After a tense silence, Jin Nasol stomped across Car 1. Then, she sat down on an empty seat.
“…Thank you.”
She didn’t reply. She simply closed her eyes with a blank expression.
Clearly, she was holding back her anger.
Honestly, challenging a superior during an official mission was a crazy move!
Phew.
I’m sorry, Assistant Manager…
But once this is over, I believe the results will be efficient enough for her to accept them.
For now, though, I needed to act quickly.
“…Let’s get this done right away.”We were nearing the first altar.
Supervisor Dolphin seemed to think the same, as she began unlocking the door.
“Alright! Let’s head out and pick 45 wicked people to drop!”
Uh…
“Supervisor, about that—”
“…?”
“Could we approach it a little differently?”
“Oh?”
* * *Drrrk—
I opened the door to Car 1.
“Oh! It opened—huh!”
“W-What is this place?”
The passengers who had been discussing whether to break down the door looked relieved when it opened but recoiled in shock upon seeing the horrifying state of Car 1.
Their fear faded slightly when they saw me.
Probably because the ‘answer sheet’ they trusted on this train was still standing.
I bowed my head.
“Thank you all for waiting.”
“Are you alright, venerable Pathfinder?”
“That person earlier…?”
“I’m fine, of course.”
I glanced at Jin Nasol and forced a bitter smile.
“She was helping me snap out of it after I discovered something shocking.”
“Shocking?”
Huu.
“Everyone, I have something to tell you.”
I took a moment to steady myself as I faced the hundreds of expectant eyes before me.
“This time, there is no limit to who can leave through the window.”
“Ooohhh!”
“And this will be the last time.”
“……”
“Excuse me?”
“What does that mean?”
“It’s exactly as it sounds.”
I spoke slowly and clearly.
“After this, the trial will be over.”
The passengers murmured, some asking what I meant and whether everyone still needed to jump through the window.
“Originally, yes—everyone was supposed to go out one by one. But there’s been a change.”
The passengers fell silent, listening intently.
“Everyone here has qualified.”
“T-Then!”
I nodded.
“Yes. Anyone can go through the window and pass the trial.”
“Oh my god!”
“Then I’ll…”
I raised my hand to stop those who were already stepping forward.
“However, this time, it will be painful.”
“…!!”
I said it plainly and honestly.
“When you fall, you will feel searing pain as you walk. You may even feel the urge to tear your own flesh off. You’ll have to fight through the pain and the voice echoing in your head, taking one step at a time toward the light…”
The passengers fell silent.
They began exchanging glances and whispering.
Then, someone shouted from the back.
“This isn’t what you promised!”
“Yeah! You said you’d protect us…”
I nodded.
“Of course. If you don’t wish to participate, you don’t have to.”
“H…Huuuh?”
“But there is one thing I can guarantee.”
According to the confidential document from the Disaster Management Bureau about the Iksan Express, where this same ghost story ended safely in the past…
When this ghost story ends, the passengers will suddenly awaken at the starting point of the train, as if waking from a nightmare.
They’ll brush it off as a ‘bad dream’ and go back to living their normal lives.
The events aboard the Tamra Express will fade like an unpleasant dream within half a day, and eventually, they’ll forget everything.
However…
A few changes were observed among those who voluntarily jumped through the window.
I remembered the passage.
A passenger who habitually verbally abused their subordinates apologized immediately after getting off the train and never did it again.
A passenger who used to jaywalk out of habit felt too ashamed and stopped doing it. Another passenger, who had only considered volunteering at a youth center, actually started doing it.
Even a scammer involved in an insurance fraud scheme abandoned the plan and handed over information to the police.
Overall improvements in morality, self-esteem, and pride were observed.
Exactly.
As long as the train didn’t endlessly loop but ended safely as it had in the past, the horrifying pain from this ghost story would remain nothing more than a fleeting nightmare, quickly forgotten.
But the positive changes would remain.
‘…That’s why, when this ghost story happened on the Iksan Express, the Disaster Management Bureau didn’t label it as a disaster—they simply documented it in a confidential report…’
In short, if I exaggerated just a little—
“Those who go through the window this time will feel proud of themselves when they emerge from the tunnel.”
I continued.
“Instead of regretting what you did yesterday, you’ll be someone who steps forward in the moment. You’ll meet a better version of yourself without shame.”
A small voice came from the crowd.
“…Is that the answer?”
I met the passenger’s gaze and slowly nodded.
“Yes.”
“……”
“That much, I can promise you.”
The crowd fell silent again.
“Then, let me ask once more. Is there anyone here willing to endure the pain and go through the window?”
……
“I will.”
I turned my head. Supervisor Dolphin had raised her hand.
And then—
“I’ll go too.”
One by one, more hands went up.
“I will.”
“Me too…!”
On their faces was a strange sense of exhilaration, overcoming their fear.
This was crowd psychology.
A double-edged sword.
But after 14 loops, the collective bond and influence that had built up among the passengers now manifested as something reverent.
Their courage inspired those closest to them.
In an instant, nearly half the passengers on the train had voluntarily raised their hands.
…The ending I had worked so hard for, even playing the role of a cult leader over 14 loops, was now right in front of me.
“Everyone…”
First Altar Entrance
“Thank you. I will go with you.”
Just as the Silver Heart owner had once envisioned.
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