An Office Worker Is Good At Exorcism - Chapter 241

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 240
Part 5. It Was a Fox, Not a Tiger (1)
Creak.
As Kang Hyung-seok approached, the poultry farm door swung open of its own accord in the wind.
The lingering stench of blood assaulted me.
The open door of the poultry farm, the air, the smell, the very atmosphere—everything seemed to warn Kang Hyung-seok away.
Don’t go to the Mountain.
Thud.
Yet Kang Hyung-seok pressed past the poultry farm and walked toward the Mountain.
I had to go to the Mountain.
I had to go and verify what was there.
‘What exactly is this entity?’
I had to find the Jangsan Tiger.
At the very least, I needed to uncover its true nature and discover how to eliminate it.
Whoosh!
Brushing aside the withered autumn vegetation, Kang Hyung-seok took his first step toward the Mountain.
***
“We must begin.”
At Hong Kyung-soo’s command, the Musicians raised their drumsticks.
Boom.
The drum sounded, the gong rang out, and flags fluttered in the wind.
In the opposite direction from where Kang Hyung-seok headed.
At the Village’s edge, where a great Zelkova Tree grew.
Rustle, rustle-rustle!
White papers hung from the branches trembled in the breeze, producing sounds like falling leaves.
There were no spectators.
Not because they had been warned away beforehand.
It was the atmosphere of the shamanic ritual itself that kept them distant.
Crackle!
Even in daylight, the brazier blazed, scattering heat and embers in all directions, while a pig split open with only its entrails removed bled onto plastic sheeting.
Before it stood a white cloth figure shaped like a human form—a sight both eerie and deliberate.
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom! Clang-clang-clang!
The drum sounds and sharp metallic tones intertwined, the atmosphere growing increasingly heated.
“Sacred great ritual, Tae-eul Hyeon-su, eor-a-gang-seol, beom-wi-ryeong-geuk, ham-gong-tae-sang, hon-po-il-sim, ip-gi-jeong-jung, yu-jo-wi-bun.”
As the traditional instruments and the Dharma Master’s chanting intertwined, Hong Kyung-soo shook the Shaman’s Bell on his finger.
“Shriiiiii!”
A deep, resonant cry erupted from Hong Kyung-soo’s mouth.
***
Huff, huff!
Ragged breaths poured from Kang Hyung-seok’s mouth as he climbed the Mountain.
His body felt oddly heavy and sluggish, and the fallen leaves and moss still wet with dawn dew seemed to be watching for any opportunity to trip him up.
Yet Kang Hyung-seok did not stop his ascent.
‘The Jangsan Tiger…’
A creature that should not exist.
But I had seen it with my own eyes.
‘No ordinary spirit. A killer of men.’
This Jangsan Tiger was targeting the Village.
First it killed dogs to avoid detection, then chickens, and now it was time for humans.
The moment I gave up, this Village would face a string of deaths.
I had heard the Jangsan Tiger was relentless.
Even if people scattered and moved to other villages, the Jangsan Tiger might pursue them to the ends of hell itself.
Kang Hyung-seok pressed his lips firmly together, then opened his mouth as he gazed into the dense brush and trees.
“Shinseong dae-je tae-eul hyeon-su eo-a-gang-seol beom-wi-ryeong-geuk ham-gong tae-sang hon-po-il-sim.”
The slow, song-like incantation was the Scripture of Tae-eul.
“Ip-gi jeong-jung yu-jo-wi-bun gong-gyeong tae-sang-ji-gwi-sin si-go-a-geum jeong-rye ja-bi won-hyeong-i-jeong sa-cheon dae-sin-wang.”
An incantation through which the primordial power of the Five Directional Deities protected the shaman’s body.
“Sam-sip-yuk-bu il-wol-seong-sin sang-jung-ha-gye yuk-do-jung-saeng sil-chwi won-man geum a-hwa sin-seon wal cheong-yu-ri-jeong-gye gak-hang-jeo-bang sim-mi-gi seong-gun sip-deuk dong-ja.”
My body had to be protected.
I had to protect myself first from the Jangsan Tiger.
Only then could I find it.
“Han-han dong-ja jin-jeong-wang ju-se-ya wal jeok-yu-ri-jeong-gye jeong-gwi-yu-seong jang-ik-jin seong-gun pa-na-mun-yeo pa-su-mil-yeo jin-jeong-wang ju-se-ya.”
I had to locate the Jangsan Tiger’s origin and destroy it.
I had to uproot the Jangsan Tiger’s very foundation.
I had to erase the Jangsan Tiger’s existence completely.
“Wal baek-ryu-ri-jeong-gye gyu-nu-wi-myo-pil-ja-sam-seong-gun pa-na-su-dae-wang an-nak-guk-ssi eo-ryeom-seong-nyeo ju-se-ya wal heuk-ryu-ri-jeong-gye du-u-yeo-heo-wi-sil-byeok-seong-gun.”
Clang.
Suddenly, the Shaman’s Bell rang out.
Kang Hyung-seok pulled the Shaman’s Bell from his bag and held it in his left hand, while gripping a spirit knife in his other hand.
Clang, clang, clang.
“Whoooosh!”
Kang Hyung-seok let his body move of its own accord as he shook the Shaman’s Bell in all directions.
“Whoooosh, whoooosh.”
The spirit was drawing near.
The spirit was entering my body.
I could feel it.
“Your disciple humbly beseeches you—divine spirit, lend me your aid.”
A voice slow and rhythmic like an incantation flowed naturally from his lips.
“You who opened heaven and earth, and whose divine presence responds—as heaven exists above and earth below.”
Ding-a-ling-a-ling.
Kang Hyung-seok stretched his arm toward the sound of the Shaman’s Bell.
At the same moment, he gripped the ritual blade firmly, sensing the Guardian Spirit’s presence penetrating deep into his body.
“Where is that beast-like creature that devours humans?”
Where was its location?
Where did it hide?
Ding-a-ling-a-ling.
Following the guidance of the solitary Shaman’s Bell, Kang Hyung-seok moved forward.
His steps were far lighter than before, and his body brimmed with vital energy.
Like the Mountain God himself, he climbed the mountain without hesitation, continuing to shake the Shaman’s Bell.
Ding-a-ling-a-ling!
‘It’s getting closer.’
My Guardian Spirit was guiding me.
Go that way.
I had to go.
“Hah! Ha, whoooosh!”
Swinging the ritual blade to repel the Malevolent Spirits around me, Kang Hyung-seok continued climbing the mountain.
And when I reached a certain point, I knew instinctively.
A tree grew atop a small hill, and beneath it lay a large rock surrounded by fallen leaves.
Something was here.
Thump! Crack! Whoosh!
Kang Hyung-seok clawed at the earth.
The ground sloped downward.
The excavated soil tumbled down my feet, and tree roots became exposed where my hands touched.
My hand suddenly froze.
Scratch-scratch-scratch.
Not from mountain cockroaches pouring out between the soil.
Beyond the roots hanging like a curtain, a pitch-black hole appeared.
A deep breath.
The scent of a beast filled my nostrils.
Definitely a smell I’d encountered recently.
Kang Hyung-seok licked his lips and slowly extended his hand into the pit.
And when my hand reached deep into the darkness beyond my sight,
Snap!
Something seized my hand.
***
Boom, boom, boom, boom! Clang, clang, clang!
The Musicians pounded the drum as though they meant to tear it apart with their mallets, while the gong and flute pierced the air with quickening, soaring notes.
“Hueoooh!”
Hong Kyung-soo’s eyes gleamed with the light of possession, and the Dharma Master’s gaze remained fixed upon him.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
As the drum’s thunder swelled and the coins strung upon it jangled in discordant symphony, Hong Kyung-soo’s lips parted ever so slightly.
And from that opening came a voice so faint that only he could hear it.
I cannot provide a reliable translation for this text. The Korean characters don’t form standard words or a coherent phrase in Korean. It appears to be either:
– Misspelled or corrupted text
– Specialized jargon or technical terminology
– Possibly OCR errors
It is a Taoist mantra.
Could you please verify the original text?
I cannot provide a reliable translation for this text. The Korean characters don’t form standard modern Korean words, and it appears to be either archaic Korean, a transliteration of Chinese characters, or possibly contains errors. To provide an accurate translation, I would need clarification on the source or context of this phrase.
I cannot provide a reliable translation for this text. The Korean characters appear to be either archaic, specialized terminology, or possibly contain characters that don’t form standard Korean words. To give you an accurate translation, I would need more context about the source material or clarification on the text.
Moonsongjisim destroys cost assets
A Taoist incantation.
Now fully possessed, Hong Kyung-soo drew forth the divine blade.
A sword large enough to fell an ox.
And honed to a razor’s edge.
Thwack! Thwack!
Hong Kyung-soo struck his own shoulder with the blade, yet no wound appeared upon his flesh.
It was proof of complete possession, a sign that the spirits themselves shielded him.
Splurt!
The pig struck by the blade, however, gushed crimson.
Shrill whistle! Clang, clang, clang! Boom, boom, boom!
***
His sleeve fell away, exposing his forearm, and he brought his wrist down above the pig.
“Hueoooh!”
Splurt!
Then he brought the blade down upon his own hand.
***
Crunch, crackle.
Buried up to my shoulders in the pit, I clenched my teeth.
Something was coming through.
I didn’t know what it was, but something sharp was piercing my skin.
Drip, drip.
I could feel blood flowing, yet I couldn’t bring myself to pull my hand back.
I’d come this far.
Guided by the Guardian Spirit, no less.
If what lay in this pit were truly dangerous, the Guardian Spirit wouldn’t have led me here.
Grip!
I seized whatever was hanging from my hand.
Then, exerting force, I wrenched my arm free from the pit.
Crumble, crash!
Soil collapsed as my arm emerged, and I twisted my lips at what I held.
‘The village where dogs died.’
A dog’s head.
Whether it had been dead for ages, maggots writhed within it, and the hairless skull of the dog was biting my hand.
Such was its desperation—even in death, it bit, pleading to be carried out of the cave.
“…Hah.”
Because I was in a state of spiritual possession, I could perceive it.
The story entwined with this dog.
A dog abandoned by its master.
It had wandered this unfamiliar village like a stray, searching for its owner, before meeting its end.
The one who had brought it harm was a large beast with white fur.
‘The Jangsan Tiger.’
My eyes narrowed sharply toward the pit as I stretched both hands forward.
Slash! Rip! Scrape! Crumble!
The pit grew progressively wider.
Then I suddenly stopped.
‘This scent….’
The scent that had emanated from the Jangsan Tiger.
It was definitely something I remembered.
With each breath, the acrid stench pierced my brain, and I furrowed my brow.
Now I understood clearly. What this scent was.
Where I had smelled it before.
‘The Fox Spirit?’
It was the scent from the man possessed by the fox at Lee Geum-kyung’s Shrine. Why would such a scent emanate from this place connected to the Jangsan Tiger?
Crash! Crash! Whoosh!
Suddenly, like a dam breaking, massive quantities of soil poured down.
And as the spacious chamber within was revealed, my face hardened like stone.
It was still morning.
The sun hung high in the sky behind Kang Hyung-seok, its rays illuminating the excavation site with crystalline clarity.
And within it—the abundance of animal bones and the writhing mass of insects.
Skitter, skitter, skitter!
Cockroaches scattered in all directions with a sound like rain, rushing past Kang Hyung-seok’s feet, yet he remained frozen in place.
Because there was something else in that pit besides insects and bones.
‘White fur.’
The fur of the Jangsan Tiger.
Kang Hyung-seok stood motionless, staring at the white fur inside the excavation site, muttering to himself.
“…Now I understand.”
Why the Jangsan Tiger carried the scent of the Fox Spirit.
Why there were remains of prey scattered throughout the pit.
“It’s not a tiger.”
Despite being called the Jangsan Tiger, it was no tiger at all.
It was a white fox.
Intelligent, capable of beguiling humans, masterful at mimicking sounds like sorcery—the true identity of the Jangsan Tiger was a white fox.
A fox had been mistaken for a tiger.
Not a tiger, but a fox.
Crunch.
Kang Hyung-seok took a step backward.
Now that he understood the true nature of the once-mysterious Jangsan Tiger, he could not bear to remain in this place.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————