episode_0003

The red mask grinned as if to say, “What are you gonna do now?”

Then, it grabbed my head and chin with its hands.

“Guh—!”

The sheer force felt like being crushed in a hydraulic press.

My tall frame was lifted effortlessly.

‘Am I really going to die like this?’

Maybe it was because I had just witnessed the bus driver’s final moments.

It wasn’t hard to picture my own future.

Of course, that didn’t mean I was okay with it.

‘Damn it! The moment I try to escape being a shut-in, I run into an urban legend?!’

I was just trying to survive, you know?

For something like this to happen on my very first day—it was unfair.

‘Even in a world like this, running into a red mask on a bus isn’t exactly common!’

Ghosts and urban legends usually appear at night, don’t they?

Why did this have to happen to me?

‘…I should’ve at least carried a talisman or something.’

Suddenly, I thought of Chaeyoung, who had cheered me on until this morning.

A kind girl who lost her parents at a young age.

Who took care of her pathetic older brother while living on her own.

If I died now, would she really be left all alone?

“Ghk…”

The moment that thought crossed my mind, an inexplicable surge of strength welled up inside me.

Not some grand awakening of power or anything.

At best, I just gripped the red mask’s wrists with both hands.

“?”

Its arms felt like solid steel beams.

Naturally, the red mask didn’t budge an inch.

Grin.

The red mask sneered at my futile struggle.

Then, it tightened its grip on my head.

It felt like my face was being pressed into a trash compactor.

‘I want to live…’

I don’t want to die like this—so meaninglessly.

Just as I thought that from the depths of my heart—

[Awakening conditions have been met!]

[Error!!!! Error!!!! Error!!!! Error!!!! Error!!!!]

[A fatal… flaw… has occurred.]

[Initiating re-scan for corrections.]

.

.

.

[Re-scan complete!]

[You have acquired a hidden ability!]

Something suddenly appeared before my eyes.

Awakening? Ability? My eyes widened at the hopeful words.

[You have awakened the ability .]

[Effect: Once per day, you can cause a target of your choice to ‘instantly die.’]

I didn’t even have time to read it properly.

It was a skill—no, a trait—I’d never even seen in games before.

‘I don’t get it, but…’

One thing was certain: this was my only hope of survival.

I didn’t have the mental clarity or time to fully grasp it anyway.

With all my heart, I spoke to the red mask before me.

“Die.”

Thud!

At that moment.

The red mask’s body collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.

“So… you’re saying the urban legend just suddenly dropped dead?”

“Y-Yes! That’s exactly what happened!”

The exorcist who arrived at the bus listened to the survivors’ accounts.

By the time he got there, the incident was already over.

Two fatalities.

No other injuries.

Considering a B-class urban legend had appeared without warning, the survival rate was nothing short of miraculous.

‘The real question is how the urban legend was exorcised…’

All the survivors’ testimonies were the same.

The red mask, perfectly fine one moment, had suddenly collapsed.

‘Given the urban legend’s condition, it’s not like the passengers were hallucinating either.’

The red mask’s body showed no signs of injury.

Even in standard exorcisms, there’s usually at least some physical evidence of a struggle.

But here, there wasn’t even a trace of combat.

As if its soul had simply… ‘vanished.’

‘For this to be possible, the one who took it down must’ve been an exorcist of extraordinary skill.’

Not many exorcists came to mind who could defeat a B-class red mask like this.

Maybe one of the top-tier exorcists from Cheonjihae could’ve pulled it off.

“Um, some guy stepped up and saved us.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

As he listened to each account,

the story from a young brother and sister stood out.

“That scary ghost attacked us, but some guy stepped in and stopped it.”

“You mean the dead guy over there?”

He asked just in case, but the child shook their head.

“That guy was muttering something weird before the ghost grabbed him. But the ghost couldn’t kill him and just collapsed.”

“Th-That oppa must’ve been an exorcist from TV!”

The exorcist’s eyes widened at the children’s words.

‘He was caught by the red mask, but the ghost was the one who fell instead.’

He deliberately stepped forward to save the children in danger.

And there were even testimonies of him muttering something incomprehensible.

Given the circumstances, it was highly likely that this person had defeated the red mask.

‘It’s not uncommon for civilians to not understand an exorcist’s incantations.’

As the exorcist nodded in thought,

the child rummaged around and pulled something out.

“That exorcist-nim gave us this too.”

The exorcist unfolded the paper the child handed him.

It was a talisman imbued with potent spiritual energy.

‘Good heavens! A talisman this pure and powerful?!’

This wasn’t something just any shaman could create, even one blessed by divine power.

It was rare to even see something like this, let alone own it.

‘At the very least, a 2nd-grade… no, only a prodigy among 1st-grade exorcists could make something like this!’

And yet, it had been carelessly crumpled and tossed away.

Someone who could treat a talisman of this caliber as nothing must be a spiritual powerhouse.

‘No doubt about it—this person definitely took down the red mask!’

The exorcist nodded with conviction.

“Who was the person who saved you? Is he still here?”

“I don’t know. He disappeared right after the ghost collapsed.”

“Disappeared?”

“Yeah? He looked at his watch, freaked out, and ran outside super fast.”

“Wow… To defeat a threat like this and just leave without claiming any reward.”

Taking down a B-class urban legend alone was no small feat.

Saving over ten passengers on top of that was an incredible achievement.

And yet, he walked away without a second thought, not even expecting recognition!

‘A true benefactor. A savior who appeared to rescue these people.’

In an era where exorcists form corporations and charge fees to save lives,

a master who saves people and vanishes without a word is unheard of.

It felt like witnessing a chivalrous hero straight out of a martial arts novel.

‘What a shame. A chance to meet someone like that won’t come again.’

The exorcist sent silent gratitude and regret to the faceless, nameless hero.

Meanwhile, the very protagonist who defeated the red mask was—

“Huff! Huff! I’m not—! I’m not too late yet! I can’t end up as a useless NEET like this!”

Sprinting desperately, drenched in sweat, to make it to the corporate written exam.

“Team Leader, it’s almost time.”

“Hmm.”

At her subordinate’s words, a striking beauty with a short haircut checked the documents.

“One person still hasn’t arrived.”

Cheonjihae was the nation’s top exorcism corporation.

Just taking their exam was considered an honor.

So, under normal circumstances, no one would be late.

What kind of fool would miss such an opportunity?

But today, it seemed that fool had finally appeared.

“It’s not like we start the exam right at the designated time. Can’t we wait a bit?”

“No. Anyone who dares to be late for Cheonjihae’s exam doesn’t deserve the chance in the first place.”

The subordinate’s words made Team Leader Han Sujin nod slightly.

Not that she believed a person’s qualifications or potential were determined by punctuality alone.

But rules were rules.

“Fine. It’s time, so close the doors.”

“Understood.”

Just as the two were packing up to leave—

“W-Wait a second!”

A man came sprinting over, drenched in sweat.

He barely made it to the door before doubling over, gasping for air.

“Huff! Huff! Am… Am I… too late?”

Panting, he looked up with desperate eyes.

The sight was oddly endearing, like a puppy.

“I… really need to take this exam… Wheeze! Can’t I still go in?”

The subordinate shook his head firmly.

“The entry period is over. If you’re late, no exceptions.”

“But it’s still 11 o’clock?”

“To be precise, 11:00:23. The cutoff was 11:00:00.”

“Can’t you let it slide just this once? The bus got stopped on the way…”

“No excuses. Late means late.”

“Sigh… Figures. My apologies.”

Catching his breath, the man suddenly seemed to remember something.

“…But why are you speaking informally to me?”

“……Huh?”

“I mean, even if I were taking the exam, I could still be a potential client if I don’t make it, right? So why the informal speech?”

“Uh, well… that’s…”

The subordinate floundered, caught off guard.

He was an exorcist affiliated with Cheonjihae, after all.

In today’s world, even corporate CEOs and politicians tread carefully around them, let alone ordinary citizens.

He never expected some exam candidate to talk back like this.

“Does Cheonjihae normally use informal speech with clients? I should report this to customer service.”

But he wasn’t wrong, either.

Cheonjihae was still a corporation, after all.

The subordinate could only stammer awkwardly.

“…So, how about you let me in and we pretend this never happened? Ah, great!”

“H-Hey! Wait, where do you think you’re—going?!”

“Come on, just this once! You said it yourself—I’m only 20 seconds late! Even instant noodles get more leeway than that!”

Where on earth did this guy come from?

Beside them, Han Sujin burst out laughing.

“Pfft—HAHAHAHA!”

Her boisterous laughter made the two men freeze mid-scuffle.

“Hey, rookie. Did you say the bus got stopped earlier?”

“Ah, yes! It’s a story so tragic you’d cry just hearing it—”

“No time. Summarize in one line.”

“A red mask killed the bus driver.”

The subordinate stared at him with a ‘What kind of lunatic is this…?’ expression.

“Hmm, if you got caught up in an urban legend, that’s understandable. Your effort to get here is commendable. Go on in.”

“Wha—! Thank you! Pretty noona, I owe you one!”

“Snort!”

The man dashed inside before she could change her mind.

The dumbfounded subordinate turned to Han Sujin.

“Uh, Team Leader! How could you just let him in? A red mask, of all things? That’s obviously a lie—”

“It’s true.”

“Excuse me?”

“A breaking alert just came in. A B-class urban legend, the red mask, appeared on a bus.”

“What?!”

The subordinate stared in disbelief at the screen Han Sujin showed him.

“It’s some distance away, and a nearby exorcist would’ve been faster, so we didn’t dispatch anyone. But given the timing, he wasn’t lying.”

“So… he was really late because of the red mask?”

“His story matches the situation, so yes.”

Proper news hadn’t even broken yet.

It was unlikely he could’ve fabricated the details.

“Well, I guess there’s some merit to his excuse. But being late is still being late…”

“Eh, who cares? It’s entertaining.”

“Entertaining?”

Han Sujin, a renowned exorcist specializing in combat, nodded.

“From what I heard, the bus driver and one passenger died in that incident.”

“……”

“He saw people die right in front of him, yet he still rushed here to take the exam. Isn’t that interesting?”

“Hmm.”

Exorcists grow numb to their comrades’ deaths after seeing so many.

But for a fresh-faced rookie to have that kind of mental fortitude…

“Isn’t it too early to judge? Maybe he’s just thoughtless.”

“That’s why we’ll watch him. If he’s nothing special, he’ll fail the practical anyway.”

Han Sujin chuckled, still amused.

“And did you see how he stood up to us? That kind of attitude deserves a chance, don’t you think?”

The subordinate nodded reluctantly.

‘Well, this exam is especially tough. If he survives, I guess it’s fate.’

Of course, that wouldn’t happen.

He’d barely sensed any spiritual energy from that man.

At that level, passing Cheonjihae’s infamous exam—a graveyard for aspiring exorcists—was impossible.

Especially in a batch filled with prodigies like this one.