---
Chapter 4 — The Ghost in the School
The next day came faster than Jae-min expected.
He stood before his mirror, adjusting the new long coat he'd bought the night before — black, sleek, and with a hoodie stitched into the collar. It wasn't just stylish; it offered E-rank protection, and the slim-fit battle suit beneath it increased his speed and agility by 2%.
He pulled the hood over his head and smirked.
"Now this is what a real exorcist looks like."
---
Later that morning, he met Mr. Lee at a small café in downtown Seoul. The older man waved him over enthusiastically.
"Now you look professional, kid!" Mr. Lee laughed, eyeing the outfit from head to toe.
Jae-min smiled, rubbing the back of his head. "Thanks. I thought about what you said yesterday… figured I should go shopping."
Mr. Lee chuckled, then slid a small folder across the table. "Alright, listen up. Your first F-rank job is in Zone 2, District 11 — an underground parking lot. Creepy place. People say it's haunted as hell. The second one's in Zone 4, District 5… a school."
"A school?"
"Yeah," Mr. Lee sighed. "K.G.H.A. sealed it off from civilians. Be careful in there. The reports say it's been… strange."
Jae-min nodded confidently. "Don't worry. I know exactly what I'm doing."
Mr. Lee just gave him that deadpan, "You're going to die, aren't you?" look.
"Sure you do," he muttered.
---
By afternoon, Jae-min arrived at the parking lot — an abandoned concrete structure coated in shadows and echoing with the faint drip of leaking water.
"Ugh. I need a damn bike," he groaned, stretching his legs. "If I have to walk through another creepy district, I'll exorcise myself."
A message pinged from Mr. Lee:
> [F-Rank Job #1: ₩2,500,000 (≈ $1,740)]
[F-Rank Job #2: ₩3,800,000 (≈ $2,640)]
[Bonus: Any loot obtained during combat.]
"Now that's what I'm talking about," Jae-min grinned. "I've never been paid this much in my life."
He set up his Battle Arena, watching the translucent dome of blue light seal the entire area off from the world. Inside, the temperature dropped instantly — the air heavy and cold.
> [Warning: Ghost presence detected. Proceed with caution.]
Jae-min materialized his dagger, exhaling deeply. "Here we go…"
From the shadows, a figure emerged — a woman in shredded clothes, her face twisted and gray, clutching a torn handbag.
> [Ghost Rank: F]
[Name: Han Seok-mi]
[Death Cause: Died waiting for her son after a car accident.]
[Ability: Echo Step — Creates phantom footsteps and whispers to confuse enemies.]
"At least I know what I'm dealing with this time," Jae-min muttered, lowering his stance.
Suddenly, faint whispers echoed behind him — "Are you there?" — followed by the sound of footsteps circling him. He gritted his teeth. "So this is Echo Step, huh?"
The ghost lunged with unnatural speed, but Jae-min dodged, his movements sharper and more fluid than before. He countered with a quick strike, forcing the ghost back.
"What's wrong? Can't keep up, you filthy street rat?" he taunted.
Then he laughed. "You know, I met an entity once who said that phrase came from another world. Funny guy."
The ghost screamed in fury and hurled its handbag at him, vanishing in the dust cloud. When it reappeared before him, it swung with killing intent—
CLANG!
Nothing.
The ghost froze, eyes wide. Jae-min stood behind it, dagger poised, a faint smirk on his face.
"I'm sorry for what happened to you," he said softly, "but that doesn't give you the right to hurt others."
One clean strike — and silence.
> [Ghost Eliminated.]
[Reward: Ability Copied — "Echo Step."]
[New Function: Ability Fusion Available.]
[Fuse Echo Step + Pain Link? (Y/N)]
Jae-min's eyes widened. "Wait, I can fuse abilities now?"
> [Fusion Success Rate: 76%]
"Huh. So it's not guaranteed. Guess I'll take the risk."
He selected YES. A bright light flashed across his system window.
> [Fusion Successful — New Ability Created: Echo Pain Step Analyzer (E.P.S.T)]
"...That name's way too long," he muttered. "But I like it."
He allocated his attribute points:
> +5 Strength
+3 Speed
+4 Stamina
+3 Adaptability
His level rose to 9.
"Not bad for a day's work," he grinned.
---
Second Job — Zone 4, District 5.
The old school stood like a forgotten tomb, wrapped in silence and fog. Jae-min froze when he saw the sign.
It was his sister's school.
A chill crawled down his spine. "No way…" he whispered. "Could this… be connected to her coma?"
He clenched his fists. "Then I'll find out."
The Battle Arena activated, sealing the area in eerie silence. The hallway stretched infinitely, flickering between light and darkness. Lockers rattled on their own.
> [Warning: Ghost Approaching.]
[Ghost Name: Nam Gil-soo]
[Ability: Loop Time — Repeats a 10-second sequence infinitely within its domain.]
"Loop time?" Jae-min frowned. "This should be interesting."
The ghost appeared — tall, gaunt, with a broken mop in its hand. It lunged. Jae-min met it head-on, his enhanced reflexes giving him the edge—until the world snapped back ten seconds.
He was standing in the same spot again.
"What the—?"
The ghost appeared behind him this time, slamming a blow to his gut. Jae-min flew backward, gasping.
He wiped blood from his lip. "It's one thing to know your enemy's ability… it's another to counter it."
He attacked again, and again time rewound. Over and over. Each loop cut deeper into his stamina.
> [Warning: Ghost Essence Low. Spirit Enhancement Deactivated.]
"Great," he hissed. "Now I'm fighting handicapped."
Then, an idea hit him. "Wait—do I still have enough G.E. for my fused skill?"
> [Remaining G.E: 1 Activation Available.]
"That's all I need."
> [Ability Activated — Echo Pain Step Analyzer (E.P.S.T)]
"Still hate the name," Jae-min muttered, moving faster than the ghost's eyes could track. His afterimages blurred as faint whispers of his own echoed around the room.
The ghost swung wildly, unable to land a hit.
Then his system highlighted glowing red marks across its body.
"There. Its weakness is its hands. That's how it resets time—by hitting the mop or snapping its fingers."
He lunged, feinted left—
The ghost slammed its mop. Time reset.
Exactly as planned.
When the loop began again, Jae-min's dagger was already spinning through the air, and as the ghost materialized behind him—
SLASH!
Its hands fell to the ground. The mop clattered uselessly beside them.
The ghost screamed as Jae-min approached, eyes glowing faintly blue. "Game over," he said coldly—and drove the blade through its chest.
> [Ghost Eliminated.]
[Reward: +20 Attribute Points. Ability Copied — "Loop Time."]
[Copy Ability Cooldown: Requires Coins (Defeat Higher-Rank Ghosts).]
Jae-min collapsed back against a wall, panting. "I… did it."
---
That evening, Mr. Lee greeted him with a wide grin.
"Nice work, kid! You keep this up, and some guild's gonna snatch you up in no time!"
Jae-min smiled faintly as his phone buzzed.
> [Payment Received: ₩6,300,000 (≈ $4,350)]
"Thanks, Mr. Lee," he said, waving as they parted ways.
On his walk home, he spotted a weapon shop and went inside. The store reeked of luxury and arrogance — filled with young exorcists who looked like they'd never worked a day in their lives.
Jae-min approached the counter. "Hey, can I get a new dagger? Mine's pretty banged up."
One of the guys nearby sneered. "Bro, this place is for real exorcists, not broke nobodies."
Jae-min ignored him.
The guy scowled. "Hey, I said buzz off!" He reached out, but Jae-min caught his wrist mid-air — and squeezed. Hard.
The man winced in pain. "How the hell are you this strong!?"
Jae-min's voice was cold. "You wanna know? It's because I'm the main character, you street trash."
He shoved the guy backward, sending him crashing into a rack of charms. The rest of the group froze.
"D-do you know who my father is!? You'll regret—"
A notification pinged on the counter.
> [Purchase Complete — D-Rank Dagger +5% Power | ₩2,000,000]
Jae-min picked it up, flipped the blade once, and smiled faintly. "I'll take this one. Keep the change."
The group stared, speechless, as he walked out.
Outside, a hooded girl passed by him, freezing as she felt his energy brush against her. She turned sharply to see who it was — but Jae-min was already gone, vanishing behind a wall using E.P.S.T.
"Too close," he whispered. "I'm not ready for questions yet."
Minutes later, he stumbled through his apartment door, dropped his coat, and face-planted into bed.
> "It's gonna be a long night…" he mumbled before passing out cold.
--- To Be Continued....