“Supervisor, I’ll go now. I’m fine going alone.”
Dolphin Supervisor volunteered to be the first to jump at the first altar.
Since someone had to take the lead and jump alone, and there needed to be someone to stay behind to manage and confirm the final group of passengers, I had to remain until the end.
However, Dolphin Supervisor wasn’t entirely alone.
“Then, I’ll go too…! For the first one!”
“It’s better to do it first if you’re going to do it anyway.”
There were so many volunteers that even at the first altar, a few people ended up jumping together.
And we haven’t begun in earnest yet.
Remaining distance : 4
“There’s still time to back out if you want to.”But no one backed out, even at the final decision point.
“Let’s go!”
“Ahhh!!”
With Dolphin Supervisor leading the charge, more than seven people rushed and jumped through the window, into the first altar.
Open the sea path
The train quickly passed through the altar, and the surroundings brightened once more.
“Oh…”
The passengers blinked at the now-familiar scene, repeated for the fourteenth time, a sight that had become routine.
“T-They’re gone.”
Of course, it didn’t seem much different from the previous jumps.
But that was because the real effects of not having the painkiller only kicked in after they’d already fallen.
And then, a strange reaction began to occur.
People started thinking, Was it not that big of a deal after all?
Some suddenly decided they wanted to jump too.
Like this person.
“Excuse me! I’d like to go as well!”
This particular passenger was someone Dolphin Supervisor had previously flagged as a candidate for sacrifice after witnessing their nasty behavior.
Early in the loops, this person had raised their fists and shouted things like, “Get lost before I punch you.” But now, they conveniently seemed to have forgotten all that and approached me as if nothing had happened.
Well, that’s fine.
“Then you can jump from the second altar…”
“No, I’d like to go with you—specifically with you, venerable Pathfinder, at the very end.”
“…Hm. Understood.”
If that’s what you want.
– What a rude person.
Braun wasn’t wrong.
I heard the passenger talking with someone in the background.
“Hey, what are you doing? Why are you suddenly volunteering to jump?”
“Can’t you see what’s happening? I’m sure if we jump, we’ll get some special ability or reward. It’s obvious. You’ve got to ride the wave when it comes.”
Hmm.
‘There’s…’
No such thing.
“And all that talk about pain? Probably just a bluff to scare us off.”
Nope.
‘You’ll actually be in searing pain.’
Well, they’ll confirm it themselves soon enough.
Still, it wasn’t my job to correct these people’s misconceptions. I let them believe what they wanted. I simply added their name to the list of volunteers and took another look at their face to make sure I had the right person.
Wait.
That mole on this person’s cheek…
I hadn’t noticed it before because I’d rushed past him earlier, but now it stood out.
‘And he’s from Car 6, right?’
I remembered someone with those exact features.
Hmm.
‘That’s the passenger who was supposed to become the cult leader in one of the previous loops.’
– Oh my! Did he lose the role to you, Mr. Roe Deer?
Ugh. As much as I hated to admit it… it seemed like that was the case.
‘I guess with how smoothly the past fourteen loops have been going, things like this can happen.’
Still, it was much better than the chaos from the original—where the cult leader dragged passengers around, harvesting their organs for live sacrifices, and tossing their hollowed bodies out the window…
The important thing was that most of the volunteers were calm and determined as they headed toward the altar.
“Let’s do this.”
“Let’s become better people!”
“We’ve got this!”
The atmosphere grew oddly positive. Some passengers even teared up while waiting for their turn.
“This is my first time really challenging myself…”
“That’s amazing!”
As the passengers encouraged each other and shared honest stories, I turned to look at one person standing off to the side.
Baek Saheon, who was looking at all these people with a look of utter disbelief.
“…Pardon me. I don’t know why you’re looking at me like that, but I’m not going to jump.”
“Understood.”
I hadn’t expected him to volunteer anyway.
“But, you know.”
Baek Saheon lowered his voice this time.
“If you give me one of those painkillers, I might consider jumping.”
“Oh? Then, will you use it right now?”
“No, after this is all over and we get off the train.”
“Oh…”
I smiled.
“No thanks.”
“……”
‘He really thought he could get a free item, huh.’
“Ah, we’ve reached the fifth altar, venerable Pathfinder!”
“Yes, let’s proceed.”
Leaving Baek Saheon behind, I mingled with the passengers, offering advice and applause to the volunteers.
It was my way of fulfilling the role of the Silver Heart holder.
And then…
About three hours passed.
Ninth Altar Entrance
“……”
At last, the final moment had arrived.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
I stood together with the remaining volunteers. This time, more than twenty people were lined up to jump through the window.
‘This number is insane.’
To be honest, it scared me. If these people started writhing in pain and resenting me afterward, would my mental state hold out?
“Let’s go!”
“Yes! Down we go!”
Without hesitation, two or three people held hands and leapt through the window one after another. I watched until the last of the volunteers jumped, then moved to the window myself.
“A-Are you really going, venerable sir?”
Technically, I could step back now without affecting the clear.
But still…
– Ah, are you going to use that excellent painkiller again, Friend ?
……
‘No.’
I returned the painkiller to my pocket.
And launched myself through the window.