The Calamity-Class Artifacts in Ghost Stories Are Obsessed with Me - Chapter 60

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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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Catastrophe-Class Relics in Urban Legends Obsessed With Me — Episode 60
“Twenty-four years old?”
Woo Ju raised an eyebrow.
“So he’s been working since he was fourteen?”
“That’s right.”
Baek Ho nodded and continued speaking. Woo Ju asked him another question.
“Is that even possible?”
“He probably wasn’t a full-time employee.”
It wasn’t Baek Ho who answered, but Hwa Ryeon.
Hwa Ryeon kept her gaze fixed forward as she spoke to Woo Ju.
“Japan operates the Civilian Cooperation System pretty broadly, you know? They’re always short-staffed over there. But even so, it’s rare to employ minors.”
“So he was an exception, then.”
“Exactly. According to what I’ve heard, he was already being treated as an Ace even before officially joining.”
Woo Ju marveled at that.
What kind of ability could someone possess to earn Ace status at such a young age in an organization like the Inspection Bureau?
“By the way, her name is Hanazawa Rei. It’s unlikely, but try not to ask about personal circumstances like that directly.”
“Of course not.”
“Understood.”
Naturally, Woo Ju had no intention of doing so.
They were about to work together, and he couldn’t ruin things from the start just to satisfy a bit of curiosity.
“We’ll be there soon.”
Not long after, Hwa Ryeon glanced at the navigation and spoke.
According to the display, there were only a few minutes left until their destination.
“So, today we unpack and then grab some noodles, right?”
“Yes. Of course, no alcohol.”
“That goes without saying. We save the drinking for after everything’s done and we’re heading back.”
Baek Ho said this with a laugh.
Soon after, the car came to a stop in front of what looked like a pension.
Of course, it wasn’t actually a pension — it was a building owned by the Inspection Bureau.
The building looked relatively new and well-maintained, and the interior was equally well-appointed.
During this operation, they would be staying in this building the whole time.
‘I wonder how long we’ll be here.’
He still had no idea how long this mission would take.
They hadn’t even begun tracking that Calamity Spirit yet.
The real work would start after the Japanese agents arrived tomorrow.
‘For now, I should get some good sleep and build up my stamina.’
Of course, a meal was essential too.
“Let’s go!”
Soon Hwa Ryeon and Baek Ho finished unpacking and came out, and Woo Ju headed outside with them.
“I’ve got a place I was recommended. It’s not far from here….”
And so the first day in Busan passed quickly.
* * *
The next day.
Word came that the Japanese agents had arrived during the morning.
The meeting place was a cafe near the lodging, where Woo Ju and the others were already waiting.
And when the appointed time arrived, the door opened.
The first to enter was a middle-aged man.
He was said to be in his mid-forties, but the near-white of his hair made him appear older.
Sharp eyes and an air that was far from ordinary.
Yet what drew the eye more was the young woman who entered with him.
Tall and neat in appearance, the woman had no particularly striking features, but Woo Ju had heard something about her yesterday.
‘Is that Hanazawa Rei?’
The one who’d started in this line of work all the way back at fourteen.
Soon, the two of them approached the table and exchanged light greetings.
“I am Kagurazaka Shinichi.”
The middle-aged man spoke in Korean. Not fluent, but comprehensible.
“I am Hanazawa Rei.”
The young woman followed with her own introduction in Korean. Her fluency was far superior.
From what had been heard, both could communicate to some degree in Korean.
It had apparently been factored in when they selected the personnel in the first place.
“I’m Hwa Ryeon.”
“Baek Ho.”
“Woo Ju.”
The Korean Inspection Bureau representatives then introduced themselves in turn.
Since they hadn’t gathered to build rapport, they sat down immediately and began discussing business.
“I’ll get straight to the point.”
Kagurazaka Shinichi spoke first.
He opened the envelope he’d brought and spread out the materials.
“These are the Tatari-kami-related documents we’ve been tracking for the past three years.”
With three years of accumulated data, the volume was considerable.
“Damage records from Japan, movement patterns, suspected weak points.”
Woo Ju scanned through the documents with his eyes, then stopped at one particular spot.
It was a photograph from the scene—a building had been completely demolished.
Hwa Ryeon, having noticed the same image, turned to Shinichi immediately.
“Did the Tatari-kami do that?”
“Both yes and no.”
Shinichi interlaced his fingers as he answered.
“That’s secondary damage that occurred in the wake of its passage. The Tatari-kami doesn’t directly destroy things so much as it summons calamity.”
This was information they’d already received earlier.
True to its names—Calamity Spirit, Calamity Kami—the Tatari-kami was deeply connected to disaster.
The reason the Korean Division of the Inspection Bureau had immediately begun cooperating with the Japanese branch the moment they confirmed its arrival was precisely because of this threat.
The longer they waited, the worse the damage would become.
“There are several other dangerous characteristics as well. If you look here…”
After that, Shinichi explained the Tatari-kami point by point, working through the materials.
Listening to the explanation made it abundantly clear they had indeed pursued it relentlessly over the past three years.
At the same time, it became apparent that the Tatari-kami was no trivial opponent.
The Japanese division was certainly no incompetent operation.
Yet despite three years of such persistent pursuit, they hadn’t managed to finish it, and it had slipped through their fingers to cross into Korea.
This clearly demonstrated that the Tatari-kami was far from ordinary.
“So, based on these materials, I believe our first priority should be pinpointing its location.”
Shinichi concluded his lengthy explanation with that.
Hwa Ryeon nodded slowly at those words, then opened her mouth.
“You’re right—the longer we leave it unchecked, the more dangerous it becomes. We’ve also prepared materials in advance on our end.”
With that, she produced a thick file folder.
Hwa Ryeon spread it out so everyone could see and explained.
“These are locations where accidents have been occurring at an abnormal rate recently. These are the predicted routes we’ve mapped by connecting those accident sites.”
They already knew the characteristic that the Tatari-kami summoned calamity.
So the Korean Division had investigated locations where accidents were rising sharply and developed several scenarios in advance.
Shinichi and Rei’s eyes gleamed as they examined it.
“With materials like these, the search should be far more efficient. I think we can begin the search right away.”
“That’s fortunate. There’s no benefit in dragging this out. The Tatari-kami is moving through Korea now.”
At those pointed words, Shinichi let out a wry smile.
“The Tatari-kami has already caused considerable damage in Japan. I sincerely hope we can handle it quickly enough to prevent such calamity from occurring in Korea.”
“Yes. That’s what I hope for as well.”
After concluding their discussion.
They rose from their seats immediately.
The Tatari-kami had been weakened by the prolonged pursuit, and crossing the water had drained it further.
In other words, it was weakest now.
Conversely, as time passed, it would continue to regain its strength.
This meant they had to move fast.
Otherwise, once the Tatari-kami fully recovered, it could rampage through Korea for years just as it had in Japan, dealing devastating blows.
Click.
Once Hwa Ryeon got in the car and gripped the steering wheel, she spoke.
“If we add the Tatari-kami to a situation like this, it’s going to become a nightmare.”
Recently, various branches of the Inspection Bureau had been operating frantically under the influence of the surging abnormal entities.
The Korean Division was no exception.
But if a recovered Tatari-kami was added to that? It probably wouldn’t remain merely hectic.
Vroooom.
Shortly after, Hwa Ryeon decided to drive toward the first checkpoint.
The search would be divided between the Japanese team and themselves, methodically confirming the pre-investigated checkpoints one by one.
Even if the Tatari-kami has already vanished, examining the site can tell us whether it was responsible or merely an accident.
“You’re using this to check, then?”
Baek Ho withdrew an item he’d received from Hwa Ryeon beforehand as he spoke.
It was a Copper Coin.
Hwa Ryeon nodded and replied.
“Yes. Keep it safe—I barely managed to get it from the craftsman.”
It seemed to be something made by the artisan who worked in that strange corner of the company.
“There it is.”
About ten minutes later, they arrived at the first location.
It was a building in Haeundae where cracks had suddenly spider-webbed across the ceiling and walls, drawing the Inspection Bureau’s investigative attention.
But after inspecting the site, Hwa Ryeon clicked her tongue and shook her head.
“Not this one.”
“Yeah, it just looks like shoddy construction.”
The Copper Coin showed nothing, and there were no traces of anything unusual.
As Baek Ho said, it appeared to be ordinary poor workmanship.
Without lingering, they climbed back into the car and moved to the next location.
They fell into a rhythm: drive, exit, investigate, repeat—all day long.
Yet frustratingly, they found no sign of the Tatari-kami anywhere.
It was all a dead end.
They’d contacted the Japanese side as well, and it seemed those leads were equally fruitless.
“Maybe we should head back soon.”
“Mm. One more stop on the way back to the lodging.”
“Sigh. All right.”
They decided to check one final location before returning, and set off in that direction.
This time it was a Pension in a somewhat remote area that had suddenly caught fire and burned to the ground.
“There it is.”
Not long after, the car pulled up in front of it.
Woo Ju stepped out and gazed at the charred Pension building.
Completely burned and collapsed, with blackened debris scattered everywhere, the acrid smell of smoke still hung thick in the air.
Woo Ju narrowed his eyes as he studied the building.
He’d seen disaster sites before coming here, but something about this place felt different.
There was an unsettling quality to it, somehow.
“Oh.”
Then Baek Ho, who had just exited the car, let out a surprised sound.
Turning to look, Woo Ju saw the Copper Coin in Baek Ho’s hand vibrating with a low hum.
“Found it.”
Hwa Ryeon saw it too and grinned, baring her teeth.
She then withdrew something resembling a Gourd Pipe, placed it in her mouth, and spoke to both Baek Ho and Woo Ju.
“Both of you, step back for a moment.”
“Roger.”
“Understood.”
Hwa Ryeon strode forward purposefully, then brought her fingertip to the end of the Gourd Pipe.
Whoosh!
A spark ignited, and smoke began to curl upward from the Gourd Pipe—which moments before had held nothing at all.
Hwa Ryeon drew in a long, deep breath, then exhaled slowly.
Whaaaaa—
From that small mouth erupted a volume of smoke so immense it seemed impossible it could fit inside her.
The air around them grew thick, as if shrouded in mist.
But what came next was even more startling.
The smoke moved of its own accord, beginning to sketch a shape in the air.
‘What kind of relic is that?’
Woo Ju had never seen Hwa Ryeon use it before.
Judging by Baek Ho’s tone when he’d asked if she was using it “already,” it was clearly no ordinary item.
Whiiiii—
Soon the shape formed by the smoke completed itself.
It had an extraordinarily grotesque appearance.
A body of deep black. Elongated horns. Razor-sharp fangs. And piercing eyes.
It seemed like the jumbled features of several beasts melded together.
Whiii—
And then it began to run toward something.
Hwa Ryeon withdrew the gourd pipe from her lips and spoke.
“Let’s go after it. Before it vanishes.”
To be continued in the next chapter ▶
Catastrophe-Class Relics from Urban Legends and Their Obsessions
Author
Lee Se-gye
Publishers
Kim Seok-hwan, Choi Se-ra
Published by
Grae Publishing
Inquiries
[email protected]
Publication Date
May 26, 2026
UCI
G720:N+A327-20260410110
※ This e-book is protected by copyright law. Unauthorized reproduction and distribution are prohibited, and violation may result in criminal and civil liability.
※ Pentagram welcomes your precious manuscripts.

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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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