episode_0017

“Hehe! This is fun.”

The curse studies instructor, Misina, approached my desk.

She looked down at me with an expression that screamed she was dying of curiosity.

‘Wow, scary.’

It felt like I had become a lab rat caught in a researcher’s grasp.

That charming smile of hers also gave off major psycho vibes.

“You’re Nam Dohyung, the trainee, right?”

How the hell do all these people know my name?

For once, I wish I could just be rich and completely unknown.

“Earlier, I saw you not only stop yourself but also prevent the person next to you from eating a cookie. How did you know the cookie was cursed?”

“I just got lucky.”

It’s not like I could say I saw it before I got possessed by the game, and the content was so shocking that I remembered it separately, right?

“Got lucky, huh… That’s a very Cheonjihae exorcist-like answer.”

I was trying to keep a low profile and brush it off, but—

Misina grinned stickily, as if she liked that response.

“Hiding one’s true abilities is also an important quality for an exorcist. Don’t forget that attitude and work hard to learn from now on.”

Misina reached out and pinched my earlobe.

A shiver instantly ran down my skin.

Seriously, why do all the instructors here love skinship so much?

“I’ll remember your name. If you want a deeper relationship with me, come find me.”

“Uh… You mean curse studies, right?”

“Hehe… Who knows? What do you think?”

As expected, she was a seasoned S at teasing people.

She deliberately chose ambiguous and provocative words.

I already knew her character type, so it didn’t faze me.

But Yoo Eunhye, who was sitting next to me, turned beet red.

“……! ?! !!”

Is it because she’s so innocent?

She doesn’t seem to have much resistance to this kind of thing.

“Well, good. Now that introductions are done, shall we start the real lesson—no, the test?”

Using cursed cookies as an ‘introduction’?

Yeah, this woman isn’t exactly normal either.

“I believe it’s important for exorcists to know their own limits. Especially in curse studies.”

Misina clapped her hands twice.

With that, one side of the classroom wall slid open.

‘Whoa…’

I thought this was an action exorcism fantasy, but is it sci-fi?

Why does a horror story about urban legends have such advanced tech?

Anyway, what appeared behind the wall was an empty classroom—

And a tunnel-like structure placed inside.

“This is a tunnel that emits curse wavelengths. Just passing through it will drain your stamina and deplete your spiritual energy.”

Is it a type of curse that works continuously?

Most curses don’t take effect instantly.

Instead, they commonly sap stamina or induce exhaustion.

Unlike my ability, where saying “Die!” makes the target drop dead, that’s practically impossible with curses.

To achieve that, you’d need to use evil spirits or take significant risks as a curse caster yourself.

‘If that were possible, curses would’ve been the strongest ability by far.’

However, most spiritualists can deflect curses with pure spiritual energy alone.

And since there are countermeasures, curses are pretty limited in many ways.

“I may teach curses, but I won’t go into detail about how to attack people with them. Protecting yourself from curses comes first.”

From an exorcist’s perspective, they needed more ways to block curses cast by curse casters.

An exorcist’s main role is tackling urban legends, but curse casters are also targets to be dealt with.

“With that in mind, the first lesson will assess how resistant you are to curses and how well you handle them.”

Misina smiled coldly as she spoke.

“I’ve adjusted the curse to a level where those with Cheonjihae-tier spiritual energy won’t die, but the chance of death isn’t zero, so be careful.”

…I wish she wouldn’t say that while smiling.

People like me are genuinely terrified, you know.

‘Wait, but am I actually in real danger?’

The other kids here all have some level of spiritual energy, so they’ll be fine.

Some might even be training in curse resistance.

But I have zero basic spiritual energy.

“Now~ Who should have the honor of being the first to enter this tunnel?”

As Misina glanced around, everyone deliberately avoided her gaze.

It’s practically a universal rule to suddenly start reading a book when a professor calls for volunteers.

Even without that, after the cookie incident earlier, who’d want to be the first guinea pig?

“Hmm~”

Misina’s eyes landed on me.

The corners of her lips curled up mischievously.

‘Ah, please.’

Contrary to my silent plea to be ignored, Misina pointed at me.

“Then how about our top-ranked trainee goes first?”

I could feel the other trainees sighing in relief.

So as long as it’s not you, huh? You heartless bastards.

“A-Are you sure? It looks dangerous…”

Yoo Eunhye was the only one who worried about me.

As expected, you’re the only decent person here.

“Well, it’s not like Cheonjihae would actually kill someone.”

That’s what I said, but honestly, I’m shaking in my boots.

What might just knock the others unconscious could outright kill me.

“Just open this door and go in.”

“…Understood.”

Misina beamed as she personally guided me.

Standing in front of the door, I gulped.

‘Well, maybe it’s better to go first.’

If I go in the middle, I’ll be compared to those who went before me.

It’s better to fail outright and have the excuse of “I went first, so I was at a disadvantage.”

‘Alright, here goes!’

Steeling myself, I opened the door and stepped inside.

The moment I did, the curse weighed down on my shoulders.

‘Uwaaah…’

All I could think was, ‘This is insane.’

In an instant, my whole body felt as heavy as if it were made of stone.

And I’m supposed to walk through this long tunnel like this?

Just standing here, I feel like I’ll collapse any second.

‘I-I might actually die at this rate.’

My body is already screaming at its limit.

I didn’t want to use it during class, but I have no choice.

Whatever it takes, I need to survive first.

“Die.”

I immediately activated my instant-death ability on the curse.

The curse vanished, and my body felt lighter.

“Whew! That was close.”

As I wiped the sweat from my forehead, the tunnel began to hum again.

‘…Don’t tell me it keeps generating curses?’

I was careful not to touch the source of the curse, just in case.

But it seems the tunnel is already preparing to spew out another one.

‘Damn it. I need to get out fast.’

My instant-death ability is limited to once per day.

If I miss this chance, I’m done for.

I hurriedly started running toward the exit.

‘Now~ I wonder how long he’ll take?’

Misina watched Nam Dohyung enter the tunnel with an intrigued expression.

The clever trainee who had noticed the curse in the cookie first.

She was curious how quickly he’d break through this tunnel.

‘Hehe! I made special adjustments just for the top-ranked trainee.’

She had strengthened the curse beyond its usual intensity.

She wanted to properly gauge his abilities, after all.

Nam Dohyung was the first to detect the curse in the cookie.

Most don’t notice anything until the moment they eat it.

But he sensed it before even unwrapping it and didn’t touch it.

His detection skills were absurdly high.

‘Of course, detection alone isn’t everything. He might not have much resistance to curses.’

That’s what made this tunnel even more meaningful.

It was a chance to see how the top-ranked trainee would handle a curse.

What kind of reaction would he show in this tunnel?

The thought of his calm expression twisting in distress made her heart race with excitement.

‘I wonder if he’ll still look composed in front of this tunnel?’

Even for the top-ranked trainee, this won’t be easy.

Personally, she wanted to see him panting and struggling.

‘Even with exceptional spiritual energy, at least 30 minutes.’

If he somehow managed to counter the curse, maybe he could cut it down to the 20-minute range.

And that was being optimistic.

‘Sigh… This is bad. I can’t wait. Thirty minutes feels way too long.’

Her excitement made it hard to stay still.

As she fidgeted and considered messing with the other trainees to pass the time—

“He’s out!”

One of the trainees shouted.

‘…What?’

Misina turned her head in shock.

The top-ranked trainee had already emerged from the tunnel.

“Huh? Why’s he out already?”

“Five minutes? No, it hasn’t even been three.”

“I timed it—it was just over a minute.”

“At that speed, he might as well have just walked.”

“I thought it was a curse? Weirdly underwhelming.”

A stir spread among the trainees.

Even if the tunnel wasn’t long, finishing this fast was unheard of.

But the most shocked person was, of course, Misina.

‘How in the world…?’

This wasn’t her first time using this tunnel.

She had plenty of data.

The fastest trainee before had taken just over 10 minutes.

And that was because she’d made the curse too weak, not knowing the trainees’ level.

But for the top-ranked trainee, she had made the curse much stronger.

‘And he… got out in a minute?’

The only way that’s possible is if the curse had zero effect on him.

Meaning, the tunnel’s curse didn’t hinder him in the slightest.

Even his face was completely calm.

Like he’d just taken a casual stroll.

‘A monster…’

There was no other explanation.

‘I never imagined there’d be a monster of this level…’

A shiver ran down Misina’s spine, followed by a thrill.

Without realizing it, she clenched her fists.

‘I must have that trainee. No, I absolutely need him by my side… I want to torment him!’

Misina licked her lips.

Her eyes, filled with sticky desire, were fixed solely on Nam Dohyung.