NOVPUBSuddenly, the presence outside the individual rooms completely disappeared, replaced by an ominous energy that surged in.
As soon as Maeng Hyo-don sensed this, he immediately positioned himself to protect his teacher.
Although Maeng Hyo-don seemed calm on the surface, he was not on the inside.
If it had just been him and Tak Geo-san, it might not have been so bad, but with the teacher, an ordinary person, in the room, the situation quickly became dangerous, and his heart began to race.
Judging by Tak Geo-san’s reaction, it didn’t seem like Maeng Hyo-don’s senses were wrong.
‘I didn’t miss anything. Even the Taoist didn’t notice it.’
Maeng Hyo-don was sure it wouldn’t be easy to deceive Tak Geo-san.
As Maeng Hyo-don felt it, the enemy had quickly erased all traces around them and replaced it with something sinister.
The middle school teacher, though startled, immediately assessed that the disturbance was related to abilities and tried to send coordinate information to the Player Association in accordance with emergency procedures.
However, all he received was the message: “Failed to send coordinate information.”
“The device communication isn’t working. Do you think the landline in the restaurant is out too?”
“This isn’t a restaurant. It’s a space mimicking one, meant to deceive the eyes.”
“Mimicking, you say... Why would they...”
“My disciple and I aren’t ordinary players. To deceive our senses and take us by surprise, much preparation must be made. While I’m not sure of the exact abilities, I’ve had a few encounters with tricks like these.”
Tak Geo-san and the middle school teacher briefly discussed difficult concepts.
Their conversation contained words like ‘phase shift through transfer,’ ‘distortion of coordinates and space,’ terms that Maeng Hyo-don couldn’t understand no matter how hard he tried.
The teacher, while an educator of ordinary students, seemed to have learned quite a bit while helping Maeng Hyo-don prepare for the entrance exam to Eun-gwang High.
Maeng Hyo-don, a current player, listened with a dazed expression.
“So, what you’re saying is someone moved the entire room we were in, without us noticing? And to deceive the Taoist and me, they had to create a fake restaurant...?”
Maeng Hyo-don gave up on trying to interpret the complex conversation and decided to focus on guarding the outside.
The sliding door opened to a Korean restaurant, but it was slightly different from what Maeng Hyo-don remembered.
For example, the peppermint candy basket that had been placed next to the counter.
When they came in, the basket had been about two-thirds full, but now it was completely empty.
He remembered it clearly because he had planned to eat two pieces when they checked out.
There were other discrepancies as well, such as the texture of the wallpaper and the number of chairs.
‘It wasn’t a coincidence.’
The area around Tanlae Middle School was underdeveloped, and this was the only restaurant in the area that met Tak Geo-san’s tastes, and they had made a reservation in advance.
It seemed the enemy had prepared, knowing that Maeng Hyo-don would be meeting his teacher here.
“The restaurant owner is in on it too. They didn’t tamper with the food, though...”
If there had been anything wrong with the food, Tak Geo-san, who had been through many dangerous situations, or Maeng Hyo-don, a sensitive foodie, would have noticed immediately.
It was unclear whether it was a good thing or not that the food was fine.
Regardless, considering the situation, it seemed the enemy was targeting either Tak Geo-san or Maeng Hyo-don.
That meant the middle school teacher had been put in danger simply because Maeng Hyo-don had met with them.
‘I shouldn’t have come... Because of me, teacher...’
A sense of distant regret washed over Maeng Hyo-don’s mind.
He remembered the chaos that had erupted recently when his biological father had barged into the school.
In order to resolve the situation, the senior members of the Eun-gwang High student council had to act quickly.
Tak Geo-san, who had beaten Maeng Hyo-don’s father and his group severely, was questioned about whether it had been self-defense or excessive force.
Fortunately, the group involved had been players, and since the defense had been against multiple players who attacked a minor, they were released without incident.
During that process, Maeng Hyo-don had felt a chill, just as he did now.
‘Damn, this is weird. Could it be related to that incident? How did they know my device code? And how did they gather all those players?’
If the goal had been just money, it wouldn’t have been a huge amount if divided among those players.
Maeng Hyo-don began to think that the reason they were targeting him wasn’t money, but perhaps the Fight Club.
Maybe these players were connected to the Fight Club, and someone behind this incident was involved in it as well?
His poor imagination and reasoning led to a grim conclusion.
Thinking more about the Fight Club made him shiver.
As Maeng Hyo-don sank deeper into self-doubt, he suddenly remembered Jo Eui-shin.
Jo Eui-shin had helped him escape from the Fight Club, and he had said something just yesterday.
—"Yeah, go ahead. If you have math questions, ask them when you get back."
Jo Eui-shin had encouraged Maeng Hyo-don to meet with his teacher.
And Jo Eui-shin knew about Maeng Hyo-don being trapped in the Fight Club, his issues with his biological father, and even witnessed the recent attack.
‘Right, the vice-president must have noticed something!’
If Maeng Hyo-don was involved in this situation, Jo Eui-shin would have made preparations.
Jo Eui-shin must have been silently setting up something suspicious.
Thinking about the various close calls he had faced, Maeng Hyo-don started to feel a sense of reassurance.
“Are you okay, Hyo-don? Tak Geo-san says the room is safe for now. If you’re tired, let’s rest for a bit before we go.”
“...Yeah.”
“You look fine. That’s a relief.”
The middle school teacher reassured Maeng Hyo-don.
It seemed Maeng Hyo-don had been visibly anxious and troubled, but now that he was thinking of Jo Eui-shin, he appeared more settled.
“Then where exactly are we?”
“We’re in the other world. Given that it’s designated as the destination for the transfer, it’s probably a garden.”
Creek... creak...
As Tak Geo-san finished speaking, the wall of the restaurant began to distort.
The shape of the wall twisted as if someone had gripped it with a giant hand.
The damage to the wall created a large gap, through which Maeng Hyo-don saw enemies lurking around, surrounding them.
Tak Geo-san clicked his tongue.
“I was hoping to wait for reinforcements. It looks like this space will be swallowed before that happens.”
“...What should we do?”
Maeng Hyo-don, who hadn’t understood half of the conversation between Tak Geo-san and the middle school teacher, already had a guess about what would come next.
Anyone who had fallen into another world, especially a player, would have thought of this quickly.
“We have no choice but to proceed with the other world strategy.”
After finding what appeared to be the real Seong Guk-eon and Jeon Mu-young, Do-cheol moved quickly.
In just a few seconds, Do-cheol recalibrated the trap coordinates and activated a new ability.
Though most of it followed the borrowed power and his arrangements, handling high-level abilities flawlessly was no simple task.
‘All recording devices are off, and aside from the red mist, there’s no sign of the hojo clan.’
Do-cheol marveled as he watched the movement of the red mist controlled by the enemy.
The ability they used was so advanced that it would have been impossible to detect without the driver’s power, yet they moved quickly enough to match the air sedan’s speed.
Just as expected from the hojo clan, who had once thrived in ancient myth.
The great power and secretive plot that had been carefully prepared would soon fail, and Do-cheol was pleased by this.
‘Finally, they’re bringing them in.’
This operation had many variables.
Not long ago, the Fomor demons had caused chaos in Eun-gwang District, and the dark sect had been wreaking havoc under the guise of capturing the demon cult.
Despite these annoying elements, the hojo clan had prepared perfectly for this scenario.
The preparations were complete.
Do-cheol decided to throw out a fake bait to feign ignorance.
‘I’ll send fake bait toward the air sedan, and the real bait for the ability activation will go to the real Seong Guk-eon and Jeon Mu-young.’
‘Now, to choose the bait.’
Had the Wind and Rain Diviners not been captured, the ones in the air sedan might have sent traps disguised as the childlike appearance of the real Seong Guk-eon and Jeon Mu-young, hidden under a trick.
Even if they remained cautious, the traps would be activated once they got close enough, so it wouldn’t be a big problem.
Once they got closer, just applying strength to the activation would trigger the trap and swallow them into the void.
‘Should I use this for the fake bait?’
Whoosh!
As Do-cheol poured his ability into the furnace, a cloud emerged.
The cloud took the form of a young man.
Though his face was barely visible under his messy hair, his body was so thin it looked like he might collapse any moment.
It was a decoy using the appearance of the driver.
As the enemy saw the decoy, Do-cheol eagerly waited to see how they would react.
Pop!
The decoy passed through the void and began walking down a deserted street in Eun-gwang District.
The air sedan slowed down as it noticed the decoy, and the red mist moving beneath it visibly began to shake.
The enemy seemed to be unsettled upon recognizing the decoy’s appearance.
Do-cheol didn’t miss the chance.
“Self-destruct.”
Boom!
The decoy exploded.
The explosion was large enough to swallow the road and nearby buildings in a violent storm.
The fake ones in the air sedan seemed to have escaped unscathed, unaffected by the blast.
The hojo clan, hidden in the red mist, had also remained unharmed.
Though the explosion had a decent impact, it wasn’t powerful enough to penetrate the red mist.
The explosion hadn’t caused much damage to those in the air sedan, but Do-cheol’s objective had been perfectly achieved.
‘Done. I’ve driven them into the garden!’
Beyond the driver’s vision, traces of the void were left behind.
Where the real Seong Guk-eon and Jeon Mu-young had just been, faint energy traces flickered and dissipated.
Fwaa...
Taking advantage of the explosion, the real trap had been activated, and Seong Guk-eon and Jeon Mu-young had been swallowed up. n𝚘𝚟pub.𝚌o𝚖
The hojo clan still didn’t seem to realize what had happened.
They were scanning the area for any further explosions, but it seemed they didn’t yet know about the people swallowed into the void.
Meanwhile, the traces of the trap ability were gradually fading away.
‘They’ve realized? Too late.’
By the time all the traces had melted away, the hojo clan started moving frantically.
They began whispering and looking around, trying to figure out where the real ones had gone.
‘The congressman and his assistant are trapped in the garden, and it’s all in vain.’
Do-cheol silently laughed as he thought about the ability that would be activated in the garden.
Given that the ability’s owner was Seong Guk-eon’s grandfather, it seemed like a very amusing turn of events.
Now that the abduction was complete, there was no need to continue monitoring Eun-gwang District.
Before withdrawing his power from the driver and chaos, Do-cheol glanced at the fake ones who had failed miserably.
‘Jeon Mu-young is clearly using reverse alchemy, but Seong Guk-eon looks almost real. Quite a well-made fake.’
Do-cheol muttered an empty thought to himself and withdrew his energy as he continued to observe Eun-gwang District.
