Chapter 112

===================

Translated by Jinmu

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

===================

The Silver Heart holder.

A good person possessing a badge-shaped item that could sway the crowd.

Although they were a crucial figure in this Tamra-Bound High-Speed Rail Incident, they were someone who drew attention only at the very end of the short-story-style document.

Therefore, the fact that I could not remember that person’s seat number or specific name.

Was perhaps only natural.

‘Because I read the wiki focusing on how to break the ghost stories…!’

After falling here, since it was no different from my lifeline, what I repeatedly read were mostly the ghost story entries and exploration records.

Meaning, I mainly read the wikis that provided information for clearing the ghost stories.

‘Side content was put on the back burner for the time being.’

Prose that was as long and emotional as a short novel, a sort of wiki spin-off? It was pushed way down my priority list.

In fact, the identity of the Silver Heart holder was mentioned only once or twice there.

To accurately recall those numbers and letters after a month or two of reading them.

…It seemed it was indeed an unreasonable expectation.

‘I’m screwed….’

No!

I swallowed my saliva.

‘I can make enough guesses.’

And even if I didn’t catch that person early on, I would surely think of a way to cope.

‘I remember the other wiki entries about the Tamra-Bound High-Speed Rail Incident.’

For example, urgent reports or documents registered with the Paranormal Disaster Management Bureau.

Since I knew the flow of this incident loop by loop, I could do it.

I could do it….

…….

‘All right.’

I decided on my future direction.

‘It’s a bit extreme, but it can’t be helped.’

Of course, all of this had occurred rapidly in my head within a few seconds, and in the meantime, the elite team employees beside me were chatting calmly.

“Wow, a time-loop! I’ve read many sci-fi short story collections like this.”

“It means it lets us keep trying until we meet the conditions, right? It’s a bit annoying, but convenient.”

“…….”

It was a truly extraordinary conversation….

Fortunately, no one paid attention to our lowered voices.

Because the entire train was filled with shock, panic, and weeping.

“Heeuug, gasp!”

“It’s a dream, this is a dream, a dream….”

However, there was bound to be someone who couldn’t stand by and watch such a situation.

“Wait a moment. Everyone, calm down! Calm down!”

…There they were.

Loop 2:

In each car of the high-speed train, individuals began to appear who patched up the passengers’ anxiety and gathered opinions.

-Ah, did someone say that a crisis is an opportunity! In a chaotic situation, someone who volunteers as a leader is bound to emerge.

Right.

And in our car, that was none other than the office worker wearing glasses.

The person who, during Loop 1, had bickered about closing the window, only for the opponent who rushed at him to fall out the window.

“Still, isn’t the important thing that we didn’t all die? …Everyone calm down, and let’s try to figure out what happened.”

“Ah… ah.”

“D-Do you have any ideas?”

Since someone took the lead for now, people did pay attention.

“In my opinion, it seems that time is repeating itself.”

The office worker with glasses began to calm the people down and organize the situation in his own way.

“We’re definitely caught in a strange phenomenon, but it seems there’s a reason we were given another chance. Perhaps it’s telling us to find the correct answer to escape.”

“Ah…….”

“Let’s believe so and try. Calmly.”

He probably thought the situation was flowing in a pretty good direction.

If only he hadn’t looked back at my seat at the very end.

“Look, there are people already sitting calmly over there.”

“…!”

“Let’s also assess the situation with that kind of attitude.”

‘Dammit.’

The three of us, Daydream Co. employees, were pointed out.

‘Were we too quiet…!’

……No, rather, it was for the best.

It was about time to establish a position. While it was still Loop 2, I had to step up early on.

“Ah, no. We’re not calm… we’re just confused.”

I immediately shook my head with a smile that looked forced despite the fear.

“It’s just… it just doesn’t feel real. We were all dozing off because we were on our way to a business trip.”

I wouldn’t be suspected. Even without trying, my face was already pale.

However, as I took the lead, one of Assistant Manager Jin Na-sol’s eyebrows raised slightly, but she acquiesced for now. Taking advantage of the momentum, I quickly followed up with my next words.

“But suddenly, the outside of the window becomes the sea, and there’s talk of a sacrifice and all that…. So all of that was real, right?”

“Th-well. It seems so.”

I swallowed my saliva as if slightly nervous.

“Then, the person who fell out of the window earlier is….”

“…….”

The gazes of the frozen people slowly turned at that moment.

The middle-aged man who had been sitting right next to the window where the ‘sacrifice’ was offered. In the seat of that man, which had been empty after he accidentally fell out the window during the argument….

There was a person.

“…!!”

The silhouette of a passenger sitting blankly was visible.

…It was indeed the person who had fallen out of the window.

“H-He’s alive?”

“Ah, what a relief….”

It was then.

The passenger sprang up and rushed at the office worker with glasses.

“…!!”

“You rotten bastard! Because of you, because of youuu!”

“L-Let go of me!”

It was pandemonium.

The middle-aged man, dressed like a nouveau riche, spluttered saliva and stared at the other with strange eyes.

“Die, die! I fell because of you… Ah, it hurts! It hurts so much……!!”

Madness flowed from his eyes.

“Y-You must not fall down there! It hurts! It’s strangeee! Ugh, barf!”

“Heek!”

The middle-aged man tottered and trembled, then began to vomit something like a strange dark red lump onto the floor.

“Ugh!! Urghhh!”

The office worker with glasses stepped back with a shocked face.

‘Ha.’

Those who became ‘sacrifices’ and fell out the window showed delirium bordering on mental illness and strange supernatural disease symptoms in the next loop.

They stated that they suffered endlessly amidst terrible burning pain and whispers that were not human after falling out the window.

…Seeing it in reality, that unstable state truly felt overwhelming.

The office worker with glasses, perhaps completely overwhelmed, slunk back on trembling legs.

-Hmm, voluntary resignation! We can evaluate that it was a short but meaningful leadership! In any case, the leader’s position is vacant from now on.

-By any chance, does my friend have any intention of leading them with wonderful skill…… Hmm, apparently not. That’s fine too! Let’s explain the situation together with this Brown.

‘Yes.’

I intentionally took a step back.

And at that moment.

Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice Those who wish to arrive at Tamra, offer a sacrifice

The cabin video changed again.

“L-Look, that popped up again!”

“Uh, I mean, last time definitely….”

Because a person fell out of the window.

The train successfully exited the tunnel and kept running.

“…….”

“…….”

Perhaps because there was still time, people babbled while intentionally turning a blind eye to that fact.

“…What exactly is a sacrifice?”

“W-Well, shouldn’t it be something alive first? You know, if you watch horror WeTube and stuff….”

I chimed in.

“No. It could be an object. The food offered in ancestral rites is actually a sacrifice too.”

“Ah…!”

“That’s true, for now, let’s calm down, think about various things, and throw them in….”

Yet fear, excitement, and anxiety were still brimming in their eyes….

“…….”

“T-Then. First of all, is there anyone who has food with them?”

Before long, people holding snacks volunteered and gathered food worth throwing outside.

Fruits, eggs, meat, bread, etc….

And at a close timing, the scenery outside the window changed.

Entering the First Altar

This time, the people were somewhat calm.

“Let’s throw them.”

“Yes……!”

Splash, splash.

In silence, the food disappeared outside the window.

Distance Remaining: 4

The electronic board did not budge. The number simply went down.

“No! It’s not ending!!”

People screamed.

In fact, even when it was accepted as a sacrifice, the countdown had gone all the way to the end in the same way, but I intentionally did not point that out to them.

…Because I had known from the beginning that food was not the correct answer.

Distance Remaining: 3

And the passengers also seemed to have finally acknowledged it.

The correct answer.

“I guess it really has to be a person. A person….”

“Ah…….”

“No, how could we to a person….”

“If we don’t do it, we all die! They say the train will sink?!”

“But who….”

Distance Remaining: 2

“…….”

“…….”

Gazes turned.

The meaning was this.

‘Since he’s lost his mind anyway, wouldn’t it be okay to drop him one more time?’

An unspeakable subconscious expressed because of the emergency.

Having received the gazes, the ‘Loop 1 sacrifice’ threw a fit.

“Save me, save meee! I don’t want to! No! No!!”

“C-Calm down. It will be okay….”

Distance Remaining: 1

“No! Nooo!”

“First, get away from the window… Uh, uh, uh??”

Fwoosh…

Splash.

0

The tunnel ended.

The inside of the train brightened as it reflected the blue sea again.

The eerie purple characters reading, ‘The offering has arrived, open the seaway,’ filled the cabin video.

In front of the window….

Broken glasses lay fallen on the floor.

“…….”

“…….”

And the ‘Loop 1 sacrifice’ who pushed him.

“The bastard who dropped me is dead! I didn’t die! I didn’t die! I did not dieee!”

The drooling middle-aged man flailed and ran down the aisle, then shoved his head into a corner and began to sob.

A pale silence flowed through the train car.

The atmosphere was maddening.

-The former leader became the sacrifice! Hmm, typical. Though it’s a bit early.

At that moment.

“Hey, there was a next one too, right?”

An inappropriately cheerful voice rang through the train.

Supervisor Dolphin.

“W-What did you say?”

“The second altar also appeared soon after, didn’t it? I think we need to prepare for that.”

“Cut it out!!”

“Ah!”

Stress-induced reactions burst out. However, Supervisor Dolphin said as if she didn’t care:

“Then, without making a mistake, let’s find the worst person and have them drop!”

And she pointed forward with her finger.

“Including all the other cars!”

“…!!”

“And well… there’s no guarantee that they’ll die, right? Since they returned alive earlier. Then isn’t it better to find a bad person and make them suffer?”

It was a crazy remark.

However, in an incomprehensible disaster situation, sometimes a crazy remark that sounds pleasing to the ears works.

Albeit slightly distorted.

“Yeah! Until now, they only fell from our car! They should do it in the front cars too!”

“That’s right!”

Why did only our car have to suffer such pain and worry!

Filled with resentment and strange anger, the people of Car 7, our car, rushed forward.

The elite team employees and I also blended into the crowd and headed forward. No, Supervisor Dolphin was standing right near the front.

“Hey! There’s an open window here too, right?? When the train crashed last time, I think it was because no one fell from there….”

However, as expected, the further forward we went, the majority of the people were those who had no grasp of the situation at all.

“W-What kind of crazy talk is that?”

“What’s with these people?”

“Hey, go away if you don’t want to get beaten up. Seriously.”

“Oh.”

“…Let’s move a bit more and inform them.”

Since Supervisor Dolphin looked at the last speaker as if they were an excellent candidate of character, we hurriedly moved to the next car.

But the moment we stepped into Car 3.

Entering the Second Altar

It started again.

“Ahhh!”

“Anyone, fall quickly!”

“The train is going to crash, sob, ughhh…”

“Throw a person! We have to throw a person out the window!”

The shouts of the people of Car 7, our car, whose stress had reached its peak, were heard.

Along with the voices of the people in the other cars who had not yet accurately grasped the situation.

Distance Remaining: 5

“What’s with those people?! Where did they come from??”

“Aren’t they crazy bastards!”

“If you don’t want to die, hurry up and get a volunteer! Choose a volunteer!”

“Ah, then why don’t you guys fall instead!”

“Someone already fell from our car! Find one from another car!!”

“So, a volunteer right now is….”

Distance Remaining: 4

A clear voice cutting through the pandemonium.

“There isn’t one?”

Assistant Manager Jin Na-sol reached out her hand.

‘…No!’

She was trying to pick the most uncooperative person here and throw them.

‘And if it starts over by any chance, she plans to keep using the picked people as sacrifices again…!’

It was efficient, but it wouldn’t do.

Assistant Manager Jin Na-sol was definitely a competent person, but she had clearly lived without paying any attention to public opinion battles.

I raised my hand right away.

Distance Remaining: 3

“I will volunteer!”

“…….”

Assistant Manager Jin Na-sol turned back to look at me.

“What?”

I said once more.

“I will fall.”

“…!!”

“Why……”

Distance Remaining: 2

“Since it doesn’t mean actual death, I will try to endure it.”

And I quickly whispered to Assistant Manager Jin Na-sol.

“I think we need to verify once. What on earth is happening down there.”

“Do you have to?”

“I can’t trust civilian testimony. And I have prepared mental defense countermeasures as well.”

“Hmm….”

Distance Remaining: 1

“Do as you please.”

“…! Thank you.”

I quickly finished the secret conversation, looked at the people, and shouted.

“Not much time left! I’m going to the window, so everyone please step aside!”

“Uh, uh, uh….”

The people could not stop me and slunk back. The reaction was the same whether it was our car or another car.

‘…Good.’

Although I spoke as if I were calm, my hands were trembling.

Still, it couldn’t be helped.

‘According to the plan, this process is absolutely necessary once.’

If Plan A, which was to immediately find and secure the Silver Heart holder, failed.

‘I have to use a more extreme method.’

“Everyone, watch out!”

At the same time I clung to the window, I took out a painkiller from my chest pocket.

There was a possibility that it wouldn’t work, but.

‘Still, it’ll be better than nothing…!’

I stabbed the ‘Happy Maker’ into my forearm. And simultaneously, I threw my body out the window.

Into the red tunnel.

0