episode_0026

I had heard about how to make a gun.

It was completed by stacking stones to make a tomb, placing a shroud on top of the tomb, and then driving an iron skewer into it. In this completed hosik gun, the ghosts spin around and around. However, one more material was added to the hosik gun my father made.

It was a plum.

Plums are placed in stone tombs.

Sarah opened her mouth while looking at the note.

“You mean putting plums in the tomb?”

“Plums are a food that ghosts are crazy about. In fact, in ancient times, people lured ghosts with sour fruits like plums. If there is a plum, even a vicious tiger loses control.”

“It’s really a trap. A trap that attracts ghosts.”

When my father made a tomb in the habitat of the Jangsanbeom, he placed a lot of plums in the tomb. Then the ghosts that smelled the sour smell entered the tomb. When all the ghosts were placed in the tomb, it was time to complete the Hosikchong.

[The ghosts enter the stone tomb where the plums are placed on their own. That is the time to complete the Hosik gun. I placed a sieve on top of the stone tomb and inserted an iron skewer into it. By completing the Hosikchong like that, I was able to temporarily seal the ghosts.]

[When the ghosts were sealed, Jangsanbeom’s strength was temporarily weakened. At this time, it was possible to deal with it even with human power. It would be even better if you seriously injure the Jangsanbeom’s jaw, which is full of ghosts. This is because if you injure the jaw, the spell that controls the spears will be released. After that, you can kill Jangsan Beom.]

This was my father’s record of dealing with Jang San-beom.

In short, all you have to do is seal the ghosts with a gun filled with plums and aim for Jangsanbeom’s chin, which is his vital spot.

“Is it worth it?”

“It even says that the chin is a weak point. After all, it’s a treasure.”

Sarah looked at the note and smiled as if it were a real treasure.

Hunting Jangsanbeom was definitely worth doing. Since there is a record of an actual exorcism, it was possible for us as well. However, Nam Hong, who was looking at the notes with us, opened his mouth with a shocked expression.

“Guys! What is worth doing? What if the methods written there are all lies?”

“It’s not a lie. This is a record that my father left while running.”

“I can’t believe this guy. Why on earth does building a grave with stones weaken the monster’s power? If you lose the ghost, the monster’s power also weakens? I don’t understand what’s written there… .”

“That’s what witchcraft is all about. It’s hard to understand if you don’t know much.”

Nam Hong did not believe in the magic spell written in the note. They seemed to be distrustful even after seeing the records on how Hosikchong seals the ghosts and how to hunt Jangsanbeom.

“Can you explain a little more? Siru means Cheolongseong Fortress and iron skewers symbolize lightning… .”

“I can’t understand it even if I hear it.”

“Then there is nothing we can do.”

I tried to explain further, but Nam Hong didn’t understand.

It didn’t matter if I didn’t understand anything.

After all, it was me and Sarah who used the spell.

“Actually, if this was a record left by someone I don’t know, I wouldn’t have tried it. It’s worth a try because it’s a record left by my father.”

“Is your father a trustworthy person?”

“Yes.”

I understood the meaning of the spell written in the note. However, understanding the meaning of witchcraft and actually hunting were two different things.

If the record had been left by someone unknown, they would have taken the time to verify it before dealing with Jang San-beom. Sarah and I believed in our father, who was an exorcist.

I talked to Sarah for a while.

“Where do I get the materials for the Hosik Gun?”

“You can find stones in the mountains. I have an iron skewer in my bag. But you have to get the seaweed and plum separately.”

“Siru and plum… .”

A siru was a vessel used to steam food. Sour fruits like plums were also needed. As long as I prepared some siru and plums, I could immediately go up the mountain and make a hosikchong. The only problem was where to get them.

“Should I get it from a corner store in town?”

“The store owner is also possessed by a ghost and won’t be able to communicate. Maybe I should steal what I need.”

“Are you really stealing?”

Sarah answered by shrugging her shoulders.

“You can just scatter a bunch of 50,000 won bills and go.”

“Then is it okay?”

“You can say it’s okay.”

It was faster to get things in town. However, there was a possibility of being attacked by residents possessed by ghosts. Paying money did not change the fact that the villagers were in danger. Maybe we should take the risk and look around the village.

“Wait a minute.”

It was right then.

Nam Hong’s voice was heard.

“Did you guys say you need siru and plums?”

“Yes?”

“You guys just said that. To make Hosikchong, you need siru and plum.”

Nam Hong, who had been sitting on the chair all this time, slowly got up.

Nam Hong told us an unexpected story while holding a rosary.

“I’ll get you what I need. There is plum wine in the village hall. If you search the Shirudo warehouse, you will find it.”

“Are you going to get me something? You said you didn’t trust us earlier.”

An unexpected helper appeared. Nam Hong, who was listening to our story, offered to help. If Namhong helped me, I could get the items quickly. Because he was the only sane person in the village.

“I can’t definitely trust you yet. He suddenly appears and starts talking about witchcraft, so who can believe him?”

Nam Hong looked toward the window with curtains.

It was a window with a view of Chilryong Mountain when the curtains were opened.

“But I can’t stay still either. There’s something I haven’t told you yet. It’s not just foreigners who go missing on that mountain. Among our village residents, several people have gone missing.”

Even if I didn’t say it, I had a rough guess.

Because Jangsan Beom lives nearby, the village residents must have had accidents as well.

“There are times when no hikers come to Chilryongsan Mountain at all. If there are no hikers for a long time, accidents occur where villagers go missing. They say he went missing, but in reality he was eaten by a monster living in the mountains.”

When there were no hikers, a disappearance occurred in Mugok Village.

I was able to see how Jang Sanbeom was treating the residents of this village.

It was emergency food in case the villagers were starving.

“The people of this neighborhood. They live without knowing that they are food for monsters. Everyone is going crazy and saying the mountain isn’t dangerous. I am living among possessed people.”

Nam Hong made a bitter expression.

He was the only sane man in a village possessed by a ghost.

“I felt like I was going crazy living here. It might have been easier if I had gone crazy too.”

I could imagine what kind of time he must have had until now.

It must have been an extremely painful time. Mugok Village might have been hell for Nam Hong.

However, Nam Hong did not run away from the village.

“But what can we do? ? These are people I have been with since I was born. I have to find a way to save it somehow. So, whether it’s witchcraft or anything else, I’ll help you.”

Nam Hong said he would help us.

*

Time passed and it was afternoon.

Nam Hong really did get the things he needed from the village. When we left the office and came back, Nam Hong brought us some seaweed and plum wine. He brought five bottles full of plums.

We welcomed Namhong back safely from outside.

“You brought it well.”

“But is it okay to use plum wine? First of all, I brought what I had.”

“Just pour out the plum in the liquor bottle. Rather, it would be more effective because the scent would have been stronger since the alcohol was made. Because it attracts ghosts to plum scent.”

I found plums and siru.

It was as if he had obtained all the materials to make a gun.

“Now we are going to the mountain. What are you going to do, Mr. Namhong?”

“Let’s go together too. If you’re going to build a grave, it’s better to have at least one more person.”

“Then be sure to take a rosary with you. Pray when you climb the mountain.”

Sarah and I did not refuse Namhong to follow us to help. An ordinary person would have been possessed by Jang Sanbeom and become a hindrance. However, Nam Hong, a devout believer, could believe it to some extent. If you pray, you will be able to maintain your sanity.

“Now let’s go. I guess I should go up the mountain and make a gun first.”

We packed our bags and started climbing the mountain.

Chilryong Mountain.

It was a place rumored to be a dangerous area.

‘Is this Mt. Chilryong?’

From the moment I started climbing the trail, I felt an eerie feeling. Even though the sun was still up, the mountain path was strangely dark. The dense trees were blocking the sunlight. Every time the wind blew, a sound like a woman sobbing came from the swaying branches.

After some time, we reached the halfway point of the mountain.

We sowed plum wine on the dirt ground. As five bottles of plum wine were poured, round plums piled up on the ground. The sour smell spread so much around me that I felt dizzy.

“Let’s quickly build up the stones first.”

We collected stones that were rolling around on the mountain and made a tomb on top of the plum trees. A tomb large enough to seal all the ghosts had to be built. We continued stacking stones together until it got dark.

It was already night.

It was the moment the moon rose.

━━Swish

There were things popping out from behind the trees.

Their faces were stained with blood.

The faces smiled strangely as they looked at us.

━━Heeheeheehee!

━━Ihihihihi!

The faces sticking out of the trees bobbed at angles that no human could move.

“Be careful!”

I quickly shouted and activated the EMF meter I had in my pocket.

The EMF meter instantly lit up, lighting up all the lights. There were ghosts all around us.

“Huh… !”

Nam Hong, who was stacking the grave, looked horrified. Fortunately, Nam Hong didn’t forget what I said. The moment the ghosts were seen, Nam Hong held a rosary in his hand and muttered a prayer.

“Oh, O Almighty Father of God! I believe in the Creator of heaven and earth!”

Prayers and the laughter of ghosts rang out in the quiet mountain.

These were spearfishes that had been bitten by a tiger and died.

At some point, the spears came out of the trees. I saw bodies that had been horribly torn apart.

Sarah and I quickly took out a military knife from our duffel bag.

━━Sreung!

The ghosts slowly approached us.

At that moment, I couldn’t help but feel nervous. Sweat flowed from the hand holding the military sword. The spirits could have ignored the Hoshikchong and attacked us. If the hosikchong couldn’t lure us properly, we would be surrounded by spirits.

Before I knew it, a spearfish, shaking its neck, arrived next to me.

The moment Changgui came next to me, it stopped moving for a moment. A ghost was standing a finger-sized distance away.

I swallowed my saliva.

Should I cut it now?

In an instant, countless thoughts passed through my head.

However, I suppressed the urge and refrained from swinging the knife.

If you provoke the ghost hastily, it could be dangerous.

“Jinwoo.”

Sarah shook her head and took my hand.

The urge subsided when I felt the warm touch of my palm.

━━Hee hee hee!

We didn’t swing our swords at the ghosts.

Then Changgui, who had been standing still, moved forward. Other spear ghosts followed suit and moved forward. It passed us by. The place where the group of ghosts arrived was in front of the stone tomb we had piled up.

It was right then.

We ended up witnessing an amazing sight.

━━Grudge

One by one, the ghosts began to enter the stone tomb. He was sucked into a large stone tomb and did not come out. Before our eyes, the ghosts entered the grave on their own feet.

“Okay, that’s it! A ghost has entered!”

“Thank goodness!”

I felt elated.

The hosikchong was properly attracting the spear ghosts.