Tearing the Gate Apart - Chapter 61
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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 61.
A disc spun forth from Ha Gyeong’s blade, sweeping across the enemy formation.
It was like watching a 30-meter grinder in motion.
Under that overwhelming force, the Skull Piercers became minced meat.
Crash-crash-crash-crash-bang!
“Screeeech!”
“Keeeee!”
Every last one of them that had rushed at Ha Gyeong was ground to pieces.
Dozens of creatures—sliced through with a single strike.
Five-meter-long monsters, at that.
Now only a handful remained near the front line.
Ha Gyeong stared down at the Crimson Edge in bewilderment.
‘What is this? Why did a new option suddenly appear?’
Until now, Ha Gyeong had handled countless artifacts.
He didn’t even possess eight of them—or did he?
But never had a second option manifested before.
If so, this must be a unique property of the Crimson Edge alone.
Ha Gyeong realized he’d acquired an incredible item for a mere seventy billion won.
‘This is jackpot.’
A strange thrill tickled his heart.
He suddenly recalled the Avalanche Sword that Choi Hyun Ki had proposed.
He’d been tempted at first.
Even if it cost 250 billion—if he was going to use it himself, that was fine.
It would pay for itself in power.
But compared to the Crimson Edge now, it seemed quite lacking.
The probability of a hidden second option was very low.
“Insane… what is that?”
Then, a voice suddenly reached his ears.
Ha Gyeong started to turn his head, then stopped.
Teammates in the back line were murmuring amongst themselves.
“Did you see that disc? It was way bigger than what showed up in the AI guide.”
“Is it possible he’s been hiding his true strength this whole time?”
“Why would he need to do that, though?”
“It’s not impossible. The Immortal’s only failed one dungeon clear so far.”
“That was a mid-sized Extreme Grade, though. Upper tier, sure, but harder than this place.”
“Why did our Master ever provoke someone like that?”
That last comment sounded like it came from a Readers Guild member.
The raid team Ryu Jeong Hwan had assembled was exceptionally skilled.
Even to such Awakened Ones, Ha Gyeong’s martial prowess was clearly striking.
‘This is a strange feeling.’
Ha Gyeong didn’t trust the Readers Guild.
That’s why he’d decided to fight without their Healer support.
Yet, unexpectedly, they were quite competent.
They could even speak ill of their Guild Master, like Park Joon Ho did.
Perhaps because he’d heard something unexpected.
Ha Gyeong felt oddly embarrassed.
‘They’re genuinely top-tier Awakened Ones—they don’t blindly follow their Master.’
Probably because they’d be treated well anywhere they went.
Thanks to Ha Gyeong’s extraordinary performance, the fight ended quickly.
Once the remaining creatures were dealt with, Ryu Jeong Hwan’s voice came through.
―We’ve been exchanging blows rather fiercely from the start. Good work, everyone. Let’s begin resupply first.
The team members skillfully gathered their spoils.
Even though this was an Incomprehensible Grade dungeon in the Bottomless Pit, nothing was different.
Top-tier Awakened Ones still had to move with their own hands.
Dungeon raiding wasn’t a leisure sport.
While helping with the butchering work.
A man named John approached and whispered in his ear.
“Hey, Unkillable God Bro.”
“Whether it’s Unkillable or Immortal, just pick one.”
“I’ll call you whatever I feel like. Besides, nobody else calls you that anyway.”
“That’s true. But why’d you call me over?”
“What was that just now? You didn’t do that before.”
He seemed to be referring to the projectile enhancement of the Crimson Edge.
The team members had no choice but to let it slide.
They didn’t know what abilities Ha Gyeong possessed.
But John was different.
He stuck with Ha Gyeong constantly.
He was one of the few people who knew him best.
“You can’t fool John, it seems. The Crimson Edge has one more hidden option.”
“An artifact with two abilities? Then even at Unknown Grade, it’d easily go over two hundred billion.”
“It normally wouldn’t manifest. It was reborn anew when it came into my hands.”
“Still, if that person finds out, he’s gonna be pretty upset.”
“Probably.”
John wore a meaningful smile.
Ha Gyeong couldn’t understand why he was like this.
Not until John’s mouth opened again.
“Delete my wife’s number.”
“Excuse me? All of a sudden?”
“Bro keeps telling her pointless stuff. Do you know how much trouble that causes me? Deal?”
“Is it really necessary to go this far? And that gesture you just made—it really doesn’t suit you. Stop pretending to be American.”
“John’s not pretending to be American. John was born in America. But bro keeps saying John pretends to be American, so John finds it difficult. Hmph! Hmph!”
“Ugh! Fine, I get it. Please stop. I’m begging you.”
“Hehehehe! Goal achieved at last.”
“Wow! Psychological warfare at its finest.”
John was indeed a formidable opponent beyond imagination.
Ha Gyeong scratched at the goosebumps on his arm.
After finishing the butchering and taking a rest.
This time, Ryu Jeong Hwan approached and spoke to him.
While making his characteristic gesture of pushing up his glasses with his index finger.
“That was a truly impressive strike.”
“You flatter me.”
“Not at all. I’m glad I made contact with you after hearing Choi Hyun Ki’s recommendation.”
“Him? No way he’d recommend me.”
“He said your skills are real, even if your prospects are ruined. In my assessment, though, Choi Hyun Ki’s prospects are worse.”
“Well… in any case, thank you.”
Ha Gyeong started to agree, then quickly changed the subject.
Ryu Jeong Hwan and Choi Hyun Ki were the same age, weren’t they?
No point in insulting one together—it’d only worsen his image.
In cases like this, it was best to stay quiet.
Then Ryu Jeong Hwan smiled with satisfaction and left a parting remark before departing.
“I look forward to our continued partnership.”
“Yes, of course.”
Suddenly, it reminded him of the Death Hound’s Master.
Kang Woo Jin, the Mad Dog.
Ryu Jeong Hwan showed almost no change in expression.
He spoke in a mechanical, emotionless manner.
Yet every so often, a casual ending would slip out.
Perhaps because he was older than he appeared.
While trying to sit and rest.
Someone suddenly spoke to Ha Gyeong.
“That was quite impressive.”
“Hmm?”
“When the Master speaks like that, it’s genuinely high praise.”
It was a Ranged Dealer from Sharp Force.
He was looking at Ha Gyeong with a touch of awe.
As his words suggested, Ryu Jeong Hwan was quite stingy with compliments.
Of course, for Ha Gyeong himself, it didn’t resonate much.
‘I haven’t really dealt with that person much, after all.’
After a brief rest, the raid team began exploring the dungeon once more.
The Deep Sea Abyss was far more dangerous than expected.
And utterly unique in character.
The liquid filling the interior slowed their movements.
And unexpected traps lurked as well.
Whoosh! Splurt!
“Aaaagh! Help, save me!”
Exactly like right now.
John, who had been leading, was suddenly being dragged into the coral.
Something like seaweed shot out.
It was practically kidnapping him.
Ha Gyeong moved on instinct and swung the Crimson Edge.
Slash!
‘Was I too late?’
He’d moved as fast as he possibly could.
But the sluggish movements made even cutting through the seaweed feel like an eternity.
Despite Ha Gyeong’s worry, John managed to stop just in time.
“Wow! That was close to death.”
“Are you all right?”
“Thanks, bro. Whoa! Look at this creature’s horrifying mouth.”
Ha Gyeong leaned forward.
And examined the spot John was pointing at carefully.
Then he saw something strange nestled between the coral.
It resembled a clam.
But all along its edges were countless teeth.
Like a massive Venus flytrap.
If bitten by something like that, one’s entire body would be pulverized.
John trembled with fright.
“I hate this place, bro.”
“I feel the same way. Be more careful.”
“My weapon’s a flail, so knowing doesn’t help.”
“You should’ve carried at least one bladed weapon as a backup.”
“This damn thing?”
While bickering with John.
Screams began erupting from various places.
Some of the team members had been caught by the living seaweed and the giant clam traps.
Their response was good, though.
So the damage wasn’t severe.
Still, they couldn’t avoid being mentally worn down.
The fear of not knowing what might happen next.
Fear made people passive.
Then Ryu Jeong Hwan’s voice came through the Whisperer.
―Once you spot a coral cluster, stop first and observe before proceeding.
―Two at two o’clock.
―Fall back. The Ranged Dealers will handle it.
As the front line moved left, arrows flew in immediately.
Soon, a tremendous boom erupted from that location.
Shish-shish-shish! Boom-boom-boom!
Ryu Jeong Hwan had personally stepped in to demolish the trap.
Ha Gyeong couldn’t help but click his tongue.
‘It’s a rough method, but effective. But won’t this draw tons of monsters?’
In lower-grade dungeons, they’d even cleared the bottom.
They needed to gain combat experience, and the Gate was close by.
But in the Deep Sea Abyss or Bottomless Pit, they couldn’t do that.
Supplies were limited.
Awakened Ones weren’t iron-clad.
Pushing too hard might exhaust them before they even reached the boss.
So usually, they preferred to minimize monster kills.
However, Ryu Jeong Hwan seemed to view the seaweed traps as a greater threat.
Boom-boom-boom-boom!
As expected.
A violent tremor shook the entire dungeon.
No doubt, a new wave of monsters was approaching.
But Ha Gyeong suddenly felt a question arise.
“Weren’t the monsters here supposed to be fish?”
“They were?”
“They don’t even walk. So why is the dungeon shaking?”
“Huh? You’re right?”
John also sensed something was wrong.
He kept tilting his head.
The vibrations grew stronger as they spoke.
Then a dark shadow suddenly burst forth.
[You have encountered the Guardian of the Abyss Dungeon, Dread Liver.]
At first, he’d thought it was just broken coral drifting.
There were occasionally glowing masses after all.
But up close, it was a pair of crimson eyes the size of a mid-sized sedan.
A hard, dark blue-black exterior, resembling an anglerfish.
An abnormally large head.
A stubby body.
Only relatively speaking, though.
Its actual body length was enormous.
It’d easily exceed eighty meters.
Given such immense size.
Ha Gyeong’s expression turned grim.
‘At that scale, it could swallow us all whole?’
Of course, it wouldn’t be that simple.
The raid team was in the middle of a labyrinthine coral formation.
Naturally, Ha Gyeong expected a limited fight—the kind where there were boss mechanics to avoid and designated damage windows.
But Dread Liver defied all common sense.
[Dread Liver ultimate ability activated: Rage Assault]
[An unstoppable wave of Abyss energy is detected.]
Kuuuuuuuu―!
Dread Liver, which had retreated slightly, suddenly began charging.
As if intent on destroying the entire coral formation.
Ha Gyeong understood instinctively.
‘That thing… is really going to destroy everything.’
What Guardian of a dungeon destroys it?
Literally, Dread Liver was supposed to protect this place.
John, facing the ultimate ability head-on, spat out curses.
“What insane fish is this?”
“Destroying the coral must have provoked it.”
“So what do we do now, bro? That bastard’s really gonna demolish everything.”
“We either block it or dodge. One of those has to work.”
While Ha Gyeong and John talked.
Dread Liver continued circling the coral formation.
Now it had built up proper speed.
If it suddenly changed direction?
The coral where the team stood would fly apart entirely.
Ha Gyeong stopped thinking.
‘No time to hesitate. Just try something.’
If the Resonance Baton’s suction could reduce its speed, maybe there was a chance.
He immediately slammed the Crimson Edge against the Resonance Staff.
Clang! Eeeeee―!
[Resonance Baton activated]
[All surrounding energy is drawn inward.]
A steady wave rippled through the water, spreading outward.
Then came an unexpected result.
The frenzied Dread Liver suddenly stopped moving.
It stared at the Resonance Baton with burning crimson eyes.
The team exhaled in relief.
“Phew! Lucky.”
“Whoa! How did you stop it? You just hit a chunk of metal, yet it works?”
“Not sure. Anyway, can we do a normal boss fight now?”
Ha Gyeong thought the same.
The Resonance Baton’s vibrations must have calmed Dread Liver.
But right then.
“Guurgh!”
Snap! Crunch!
Dread Liver’s mouth opened impossibly wide.
And swallowed Ha Gyeong whole.
Along with the surrounding terrain.
Ha Gyeong, suddenly sucked in, wore an expression of disbelief.
“I thought you were calmed!”
Rending the Gate
Author |
Moraetop
Publisher |
(주) Samyang C&C
Editor-in-Chief |
Editorial Department
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(주) Samyang C&C – Dream Books
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G720:N+A063-20260306112
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blog.naver.com/dreambookss
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@dreambookss
Submission |
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Without written permission from (주) Samyang C&C – 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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