Chapter 833
Chapter 833 – Room 303, Cursed Room – ‘Time Machine’ (18)
— Kim Ari
— Clack! Clack!
The Parinirvana Train racing through time.
Aleph seemed slightly anxious, while Songyi leaned silently against the wall.
I was contemplating what to do next.
— Clack!
“Train will soon come to a stop.”
The announcement that we would be arriving at the next station soon.
Reflecting on the first round, I realized that ‘Ha Su-yeon’ should have been discovered by now.
— Rustle!
Indeed, a nimble-looking young lady, Ha Su-yeon, started to move toward the door at the back of the train car.
Be careful. They’ll be attacking soon.
Songyi sent a warning through an illusion.
I knew that already without needing a reminder. The last time I was caught off-guard by the gardener leader’s mental attack while I was shocked to see Ha Su-yeon.
The bracelet’s mental protection function must have been used for Songyi herself, so I needed to gather my wits on my own.
I had no intention of making the same mistake again, so I kept my tension high.
And then…
— Crackle!
A curious sensation, as if someone lightly poked at the back of my mind.
Right after, my legs began to move naturally.
I had to get off at this station. There was no reason not to —
“Stop!”
I immediately shouted lowly and looked around.
Songyi seemed unfazed.
She must have been protecting herself with her bracelet, right?
I was three steps away from the door, and Aleph was just about to get off.
“Eh, huh?”
“Aleph, stay still.”
I quickly grabbed Aleph to hold him back.
— Creak!
Soon, the train door opened.
Ha Su-yeon and a few other passengers got off.
And then…
— Clack!
The door closed again, and the train started moving.
We had successfully defended against the gardener leader’s trick.
Aleph, looking flustered.
“Wh-what’s happening? Did I make a mistake?”
“You were trying to get off the train.”
“Eh? Are you joking? There’s no reason to get off!”
He didn’t even realize that he had intended to get off.
I realized something.
The Aleph from his prime was certainly an extraordinary creature, but the Aleph before me had no more capability than a sloppy staff member.
It wasn’t merely because he was younger or lacked experience compared to his prime.
He had spent so much time on the Parinirvana Train that his cognitive abilities had declined.
What will you do?
Songyi quietly asked.
That’s a good point. What should we do from now on?
The gardener leader would periodically shake our minds in an attempt to chase Aleph and me off the train.
Should we defend each time like now? That wouldn’t be easy.
Maintaining a tense state every minute and second is hard. Just now, I was able to endure because I knew when they would attack.
The longer this continues, the more disadvantageous it becomes.
How should I break through this situation —
“…”
Suddenly, this thought crossed my mind.
Don’t overthink it unnecessarily.
If I think like seasoned agent Kim Ari before coming to this hotel, it’s actually quite simple.
Just in case, I asked Aleph.
“… Aleph.”
“Yes?”
“Do you see the dazed passengers around us?”
“Of course.”
“There’s an evil spirit hiding among these people. They’re watching us and waiting for a chance.”
“…”
“If we let our guard down even a little, we’ll be thrown off the train.”
“…”
“What should we do?”
“Senior, is this… um, are you teaching me the mindset of an agent?”
The mindset of an agent.
“Well, I’m just curious about your thoughts.”
“… If what you said is true, the way to respond is obvious, right?”
— Wiiing!
An unidentified weapon emerged from Aleph’s possession.
— Click!
A single gun appeared from my waist.
“We need to eliminate the contamination. If it’s too difficult to uproot immediately, it’s unfortunate but…”
“We have to get rid of the host.”
About three minutes later, the number of survivors in the train car had decreased to three.
*
The train car that had gone silent.
The stench of blood filled the air, and corpses were strewn everywhere.
— Clack!
The train endlessly raced through time, and the three of us remained silent.
We had defended against the gardener leader’s attack and eliminated the host within the train car, but…
— Clack!
The next development was still unclear.
What do we do now?
Songyi, I don’t know either, so stop asking.
What did I do in the past?
In meetings, I used to talk like this.
There seemed to be a detour used by the gardeners within the train.
If we collide with the gardeners, wouldn’t we naturally enter the detour?
It was easy to say, but in practice, there was nothing resembling a detour.
Train staff appeared and disappeared like ghosts.
The gardener leader was almost a being without a physical body.
How could I possibly find a route for beings like these?
At this point, I was lost about how to proceed.
“Eh? Huh! Senior, look around!”
Suddenly, the corpses scattered all around began to disappear!
“What the…”
Just as I was taken aback, a familiar voice echoed.
“The train does not interfere with the disputes of passengers. However, it must be cleaned, shouldn’t it?”
The gazes of me, Aleph, and Songyi suddenly turned toward the staff member that had appeared.
“Dear passengers. It seems you do not have a clear destination. Am I wrong?”
“…”
“You didn’t get off at the station we recommended, nor did you get off at the station recommended by another passenger.”
“Another passenger recommending a station…”
That was indeed a bizarre expression.
Perhaps it was the train’s peculiar sense of humor.
“As I mentioned earlier, guests need a destination. Passengers without a destination tend to wander on the train, which is also unpleasant for us.”
“…”
“So, how about enjoying your journey in a more diverse way?”
What on earth are they trying to say?
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
“As you know, this train is currently not operating normally.”
“…”
“Due to a serious malfunction, it cannot use core functions.”
The failure of the Parinirvana Train and the inability to move through loops because of it.
The keyword I had forgotten had emerged again.
“Would you two please assist in the train’s repairs?”
Immediately, Songyi sent a message.
Train repairs!
Isn’t this what Ha Jin-seong did before?
It was about descending to various eras and doing strange things, right?
Aleph cautiously asked a question.
“Why? Why should we, um, do such a thing?”
“It’s not an order. It’s a trade. You can refuse. The train does not force passengers.”
“If it’s a trade, is there some sort of reward?”
“Of course. The best reward we can offer is waiting for you. You should know what it is.”
“Eh? I don’t know?”
The reward for cooperating in the repair of the Parinirvana Train.
Aleph might not know, but we certainly did.
The Parinirvana Train boarding pass.
The answer came naturally.
“Alright. I’ll cooperate.”
“Eh? Senior? That’s strange. Maybe you should think a bit more —”
“An excellent choice.”
“What should we do?”
“First, you two who received the request and one other should all get off at the next station. Second, after you get off, please read the note in your pocket.”
Two who received the request and one other?
It sounds like they’re carefully distinguishing between Aleph, Songyi, and me.
With those words, the staff vanished somewhere.
“The staff has disappeared.”
“Let’s prepare to get off.”
“Senior! Are we really getting off? Our purpose is not to get off, right?”
“What’s our purpose?”
“Isn’t it to gather information about the train?”
“What we are doing now is exactly that. Gathering information regarding the train.”
“Uh… is that so?”
“We’ll be able to get back on.”
I vaguely said ‘we’ll be able to,’ but in reality, I was certain.
According to Ha Jin-seong’s experience, he had repeatedly gotten off and on.
— Clack!
“Train will soon come to a stop.”
*
— Thud!
As soon as I got off, the first thing I noticed was the smell of the sea.
To be honest, it was closer to a pungent fishy smell that stung my nose.
At that moment…
— Boom!
Ugh! The smell is overwhelming.
“Senior! I really think it was a mistake to get off!”
“Hey, you were the one who said let’s cooperate in the repairs?”
“W-well, that’s because of the staff. They said the train was broken, so we couldn’t return to the headquarters.”
“Either way, you said you’d cooperate in the repairs too. Are you blaming me now?”
“Ugh…!”
“Let’s just get to work. What did the staff say earlier?”
“They said to read the note in my pocket after getting off.”
“Let’s unfold it.”
*
Quickly passing illusions.
As I stood lost in thought, an illusion gradually appeared.
Is your memory beginning to return?
Songyi nodded slightly, in an angle only she could see.
That’s good. From now on, I’ll keep my distance without interfering.
Try to move forward like before. I’ll let Aleph know moderately.
Songyi started to create distance naturally.
She seems to think being near me could be a hindrance.
I appreciated her delicate consideration.
Having had a similar experience in Room 301, I felt like she understood my situation right away, even without all the chatter.
“Aleph, I’ll be taking a moment to scout the surroundings.”
“Eh? Wait! Songyi! It’s dangerous to move alone —”
“It’s fine. You don’t need to worry.”
“Um, does Songyi have a secret mission?”
“… Let’s just say so. Don’t worry about it.”
My initial impression of the memories returning began to form around two thoughts.
First, I was assured that the current progress wasn’t wrong.
And second.
“Senior? Are you okay?”
The past me and Aleph seemed to communicate quite freely, huh?
I used to be really close to Aleph?
My excessive wariness responding to the name ‘Aleph’ was the start of the dissonance.
“Let’s check the note in our pocket.”
“Okay.”
— Flap!
*
— Yusongi
The air was filled with a salty aroma.
I still didn’t know the exact era and location, but it was certainly by the sea.
After running for about ten minutes to widen the distance, I discreetly checked my pocket.
The note given to me had only one sentence written on it.
You have not accepted a repair request. Think about what this means.
“…”
Let’s think slowly.
First, the train’s way of handling things.
“Have you heard of the butterfly effect?”
According to Aleph, who regained his memory, the train’s way of handling things is the application of the butterfly effect.
Passengers do not understand what impact their actions might have.
Passengers merely pull the trigger, and in the long run, they do not know what results they eventually reach.
The past Ari was probably the same.
She must have followed orders without even realizing what she was doing.
Second, what is the purpose of the train?
Why can’t we perform loop travel right now?
What does it mean that the god-like Parinirvana Train has broken down?
What is the purpose of the train and what does it require of the passengers?
The past Ari didn’t know.
The present Ari probably wouldn’t be able to figure it out either.
In that case, what should I do at the hotel party to figure out the train’s purpose?
It’s me.
I have to find out.
As someone who wasn’t directly given a request for the train.
Unlike Ari, someone who can act freely without worrying about the first wish.
“…”
From now on, Ari will act according to the instructions of the Parinirvana Train.
I must decipher the meaning behind the train’s instruction to get off.
*
The First Request.
1. Move to the nearby human habitation. If you find a village with around 700 residents, that is the place.
2. In the center of the village, there is a log cabin. Look for a white cross on the roof.
3. At around 2 AM, set the white cross on fire.
4. Once the cross is ablaze, three people will appear to stop you.
5. Kill the first one immediately, poke out the eyes of the second and let them go, and hang the third on the cross.
The next instructions will appear when the full moon rises.
