episode_0006

A few days later.

Surprisingly, I received news that I had passed the written exam.

‘Is this for real…?’

I had some confidence, but…

Now that I’d actually passed, I felt strangely dazed.

‘Honestly, the real problem starts now.’

As I mentioned before, the practical exam for Cheonjihae is infamous for its extreme difficulty.

Simply being hard to pass is a given.

There are even rumors of people getting injured or dying during it.

“…Is it really okay for someone like me to take that exam?”

Most of the other participants will likely be outstanding spiritualists.

Someone like me would be nothing more than a shrimp waiting to get its back broken.

But giving up didn’t sit right with me either.

If I’d planned to quit from the start, I wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of taking the written exam in the first place.

“In the end, the important thing is to prepare for the practical exam as much as possible…”

Honestly, with less than a month left, there wasn’t much I could do.

Suddenly awakening and mastering martial arts was a privilege reserved for the protagonist with cheat-like talent, wasn’t it?

I had been training my physical strength in my own way.

I’d also learned swordsmanship and martial arts by watching videos.

But it seemed like it was time to start learning how to actually fight ghosts.

‘The most I can do is gain experience facing ghosts and build up my courage.’

Those taking the Cheonjihae practical exam would already be exorcists of some caliber.

Among them, many would have already exorcised ghosts multiple times.

‘To stand on the same level as those monsters, I at least need enough experience to not freeze up in front of a ghost.’

I needed to find and exorcise ghosts.

There was bound to be a difference between seeing one in person and just knowing about them.

The most ideal scenario would be to visit a site with a trustworthy exorcist.

The problem was, I didn’t have those kinds of connections.

I couldn’t just approach any random exorcist and ask to tag along.

‘Exorcism isn’t a joke. If some ordinary person asked to come along for no reason, they’d probably frown and refuse.’

A clueless newbie tagging along and asking to be carried?

Even I’d find that suspicious.

“Not to mention, I’m in no position to pay for such a favor.”

If I had that kind of money, I’d have already gone to buy better exorcism equipment.

In the end, there was only one thing I could do.

‘Take on exorcism part-time jobs!’

To be honest, it wasn’t anything grand.

It just meant following an exorcist around and doing odd jobs while they exorcised urban legends.

In short, I’d be a pack mule.

Exorcists had a lot of equipment to carry and needed to focus on their work.

But not all exorcists had companions or disciples to assist them.

Freelance exorcists often hired part-time “helpers” to support them.

‘It’s not something people usually do because it’s dangerous, but my goal is to experience urban legends firsthand anyway.’

I’d get to witness an exorcist in action.

On top of that, I’d even get paid, though not much.

For me right now, it was the perfect part-time job.

‘Seeing an urban legend being exorcised will definitely help. At the very least, I can steal a trick or two.’

Like how protagonists in martial arts novels secretly observe their masters’ techniques to learn.

Once I made up my mind, I immediately went to a part-time job listing site.

I found an exorcism part-time job near my place.

‘I just need to enter my name and age and apply, right?’

Luckily, there was one with no applicants yet, so I applied right away.

Fortunately, the acceptance notification came back almost instantly.

‘Tonight, huh?’

This would be my first time seeing a real, official exorcist.

My heart pounded slightly in anticipation.

“Hmm~ So you’re the one who applied for the part-time job?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The exorcist who showed up was an older noona.

I’d half-expected her to be dressed in some flashy traditional outfit like a shaman.

But instead, she was wearing a modern-looking suit.

‘This is unexpected.’

She looked more like a secret agent from a movie than an exorcist.

At a glance, she could’ve passed for an ordinary office worker.

“What’s with the staring?”

“Ah, nothing. It’s just that your outfit is more ordinary than I expected for an exorcist.”

“Sigh… I can’t believe people like you still exist these days.”

The exorcist replied as if she found me ridiculous.

“These days, intelligence is the standard for exorcists. That kind of getup is only for shamans or top-tier exorcists from big organizations like Cheonjihae.”

“Ah… I see.”

So that was the norm for modern exorcists now?

It was so different from what I knew that it was oddly fascinating.

My knowledge was limited to the Cheonjihae setting where the protagonist was from, after all.

‘It’s like seeing Grandpa Ma-tap running on a treadmill at home.’

That aside, she did look cool.

Dressed in a sleek suit, she definitely had an aura about her.

“This suit might look ordinary, but it’s specially treated for spiritual energy. It’s pretty expensive.”

“Must be high-end.”

Curious, I asked about the price, and it was indeed steep.

‘No way I can wear something like that for the practical exam.’

Even if I could afford it, I doubted such equipment would be allowed in a test that demanded fairness.

“Enough chit-chat. Let’s get to work. Take this.”

The exorcist pointed to a large backpack.

Just looking at it, I could tell it was heavy.

“What’s inside?”

“Various weapons and exorcism tools. They’re important, so handle them carefully.”

…Was it really okay to entrust that to a part-timer?

‘What if I just ran off with it?’

Well, a professional exorcist could probably catch an ordinary person easily.

That’s why they paid for part-timers to do this kind of work, I guess.

I obediently slung the backpack over my shoulders.

“You’re stronger than you look. Your lower body’s sturdy too.”

“I’ve been working out a bit.”

This body was naturally in good shape.

Even with just a little exercise, I’d managed to build some muscle.

“Let’s get going, then. I’d like to wrap this up quickly.”

We entered the abandoned building in front of us.

The elevator was, of course, broken, so we had to take the stairs.

‘Wow… this is creepy.’

Not a single light worked inside the building.

Broken windows and cracked walls were left untouched.

It was practically screaming, “Ghosts live here~”

‘Do exorcists always have to come to places like this?’

In the modern world, a place like this wouldn’t even be used for ghost tours.

People in this world really had it rough.

And unfortunately, I’d have to live here from now on too.

“By the way, have you done any other exorcism part-time jobs before?”

“This is my first time.”

“What? You’re a total newbie.”

Unlike me, the exorcist seemed relaxed and started explaining things about the job as we walked.

“This place was abandoned for a while, but they’re planning to redevelop it. Problem is, a ghost showed up and started interfering with the construction. So they put in a request to get rid of it.”

A perfectly plausible scenario in a world where urban legends were commonplace.

Freelance exorcists apparently made a living taking on these kinds of private requests.

‘So it’s not a particularly dangerous urban legend?’

If it were a strong one, they’d have gone to a proper exorcism company like Cheonjihae instead of a freelancer.

The exorcist also seemed pretty confident.

This time, it really seemed like I’d just be observing.

“See? Just some weak ghost.”

A moment later, a virgin ghost appeared before us.

To me, even that looked terrifying.

But to a professional exorcist, it must’ve been nothing.

‘Well, if I had to choose between this and the red mask or Busan ajumma I saw before, I’d pick this one too…’

The exorcist boldly shouted.

“Hand me a weapon. I’ll take care of it in one strike.”

I quickly rummaged through the backpack.

Inside, I found what looked like a pair of nunchaku.

When extended, it turned into a connectable spear.

‘No wonder it was so heavy.’

The exorcist took the spear and immediately assumed a stance.

Clearly, her form with the weapon was anything but ordinary.

“Watch closely! And don’t tell anyone about this!”

She lunged forward and thrust the spear.

The ghost flinched and tried to flee, but the exorcist was faster.

“Where do you think you’re going?!”

After a brief chase, the spear pierced the ghost.

Whether it was imbued with some mystical power or not, the ghost vanished on the spot.

“Phew, that’s done.”

The exorcist wiped her brow and stood the spear upright.

Even to my eyes, it was a clean job.

“Alright. Now to contact the client…”

Just as she turned to say that—

Something emerged from the darkness and caught my eye.

“Look out!”

“Huh?”

BAM!

My warning came too late.

The exorcist was struck by the ghost’s arm and sent crashing into the wall.

“Guh… wh-what… gah!”

A thick hand shot out and gripped the exorcist’s throat.

The new arrival was a bloated, middle-aged ghost that looked like it belonged in a hentai hypnosis app.

[Heh… hehe… a woman… woman…]

‘What the hell?!’

This one was on a completely different level from the earlier ghost.

Even if spiritual beings weren’t bound by size,

this one clearly looked way stronger.

And visually disgusting, to boot!

‘Didn’t she say this would be easy? Why is this monstrosity here?’

A ghost that could speak and launch sneak attacks.

I wasn’t an expert on the exorcism industry,

but even I could tell this wasn’t a “weak” opponent.

‘The exorcist probably let her guard down because she thought there was only one ghost…’

Did the client not know about this one?

Or maybe they knew and hid it on purpose.

If they’d mentioned a ghost like this, the fee would’ve gone up.

[Woman… nice chest… take off clothes…]

I had no idea why a ghost had sexual desires, but

this perverted ghost reached for the exorcist’s clothes.

RIIIP!

I’d heard her suit had spiritual resistance, but it was utterly useless against this ghost.

With a single flick of its wrist, her clothes tore, revealing black lingerie beneath.

“Ngh… let… let go…!”

The exorcist weakly struck the ghost’s arm with the spear she still held.

But the ghost didn’t even flinch.

“Ghk… gah…! H-help…!”

The ghost tightened its grip around her neck.

Drool spilled from the exorcist’s mouth.

Tears welled in her eyes.

The expression of someone who knew death was coming.

“Tch.”

I stepped forward, sighing.

I didn’t want to use it, but against this hentai bastard, I had no choice.

“Die.”

THUD.

The instant-death skill activated, and the ghost’s massive body collapsed to the floor.