Freelance Exorcist
A few days later.
I heard that I had passed the written exam for the exorcism test.
‘This is real…?’
I had some confidence in myself, but…
Once I actually passed, I felt a bit dazed.
‘Actually, the next part is the real problem.’
As I said, the practical test for Cheonjihae is notoriously difficult.
It’s not just hard; it’s dangerous, and there are people who get injured or die.
“…Would I even be able to participate in such a test?”
Others would mostly be outstanding ability users.
A human like me would be perfect for bursting like a shrimp.
But I couldn’t just give up.
If I had thought of quitting, I wouldn’t have taken the written test either.
“In the end, the important thing is to prepare for the practical test a little bit…”
Honestly, with only a month left, it’s hard to do much.
Suddenly awakening and mastering martial arts isn’t a special privilege for protagonist types.
In the meantime, I had trained my stamina.
I learned swordsmanship, body techniques, etc., while watching videos.
But soon, I think I need to learn how to actually fight ghosts.
‘What I can do is at best accumulate experience fighting ghosts and build up courage.’
People who can take the Cheonjihae practical test are already seasoned exorcists.
Among them, there are quite a few who have exorcised ghosts multiple times.
‘To stand in the same line as those monsters, I need to at least accumulate some experience without flinching in front of ghosts.’
I had to find ghosts and exorcise them.
Because there’s a difference between seeing them and not knowing.
The most ideal would be to go to the site with a reliable exorcist.
The problem is that I have no connections.
I can’t just go to any exorcist and ask to join.
‘Exorcism work isn’t a joke. If I just ask a normal person to come along without reason, they’ll refuse with a straight face.’
A newbie like me asking to tag along?
Even I would think it’s weird.
“So, I can’t just pay and hire someone.”
If I had that money, I would have already gone to buy good exorcism equipment.
In the end, the only thing I can do is…
‘Do freelance exorcism porter work!’
Actually, it’s just the name “freelance exorcism porter”; there’s no big deal.
It’s just following behind an exorcist who goes to exorcise a ghost and doing odd jobs.
In other words, it’s a porter.
Exorcists have a lot of preparation or things they need to focus on.
But not all exorcists can have colleagues or disciples.
Freelance exorcists seek ‘porters’ to assist them.
‘It’s dangerous, so they usually don’t do it. But my purpose is to experience ghosts in the first place.’
I can watch the ghost exorcism scene from next to the exorcist.
Additionally, they pay money.
For me right now, it’s the best porter job.
‘Watching the ghost exorcism scene will definitely help. At the very least, I need to steal some tricks.’
Like a protagonist in a martial arts novel secretly observing their master’s martial arts to learn.
With my resolve, I immediately went to the porter recruitment site.
I found one near my house among the exorcism porters.
‘After inputting my name and age, I apply, right?’
Since no one had applied, I applied right away.
Fortunately, I got an immediate acceptance notification.
‘Today at night, perhaps.’
This is the first time seeing a real exorcist.
My heart was a bit racing.
****
“Ha~ Is that the person who applied for the porter?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
The person who came claiming to be an exorcist was an older sister.
I thought she might be wearing flashy traditional shaman clothes, but…
This person was wearing modern business attire.
‘That’s unexpected.’
More like a movie secret agent than an exorcist?
At first glance, she didn’t seem different from a regular office worker.
“What are you looking at so much?”
“No, it’s just that the exorcist’s outfit seems more plain than I thought.”
“Haa… Are there still people like this in today’s world?”
The exorcist answered as if it was unbelievable.
“These days, exorcists need intelligence as a basic requirement. That’s something only found in shaman families or top-tier companies like Cheonjihae.”
“Ah… I see.”
So, exorcists these days need that as basic.
It was surprisingly different from common sense.
My knowledge was also limited to the Cheonjihae background where protagonists exist.
‘It feels like seeing the grandfather from the magic tower running on a treadmill at home.’
Separately, it looked impressive.
Wearing a stylish suit, she definitely has presence.
“This suit is also a special treated item for ability users, not like it looks. It’s quite expensive.”
“High-grade item, huh.”
Just in case, I asked the price, and it was really expensive.
‘Before that, I wonder if the test would even allow such equipment since it demands fairness.’
“Enough, let’s do the work quickly. Here, take this.”
The exorcist pointed to a large backpack.
It looked quite heavy just by looking.
“What’s in here?”
“All sorts of weapons and exorcism tools. Since it’s important stuff, be careful handling it.”
…Can I really leave this to a porter?
‘If I run away, why would she do that?’
Well, if it’s a professional exorcist, a normal person might not be able to handle it easily.
She must have called a porter by paying money for this kind of work.
I quietly put on the backpack.
“You have more strength than you look? Your lower body is sturdy too.”
“I do some exercise.”
My body was in good basic condition.
Even after a short period of exercise, I had some muscles.
“Then let’s get started. I want to finish this easy job quickly.”
We entered the abandoned building in front of us.
The elevator was, of course, broken, so we had to use the stairs.
‘Wow… It’s creepy.’
No light entered the building.
Broken windows and cracked walls were left as is.
It’s a building that screams ‘Ghosts appear here~’.
‘If I become an exorcist, do I have to come to places like this all the time?’
In modern times, such places wouldn’t be used even for ghost experiences.
Humans in this world really suffer.
I, who will have to live here without moving, am really regretful.
“By the way, have you done other freelance exorcism porters before?”
“This is the first time.”
“What? You’re a complete newbie.”
Unlike me, the relaxed exorcist explained the work while chatting with me as if bored.
“This place has been abandoned for a while and is about to enter redevelopment. But a ghost appeared and interfered with the construction, so a request came to deal with it.”
It was something that could happen in a world where ghosts are normalized.
Freelance exorcists seem to make a living by taking such private requests.
‘So, it’s not such a dangerous ghost?’
If it was a strong ghost, the freelance exorcist wouldn’t have taken it; they’d have hired a formal exorcism company like Cheonjihae.
The exorcist also seemed quite confident.
This time, it seems like I just need to observe.
“Look. It’s just an ordinary ghost, right?”
Soon, a virgin ghost appeared in front of us.
From my perspective, it looked scary too.
To the professional exorcist, it seemed easy.
‘If I had to choose between the red mask and Busan auntie, I’d pick this one, but…’
The exorcist shouted boldly.
“Take out your weapon. I’ll deal with it in one go.”
I immediately rummaged through the backpack.
When I opened the bag, a double-bladed sword-like thing came out.
When I unfolded it, it was a spear that could be connected.
‘That’s why it was heavy; there was this inside.’
The exorcist holding the spear immediately took a stance.
As expected, since she was a professional exorcist, the way she held the weapon was not ordinary.
“Watch carefully! And don’t tell anyone!”
The exorcist immediately rushed forward and thrust the spear.
The ghost was startled and tried to run, but the exorcist was faster.
“Where!”
After a brief chase, the spear pierced the ghost.
The ghost disappeared as if it had some mysterious power.
“Sigh, I got it.”
The exorcist wiped her forehead and stood the spear up.
It was clean work even from my view.
“Good. Then let’s contact the client quickly…”
When the exorcist said that and turned her body.
Suddenly, something appeared from the darkness and caught my eye.
“Watch out!”
“Eh?”
Kwaang!
I tried to shout, but it was too late.
The ghost’s swinging arm hit the exorcist and she fell against the wall.
“Ugh… What… Kugh!”
A thick hand came out and strangled the exorcist’s neck.
The appearing ghost was a fat uncle ghost like from a hitomi with a hypnosis app.
[Hwa… Hwa… Woman… Woman…]
‘This crazy!’
It was much bigger than the previous ghost.
Spiritual beings don’t have size, but…
Just looking, it didn’t seem much stronger.
At least visually disgusting!!
‘Didn’t she say it was an easy job? Why is such a huge monster appearing?’
It’s a ghost with intelligence to talk properly and ambush.
I don’t know much about the exorcism industry.
But I could tell that this wasn’t an ‘easy opponent’.
‘Originally, the exorcist was relaxed because she thought there was only one ghost…’
Did the client not know about this ghost?
No, maybe they knew but hid it.
By revealing such a ghost, the request fee would increase.
[Woman… likes breasts… strip clothes…]
I don’t know why this ghost has lust despite its appearance.
But it’s a perverted ghost that touches the exorcist’s clothes as much as its appearance.
Crack!
I heard there was spiritual effect, but in front of this ghost, it was powerless.
With one light gesture, the clothes were torn, revealing black underwear.
“Ugh… Let go… Let go…”
The exorcist hit the arm with the spear she was still holding.
But the ghost’s body didn’t move.
“Kuh… Kugh! S, save me…”
The ghost put more strength into the hand strangling the neck.
Saliva dripped from the exorcist’s mouth.
Tears filled her eyes.
The expression of someone who has given up on their own death.
“Sigh.”
Looking at that, I stepped forward.
I didn’t want to, but in front of this hitomi, I had no choice.
“Die.”
Thud!
When I activated Instant Death, the ghost’s huge body fell to the floor.