Exorcism Specialist Company: Ghost Soul Trading - Chapter 97

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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 97

Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-
Yerim cried out in alarm at Tae-woo’s sudden charge.
“Tae-woo!”
At her cry, Director Cha Jun-ho also spun around in surprise.
Tae-woo was charging toward the Emergency Staircase, the opposite direction from where they were heading.
For a moment, I wondered if he was fleeing, but seeing the angle at which Tae-woo held his Ghost Blade, I immediately understood this wasn’t an escape—it was him positioning himself.
Whoooosh-
The ghosts thrashed their arms and legs frantically trying to seize Tae-woo, but not a single one could stop him.
Thump-
Reaching the end of the Corridor where the Emergency Staircase was located, Tae-woo planted his heels against the wall and tensed his legs with tremendous force.
He gauged the angle to launch himself forward and confirmed the positions of the ghosts around him.

Shrieeeeeek-

Several of the ghosts rushed toward Tae-woo.
In that instant—Tae-woo pushed hard against the wall with his heels and launched himself forward.
Crack-
Simultaneously, the wall where he had pushed off fractured slightly and caved inward.
It was a testament to the tremendous force Tae-woo had unleashed in that single moment.

Whoooosh-

From this moment onward, what began to unfold was a phenomenon that even Cha Jun-ho, a manager who had worked at Guihon Trading Company for many years, was witnessing for the first time.
It felt as though an enormous beam of light had been unleashed.
Something had passed by with incredible speed.
Both Ye-rim, who had been firing intensely, and Ji-seok, who had been wielding his fan, found themselves frozen in that instant.
A devastatingly powerful killing intent had swept through their midst with blinding velocity.
Kwaaaaaang—
And that extraordinary phenomenon extended to the far end of the opposite corridor.
There stood Tae-woo, having plunged his sword into the head of the ghost that had been protruding around the corner, now braking sharply as he lowered his stance and came to a halt.
The blade lodged in the ghost’s skull was embedded deep within the concrete wall.
With devastating force, he had pierced through the ghost’s head and driven it into the wall.
While that alone was astounding, what was even more difficult to believe was that he had traversed the distance from the emergency staircase where the group had ascended to the opposite corner of the corridor in less than a single second.
Amid all this, the ghosts that had revealed themselves throughout the corridor stood frozen solid.
But that was not the end.
Ping—
With a sharp sound, cracks began spreading across the bodies of every ghost in the corridor.
Then, from the ghosts near the emergency staircase where Tae-woo had begun running to those at the far end of the corridor where the corner lay, they began to dissolve in succession like dominoes, transforming into black smoke.

Chwajajajajajajajajajaak—

The sight resembled a tsunami of black smoke sweeping forth from the end of the corridor.
Ye-rim, Ji-seok, and Manager Cha Jun-ho shielded their faces and crouched low.
Chwajajajajajaak—
As the surrounding ghosts dissolved, they too were engulfed in the black smoke.
Tsuuzuzuzuzuzuzuzuzu—
Soon, only Tae-woo’s group and the large-headed ghost remained in this corridor.
The ghost with its forehead pierced by the Demon Slayer Sword embedded in the wall rolled its eyes frantically and thrashed about.
Blood poured from its nose and mouth in thick streams.

Sasisasosasusisasosasyasisasusisesosasyasi—

Simultaneously, it emitted an eerie sound.
That sound reached Tae-woo’s ears through the Ghost Microphone.

[You will not survive here. You will become trapped just like your friend.]

Hearing that, Tae-woo shook his head and grabbed the Spirit Blade, slashing it sideways with tremendous force.
The ghost’s head split open as the Spirit Blade embedded itself in the wall, which cracked with a sharp sound.
Szzzzzzzzz—
The large-headed ghost turned pitch black before dissolving into smoke and vanishing.
Tae-woo examined the blade of the Spirit Blade that had been embedded in the concrete.
Despite having pierced and slashed through the solid concrete, not a single scratch marred its surface.
“What was that just now?”
Ji-seok asked in astonishment.
Ye-rim also slowly surveyed the surroundings, shaking her head in disbelief.
Tae-woo had moved to the opposite side of the corridor in an instant, and all the ghosts had been completely annihilated.
From the circumstances, it appeared he had run swiftly while cutting down the spirits, but logically speaking, it made no sense.
“Regroup.”
However, Cha Jun-ho spoke in a calm voice before replacing his magazine.
Ji-seok and Ye-rim also gathered their talismans and replaced their magazines before approaching Tae-woo.
“What is this on the wall?”
Ji-seok stared at the concrete wall with an expression of shock.
Long, deep blade marks ran across the corridor wall.
They were traces of when Tae-woo had embedded his sword to catch the large-headed ghost, then slashed it sideways.
“The blade is completely intact despite this?? Wow….”
Ye-rim also touched the blade marks with her fingertips, marveling at them.
They were cut with extraordinary sharpness and precision.
“This isn’t all there is.”
Cha Jun-ho raised his flashlight and illuminated various points along the corridor.
The ‘traces of an instant’ that had been obscured by the red lighting now became visible.
The ceiling, walls, and floor were all covered in blade marks.
They were the remnants of the Spirit Blade being wielded relentlessly as Tae-woo charged forward.
Gulp—
Witnessing this sight, Ji-seok and Ye-rim could not hide their tension.
They were astounded by Tae-woo’s speed and destructive power.
What was even more unbelievable was that despite displaying such destructive force, the Spirit Blade bore not a single scratch.
It was simply incomprehensible.
“I don’t sense any more spiritual energy on this floor. Let’s take a quick look around and head up to the next level.”
Cha Jun-ho felt the same way, but he concealed it and issued the order.
The team members then reformed their formation, inspected each guest room one by one, and moved toward the Emergency Staircase.

* * *

8th Floor of Happy Motel.
Crash—
As I and my team pushed through the emergency staircase door onto the 8th floor, we all bore expressions of exhaustion.
Ji-seok and Ye-rim, along with Manager Cha Jun-ho, were breathing heavily, their clothes drenched in sweat.
Throughout our ascent to the 8th floor, we had engaged in continuous combat with countless ghosts.
Most of the ghosts that appeared were Grade 4 Long-Blade Ghosts, each one formidably strong.
Though I had performed remarkably, cutting down many ghosts—ever since I sliced through them all at once in the 3rd floor corridor, the ghosts seemed to have adapted, shifting their pattern to lure us into rooms before attacking, much like on the 2nd floor.
As a result, my opportunities to cut down multiple ghosts at once diminished, and unfortunately, my teammates’ stamina drained rapidly.
Of course, even amid all this, I showed no signs of fatigue.
I wasn’t even breathing heavily, not a single bead of sweat on my skin.
“Kim Chief, you’re not tired? Phew. I’m dying here.”
Ji-seok leaned against the corridor wall beside the elevator, breathing heavily.
Ye-rim bent at the waist, breathing hard enough to cough.
“Your stamina is pathetic. You know there’s a promotion exam in January, right? How are you planning to handle the physical fitness test?”
Manager Cha Jun-ho patted Ji-seok’s shoulder as he spoke.
“A promotion exam?”
I widened my eyes at this unfamiliar information, looking toward Manager Cha Jun-ho.
“What? You didn’t tell him about the annual promotion exam?”
Manager Cha Jun-ho turned to Ye-rim with a surprised expression.
“Oh, yes. Not yet.”
Ye-rim laughed awkwardly as she answered.
“Tsk. You should have told him. Every January there’s a promotion exam. After the New Year ceremony in January, the list of eligible promotion exam candidates is announced. Those people then take a written exam, a practical exam, and a physical fitness test to advance to the next rank. At that point, salary negotiations are also renegotiated according to the new rank.”
Manager Cha Jun-ho shot Ye-rim a look before explaining to me.
“Oh. So something like that exists.”
“But not everyone can take it. You become eligible after being in your current rank for three years, or if you’ve caught a lot of ghosts and accumulated high scores.”
“I see.”
I nodded in understanding.
“Director Bang is taking the promotion exam in January, right?”
“Yes.”
Ji-seok nodded while wiping sweat from his face.
“So you’re aiming for the rank of vice manager?”
“I’m already training hard at the gym for it.”
He clenched his fist confidently, though his breathing still seemed labored.

Whoooooosh—

Just then, a cold wind swept through the corridor, and Tae-woo’s Ghost Radar picked up the spirits.
Turning his head to look, he saw more ghosts appearing once again.
“Sick of these bastards.”
Manager Cha Jun-ho checked the chamber of his rifle once and stepped forward with determination.
Shhhhhhh—
At that moment, a woman with long hair caught his eye among the spirits.
Standing at the far end of the opposite corridor, she wore a one-piece dress with a blouse draped over it. Despite her frail frame, she emanated an overwhelmingly powerful ghostly aura.
Her face was painted so thickly white that it resembled heavy makeup, with no nose or mouth visible—only two eyes gleaming brightly.
The other spirits in front of her also possessed fairly ordinary human features, but they had mannequin-like pale skin, unfocused eyes, and lips that were grotesquely dark.
However, these spirits did not emit the same powerful energy as the Female Ghost.
“If I catch that Female Ghost this time, I think we’ll be done.”
Manager Cha Jun-ho said, stepping forward.
“Wait, I’d like to catch my breath. Kim Chief, can’t you cut them all down in one go like before?”
At that moment, Ji-seok asked while wiping sweat from his face.
“Putting pressure on the youngest member.”
Manager Cha Jun-ho said, furrowing his brow.
But Tae-woo walked forward with confidence.
“Let me give it a try.”
At those words, Manager Cha Jun-ho turned his head toward Tae-woo.
His expression was brimming with confidence.
Tae-woo clearly remembered the sensation from moments ago when he had sliced through the spirits in an instant while crossing the corridor.
It wasn’t something he had consciously planned.
Rather, driven solely by the determination to save his seniors who were threatened by the spirits while being surrounded on both sides, he had pondered what method would allow him to cut down all the spirits in a single stroke.
The result was simply moving to the end of the corridor like sweeping with a broom from the corners during room cleaning, then running to the opposite end while swinging his blade.
This time too, with the spirits out in the corridor and what appeared to be a mid-boss Female Ghost at the far end of the opposite corridor, he felt confident he could clear them all in the same manner.
“Alright. Give it a shot.”
Manager Cha Jun-ho lowered his rifle and stepped aside next to Ji-seok.
Then Tae-woo walked into the middle of the corridor, holding a pistol in his left hand and a Ghost Slayer Blade in his right.
The other team members quietly watched his back.

Shashishashisosasishisosishishasha—
[
You will not leave this place alive.]

The ghosts all emitted bizarre sounds in unison, reverberating from all directions like surround speakers.
Through the Ghost Microphone, those sounds were translated and reached Tae-woo’s ears.
Hearing the ghosts’ cries mixed with Beethoven’s melody, Tae-woo lowered his stance slightly.
Whoosh—
Then he shot forward like a bullet.
But this time, he couldn’t sweep through to the end of the corridor in one strike like before.
The ghost at the very front had seized his wrist, blocking his blade.
Clang—
Without hesitation, Tae-woo fired the pistol in his left hand directly into the ghost’s abdomen.

Bang, bang, bang, bang—

Black smoke poured from the ghost’s abdomen.
Tae-woo stepped back and slashed the ghost’s neck with his blade.
Slash—
Sizzzzzzzzz—
The ghost dissipated.
The next ghost immediately lunged at Tae-woo.

Exorcism Specialist Company Guihon Trading Chapter 97

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

UCI
G720:N+A036-20260318158.0097

ⓒ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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