Tearing the Gate Apart - Chapter 71

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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 71.
Ha Gyeong moved following the sensation of his Soul Stigma.
The deepest part of the Boss Nest.
Yet on the surface, it was an utterly ordinary space.
But Ha Gyeong was certain.
[Soul Stigma detects traces of the fragment]
[The signal has become clearer]
As he drew closer, his heart pounded as if it might burst from his chest.
The problem was that there was nothing but solid stone all around.
Ha Gyeong tapped the walls and floor lightly with the Crimson Edge.
It was a gentle poke, but the force behind it was anything but weak.
Thanks to his Abyss Resonance.
Yet only scratches appeared.
The Boss Nest’s structure was remarkably solid.
Ha Gyeong suddenly turned to look back.
“Now that I think about it, you’re holding up pretty well.”
The battle with Veil Lancer had been fierce beyond measure.
Especially this wolf-headed bastard’s skill—it was devastatingly powerful.
That Plasma Bolt or whatever it was.
At full power, it carved out a crater fifty meters across.
If you could withstand a skill like that, you’d have to be pretty tough.
Ha Gyeong pondered.
‘I’m going to have my work cut out breaking through this.’
Besides, neither the Crimson Edge nor the Resonance Staff were ideal tools for the job.
It would be nice if he had a pickaxe or something.
Lost in thought, Ha Gyeong suddenly looked down at Veil Lancer.
“Hey.”
—What.
“How hard are you, anyway?”
—What kind of stupid question is that?
“Answer me nicely, and I’ll kill you quick.”
—You’re not even offering to spare me, and you want cooperation?
“Otherwise you’ll just keep getting dragged around like this.”
—This son of a……
“What? You’re cursing?”
—I’m not!
“What? Cursing?”
—I’m saying I won’t cooperate!
“You could just answer. You’re making it way too dramatic.”
—Grrr!
Veil Lancer thrashed about, but all he could move was his head.
Just his jaw, really.
What was he going to accomplish with that?
He could certainly keep yapping, though.
Which made things quite loud.
Ha Gyeong was about to hurl Veil Lancer away when he suddenly stopped.
‘Pointless.’
Since they communicated via telepathy, distance wouldn’t matter.
So he decided to just go ahead with the idea he’d just had.
Originally, he’d planned to use Veil Lancer’s limbs as a makeshift pickaxe.
But his skull was also a pretty sturdy part of his body, wasn’t it?
And it would quiet him down, too.
Ha Gyeong spun Veil Lancer’s head around in circles.
—Hey! Hey! What are you doing?!
“Ever heard of a burning stick game?”
—How would I know something like that!?
“No? Then just experience it. Deal with it.”
Whoof! Whoof! Whoof! Whoof!
Ha Gyeong swung his arm like a madman.
Then, when the speed reached its peak.
He let go in a snap.
Just like a softball pitcher.
Whrrzzzt! Bang!
—Gaaahhhhh!
Veil Lancer’s head smashed through the Boss Nest’s wall.
The impact was considerable—fitting for nobility of the Bottomless Abyss.
Ha Gyeong repeated the same motion a few more times.
Whrrzzzt! Bang!
—………
The telepathy went silent.
And cracks appeared in the wall.
He’d achieved two benefits from a single action.
Ha Gyeong smiled with satisfaction and picked up Veil Lancer’s head.
“Thanks for your service. Good performance.”
—To think I, a noble of the Bottomless Abyss, would be treated like this…… How vexing.
“Keep talking and I’ll throw you again?”
—………
Veil Lancer fell silent once more.
He seemed to have properly learned who was strong and who was weak.
Soon enough, Ha Gyeong obtained a small black crystal in his hand.
It was the first Ultimate Abyss Fragment he’d seen in a long time.
His joy was short-lived.
Ha Gyeong quickly shattered the crystal.
[Ultimate Abyss Fragment opened]
[Vast quantities of Abyss Energy have been transferred]
[Ultimate Abyss Key progress 3/3]
Zzzt-zzzt-zzzt-zzzt-zzzt!
A vivid grayish-white aura wrapped around Ha Gyeong’s entire body.
Then a purple key fragment began to fuse into one.
Click! Clank!
A metal piece carved with the image of a skull and a demon fell into Ha Gyeong’s hand.
As ultra-high-purity Abyss Energy was absorbed, a heavy pain surged through him.
But he barely noticed it.
‘The key is complete…… ‘
Wasn’t this the scene he’d dreamed of?
Perhaps because the completion had come so suddenly.
Ha Gyeong felt only disoriented.
Then, belatedly, reality sank in.
A sensation like insects crawling beneath his skin.
The repulsive force of Abyss Energy.
Ha Gyeong let out a groan.
“Ugh!”
He controlled the raging Abyss Energy.
Since he’d experienced this so often, he calmed it skillfully.
In moments like this, trying to grab the flow of Abyss Energy wasn’t the answer.
The real solution was to circulate your mana forcefully.
If Abyss Energy was a wild horse, then mana was a strong rein.
Soon Ha Gyeong slowly opened his eyes.
His blue eyes gleamed softly.
A far subtler effect than before.
Yet that didn’t mean there was no progress.
Ha Gyeong observed the dignified flow of Abyss Energy within him.
‘Like two rivers merging.’
Of course, the one he possessed was the great river.
And the Abyss Energy flowing in was the small stream.
A perfect analogy.
Ha Gyeong looked down at the Ultimate Abyss Key.
“Got it sooner than I expected.”
He wasn’t ready yet.
He lacked trustworthy allies.
And he didn’t feel like he’d yet surpassed his father.
Still, completing the key was encouraging.
His goal had become clearer.
Ha Gyeong quickly put the key away.
Yet for some reason, he felt a sense of emptiness.
He looked around with a puzzled expression.
Then he spotted Veil Lancer crawling along using his facial muscles.
“What are you doing?”
—Damn it, you’re annoyingly perceptive.
“Trying to escape, huh? So you had some scheme. I always say confirmation kill is important.”
—Confirmation kill? What’s that?
“Doesn’t matter. Have a good trip. Bottomless Abyss nobility.”
Schlock!
Ha Gyeong drove the Crimson Edge through without hesitation.
There was nothing more to gain from Veil Lancer anyway.
He’d only kept him alive to buy time.
Now that his utility had expired, it was right to deal with him cleanly.
But the result differed from Ha Gyeong’s expectations.
“What? Where is it?”
Even though the light faded from Veil Lancer’s eyes, no system message appeared.
Naturally, no reward came either.
Ha Gyeong was puzzled.
Hadn’t he obtained Dead Zone when he destroyed the Guardian’s core?
Thinking it over, he soon understood the reason.
‘The core. Because there isn’t one.’
Dead Zone was a skill that appeared when you destroyed a core.
Now only Veil Lancer’s corpse remained.
No sign of a core at all.
It was unfortunate, but he’d have to be satisfied with having eliminated one of the Emperor’s subordinates.
Ha Gyeong moved toward his teammates.
‘The clones have vanished, and things are wrapping up over there too.’
The boss of the Silent Abyss.
The Archbishop of Silence had just collapsed.
Coincidentally, all the raids had ended at almost exactly the same time.
Ha Gyeong returned carrying Veil Lancer’s corpse.
His teammates’ expressions became complicated.
“That…… Captain, why did you bring that back?”
The visuals were admittedly somewhat gruesome.
It wasn’t neatly wrapped either.
He’d just brought the limbs and head as they were.
Ha Gyeong replied with a serious expression.
“It doesn’t have much value as spoils of war, but something about it felt off. I didn’t want to leave it here.”
“You thought it might recover?”
“Yes. Before, his leg was severed, but today it appeared intact.”
“Then we need to dispose of it properly. Leave it to us.”
“I appreciate it.”
Ha Gyeong handed Veil Lancer’s corpse to Yu Se-ha.
Soon the teammates crowded around, unleashing various skills on it.
But then Yu Se-ha suddenly returned to Ha Gyeong.
“Captain.”
“Yes?”
“How in the world did you fight and beat something so absurd?”
“Suddenly with that……”
Even with skills poured on it, it doesn’t get a scratch.”
Thirty minutes had passed since they’d said they’d dispose of it.
Veil Lancer’s corpse was still completely intact.
The teammates looking at Ha Gyeong’s face bore awe in their eyes.
Everyone seemed to be thinking similarly to Yu Se-ha.
“Captain, are you perhaps related to that thing?”
It was probably meant as a joke.
But Ha Gyeong was someone thoroughly hardened by the Zone.
He shrugged lightly.
“My father was quite the monster, you know.”
“No, I was just joking, why did you suddenly bring up Jon……”
“I was joking too.”
Ha Gyeong chuckled and passed by Yu Se-ha.
Then he carefully gathered up Veil Lancer’s corpse again.
If disposal wasn’t possible, he’d have to smash it to pieces himself.
Just not here.
After crossing over to the real world.
Yu Se-ha, watching that display, could not close her gaping mouth.
“Influenced by Jon? Seems more like birds of a feather flocking together.”
* * *
Ha Gyeong’s Raid Party returned safely.
Of course, the return journey hadn’t been smooth.
Monster attacks from the Bottomless Abyss were brutally vicious.
But thanks to the escort team, there were no major issues.
An internal auction was held at the Association Headquarters, but he didn’t participate.
‘I only got Veil Lancer anyway. Plus I obtained the Ultimate Abyss Fragment.’
Of course, Ha Gyeong’s contributions weren’t nonexistent.
Hadn’t he rescued teammates trapped by a curse?
Finding that mechanism alone was a considerable achievement.
But it wasn’t particularly useful Artifacts for Ha Gyeong.
He decided not to be greedy about it.
When the internal auction ended, Ha Gyeong quickly wrapped up the settlement.
He paid his team’s wages with the money from selling the Artifacts.
Then he stopped by his office for a moment.
Someone must have reported that Ha Gyeong had arrived.
Jung Tae-won appeared right away.
“I hear you’ve captured the Bottomless Abyss Emperor’s right hand. You’ve worked hard.”
“Ah, yes. So I need to write a report.”
“Leave it to me.”
“I’d appreciate that. I have something else to do.”
“Of course.”
Ha Gyeong pulled out a sinister-looking black bag.
A body bag—the kind you’d only see at disaster sites or in movies.
When he unzipped it, strange things tumbled out.
A massive head resembling a canid animal.
Limbs sprouting twenty-centimeter blade-like appendages.
And a pair of membranous wings.
Strangely, despite quite a bit of time having passed, it hadn’t decomposed at all.
Instead, a stench filled the office completely.
Jung Tae-won, who’d been typing away, jumped up in shock.
“Gah! Wh-what on earth is this?!”
“Like I said. Got the Emperor’s right hand.”
“This is that?”
“That’s right.”
“But why on earth did you bring this all the way here……”
“I was worried it might recover if left there. It bothered me.”
“If that’s how the director feels, I suppose there’s nothing for it.”
“Don’t mind me. Get back to work.”
Ha Gyeong waved his hand dismissively.
Then he started muttering quietly with Jon.
“Bro. Start from here?”
“Shouldn’t we tackle the intact parts first?”
“Yeah, probably.”
“Definitely, definitely.”
“So we start with the legs?”
“I’ll handle the arms.”
“Here we go!”
Schlock! Thwack! Crunch!
A bone-chilling series of sounds echoed relentlessly throughout the office.
And it wasn’t just plain beating.
Ha Gyeong and Jon were wielding all manner of skills as they tore into it.
Of course, there was no other choice.
Veil Lancer’s body was extraordinarily durable.
Ordinary Awakened Ones couldn’t even leave a scratch on it.
Jung Tae-won clutched his head in distress.
Then soon he settled into peaceful concentration on his report.
Ha Gyeong glanced back at Jon with a puzzled expression.
“I was trying to finish as quickly as possible so it wouldn’t bother you, but suddenly you seem fine?”
“Earbuds work great.”
“Ah, noise-canceling?”
“Bro doesn’t have something like that?”
“Gets destroyed when you enter the Abyss anyway, so why buy it?”
“True, can’t be helped. Now that I think about it, it’s kind of amazing. This ordinary life, I mean.”
Jung Tae-won stuffed tissue in his nose
And sat there with earbuds in, turning away.
Clearly trying to distance himself as much as possible from the Veil Lancer demolition project.
Ha Gyeong and Jon shrugged and refocused on their work.
Then it happened.
—You goddamn bastards!
An unexpected outburst erupted along with a grayish-white beam of light.
From Veil Lancer’s shattered skull.
Tearing Open the Gate
Author |
Moraetop
Publisher |
Samyang C&C
Editing Director |
Editorial Department
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Samyang C&C – Dream Books
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UCI |
G720:N+A063-20260306112
Blog |
blog.naver.com/dreambookss
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@dreambookss
Submissions |
[email protected]
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means without written permission from Samyang C&C – 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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