Chapter 118
Chapter 118
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 118
Chapter Title: Even If I Fall Into a Ghost Story, I Still Have to Go to Work
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"Over there, Junior! I'm heading out now. I'm fine going alone."
The Dolphin Junior volunteered to jump from the first altar.
Since you had to go alone from the first altar, someone had to step up, and I had to stay until the end to wrap up and check on the passengers.
But the Dolphin Junior didn't go alone.
"Th-then I'll go first too...! Here I go."
"Might as well make it the first one anyway."
With so many volunteers, a few people decided to jump together even from the first altar.
And right before the start...
"You still have a chance to back out even now."
Even at the final fork, not a single person backed down.
"Let's go!"
"Uwaaaah!!"
People started leaping out the windows.
Led by the Dolphin Junior, over seven people tumbled down to the first altar in a group.
The train sped past the altar, and the surroundings brightened again.
"Uh..."
The people blinked at the 14th-looped, almost routine scenery they'd grown accustomed to.
"Th-they went."
Of course, it probably didn't look much different from the previous jumps.
'The painkillers only kick in after you land.'
And then the odd symptoms appeared.
'Wait, was it actually nothing big?'
Whether they thought that or not, people started saying they'd jump too, belatedly.
Like this guy, for example.
"Hey! Let me out too."
This passenger was the one who'd witnessed the Dolphin Junior's outburst and gotten marked as sacrifice material...
He'd conveniently erased from memory telling people to get lost before he punched them in the early loops, and now approached me casually.
Whatever, it didn't matter.
"Then you'll jump at the second one..."
"No, I want to go with you pioneers, the ones who went first. At the very end."
"...Mm. Got it."
If that's what you want.
-What a rude fellow.
True enough.
And from behind, I heard the passenger chattering with his group.
"Hey, what the hell are you doing? Why're you suddenly jumping like an idiot."
"Tch, can't you read the room? Jump with the trusted ones, and you get some special power or whatever. X, you can tell just by looking. Gotta hop on the trend quick."
Hm.
'That kind of thing...'
Doesn't exist.
"The pain talk is probably just bullshit to weed people out, right?"
No.
'It's gonna hurt like hell for real.'
Whatever, misconceptions are their freedom.
I decided not to dissuade them. Instead, to add him to the altar volunteer list, I checked his face again...
Hold on.
Come to think of it, that guy's face...
'...He's got a mole on his cheek.'
It was a feature I'd missed rushing past in case the Dolphin Junior threw a preemptive punch.
'And he was from car 6?'
A certain someone with matching traits came to mind.
Hm.
'Looks like that guy's the passenger who was originally supposed to become the cult leader...'
-Oh! Pushed out of the role by Deer?
Mm, hate to admit it, but yeah.
'With the total 14 loops going so smoothly, cases like this pop up.'
Well, way better than dragging passengers around in terror and madness, harvesting organs for mountain sacrifices, then tossing empty skins out the window...
Anyway, the key point was most volunteers were calmly and resolutely heading to the altars together, no issues.
"I'm off."
"Come back even cooler, everyone!"
"We can do this!"
The mood strangely kept improving. Some even wiped away tears while waiting.
"Um, honestly, this is my first time challenging something like this..."
"That's awesome!"
As people encouraged each other with heartfelt stories, I turned to the one outlier.
Baek Saheon, watching the whole scene with a bemused expression.
"...No idea why you're looking at me. I'm not jumping."
"Go ahead."
Wasn't expecting you to.
"But."
Baek Saheon spoke in a subtly probing tone.
"If you really need me to, one painkiller and I might jump."
"Oh, you wanna use it now?"
"No, after this is all over."
"Oh..."
I grinned.
"Pass."
"......"
Just freeloader your way through comfortably.
'Trying to get free items off me.'
"Ah, fifth altar, Pioneer!"
"Yes. Heading there now."
I left Baek Saheon behind and mingled with the passengers, offering advice and cheers to the volunteers.
Doing what I could as a silver heart owner.
And...
About three hours later...
"......"
The final moment had arrived.
"Let's go."
"Yes."
I stood with all the remaining volunteers.
...Over twenty people were jumping out the window this time.
'An absurd number.'
Honestly, scary.
If these people started writhing in real pain and cursing me, could my mental hold up?
"Here we go!"
"Ya, yap!"
Two or three people grabbed hands and leaped without hesitation, one after another.
I confirmed the last volunteer passenger jump out the window, then immediately stood in front.
"Y-you're going too?"
Technically, skipping now wouldn't affect clear.
But...
-Ah, using that excellent painkiller again, friend?
......
'No.'
I tucked the painkiller back into my pocket.
And hurled myself toward the window.
Splat.
My body from the high-speed train tumbled into the dark red altar passage.
And the moment my senses took in the surroundings...
......
'X damn it.'
It was primal hell.
I couldn't believe I hadn't found this grotesque before.
Even though I'd done it twice, the difference with and without the Happy Maker stabbed into my arm was stark.
Countless rotten flesh chunks belonging to who-knows-who writhed on the floor like worms making waves, a hell filled with decayed blood and filth. The flesh chunks are moving!
Is this inducing hallucinations too? No, I have the silver ring on, so... No, stop thinking, stop.
To let the silver ring's resistance work, I steadied my breathing.
Still, the pounding noise in my head wasn't as bad as before.
'Pull yourself together...'
Then.
Pain like my whole body burning struck.
"...!!"
I nearly fell.
Scorching Pain.
Scorching Pain!!
Scorch
ing
Pain
Scorch
ing
Pain
Scorch
ing
Pain
Each letter seared my body like candle wax.
It wasn't that the weird noise in my head stopped!
And for those hearing it...
"Crazy! Crazy!"
"Kwaaaah!"
"Wh-what's it saying, wh-what... S-s-sin, sooorryyy?"
Cries, screams, delirium echoed through the altar.
My head spun.
Thud.
Near me, someone fully collapsed, impaled into the flesh chunks. I held back a scream and pulled them up.
"Krrghhh..."
'P-pain-killer.'
First pull them up and stab the Happy Maker—that thought dominated my head.
So the moment I supported and hoisted them...
"...!"
Suddenly.
The Scorching Pain sharply receded.
'...No!'
Not receded—the pain wasn't felt where touching this person, my back and shoulder, so it felt relatively bearable...
"...Ah!!"
I realized.
No Scorching Pain where we touched.
Not exposed to the altar environment!
"Everyone! Stick together! It gets better if you stick!"
Saying that, I linked arms with someone nearby like buddies.
The word spread.
"Don't expose bare skin! Th-the voices come from there!"
"Grab hands!"
Scattered groups of two or three clustered, then everyone pressed front-to-back.
"Get lost X! Aaaagh!"
Of course, some lost it, shoving people and sinking fully into the flesh.
"You X, I won't let you off aaaah!! You tricked me! Tricked■■■"
Even the guy who'd aggressively joined last for 'special powers' glared murderously, pointing at me before sinking into the flesh, falling behind.
But over twenty, the majority, started huddling like penguins.
"It, it's... work-ing..."
"Bearable. Bearable...!"
"Le-let's moooove!!"
And maximally stuck, arms linked, huddled, they started running toward the light.
Pain minimized.
Hands too intertwined to bite or claw off gripped the outer people, rotten flesh scattering under running feet.
Screams and shouts rang, but cheers and grit too.
Shared sensation.
"Almost there!!"
Light neared.
Slow but sure.
A bit more.
A bit more...
And finally!
"Ah......"
People desperately cheered, hurling into the light.
"Waaaaaah!!"
I too swept into the light, mind soaring hazily.
The vanished voice wasn't heard, but...
......
Suddenly, the thought hit.
Maybe this ghost story's test had never been 'properly' solved before.
And now, I vaguely glimpsed the answer's direction.
'Perhaps Tamra.'
If all train passengers jumped together, undergoing this, reaching an unknown world...
I opened my eyes.
"Ugh!"
"Ugh..."
"Ah... Wh-what."
Gulps of air and small groans everywhere.
Chairs shaking here and there from people jolting awake from dozing.
I immediately looked up at the train monitor.
And the text scrolling on screen.
With a cheerful chime, the high-speed train pulled out of the station...
"Oh, you're back safe."
"...Yes."
Escape, success.
'Phew...'
Tension fully drained, I slumped completely into my seat.
But seeing the person in front snapped me alert.
'...Deputy Jin Nasol!'
Deputy Jin Nasol stared at the train ceiling, arms crossed, expressionless.
Of course, it was all a dream now, and she hadn't jumped at the end, so probably not much anger left...
'Still, gotta do what needs doing!'
I hurriedly rummaged my pocket, pulling out something to energize a fatigued, results-driven boss.
Something all three of us sitting here had. Namely...
"...Deputy."
"......"
"The Dream Essence Collector is full."
Clear golden liquid sloshed inside the collector.
Yeah.
We were on a business trip, so of course we had Dream Essence Collectors, and clearing the ghost story filled them.
'If we'd cleared the old Iksan line back then, probably F or D grade...'
But with the variant spawning an extension line, double-digit restarts, and tons jumping to altars now...
"C-grade."
Same grade as the Mokpo darkness we'd planned to enter.
And with the collectors already full, no point entering new darkness now.
Expression finally returned to Deputy Jin Nasol's face.
"No need for Mokpo then? Return at the next stop."
"Yesyesyes!"
I sighed in relief, patting my chest.
'Whew, good.'
For a company drone, finishing work quick is the best gift...
Then.
Mumbling from the back seats.
"Hey... I had this weird dream... Train running on water?"
"Whoa, what. Total nonsense dream."
"No but it was fun. Chaos everywhere, even this adult came out... Called him 'Pioneer' or something? Anyway, it was right in front of us?"
"For real?"
"...!"
Wait, hold up.
Guess my cult leader act stuck strong in memories.
'F-first, let's bail.'
I excused myself from the bosses and headed to the bathroom to avoid notice.
Click.
"Fuu."
Hm. Stay a few minutes till details fade from passenger memories...
-Like a star dodging rabid fans...
Uncannily similar, kinda embarrassing...
Still, not a bad situation.
'No, an amazing ending.'
Faint pride spread in my chest.
......The peace the original Tamra Express passengers never enjoyed.
'Because... the ending was even more horrific.'
Shockingly despairing, remembered crystal clear even without wiki.
Hundreds, thousands of loops breaking passenger minds past group madness to barely human.
With all minds collapsed into hellish cars, judging jumps by numbers impossible in the pain swamp.
'But endless trials probabilistically hit 'right answer' carelessly...'
After countless restarts and eons, they finally number-matched to the ninth altar.
Dramatically escaping the anomaly, but...
'In a way, they never escaped.'
One offering experience wakes as nightmare for dozens of minutes.
Human mind after hundreds of thousands repeats?
'...Never escaped the nightmare at all.'
They mistook reality for still trapped in the loop...
Minds slightly recovering in reality fueled deeper despair, spurring crazier acts.
Hell arrived in reality too.
Majority slaughtered each other in seats, aisles, windows, tearing, dismantling.
Amid massive riot and frenzy, train derailed...
Exploded.
Thus the 'Tamra Express Incident' met its gruesome end...
Survivors: 7
Deaths: 404
......Glad it didn't become reality.
I sighed in relief.
Hm, and now with it over, finally time to ponder questions.
■■■ Deputy
The sole Daydream Corp survivor among originals.
The employee I bought this silver ring from, trading with three civilians at the death road shop.
Where was she?
'No, she was there, probably.'
Dunno.
Only company employee we spotted on train was Baek Saheon.
No desire for flashy employee hunts that didn't help clear.
'Anyway, good.'
If there, she'd have survived the clean end too.
Key is the tragedy on that train didn't happen.
Bang bang bang!
Ah,
'Time to go.'
Next person knocking, tired of waiting.
I jotted a few notes on my phone about the fading 14-loop memories, finished splashing cold water on my face, and exited the bathroom.
Clack.
The waiting person brushed past into the bathroom.
'In a hurry.'
I sidled back to my seat...
Whoosh.
"You X bastard."
I ducked my head.
Cutter blade.
The knife grazed razor-close past my chest...
"...!!"
X hell!
I retreated while grabbing their forearm with one arm and twisting.
Clang!
Cutter hit the floor with a sharp ring. I pinned them down.
Their face came into view during.
"You X bastard, uh, u-uh!"
This psycho.
Cold sweat poured as I crushed them.
'Cult leader wannabe...!'
"X hell! X it hurt, huuuh, it huuurt! Huh?!"
The guy who'd lagged at the ninth altar last!
'This crazy bastard...'
"Tricked people?!? Die then, you X, you X...'
I slammed the cursing guy to the floor again hard.
Thud, short impact, and...
Knocked out.
"Hah."
My grip slick with cold sweat.
'...Lagged and lost his mind.'
Plus original bad personality meant more sins, longer suffering maybe...
Nightmare level at worst, but anger issues that bad?
'Makes sense for his type.'
"Fuu..."
I wiped sweat.
Good thing: my chest unscathed, no pain from the slash.
Why?
'...Good I wrapped packaging beforehand.'
Didn't expect another ghost story mid-business trip ghost story, but wrapped defensive packaging item on bare skin from start, fearing no later chance.
The 'Packaging 12B357na' from the alien shop.
Death notice received, obvious prep.
'Still, never dreamed it'd be a knife psycho, not ghost story...'
Maybe this was my death omen, just blocked?
'What do you think, Brown.'
......
......
No reply.
"......Brown."
A bad premonition chilled my spine.
So... my chest got slashed.
No injury, thanks to packaging on bare skin.
But outside that, my suit left-chest pocket held...
"...Brown?"
Still,
no reply.
I frantically shoved hand into inner suit pocket.
Trembling hand pulled out the fluffy stuffed doll inside...
Drip drip.
Cotton fell from below.
Torn pink fabric fluttered down raggedly.
"......"
I held the bisected plush keychain doll and froze.