Chapter 113

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Translated by Jinmu

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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The first thing that caught my eye was a red pulsation.

Thump, thump, thump.

I realized late that I had bumped into something.

Splat.

Along with a short, heavy sound, my body fell onto something squelchy.

A foul odor.

The next moment, I realized it was the stench of rotting protein.

The pieces of flesh scattered around me stuck to my body.

Pulsating red.

Whish!

The wind blew.

The high-speed train I had been riding passed by me, leaving behind a roaring sound and wind pressure.

In an instant, the train disappeared toward the very end of the tunnel, where light was sparkling….

“…….”

Honestly, although it was very dirty and a bit scary, I did not fall into pain or serious panic.

The feeling was merely as if I were standing alone in front of an apartment trash collection area at night.

-My goodness, what an unsanitary environment! Are you okay, my friend?

“Yeah. I’m okay.”

‘…The Happy Maker is doing its job really well.’

It felt as though my head had frozen warmly, conversely to how one’s heart freezes coolly and makes one less nervous when taking Cheongsimhwan.

I stood up in a fairly calm and stable mental state.

Yet, the moment I brushed off the rotting flesh with my bare hands in the process.

Tear and eat your wickedness

A strange voice echoed in my head.

“…….”

So, well. If I were to match the current situation with the testimonies of the people who had been offered as sacrifices roughly…….

‘Is it that around this point, they feel a pain as if their entire body is burning, and unable to endure it, they tear off their skin and flesh…?’

And while chewing and spilling it, they had to walk forward toward the light at the end of this dirty and gloomy passage—it seemed like such a crazy situation.

And this passage itself was the trace of that dreadfulness.

Fortunately, since my entire pain was anesthetized and I even wore a silver ring that raised mental resistance, there was no way I would feel such a crazy impulse.

“Phew.”

I stood up completely and shook my body slightly.

There wasn’t much effect. The traces left by the filth and rotting flesh were stark.

Let’s avoid thinking about the source of this flesh as much as possible….

Thanks to the Happy Maker, there was no wavering, but it was still uncomfortable.

Ah, wait.

“Brown, are you okay?”

-Ah, do you mean this sound like a repeatedly playing radio tape? It feels like meaningless noise pollution, but it’s not unbearable!

“…What about the burning pain?”

-Haha!

-For I have neither skin nor flesh on this body! There are only cloth, cotton, eyes, and a nose….

I-I see.

‘Was it correct that the condition for a sacrifice applies only to humans?’

It was a relief that there was no way Brown would lose control and run wild.

-In any case, does my friend have more business in this messy place?

“…No.”

-Then let’s get out of here quickly.

Indeed.

‘Because to escape, I must return to the inside of that train.’

I rose from the spot and began to walk.

To the end of the passage.

Squelch, squelch.

The fluid of the filth splashed from beneath my feet and entered my shoes, wetting my socks red.

Discard your sins

Tear away as much as your sins

Eat your sins

“…….”

Could it be that the more sins a person has committed, the stronger the burning pain becomes?

‘Then theoretically, a good person would feel only minimal pain even if they fell from the window into here….’

Since it was a ghost story focusing on the group inside the train that became a desperate, terrible, and inhumane pandemonium as the loops repeated, such details could only be guessed by experiencing them.

In any case… the passage was longer than expected, and I walked persistently.

‘I hope I don’t have to use another Happy Maker.’

Discard your sins

Discard your sins

Discard your sins

I continued to walk while ignoring the voices.

Though my feet seemed to grow heavier gradually, the light steadily drew near.

Thud, thud. The intense light coming from the exit of the tunnel almost blocked my field of vision and made it difficult to see ahead.

‘Ah.’

I was almost there.

Frowning my brows, I stepped forward even more….

Eventually, the moment I was enveloped in light.

Go to Tamra

‘……!’

A small, gentle invitation.

An strangely warm feeling and sense of liberation, like an enveloping, strange… revelation-like feeling that pierced and entered the crown of my head….

-Oops! The recruiting is too aggressive. One moment…….

The moment it disappeared.

My consciousness was sucked into somewhere at an enormous speed, like a train falling down a steep slope.

“…!”

* * *

“Heuug!”

“Ah! Aaargh!”

I opened my eyes.

I was sitting in a comfortable and modern high-speed train car.

My body had become clean again, and my mind….

‘Wow.’

A sensation as if I would throw up rushed in upon recalling.

My stomach churned.

‘This… I didn’t feel this sensation?’

You’re telling me that I was buried in the flesh that people tore off alive, ate, and vomited up, and then I got up and walked through it?

‘L-Let’s stop thinking about it.’

In any case, the important thing was that I successfully returned to this point in time.

‘And the effect of the Happy Maker completely vanished as I returned to the starting point.’

I regained my composure in an instant and checked the quantity of Happy Makers first.

…….

11 pieces before use.

It was unchanged.

-The consumed items have returned to their unused state. Strictly speaking, since we returned to the point of the train’s departure, this can be seen as only natural!

Yes. It was as I had guessed.

‘Good.’

The preparations were complete.

As I raised my head and looked forward, Assistant Manager Jin Na-sol, with a calm face, was looking at me.

“How was it?”

“It’s a terrible and disgusting place. If one falls without protection, they will almost unconditionally show symptoms of mental aberration or pollution.”

“Is that so? Then stand up. Securing them in advance….”

“Hey! Look over here! This person is fine!”

“…….”

Uaargh!

Jin Na-sol, whose speech was cut off, made an unpleasant expression, but she did not take action immediately because civilians were flocking over.

‘L-Let’s do this quickly.’

I intentionally put on a faint smile as I looked at the people who were astonished to see that I was perfectly fine.

“Are you okay?! Oh my goodness!!”

“This person, this person is the one who volunteered to fall! But… well, y-you’re okay?”

“Yes. I’m fine now. But… what on earth happened after I fell?”

“W-Well, that is….”

Omitting the words of the people who began to talk hurriedly in a rambling manner, leaving only the important details, it was like this:

“After you fell, the countdown started running again…!”

“Ah, that’s right! The cooldown started running again as if telling us to offer one more person.”

As expected.

“…! I see. Then, at that point, did the train… crash again?”

“No! After that!”

One of the gathered passengers explained further.

“It was somewhat strange. No one fell from the car we were in, but suddenly the path opened, saying it had received an offering…….”

“…….”

“There were mutters that someone seemed to have fallen from a front car, but because everyone was excited and got into a fight, in detail…”

“…….”

“No! They called us crazy! Even though they are the ones who don’t understand the situation!”

“Exactly!”

“It’s driving me crazy out of frustration, really.”

“Even in games, you can’t just leave those trolling bastards alone.”

Indeed.

Slowly, the conflict was escalating.

‘It was from this loop.’

Loop 3:

Factions formed by train car and fights occurred. Urging each other to pick passengers to offer as sacrifices. Bloodshed began to occur.

And….

Casualties occurred due to violence within the cabin.

…….

For now, I nodded calmly.

“I see. The number of people to be offered as sacrifices probably increases by one each time.”

“W-What?”

“One person at the first altar, two people at the second altar. I mean, it seems the demanded sacrifice increases sequentially like this.”

“Ah…!”

Perhaps because it was something everyone had guessed but couldn’t bring themselves to say out loud, though groans and groans of fear came from here and there, no violent refutation erupted.

They were merely afraid.

“What do we do? What should we do? No… why do we have to suffer like this? Sob…”

“C-Could it be that this only ends when we all jump out of the window?? Is that it?!”

It was a fairly plausible guess, but I gently grabbed the person’s shoulder.

“No. Calm down. There must be a way to end this.”

“Sob.”

“Look at me. I’m fine even though I fell. There’s a way for everything.”

“Ah…….”

Riding on the slightly calmed atmosphere, I spoke gently.

“You said the other person who fell out of the window is in a bad state, right? If you don’t mind, could you guide me?”

“Ah…, a-yes!”

“This way!”

I looked around the seats while following the people who guided me in a flurry.

“Oh. Me too!”

Beyond Supervisor Dolphin who immediately followed me.

Assistant Manager Jin Na-sol was standing with her arms crossed as if telling me to go ahead and try.

‘She let it slide.’

It wouldn’t be surprising if she immediately changed the board the moment she judged it to be inefficient, caught all the troublesome people, and threw them out the window one by one.

‘But that won’t clear it.’

Therefore….

For now, this method was the most efficient and humane thing I could do.

“He’s… sitting here, but…”

I looked at the person sitting in the guided seat.

The person wearing glasses was staring into space with his mouth wide open. The first sacrifice of Loop 2, who had fallen before me.

“Excuse me, sir?”

“…….”

There was no answer. He looked completely out of his mind.

“W-What on earth is down there…”

“It was terrible. But….”

I reached out one hand and placed it on my chest.

“I have realized something.”

“……Yes?”

Clink.

I lowered my hand just like that and naturally put it inside the inner pocket of my suit jacket.

And I pinned the small badge that had been in there originally.

The Silver Heart.

“Everyone! Do not worry too much.”

At the same time, I approached the office worker with glasses.

“Heek! Heek-heek! Heek!”

“It is fine… it is fine.”

I approached him and carefully injected the Happy Maker.

‘Since the ingredients will completely vanish when the next loop comes.’

Rather than staying in maddening panic and fear, this would be better for him.

And since the Happy Maker was small, no different from a ballpoint pen, to others, it would seem as though this person calmed down just because I supported him….

Like magic.

“……Gasp!”

The person wearing glasses gasped for breath.

Reason returned to his eyes, and a definite tranquility settled in.

“Th-that was truly terrible…… Ah, ah… ha…… it’s over.”

Slowly.

A faint smile spread across his face.

“Thank you…. My heart… is at peace…….”

And slowly rising from his seat, he hugged me and the other passengers.

The people accepted it in their daze and began to look at me with eyes of wonder.

“H-He restored his sanity…….”

“How….”

I am a fraud….

However, I continued speaking while looking down at my hands as if I, too, found it wondrous.

“I do not know why only I have gained such an ability, but now I….”

Took a deep breath.

“Think I have vaguely realized what is happening on this train.”

“…!!”

“I-Is it true?”

“Yes.”

I raised my hand, folded my fingers, and continued speaking.

“Who the figures that must fall out the window are, and after how many times all of this will end as well….”

“O-Oh my god.”

What am I doing right now?

‘I’m scamming them.’

This kind of scamming method is a regular feature in creative works of apocalyptic situations.

‘A so-called cult leader…!’

A guy who instigates people, talking about the will of God or whatever, and does bizarre things.

Did they appear in Car 6 before? …Hmm. It seems correct.

Loop 5:

Various exclusive groups were formed in each train car. Among them, a superstitious religion worshiping the loop phenomenon captured passengers from other cars, killed them in advance according to savage ancient sacrificial methods, and threw them out of the window.

Sorry… no, not sorry at all, but,

‘You won’t exist in the future.’

Because I will beat you to it now.

“Good people of Car 7. Please listen to my words from now on.”

I stood in front of the train door and shouted.

“We have been chosen for a great trial!”

-My goodness!!

The sound of standing applause from Brown was heard from my suit’s front pocket.

A fraud who received the mark of high praise and certification from the ghost story host….

Launches now.