An Office Worker Is Good At Exorcism - Chapter 201

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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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Chapter 200
Part 6. Three Hundred (4)
(Did you see the news?)
Shin Yoseph’s voice came through the moment I answered, urgent and pressing.
“I’m watching it now.”
(What? It doesn’t sound like you’re in a car.)
“A restaurant.”
(What kind of restaurant has the news on?)
This guy must only frequent expensive places.
I continued the call while spooning rice porridge into my mouth.
“There are places like that. Anyway, there was some bizarre incident, right?”
(Yeah. Supposedly it happened last night.)
Last night?
That was when the factory burned.
My brow furrowed, and Shin Yoseph’s next words only deepened my unease.
(It might not be human work.)
“What are you talking about?”
(The news didn’t mention it, but I heard a hermit living in the mountains had his throat cut with a blade.)
I suddenly recalled the Japanese Onmyoji and the box from my dream.
The box had contained a head.
‘A head….’
Was it because of the call just now?
Or because of the news?
I felt like I was seeing something I shouldn’t.
With one eye covered, I tried to shake off the image that kept surfacing in my mind.
But like rice porridge stuck to the rim of a clay pot, it wouldn’t come loose easily.
Squelch, squelch.
A naked man with his entire head coated in black lacquer.
It was the sight of something not human—a being that had gained flesh through long incantations—crawling out from a kiln where cremated remains were burned.
(What do you want to do? Should I go? Or should we move together?)
“Wait, it’s a crime scene. Can we even go there?”
It was a murder scene.
By now, police would be investigating, and if they weren’t, they might have already set up yellow police tape to preserve the scene.
(Going near the area should be fine though.)
“You….”
(I’m not saying we should go in. Just after dark, let’s check out the vicinity.)
It wasn’t a bad suggestion, certainly.
The best option would be to visit the actual scene of the tragedy, but even just going near it could provide valuable information.
“Just send me the location. I’ll go first and check it out.”
(Got it. Oh, and just in case—don’t do anything that’ll get you arrested by the police.)
I exhaled a laugh, as if pushing the air from my lungs.
Perhaps the call had gone on too long.
Or maybe something in our conversation had caught my interest.
The Restaurant Owner was staring at me from the inner room with such obvious intent, yet his gaze held no suspicion.
“I don’t want to get fired from the company either.”
(It might not be so bad. My offer still stands.)
From our very first meeting, Shin Yoseph had been proposing that I become his secretary.
The mere thought of it made me recoil.
“Get lost.”
(Heh, expensive bastard.)
Moments later, my phone rang with a message from Shin Yoseph.
It was the location of the disaster site.
When I tapped the button, the map application opened, revealing the precise coordinates.
Swipe, swipe.
I moved and zoomed the map with my thumb and forefinger.
After confirming the exact location, I ended the call with a promise to see him later.
“Would you like me to warm it up?”
The Restaurant Owner, who had been staring at me this whole time, tossed out the question casually, and I shook my head with a smile, saying it was fine.
Then I quickly finished the congee that had cooled to a comfortable temperature and rose from my seat.
***
Vrrrroooom.
As I drove toward the mountain Shin Yoseph had indicated, my mood darkened.
Could it be because the sea was drawing near?
The sky that had been clear this morning was now thick with clouds—an ominous sign—and the drive was taking longer than expected, which sent chills down my spine.
『In a moment, turn right. Please use the right lane.』
“Sigh.”
I was already six kilometers away from the factory.
And I still had another three kilometers to go before reaching my destination.
‘Could it really have escaped from the factory?’
I prayed that wasn’t the case.
There was something—some unidentified entity—that had been slitting people’s throats since birth, and I had no idea how to deal with it.
Rummmble.
Thunder echoed from the thick clouds looming overhead.
I exhaled a heavy sigh through my nose and took a sip of the coffee hanging in the cup holder.
『Proceed straight for the next two kilometers.』
“Phew!”
Let’s go. Let’s see what’s there.
I won’t know until I look.
First, I need to confirm what we’re dealing with.
『You are approaching your destination. Navigation complete.』
The blue navigation line guiding my path vanished from the screen.
Kang Hyung-seok parked his car in a nearby empty lot after seeing the now-empty display.
The mountain was so remote that it seemed almost miraculous the Hermit’s body had been discovered here at all.
The nearest village was roughly a kilometer away.
Crunch.
Kang Hyung-seok began climbing the mountain.
Using his phone, he started moving toward his destination.
Maps don’t show the small trails winding through these mountain areas.
Crack! Snap!
Breaking branches periodically to avoid losing his way and checking his direction by the sun’s position, Kang Hyung-seok continued forward toward his goal.
“Phew!”
Flying insects, spiders the size of a palm, squirrels scurrying up trees, and birds whose names I didn’t know.
I even spotted a raccoon.
Rumble!
The thunder sounded unnaturally close, likely because I’d climbed so high up the mountain.
Crunch, crunch.
After considerable time and distance, Kang Hyung-seok finally discovered the Hermit’s Cabin he’d been seeking.
The surroundings were well-maintained, creating a picturesque harmony with nature.
Yet the yellow police tape made it look like something sinister, cordoned off with sacred rope.
‘The police…’
Damn it, they were there.
Kang Hyung-seok crouched between trees and undergrowth, peering out cautiously.
“Looks like rain’s coming.”
“This is maddening. If it rains, the crime scene will be compromised. No perpetrator’s footprints found?”
“No. We’ve thoroughly searched this entire area and found nothing.”
“What about the orchard side? Did they find the murder weapon?”
“Apparently something like a Japanese katana—a large blade.”
“What the hell is this bastard doing? Damn it.”
Only two Police Officers were visible.
The frustrated officers paced the surroundings with intense eyes.
“Do one more sweep before we pull out.”
“Yes, sir.”
Then one of them began slowly approaching Kang Hyung-seok’s position.
It was at that moment.
Rumble!
A massive thunderclap shook the mountain.
The Police Officer stopped abruptly and looked skyward as thick raindrops began falling one by one.
“Shouldn’t we be withdrawing?”
“This is driving me crazy.”
“We’ve done what we could, so let’s head back for today.”
A Police Officer stood at a distance, his face brimming with irritation as he beckoned me over with a wave of his hand.
The Police Officer moved away.
Kang Hyung-seok exhaled a silent sigh and gazed up at the sky.
The sky that had initially felt ominous.
Yet now it seemed to be aiding me, evoking the image of a certain person.
‘Could it be….’
Kang Hyung-seok looked up at the sky, his eyes brimming with gratitude as he nodded.
Shortly after, the Police Officers descended the Mountain, moving slowly on foot.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
Thunder roared again, and Kang Hyung-seok picked up the Shaman’s Bell.
Crackle! Rumble, rumble!
As thunder crashed loudly across a sky that refused to yield rain, Kang Hyung-seok shook the Shaman’s Bell.
The sound of the Shaman’s Bell was drowned out by the thunder, yet its effect manifested.
The malevolent aura retreated.
Simultaneously, the surrounding spiritual energy clarified, allowing the divine spirits to finally return to their proper places.
Rumble, rumble, rumble! Crash!
Shaking the Shaman’s Bell in rhythm with the thunder once more, Kang Hyung-seok gazed toward the distant Hermit’s Cabin and murmured an incantation.
“Han-in-cheon Hwan-un Hwangje Dangun Shinryung Sanwang Shinryung Cheonha Ryungsin Gwansung Daeje Sipishin Seosan Ryungsin Samryung Ryungsin Cheongsang Okgyung.”
Rumble, rumble! Crash, crash!
“Cheonjon Shinryung Cheongsang Okgyung Taeul Jonryung Sanghahbyunguk Roesung Jangshin Baekma Shinryung Ojang Daeshin Akgui Japgui Geumdan Shinryung.”
Reveal to me.
What transpired in this place.
“Samsu Samgye Dosa Shinryung Cheonji Johwa Poongun Shinryung Samtae Shinryung Jewie Jeshin Oobong Gucheon Jangsae Jangshin Sinssung Daeje Taeul Hyunju.”
For what purpose was this sorcery performed.
What exactly has appeared.
“Yeoa Gangseol Bumwi Youngguk Hamgeun Taesang Honpyo Ilsim Ogui Jungjung Yudal Habshin Wimong Gyungjoong Jeonga Bokryong.”
What is this thing that severed a man’s neck.
What devilish entity has scattered the spiritual essence of this Mountain.
“Chasung Youngjoo Hamryung Sokjoo Taesang Yeoje. Om Geupgeup Yeoryul Ryung Sabaha.”
Rumble, rumble!
The moment the incantation ended, thunder crashed.
Crash!
At the same instant, I shook the Shaman’s Bell, and the surroundings rapidly darkened.
The sun was not actually falling like an arrow-struck bird.
The tragedy that had unfolded here last night was replaying before my eyes.
Creak.
A bright moon hung luminously in the night sky.
What emerged from that Hermit’s Cabin was a man who appeared to be in his seventies.
His clothing was rough and worn.
Yet his face was clean, bearing the impression of someone who lived within nature.
Click, click!
Perched on a rock near the Hermit’s Cabin, he gazed up at the moon and lit a cigarette.
As he did, cupping his hand in a circle to shield the flame from any stray sparks, he ignited the tobacco.
Rustle.
The sound of leaves trembling reached his ears.
As if it were nothing unusual, the man continued smoking, but Kang Hyung-seok’s gaze snapped toward the disturbance.
‘Something’s there.’
Something was crawling closer.
Flat against the ground, it reeked of an impossible stench and decay, radiating a palpable, violent aura that seemed to tear through the very fabric of reality.
Something that should not exist in this world was approaching.
Rustle, rustle.
As it drew nearer to the man, the sounds repeated, yet it left no trace whatsoever in the physical world.
“Hm?”
The man sensed the wrongness and turned his gaze toward it.
Crack, crackle.
With a sound like shattering joints, it rose to its feet.
The movement resembled that of someone with a crippled body.
Yet this could not possibly be human.
‘What is that…?’
Two horns sprouted from its head.
Tattered khaki trousers.
Black hair and a torso burning with crimson red.
And a grotesquely twisted face with sharp, pointed fangs.
“Sanbyaku.”
The word the Japanese Onmyoji had spoken in the dream realm echoed in my ears as if replaying.
Only then did I understand everything.
What that thing was.
That it was a being summoned by the Japanese Onmyoji.
It resembled the Goblin from old fairy tales I had seen as a child.
Yet it was not a Goblin.
A Japanese legend had crossed into Korea and been adapted; thus it was translated as Goblin, but its true nature was a Japanese yokai.
“…Oni.”
The moment I whispered the word like a groan, the man realized it too.
“Huh? Ahhh!”
Terrified and horrified by its grotesque appearance, the man dropped his cigarette in shock.
Shing!
The Oni drew a Japanese katana from the scabbard hanging at its waist like a goblin’s club.
The blade, sharp and cold, caught the moonlight and gleamed with a bluish hue, and the man’s face drained of all color.
“P-please! Help! Someone help me!”
The man stumbled backward, desperately trying to flee.
But my aged and startled body refused to obey my will.
The Oni’s frame, by contrast, possessed the iron discipline of a soldier.
Thud, thud, thud!
The Oni, blade raised skyward, closed the distance in a heartbeat and overtook the man.
Then, as the man spun around in terror,
Shing!
A single stroke severed his neck.
The man’s head tumbled across the ground.
His body collapsed, and blood erupted from the severed stump.
Watching the earth darken in an instant, the verdant leaves and grass stained with brilliant crimson, I swallowed hard.
Then I lifted my gaze to regard the Oni.
Shhh.
The Oni sheathed its Japanese sword and began to move with unsteady steps.
The creature’s intentions seeped into my mind as it departed elsewhere.
I did not know Japanese.
Yet I could comprehend the unmistakable purpose and obsession that transcended language itself.
Sever it. Sever it. Sever it.
Shake it. Shake it. Shake it.
‘Sever what?’
The question had barely formed in my mind.
The Oni, which had stopped abruptly, slowly turned to face me.
How could a face contort so completely with hatred and resentment?
The Oni, its visage as grotesque as a Japanese Hannya mask, turned its head away once more.
Then, with measured steps, it dissolved into the darkness and vanished.

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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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