An Office Worker Is Good At Exorcism - Chapter 344

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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 344
Part 4. The End Is Human (1)
Thud.
Kang Hyung-seok stepped out of the car, his face tense as he gazed toward where the Old House stood.
He had parked the vehicle farther away than before, and though the sun had fully risen, the thick clouds blanketing the sky robbed the morning of any brightness.
Whoosh.
Checking his wristwatch, the time read 9:30 AM.
The Honorary Director had called two hours ago.
I’m grateful.
How did I manage to connect with someone like Lee Geum-kyung?
I’ll be sure to contact the Company later and express my appreciation properly.
Such words had been exchanged, and among them was information that her disciple had arrived.
My heart burns with urgency.
Because I must head to that house very soon.
Crunch.
His jaw clenched hard, producing an audible sound, and immediately the Shaman’s Bell rang out with a resonant “Waaaaang!”
As if announcing that Chung-geum’s ritual had begun.
Step, step.
Kang Hyung-seok walked along the dirt road.
In one hand he held the Shaman’s Bell and a ritual knife, while his other hand carried his discarded jacket draped over it.
Boom, boom, boom, boom.
For some reason, the sound of a drum seemed to reach his ears.
It was as though he could also hear the flute, the gong, or even the rustling of broad cloth caught in the wind.
Perhaps it was because we were both shamans.
Or perhaps because we shared the same purpose and continued our work in parallel.
Except for standing beneath the same sky, Chung-geum and I were far apart, yet strangely, I felt connected to her.
Warang!
Shaking the Shaman’s Bell, Kang Hyung-seok chanted the Invocation of Divine Descent and cast his gaze toward the distant Old House.
“Taeho Bokhi, Shennung Huangdi, Yao Shun Yu Tang, Wenwu Zhugong, Kongzi Mengzi, Kaidasheng, Chalchal Cheonli, Guanguan Jimaek, Cheonji Johwa, Manmul Byeonhwa.”
The Invocation of Divine Descent is a prayer requesting the divine spirits’ blessing.
“Guugu Palsipil Cheonji Jigikang, Palgu Chilsipyi Eumyang Johwa, Jisi Jongyaya, Cheonjang Manman Cheoncheon, Ibaeksilsip Yugyukya.”
There is only one thing I ask for.
Please help me stop the actions of that fanatic.
End the malevolent energy of the Building that calls for blood and covets human lives, and return the corpse whose soul has departed to where it belongs.
Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!
The Guard Dog barked loudly, as if sensing Kang Hyung-seok’s presence.
Though I recalled the beast’s massive fangs and the spray of saliva that flew each time it barked, Kang Hyung-seok neither stopped nor slowed his pace.
Crackle.
Leaving the dirt road and treading upon overgrown grass, Kang Hyung-seok advanced toward the Old House, and soon he saw the large dog baring its teeth at him.
Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!
The Guard Dog is telling me not to come.
But I must go.
“Hu-jwa u-il-ya dong-seo-nam-buk gae-si-il-ya sang-go je-wang-gun-ja yuk-jeong yuk-gap-sin-jang chuk-jeon-chuk-ji in-gan-sim-jung won-sa-gang-nim jo-a-so-won.”
Kang Hyung-seok chanted the incantation in a low voice as he advanced toward the Guard Dog, and the beast ceased its barking, fixing its gaze directly upon him.
Those eyes—I knew them well.
Eyes brimming with murderous intent.
Eyes as chilling as a killer’s, signaling that warnings were finished and death would come next.
“Om geup-geup yeo-yul-ryeong.”
The moment Kang Hyung-seok muttered these words.
Snap!
The Guard Dog lunged forward, snapping at Kang Hyung-seok’s throat.
***
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The cymbal’s crash pierced through the drum’s rhythm, spreading wide across the space.
Chung-geum, dressed in shamanic vestments, held a ritual implement in both hands—a long rod with white paper strips bundled at its end—and spun in place to the rhythm created by the traditional instruments.
Before her lay a pig’s head and a cow’s leg severed from near the pelvis.
Thud.
The moment she hoisted the cow’s leg onto her shoulder, the faces of the watching executives hardened.
The sight was ominous, and above all, Chung-geum’s eyes had turned fierce and wild.
“What kind of wretches dare raise their eyes in this place!”
She was possessed.
Chung-geum’s voice, channeling the spirit of a general, had become rough and deep like a man’s.
Silent gasps escaped the executives’ lips, while the Honorary Director, a devout believer in shamanism, clasped his hands together and bowed deeply toward Chung-geum.
“These vile creatures have dragged defilement of place, defilement of body, and defilement of spirit, piling curse upon curse! Hueeeeh!”
Chung-geum moved swiftly around the people in a threatening manner, then raised the cow’s leg high.
She then hurled it down with all her strength onto the ground and raised her fist before it.
“My greedy great spirit, my spirit of endless desire, front leg of first sight, back leg of hindsight, the great spirit who once received the head of yang-ji, the outer chamber, and the independent hall!”
Crack!
Chung-geum’s fist came down hard upon the cow’s leg.
***
Snap!
I wrapped my outer garment around my arm to shield myself from the Guard Dog’s fangs.
Yelp!
Though I was the one bitten, it was the Guard Dog that cried out.
The canine teeth that pierced through the fabric lost their force, grazing only the surface of my skin without reaching deep into the muscle beneath.
Still, this Guard Dog was undoubtedly well-trained.
Growl.
The way it clung to my arm, refusing to let go, proved it beyond doubt.
Grunt!
Clank, snap!
I dropped the Shaman’s Bell and seized the Guard Dog’s leash with my other hand, my eyes darting sharply across the surroundings.
The last time I came here, there was a man wielding a sickle.
Whether fortunately or unfortunately, he was nowhere to be seen, and there was no sound of anyone nearby.
Growl, growl, growl!
The excited Guard Dog drooled profusely, driving its fangs deeper into my forearm, and I shifted my grip on the leash toward the corners of its mouth.
Back when I served in the military, I once happened to hear something from a former military dog handler.
When bitten by a dog, you shouldn’t forcefully try to pull the bitten area away. Doing so only causes deeper wounds and excites the dog further.
If possible, you should make the dog give up of its own accord.
Thud!
One of those methods was to trigger the dog’s gag reflex.
When I pressed hard against the back of the Guard Dog’s throat, it made a strange sound and opened its mouth.
This was my moment.
Clang!
I grabbed the Guard Dog’s leash with both hands and lifted with all my strength.
The Guard Dog’s hind legs lifted off the ground, and it snapped its jaws savagely, trying to bite me.
Clang, clang!
I held the Guard Dog in a bear-hug position and backed toward the Rental House.
Bark, bark, bark, bark! Bark, bark, bark!
Huff! Huff!
There had to be a reason the leash was attached.
There had to be a place where it was secured.
I squeezed every ounce of strength from my body to restrain the Guard Dog while searching for a place to tie the chain.
Then I spotted a thick iron stake driven into the ground.
Clang!
With one hand subduing the massive Guard Dog, I began wrapping the iron chain around the stake.
Clank, clank, clank! Clank, clank, clank!
Clang, clang, clang, clang!
After wrapping the chain thickly around the stake, I released the Guard Dog and threw myself backward.
Whoosh! Metallic clang!
Bark, bark, bark, bark, bark!
The Guard Dog lunged forward but was stopped by the shortened chain.
Breathing heavily, I wrapped the chain around itself several more times to ensure it wouldn’t come loose, then turned to retrieve the ritual bell.
Drip.
Blood trickled down my right arm, wrapped beneath my outer garment.
From the puncture wounds left by teeth, crimson stains rose as if red ink were being dripped onto parchment.
I flicked my arm to shake off the blood droplets and approached the Old House, leaving the ferociously barking Guard Dog behind.
Creak.
The door wasn’t locked, so it opened easily.
A putrid stench rushed through the gap.
A familiar smell.
The reek of decomposing flesh.
And something else—the stench of ghosts.
Creak.
I pushed the door wide open and looked down at the center of the room’s floor.
“…Kim San.”
So he was here.
Countless nameless insects writhed across the dark stains spread across the floor.
There was a blanket pushed to one side, and a Ritual Platform with a framed photograph of Kim San, but Kim San’s corpse was nowhere to be found.
Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!
Listening to the Guard Dog’s fierce barking, I twisted my lips.
It wasn’t from the pain in my arm.
Rather, the pain was sinking away with a terrifying coldness, and my emotions were settling into a profound stillness.
“I beseech you, City Guardian Spirit.”
Kim San had remained in this place both in life and in death.
Therefore, the City Guardian Spirit who watches over and protects this land would surely know of Kim San.
“In life, the man called Kim San deceived people with false doctrine and embezzled their wealth. His doctrine is so insidious that even now, there remain those who seek to resurrect him after death.”
Where are his whereabouts?
“I humbly beseech the City Guardian Spirit to grant this disciple’s wish.”
Clang!
As I rang the Shaman’s Bell, I felt all my senses open wide.
In contrast, the Guard Dog’s barking grew distant, while Chung-geum’s chanting from far away suddenly drew near.
The two Shamans, now fully possessed, shook their Shaman’s Bells and began to speak.
“City Guardian Spirit of the sacred mountain, City Guardian Spirit, great mountain, small mountain, City Guardian Spirit.”
What I recited was the City Guardian Chant, a prayer to the City Guardian Spirit.
“Supreme Venerable Lord, I invoke the sacred truth of the Yellow Tomb, Supreme Venerable Lord, the ultimate great way, Supreme Venerable Lord.”
What Chung-geum recited was the Yellow Tomb Sacred Chant, calling upon the aid of all spirits in heaven and earth.
“From the western direction, City Guardian Spirit, from the bright place, City Guardian Spirit, of great virtue and fortune, City Guardian Spirit, Azure Dragon and White Fox, City Guardian Spirit.”
“Left-wing General, River-controlling General, Three-official General, Four-star General, Small-seat General, Nine-ancient General, Left-guardian General, Right-guardian General.”
I continued the City Guardian Chant, layering my recitation over Chung-geum’s faintly audible chanting.
One of us made the wish, while the other asked the spirits to aid the one who wished.
“Heavenly Mountain’s City God, Earthly Mountain’s City God, Sun and Moon’s City God, Yin and Yang’s Day and Night City God.”
Kang Hyung-seok chanted the sacred words while shaking the Shaman’s Bell with fervent devotion.
When the Shaman’s Bell stilled and its sound faded completely, the landscape within the Sealed Room began to transform.
The walls vanished.
In their place, a familiar building materialized as if sprouting from the earth itself.
A building that devoured people.
The headquarters of a cult spawned from Yonghwa Religion—erected by its Cult Leader through a lifetime of embezzling others’ fortunes.
“Kim San.”
Kang Hyung-seok murmured upon seeing Kim San, now so aged he required a walking stick.
Behind him stood a familiar-faced man holding a wooden box, while Kim San descended the stairs toward the Basement.
Tap, tap.
As Kim San descended the stairs leaning on his cane, he spoke to the man following behind him.
“The contract was drawn up properly, yes?”
“Yes, Father.”
“It is the Buddha’s blessing. He aids this Maitreya.”
Despite his fierce, piercing gaze, Kim San’s voice carried a gentleness that was almost soothing.
The serpent’s tongue that enchants mankind.
Kang Hyung-seok followed behind the man, while Kim San’s voice continued from the front.
“This place shall become the shrine of the Heavenly Father, and I shall rise even after death—so you must prepare for that time.”
“Yes.”
Kim San spoke of resurrection with a smile, and the man harbored not the slightest doubt.
He genuinely believed in Kim San’s resurrection.
Creak.
Kim San opened the door and stood in the center of the Basement, while the man set down the box and performed three prostrations before it.
Then, under Kim San’s watchful gaze, he opened the box.
“That is the passage connecting the afterlife and the living world.”
Kim San gazed at the man with a smile as serene as the Buddha’s.
Kang Hyung-seok’s face hardened as he beheld the urn in the man’s hands.
A bottomless urn.
One through which the top could gaze downward and the bottom could gaze upward.
It would draw human lives from the living world, and when the time came, it would serve as the passage to summon Kim San back to the realm of the living.

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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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