Exorcism Specialist Company: Ghost Soul Trading - Chapter 45

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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 45

“Kim, will you be alright?”
Moon So-ryeong asked.
Tae-woo gazed at the Shooting Range before nodding.
Moon So-ryeong observed him quietly, then spoke.
“Understood. Yoon Manager will drive you down, and I’ll come back up depending on the situation. If things go wrong at any point, come straight back down.”
“Yes, understood.”
“And here’s a real combat tip: if you decide you need to flee, run away screaming as loudly and fearfully as you can. That way, you can shake off about half the ghosts targeting you.”
“What? Why?”
“When multiple ghosts appear at once in any space and target us, their intention is one of two things: either they want to turn us into ghosts like them, or they want to drive us out. Ghosts that want to drive us out won’t bother chasing after a living person screaming and fleeing, right?”
In other words, when retreating, commit fully to the stance of retreat.
“Yes, understood.”
Tae-woo nodded again with an expression of comprehension and looked ahead once more.
Gulp—
Of course, going alone was frightening.
Facing ghosts he’d feared his entire life was no simple task.
Yet if he retreated now, he would have to return here again.
And the thought that they might be even stronger than what he faced today made him want to settle this place once and for all.
The will of the Ghost Hunting Blade proved invaluable in executing this resolve.
Moreover, his Grandfather’s voice—which had awakened Tae-woo’s mind when the Controller Ghost created the illusion moments ago—also bolstered his courage.
‘So be it. Let’s do this.’
He gripped the Ghost Hunting Blade firmly and stepped forward.
“Then we’ll head down.”
Moon So-ryeong began retracing the path she’d taken with Ye-rim.
Tae-woo glanced back slightly to watch them disappear, then continued forward.
Step— step— step—
As he walked, he directed his gaze toward the Shooting Range safety regulations.
“Hmm.”
Then he paused briefly.
Something strange had occurred to him.
“Follow the Controller’s orders!”
Those were the words the Controller Ghost had spoken within the illusion.
And looking at the content written in the safety regulations, it seemed there might be a sort of ‘strategy guide’ for dealing with the ghosts he’d encountered in this Shooting Range.
Following that logic, the CBRN Training Ground where the ‘giant arm’ appeared operated similarly.
That place was a training ground for installing mines and booby traps.
And before the giant arm appeared, ghost-shaped scarecrows had blocked his group’s path.
Some were actual ghosts, while the rest were illusions.
Based on Tae-woo’s current reasoning, the real ghost hidden within that illusion could be substituted with concepts like ‘landmine’ or ‘booby trap’.
If that assumption were true, there might have been a different strategy to overcome the battle site where the massive arm had appeared.
“So each CBRN Training Ground has its own strategy, and I just… slashed through all of them?”
He muttered while gazing at the Shooting Range sign.

Whiiiiing—
Gooooo—

Then, a cold wind swept down from the Mountain Path, accompanied by an eerie sound.
It was a strange noise, as if men were weeping.
Tae-woo gazed quietly toward the Mountain Path leading to the next CBRN Training Ground, then moved forward.
“I need to think about this. Let me think. Think.”
He murmured softly to himself before disappearing into the darkness.

* * *

Moon So-ryeong returned to the vehicle and seated Ye-rim in the back seat.
She remained limp, her head bowed as she sobbed quietly.
“Yoon Manager. Get a grip, will you?”
Moon So-ryeong held the open rear door and spoke sharply.
But Ye-rim remained trapped in her sorrow.
She observed Ye-rim for a moment, shook her head, and slammed the door shut with a bang.
Then she immediately made a call.

[Yeah. Moon. How’s the site? Going well?]

It was Cha Jun-ho.
Moon So-ryeong exhaled a long sigh.
“Ugh. It’s gotten messy.”

[What is it. Did Kim make a mistake?]

“No. Kim’s the least of my concerns. It’s Yoon Manager. She’s trapped in an illusion and can’t snap out of it right now.”

[An illusion? Is she stuck in it?]

“No. She escaped the illusion, but she’s sunk deep into her own emotions and can’t pull herself out. She’s sitting in the car, blubbering away.”

[Yoon Manager’s been in the field that long and still does that. What about Kim?]

“Right now, Yoon Manager and I came back by car, and Kim is out there alone.”

[What? Kim alone? At a military base, there should be plenty of strong ghosts.]

“Don’t even mention it. We’ve already encountered two Grade 5 Silent Ghosts. And that hallucination ghost just now seemed to be at least Grade 3.”

[But you sent him alone? What were you thinking?]

“Watching him cut down both Grade 5 Silent Ghosts by himself, he seemed more than capable of handling it solo.”

[If he’s receiving the will of Ghost Insight Blade, then sure, but he lacks experience. Experience, that is.]

“True. He does lack experience. What exactly have Director Bang and Yoon Manager been teaching him? He barely knows anything.”

[He’s only cleared a handful of fields. He’ll learn gradually… But wait, isn’t the field progression way too fast?]

“I told him to run if things got bad.”

[Still, even so. Yoon Manager, you do know what Ghost Insight Blade is, right?]

“I do.”

[If Ghost Insight Blade awakens too quickly, the user could be consumed by it. We need to be careful.]

“It’s too early to worry about that.”

[He cut down two Silent Ghosts, remember? He could awaken faster than we think.]

“Don’t worry about it.”

[Controlling Kim is my responsibility. Make sure nothing goes wrong.]

“Got it, got it.”

[By the way, Blood Slayer Blade isn’t showing any reaction? Even when I reviewed the footage, Blood Slayer Blade didn’t manifest anything?]

“I haven’t confirmed anything about that either.”
Moon So-ryeong furrowed her brow slightly as she recalled her memories, answering thoughtfully.

* * *

Swish— swish—
I walked forward, slicing through the overgrown weeds one by one with the Guichal Blade.
Despite wielding the sword without exerting much force, the weeds were severed with remarkable precision.
Uuuuung— uuuuung—
That was when it happened.
The Guichal Blade trembled subtly as I swung it through the dense weeds, and a strange resonance emanated from within it.
I froze in alarm, examining the blade from every angle.
Outwardly, nothing appeared to have changed significantly.
Yet the subtle vibration and resonance persisted without cessation.
“What is this? Why is it doing that?”
I glanced around before checking my radar.
In that instant, I detected a blue dot emanating powerfully from my exact location.
Startled, I quickly threw myself to the side.
But the blue dot on the radar moved in sync with my position.
Even when I relocated again, the result was identical.
“What is this? The ground?”
I stomped on the ground repeatedly with my foot.
But again, nothing happened.
Only the Guichal Blade continued to exhibit that subtle tremor.

“Do you still not comprehend the weight of what you hold?”

That was when Grandfather’s voice reached me from behind.
I spun around in surprise, and through the dark forest, I saw Grandfather approaching in white robes.
Though the flashlight mounted on my smart glasses illuminated brightly, no shadow formed beneath Grandfather’s feet.
“Grandfather? Is this another illusion?”
I furrowed my brow, observing my surroundings.

“The Guichal Blade contains
fragments of countless spirits
that you have annihilated over time. The blade grows stronger because those spirit fragments
accumulate within it.
”

“Are you saying this blade absorbs ghosts? Wait, that wasn’t written anywhere in the Guichal Records.”

“The Guihon Record contains no mention of not only that
content, but also
anything about the weapons you wield.”

“Huh?!”

“Coming to this place and slaying the Murky Ghost with countless
spirits
condensed within it—countless souls must have seeped into the Guihon Blade.”

“Is that so? Then this sword will keep growing stronger?”
Tae-woo shrugged his shoulders and swung the blade about experimentally.
At that, Grandfather bellowed.

“Great power demands great responsibility!”

“I feel like I’ve heard that line somewhere before….”

“If the Guihon Blade continues to grow stronger, it could devour you.
Which means
if you do not grow stronger, you could be devoured by the Guihon Blade.”

“How could a sword devour me?”

“Foolish boy.”

Grandfather shook his head and spun around sharply.
“Wait, Grandfather. If you’re going to explain, at least finish the whole thing properly. You can’t just leave like that….”
It was the moment Tae-woo took a step toward him.
Grandfather stopped dead in his tracks, standing with his back turned as he shouted loudly.

“No matter how welcome a dead person’s appearance may be, you must never
take a step toward
them! You dull-witted fool! Do not follow me!”

The sight of him turning around and roaring was somehow deeply unsettling.
In that moment, Tae-woo recalled the image of the Hermitage from the illusion shown by the Controller Ghost.
Back then too, he had moved his feet toward the sound of Grandfather’s voice coming from the Hermitage.

“I must grow stronger. If I don’t, danger will find me.”

Grandfather spoke once more with his hands clasped behind his back, then vanished between the trees.
Tae-woo stood dazed with a bewildered expression before turning his gaze back to the Ghost Fang Blade.

Uuuuuuung—

The Ghost Fang Blade continued to tremble.
Simultaneously, the palm of my hand gripping the blade tingled subtly.
‘There’s something hidden here.’
I was certain that this Ghost Fang Blade and the Blood Crimson Blade harbored secrets.
Secrets not recorded in the Ghost Fang Record.
I had never heard before that the Ghost Fang Blade absorbed spirits.
If that were true—when I had just cleaved through the Murk True Ghost, which had countless spirits condensed within it, I couldn’t fathom how many soul fragments had entered this blade.
Perhaps this vibration I felt now was a reaction caused by so many soul fragments suddenly pouring in.
I couldn’t yet predict what this meant or how events would unfold.

Uuuuung— Gooooo—

The Ghost Fang Blade, which had been trembling loudly for some time, gradually grew quiet.
I swung the blade a few more times and tilted my head.
‘I’ll need to investigate this.’
I lowered the blade’s tip and resumed my path.

* * *

Thud—
Walking along the Mountain Path, I stopped before a small Open Field.
Judging by the traces of artificially felled trees, this appeared to be a training ground as well.
I narrowed my eyes and shone my light on the sign at the entrance of the Open Field.

[CBRN Training Ground]

It was the CBRN Training Ground.
Tae-woo adjusted his grip on the Ghost Blade he’d been clutching, then flexed his fingers to loosen them.
A premonition seized him—there would be combat here as well.
He descended slowly toward the open field.
Shhhhhhhhh—
Multiple blue dots began registering on his Ghost Radar.
“What kind of spirits are we dealing with this time?”
He advanced step by step, his blade’s tip leveled before him.
Wheeze… wheeze…
Then came the sound of breathing through a gas mask from all around him.
Tae-woo furrowed his brow and turned his gaze toward the blue dots marked on his radar.
Wheeze… wheeze…
What emerged were soldiers clad in what appeared to be ancient gas masks, standing motionless.
Their faces were obscured by the black rubber masks, but the arms and hands visible beneath their sleeves bore ashen skin marked with grotesque dark-red blisters that protruded obscenely.
Drip…
Crimson blood trickled from the eye-piece gaps of the masks—a sight of pure grotesqueness.

Exorcism Specialist Company Guihon Trading Chapter 45

Author
Cha Woo-renz
Publisher
Daon Creative
Planning / Editing / Production
Yoon Tae-ri
Cover
Lee Chi

UCI
G720:N+A036-20260318158.0045

ⓒ2026, Cha Woo-renz

※ This e-book is protected under the copyright law of the Republic of Korea.
No part or all of this work may be reprocessed in any form without permission from the author and publisher.

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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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