them.
Ma Do Hyeok answered with a cheerful tone and ended the call.
Now Ha Gyeong had all the information he needed to enter the Bottomless Abyss.
What remained was thorough preparation and execution.
Ha Gyeong steadied himself and rose from his seat.
‘A place deeper than the Abyss itself…’
Until now, he’d wandered through the Abyss as if sweeping across its entirety.
Yet he’d only acquired two Ultimate Abyss Fragments.
The Bottomless Abyss, on the other hand, was an unknown realm he’d never touched.
More fragments might be sleeping there.
Ha Gyeong passed through the Abyss Gate with hopeful anticipation.
After a long while, he reached the deepest level where no one ventured.
The Abyss Chasm lay before him.
An unfamiliar landscape spread out in front of him.
It was due to the ever-shifting nature of the Abyss.
Ha Gyeong immediately identified the anomaly Ma Do Hyeok had mentioned.
“That must be it.”
A faint blue gleam flickering in the darkness.
As he cautiously approached, something undulating clung to the wall.
It resembled a pond defying gravity.
Without thinking, Ha Gyeong reached out to touch it.
Gentle ripples spread, and he passed through naturally.
He was certain now.
‘This is exactly the form Ma Do Hyeok described.’
Soon Ha Gyeong pushed his body into the pond.
Then his body fell endlessly downward.
It felt like sinking into water.
But somehow he was in a mad freefall.
At this rate he’d become a splattered tomato when he hit the bottom.
Ha Gyeong suppressed his sense of panic.
He hurriedly drew out his Karambit.
‘I need to slow my descent somehow.’
He planned to thrust it into the wall.
And drag it as he descended.
But that was the moment—
Crash!
The ground suddenly collided with Ha Gyeong’s body.
It happened before he could do anything.
Soon after, a sensation like being submerged in water washed over him.
A moment later, he stood alone in darkness.
[You have reached the Bottomless Abyss]
[The flow of Abyss Energy is unstable]
[Terrain collapse and spatial distortion may occur at any time]
Ha Gyeong released the breath he’d been holding.
“Gasp! Huff!”
A tingling sensation seemed to course through his entire body.
A force pressing down on the entire space.
Suddenly Ha Gyeong understood.
‘The concentration of Abyss Energy is tremendous. It feels fundamentally different in quality.’
Looking upward, he saw a high ceiling stretching endlessly.
Perhaps for that reason, there wasn’t a single trace of light.
No matter how long he waited, his eyes wouldn’t adjust to the darkness.
Ha Gyeong pulled out a Tactical Glow Stick and snapped it.
Snap!
Only then did the surrounding objects come into focus.
As he took a step, a sharp sensation pierced through his entire body.
This damnable feeling.
Ha Gyeong knew this type of presence well.
‘Why is the killing intent so vivid? Though it doesn’t seem directed at me specifically…’
Tension surged to its peak.
An extreme sense of pressure.
He hadn’t experienced this level even when fighting the final boss of Incomprehensible Rank.
Suddenly Ma Do Hyeok’s advice surfaced in Ha Gyeong’s mind.
‘He said the dimension is different. Right. I can’t help but acknowledge it.’
Merely taking a step left his mind dizzy.
But Ha Gyeong gradually adapted to the Bottomless Abyss.
His hesitant steps soon returned to normal.
And his movement speed gradually increased.
It was the manifestation of the veteran instinct he’d honed in the Abyss Chasm.
Ha Gyeong mapped out the Bottomless Abyss as he explored.
‘It’ll be useless within a week, but until then it’s valuable. There’s no reason not to create it.’
Then, the moment he discovered a stone door hidden in the darkness.
Ha Gyeong’s movement stopped.
He stood motionless for a time, a dazed expression on his face.
He’d received a message so shocking it left him stunned.
[You have discovered the Dungeon ‘Ultimate Abyss’]
Snapping back to awareness, Ha Gyeong murmured to himself.
“Why is this here…?”
The Ultimate Abyss was Void Rank.
The highest level among all discovered Dungeons to date.
Yet to encounter such a place immediately upon entry.
Fear of the Bottomless Abyss crashed over him like waves.
Ha Gyeong approached the stone door.
‘So it opens when you insert the completed key here.’
A Purple Key Fragment now rested in his hand.
For Ha Gyeong, it was both his hope and his very purpose.
But this wasn’t the right time.
How could he possibly clear a Void Rank Dungeon alone?
And the key wasn’t even complete yet.
Ha Gyeong turned to leave.
But that was the moment—
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
“Huh?”
The stone door began to open of its own accord.
Ha Gyeong could only stand bewildered.
‘But I didn’t use the key… What is this…’
Since entering the Bottomless Abyss, nothing but surprises awaited him.
Ha Gyeong took a step forward without thinking.
“Uh!”
Then he jumped back in alarm.
He’d almost wandered into the open door without realizing it.
Soon an unexpected message appeared.
[You have entered the Dungeon ‘Ultimate Abyss’]
[This is the space where the Abyss Ruler once dwelt]
[Find and defeat the remnants of the Abyss Ruler]
[Rank: Incomprehensible]
[Limit: 5 people]
[Reward: Artifact of Unknown Properties]
“What? Why is it Incomprehensible Rank?”
Ha Gyeong tilted his head in confusion.
Abyss Dungeon Ranks ranged from lower to highest grades.
Then came the upper tiers: Unknown, Incomprehensible, Extreme, and Void.
Originally the Ultimate Abyss should have been Void Rank.
Yet it showed as Incomprehensible—two levels lower.
It was a phenomenon he couldn’t make sense of.
Ha Gyeong couldn’t contain his curiosity.
‘Should I go in and check?’
It wasn’t the true Ultimate Abyss anyway.
Just the lingering remnants of the Abyss Ruler.
Ha Gyeong fell into contemplation.
‘It’s Incomprehensible Rank and limited to five people. That means I might be able to clear it alone.’
Besides, it was an open-access Dungeon, not restricted.
Escape should be easy too.
It didn’t seem like a bad idea to give it a try once.
Soon Ha Gyeong moved forward.
Heavy pressure bore down on his entire body, but his resolve was firm.
‘I found the Ultimate Abyss. I can’t turn back without investigating.’
Retreating wasn’t something his pride would allow.
The Abyss Ruler.
He had to at least see that accursed creature before leaving.
As he stepped inside, a familiar sight shook Ha Gyeong’s heart.
“This place…”
It was unmistakably the battlefield from five years ago.
Where Axis Prime’s elite had clashed with the Abyss Ruler in a desperate struggle.
The tragic scars from that time remained clearly on the ground.
And atop the barren hill.
A terrifying entity revealed itself.
Ha Gyeong immediately recognized what it was.
‘So it’s you.’
[You have encountered the boss of the Abyss Dungeon, the Remnants of the Abyss Ruler]
Five pairs of arms spread open like wings.
Ten Artifacts clasped in each of their hands.
But Ha Gyeong noticed something different from five years ago.
‘Its size is considerably smaller.’
The original Abyss Ruler had been a monster a hundred meters tall.
But the remnant was only thirty meters.
Though still a considerable size, it was a far cry from the original.
Ha Gyeong suddenly understood.
‘The Abyss Ruler has gone, and only its shadow remains here. That’s why the door opened without the key.’
His inner world grew complicated.
The desire to crush the Abyss Ruler.
The rational voice saying it wasn’t the right time.
Relief that he hadn’t met the true one while unprepared.
Multiple emotions tangled together.
In that moment of turmoil.
Suddenly a familiar system message appeared.
[Soul Mark detects traces of a Fragment]
At least there was that.
An Ultimate Abyss Fragment lay somewhere in this Dungeon.
Ha Gyeong looked up at the Abyss Ruler’s remnants.
The Soul Mark had pointed to it for a reason.
Probably he’d need to defeat that creature to obtain the Fragment.
He drew the Karambit from his belt.
‘I can do this.’
A whispered affirmation.
It was a diminished version, but it was still the Abyss Ruler.
Definitely no pushover.
But he couldn’t walk away from the same face as his enemy.
He wouldn’t rest easy until he tore that thing apart.
But then that was the moment.
The Abyss Ruler fixed its gaze directly on Ha Gyeong.
From hundreds of meters away, it had perceived his existence.
Then it poured a vicious intent into his mind.
―So the brat who ran away is back.
…!
Ha Gyeong was startled.
Never before had a monster spoken to him.
Not five years ago either.
Axis Prime and the Abyss Ruler had fought like destined rivals.
Without exchanging a single word.
But what was this?
After a moment of silence.
Ha Gyeong’s mouth opened heavily.
“You could speak?”
―I simply don’t bother conversing with dust motes. But you’re special.
“Why?”
―Because you’re the only one who escaped from me.
Given the Abyss Ruler’s presence, it didn’t seem like mere arrogance.
A monster among monsters that had wielded ten powers indiscriminately.
The dire situation from that time surfaced in Ha Gyeong’s mind.
‘Damn.’
Not just his body, but his heart grew heavy.
He’d thought he’d overcome the psychological trauma.
But it seemed he’d merely suppressed it.
Yet he couldn’t show weakness to this wretched creature.
Ha Gyeong gripped the Karambit tightly.
Whoosh!
Abyss Materialization unfolded, and pale white flames ignited.
Then the Abyss Ruler’s eyes gleamed.
―Ho? You’ve awakened the power of the Abyss. Then perhaps I should upgrade you from mere dust to something like an insect.
“Shut up.”
Ha Gyeong stepped forward toward the Abyss Ruler, one foot after another.
Five years of suppressed emotion burst forth.
The faces of his father and his comrades flashed before his eyes.
Suddenly his vision blurred.
Tears were welling up without his awareness.
But right at that moment.
[The Abyss Ruler’s Detention ability constricts your body and mind]
[Magical Power suppressed by 30%]
[The Abyss Ruler’s Downpour ability unleashes a deadly rain]
Blood-red light bolts began to rain down from the sky.
Gate Torn Asunder
Author |
Moraetop
Publisher |
Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
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Editorial Department
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No part of this book may be used in any form or by any means without the written permission of Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – Dream Books.
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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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