Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work Novel (End Part 1) - Chapter 200

Light poured down.

A sharpened blade flashed, slicing with conviction.

A dance of shaman’s ritual blade in both hands and from the sky.

Aaaaaaaaaa…!

Numerous shaman’s ritual blade plunged into the body of the centipede, resembling a fallen monk.

These were not the shiny shaman’s ritual blade for subduing villains that were plunged into Agent Jin Nasol at the Dragon Palace, or into me in the dream incubation room.

These were ritual shaman’s ritual blade, adorned with elaborate tassels and intricate bells, easily twice the size.

For rituals.

Weapons to confront evil ‘beings’.

Uuueeuaaauuuu…!

The wicked thing that had been expounding worldly truths—no, in truth, merely muttering its horrifying revelations and mimicking human vocal organs to implant madness—writhed.

Each time it squirmed, human arms fell to the ground, turning to ash and finding peace.

The procedure of a memorial ritual.

Thump.

As the centipede convulsed, the pillars and rafters of the Seonangdang collapsed.

The fragments seemed as if they would pour down onto people’s heads at any moment, but…

“Do not worry.”

Agent Cheongdong’s firm voice was heard.

The transparent bullets from his glass handcannon pierced the air around the Seonangdang, trapping the centipede and preventing it from leaving

Like a talisman, bullets with appropriate characters carved into their centers produced their precise effect.

“It will be alright now.”

“……”

“The most difficult and tricky procedure for resolving these types of shamanistic supernatural disasters is revealing the hidden identity.”

I know.

Because you have to know what it is to defeat it.

And also the reason why the Disaster Management Bureau didn’t easily recognize that Nameless Brilliant Cult evangelist, who was buried in the Seonangdang within a jar of alcohol and imparting strange power.

The comments Agent Choi had painstakingly written herself.

-Hmm… Actually, the branch wanted to investigate more thoroughly. But other government departments kept blocking them, giving them a hard time. Even dissolving the village was rejected.

They said things like, ‘Isn’t it enough to go and rescue them every year?’ and ‘The exact causal relationship between disappearances and deaths hasn’t been proven,’ etc.

But in reality, it seemed there were officials receiving kickbacks from Jisan Village.

That’s why their hands were tied.

-Isn’t it really long and repetitive, thinking of the annual festival period as a disaster? But when considered as an investigation period, it’s far too short.

Especially with ghost stories that have such long histories, where rituals have been altered and it’s difficult to find their original form, it’s even trickier.

It became a situation where they were too busy just rescuing distress callers.

They had barely managed to maintain the status quo like that.

-So it’s always a pity. There’s clearly a culprit, but… if only we could find it, we could try to defeat it or exorcise it. Not being able to do that leaves a bitter taste.

-Hold on, Roe Deer, if you read this, don’t decide to uncover the village’s secret alone! Let’s do it together! Got it? ^^

However…

I did it.

“You found its identity.”

I looked up.

“You brought that out of the Seonangdang. And now that its identity has been revealed.”

Agent Cheongdong was smiling.

“Ending this disaster has become our specialty.”

Namely…

The specialty of the Hyunmu Team.

“The traditional sense of evil. It’s eradicated.”

“Sir!”

A shout came from the roof.

Agent Choi threw his shaman’s ritual blade into the sky, and the ghost flame in his hand burned as brightly as the sun.

Flames swept even the bottom of the shattered Seonangdang.

Aaaaaaaaaa!

The dark, damp,阴 (yin) place created for the centipede burned away as if consumed by fire, and the bright, warm,阳 (yang) energy arrived.

Auuuaaaauuu!

The centipede, having lost many human arms, opened its mouth again, but its enlightenment was no longer well-expressed in human language.

The systematically executed supernatural disaster eradication of the Hyunmu Team gradually cornered it.

First. Purification of the ritual space.

Driving out the environment conducive to evil spirits.

And second.

Binding.

“Now!”

The bullets Agent Cheongdong had fired tightened around the Seonangdang.

The centipede, having lost many human arms and exposed to the dazzling environment, thrashed and struggled.

However, the countermeasures, piercing its inherent and elemental weaknesses like an awl, severed its connection to the unspeakable evil truth it possessed, making it vulnerable.

Thus, the end approached.

Third.

“Sealing.”

䥗 (Geum, meaning “metal” or “gold”, often used in seals)

Agent Cheongdong’s glass handcannon fired its last bullet.

It had undergone a powerful exorcism ritual, crafted with subtle and skillful artistry in the Baridaegi Crafts Workshop, and it fit perfectly onto the evil being’s body.

Precisely on its forehead.

Thunk.

And then.

From the hole in the centipede’s body where the bullet had lodged, its contents were sucked in.

Inward.

Oooooooooo!

The centipede crumpled with a strange rupturing sound, as if contracting into a single point. No, not just the centipede, but the Seonangdang and the ground beneath it, the alcohol, and its domain contaminated by the Jinejisung were all sucked in.

Into the glass bullet.

Aaaaaaaaaa!

The centipede’s voice echoed like a death cry, and soon…

It stopped.

…

Thud.

A blackened glass bead fell into the hollow pit where the Seonangdang once stood.

On the surface of the fist-sized glass bullet, there was an engraved image of a centipede.

That rough and bold engraving seemed to shimmer with a golden light, like fragments of the Nameless Brilliant Cult’s sacred scriptures, but it soon faded as if blocked by a powerful sealing force.

The surface of the glass bullet quickly turned into a silver lump, as if chilling.

“……”

“……”

Agent Cheongdong went to the pit, picked up the silver bead, scanned its surface as if checking it, then put it into a lucky pouch.

And declared.

“It’s terminated.”

“Phew!”

Agent Choi, still holding his shaman’s ritual blade, slumped to the ground.

“Are the people okay?”

“Yes. They are in a stable condition.”

The outsiders and villagers who had experienced the shocking ordeal were all either unconscious and collapsed, stumbling around, or standing still, staring blankly into space.

Perhaps with the disappearance of the centipede, which had violently imparted the truth of madness to them, they had temporarily lost their reason due to the emptiness.

The pungmulnori troupe members had disappeared, leaving only their instruments and clothes behind.

Occasionally, bones and dirt could be seen beneath the collapsed clothes…

And my eyes, which had surveyed all of it, returned to Agent Choi’s back.

“……”

The agent sat still.

Staring at the hollow left by the vanished Seonangdang.

‘…What is he thinking?’

A spy who would die in a month if he didn’t leak information from the Disaster Management Bureau.

He himself was almost implicated and died.

But what was the agent thinking, who had come all the way to this provincial area, preparing everything in a single day to save that spy, and fought the centipede risking his life?

“……”

I didn’t want to know.

Because the thoughts I would have, the things I would have to do once I realized, felt too tiring.

It was definitely like that.

But, you know.

Now, for a brief, fleeting moment…

I also want to hear the answer.

What he’s thinking.

“…Roe Deer.”

“……!”

“Would you like to come here?”

Without thinking anything, I walked towards him.

Agent Choi didn’t turn to look at me.

However, as I approached, he extended his hand behind his back.

Towards me.

“It’s all done. Let’s go back.”

…

…

I took his hand.

Agent Choi pulled my hand, lightly rising from his spot.

“Heave-ho!”

The same smile as before was on his face as he looked back at me.

And he began to fuss.

“Oh dear, my body aches. I just rested for a day, and the kid goes missing. This is why I can’t rest.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not Roe Deer’s fault, is it? The distress caller wasn’t in their right mind, you can’t help in unexpected situations.”

“……”

“Still, don’t do anything too reckless next time.”

As if there would naturally be a next time.

That’s how he spoke.

“…Yes.”

It was strange, but somehow, I felt like the situation had improved a little.

Even though nothing had been resolved or progressed.

“……”

My mind felt a little clearer.

“Good. That’s Hyunmu Team 1 for you!”

Agent Choi patted my back and headed towards Agent Cheongdong to look at the bead he had retrieved.

I took a deep breath and exhaled.

‘Right.’

At least I survived today.

And seeing the Disaster Management Bureau agents seal a bizarre entity from a ghost story through traditional exorcism… perhaps, it wasn’t a bad day after all.

‘Everyone survived too.’

…My heart felt much lighter.

The brightly shining ghost flame had disappeared, but the sun was shining in the sky.

‘Hmm.’

And as I lowered my head, I saw the collapsed figures of the people who had acted as my human palanquin, lying next to the empty Seonangdang area.

But there were only three.

‘Baek Saheon.’

I shifted my gaze to where the distress caller had been standing.

Baek Saheon, who was one of the human palanquin bearers, had originally been standing to the left of the Seonangdang…

‘Hmm.’

He was gone from his spot.

It seemed he had fled as soon as things started to go wrong.

‘That’s not unusual.’

No, in this case, it was even the most sensible decision.

Still, now that my energy was somewhat back, I felt a little annoyed.

‘Someone else suffered like a dog because that bastard pushed them into a spot where they would die in his place…’

But still, risking exposure to tell me all about the village throughout the night was definitely helpful.

‘Now he won’t have to come back here either.’

-No, you have to come here every year. If you just run away, you’ll go crazy and hang yourself!

According to what Baek Saheon had said in the early morning, villagers had to periodically visit Jisan Village to escape the madness of ‘worldly truth’.

Even if the centipede was pickled in alcohol, pressed down with a paperweight, and enshrined in the Seonangdang, it was probably because they had already had too much contact with it.

But now that the source, Jinejisung, is gone, I don’t know for sure, but it would probably be better.

‘Hmm.’

I was about to look away when I noticed something peculiar.

There was something in the spot where Baek Saheon had been.

“……”

I moved ever so slightly and picked up the object.

A note… no, something like a small paper boat made from origami.

‘Did he leave it?’

Thinking I’d look at it later, I put it in my pocket.

And when I turned my head, I met Agent Choi’s eyes, who had been looking at me.

“……”

“……”

Agent Choi, still smiling, turned his head and said casually.

“It’s a good thing we weren’t late, right? We literally rushed over as soon as we finished preparing.”

“If Agent Choi hadn’t been on Seorak Mountain, you would have come faster. Why did you take a day off and go there anyway?”

“Hahaha… To recuperate in a place with good air and water? Oh, anyway, there he is! The number one contributor who helped us get to Roe Deer on time!”

Agent Choi pointed to a spot.

At its end was… Assistant Manager Eun Haje!

“Yes. He immediately told us the location of the Seonangdang.”

“……!”

Assistant Manager Eun Haje had been waiting at the village entrance and immediately told them the destination of the Seonangdang as soon as she saw them.

Thanks to him, the agents were able to arrive before I was enchanted by the Jinejisung and became its arm…

‘…He must be busy with his own work.’

I was grateful.

I tried not to stare blankly.

“He recognized Cheongdong. Oh, they’re greeting each other.”

Assistant Manager Eun Haje nodded slightly as he met our eyes, then disappeared into the crowd.

More precisely, he probably thought he did, and I accepted it that way, but to someone with incredibly sharp eyes, it wasn’t so.

Because he was clearly moving with purpose among the dazed, seemingly soulless people.

“Shh.”

Agent Choi, who had been watching it quietly with a hand over his mouth, frowned slightly.

“He’s going towards the abandoned houses. Hmm.”

He put away his shaman’s ritual blade and quickly tidied his clothes.

“Let’s follow him. His destination is unusual… A reporter?”

“That’s right.”

“That’s a pretty good profession for infiltration, isn’t it?”

A chilling deduction.

‘I hope the Assistant Manager doesn’t get caught too.’

I didn’t want to put Assistant Manager Eun Haje in a difficult position, nor did I want to push Agent Choi any further into Director Ho’s grasp.

That would truly be a catastrophe, wouldn’t it?

“Hmm.”

Agent Choi, who had been conversing with Agent Cheongdong, turned to me. And after scrutinizing me carefully, he said this.

“Roe Deer… you can go out and rest if you want.”

No.

“If it’s alright, I’d like to go with you.”

“Okay. Let’s go together.”

“……”

Did he notice?

Even if he hadn’t noticed, I felt a twisting sensation in my stomach from his kindness.

At any rate, I hastened my steps, following the moving agents.

And a moment later.

We could see Assistant Manager Eun Haje, who had half-torn open the wooden cover over the well, looking inside.

“…No.”

She muttered that as well.

“Citizen? Are you looking for something right now?”

Assistant Manager Eun Haje, who had been looking down the well, lifted her head and looked at us with a somewhat dumbfounded expression.

“Why are you acting like ordinary civil servants now… My goodness. Aren’t you guys… from the comics?”

“Comics…”

“How about 007, if you don’t mind? Haha, our agent here actually likes that expression!”

“…Ha.”

Agent Choi playfully patted Agent Cheongdong’s back, then put his index finger to his lips.

Agent Cheongdong closed his eyes tightly. Agent Choi…

Assistant Manager Eun Haje shrugged, watching the sight.

“Anyway, don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

“Thank you!”

But I saw the agents exchange secret glances.

Perhaps the Vermillion Bird team of the Disaster Management Bureau would soon raid this village to ‘clean up,’ and in the process, a large-scale memory wipe, harmless to the people, would be performed…

I hoped the Assistant Manager would leave before then.

I broke out in a cold sweat.

Meanwhile, the agents got down to business.

“But why were you looking into that well?”

“Well, I heard rumors about a strange legend here. Something about it being connected to a mysterious place.”

Assistant Manager Eun Haje put her hand in her pocket, pulled out a cigarette, and then quickly put it back, speaking.

“I heard rumors that strange things happen during this village festival, so I came to see…”

She tapped the well with her finger.

“Well. There doesn’t seem to be anything particularly unusual about it.”

“Ah, I see.”

Agent Choi nodded, and as if to help the Assistant Manager with his investigation, pulled out a light source from his pocket.

A lantern imbued with a goblin.

The reddish flickering light instantly illuminated the shadow of the well.

“Come, let me light it for you!”

“…Do you really need to use that?”

“Yes, yes.”

Agent Choi said with a smile.

“Furthermore, this lantern also has the role of detecting danger!”

“Ah, I see.”

“Look. The color changes, right? When it flashes red like this…”

“Flashes red?”

“It means there’s something non-human nearby.”

“……”

“……”

“Who are you?”

Silence.

“The one who guided us earlier was clearly human, but you’re not human.”

“……”

The one in Assistant Manager Eun Haje’s form lifted its head.

A slightly gentle smile on its face.

“You’re sharp.”

“……!”

“Hello, agents! We’ve met before, haven’t we?”

“Agent Choi!”

As Agent Cheongdong hurriedly moved to defend, Agent Choi waved his hand to stop him.

Meanwhile, Assistant Manager Eun Haje was speaking with a gentle, kind expression she would never normally wear.

“Ah. I clearly asked this person for something else, but it seems they were moving to a strange place. So I’m helping them myself.”

Director Ho.

Whether it was a shapeshift or mind control, it was that.

Director Ho, in the form of Assistant Manager Eun Haje, stood before us.

“Do you have something to say to me?”

No.

‘He’s deliberately instigating him!’

We couldn’t talk to Director Ho any further here. Agent Cheongdong was present.

‘The probability of Agent Choi breaking his restriction is too high…!’

Even if not, Agent Cheongdong might get dragged into it. Or Assistant Manager Eun Haje.

It was repeating again.

‘No.’

I gritted my teeth, waiting for the right moment to intervene. And just as I was about to say something, somehow…

“Perfect timing. This will be easier. …If I know who it is, that is.”

Agent Choi raised his shaman’s ritual blade and pointed.

…At me.

“……?!”

“Roe Deer.”

“Agent Choi, what are you…”

Clink, clink.

“It must have been hard, right?”

“……”

“It’ll be okay now.”

Clink, clink.

“Your restriction.”

“……!?”

What was he suddenly talking about? No, if he said that now…

…

‘…Wait a minute.’

I realized.

Yes, Agent Choi couldn’t tell anyone about the experiences of last night because of the restriction.

That I was a spy.

That I planned to leak information from this Disaster Management Bureau.

And even the fact that he himself had a restriction on him.

‘All of them are forbidden.’

But you see.

“After thinking about it… there was something I could do.”

The restriction about me was an exception.

The fact that ‘our team agent has a strange restriction caused by a supernatural being’ was not included in the restriction restrictions.

Attempts to break it could be made as much as possible.

“……!”

“It was really hard finding a powerful shaman in Seorak Mountain.”

Agent Choi looked up at the sky.

“They’ve arrived.”