The method of conning is similar to unethical marketing techniques.

1. Gain trust.

"That guy cured the person with glasses? He was completely out of his mind."

"Yeah! But he's fine now. And that guy fell from the window but he's okay. He says he saw something down there!"

"Wow... Um, are you really alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. And that person is at peace now too."

2. Present the problem and its cause.

"So... you're saying this is some kind of test situation? We can get out if we pass?"

"Yes. We'll definitely be able to get out."

"Ah...!"

"Could this be like one of those hunter stories? Where we awaken and..."

"That's it! It must be something like that. They wouldn't put us in this crazy situation for no reason!"

"That's right. There was a reason."

After heating up the atmosphere like this.

"And for us to escape this situation..."

3. Sell a magical solution.

In unethical marketing, that 'solution' is the product they're trying to sell, and in pseudo-religions, it's the doctrine itself.

And the method I'm going to propose is...

"Everyone needs to go out the window once."

"...!!"

"W-What did you say?!"

"Don't be alarmed, everyone."

I smiled and pointed to myself.

And to the office worker with glasses who had been calmed by the Happy Maker.

"Those who accept my recommendation and go out will be perfectly fine, just like me. This is a kind of test, after all."

"Ah...!"

"If you're doubtful, well... I'll try to persuade you somehow. Or it's okay to fall once more."

And then, the guidance video started playing again.

Those who wish to arrive in Tamra, offer a sacrifice. Those who wish to arrive in Tamra, offer a sacrifice. Those who wish to arrive in Tamra, offer a sacrifice. Those who wish to arrive in Tamra, offer a sacrifice. Those who wish to arrive in Tamra, offer a sacrifice. Those who wish to arrive in Tamra, offer a sacrifice. Those who wish to arrive in Tamra, offer a sacrifice. Those who wish to arrive in Tamra, offer a sacrifice. Those who wish to arrive in Tamra, offer a sacrifice. Those who wish to arrive in Tamra, offer a sacrifice. Those who wish to arrive in Tamra, offer a sacrifice. Those who wish to arrive in Tamra, offer a sacrifice. Those who wish to arrive in Tamra, offer a sacrifice. Those who wish to arrive in Tamra, offer a sacrifice. Those who wish to arrive in Tamra, offer a sacrifice. Those who wish to arrive in Tamra, offer a sacrifice. Those who wish to arrive in Tamra, offer a sacrifice. Those who wish to arrive in Tamra, offer a sacrifice. Those who wish to arrive in Tamra, offer a sacrifice. Those who wish to arrive in Tamra, offer a sacrifice. Those who wish to arrive in Tamra, offer a sacrifice. Those who wish to arrive in Tamra, offer a sacrifice. 

"Uh...!"

But this time, the atmosphere was a bit different.

At least in Car 7, where they had listened to my marketing, people started whispering and glancing at the windows.

'So does that mean it might be okay to go out there?'

It wasn't just panic or fear anymore; curiosity and expectation began to arise.

-Ah, this is fun. So entertaining... Excellent work, Roe!

-However, all great and impressive entertainers face challenges. Oh, look. There's one right there!

Thud!

"Bull-bullshit!! You son of a bitch!"

The middle-aged man who shouted while slamming the armrest of his seat had a face flushed with anger.

He was the passenger who fell out the window in the first round, and in the second round, he pushed the person with glasses to fall.

'He seems to have regained some sense after skipping a turn.'

But he still wasn't in his right mind.

"That person... he pushed someone out the window just before... gasp!"

"You crazy bastard... G-Get lost! You fucking idiot."

His eyes were spinning as if he might stab me with a knife at any moment.

"Jump out?! I won't jump! I'm not jumping, you son of a bitch! Why don't you jump again?!"

I calmly spoke to the man who had pushed aside nearby passengers and come right up to me.

"If you don't want to participate, you don't have to do it right now."

"Huh, huuuh?!"

"Take a rest. You're not qualified right now anyway."

"Wh-What?!"

"I'm saying that even if you ask for help to go out the window, I can't accommodate you."

This is also an important step.

4. Limit who can have the solution.

Why do they keep producing in small quantities to make things sell out, and ask you to inquire about the price via message?

It's to exploit the psychology that rare things seem precious, and hard-to-get things seem better.

That tantalizing feeling that it's right in front of you and seems attainable, but if you miss this chance, you might never be able to have it.

That's what we're encouraging.

"Only those who are qualified can go out the window without pain..."

"Wh-What nonsense..."

"And that's not you. It means you're not yet qualified to pass through the trial without pain. Step back."

"...Uh, uh..."

The middle-aged man muttered "uh uh" and then staggered and sat down.

Hmm, the saying that you should respond to crazy talk with crazy talk seems to have worked again.

The attention-grabbing was effective; before I knew it, everyone in the train car was staring at me with wide eyes.

I smiled gently at them.

"But don't worry too much. Eventually, everyone will be ready."

"...!"

-Aah! Splendid!

Beyond Brown's cheers, people in the car started to crowd around and ask questions.

"Excuse me! So, who gets ready?"

"I don't know either. I just seem to be able to recognize those who are prepared."

"Then is there someone prepared in here?"

That's when it happened.

"Um, I... Am I perhaps qualified?"

The office worker with glasses, who had been sitting quietly, raised his hand and asked.

Thanks to the Happy Maker, he was in a calm state without fear or PTSD, so he didn't rush at the middle-aged man who had pushed him.

Still, he couldn't help but swallow hard due to the physiological tension.

I smiled and nodded.

"Yes."

"...!!"

"You are qualified. ...Because you've already done it."

Then I approached and took his hand.

"You don't need to go down again. You've proven yourself enough. That calmness is proof. ...You've been through a lot, and you were brave."

"Ah... Aah!"

Tears streamed down the face of the man with glasses.

Seeing this, the murmuring of the people subsided.

Instead, something new began to appear in their eyes.

Desire and empathy.

"From now on, for those who are confirmed to be qualified and go down, I will give you a token so that it will be as painless as possible."

"...!"

"Then..."

But still, there were no volunteers.

'I knew this would happen.'

After all, I just said that everyone needs to jump out the window to escape.

No one would rush to be first in line for something that might be painful without any benefit.

-Friend, do you have a brilliant solution?

It's obvious, isn't it?

'We need to gather public opinion one more time.'

I nodded as if I understood everything.

"I know. It's hard, I understand. In this life, I'll go out the window one more time..."

"Um, I'll go."

Huh?

Supervisor Dolphin raised her hand.

Supervisor! I'm incredibly grateful...

"But not alone. If the supervisor jumps out the window with me one more time."

"Huuuh?"

"Um, are you sure..."

"Of course. I'm fine with it."

I was going to do that anyway! It's disgustingly creepy and nauseating, but what choice do we have...

"If there are no other volunteers, I'll demonstrate once more."

"Okay. Oh, but I'd like that person to go before us."

Supervisor Dolphin casually pointed with both hands.

At Deputy Jin.

"Superiors first!"

Argh!

"Hey, Deputy, you said you'd grant me one favor. I'm using it now!"

"I didn't give it to you to use in this kind of situation. But whatever, it doesn't matter."

But surprisingly, Deputy Jin was calm. It seemed like they had discussed something beforehand.

"Should I go now?"

Entering the first altar

Just then, the surroundings turned dark and red.

Amidst the people who froze reflexively, Deputy Jin's small and calm voice was heard.

"I don't like repeating myself."

Eek.

"Yes. Please close your eyes for a moment. I'll pass you the token of permission..."

As I pretended to shake hands with Deputy Jin, I secretly passed the stick under the cover of darkness.

'You can inject it.'

But before I could even form the words with my mouth, Deputy Jin was already skillfully injecting the Happy Maker into her arm, out of sight.

She seemed to have guessed it was a painkiller item, as if it were obvious.

"Hmm."

Click.

With a short sound, the drug was sucked out of the stick injected into the sleeve fabric, and the remaining stick naturally disappeared inside.

"This is pretty good."

Deputy Jin grinned and immediately fell backwards out of the window.

"Gasp!"

"Sh-She went out smiling!"

And so, at the first altar, a sacrifice voluntarily offered itself.

Now the atmosphere in the car had completely entered a state of excitement.

No one said it was suspicious because she was my companion.

Because they were starting to want to believe.

'The feeling of things being resolved is addictive...'

Afterward, it was dramatic enough that two volunteers came forward.

"Me, me!!"

"We'll fall together."

It was a couple sitting near the window. Having witnessed someone fall out the window and the conversations that followed from the first round, they seemed to have gained courage from the 'value of information'.

But I didn't immediately say okay.

"..."

I quietly observed them for a few seconds as if trying to assess their true nature.

Before I knew it, the couple was waiting with anticipation and tension, as if taking an exam.

And after a moment.

"Yes. You two qualify."

"Ah...!!"

"As soon as you enter the altar, please close your eyes and hold out your hands. I will give you a mark."

The two happily stepped in front of the window, receiving congratulations from those around them.

Entering the second altar

And so, under the cover of darkness, the two who had secretly received a powerful painkiller called "Happy Maker" went out the open window hand in hand.

Hmm. The deception was progressing smoothly...

'It's much better than half of them going mad while throwing each other out the windows.'

Still, trying to deceive them made cold sweat run down my back.

"Since there are no other volunteers, this person and I will go now. Above all, everyone, guard your hearts, and I'll see you at the starting point shortly."

"A-Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I... should be able to go one more time without any problems."

"Ah!"

I really don't want to, but I have to do it one more time.

'I need to differentiate myself.'

To keep leading people, I had to emphasize what made me different. Showing that I could fall from the window multiple times without issue would be an impressive method.

Fortunately, Supervisor Dolphin didn't go back on his word.

"Take this with you!"

"Ah, thank you."

"But..."

Supervisor Dolphin looked up at me intently.

"Do I qualify?"

"...Yes."

The nuance is subtle.

Entering the third altar

"B-Be careful!"

"I'll see you shortly!"

Anyway, having successfully gained people's support, I fell out the window again with Supervisor Dolphin.

Into a mad tunnel full of rotting flesh.

"Oof!"

Supervisor Dolphin landed on the ground with a break fall, then shuddered and grumbled while looking at the horrific surroundings.

"Ugh, it's filthy. W-What? It's so noisy. Ah, should we go that way? Towards the light?"

"Yes. Just keep walking, even if it's a bit difficult."

Still, having one more person here is somewhat comforting.

'...I can't hear the voices anymore.'

For some reason, those strange voices telling us to abandon our sins and come to Tamra had disappeared.

'It's not a crucial element for escape, though.'

I tilted my head as I walked.

Just then, Supervisor Dolphin spoke up.

"Hey, the reason we fell together is... actually because I have something to talk about."

"Yes."

"You know what you said to the people earlier? About protecting them so they won't feel pain and such. You think it's not exactly a lie, right?"

"Yes. I just... changed the way I communicated to work well in an emergency situation. It's a bit extreme, though."

"Hmm..."

The supervisor put a hand to his chin as if pondering for a moment, then blurted out.

"Hey, Supervisor."

"Yes."

"Do you know how many people suffer because of cults?"

He didn't frown or anything.

He just stared at me blankly.

Without even blinking.

"..."

Right.

Supervisor Dolphin is an extreme personality supremacist...

'C-Cults might be out of spec...!'

Damage control!

I immediately opened my mouth and spoke calmly.

"I know well. In fact, I have a friend among my peers who fell for a cult and lost contact."

This is the truth.

"That's why I thought we needed to get ahead of it."

"Hmm."

"In this situation, superstitions and cults will definitely thrive. When pain keeps repeating without knowing why, people want to believe in something."

And in actual cases, that's how cults emerged.

'Of course, it's not just because of that, but to escape the darkness before people go crazy without bloodshed, this is the only way...'

Since I couldn't logically explain that far, I ended it like this:

"I chose this method to try to minimize damage no matter what. ...I know it's a bit extreme and strange."

"Hmm..."

After a breathtaking 3 seconds.

"Well, you're right!"

Phew.

"To be honest, you're just saying that, but in reality, you're looking for a way to make people less painful and comfortable while escaping together, right?"

"That's exactly right."

"Good! I'll fully cooperate!"

Supervisor Dolphin held out his hand as if asking for a handshake.

And when I took that hand,

He pulled me in suddenly.

"But you shouldn't exploit good people."

"..."

"Then I'll have to fight you."

"Of course. I'll keep that in mind."

"Yes! Great!"

I smiled and finished the handshake with Supervisor Dolphin.

'I-I survived.'

Cold sweat ran down my back.

Fighting a senior elite team member who was top of the class at a crazy ghost story company, in between rotting flesh? Why should I do such a suicidal act? I'd rather bang my head against a wall.

"Anyway, from the atmosphere, it seems the people in our car are completely convinced?"

"That's right."

Splash, splash.

I answered as I walked towards the exit of light.

"But I won't stop here."

The ultimate goal is...

"I'll make the majority of this train 'believe' my words."

At least 7 out of 8 cars.

I needed to secure the dominant public opinion.

* * *

5th round.

The people on the high-speed train, who had repeatedly died and started over many times, were gradually sinking into fatigue, resignation, and madness beyond panic.

Their cognition was distorted, making it difficult to think normally.

And there was something they had heard many times during the repetitions.

"There's a strange voice from behind... saying we're chosen, that this is a test?"

"...Sounds like a cult, what kind of test?"

"Something about gaining transcendent abilities if we pass this?"

"Everyone who fell out the window went crazy. But people in the back cars say they fell but are fine. They even describe the scenery inside..."

"...Really? Come on, that's impossible. There's no proof, right?"

But the very act of responding revealed their psychology of hoping for an answer.

An unconscious expression of hoping those words were true.

"They say there's a 'forerunner' in Car 7 who's telling us how to escape."

"They say they'll help us all. That we all qualify."

As the whispers of the passengers in Car 3, the first-class car, grew louder.

"..."

The man sitting in the front single seat.

Baek Saheon opened his eyes.

'Damn it.'

He was on his way back home for a vacation when he got trapped in this damn train ghost story, about to die of thirst.

'No, that's not it...'

He smiled slyly, thinking of the new eye under his medical eye patch.

Looking at how the situation was unfolding, he understood.

'This is about throwing people out the windows one after another!'

So what, it's probably one of those ghost stories where you throw out about half the people and it ends when you reach the destination, right?

'I just need to stay hidden and not stand out.'

Well, cults thriving in this kind of situation was predictable.

In a small society, especially in a stressful emergency situation, humans tend to do crazy things.

A train that keeps returning to the starting point.

In this special situation of extreme stress with no escape, people can't help but listen to words that seem like they might solve the situation.

Even if it's crazy talk that they would have scoffed at and said "I'm not buying into cults" in normal times, it's human nature to cling to it!

'I just need to stay still and not get swept up, right?'

If I just stay quiet like this and wait for them to throw each other out and make a mess until it clears...

"H-Hey!!"

"...!"

The back became noisy.

'Did a fight break out?'

No. Someone had entered the car.

"It's them! The forerunner and the people from Car 7!"

Those cult bastards.

'I should at least see their faces.'

Baek Saheon slightly turned his head to look at the aisle... and ended up seeing familiar faces.

"...!!"

'It's the elite team.'

Deputy Jin Nasol from Team A and Supervisor Lee Sunghae from Team C.

The two faces he had memorized from the company intranet just in case appeared.

'W-Why are they here?'

While he was complicatedly pondering whether this train might be a darkness managed by Daydream Inc.,

"Attention!!"

Supervisor Lee Sunghae shouted from among the cult group.

"Someone who will tell us how to escape has arrived!"

And as he stepped aside, a person walked out from the door connecting to the rear car.

A office worker in a suit with a cold and indifferent impression, wearing an eerily calm smile...

An even more familiar face.

'...Kim Sol-eum!!'

"Everyone, don't worry."

Kim Sol-eum smiles gently and spreads his arms.

"All of this is a great test, and you passengers have been chosen."

F-Fuck!!

That psychopath bastard is the cult leader!!