Tearing the Gate Apart - Chapter 38

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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 38.
The Grand Sage’s raid team returned safely.
Since they consisted of elite Awakeners, there were no major incidents.
These were people who wandered through the upper Abyss as if it were their own living room.
After completing the cleanup, Ha Gyeong headed straight for the Association Headquarters.
Ordinary loot could be processed near the gate.
But high-grade Artifacts had to go through an Internal Auction at the Association.
As Ha Gyeong made his way to the conference room, he suddenly recalled something the Grand Sage had said.
‘He said he wanted to catch someone, right?’
That someone was the Frost Bishop.
And the reward for eliminating him had been the Catherberic Staff.
The Grand Sage would probably bid with everything he had.
In truth, it wasn’t a particularly useful Artifact for Ha Gyeong.
Not with Mana Amplification and Recovery Enhancement options attached.
The competition among healers would likely be fierce.
Still, he had no intention of yielding it easily.
Ha Gyeong smiled meaningfully.
‘Time for payback.’
The Grand Sage seemed to have read his intentions.
He placed his hand over his chest and bowed his head slightly.
A signal asking him to go easy.
Ha Gyeong shrugged and waited for the auction to proceed.
―We will now begin the Internal Auction for the Incomprehensible Grade Field Boss from the Bottomless Abyss—the Frost Bishop. The reward is the Catherberic Staff, an Artifact with Mana Amplification and Recovery Enhancement abilities. Starting price is 50 billion, with increments of 10 billion.
The moment the auctioneer finished speaking, hands shot up from all around the room.
As expected, the competition among healers was fierce.
“100 billion!”
“150 billion!”
“200 billion!”
The bidding had skyrocketed to 200 billion in an instant.
There was a brief silence in the hall.
The last bidder had been the Grand Sage, after all.
Everyone was probably calculating their options.
But then Ha Gyeong casually raised his hand.
“250 billion.”
“……?”
When he suddenly jumped in, his teammates’ eyes converged on him.
Their gazes screamed: why was he bidding on a healer-exclusive Artifact?
Of course, Ha Gyeong paid them no mind, simply shrugging.
‘Still, it’s an Incomprehensible Grade Field Boss from the Bottomless Abyss. Ending it at just 200 billion would be a shame.’
He’d bought a Grade-A Skill Enhancement Scroll for 250 billion, after all.
Soon enough, the Grand Sage bid immediately.
“300 billion.”
―We have 300 billion! Any further bids?
It seemed he had no intention of backing down either.
So Ha Gyeong raised his hand with complete ease.
“400 billion going once.”
“……!”
His teammates’ eyes shifted from confusion to shock.
He’d raised the bid by 100 billion in a single go.
None of them expected the bidding war to cool down yet.
“It’s practically an Extreme Grade Artifact. 400 billion is fair value and then some.”
“Though I doubt it’ll go to 500 billion? It’s not a true Extreme Grade, after all.”
“True. Let’s just watch. We can’t compete with those two anyway.”
When whales fight, the shrimp’s back breaks.
Getting involved recklessly could land them with the bill alone.
Ha Gyeong waited with a relaxed expression.
If the Grand Sage called 450 billion, he planned to back off gracefully.
But no matter how long he waited, the Grand Sage’s hand never rose again.
―If there are no further bids, we will close the auction. 400 billion, 400 billion, 400 billion. Sold! Congratulations.
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!
Applause erupted from all directions.
A raid with forty participants.
Even dividing it simply, each person would get 10 billion.
Of course, half of that would evaporate after taxes.
But the profit was still decent, wasn’t it?
Everyone couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction.
Only Ha Gyeong, who’d unexpectedly won the bid, looked bewildered.
‘Wait, he didn’t counter?’
He was taken aback, but it didn’t really matter.
The Catherberic Staff was worth that much anyway.
Even if he put it up for public auction immediately, he could fetch far more.
Since he’d won the bid,
Ha Gyeong had to buy the Catherberic Staff.
He completed the wire transfer and took a seat to wait.
Meanwhile, the auction for the Titan Flail began.
Being a Mystery Grade Artifact,
the final bid was 50 billion.
The same price as the Titan Mace he’d acquired before.
But the successful bidder was unexpected.
“Why the surprised look? Didn’t expect me to go for it? Buddy?”
The Titan Flail now belonged to John.
Of course, it made sense.
Wasn’t he an excellent tank with considerable experience?
Not fifteen years like what he’d told Madd, but
at least ten years of Abyss experience under his belt.
Spending 50 billion wouldn’t be difficult for him.
John spun the iron blade of the Titan Flail in circles as he spoke.
“I needed a new weapon anyway, and this one looked fun. Heh heh!”
Switching weapons out of simple curiosity.
No one but someone as strange as John would think of doing that.
Soon after, Ha Gyeong received the Catherberic Staff.
Then the Grand Sage approached him with a smiling face.
“That weapon suits you very well.”
“Why didn’t you bid?”
“Just because.”
“Wasn’t it an Artifact you really wanted?”
“It was. I wanted to twist the situation a bit.”
“Stop joking. There’s clearly something else going on.”
Ha Gyeong didn’t take the Grand Sage’s words at face value.
Appearing from the east, vanishing to the west.
An enigmatic figure armed with mystery.
He wouldn’t simply give up the Catherberic Staff out of whim.
There was no way that could happen.
Sure enough,
the Grand Sage shook his head.
“I can’t fool you, can I?”
“Just be honest. Why did you do it?”
“I thought you’d back down if I called around 450 billion or so.”
“Huh?”
The Grand Sage had read Ha Gyeong’s intention perfectly.
It wasn’t a difficult deduction, really.
When the Tyrant’s Bracelet was auctioned,
it was exactly what Ha Gyeong had done.
Ha Gyeong, who’d only tilted his head in confusion, suddenly let out a hollow laugh.
“So that’s why you came to find me.”
“I wanted to give you a gift. The raid succeeded because of you, after all.”
“How much are you paying?”
“600 billion. I doubt you’d get more than that even in a public auction.”
“…….”
Ha Gyeong was left speechless by the Grand Sage’s answer.
This meant he’d gain an additional 200 billion that he wouldn’t have to split with his team.
It was an undeniably generous gift.
Money was supposedly the best way to show gratitude, and he had to admit—it felt good.
Ha Gyeong smiled slightly and replied.
“Fine. I accept.”
“I truly appreciate you turning around what was essentially a failed raid. I’ll never forget today as long as I live.”
“Think nothing of it.”
“Please take care on your way out. I’ll be in touch if something good comes up.”
“Yes, of course. Feel free to call anytime you have a good job.”
Ha Gyeong received the 600 billion transfer
and handed the Catherberic Staff over to the Grand Sage.
* * *
Ha Gyeong walked toward the parking lot after leaving the Association Headquarters.
John immediately fell into step beside him.
“That’s sus as hell.”
“John’s suspicious?”
“Yo, don’t mess with me if you understood!”
“Whoa! Why’re you suddenly raising your voice in public?”
“I’m American, that’s why. Cut me some slack.”
“You only do your foreigner act when it’s inconvenient. After living in Korea for almost twenty years.”
“Ah, you got me.”
“So what exactly seemed suspicious?”
“The Grand Sage. That white-clad Michael Jackson cosplay dude, you know?”
“Pft!”
Ha Gyeong couldn’t contain his laughter.
To dismiss the Grand Sage as someone cosplaying Michael Jackson.
It was exactly the kind of thing John would say.
After collecting himself, Ha Gyeong posed a question.
“What about him?”
“The way he looked at you felt off. Like… attachment?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Just that he likes you.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m telling you, trust the American. We’ve got diversity down to a science.”
Ha Gyeong shook his head.
More than half of what John said was nonsense.
There was no real need to take it seriously.
Yet some of it wasn’t entirely wrong.
The Grand Sage did hold Ha Gyeong in high regard.
‘That’s probably why he keeps calling me whenever there’s a good raid.’
As they wandered through the parking lot looking for his car,
someone suddenly called out to him.
“Excuse me.”
An ordinary-looking couple in their twenties.
They seemed to be together.
The woman among them looked at Ha Gyeong with sparkling eyes.
He responded with a puzzled expression.
“Yes? What is it?”
“Are you by any chance the Undying Tyrant?”
“……Excuse me?”
Ha Gyeong couldn’t help but be flustered.
Not by Awakeners who’d crossed paths with him a few times,
but by an ordinary citizen recognizing him out of nowhere.
It made no sense.
Ha Gyeong had only been exposed once—in a single interview.
Everything else was just rumors and gossip from communities and news outlets.
Not a single photo had circulated.
How could they possibly have recognized him?
Yet the two of them seemed certain, high-fiving each other with delight.
“Wow! I never thought we’d meet like this!”
“Hold on. This is Association Headquarters.”
“Still, what are the odds of running into the Undying Tyrant while we’re here for our Awakener evaluation?”
“Fair point. Nice to meet you. I’m a real fan!”
The man extended his hand first,
and Ha Gyeong shook it somewhat awkwardly.
Then he posed a question.
“How did you recognize me?”
“Oh, AI Strategy Videos are trending right now.”
“What’s that?”
“What happens inside the Abyss is only known through word of mouth, right? Someone tells a story, and then it gets turned into an animated video using AI.”
The man pulled out his phone and showed him a video.
It was footage from a raid on the layered Abyss he’d done recently with the Raiders.
A man pummeling a Shroud Race single-handedly.
The armor, cape, and even karambit were remarkably similar.
Moreover, the face resembled Ha Gyeong’s quite closely.
‘This exists? It’s more detailed than I expected?’
The raid in the video was nearly identical to what Ha Gyeong remembered.
But it even showed what happened after their escape.
Including the duel with the Flesh Butcher Kim Tae Gwang.
Ha Gyeong pointed at the screen and asked.
“Why is this part included?”
“Someone did film that separately, but the footage was so poor quality that they must have rendered the duel scene with AI too.”
“Ah, I see.”
“But there’s another detail that makes it easier to identify you.”
The man pointed to John, who’d been standing blankly beside Ha Gyeong.
Then he hesitated, as if struggling to say something.
Ha Gyeong smiled gently and said.
“It’s okay. Go ahead and say it.”
“Well… it’s that you travel around with this weird foreign guy.”
Ha Gyeong nearly burst out laughing at the man’s answer.
He wasn’t wrong, was he?
Someone as unique as John was hard to find.
But the person in question thought differently.
“Hey! Funny guy. What’re you saying? Is there anyone as noble as me?”
John spun the Titan Flail in circles as he spoke.
With a large white man doing that, it emanated an overwhelming pressure.
Of course, Ha Gyeong knew it was just playing around.
But anyone unfamiliar with John would naturally be intimidated.
The moment the couple’s faces turned pale,
Ha Gyeong stepped in and instantly defused the tension.
“Look here, John.”
“What? Bad King, bro.”
“You claim to be American, but your pronunciation sounds Korean. And you never speak in long sentences.”
“Well, it’s just that…….”
John made a dejected face,
then spoke with his characteristic exaggerated gestures and a brazen expression.
“I actually forgot English.”
Gate Ripper
Author |
Morae Tob
Publisher |
Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
Editorial Director |
Editorial Department
Publishing House |
Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – Dream Books
Address |
7F Gwangseong Building, 28 Bongeun-sa-ro 114-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
UCI |
G720:N+A063-20260306112
Blog |
blog.naver.com/dreambookss
Twitter(X) |
@dreambookss
Submission |
[email protected]
This book may not 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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