Tearing the Gate Apart - Chapter 16

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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 16.
A single phrase pierced through his mind.
Ha Gyeong suddenly understood.
‘That bastard… is connected to the original.’
Otherwise, there would be no reason to speak like that.
Somehow or other, it would be able to relay word back.
It wasn’t a favorable situation.
The Abyss Ruler would grow cautious to that extent.
But Ha Gyeong held no regrets.
Back away after witnessing that disgusting thing?
A subtle sense of defeat would torment him over and over.
Suddenly, nausea welled up.
“Retch! Cough—!”
A gush of blackened blood spilled out.
Ha Gyeong let out a painful groan.
It was a side effect of accepting transcendent Abyss Energy.
Kin Predation wasn’t a skill that selectively stole power.
And hadn’t he deployed Soul Severance twice in that state?
Beyond his limits, no less.
Ha Gyeong sprawled flat on the ground.
‘Damn it, I really overdid it.’
He’d known the risks, of course.
He’d simply forced through because there was no other choice.
He closed his eyes quietly.
If luck was on his side, he’d stay breathing until the Tyrant’s Bracelet activated.
Everything else was left to heaven.
But then, right at that moment—
[You have defeated the Dungeon Boss, Abyss Ruler’s Remnant.]
[You receive ‘Restoration Veil’ as a reward.]
[Restoration Veil activated.]
[Initialize all pending artifacts.]
A choice materialized before Ha Gyeong’s eyes.
The meaning was straightforward enough.
He immediately reached for the Tyrant’s Bracelet.
[Tyrant’s Bracelet activated.]
[Your body recovers rapidly.]
Whoosh!
Ha Gyeong’s crumbling body was instantly restored.
Not quite as fast as the Abyss Ruler’s Regression Authority, but remarkably swift nonetheless.
Ha Gyeong exhaled a long breath.
“Phew…”
It was pure heaven-sent fortune.
Thanks to the boss reward, he’d snatched his life back from the brink.
A translucent cloak settled on Ha Gyeong’s shoulders.
Once the Restoration Veil’s effect exhausted itself, it faded from sight.
But it hadn’t disappeared entirely.
It was simply the type that hid its form at rest.
Ha Gyeong smiled with satisfaction.
‘I didn’t obtain the Abyss Ruler’s Authority, but this isn’t bad at all.’
It had left on its own.
Had there been an artifact housing Authority, it would naturally have claimed it.
Soon after, Ha Gyeong focused on Soul Imprint.
[‘Soul Imprint’ detects the fragment’s trace.]
[The signal has grown clearer.]
Suddenly, the sand dune where the Abyss Ruler had stood caught his eye.
Ha Gyeong began digging through it.
Then something snagged on the shovel’s edge.
Clink!
Soon a blackish crystal emerged.
A smile crossed Ha Gyeong’s lips.
“Found it!”
He promptly split the crystal open.
[You have opened the Ultimate Abyss Fragment.]
[A vast amount of Abyss Energy transfers.]
[Ultimate Abyss Key progress 2/3]
Shhhhhh!
An ashen-white energy more vivid than ever before flooded in.
Ha Gyeong stretched both arms as if he’d been waiting for this.
Eyes closed.
He savored the Abyss Energy seeping into his body.
A mighty force seemed to pierce through his entire being.
After enduring the subtle pain, the surging power gradually settled.
As Ha Gyeong’s eyes opened, a cyan glow extended sharply outward.
‘I’ve grown again.’
He deployed Abyss Refinement to test it.
An ashen-white blade that stopped at three meters.
He could feel distinctly that it was different from before.
The moment the surface smoothed to completion, flame surged anew.
Ha Gyeong saw through the phenomenon at once.
‘It’s not just excess power. This is a more refined flame.’
The refinement grade of mana cultivation was divided into three stages.
The first was a flickering appearance like wildfire.
The next was a perfectly formed weapon shape.
The third stage was this newly blazing flame.
Ha Gyeong promptly brought up his Awakener information.
He wanted to confirm his Refinement Grade with his own eyes.

Name: Lee Ha Gyeong
Refinement Grade: Stage 3
Skills Held: Wall String Guard (A), Soul Severance (S), Abyss Refinement (S), Kin Predation (S), Soul Imprint (EX), Distortion (Authority)
Artifacts Held: Reactive Mana Armor, Responsive Spirit Cloak, Tyrant’s Bracelet, Restoration Veil, Ultimate Abyss Key (2/3)
He’d reached a considerable level, yet it still felt insufficient.
Five years ago.
More than half of Axis Prime’s elite had been Stage 3.
‘Still a long road ahead.’
Rising to his feet, Ha Gyeong exited the dungeon.
The Ultimate Abyss then collapsed inward.
Crash—rumble—rumble—rumble!
The stone gate that had looked so magnificent crumbled away with pathetic speed.
* * *
After returning home, Ha Gyeong didn’t venture outside for some time.
He’d absorbed such a massive amount of Abyss Energy.
Only after completing integration through training and meditation
was Ha Gyeong able to resume normal life.
Today too, he’d made thorough preparations.
‘Since I’m heading to the Bottomless Abyss now, I need to prepare even more carefully.’
Beep-beep-beep!
But suddenly his phone rang.
The screen displayed the name Dae Hyeon-ja.
Ha Gyeong picked up at once.
“Hello?”
—Hello, Ha Gyeong. It’s me.
“Yes, good to hear from you.”
—By this point, I thought you’d have earned the qualifications to enter the Bottomless Abyss. So I’m calling with an offer.
Dae Hyeon-ja knew his situation well.
Though it didn’t seem like surveillance had been placed on him.
Ha Gyeong’s senses had grown incredibly sharp thanks to Soul Imprint.
Had anyone been following him, he’d have caught it immediately.
He suppressed an inward chuckle.
‘His intuition alone is remarkable.’
Though the other man had read his recent movements with precision, Ha Gyeong remained unflustered.
That much was guesswork anyone could make.
Ha Gyeong spoke calmly.
“I’ve earned the qualifications. So what kind of proposal?”
—An Incomprehensible Grade dungeon discovered in the Bottomless Abyss. The party limit is five, however.
“You want me to participate as a guest member.”
—Yes. You needn’t worry about the team’s competence. I’ll assemble nothing but the elite.
Bottomless Abyss dungeons ranked higher than those in the upper reaches.
Being small-scale, it probably wouldn’t rival the Extreme Grade.
Still, it was a decent offer.
Yet Ha Gyeong smiled meaningfully.
“But you see, Dae Hyeon-ja.
—Yes?
“My market value has gotten rather steep lately.”
—Haha! Of course I know. You’re the most talked-about Awakener lately. You’ve even gotten a nickname?
“A nickname?”
—People bring it up often on the forums. In any case, I’ll make sure the compensation is solid.
“Never mind the wages. An Acquisition Right would be enough for now.”
—Hmm……
Dae Hyeon-ja trailed off.
He couldn’t help it.
This was an Incomprehensible Grade dungeon in the Bottomless Abyss, after all.
Some highly valuable artifacts might well drop from it.
It felt somewhat wasteful to concede that.
Dae Hyeon-ja wasn’t a poor man either.
But Ha Gyeong was certain.
‘He won’t find it easy to refuse.’
Among the Awakeners working as guest members, there were skilled ones.
Yet few matched Ha Gyeong’s versatility.
Presently, Dae Hyeon-ja’s deliberation ended.
—I can concede up to short swords and long swords.
“I have no interest in weapons I can’t use. But that range is too narrow. Forget armor—I’ll take accessories instead.”
—Phew! Understood. I suspected as much, but you’re certainly not an easy person to deal with.
“I’m thorough in my valuations.”
—I’ll send you the schedule separately.
“Then I’ll see you then.”
Ha Gyeong hung up with a satisfied expression.
That had been quite a decent negotiation.
Yet suddenly he picked his phone back up.
The nickname Dae Hyeon-ja had mentioned.
He was far too curious about it.
Ha Gyeong searched the Awakener community.
Then an unexpected word jumped out.
“Immortal Tyrant Demon King is a bit… over the top, isn’t it?”
It seemed the nickname had stuck because of the Tyrant’s Bracelet.
He couldn’t stop people from using it.
Ha Gyeong simply shook his head with a rueful smile.
* * *
Several days later.
At the entrance of the Bottomless Abyss.
Ha Gyeong encountered four Awakeners—
Dae Hyeon-ja’s raid team.
Their appearance was quite different from usual.
Clad in a priest’s robe, carrying a long staff.
Wearing a circlet instead of a white bowler hat.
Had the outfit not been distinctive, Ha Gyeong might not have recognized him.
The face looked completely different from before.
Dae Hyeon-ja smiled awkwardly and spoke.
“This flashy getup is rather embarrassing, I’m afraid.”
“It’s fine. Equipment is all about performance anyway.”
“Haha! True enough. Well then, shall we go?”
“Yes.”
As they descended into the Bottomless Abyss,
Dae Hyeon-ja introduced his party to Ha Gyeong.
The roster was lean.
One tank, two ranged dealers.
All of them carried an air of competence.
But their gazes toward Ha Gyeong were somewhat sharp.
‘They’re doubting my abilities.’
They didn’t seem pleased about his recruitment.
It was understandable.
Only Dae Hyeon-ja had witnessed Ha Gyeong’s true strength.
And because of that, he’d secured the special privilege of an Acquisition Right.
Of course, whatever the team members whispered,
Ha Gyeong paid no mind.
‘Once I demonstrate, they’ll have no choice but to acknowledge it.’
They would recognize his ability once they saw it in action.
Though his visit was only days ago, the Bottomless Abyss looked entirely different from his memory.
Apparently the regeneration cycle here was much shorter than in the upper reaches.
The Ultimate Abyss, which had been left in ruins,
No trace of it remained in this vicinity.
Ha Gyeong smiled wryly to himself.
‘Perhaps fate does exist. The Ultimate Abyss was right here when I first entered the Bottomless Abyss.’
The Bottomless Abyss was far darker and more dangerous than the upper reaches.
Yet Dae Hyeon-ja navigated with ease.
As if he’d thoroughly mastered this region.
Presently, Dae Hyeon-ja pointed beyond the cliff edge.
“That’s it. But we’ll need to take quite a detour.”
A straight-line distance of roughly a hundred meters.
Impossible to cross in a single leap.
They’d have to descend to gentler terrain and climb back up,
Or find a narrow ravine to cross.
Ha Gyeong began to move forward silently.
But right then—
A sharp sensation pricked his spine.
‘What’s this?’
A sensation similar to when Soul Imprint had detected a fragment’s trace.
But subtly different in character.
Like a terrible danger descending upon him.
Ha Gyeong moved on pure instinct.
Snatching Dae Hyeon-ja’s hood as he did so.
Snap!
“What?!”
A startled cry burst out in an instant.
A natural reaction.
He’d been ambushed by his own ally, after all.
The tank among Dae Hyeon-ja’s team bellowed.
“You bastard! I knew it!”
He charged with his shield thrust forward, clearly intent on harm.
Meanwhile, Ha Gyeong drew his Karambit with a composed expression.
Whoosh—!
He lightly manifested Abyss Refinement,
Then struck the tank without the slightest hesitation.
Crash!
“Gah!”
The impact was tremendous, sending the man skidding backward.
The ranged dealers immediately trained their aim on Ha Gyeong.
But they couldn’t launch their attacks.
Something massive plummeted from above.
Boom—crash—crash—crash—crash—bang!
A dark pillar-like object struck the cliff with devastating force.
A savage shockwave erupted, shaking the entire party’s bodies.
Even amid the chaos, Ha Gyeong planted his feet firmly on the ground.
“I’m going. Hold on tight.”
“Got it!”
“Heave!”
With a sharp shout, he thrust Dae Hyeon-ja upward with force.
Even a healer-position Awakener possessed decent physical capabilities.
Dae Hyeon-ja’s form soared a dozen meters high.
And landed safely on unshakeable terrain.
Ha Gyeong breathed a sigh of relief.
‘Dae Hyeon-ja is safe. As for the rest…’
He quickly located the other team members.
Faint silhouettes visible beyond the collapsed rubble.
His push had been well-timed.
‘They’re alive. Thank goodness.’
Had they taken that massive attack head-on, there would be nothing left.
Ha Gyeong immediately deployed Abyss Refinement through his hands.
He meant to pull the team members up using the Abyss Energy like a rope.
Just as he’d rescued the BlackWater Awakeners before.
But then text appeared, freezing him mid-action.
[You have encountered the Bottomless Abyss Field Boss, Obsidian Titan.]
Gate Torn Open
Author |
Moraet
Publisher |
(Samyang C&C Inc.)
Editor in Chief |
Editorial Department
Published by |
(Samyang C&C Inc.) – Dream Books
Address |
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UCI |
G720:N+A063-20260306112
Blog |
blog.naver.com/dreambookss
Twitter (X) |
@dreambookss
Contact |
[email protected]
This book may not be reproduced or used in any form or by any means without written permission from (Samyang C&C Inc.) – 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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