Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work-Chapter 113

The first thing I saw was a crimson pulsation.

Thump, thump, thump.

Only then did I realize that I had collided with something.

Splat.

With a brief, wet sound, my body landed on something sticky and viscous.

A foul stench.

In the next moment, I recognized it as the putrid odor of decaying protein.

The chunks of flesh scattered around me clung to my body, pulsating in a sickly red rhythm.

Whooosh!

A gust of wind blew past me as the high-speed train I had been riding roared by, leaving behind a deafening noise and immense pressure.

The train disappeared in an instant, vanishing into the tunnel’s distant end, where a faint glimmer of light flickered.

“......”

Honestly, it was filthy and unsettling, but I wasn’t overwhelmed by pain or plunged into panic.

It was like standing in front of a trash chute in a dark apartment complex late at night—gross, but manageable.

-My goodness, what an unhygienic environment! Are you alright, my friend?

“I’m fine.”

...Happy Maker really is doing its job.

It felt like when you take a calming pill and your heart becomes cold and steady—only this time, my mind felt warm and dulled instead.

I stood up, surprisingly composed and stable, brushing off the rotting chunks of flesh with my bare hands as I did so.

The moment I brushed them off—

"Devour your depravity."

An eerie voice echoed in my head.

“......”

Matching the testimonies of those who had been “sacrificed” and my current surroundings...

It seemed that at this point, I was supposed to experience searing, fiery pain all over my body, leading to an uncontrollable urge to claw at my own skin and flesh.

Then, while chewing and drooling over the pieces I ripped off, I’d have to march forward toward the light at the end of this disgusting, oppressive tunnel.

The tunnel itself was a testament to the horror of this process.

Thankfully, I was spared such madness. All my pain was numbed, and I had the additional protection of the silver ring enhancing my mental resistance.

“Whew.”

Standing fully upright, I shook my body slightly.

It didn’t do much. The filth and decayed flesh left visible, revolting stains.

I decided not to dwell on where this flesh might have come from.

The Happy Maker kept me from panicking, but the revulsion lingered.

Ah, wait.

“Brown, are you alright?”

-Ah, you mean this repeating loop of ominous whispers? It’s like background noise—annoying, but tolerable.

“...What about the searing pain?”

-Ha!

-My body has no skin or flesh, my friend! Just fabric, stuffing, eyes, and a nose!

I see.

So the conditions for ‘sacrifice’ only apply to humans.

It was a relief that Brown wouldn’t suddenly start losing his mind here.

-So, does my friend have further business in this grimy place?

“...No.”

-In that case, let’s get out of here!

Good point.

To escape, I’ll have to return to the train.

I straightened myself and started walking.

Toward the end of the tunnel.

Squelch, squelch.

The fluids from the sludge below splattered onto my shoes, soaking into my socks until they were stained red.

"Cast off your sin."

"Tear your sin apart."

"Devour your sin."

“......”

Maybe the more sinful a person is, the more intense the searing pain becomes?

That would mean, theoretically, a virtuous person who falls here would experience minimal pain...

This ghost story, which focused on the escalating despair and horror of the train’s increasingly inhuman chaos with each loop, was a detail I could only confirm by experiencing it firsthand.

In any case, the tunnel was longer than I expected. Still, I kept trudging forward.

Hopefully, I won’t need another dose of Happy Maker.

"Cast off your sin."

"Cast off your sin."

"Cast off your sin."

Ignoring the voices, I pressed on.

My feet felt heavier with every step, but the light ahead grew steadily closer.

Step, step. The intense brightness at the tunnel’s exit almost blinded me, making it difficult to see what lay ahead.

Ah.

I was nearly there.

Squinting against the glare, I pushed forward a little more until—

At last, I stepped into the light.

"Go to Tamna."

......!

A small, soft invitation.

It was oddly comforting, even liberating—a strange, profound warmth that wrapped around me, as if a divine revelation was piercing through my mind.

-Oh my! That was a rather aggressive invitation, wasn’t it? Hold on a moment...

And in an instant.

My consciousness was sucked away at an incredible speed, like a train plunging down a steep incline.

“...!”

***

“Gasp!”

“Screams!”

I opened my eyes.

I was seated in one of the sleek, modern cars of the high-speed train.

My body was clean again, and my mind...

Wow.

As I recalled what had just happened, a wave of nausea hit me.

My stomach churned.

Did I really... not feel that at the time?

I had been buried in chunks of flesh, torn apart and vomited out by living people, then stood up and walked through that mess?

Stop thinking about it. Just stop.

The important thing was that I had successfully returned to this point in time.

The Happy Maker’s effects reset completely at the starting point as well.

Quickly regaining my composure, the first thing I did was check my supply of Happy Maker doses.

......

Eleven doses before use.

It was still intact.

-The consumed item reverted to its unused state. Strictly speaking, since the train reset to its departure state, this outcome was inevitable!

Exactly. As expected.

Good.

I was ready.

When I looked up, Deputy Manager Jin Nasol was watching me with her usual composed expression.

“How was it?”

“It’s a horrific and disgusting place. Falling without proper precautions will almost certainly result in mental derangement or contamination symptoms.”

“Is that so? Then get up. Let’s secure...”

“Hey! Look at this! This person is fine!”

“......”

Jin Nasol’s words were cut off, her face twisting into irritation, but she didn’t stop the civilians who swarmed over to me.

I need to move quickly.

Watching the passengers’ stunned reactions to my unscathed state, I forced a faint, tired smile.

“Are you alright?! Oh my god!!”

“This person volunteered to jump out! And they’re... th-they’re fine?!”

“Yes, I’m fine for now. But... what happened after I fell?”

“Uh, well...”

Their hurried, chaotic explanations boiled down to the following:

“After you fell, the countdown started again!”

“Yeah, like it was resetting the timer, as if another offering was needed.”

Just as I suspected.

“...I see. And after that, did the train crash again?”

“No! It wasn’t that!”

One of the passengers clarified further.

“Something strange happened. In our car, no one fell, but the train suddenly opened the way forward, saying the offering was accepted...”

“......”

“There were rumors that someone fell in the front cars, but people were so agitated and fighting that no one knows for sure...”

“......”

“They were calling us crazy! When they don’t even understand the situation themselves!”

“Exactly!”

“It’s so frustrating. Honestly.”

“You can’t let trolls like that ruin things, even in games!”

I see.

The conflict was beginning to escalate.

It starts in this loop.

Loop 3:

Train cars divide into factions and fights break out. Each group pressures the others to choose someone as an offering. Bloodshed begins.

And eventually...

Passenger deaths occur due to violence inside the train cars.

......

Calmly, I nodded.

“I see. It seems like the number of sacrifices required increases with each altar.”

“W-What does that mean?”

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“At the first altar, it’s one person. At the second, two. It seems the number of sacrifices demanded rises incrementally.”

“Ah...!”

The thought must have already crossed their minds, but no one had dared to voice it. Even now, there was no strong objection—just stifled murmurs of fear.

“What do we do? What now? Why is this happening to us... sob...”

“Wait, does this mean we all have to jump out eventually? Is that how this ends?!”

It was a reasonable guess, but I gently placed a hand on the speaker’s shoulder.

“No. Please, calm down. There has to be a way to end this.”

“Hnnngh...”

“Look at me. I fell, and I’m fine. There’s a way.”

“Ah...”

Seizing the moment as the mood slightly eased, I spoke gently.

“You mentioned that the other person who fell isn’t in good condition. Could you show me where they are?”

“Ah, y-yes!”

“Right this way!”

Following the hurrying passengers, I glanced back at the car.

“I’m coming too!”

Chief Dolphin promptly followed me, and beyond her, I saw Jin Nasol standing with her arms crossed, as if giving me permission to proceed—for now.

She’s letting me handle this.

But I knew that if she decided my approach was inefficient, she wouldn’t hesitate to throw anyone she deemed useless out of the windows to clear the mission.

That won’t work.

So for now, what I was doing was the most humane and efficient option available.

“This way... they’re sitting here...”

I approached the indicated seat.

The bespectacled man was sitting there, mouth agape, staring blankly into space. The first sacrifice of the second loop.

“Sir?”

“......”

No response. He looked completely out of it.

“What could possibly be down there to cause this...”

“It was horrible. But...”

I placed a hand on my chest.

“I learned something.”

“W-What?”

Clink.

Keeping my hand on my chest, I smoothly slipped it into the inner pocket of my jacket.

Then, I fastened the small badge that was already inside.

The Silver Heart.

“Everyone! Don’t worry too much.”

At the same time, I approached the bespectacled man.

“Gasp! Gasp! Hic!”

“It’s okay... you’re okay now.”

I leaned closer and discreetly injected him with a dose of Happy Maker.

By the next loop, its effects will reset, so there’s no loss.

For someone on the brink of panic and terror, this was the best solution.

And because the Happy Maker was as small as a pen, to everyone else, it would simply look like I was helping him calm down.

Magically.

“...Huff!”

The bespectacled man took a deep breath.

Clarity returned to his eyes, and a sense of calm settled over him.

“I... It was horrifying... ah, ah... but it’s over now.”

Slowly, a faint smile spread across his face.

“Thank you... I feel... at peace...”

He stood up, turned to me, and embraced me, before moving to hug the other passengers.

Startled, they hesitantly returned the gesture, then turned to me with awe in their eyes.

“You... you brought him back to his senses...”

“How did you...”

Con artist at work...

Feigning amazement at myself, I looked down at my hands.

“I don’t know why I was granted this ability, but now I...”

Taking a deep breath, I continued.

“I think I have a vague understanding of what’s happening on this train.”

“...!!”

“A-Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

Raising a hand, I began counting off with my fingers as I spoke.

“I know who needs to fall out the windows, and how many loops it will take for this all to end.”

“Oh my god.”

What was I doing right now?

Scamming them, obviously.

And this type of scam? A classic in apocalyptic fiction.

The cult leader trope.

The person who manipulates people, claiming divine will, while carrying out strange, unsettling plans.

In previous loops, someone from Car 6 had taken this role, hadn’t they? ...Yes, I was certain.

Loop 5:

Each train car forms its own exclusive groups. Some worship the loop phenomenon as a divine miracle, capturing other passengers and performing barbaric sacrificial rituals before tossing them out the windows.

Sorry... No, not sorry at all, but—

“You’re done.”

Because this time, I was going to take the lead.

“Beloved passengers of Car 7, please lend me your ears!”

I stood near the train door and shouted.

“We have been chosen for a great trial!”

-My goodness!!

From my suit pocket, I heard Brown clapping enthusiastically.

A con artist endorsed by the Ghost Story’s Host.

Now making their grand debut.