Tearing the Gate Apart - Chapter 9

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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 9.
The reward from Gear Crusher was a Hammer-type Artifact.
It was a two-handed weapon, and its form differed from a typical war hammer.
It was far too large and heavy for Ha Gyeong to wield.
‘That won’t fetch much resale value.’
He was moving on with that thought when suddenly someone fell into step beside him.
It was Choi Hyun-gi, the master of Raiders.
It was Choi Hyun-gi, the master of Raiders.
“Ahem! My apologies for the late greeting. Thanks to you, we managed to overcome the crisis.”
“Think nothing of it.”
“I heard you participated as a guest member—are you working solo by chance?”
“That’s correct.”
“It seems you have little interest in joining a guild. Isn’t that so?”
Ha Gyeong answered with a faint smile.
It was a polite refusal.
But Choi Hyun-gi’s proposal took a different turn.
“Then what about this? We offer a one-month contract, renewable each month. Of course, we’ll provide compensation at the highest industry standard.”
Ha Gyeong couldn’t help but be tempted.
He could leave whenever he wanted, after all.
And with Raiders, wouldn’t he have more opportunities to tackle Dungeons?
But Ma Do-hyuk interjected suddenly.
“They pretend to treat you well, lock you into long-term contracts, then work you to the bone on insane schedules. How many promising prospects have they destroyed that way—wouldn’t you say several truckloads?”
Raiders was an infamously brutal guild.
They enlisted anyone with real talent, even ex-convicts.
They were notorious for committing all manner of atrocities in the Abyss.
Hadn’t their guild members just displayed misconduct a moment ago?
Like hyenas rushing in.
Ha Gyeong hadn’t known such a reputation existed.
The temptation that had flickered in his heart evaporated in an instant.
‘Now that I think about it, Father once said something like that.’
That there were guilds who treated promising Awakeners like disposable commodities.
This must be one of them—Raiders.
As Ha Gyeong’s expression hardened, Choi Hyun-gi’s face twisted as well.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“You ought to know the full picture. That way the contract can be fair, don’t you think?”
“Why would a third party such as yourself…”
For a moment, sparks seemed to fly between Ma Do-hyuk and Choi Hyun-gi.
Both their gazes were so intense.
As the atmosphere began to heat up again, Ha Gyeong spoke.
“I was planning to decline anyway. I’ve already received similar offers from Blackwater and Chang-un.”
“You have?”
“They said they’d pay one and a half times the highest industry rate. I still refused.”
“……”
Choi Hyun-gi fell silent.
He hadn’t known such generous offers were on the table.
It seemed he had no intention of matching one and a half times the going rate.
So Ha Gyeong left room for negotiation.
“I am willing to participate as a guest member. Please contact me when you’re short on personnel.”
“Ah! If that’s the case, we’re satisfied as well.”
Choi Hyun-gi’s expression softened slightly.
Though his glare toward Ma Do-hyuk remained sharp.
After staring at him a moment longer, Choi Hyun-gi left.
Sensing his chance, Ma Do-hyuk fell into step with Ha Gyeong.
“I heard you explore the Abyss alone. Is that true?”
“Yes.”
“How did that come about?”
“A group slows you down. And the larger an organization gets, the more constraints it faces.”
“Ha! That’s exactly my reasoning too.”
Of course, Ha Gyeong’s real reason for going alone was different.
But he couldn’t exactly say he was searching for the Ultimate Abyss Fragment.
So he gave a vague answer, and Ma Do-hyuk seemed to feel a strong kinship.
After walking for a while, they reached a dead end.
It was a fairly spacious area.
Ha Gyeong stood in the rightmost section.
‘The other teams haven’t arrived yet.’
It seemed Team Four had defeated the Guardian the fastest.
Really, it was a predictable result.
Given how overwhelming Ha Gyeong and Ma Do-hyuk’s performance had been.
The team set up camp and relaxed with ease.
In the meantime, Ha Gyeong had a long conversation with Ma Do-hyuk.
Naturally, the topic was Abyss exploration.
Ma Do-hyuk chattered away with sparkling eyes like a child.
“Did you know there’s a wider space beneath the depths of the Abyss?”
“I’ve been wandering for four and a half years without ever finding such a place.”
“It’s called the Bottomless Abyss, but entering it requires a special method.”
“I’d like to see it for myself.”
“So you have that competitive spirit as well?”
Ma Do-hyuk’s expression grew excited.
He must have felt a strong kinship.
But Ha Gyeong’s drive came less from curiosity than from purpose.
‘The Bottomless Abyss. I wonder if the Ultimate Abyss Fragment is there too.’
The Abyss was a place of constant change.
Even if you scoured the depths daily, it transforms completely within days.
So Ha Gyeong ventured into the Abyss every single day.
But there exists a place called the Bottomless Abyss, even deeper than the Abyss itself.
He wanted to visit it immediately.
Sensing Ha Gyeong’s interest, Ma Do-hyuk opened his mouth.
“If you wish, I can teach you how to enter.”
“What price would that require?”
“Just an information exchange would be enough. The Bottomless Abyss is dangerous for me too, after all.”
Ha Gyeong nodded readily.
Of course, he had no intention of taking information without giving anything back.
He thought he should offer something to Ma Do-hyuk.
It would be fine to repay him with information or Dungeon exploration opportunities.
Then suddenly the rest area grew noisy.
Another team must have arrived.
Shortly, someone approached and spoke to him.
It was Yun Chang-ho, the guild master of Blackwater.
“Pleased to meet you, Ha Gyeong.”
“Hello? I heard you were leading the raid team, but I haven’t paid my respects.”
“Ha! We simply weren’t many in number, and we were from different teams after all.”
“Were there significant casualties?”
“Unfortunately, yes. The matchup with the Guardian wasn’t favorable.”
“I see…”
“But there should be no problem with the final boss raid.”
Current forces: 105 people.
This was within the expected casualty range.
Yun Chang-ho let out a hearty laugh looking at Ha Gyeong.
“Ha! You certainly distinguished yourself out there.”
“Actually, Ma Do-hyuk played the larger role. He risked his life to expose the weakness.”
“What fortune Raiders must have—Team Four is packed with exceptional people.”
Yun Chang-ho let slip a meaningful smile.
As if he knew all about Ha Gyeong’s exploits.
It was likely from his conversation with Choi Hyun-gi.
That man must have praised Ha Gyeong even more than Ma Do-hyuk.
The private conversation ended quickly.
Yun Chang-ho collected the Keys from each team.
He completed one final head count.
“We will now begin the final boss raid. Everyone, maintain your focus a bit longer, please.”
Then he inserted four Keys into the stone gate.
Boom-boom-boom-boom!
A passage opened with a thunderous rumble.
Immediately after, a system message appeared before Ha Gyeong’s eyes.
[You have encountered the boss of the Abyss Dungeon: Fusion Tyrant.]
This time there was no particular penalty.
Ha Gyeong knew from experience what this meant.
‘It means the boss is that much stronger.’
And sure enough, the Fusion Tyrant was a terrifying sight.
Fifteen meters tall with four heads facing north, south, east, and west.
Eight arms and countless cannons densely arrayed across its lower abdomen.
Like the Gear Crusher, the creature had fused with mechanical armor.
Ha Gyeong sensed the countless hardships that lay ahead.
Whirr-click! Clank! Clank!
The Fusion Tyrant detected the intruders and glowed with crimson light.
“Screeeee―!”
[Fusion Tyrant deploys massive oil barrage.]
Splash-splash-splash-boom!
Team Four reacted instantly.
They knew all too well how much trouble the oil cannons caused.
Ha Gyeong quickly activated the Whisperer.
―Attack the projectiles and burst them. If you get trapped, we’re done for!―
―Yes!―
The ranged dealers concentrated their attacks on the air.
Boom! Krakoom―!
Crimson flames billowed forth with the explosion.
Scorching heat spread out and seared the armor.
Thanks to their quick reaction, the raid team suffered minimal damage.
―Thank you for the advance warning, Ha Gyeong. We have aggro now. Melee dealers, engage.―
At Yun Chang-ho’s calm instruction, all eyes suddenly fixed on Ha Gyeong.
Every member of the raid team turned to look at him for a moment.
A few Awakeners even gave light salutes.
Ha Gyeong bowed slightly in response and focused on the fight.
Following Yun Chang-ho’s orders, he moved toward the lower section of the Fusion Tyrant.
He unleashed a barrage of attacks on the many gun barrels protruding there.
‘I’ll destroy the annoying bits first so the raid goes smoother.’
Wielding the Abyss Resonance Blade, he sliced through the cannon barrels.
But then a sharp metallic sound rang out nearby.
Clang! Bang!
Ma Do-hyuk was doing the same thing.
For a moment, their eyes met.
There was no need for words.
They simply smiled at each other.
Soon Ha Gyeong and Ma Do-hyuk were smashing cannons with manic intensity.
[Fusion Tyrant deploys massive oil barrage.]
The cannons activated at that very moment.
Truly unfortunate timing.
Splurt! Rumble-rumble-rumble!
Thanks to Ha Gyeong and Ma Do-hyuk’s efforts, very few fired properly.
Most merely leaked oil.
Ha Gyeong smiled inwardly with satisfaction.
‘Good. We’ve essentially neutralized one of the boss’s weapons.’
The ranged dealers were holding their own as well.
In no time, they’d reduced the Fusion Tyrant’s arms to scrap metal.
It seemed the raid would go smoothly from here.
But this was an Incomprehensible Rank Dungeon.
There was no way the final boss would be this easy.
Ha Gyeong tightened his guard.
‘Can’t let my focus slip.’
Just as expected, an ominous system message appeared.
[Fusion Tyrant deploys Energy Circulation Core.]
[If not destroyed within five minutes, Fusion Tyrant’s body restoration will complete.]
Whine―! Clank!
Four massive pillars rose up from the cardinal directions.
Green sparks erupted from them.
Soon brilliant beams of light connected to the Fusion Tyrant.
Then something astonishing happened.
Crack! Clatter-clatter!
The shattered arms and cannons began reverting to their original state.
The restoration speed was absolutely tremendous.
Ha Gyeong rushed toward the pillar immediately.
Slice―!
A two-meter blade of pale gray light.
The Abyss Resonance Blade sang.
But the attack landed easier than expected.
The metal pillar sliced apart effortlessly.
‘What? Why is it so easy?’
Emboldened, Ha Gyeong glanced around.
He was checking if the other teams could do the same.
But the remaining three pillars still stood intact.
Ha Gyeong couldn’t help but wonder.
‘What’s the reason?’
When he paused for a moment, Ma Do-hyuk caught his eye.
The man was wielding a greatsword against the pillar.
His attack power was considerable too.
Yet the Energy Circulation Core hardly crumbled under his blows.
In that instant, Ha Gyeong reached a conclusion.
‘What if the Fusion Tyrant’s weakness is Abyss energy itself?’
Ha Gyeong pressed his attack with renewed ferocity.
His Abyss Resonance Blade burned more fiercely.
Slice! Cra-crack!
The southern pillar instantly became a heap of scrap metal.
Ha Gyeong turned to move immediately.
‘There’s still time. I can help with the others.’
But that was precisely when it happened.
Boom-boom-boom!
An explosion tore through the air without warning.
An enormous impact crashed down on Ha Gyeong.
His body flew far backward.
The Fusion Tyrant had launched a surprise attack that struck him squarely.
“Damn…”
A curse rose to his lips, but he had no time to voice it.
Ha Gyeong flipped mid-air, searching for a landing point.
Calculating his trajectory, he suddenly felt his vision blur.
‘Hell. At this rate I’ll be blown outside the Boss Lair.’
A ventilation shaft gaped open in the wall above.
He was about to be sucked toward it.
Ha Gyeong extended his right arm.
The blade edge that sprouted from his Karambit caught hold.
It snagged on the steel support column.
That held the ventilation shaft.
Clang―!
The high cutting power prevented him from stopping completely.
But his speed dropped dramatically.
He’d fall somewhere nearby at this rate.
Outside the Boss Lair, though—that was the problem.
Crash-crash-crash!
Ha Gyeong embedded the Karambit into the wall to slow himself further.
Fortunately, he came to a halt partway down.
Now he just had to climb back up.
But that was when it happened.
[‘Soul Mark’ detects a fragment signature.]
[The signal has become clearer.]
Outside the Boss Lair was filled with roiling molten metal.
A place where breathing itself was labored. Yet Ha Gyeong smiled.
‘No matter how busy I am, I can’t ignore this.’
Gate Torn
Author |
Morae Tope
Publisher |
Samyang C&C Inc.
Editorial Director |
Editorial Department
Published by |
Samyang C&C Inc. – Dream Books
Address |
7th Floor, Gwangseong Building, 28, Bongeunsaro 114-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
UCI |
G720:N+A063-20260306112
Blog |
blog.naver.com/dreambookss
Twitter(X) |
@dreambookss
Submission |
[email protected]
Without written permission from Samyang C&C Inc. – Dream Books, no part of this book may 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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