Exorcism Specialist Company: Ghost Soul Trading - Chapter 70

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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 70

Mureungsan, located in Boryeong, Chungcheongnam-do.
It was where Jang Min-hee, the granddaughter of JY Electronics, had been murdered and buried by her kidnapper.
Cha Jun-ho and Tae-u continued their journey from Seoul to Boryeong, Chungcheongnam-do in a car driven by Ji-seok.
During the drive, Tae-u received an explanation of what ‘Self-Death Theft’ was and what kind of phenomenon it represented.

Self-Death Theft (自家亡奪).

The literal meaning of the Chinese characters was ‘to deny and steal one’s own death’.
In other words, it was a distorted act where the deceased, unable to accept their own death, ‘stole’ their death from themselves.
In the process, ghosts would sometimes move their corpses, conceal them, or even desecrate them.
It referred to the act of refusing to acknowledge the boundary between one’s living self and one’s dead self—in other words, altering reality to erase the corpse that served as evidence of their death.
Self-Death Theft typically occurred when death happened without sensation, or when unresolved attachments, desires, and guilt from life lingered.
The manifestation process was crucial.

The first stage of Self-Death Theft was the stage of ‘denial’.
At this point, the ghost attempts to behave as they did in life.
If anyone tells them they are dead, they become extremely angry.
In other words, it was the stage where they ‘deny’ their own death.

The second stage was the stage of ‘turbidity’.
The ghost avoids approaching their own corpse.
Even if they witness their own death or corpse, they behave as though it is not theirs.
This was the stage where they refuse to acknowledge their corpse itself.

The third stage was finally the stage of ‘Death Theft’.
No matter what, when death comes, a corpse is inevitably created.
The ghost moves their corpse elsewhere or directly desecrates the face of their corpse to erase evidence of their death.
By this stage, the ghost typically possesses the power of a Grade 4 Jangdo Ghost or higher.
Conventionally, the first and second stages were phenomena commonly observed in other ghosts as well, so within Guihon Trading, the term ‘Self-Death Theft’ was limited to referring to ghosts that had entered the third stage.

And finally, the fourth stage.
The stage of ‘Form-Loss Aberration’ existed.
After completely desecrating the corpse and time passes, the spirit loses its own form, reaching a level where its appearance becomes unpredictable.
At this level, soft exorcism methods were utterly useless, and the spirit had to be annihilated—a terrifying state of being.
However, no ghost in the ‘Form-Loss Aberration’ state had yet appeared, and this concept was being handled theoretically by the Gwihon Sangsang Research Department.

“Wow. So that concept exists too. I don’t think it was mentioned in the Ghost Records.”
Tae-woo nodded with a surprised expression, hearing this for the first time.
“The Ghost Records primarily covered ghost classifications and characteristics, but the concept of self-manipulation was something our company’s Research Department compiled and developed from cases that appeared in domestic and foreign shamanic traditions and urban legends.”
Cha Jun-ho answered.
“Ah. So the company has a Research Department too.”
“Of course. If you have field operatives like us running around, you need brains backing them up.”
He spoke as though it were obvious.
“But are there actually many cases of ghosts moving corpses?”
“Quite a few, actually. Kim Chief, haven’t you heard those overseas urban legends? About coffins left in sealed rooms moving on their own?”
“Ah yes. I think I’ve seen something like that.”
“Beyond that, concepts like zombies or jiangshi can also be interpreted as a type of self-manipulation phenomenon. Not all of them, but some.”
“Ah, that makes sense now.”
Tae-woo nodded.
“Kim Chief probably hasn’t actually witnessed it, but shamans and grave excavators have likely seen quite a bit. You occasionally find tombs where coffins are wrapped tightly with talismans or rope. That’s all a countermeasure against self-manipulation.”
“I see.”
“There’s even a theory that the ancient practice of placing stone slabs on top of tombs was meant to prevent self-manipulation. In any case, if self-manipulation is actually occurring, there could be an extremely powerful ghost involved. Stay alert and keep your wits about you.”
Cha Jun-ho cautioned.
“Yes, understood.”
Tae-woo replied.
“Don’t worry.”
Ji-seok also answered while driving.
Vroooom—
In the meantime, the vehicle quickly passed beneath a signpost bearing the characters “Mureungsan.”

* * *

6 PM.
“We’re here.”
Ji-seok parked the vehicle beside a winding single-lane road and spoke.
Cha Jun-ho stepped out of the car, stretched languidly, then turned his body toward the mountain.
A cool breeze brushed the nape of his neck as dusk began to settle in.
Tae-woo also exited the vehicle and gazed toward the mountain.
The shadows cast beneath the densely packed trees looked remarkably eerie.

Whiiiish whiiiiish—

A cold wind blew from within, sending the fallen leaves on the ground swirling in chaotic eddies.
“Whether there’s a Wandering Spirit or not, we’ll find out once we go in. Let’s prepare.”
Cha Jun-ho turned sharply, his gaze lingering on the sunset painted across the sky.
Then he walked toward the trunk.
Click—
At that precise moment, Ji-seok opened the trunk, revealing a wooden weapons case.
Cha Jun-ho opened the case with practiced ease and withdrew a black rifle.
It was an M4 rifle equipped with a rail system.
The basic M4 body was outfitted with a vertical foregrip and optical equipment, giving it an exceptionally tactical appearance.
Judging by the complete absence of a color mark, it didn’t appear to be an airsoft gun.
Click, click—
He rapidly manipulated the charging handle and withdrew a magazine.
Inside the magazine, I could see actual rounds with red-tipped projectiles.
As Tae-u’s eyes widened in observation, Cha Jun-ho smiled and handed him a single round.
“These are 5.56mm NATO subsonic rounds. They contain actual propellant, and the projectiles are made from a mixture of lead and mercury. Whether it’s a person or a ghost, anything hit by these will be annihilated.”
While Cha Jun-ho explained, Tae-u examined the round with curiosity, turning it over in his hands.
He took the round back from Tae-u’s hand, inserted it into the magazine, and secured it to his waist.
I noticed he was wearing a tactical belt rather than an ordinary one from the start.
“Yoon Manager primarily uses firearms too, but since he still lacks experience, I don’t issue live ammunition to him yet. To handle live rounds, you need to be proficient in countering everything—whether it’s the illusions of a Deceiver Ghost or the violence of a Blade Ghost.”
“I see.”
“What if someone carrying live ammunition loses their mind to a ghost and starts firing indiscriminately? In reality, many shooting incidents occur when ghosts cause momentary mental confusion. Imagine what would happen if that occurred in the field.”
“Yes, you’re right.”
Tae-u recalled Ye-rim, whose mental state had collapsed at the Jangdok Training Ground.
Then Ji-seok approached and spoke.
“In that context, issuing a sharp blade directly to a new recruit is actually quite unusual. Kim Chief received special treatment because he’s the Founder’s grandson.”
“I see. I see…”
Tae-u trailed off, his fingers absently touching the Ghost Slayer Blade at his waist.
“Anyway, all we need to do is catch ghosts properly.”
Click, click, click, click—
Cha Jun-ho added, attaching a suppressor to the muzzle of the rifle.
As Tae-u watched, Cha Jun-ho smiled and spoke.
“Worried about gunshots being heard in Korea? In open terrain like this mountain, subsonic rounds with just a suppressor significantly reduce the report. But these are ultra-subsonic rounds specially manufactured by the Technical Department, so they only make a ‘pfft’ sound. Sure, the effective range is reduced to pistol distances, but since we won’t be sniping during exorcisms anyway, it’s not a major concern.”
He possessed thorough knowledge of firearms and ammunition.
“Director Bang, what will you be bringing?”
He then asked, looking at Ji-seok.
“Me? Always the same. Talismans and a fan.”
“Okay. Kim Chief, you’re bringing the Ghost Slayer Blade and the Blood Manipulation Sword?”
“Yes.”
Ji-seok and Tae-u answered in turn.
Then Cha Jun-ho handed Tae-u a palm-sized GPS terminal.
Tae-woo accepted the device and pressed the button. A beep sounded, and the terminal displayed their current location.
It was a far more precise instrument than a smartphone for tracking movement paths.
“Okay. Got it. Good. Then Manager Bang, you keep fanning and luring the ghost with your whistle. Kim Chief, you handle the rear and close range. Keep tabs on our position at all times. I’ll take the front and mid-range.”
Cha Jun-ho spoke with a slight smile.
“Yes, understood.”
Ji-seok and Tae-woo answered simultaneously.
“Okay. Let’s go.”
Cha Jun-ho confidently climbed over the mountain path guardrail and walked into the forest.
Ji-seok and Tae-woo followed behind him, each carrying their weapons.

* * *

Crunch, crunch, crunch.
The three of them had entered an untended mountain path.
The soil was slightly packed as if someone had walked there before, but there were no steps or cement pavement.
As a result, they couldn’t help but slip and stumble as they walked.

Whistle, whistle.

Throughout it all, Ji-seok continuously scanned his surroundings while whistling.
But only a chill lingered in the air—the ghost never appeared.
After climbing for about an hour, the sun had completely set and night had fallen.
Tae-woo activated the flashlight on his smart glasses, illuminating the area around them.
Click.
Cha Jun-ho also mounted a tactical flashlight to the rail of his gun barrel and turned it on.
Ji-seok pulled out a flashlight and shone it ahead.
“Is it really here? I can barely see anything. And this chill doesn’t feel like a ghost—it just feels like winter mountain wind.”
Ji-seok complained and stopped walking.
Sweat was already streaming down his face.
“Hmm.”
Cha Jun-ho also stopped and slowly surveyed the surroundings.
With a billion won on the line, there had to be a ghost somewhere on this mountain.
Whether or not it was a self-inflicted delusion, the Female Ghost in jeans and a white shirt was definitely wandering around.
At the very least, the ghosts from the Unclaimed Persons Cemetery beyond the mountain should have appeared.
But the fact that not a single one had shown up so far was strange.
“Kim Chief. How’s the radar reading?”
Cha Jun-ho asked, looking at Tae-woo.
“Nothing’s showing up.”
Tae-woo shook his head and replied.
In truth, a detection range of only twenty meters was useful inside buildings, but in open terrain like this—especially deep in the mountains—it might not be of much help.
The range where ghosts could appear was simply too vast.
“Couldn’t we take a brief rest?”
Ji-seok asked with an exhausted expression.
Cha Jun-ho nodded as he gazed into the dark mountain.
“Yeah. Let’s take a break.”
The moment those words left his lips, Ji-seok settled onto a flat rock nearby.
Tae-woo didn’t seem tired yet and remained standing, his gaze fixed on the mountain depths that Cha Jun-ho had been observing.
‘Self-mutilation curse.’
Throughout the journey here, those four words that Cha Jun-ho had mentioned kept circling in Tae-woo’s mind.
A ghost moving its own corpse or disfiguring its own face.
The very thought was horrifying.
That was when it happened.
Crunch—
Something moved in the darkness in the direction Tae-woo was watching.

Guihon Trading Company Episode 70

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

UCI
G720:N+A036-20260318158.0060

ⓒ2026, Cha Woo-renz

※ This e-book is protected under the copyright laws 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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