When I looked up, Assistant Manager Jin Nasol was calmly watching me.
“How was it?”
“It’s a disgusting, horrific place. Anyone who falls without preparation will almost certainly suffer mental breakdowns or signs of contamination.”
“That so? Then get up. We need to secure—”
“Hey! Over here! This person’s fine!”
“……”
Jin Nasol’s words were cut off, and she frowned in irritation as civilians swarmed toward us.
‘L-Let’s do this quickly.’
Seeing the astonishment on their faces, I forced a weak, blurry smile.
“This person volunteered to jump out! But… they’re fine?”
“Yes, I’m fine now. But… what happened after I fell?”
“W-Well…”
After some frantic, disorganized chatter, the important points became clear.
“After you fell, the countdown restarted…!”
“Yeah! It was like the system reset and started demanding another sacrifice.”
Just as expected.
“…! I see. So, after that, did the train crash again?”
“No! It wasn’t that!”
One of the passengers stepped forward to clarify.
“Something weird happened. No one from our car fell, but suddenly the offering was accepted, and the path opened…”
“……”
“There was some commotion from the front cars. People were saying someone fell, but everyone was so worked up and fighting that we couldn’t tell exactly what happened.”
“……”
“They even called us crazy! When they’re the ones not understanding the situation!”
“Exactly!”
“It’s so frustrating!”
“In games, you can’t let trolls like that go unpunished.”
I see.
The tensions were starting to build.
‘It begins from this loop.’
Third Loop :
The train cars divide into factions, and conflicts break out. Passengers pressure each other to offer sacrifices. The first instances of violence and bloodshed occur. ṟά₦օ𝐁Ёs
And…
Eventually, deaths result from fights within the train cars.
……
I nodded calmly.
“Understood. It seems the number of sacrifices required increases with each altar.”
“W-What do you mean?”
“One person for the first altar, two for the second. It looks like the required offerings increase sequentially.”
“Ah…!”
They must have suspected as much but hadn’t dared to say it out loud. I heard anxious murmuring and suppressed gasps, but no one outright denied my statement. They were simply too afraid.
“What now? What do we do? No… Why is this even happening to us? Hiiic…”
“D-Do we all have to jump out the window for this to end?? Is that it?!”
It was a reasonable guess, but I gently placed my hand on the person’s shoulder.
“No. Calm down. There’s definitely a way to end this.”
“Hiiicc…”
“Look at me. I fell, and I’m fine. There’s always a way.”
“Ah……”
The atmosphere began to settle slightly. I took advantage of the calm to speak gently.
“You said the others who fell weren’t doing well, right? Could you guide me to them?”
“Ah… Ah, yes!”
“This way!”
Following their hurried lead, I began walking down the aisle, observing the other passengers as I went.
“Oh, me too!”
Supervisor Dolphin immediately followed me, and beyond her, Assistant Manager Jin Nasol stood with her arms crossed, as if daring me to proceed.
‘She’s letting me do this.’
I wouldn’t have been surprised if, the moment she deemed my approach inefficient, she’d pivot and start tossing problematic people out the window one by one.
‘But that won’t clear the scenario.’
For now, this was the most efficient and humane option available to me.
“Here… he’s sitting over here…”
I looked at the person sitting in the indicated seat.
It was the man with glasses, staring blankly into space. The first sacrifice of the second loop—the man who had fallen out of the window.
“Sir?”
“……”
No response. He appeared completely out of it.
“What on earth is down there that made him like this…?”
“It’s horrific. But…”
I placed one hand over my chest.
“I realized something down there.”
“…What?”
Gently, I lowered my hand and slipped it into the inner pocket of my suit jacket.
I pinned on the small badge that had been hidden there.
The Silver Heart.
“Everyone! There’s no need to worry.”
As I spoke, I approached the man with glasses.
“Hic! Hic-hic! Hic!”
“It’s okay… It’s okay.”
I carefully injected him with a dose of Happy Maker.
‘The next loop will reset its effects, so it’s better for him to have temporary relief than to stay trapped in this panic.’
Given the chaos and terror he’d experienced, this was the most merciful option. And since the Happy Maker was as small as a pen, to others, it would simply look like I was helping him calm down through reassurance.
Like magic.
“……Huuhk!”
The man took a deep breath, and clarity returned to his eyes. A sense of calm settled over him.
“I-it was truly horrifying… but, ah… it’s over.”
Slowly, a faint smile spread across his face.
“Thank you… I feel… I feel so at ease now…”
He stood up gradually, then hugged me and the other passengers. Caught off guard, they awkwardly accepted his embrace, all while staring at me in awe.
“You… you brought him back to his senses…”
“How did you do that…?”
I am a fraud.
But I kept my face calm, as though even I were amazed by what I had just done.
“I’m not sure why I was granted this ability, but now…”
I took a deep breath.
“I think I understand what’s happening on this train.”
“…!!”
“F-For real?”
“Yes.”
I raised my hand and began counting on my fingers as I explained.
“I know who needs to be thrown out the window, and how many times it must happen before this ordeal ends.”
“M-My god.”
What was I doing right now?
‘Lying.’
And this type of scam? A staple in apocalyptic fiction.
‘The classic cult leader tactic.’
A con artist manipulating people under the guise of divine guidance or prophecy.
In previous loops, there had even been a cult leader who appeared in Car 6. If I could recall correctly…
Fifth Loop :
Each train car forms exclusive factions. Some adopt superstitious beliefs and even perform sacrificial rituals, throwing victims out the window after ritualistic killings.
Sorry…
No. Actually, I’m not sorry at all.
‘That cult leader role is mine now.’
I’m taking it before anyone else can.
“Kind passengers of Car 7, please lend me your ears.”
I stood near the train door and raised my voice.
“We’ve been chosen for a great trial!”
– Oh my goodness!!
From my suit pocket, I heard Braun clapping in delight.
I had just earned the creepypasta host’s seal of approval.
Here and now…
A cult leader was officially making his debut.