Exorcism Specialist Company: Ghost Soul Trading - Chapter 61

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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 61

“Man, I was so damn tired today.”
“Can I log in as soon as I get home?”
“Crap, I have to go to cram school right away.”
“Today’s the day.”
“Hey, no way. I got caught the day before yesterday and got chewed out like crazy.”
Tae-woo stood in the corridor, listening to the conversations of students passing by with their bags slung over their shoulders.
He remained still, quietly observing the students as they walked past.
Most of the students paid him no mind, but some cast curious glances at the unfamiliar man in formal attire.

The murmur of voices filled the air—

Tae-woo listened to the students chattering noisily after so long, silently surveying the situation.
Then, among the throng of students flowing through the corridor, he spotted a face that stood out unnaturally.
Skin far too pale, eyes pitch black, and short hair.
A school uniform in a different shade and cut from the others.
A ghost.
The moment our eyes met, a chill ran down my spine.
Intuition had struck.
I watched him quietly before slowly raising the smart glasses onto my face.

[System booting]
.
.
.
[System initializing]
[Recording initiated]
[Ghost Sensor activated]
[Ghost Radar activated]

Beep beep—

[Equipment Synchronization in Progress]
[Equipment Synchronization Complete]
[Primary Weapon – Ghost Slayer Blade (Not Equipped)]
[Secondary Weapon – Blood Crimson Blade (Not Equipped)]
[Flashlight – Battery Remaining 100%]

As the UI materialized before me, a radar display appeared at the top of the screen.
Blue dots scattered across it in various locations.
I turned my head toward the spot where one of those dots was marked.
“Let’s hurry!”
“The bus is coming soon!”
“Run! Run! Run!”
“Hey! Don’t run in the corridor!”
I could see the backs of students rushing toward the Main Entrance.
Somewhere among those figures was a ghost.
That was when it happened.

Sssssssss—

One of the female students walking with her back turned suddenly stopped in her tracks.
Then she slowly turned her head.
At the same moment, a sharp, biting chill grazed my ears and neck.
It was a murderous intent—a spectral aura.
The radar also showed a deep blue dot in that direction.
I narrowed my eyes and focused all my attention on that student.
Her front was about to come into view.
That was the moment.
“Excuse me?”
It was a man’s voice.
I spun around in surprise, and there stood Yoon Taek-jong, the one I’d seen earlier.
He looked at me with a bewildered expression.
“Why are you staring so intently?”
“Huh? Oh, yes.”
I brushed off the question vaguely and turned my head back toward where the female student had been.
But she had vanished without a trace.
Yet the radar still showed a blue dot in that location.
I gazed quietly in that direction before turning back to Yoon Taek-jong.
“No, I was just lost in thought for a moment.”
“I see.”
Yoon Taek-jong tilted his head with a puzzled expression and continued speaking.
“In about ten minutes, all the students will leave and the teachers will head home. What should I do? Should I wait in the Teacher’s Office? Or wait in my car?”
Tae-woo paused at the question before responding.
“You’re welcome to leave early.”
“Oh, how could I do that after assigning the work? I need to see it through to completion.”
“I see. In that case, it would be better if you waited in your car. When I begin the exorcism, the spirits may become agitated. It’s best if living people aren’t in the building.”
“Understood.”
Yoon Taek-jong nodded.
“Please also let the School Janitor know to stay outside the building.”
“Yes, I will.”
He nodded with a smile and headed toward the Security Office.
In the meantime, the Corridor had grown even quieter than before.
Many students had already left.

Whiiing— whiiiing—

A cold wind swept through the increasingly deserted Corridor once more.
Tae-woo exhaled softly and walked through the Corridor.

A few minutes passed.
9:15 PM.
The School Janitor returned to the First Floor after checking the entire School.
“All the students and teachers have left. I’ll be outside.”
The School Janitor spoke to Tae-woo, who stood in the First Floor Corridor.
“Understood.”
Tae-woo nodded and entered the Security Office.
He strapped the LP bag, the ghost-binding rope, and the blood-stained blade around his body, then stepped back into the Corridor.

Beep— beep—

The smart glasses UI confirmed that all equipment was secured.
“Now, where should I set up the LP player?”
Since this was my first test, I needed to properly observe how the spirits would react to the LP music.
It seemed best to install it in the widest area where the music could spread effectively.
I continued winding the LP player’s mechanism while surveying my surroundings.

Click click click—

Then I fixed my gaze on the Staircase near the Main Entrance and moved in that direction.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap—

In the empty School, only Tae-woo’s footsteps echoed softly through the silence.
He stood before the Central Staircase, gradually steadying his racing heart.
Whoooosh—
Wheeeee—
A cold wind swept through the Corridors on both sides and up the Staircase once more.
All the fluorescent lights were on, yet an overwhelmingly eerie atmosphere descended upon him.
He gazed at the Staircase for a moment, then crouched down and placed the LP player on the floor.
He began selecting which song to play.
“Something with meaning might be better than something too grandiose. Hmm.”
He flipped through several LP records before settling on a Mozart composition.
“Mozart’s Requiem.”
He murmured the English words written on the LP cover, placed the disk on the turntable, and started the player.

[Crackle, crackle]

Whooom— duuuoom— wooom-wooom—

Then, with a faint hiss of noise, Mozart’s melody began to flow.
The sound spread gently through the empty School’s Corridors and Staircase.
Tae-woo turned the volume up to maximum.
The intensified melody then penetrated into every corner of the Corridors and Classrooms.
Tae-woo gripped the EMF meter in one hand and began his systematic search.

His first target was the Main Building.
Since he had remained on the First Floor until now, it seemed better to search slowly from the top down.
He immediately moved to the highest floor via the Central Staircase.
As he went, he carefully observed the frames hanging on the floors and walls.
He had painful memories of being thoroughly deceived at the Abandoned School, which had once been an OT field.

Tap— tap— tap—

Footsteps echoed relentlessly.
And Mozart’s melody, as if synchronized with those sounds, filled every corner of the staircase.
I climbed one step at a time, catching glimpses of the photographs hanging on the walls.
From extremely old black-and-white photographs to color photos faded by time.
School photographs that seemed to contain the entirety of modern Korean history were displayed there.
Among them, I paused briefly upon seeing the school uniforms.
It was the China collar uniform I had seen earlier.
Moreover, the female students’ uniforms were exactly the same as those worn by the ghost clinging to the School Janitor’s back.
‘Why was it clinging to that janitor’s back?’
I couldn’t understand it.
If it was clinging that strongly, it meant there was a powerful resentment attached to the School Janitor.
Based on the uniform, it seemed like the resentment of a female student who had died long ago was directed at the School Janitor.
I couldn’t tell if this had any connection to the exorcism at hand, but something told me this was no ordinary matter.
I tilted my head in confusion and turned around.
That was the moment.

Screeeeeech—

A Male Student Ghost with short-cropped hair appeared, shoving its face directly at me.
Simultaneously, it shoved my shoulder, slamming me against the wall, and its lips trembled rapidly.
I instinctively drew the Exorcism Blade and severed the ghost’s neck.

Whoooosh crackle crackle crackle— faaaade—

The ghost’s neck separated as it dissolved into black smoke.
Beep—
That was the moment.
Blue dots rapidly spawned on the radar.
Startled, I looked down the staircase I had just climbed.
I could see Grotesque Spirits in various attire crawling upward.
Spirits in white mourning hanbok, spirits in jeans and tank tops, even spirits in military uniforms were swarming up in droves.
Whether it was because of the LP’s music, I had never seen them swarm like this before.
“Hah!”
I leaped up the staircase to reach the wider space above.
Thud—
I reached the Second Floor and surveyed both sides of the Corridor.
That was the moment.

Zing— zing— thunk—

Every fluorescent light flickered before suddenly dying out.
I watched the radar screen while gripping the Ghostblade tighter.
In that instant, a spirit came rushing rapidly from the left side of the corridor.
It was approaching at tremendous speed from the edge of the radar’s 20-meter range.
I activated the flash mounted on my smart glasses and turned my head.
At the same moment, a spirit with pointed teeth weeping blood tears came hurtling straight at me.
I lowered my stance and swung the blade horizontally without hesitation.
Shhwaaaaaack—
The spirit’s waist was severed, and its bisected body tumbled around me.
Ssssszzzzz—
The spirit’s body dissolved into black smoke and vanished.
That was when it began.
All manner of spirits surging up from the staircase stretched out their arms to overwhelm me.
Keeping my stance low, I gripped the Ghostblade with both hands and began cutting down the spirits.
Shhwack shhwack shhwack—
My movements were extraordinarily swift and precise.
My technique could be summed up in one phrase—lower body concentration.
Since the spirits were swarming in groups, targeting their legs and abdomen was easier than aiming for their necks, which were harder to reach.
I kept my stance extremely low, moving at incredible speed through the throng of spirits, slashing at their flanks and thighs.
Shhwack shhwaaack—
The wounded spirits helplessly dissolved into black smoke and disappeared.
Yet despite this, the number of spirits pressing forward showed no sign of diminishing.
Shhwaaack—
Each time I swung the blade, black smoke traced a path along the sword’s edge.
Some of the smoke even seeped into the blade itself.
I swung the blade with increasing ferocity and speed, reducing their numbers.
That was precisely when it happened.
Among the spirits in various states of dress, another Male Student Ghost with a crushed head suddenly burst forth and seized my throat with both hands, lifting me up.
Sharp pain shot through me, and I let out a groan.
“Ugh!”
I furrowed my brow and looked down at the spirit’s face.

“Die. Die. Die. Die!”

The ghost’s lips trembled at a frenzied pace, releasing grotesque sounds.
Then dark crimson blood began streaming from its eyes, mouth, and nose.
I furrowed my brow sharply and grabbed the ghost’s head with one hand.
With the ghost-slaying blade in my other hand, I severed its neck.
Shhwack—
The ghost’s head severed, and it dissolved into black smoke.
Thud.
I, who had been lifted into the air, landed firmly back on the ground.
But the surroundings were still swarming with Grotesque Spirits.
I had to clear this situation first.
I clenched my teeth, tensed my arms, and swung my blade in a wide arc.
Whoooosh—
From below to above, then diagonally as I spun my body, then horizontally at the next spirit—
Moving swiftly in all directions, I dashed forward several paces before turning to look back.
Every Grotesque Spirit that had been trying to grab me froze in place.
And exactly one second later.

Crack—

Cracks formed along the exact trajectory where my blade had cut, and the spirits began dissolving into black smoke.
Fzzzzzzzzzzz—
In an instant, I had severed multiple Grotesque Spirits surrounding me all at once.

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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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