Tearing the Gate Apart - Chapter 28

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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 28.
In the midst of his duel with Kim Tae Gwang.
Ha Gyeong had no choice but to admit it.
‘In physical ability and Mana Synthesis alike. He’s superior across the board.’
Truth be told, he’d long recognized his own shortcomings.
Through Same-Species Predation he could unleash tremendous power, but the constraints were severe.
He needed an entity brimming with Abyss Energy.
And what he borrowed was temporary—a one-shot affair.
Yet his Equipment Artifacts were no less potent.
Ha Gyeong had doubled the duration of his rapid recovery function using the Restoration Veil.
That alone was why he’d refused to fall.
“Grrraagh! Please, just die already!”
Whoosh—!
Kim Tae Gwang’s punch screamed toward Ha Gyeong’s face.
The speed, unlike before, now felt sluggish as molasses.
He could slip it easily now.
Ha Gyeong tilted his head and let the punch glide past.
Then he drove his fist straight into the man’s ribs.
Crack!
“Ugh!”
His first clean hit of the fight.
Just one blow, yet the tide shifted instantly.
The gap where Kim Tae Gwang’s armor had turned to shield, now exposed.
The punch landed precisely there.
Ha Gyeong pursued the weak point relentlessly.
Thud! Crack-crack! Smash!
Body Blows rained down without pause, left and right.
When Kim Tae Gwang lowered his arms to block, elbows came crashing at his face.
Boom—!
“Ghhk!”
Kim Tae Gwang’s eyes wavered violently.
He seemed to have tired of Ha Gyeong’s refusal to stay down.
Worse, after exchanging blows for minutes on end, Ha Gyeong’s strength hadn’t waned at all.
Kim Tae Gwang shook his head slowly.
He’d apparently decided he couldn’t win.
Then he began to raise his right arm.
“I, I conc—”
The moment he was about to yield.
Ha Gyeong’s left hand seized his arm.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“What are you doing?”
“If you can dish out that kind of beating, you should be ready to take one in return.”
“Wh-what?”
Crack!
An upward strike sent Kim Tae Gwang’s helmet flying.
Eyes wide with terror were laid bare.
He seemed sickened by Ha Gyeong’s appearance—as if facing an immortal.
Of course, Ha Gyeong had no intention of showing mercy.
A fist wreathed in pale-grey radiance smashed into Kim Tae Gwang’s face.
Crunch—!
A top-tier Warrior.
The Iron Butcher’s hard-won fame was sinking.
Beneath Ha Gyeong’s relentless fists.
* * *
“Stop!”
About a dozen more blows later.
The duel halted with Kang Woo Jin’s intervention.
Ha Gyeong couldn’t help but wonder.
Why was it stopping now, when it wasn’t over yet?
Giving him a quizzical look, Kang Woo Jin pointed at Kim Tae Gwang’s legs.
“He’s already halfway gone. He can’t keep fighting like this.”
That was the decisive difference.
Ha Gyeong’s lower body hadn’t wavered despite the beating.
Yet the moment Kim Tae Gwang’s grip loosened, he began to crumple.
Ha Gyeong quickly caught him.
Then gently lowered him to the ground.
Kang Woo Jin declared the duel’s outcome.
“The victor is the Immortal Tyrant, Ha Gyeong. State what you wish from this dispute.”
“That Master Choi Hyun Ki personally apologize for the Raiders’ betrayal before we even entered the Raid. And that we be recognized for the final rewards we obtained ourselves. Those are my two conditions.”
“Not particularly difficult terms. So—what do you say?”
Kang Woo Jin’s gaze turned toward Choi Hyun Ki.
The Raiders Guild was shrouded in gloom.
Apparently, no one had dreamed Kim Tae Gwang would lose.
And for the Guild Master himself to have to apologize—
It sat ill with the Raiders, who prided themselves on superiority.
But what choice did they have?
Defeat in a duel left no option but to comply.
Ha Gyeong stole a glance at the mad dog, Kang Woo Jin.
‘The Raiders are the sort to spit on honor. But I don’t want to cross blades with this man.’
Soon, a stone-faced Choi Hyun Ki stepped forward.
He approached Ha Gyeong, then twisted his expression into a grimace.
“That artifact? I can recognize it without issue.”
“And the apology?”
“I… I…”
Choi Hyun Ki kept faltering over his words.
There was no help for it.
The location was public.
And he had to apologize to someone he despised.
But eventually, the words had to come out.
Choi Hyun Ki shut his eyes tight, then opened them.
He spoke through gritted teeth.
“I’m s-sorry. Good enough? You damn bastard.”
“Is that how someone apologizes?”
“I said I’m sorry!”
Choi Hyun Ki wheeled around and strode away.
Ha Gyeong shrugged and glanced at Kang Woo Jin.
A silent question: was that acceptable?
Kang Woo Jin let out a small laugh.
“Getting ‘I’m sorry’ out of that bastard is practically a miracle. Anything more than that won’t happen, no matter what you do.”
“Well, I suppose there’s nothing for it then.”
“Still, your skill is impressive. A close-range dealer beating a tank in direct combat… and against Kim Tae Gwang, no less.”
Kang Woo Jin’s words rang true.
One look around confirmed it.
Onlookers were recording the scene on their phones.
Some had even pulled out laptops.
Those were probably journalists.
The result was that momentous.
Ha Gyeong answered as if unbothered.
“It was just about protecting my livelihood.”
Though he said it lightly, his heart was pounding wildly.
Kim Tae Gwang was among the First Generation Awakeners—a top-tier fighter.
And he’d just beaten him at twenty-five years old?
He’d essentially climbed into the highest tier of one-on-one combat.
Even Kang Woo Jin, Master of the Death Hound, was watching with genuine interest.
Ha Gyeong felt a strange sense of emotion.
‘I started from the very bottom and somehow made it here. As long as I keep going the way I have been, I’ll be fine.’
The day of reckoning with the Abyss’s ruler didn’t seem far off.
But then Kang Woo Jin opened his mouth.
“Ah, this is troublesome.”
“What do you mean all of a sudden?”
“I was originally supposed to collaborate with the Raiders. But looking at that useless bastard’s face, it seems the whole thing’s fallen through.”
“I see.”
Ha Gyeong immediately grasped Kang Woo Jin’s situation.
He’d come out of the Gate to discuss a joint raid.
Then got dragged into this duel.
The collapse of cooperation with the Raiders was inevitable.
After all, the duel happened because of Kang Woo Jin.
Someone as petty as Choi Hyun Ki would never separate work from personal grudges.
Ha Gyeong caught the hidden meaning behind Kang Woo Jin’s words immediately.
“If you need assistance, tell me anytime. I’ll support you however I can.”
“I was going to offer you recruitment, but you’re good at drawing lines. You’d be perfect for us.”
“I have circumstances to consider.”
“I know roughly what they are. Word is you turned down Yoon Chang Ho as well?”
“Yes, well. That did happen.”
“But we can’t take all of your companions. Our Melee Resources are overflowing.”
The Death Hound was built on tanks and close-range dealers.
Opposite in nature to the Raiders.
Ha Gyeong nodded readily.
“We only worked together temporarily. We’re not a team.”
“Then fortunately for us. Ah, if you know of anyone worth recommending, do bring them.”
“Ranged dealers or healers?”
“That’s right. Then we’ll meet again soon.”
“Yes, understood.”
Ha Gyeong bid farewell to Kang Woo Jin.
Though he occasionally mixed in plain speech, it didn’t bother him.
The man was old enough to be his father, after all.
And beyond his manner of speaking, he showed considerable consideration.
Then Ha Gyeong suddenly thought of Choi Hyun Ki.
‘Same age as Kang Woo Jin, yet why does he insist on being bristly with him? If you want to be treated as an adult, you have to act like one.’
Ha Gyeong let out an inward snort.
He hoped to have nothing more to do with the Raiders.
An incompetent ally was more fearsome than a capable enemy.
And an ally who aimed for the back of your head was far more dangerous.
After parting with Kang Woo Jin, his teammates rushed in and surrounded Ha Gyeong.
“Whoa! I knew you’d do it. You won, just as expected!”
“It was like watching the Immortal Tyrant himself.”
“Thank you so much, Ha Gyeong.”
Ma Do Hyuk and the tanks’ cheers left Ha Gyeong’s head spinning.
They even tried to give him a victory toss.
Though he managed to stop them, he didn’t mind.
There was something about it that felt human, somehow.
* * *
Back home, Ha Gyeong took deep rest.
An Extreme Grade boss raid, plus a duel with Kim Tae Gwang.
Exhaustion had piled up relentlessly.
Sprawled across the sofa, he turned on his phone.
‘Let me see what they’re saying.’
Ha Gyeong logged into the Awakener Community.
The very site that journalist Moon Jung Hoon had told him about.
Sure enough, countless posts about Ha Gyeong had already been uploaded.
[Duel] The Immortal Tyrant Ha Gyeong defeats the Iron Butcher Kim Tae Gwang.
―Choi Hyun Ki, minus the pride, looks like a corpse—he even apologized. What is this guy?
└You noticed that? So jealous. Even from a video, the duel level was insane.
└Where’d all those bastards go who were trashing the Immortal Tyrant before?
└These keyboard warriors always pull the same move. Dig for dirt and tear into it, then when the truth comes out, they scatter like roaches.
└Damn, taking that much punishment without going down was crazy. Kim Tae Gwang went out after a handful of punches though.
└Did Kim Tae Gwang die?
└Hey, idiot. He just lost. You get automatic disqualification if you kill someone in a duel, right?
└Why don’t you just explain it instead of being rude?
└You’re expecting polite discourse in a community? That’s hilarious.
Rough language filled the thread, but the consensus was unanimous.
Ha Gyeong’s exploits had become public knowledge.
Fame unlike anything before would now come his way.
Of course, Ha Gyeong wasn’t someone who chased glory.
‘Fame is nice. Makes Guest Member contracts easier. But is it necessary?’
In truth, requests were already coming in.
A single call to the Guild Masters whose numbers he had would be enough.
Then he could clear most dungeons without difficulty.
The reason Ha Gyeong didn’t accept just any job was simple.
The dungeons requesting support were all too low-grade.
‘Unknown Grade and above are rare, so it can’t be helped.’
Still, future Guest Member contracts would become easier.
He’d made good connections with capable people.
Except with the Raiders, of course.
After resting for a while, Ha Gyeong stayed quite busy.
First, he had to register his artifacts with the Association.
Then he distributed payment to his team members.
The Curse Breaker had been valued at 150 billion.
On par with the Tyrant’s Bracelet.
Ha Gyeong immediately transferred 120 billion.
Now the Curse Breaker was his.
‘Curse Resistance. This really is an excellent find.’
From now on, he’d handle creatures like that Pain Bringer far more easily.
A few days’ rest was sufficient.
Once recovered, Ha Gyeong arranged his commitment with Kang Woo Jin.
He’d signed a Guest Member contract with the Death Hound Guild.
Days later.
He joined the raid party at the entrance to the Abyss Gate.
Just as Kang Woo Jin’s team would suggest, everyone was tanks and close-range dealers.
Yet the reason they’d recruited Ha Gyeong was purely skill-based.
‘Being alone like this feels a bit awkward.’
He felt the Death Hound members’ sidelong glances.
It was surely because of the duel with Kim Tae Gwang.
Then Kang Woo Jin approached and spoke.
“You came.”
“Hello.”
“But why are you alone? I heard you’d recommend a healer.”
“He’ll show up soon. Ah, there he is.”
Ha Gyeong pointed to a man walking from the facilities area.
A priestly robe, a long staff.
An ornate circlet—a man of unknown identity.
Kang Woo Jin tilted his head at the sight of Ha Gyeong’s recommendation.
“I know every competent Guest Member in the high-grade dungeons, yet…”
“You probably do know him.”
“He’s definitely someone I’ve never seen. So who exactly is this man?”
“I don’t know his name. Only that he’s called Dae Hyun Ja…”
As Ha Gyeong trailed off.
Kang Woo Jin’s jaw fell open.
“You’re telling me you have a connection to Dae Hyun Ja?”
He nearly shouted, which left Ha Gyeong puzzled.
‘Is it really that surprising?’
Tearing Open the Gate
Author |
Moraetop
Publisher |
Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
Editorial Director |
Editorial Team
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Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – Dream Books
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G720:N+A063-20260306112
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@dreambookss
Submissions |
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Without written permission from Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – Dream Books, the contents of this book may not be used in any form or by any means.

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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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