Tearing the Gate Apart - Chapter 94

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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 94.
Ha Gyeong decided to hold the conversation right in the hotel room.
It was far faster than moving elsewhere, and besides—
it was better for security.
Yet when Colin, the Association chairman, stepped into the room, he couldn’t help but let out a low whistle.
Whoosh! Crack!
“One-two! Hook! Beautiful footwork!”
A large, fair-skinned man was sparring with the Silver Training Dummies.
Remarkably, it wasn’t just light taps—
he was throwing genuine punches.
Ha Gyeong pressed a hand to his forehead and spoke.
“Jon. I told you to pack your bags. Why are you still at it?”
“The chairman’s here already. We’re leaving soon anyway. Relax and talk.”
At his casual reply, Ha Gyeong shook his head.
Then he immediately pointed to the living room across the way.
“That’s why I booked us a suite. Getting your money’s worth, aren’t we?”
“Y-you’re right about that.”
“Have a seat. We’ll be leaving soon anyway, so I can’t offer much in the way of hospitality.”
“That’s quite all right.”
“So, what brings you here?”
A man of his rank as chairman wouldn’t come simply to ask a few casual questions.
Ha Gyeong had a general sense of what was coming.
‘Worst case, he wants me to take responsibility for the Gate Destruction.’
If it came to that, harsh consequences would follow.
But fortunately(?), Harrow seemed to be a reasonable man.
“I just need to confirm a few things. You can truly eliminate a gate entirely?”
“Yes.”
“Alone?”
“Yes.”
“Only you can do it?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm……”
As the straightforward answers came, Harrow found himself bewildered instead.
He hadn’t expected to hear it spelled out so plainly.
Moreover, the content itself was shocking.
Harrow let out a long breath.
“Phew! All right then……”
“There are constraints, though.”
“Pardon?”
“I don’t yet know if I can do it with gates elsewhere, or what other conditions might apply.”
“So it might not work at all?”
“My instinct says it will work.”
“Your instinct?”
“Yes.”
He could have been challenged on such vague reasoning.
But Harrow couldn’t press him on it.
Ha Gyeong was the first man to destroy a gate.
A unique existence.
Of course, it wasn’t impossible that a similar Awakened One might emerge later.
But for now, no alternative existed.
In the end, Harrow laid out his intentions plainly.
“The United States is currently experiencing Gate Breaks quite frequently. Monsters roam the remote areas of the Midwest and North.”
“I’ve heard about that. Gates are abundant, but we’re critically short on Awakened Ones.”
“That’s why I’d like to make you a proposal.”
“Eliminate gates for us. Offer compensation like this time. Something along those lines?”
“Precisely.”
“Thank you for being honest. I’m not fond of beating around the bush.”
“I’m told you’re a straightforward person. So then……”
“If you want, I can do it.”
“You really mean it?”
Harrow jumped to his feet.
Ha Gyeong’s positive answer clearly delighted him.
But his own words weren’t finished.
“That said.”
“Yes?”
“The fee won’t be the same as before. You’ll need to provide at least an Ultimate Grade Artifact—one with strong utility value. I’ll start work only after I see what the compensation is.”
“Surely you don’t mean one per gate destruction……”
“Naturally. That’s the rate per job.”
“Oh! My goodness.”
The price of an Ultimate Grade Artifact ranged in the hundreds of billions.
Depending on utility value, it could reach the trillions.
But that was by Korean standards.
In the United States, Ultimate Grade Artifacts could exceed tens of trillions.
Even so, wasn’t that reasonable payment for eliminating one gate?
This was a nation that once spent a trillion in defense spending alone.
Of course, a chairman couldn’t simply dispose of such a budget at will.
And Ultimate Grade Artifacts weren’t common.
Ha Gyeong was now presenting a cruel dilemma.
‘Keep spending money to prevent Gate Breaks? Or consolidate it all here to eliminate the gates?’
Harrow stood at a crossroads of choice.
Yet he couldn’t reach a final decision.
At length, Harrow’s voice emerged heavy.
“I’ll be in touch later. Would you be able to visit the United States again at that time?”
“Of course. As long as you provide a Business Jet like you did this time.”
“Ha! Thank you.”
Harrow’s expression finally eased.
What was one chartered jet to a man like Ha Gyeong?
His words just now carried deeper meaning.
It meant this deployment had been quite satisfactory.
Harrow bowed respectfully to Ha Gyeong and withdrew.
“Safe travels, then.”
“I hope to hear good news soon.”
Now it was really time to head to the airport.
Though the deployment was barely two weeks, it felt like months.
Probably because the fight with Barcaron had been so grueling.
As Eden’s car headed toward the Airport—
suddenly, a familiar silhouette appeared beside the Business Jet.
Field investigator for the Eastern American Association Inspection Department.
Bradley Turner.
“Hmm!”
“What’s this? Why’d you come here?”
“That……”
At Ha Gyeong’s cold response, Bradley’s words trailed off.
He had prepared something to say.
But in his shock, he’d forgotten it.
Ha Gyeong didn’t wait and moved toward the steps.
Bradley hastily grabbed him.
“Wait!”
“If you’ve got something to say, make it quick. Everyone’s waiting.”
“Th-thank you. My family is safe because of you.”
“What made you change your tune all of a sudden?”
“After the Gate Break ended, I returned to the guard unit. The situation was……utterly dire.”
While Ha Gyeong fought Barcaron,
the Eastern Association’s guard unit had been holding back the Monster Wave.
To face an Incomprehensible Grade Field Boss with a ragtag group……
was nearly impossible.
They’d barely managed to hold the line.
The casualties must have been staggering.
Bradley finally understood.
What Ha Gyeong had accomplished was truly remarkable.
That gates near cities should be eliminated.
That’s why he’d come to find him.
“I took you for a troublemaker with a screw loose, but you’re actually capable of rational thought.”
“I apologize. I’m sorry for everything I’ve done.”
“That’s fine.”
“That’s it? Just like that?”
“Why? Want me to punch you like some teen drama?”
“No, no. It just feels like we’re glossing over it too easily.”
“You did what you could. That’s enough.”
Ha Gyeong remembered the Support Skill Bradley had fed him.
He’d likely squeezed his mana to the absolute limit.
The fight had been that desperate.
Whatever happened, acknowledgment had to be given where it was due.
At Ha Gyeong’s words, Bradley’s face contorted.
Not from displeasure, but rather—
he seemed unsure what expression to wear.
Ha Gyeong let out a soft laugh as he passed Bradley.
“You did well. Let’s meet again sometime.”
“Th-thank you.”
Then Jon approached and extended his fist.
An impromptu fist bump.
Bradley stood dumbfounded, blinking slowly.
Even as the Business Jet taxied onto the runway.
Ha Gyeong watched the figure through the window.
“Why’s he just standing there like that?”
“We forgave him way too easy. He looks confused.”
“Was there really anything to forgive? Besides some annoyance, he wasn’t much of a threat.”
“He seems to think he caused us harm.”
“Pushed hard like a tough guy, but he’s got decent emotional depth, I’d say.”
“Look. He’s crying.”
Indeed, Bradley was wiping his face with the back of his hand.
Even as the ascending Business Jet climbed into the sky, he waved—
shouting something Ha Gyeong couldn’t possibly hear.
Ha Gyeong promptly lowered the blinds
and sank into the plush seat.
* * *
Ha Gyeong’s return was quiet.
His exploits hadn’t yet become public.
There was no reason to broadcast it.
So Ha Gyeong held his tongue.
But the man who’d authorized the dispatch couldn’t possibly be unaware.
The moment Ha Gyeong sat on the office sofa, Jin Hyeong Gyu appeared.
“Heh-heh-heh! You’ve worked hard, Commissioner.”
“You’re kind to say so.”
“Not at all. Thanks to you, we’ve saved face. The government side is thrilled, calling it a great achievement. After all, our country is largely barren in the Awakener industry.”
Korea had only five gates
and relatively few Awakened Ones.
As a result, it was often treated as a minor power.
It was unavoidable in an industry so heavily influenced by population size.
What saved them was strong skill and tenacity.
So when Ha Gyeong completed this difficult mission—
how much had the nation’s standing improved?
The Awaker Management Department must also be walking tall now.
Then Jin Hyeong Gyu lowered his voice.
“But there’s talk going around. Is it true? That Ha Gyeong destroyed a gate……?”
“Where did you hear that?”
“I spoke with the Eastern American Association chairman, and he mentioned they’re searching for Ultimate Grade Artifacts. As payment for you demolishing a gate.”
It seemed the higher-ups had all discussed it.
In truth, Ha Gyeong had no intention of hiding it.
As Jin Hyeong Gyu said, it would all come out anyway.
Ha Gyeong nodded.
“The opportunity arose, so I did destroy one. But I’m not sure it’ll work again.”
“They mentioned testing it first and contacting you.”
“I’ll check it out today.”
“And I should mention, just to be safe—surely you’re not thinking of destroying our country’s gates or anything like that……?”
“I’ll mostly leave them as they are.”
“Phew! Thank goodness. I was worried sick you might.”
“Things could change if circumstances shift.”
“W-what?”
“I’m joking.”
“Whew! You’ll give an old man a heart attack.”
Ha Gyeong regarded Jin Hyeong Gyu with interest.
At first, his image had seemed dignified.
But today he appeared far more approachable and warm.
Sensing Ha Gyeong’s gaze, Jin Hyeong Gyu straightened up.
“Hmm! I think I got a bit excited. This isn’t usually my manner.”
When you’re older and hold high office, you inevitably maintain appearances.
That was probably his true self.
His usual composure had slipped in his excitement.
Jin Hyeong Gyu stood hastily.
“I’ve taken up too much of your time. I should go.”
“Yes, please take care.”
Ha Gyeong promptly prepared to leave.
He’d check on the Core Heart at the gate first,
then head home.
Sure enough—
above the gate’s enormous sphere of light, a purple mass swirled.
Ha Gyeong was certain now.
‘If I wanted to, I could close every single gate.’
The power was far stronger than he’d anticipated.
Take Korea alone—
if Ha Gyeong closed just five gates, the entire Awakener industry would grind to a halt.
From then on, chaos would reign.
Of course, he couldn’t simply do as he pleased.
There would surely be fierce resistance.
Ha Gyeong smiled bitterly.
‘I have the power to prevent the calamity that awaits Earth, yet the one who holds it harbors other designs.’
From the start, he’d never intended to destroy all the gates.
To find and kill the Abyss Ruler, the Awakener industry needed to grow stronger.
To rip open the gates—
Author |
Moraetop
Publisher |
Samyang C&C Corp.
Editorial Director |
Editorial Team
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Samyang C&C Corp. – Dream Books
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UCI |
G720:N+A063-20260306112
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No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means without the written permission of Samyang C&C Corp. – 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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