Exorcism Specialist Company: Ghost Soul Trading - Chapter 83

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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 83

I tilted my head with a puzzled expression.
I had heard that among the outsourced exorcism agencies that forwarded requests to Guihon Trading, there were also exorcist priests.
Since I assumed Father Martino was one of them, I saw no reason why Catholic priests would dislike Guihon Trading.
But Ji-seok had said they didn’t like Guihon Trading.
“Why not? Whether they call ghosts demons or whatever, if we handle the work, isn’t it mutual cooperation?”
I asked.
“That’s true, but if they acknowledge us, they’d have to acknowledge shamanic beliefs like mudang and fortune-telling shops too. Our work has more overlap with those practices, after all.”
Ji-seok answered casually, then gestured for me to follow.
I quietly followed him.

[Jinang Apartment Management Office]

We headed to a single-story management office building located in the center of the complex.
Upon entering, we encountered the Building Manager, who was just leaving for the day.
“What brings you here?”
The manager, who appeared to be in his late fifties, looked between Ji-seok and me alternately.
He sensed something out of place about two men in formal suits arriving at this late afternoon hour.
“Hello. We heard there’s been some commotion on the ninth floor. Something about a girl acting strangely?”
“What is it? Are you shamans?”
The manager asked with a slight frown.
We were dressed far too formally to be shamans.
“We’re not shamans. We’ve come to investigate and take measures regarding the matter. Would it be alright to ask you a few questions?”
“Hmm. That priest was coming and going saying something about catching demons. Where are you from? Have a seat over there.”
The manager tilted his head in confusion while pointing to the round table in the center of the management office.
As Ji-seok and I sat down, he took a seat on one side.
At that moment, Ji-seok quickly confirmed the small crucifix placed on the manager’s desk.
“Are you from the police?”
“No, we’re not from the police. We came to investigate at the request of Father Martino, who visited here.”
“Ah, then you must be from the diocese as well. I attend church too. Which diocese are you from?”
“I see. We came from the Seoul Diocese.”
Ji-seok smiled and nodded.
I glanced at Ji-seok, who responded so naturally.
After confirming the crucifix on the desk, he had smoothly lied as if he came from the church.
“From what Father Martino told us, this is the sixth time….”
“That’s right. That’s right. Let me check for a moment~”
The manager answered and brought over a diary that was on the round table, opening it.
He continued speaking while picking at his food with his chopsticks.
“At first, Woman from Unit 104, Building 8 suddenly started screaming and running around at night, rummaging through the garbage bins. Everyone was worried she’d developed dementia. But a few days later, she was completely fine. She didn’t even remember what she’d been doing.”
“What about her family?”
“They took her to a psychiatrist and ran dementia tests, but apparently nothing was wrong. Then a few days later, Young Man from Unit 1506 attempted suicide. He actually fell from the building, but got caught in a tree and miraculously survived.”
“That young man didn’t have any serious issues either?”
“No. He was a decent young man. He worked deliveries at the Mart nearby—such a polite and kind person. So you can imagine everyone’s shock when he suddenly jumped from the fifteenth floor saying he wanted to die.”
The Building Manager spoke while looking at the calendar pages in his diary.
The calendar had dates marked where the strange incidents had occurred.
It appeared the accidents had been happening at intervals of two weeks to a month since autumn this year.
“After that was Unit 1401. Then Unit 1109. Father Martino came because of that girl. And then—Unit 707.”
“Which unit is it now?”
“Unit 902. A girl who started elementary school this year.”
“Unit 902.”
Jiseok nodded and made a note in his notebook.
“Since autumn, the complex has been quite chaotic. Suicide attempts keep happening, and ambulances and police cars keep coming and going.”
“Is it because of the incidents happening in Building 8?”
“Yes. We’ve had resident complaints filed. It’s been quite disruptive.”
“When did Unit 902 start?”
“About three days ago, I’d say. The downstairs neighbors filed a noise complaint, so I went up to check and it was chaos. The parents can’t even go to work—they’re just taking care of the child.”
“I see.”
Jiseok nodded.
Then he glanced at Tae-woo and gestured with his chin for him to ask a question.
Tae-woo recalled the situation carefully before slowly speaking.
“Was there anything that happened in Building 8 before these incidents started?”
“Before?”
“Yes. Anytime this year, last year, whenever.”
“Well… the residents have been keeping quiet about this because they’re worried it’ll lower property values.”
The Building Manager lowered his voice and glanced around nervously before continuing.
“In early summer this year, Student from Unit 606 in Building 8 jumped and died.”
“Unit 606? And there were no strange incidents at that time?”
Jiseok asked with a serious expression after hearing the answer.
“No. That student didn’t exhibit any strange behavior.”
“Then why did he do it?”
“I’m not sure. From what I know, he was a second-year high school student—maybe it was academic despair. I’m not really sure.”
The Building Manager said.
“Did Unit 606 move out?”
“No. They didn’t move.”
“When did that happen?”
“July this year—what was the date… Ah, July 25th.”
The Building Manager flipped through his diary.
“When did the first anomaly occur on the First Floor?”
“The First Floor. First Floor. Around September 11th.”
The Building Manager answered.
Jistone nodded with an expression that suggested he’d figured something out.
Tae-woo quickly calculated the date in his head and immediately grasped its significance.
It was the forty-ninth day since the Student from Unit 606 had died.
The anomalies had begun manifesting from that day onward.
“Understood. We’ll conduct an investigation.”
Jistone gave Tae-woo a subtle nod to stand, then rose from his seat.
“Is there anything we can help with?”
“No. We’ll handle it ourselves.”
Jistone answered curtly but respectfully, then turned and left.
Tae-woo bowed slightly to the Building Manager and followed him out.
“It’s the forty-ninth day, right?”
Tae-woo asked quietly.
Jistone nodded.
“Yeah. That’s right. The seventh seven. In Buddhism, they say a person undergoes judgment for forty-nine days after death. That’s when people perform Jizang prayers and such.”
“Was that student Buddhist?”
“I don’t know, but even if they weren’t Buddhist, it’s common for spirits to remain in a fairly distinct form for forty-nine days after death. After that, they either ascend on their own, become Wandering Spirits drifting through the nine realms, transform into earthbound Wandering Spirits, or—filled with rage and resentment—gather spectral energy themselves and evolve to the next grade.”
“I see.”
“From what I can tell, the Student from Unit 606 became a ghost after death and has been wandering the complex. Given that it’s attacking others, it seems to harbor considerable resentment. Let’s start with Unit 606.”
Jistone said.
“Not Unit 902 first?”
“If we go there first, it might flee and hide again. Let’s pinpoint exactly what kind of spirit is possessing the child in Unit 902 before we confront it.”
Tae-woo nodded at Jistone’s words.
He found himself newly appreciating how strategically Jistone moved compared to the other employees he’d worked with so far.

* * *

Jinang Apartment, a fifteen-story complex, featured a corridor-style layout with units numbered 1 through 10 on each floor.
Four elevators operated between units 5 and 6, positioned on both sides of the central passage.
Each building had elevators at its center, with corridors extending on both sides leading to individual units.
Emergency staircases connecting all fifteen floors were positioned at both ends of the complex.
Jiseok and I moved toward the elevators on the first floor.
That’s when I noticed black mold blooming across the ceiling and corners.
For an apartment complex with so many units, the lack of maintenance seemed distinctly odd.
Jiseok noticed me observing the mold above and nodded knowingly.
“I can’t say how much resentment the ghost wandering Building 8 carries, but it’s definitely powerful. If the Student from Unit 606 is correct, it’s been less than a year since death, yet it’s already generating mold like this.”
“….”
As Jiseok finished his explanation, the elevator arrived.
We stepped inside and pressed the button for the sixth floor.

Whirrrrrr whirrrrrrr—

The elevator trembled slightly before ascending slowly.
A stale, musty odor permeated the enclosed space.
I furrowed my brow and glanced upward at the elevator ceiling.
Mold had begun to bloom there as well.
Then it happened.

Shhhhhhh—

A wave of cold brushed past the nape of my neck.
Jiseok, sensing something amiss, withdrew a talisman card from his pocket and gripped it tightly.
Click—
In that instant—
My Ghost Radar flashed blue.
It was coming from the mirror.
The moment I turned toward it—a gaunt, shadowy figure lunged from within the mirror, its arm shooting out to seize Jiseok’s throat and drag him forward.
Thud—
Jiseok was pulled directly into the mirror with a dull, heavy impact.
I immediately drew my Blood Crimson Blade from my waist and stabbed the spirit’s arm.

Szzzzzzzzz—

The arm that burst from the mirror and the black figure within it dissolved into black smoke and vanished.
From its reaction, it appeared to be a Grade 1 Wandering Spirit drifting about.
“Are you alright?”
Tae-woo asked, looking at Ji-seok.
Ji-seok nodded and turned his body toward the mirror.
Now, nothing but Tae-woo and himself were visible.
“Damn. This feels ominous.”
He muttered while fingering a stiff talisman card.
“What do you mean?”
Tae-woo asked.
“When there’s a powerful spirit, yin energy accumulates around it, and other spirits are drawn to gather. You’ve experienced this too, haven’t you? In buildings with powerful spirits, all sorts of lesser spirits congregate.”
At his words, Tae-woo recalled the fields he had encountered so far.
Certainly, aside from the ‘main’ spirit, subordinate spirits had appeared.
“Mold blooming in a place that seems to be cleaned frequently, or Wandering Spirits displaying such aggression—it means yin energy is accumulating here. All I can do is hope my suspicions are wrong.”
Ji-seok said quietly.
Gulp—
Tae-woo swallowed involuntarily.
He was worried whether he could face spirits with only the Blood Crimson Blade without the Ghost Slayer Blade.
Of course, even holding the Blood Crimson Blade instead of the Ghost Slayer Blade seemed to significantly enhance his physical abilities.
But there was certainly a difference in attack range, and the strength required when slaying a powerful spirit also differed.
It meant Tae-woo was at a disadvantage in multiple ways.

Ding—

Then, the elevator arrived at the sixth floor.
The two descended immediately and approached Unit 606.
Mold bloomed here and there in the corridor as well.
With the weather growing cold and the outside wind blowing through well, mold had taken root.
After hearing Ji-seok’s explanation, Tae-woo saw those patches of mold differently.
“Here it is.”
The two stopped in front of Unit 606.
The entrance door was extremely cluttered with all sorts of flyers.
At first glance, it seemed no one lived there, but the fluorescent light shining from the window beside the entrance door suggested someone was inside.
Ding-dong—
Ji-seok immediately pressed the doorbell.

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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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