Surviving the Prologue is Easy, Really

The darkness inside the school was so thick that they could barely see ahead.

"H-Hic... Noona... please..."

"I-I don't want to die!"

"I told you we shouldn't have come here!"

Three high school students huddled together, their uniforms stained with dust and tears. They were trembling violently, clutching the hem of the skirt of the girl standing in front of them as if she were their only lifeline.

The girl wore a plain, oversized gray hoodie, a black pleated skirt, and worn-out sneakers. Her short black hair was messy, and a white face mask covered the lower half of her face, hiding her expression, but her sharp, dark eyes made her look cold and indifferent.

Step... Step...

The sound came from the end of the hallway.

"Formula... memorize..."

A gurgling voice echoed.

"Must... get... into... SKY university..."

A distorted shadow swayed across the hallway. Slowly, the creature revealed itself from the darkness. It wore the tattered remnants of a school uniform, but its neck was broken, and black ink dripped from its eyes.

...A grotesque spirit born from the obsession of academic pressure. The malice emitted by the vengeful spirit was enough to make most people faint.

"Grade... rank... one..."

The ghost groaned, its jaw unhinging just like a snake, wide enough to easily swallow the girl standing in front of the students.

"WHY DID YOU GET A HIGHER SCORE THAN MEEEE?!"

The scream shattered the windows. The glass exploded inward, and the ghost lunged. It moved with terrifying speed, its sharp fingernails aiming straight for the girl's eyes.

The students screamed, squeezing their eyes shut.

But the girl did not flinch.

In the face of the charging spirit, she remained calm, her hands tucked inside the pocket of her skirt.

"The Heavens have eyes, the Earth has laws—"

Just as the rotting claws were inches from her face, her right hand whipped out from her pocket. Between two fingers, she held a rectangular slip of yellow paper inscribed with crimson calligraphy.

With a snap of her wrist, she sent the talisman flying.

Slap.

The talisman precisely hit the zombie's forehead and remained glued to it.

"—Let Pure Yang purge the wicked. [Ignite]."

WOOSH!

A torrent of brilliant spirit fire erupted from the paper. The blue flames spiraled outward, engulfing the screaming monster. The ink on the ghost's skin evaporated instantly, followed by its skin.

"I... need to... study..."

With a final, fading groan, the spirit dissolved into a pile of harmless gray ash.

The hallway fell silent. The oppressive malice vanished as if it had never existed.

It was a flawless execution. Fast, precise, and overwhelming.

The three students slowly opened their eyes. They looked at the small pile of ash, then up at the back of the girl in the hoodie. She stood in front of the fading embers, adjusting her face mask. To their eyes, she looked like a mysterious Master.

"T-That was amazing..."

The male student gasped, tears of relief streaming down his face.

"Thank you! You saved us!"

The girl turned around. She looked down at them with those dark, unreadable eyes.

She held out her hand, palm up.

"Payment."

The students froze.

"...Excuse me?"

"150,000 won. 50,000 won per head."

She continued, her voice completely dry.

"Cash only. I don't have a card reader. And since you guys made me run here past midnight, you're covering my cab fare back home. Haah, you kids screamed so loud my ears are ringing. I should charge a noise fee, but I'll let it slide."

"..."

The mystical aura surrounding the girl shattered instantly, replaced by the crushing reality of capitalism.

"U-Um, Miss Exorcist?"

The female student who had been clinging to the front spoke up, her voice trembling.

"We... we don't carry that much cash. We usually use our cards or phones..."

"No cash? Tch. Kids these days. You go ghost hunting at midnight but don't bring emergency funds? What if you needed to bribe a Goblin?"

Reluctantly, the girl fished a smartphone out of her hoodie pocket. The screen was cracked in three places, and the case was yellowed with age.

She tapped the screen a few times and shoved it toward the three.

"Bank transfer. Right now. If I don't see the deposit notification in thirty seconds, I'm leaving you kids here with whatever is crawling on the third floor."

"T-third floor?!"

"Twenty-nine seconds."

"Doing it! I'm doing it!"

The three students fumbled with their phones, their thumbs touching the screens desperately.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

The cracked phone in the girl's hand blinked. Her cold, indifferent eyes softened instantly as she looked at the screen.

"Good. Payment confirmed. Including the cab fare and a tip? Tsk, smart kids. You all might actually live a long life."

She shoved the phone back into her pocket and turned on her heel.

"Alright, transaction complete. Follow me."

The return journey was extremely quiet, though far less deadly than their arrival.

In no time, they reached the heavy double doors of the main entrance.

The girl kicked the door open.

BANG!

The students stumbled out, their legs finally giving way as they felt the cold night air.

"We... we made it..."

"Alive... W-We're actually alive."

"T-Thank God..."

They hugged each other, sobbing.

The girl stood by the gate, checking the time on her cracked phone. The glow of the screen illuminated her pale face and the dark circles under her eyes.

"Alright, my job is done. My cab is two minutes out. You kids should call your parents. Or the police. Actually, don't call the police, they ask too many questions and I don't have a business license."

She pocketed the phone and turned to leave, pulling her hood up over her head.

"Wait!"

The male student scrambled to his feet.

"Who... who are you?"

The girl paused. She looked back over her shoulder. Under the harsh glare of the streetlamp, she looked incredibly small.

"Me?"

Even with the mask, they could feel the girl was smirking.

"I'm just a freelance consultant. But if you see me on the street..."

She waved her hand dismissively as she turned toward the approaching headlights of a taxi.

"...pretend you don't know me. Unless you have another job offer. In that case, I offer a returning customer discount. 5% off."

The taxi approached and parked. The girl opened the door and slid into the backseat without a second glance.

"Mapo-gu. The cheapest route, please."