Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Engine Room
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『Conversation, is it? You want to talk when death is staring you in the face?』
"If it were you, I figured you'd hear me out."
『And why would you think that?』
I answered the engineer's question.
"Because you're the one who killed the judge from car number two, aren't you?"
『Indeed. As a judge, it is a grave sin to invoke a judge's code upon a sinner, so I beheaded him.』
"You possess the incredible ability to behead and kill beings from other cars, yet you haven't killed me."
『...』
"You intend to judge me. Or, as you said earlier, to teach me my place. What better way to do that than through conversation? Through talk, you could judge me or make me realize my limits, couldn't you?"
『Talkative little worm.』
My left leg was crushed under something invisible. Fortunately, it didn't break—it seemed designed purely to inflict excruciating pain.
『I think I know what you're banking on.』
"What do you mean?"
『You're a fox pretending to borrow a tiger's might.』
He pointed at my eye.
『That right eye of yours—a gift from the Azure Moon of Ill Omen, right? Were you close with it? Is that what gives you the nerve to demand a conversation with me as an equal?』
He was talking about the blue moon, it seemed.
『And that gaze watching over you belongs to the Sole Sovereign. With those two backing you, you're trying to talk your way out by flaunting their protection. I can tell without even experiencing it myself.』
The Sole Sovereign—the girl with closed eyes?
"That's awkward. I had no such intentions at all."
Socrates said to know one's own ignorance. The opposite would be this engineer.
『No such intentions? And yet a worm like you dares to rampage here? You must have believed in those two. Believed that with them, you'd survive no matter what. That's the only backdrop that lets a worm run wild so openly.』
One who doesn't know that they don't know will never admit their ignorance.
It's blind faith in one's own views, stubborn refusal to accept new perspectives—no conversation will change the engineer's mind.
『Even with them, I have no intention of letting you leave this place. Here, I am the heavens. Your petty tricks are laid bare for all to see.』
"Hmm."
Thus, conversation was futile. Worse, by bringing it up first, I'd bruised his pride, completely closing off any path to talk.
"This is a self-fulfilling prophecy. I truly had no intention of foxing a tiger's might."
I entered a number into the smartphone I'd pulled out along with my cigarettes.
[666-666-666-666-666-666]
"One last excuse: I never planned to rampage. As you know, humans die easily, and you lot are like natural disasters. All I wanted was conversation, so I made it possible since the judges were all so violent."
『Pathetic excuse.』
"Even with a bit more power, I never dreamed of physically fighting and beating beings like you."
I pressed the call button.
"Of course, I could handle the weaker ones among you. But against true threats like yourself? I'm less than a firefly before the sun—how could I even think that?"
A very slow dial tone droned on. The engineer watching this barely paid it mind, dismissing it as worm nonsense.
"You are natural disasters. Ones humans can't face head-on with their own strength. But humanity has three ways to deal with natural disasters: flee from them, worship them, or..."
The tone cut off.
"...use whatever technology or means at hand to protect ourselves from them."
"Oh, Mr. Lee Seung-hoon, you finally called."
"That's how humans survive. In this case, another natural disaster it is."
Baal had appeared by my side before I knew it.
"This is quite the mess you're in."
"It just sort of happened."
"But..."
Baal gave a troubled smile.
"You've called me to a really awkward spot."
"Awkward?"
"Yes, very. I've run into someone from the same line of work. Rivals, you could say. We're not on good terms."
『...Why are you here, you?』
"Long time no see, entity of the Desire Realm."
Baal named the engineer's affiliation.
"So, why did you call me, Mr. Lee Seung-hoon? Doesn't seem like you're here to join our company."
"I was hoping you two might chat. And while you're at it, maybe exclude me and free the passengers trapped here."
"Fair enough."
Baal glanced at the door behind the engineer and smiled.
"Quite a crowd in there. Their suffering is fascinating."
『You enjoy human pain? As expected from debauched scum—your tastes are as vulgar as the rest.』
"Inflicting pain without purpose? How truly evil. What's the point of meaningless suffering?"
『Pain is punishment. The truth of the world, agreed upon by all realms of the trichiliocosm—yet only you deny it.』
"What? What are you talking about? I heard your whole affiliate group changed policies recently."
『No words for vulgar trash. Get lost.』
"Can't do that. Not when our promising talent here wants it."
Baal stepped forward. His back looked broad.
"Mr. Lee Seung-hoon, do what you need to. I'll handle this one."
"Thank you."
"Whoa, heading that way?"
Ignoring the pain in my leg, I bolted toward the space behind the engineer—the presumed engine room.
"This is really troublesome. You should be escaping, not..."
『Worm! How dare you invade this sacred space!』
"Sorry, but spare me a moment of your time."
Somehow, I slipped past the engineer.
"Twenty minutes. Maybe less."
The buzz of fly wings whispered in my ear.
"You owe me one now."
Owing a devil? Terrifying... and intriguing.
『...』
Lee Seung-hoon had entered the engine room. Baal faced off against the engineer, blocking pursuit by a hair's breadth. He was smiling, but it wasn't a smile.
The opponent was an entity of the Desire Realm. Not its lord, but a throne-holder beneath—still clearly superior to him.
If he fled, Baal could escape too. That much was feasible—but facing head-on was another matter.
"By the way, I'm really curious. As far as I know, not just the Desire Realm but your entire affiliate group changed policies. From harsh punishment to amity and reformation, wasn't it?"
『How dare you.』
The engineer's black shadow began devouring space.
The world was swallowed by darkness. In it, even Baal was just a tiny fly.
Stars twinkled in the darkness. Each one supreme agony, torment of every emotion, the world's afflictions.
Baal broke into a cold sweat.
A bitter smile followed.
‘So this is the engine room.’
First time inside. Even in the game, its existence was known, but specifics—what lay within, what happened—were never detailed.
‘Just rampant speculation it held machinery using passengers as fuel.’
And rumors of screams from the door to it now and then—creepypasta style, no concrete info.
"Never imagined a space like this."
The engine room was a vast workshop dominated by a massive furnace.
‘An endless space where walls vanish into infinity.’
I'd planned ahead: one idea was commandeering the train to return to the living world while freeing passengers. But no controls in sight.
‘Then cut the fuel.’
Suspecting the furnace as the source, I approached—and heard countless screams.
"Save us!"
"Aaagh!"
"Just kill me!"
Even "Friendship"-enhanced senses hadn't picked them up from afar; the furnace's fierce flames devoured their cries.
‘Alive or dead?’
Regenerating bodies suggested eternal torment for the living... or undead endlessly reviving.
‘Either way, they need release.’
Rescue the living; free the dead from endless pain—same duty.
"How do I stop it?"
I scoured the furnace perimeter intently but found no clues.
"?"
Then, on its rear: lettering as huge as itself.
[WK Custom Perpetual Motion Device - Avici]
"WK..."
Who'd have thought this multidimensional octopus conglomerate's logo etched here.
"Impressive salesmanship."
A good idea struck.
"No way... this too?"
I pulled out my smartphone, held the power button. After five seconds, Sarang awoke at last.
『You called, Mr. Lee Seung-hoon?』
"Sarang, can you hack this, by any chance?"
The furnace looked analog, a simple tool—park-sized, but just a giant hearth.
‘But if it's a specially made one?’
It could supply fuel to the train and double as a computer controlling it.
‘Like how the Sephirot tree is a multidimensional computer.’
Don't judge by appearances—infer via information.
『Scan complete. This device is judged a hyperdimensional AI-circuit-based auto-fuel generation and operation unit manufactured by WK Corporation.』
"As expected."
『Security is extremely lax, not accounting for hacking, so intrusion should be easy.』
I asked Sarang.
"Please. Halt fuel supply, halt train operation, and pull all product info."
My smartphone chimed with Sarang's cheerful voice.
『Commencing now.』