Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Chapter 10. The Arrogant Young Master

Thududududu!

The thunderous vibration of the huge rotor tearing through the air filled the helicopter.

Below us, the skyscrapers of New York had given way to the lush green landscape of the Hudson Valley.

I stared indifferently out the window and clicked my tongue.

‘A private helicopter. You've got to hand it to Americans when it comes to scale.’

Back in Korea, a black sedan was more than enough even when transporting VIPs.

Seeing a shadowy organization casually operate a helicopter like this made me sigh at the sheer difference in scale between the two countries.

Then I noticed three men sitting across from me.

The trio of exorcists who had first connected me to this organization.

They were known as the ‘Tea Party’... and on orders from the rabbit mask, they would accompany me on this assignment.

Do-jun rubbed his chin and asked.

“By the way, did this Annabelle thing really exist? I thought it was all fiction.”

Annabelle.

A ghost made famous even in Korea through a popular horror film franchise... I'd always assumed it was fictional, so the idea that we were now on our way to exorcise it felt strangely fascinating.

Mad Hatter, leader of the Tea Party, answered.

“The movies exaggerated things somewhat... but it is a real evil spirit. Do you know the Warrens? They were a legendary exorcist couple active in the past.”

“Yeah, I saw them in the movies. Honestly, while watching, I thought they were frauds rather than real exorcists.”

“They genuinely performed exorcisms. They lived before the formal licensing system existed, but by today's standards they're said to have been at least B-rank. They were also the first exorcists to seal Annabelle.”

Do-jun narrowed his eyes with interest.

“So what we're dealing with isn't exactly easy?”

“It's far beyond ‘not easy.’ There's a reason the reward climbed to three and a half million dollars. The fact that the assignment reached an underworld organization like ours means everyone sent in before us already ended up dead.”

“Tell me the details.”

“Our client is George Goldwyn, the spoiled son of real estate tycoon Goldwyn. He's obsessed with collecting occult artifacts... and apparently purchased Annabelle when it appeared on the black market.”

Hmm. I could already picture the situation.

As Do-jun nodded, Mad Hatter continued.

“For some reason, the evil spirit sealed inside Annabelle went berserk. More than ten servants at the mansion have already died. The youngest son panicked and began hiring underworld exorcists because he didn't want his family to discover what he'd done... Every attempt seems to have failed.”

“Ah, so that's why the pot climbed to five billion won.”

The situation was easy enough to understand.

A job cleaning up the shit left behind by some spoiled rich brat with more money than conscience.

“Be careful. I know you're strong... but that spirit isn't something to underestimate.”

“Hmmm.”

As Mad Hatter continued warning him, the voice of the spirit... Wakan Tanka echoed in his mind.

《I hope it's delicious. Annabelle...》

Seriously, already thinking about eating it...

A crooked smile naturally appeared on Do-jun's lips.

“Look forward to it. I'll make sure you eat your fill.”

“Hm? What did you just say?”

Maybe because he'd muttered to himself.

Mad Hatter looked at him strangely.

“Nothing. Just saying this assignment sounds fun too.”

Shock appeared on the exorcists' faces as they stared at Do-jun.

***

A short while later, the helicopter began descending toward an enormous old castle deep within the forests of the Hudson Valley.

“He really threw money at this place.”

In the middle of the misty Hudson Valley forest, the castle emerging through the fog was an absurd sight.

It looked as though someone had transplanted Dracula's castle itself, every corner radiating the obsessive tastes of an occult fanatic.

The instant the helicopter landed, men in black suits rushed out.

‘Those guys are exorcists too.’

As Do-jun and the Tea Party climbed out, one man approached through the rotor wash.

Designer clothes from head to toe, and a mean-looking face.

That must have been George Goldwyn, the spoiled youngest son of the Goldwyn family and the source of this entire mess.

The moment he saw Do-jun and Mad Hatter, his face twisted violently.

“What the hell? Only four of you? And what's with the fucking Asian? You guys... were sent by Clock Rabbit, right?”

“That's right, sir. And this gentleman is the team leader for this assignment.”

When Mad Hatter pointed toward Kang Do-jun, the man's face twisted even further.

“Haaah? A yellow monkey is team leader? Fuck... I heard you people had a reputation in the underworld, and this is what you send me?”

George spat on the ground.

Do-jun smirked.

“Maybe show some manners to the people who came to wipe your ass, spoiled brat.”

“...What? Fuck, did you just say that to me?”

“Who else would I be talking to? You're the only one who took a shit all over this place.”

“You fucking yellow bastard!”

George Goldwyn shouted irritably and swung a fist.

But before it could connect, Mad Hatter shot out a hand and grabbed his wrist.

“Why are you stopping me, asshole! Let go!”

“If I hadn't stopped you... you'd be badly injured. This gentleman isn't exactly known for his gentle temperament.”

Mad Hatter spoke quietly as a chilling aura poured from his body.

The air seemed to freeze for an instant, and George Goldwyn's shoulders trembled pathetically.

“If you don't want us taking the job, we'll leave right now. We don't enjoy wasting time either.”

An attitude showing they had nothing to lose.

George Goldwyn's furious momentum immediately collapsed.

“Fine. I'll give you exactly twenty-four hours. Seal Annabelle and bring it directly to me.”

Do-jun, who had been listening, scoffed.

“Seal it? Nobody told me anything about sealing.”

“What?”

“For something wicked, destroying it is cleaner and leaves no problems later. Sealing is much harder than simply annihilating it. If you insist on a seal, you're going to have to pay more.”

“You fucking... arrogant bastard to the very end. Fine! If you actually handle this properly, I'll pay whatever you want! Just get it done!”

George Goldwyn screamed as he accepted the condition.

Do-jun shrugged in satisfaction and leisurely walked toward the castle entrance.

“Let's go.”

“Yes.”

They pushed open the massive gates and stepped inside.

The air within was far heavier and more humid than outside.

Dried bloodstains that hadn't been properly cleaned remained throughout the gloomy corridors, while formless vengeful ghosts and evil spirits floated in the air, producing bizarre noises.

‘This is... no joke.’

‘Damn, the atmosphere here is incredible.’

The shoulders of the Tea Party members walking beside him visibly trembled.

They hadn't even encountered Annabelle yet, and spirits were already everywhere.

But there was something strange...

‘Why aren't those things attacking?’

Normally, the spirits would have lunged violently at them... yet instead they stayed well away, desperately hiding in corners of the ceiling and behind dark walls.

Then the culprit responsible for their behavior spoke to Kang Do-jun.

《The smell... what a wonderful smell... There are so many fresh ones lying around.》

Wakan Tanka, settled in the tobangguri of his lower abdomen, whispered while licking its lips.

Do-jun responded inwardly without changing expression.

‘Please hold on a little longer. Instead of eating those scraps... I'll let you eat the real thing.’

《I look forward to it.》

At the end of the corridor, they stopped before a huge door sealed under layer after layer of talismans and silver chains.

A foul, powerful evil energy seeped through the cracks.

He instinctively knew Annabelle was inside.

Gulp.

While everyone else tensed, Kang Do-jun walked straight forward and broke the sealed lock.

Inside was a room packed with bizarre occult artifacts.

Every one of them carried not merely sinister, but outright malicious energy.

They were probably all part of George Goldwyn's collection.

Do-jun dropped the backpack from his shoulder onto the floor and placed a hand against the ground.

‘Eye of Righteous Revelation.’

Waves of qi spread throughout the enormous room before returning with the information they'd gathered.

‘Pretty vicious.’

Mummies, swords, unidentified bones, and more.

Every occult artifact inside was overflowing with wicked energy.

Each one was likely a cursed object that had once housed an evil spirit and harmed people.

But the biggest problem was...

‘That one.’

At the deepest end of the warehouse, inside a glass case, sat the cute doll known as ‘Annabelle.’

Yet over the doll's body, thousands—tens of thousands—of evil spirits were crushed together into one grotesque mass.

This was beyond comparison to any Legion he'd faced before.

Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, Gui.

Judging by the Ten Heavenly Stems commonly used in Korea, China, and Japan, an evil spirit of that level would be at least Bing-class.

Under the crushing pressure radiating from Annabelle, the Tea Party members couldn't even breathe properly and simply sweated coldly.

“Fuck, we're supposed to kill that...? Ten lives wouldn't be enough.”

“...Team leader, is this really right?”

The Tea Party members trembled as sweat poured from them.

All three were confident in their abilities, yet Annabelle's overwhelming presence had robbed them of their composure.

Then Kang Do-jun rummaged through the backpack he'd placed on the floor.

“I'll do this alone, so don't get in the way.”

“Y-You're doing it alone?”

“Yeah... And if you think you're about to die, run without looking back. Don't slow me down.”

Perhaps those words were the signal.

Annabelle's previously cute lips twisted grotesquely, and bloody tears streamed from beneath its button eyes.

《New... friends... are here?》

A chill ran through everyone.

Do-jun finished arming himself with the Seven Star Sword, talismans, and several bottles of holy water.

Then.

BOOOOOOM!

The door violently slammed shut as Annabelle unleashed explosive energy in every direction.

Masks, statues, mummies...

The occult objects displayed throughout the room began shaking violently, then started moving.

“F-Fuck! Everyone prepare for combat!”

“Damn it!”

The Tea Party drew on their abilities and confronted the charging artifacts.

They pulled out swords, hammers, and other weapons... while activating sacred sorcery.

“T-There are too many, team leader!”

“Hold your ground! If we get pushed back, we're finished!”

They seemed to be holding out through teamwork, but the endless numbers were visibly overwhelming them.

“Haaa... I told you to run.”

Do-jun scratched his head.

Judging by what Annabelle was doing... escaping no longer seemed to be an option.

But at the same time, excitement rose within him.

‘Should I... test them out? The Navajo spells.’

This was the perfect stage to test the power he'd gained through training.

The Catastrophe-Class Exorcist Is Too Strong in America

Author

: Gisigami

Production Date

: September 15, 2026

Publisher

: ACES Media Co., Ltd.

Editor

: ACES Media Editorial Team

Address

: 12F, Urban Bench Building, 325 Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul

Email

: acesmedia9@gmail.com

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