Taken (2)

The Green Frog Band wasted no time after successfully kidnapping the porter. They bolted from the scene immediately. For Gukgeori-jangdan, this was the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to earn that person's trust and soar to greater heights.

“Let me go!!”

The D-class porter had been captured too. Maybe that person would reward him with that A-class necklace. The porter would surely spill the location of Ju-ddak's hideout after some brutal torture. As for the fact that Gukgeori-jangdan himself had been captured as a Pa-ttak and interrogated? He hadn't said a word, so everything was fine. Ju-ddak's insight really was impressive. But so what? The guy was just sitting in his room. His real identity was still unknown, but the fact that he never showed up in person meant he was nothing more than a sharp-eyed shut-in at best. The idea of some basement dweller trying to command hunters? Total disaster party. Absolute disaster.

And on top of that, they'd exposed their group of forty members right there in the gallery. Both the Hanjumdan and Ju-ddak were equally stupid.

“That person says we should wrap things up moderately and return...”

“That person wants us to fight the hunters just enough, offer up the lackeys as sacrifices, and escape, right~it!”

“That makes sense...”

“That's some real bad S. Exactly the kind of thing villains would do~it.”

They were supposed to clash with the hunters, but only as a distraction. Their true goal was the D-class porter and the A-class necklace. They'd just fight a bit and then run. How? By using the short-range teleport scroll they'd received from Pack Me Up for supporting the D-class porter? No. Ju-ddak. He'd disappear in a way the guy could never even imagine~it. Because the abilities of Cheong-gae-guri-nim went far beyond imagination~it.

They passed the T-Rex Press, once a famous attraction at the old Neverland, and crossed through Panda Country where everyone's beloved Panda Look At Me had lived. The exit to Neverland was just ahead!

Then, beyond the exit, they spotted the faint silhouettes of a group. The Green Frog Band instinctively knew who they were. The Hanjumdan.

And sure enough—

“All unidentified individuals ahead, halt!”

A one-eyed man standing at the center of the hunters shouted in a less-than-polite voice. He was clearly the party leader.

“Found them at the Neverland exit!”

“Gather all the scattered search teams!”

The hunters scattered bright lights into the air to call for reinforcements.

“Just as Ju-ddak-nim predicted. He said you wouldn't avoid us and would come to meet us instead. You knew we'd be coming too, right? Unless you're the ones who got banned, that is.”

The Hanjumdan hunters snickered. There were roughly twenty of them gathered.

“Save me!”

The kidnapped D-class porter was causing a commotion. They should have gagged him too!

“As expected, you've already kidnapped a Pa-ttak just like Ju-ddak-nim said! Put him down and disappear from here, and we won't hold you more accountable, you damn criminals.”

“The ones about to die sure talk a lot~it.... What if we can't do that~it?”

Gukgeori-jangdan stepped forward. He casually twirled the dagger that was his weapon.

“This place is under Hanjumdan's autonomy. It's the old tourist site of the current capital, Yongin. Neverland. Even without the contract with Ju-ddak, we have more than enough reason to use force against you.”

“You seem pretty confident...”

Cheong-gae-guri approached them with both hands wrapped in malicious aura.

“Our vice guild master is even considering an all-out war with you lot.”

“You talk big without even knowing who we are.... For a guild master to spout such stupid nonsense, I guess that's the limit of your level...”

“Now's the perfect time to reveal your identities. Once you're corpses, you won't be able to speak even if you want to.”

“How amusing...”

A taut tension wrapped around both sides. No one could even twitch a finger. The moment this tension broke, the battle would begin. An irreversible line had been drawn at their feet. But who would cross it first? Everyone was lost in that question.

Right then—

“Dark Vibration. First Technique.”

Cheong-gae-guri slowly raised his hand.

“It's 'Opening,' huh.”

With ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his clap, heaven and earth shook violently.

Party leader here. We encountered the criminals exactly as Ju-ddak-nim predicted. The hostage's survival has been confirmed. Currently engaged in battle at the Neverland exit. Awaiting Ju-ddak-nim's next orders.

Just as I predicted, the real-world troublemakers chose to reveal themselves and fight. They're showing off how strong their forces are. The porter seems to be alive too. I didn't think they'd kill him right away. Come to think of it, they probably couldn't even if they wanted to. That frog-sound awakened is pretty strong. Maybe rank four or so? Magic that vibrates the earth to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠attack. It's a rare school of magic. But it's not overwhelmingly powerful. Looking closely, it seems like he's deliberately holding back his strength.

Gukgeori-jangdan is just a rogue awakened, so he's a nobody. Pure bluffing trash. That's fortunate. If he could use magic it would've been a real headache. Anyway, this is all within my expectations.

“In that case, there are no variables.”

The thing I'd been most worried about had vanished. That was the overwhelmingly asymmetrical power gap. The Hanjumdan hunters were holding up much better than expected. No, they were actually fighting with a slight advantage. At this rate, the battle would become relatively simple. When both sides have similar strength, the side with better tactics naturally wins. And we're the latter.

The most effective and efficient tactic. The hammer and anvil strategy.

The kidnapped D-class porter and the criminals presumed to be executives have disappeared. What remains on site appear to be the criminals' subordinates. Awaiting further orders.

Ju-ddak-nim.

No way.... Fuck, how did they disappear?

He was clearly having the time of his life. It felt like I could hear some kind of triumphant line echoing from somewhere. Ju-ddak-nim. Are we losing...?

“Win.”

The moment their kidnapping plan was exposed, it was obvious the real-world troublemakers would try to run. Since Yongin is Hanjumdan's autonomous territory, of course they wouldn't fight to the end. The short-range teleport scrolls they secured could only move about one kilometer at most. That distance meant they'd get caught immediately instead of escaping. So the answer was obvious. It meant there was an awakened among the real-world troublemakers who could use long-range teleport skills.

I had of course considered other skills like stealth veils or high-speed movement. But the Hanjumdan could handle that much, so they were irrelevant.

How? Because of human psychology. People tend to go back the way they came. The real-world troublemakers ran into the Hanjumdan raid party at the Neverland 'exit.' The exit connects to a 'road.' That means the mountains surrounding Neverland are unfamiliar terrain, so they'd choose to return via the relatively familiar 'road.' If they'd gone through the mountains to kidnap the porter, they would've been discovered near the mountains.

The chat cut off. He's probably getting beaten up right about now.

Then I left a comment on the Hanjumdan Report Post (3).