Tearing the Gate Apart - Chapter 25

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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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Episode 25.
The Tankers exchanged puzzled looks at Ha Gyeong’s declaration.
Of course, melee Dealers occasionally took on tanking duties as well.
They were reasonably good at holding their ground.
But from a Tanker’s perspective, they were all just fragile bodies.
Ha Gyeong, however, was different.
He’d charged in out of nowhere to fight the Shroud Race.
Even after dozens of exchanges, he stood unscathed.
The Tankers couldn’t help but be baffled.
“If he has the attack power to cleave a Banshee in one blow, shouldn’t his defense be low?”
“Right? How is he still standing?”
“Look carefully. That guy isn’t taking a single hit. He’s just dodging everything and landing every attack he throws.”
The Tankers, watching Ha Gyeong’s play unfold, left their mouths hanging open.
Moreover, normally the Aggro would bounce all over the place.
It was because they’d been under the main Tanker’s taunt ability for so long.
But the Shroud Race had eyes only for Ha Gyeong.
What could this phenomenon mean?
One thought surfaced in everyone’s mind.
‘He’s pulling Aggro with overwhelming attack power.’
It meant the Boss was feeling an extraordinary sense of threat.
Though Ha Gyeong was displaying a mad performance, his inner state was serene.
‘There’s no Healer right now, so this is the only way.’
He had the Tyrant’s Bracelet, after all.
If he used the Restoration Veil as well, he could handle two serious wounds.
Of course, it would be better not to take hits in the first place.
To that end, Ha Gyeong moved with restless energy.
But the real crisis was only beginning.
[The Abyss Challenger’s Distortion ability has ended]
Poof—
The translucent barrier surrounding the group and the violet disc faded away.
Soon after, the Shroud Race stretched both arms wide.
Black projectiles began streaming in once more.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
[Curse of Aging corrodes your equipment]
“Damn it, not that again!”
The Tankers had to step back warily.
After all, attacks required magical power to land.
Ma Do Hyeok, who’d been supporting Ha Gyeong, also withdrew from the field.
It wasn’t simply that he couldn’t withstand the curse and fled.
Ma Do Hyeok, now repositioned behind the Shroud Race, raised the Whisperer.
“I’ll do my best to scatter the projectiles,” came his voice through the device.
It was a rather solid strategy.
Clustered together, there was less space to dodge.
Thanks to this, Ha Gyeong found it easier to deflect the Curse of Aging.
But his own offense began to stall.
The Shroud Race, regaining its composure, pressed Ha Gyeong harder.
“Kieeeeek!”
Whoosh—! Whoosh—!
It unleashed a barrage using its long arms and claws.
It felt like swatting a massive wooden log like a whip.
Boom boom boom! Boom boom boom!
Each time it dragged across the floor, an enormous cloud of dust erupted.
For Ha Gyeong, it was agony.
The Curse of Aging was being concentrated on him as well.
A desperate crisis.
Clang! Zing!
[Final Battle Protection increases defense and resistance]
[Shield Interpose mitigates the impact]
Thanks to the Tankers’ protective skills, Ha Gyeong could hold on a bit longer.
Of course, with support so clearly limited, he couldn’t avoid using the Tyrant’s Bracelet.
[Tyrant’s Bracelet activated]
[Your body recovers rapidly]
Whoosh whoosh! Boom boom!
Ha Gyeong unleashed a storm of sword strikes, abandoning all defense.
His condensed Abyss Energy exerted tremendous power.
Enough to utterly shatter the Shroud Race’s composure.
But then something Ha Gyeong hadn’t anticipated happened.
[Curse of Aging drains all Abyss Energy]
[Severe helplessness engulfs your body]
[Movement speed reduced by 99%]
Screeeech! Bang!
The moment he faltered under the curse’s force.
The Shroud Race seized Ha Gyeong’s body.
“Ugh!”
“Ha Gyeong!” came Ma Do Hyeok’s shout.
But Ha Gyeong’s ears couldn’t hear it at all.
The crushing pressure left him unable to think straight.
Ha Gyeong felt every bone in his body beginning to crack.
Crunch crunch crunch!
‘My movement just slowed for a moment, and it seized that opening…’
It wasn’t merely a spirit-type Boss Monster that spewed curses.
As an Extreme Rank creature, the overwhelming gap in raw power was unmistakable.
The Shroud Race laughed like a madman.
“Kihihihihi!”
And it steadily increased the pressure in its grip.
If ten more seconds passed, he’d burst like a single-use ketchup packet.
Soon, the main Tanker’s voice came through the Whisperer.
“We’ll do everything we can to free you. For now, perhaps you should withdraw and find another approach?”
It was an entirely reasonable thought.
How were three Tankers and two melee Dealers supposed to conduct a Raid?
But this was the Enemy Territory Abyss.
The Shroud Race would only grow stronger with time.
There was no guarantee they’d find an escape Mechanic either.
Ha Gyeong believed the fastest way to end this Raid was the best option.
“Ugh! No, that’s not it. I can hold on myself, so please just focus on attacking!”
“But—”
Crack!
He could no longer hear his teammates’ voices.
The Whisperer on his shoulder had been shattered.
Regardless, Ha Gyeong focused solely on deploying skills.
‘Please don’t fail.’
[Cannibalism skill target locked]
[Target: Shroud Race]
Zing—!
Fortunately, Cannibalism took hold properly.
And the power accumulated in the Reactive Magical Armor had reached its maximum.
[Reactive Magical Armor activated]
[Spirit’s Cloak activated]
Kuwaaaaaa—!
Crimson flames burst forth from the Shroud Race’s grip.
Maximized Abyss Energy and magical power intertwined, creating a synergy.
An enormous pressure crushed down on Ha Gyeong’s entire body.
But he could endure it.
Thanks to the Spirit’s Cloak, pain had been stripped away.
It was no different from being grasped by the Shroud Race in the first place.
Ha Gyeong surged upward, eyes blazing with cyan light.
“Haaah!”
A resounding shout thundered across the battlefield.
Immediately after, a colossal blade fifteen meters long crashed down like lightning.
A judgment from the heavens itself.
True Soul, following Cannibalism.
Kuwaaaaack—! Clang!
The Shroud Race stumbled back hastily.
Its outstretched arms severed clean off.
“Kieeeeek! Kieeeek!”
The creature shrieked in anguish.
Crimson flames clung to its flesh, continuing to burn it.
A flame born of fused magical power and Abyss Energy.
This was a calamitous force.
Meanwhile, Ha Gyeong remained suspended in the air.
His blade still burned from the overwhelming attack he’d unleashed.
Of course, its length had shrunk to around ten meters.
Yet the crimson flames poured forth endlessly.
Ha Gyeong observed himself.
‘My control over Abyss Energy has improved dramatically. I still had strength left after withstanding Cannibalism.’
It seemed he could continue fighting like this.
He took a slow step forward.
Remarkably, Ha Gyeong was walking on empty air as if it were solid ground.
The result of deploying Wall Soul Step with formidable Abyss Energy.
The Tankers looking up at him drew in breaths of astonishment.
“What the hell is that…”
“Isn’t Choi Hyeon Gi’s judgment complete garbage? How did he recruit someone like this and then back out?”
“Right? We could literally clear an Extreme Rank dungeon if someone just tossed a few ranged attacks from the back.”
As guest members of the Raiders.
The Tankers were undoubtedly top-tier Awakeners.
But this sight was new to them, so they couldn’t help but gasp in wonder.
Soon, Ha Gyeong charged toward the Shroud Race.
Waaaaaaah—!
Running across empty space.
It resembled a master of the martial arts.
Just as Ha Gyeong’s blade was about to pierce the creature’s chest—
[Shroud Race’s Ultimate Mechanic deploying: Grief Howl]
[Unstoppable Abyss Energy wave detected]
“Kweeeeeeek!”
The Shroud Race let out an unsettling howl.
At the same instant, a shockwave of tremendous force erupted.
Boom—!
It threw even Ha Gyeong, who was charging unstoppably, high into the air.
[Wail of restless spirits withers your mental fortitude]
[Fear clouds your judgment]
[Illusions distort your vision]
[Mental confusion makes it difficult to distinguish ally from foe]
This was like the curses he’d experienced in the Abyss of Abhorrence.
A mid-tier Unknown Rank dungeon.
But the technique seemed several levels higher.
It felt as though every mental Debuff had been applied at once.
Yet Ha Gyeong remained unmoved.
‘Either way, there’s only one enemy. Its body is so massive, there’s no way I could miss it.’
He’d climbed hundreds of meters high; now he fell rapidly.
His target: the Shroud Race’s crown.
Ha Gyeong was already enveloped in crimson flames.
He’d wrapped magical power and Abyss Energy around his entire body.
Ha Gyeong descended like a missile reentering the atmosphere.
Kuwaaaaaa—! Screeeeech!
A blow struck directly at the Shroud Race’s center.
Ha Gyeong drove downward as if to pierce through the floor itself.
Boom boom boom!
A deafening roar and clouds of dust erupted.
The Shroud Race’s movements ceased.
Moments later, various skills unfolded, all directed at Ha Gyeong.
[Barrier Pulse provides temporary defense]
[Guard Frame significantly reduces injury probability]
Even amid the chaos, the effort to keep him alive was evident.
Ha Gyeong suddenly looked up at the Shroud Race.
‘Is it dead?’
It had truly been an all-or-nothing blow.
Just who throws their body at a Boss Monster like that?
The impact was strong enough to shatter even Tankers with good durability.
But Ha Gyeong had solid grounds for confidence.
[Restoration Veil activated]
[Resets waiting artifacts]
[Tyrant’s Bracelet activated]
[Your body recovers rapidly]
Whoosh whoosh!
Even if his entire body were shattered, death would not have claimed him.
The Tyrant’s Bracelet would restore him to wholeness no matter what.
Soon the creature’s wailing grew drastically weaker.
The Shroud Race shrank like a deflated balloon.
[You have defeated the dungeon Boss, Shroud Race]
[You receive Curse Breaker as a reward]
“Yeeeeees!”
The moment the system message appeared.
Cheers erupted from behind.
The voices of teammates who’d been holding their breath anxiously.
Ha Gyeong rose from within his completely shattered remains.
Just then, a shimmer of light descended slowly.
He caught it lightly.
‘The final reward.’
The Layered Abyss is an Extreme Rank dungeon.
But since it was switched midway, the rewards might have remained unchanged.
When Ha Gyeong checked the artifact’s information, a satisfied smile crossed his face.
‘Hmm? Curse immunity?’
The final reward was a small necklace.
An artifact called the Curse Breaker.
It reduced the potency of Unknowable Rank and above curses by half.
And completely nullified curses of Unknown Rank and below.
Since it was a position-agnostic artifact, its price would be astronomical.
Much like the Tyrant’s Bracelet.
Soon Ma Do Hyeok and the Tankers gathered around Ha Gyeong.
“Are you alright, Ha Gyeong?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“Wow! You can deal, you can tank. What can’t you do?”
“I can only hold out temporarily. It’s quite different from proper tanking.”
Ha Gyeong casually displayed the Tyrant’s Bracelet.
Ma Do Hyeok would recognize it immediately.
They’d cleared the Fusion Abyss together.
And he’d seen Ha Gyeong win it all at the internal auction.
Meanwhile, the Tankers, like Ma Do Hyeok, couldn’t hide their excitement.
“Crazy! He actually has one.”
“I’ll never forget today. Seriously.”
“If you ever need guest members, call on us. We’ll tank like our lives depend on it!”
The main Tanker had already begun pitching himself.
Ha Gyeong dampened the overheated atmosphere.
“For now, let’s collect our spoils and head out. Staying here longer will only attract more Monsters.”
“Yes, understood!”
The Tankers moved swiftly.
The collection was finished quickly.
Since it was a spirit-type Monster, there wasn’t much to collect anyway.
Soon the group exited through the official escape route.
The path had been cleared beforehand, so the return was smooth.
But the moment they passed through the Abyss Gate—
They came face to face with someone repugnant.
The Master of the Raiders Guild, who’d abandoned his front line and fled.
Choi Hyeon Gi.
“You bastard!”
Tore open the Gate
Author |
Morae Top
Publisher |
Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
Editorial Director |
Editorial Department
Published by |
Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – Dream Books
Address |
7th Floor, Gwangseong Building, 28 Bongeunsa-ro 114-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
UCI |
G720:N+A063-20260306112
Blog |
blog.naver.com/dreambookss
Twitter(X) |
@dreambookss
Submission |
[email protected]
No part of this book may be used in any form or by any means without written permission from 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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