Surviving Among the Anomalies - Chapter 56

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Alyo

◈ Surviving Among the Anomalies ◈

Chapter 56: Let’s Settle This Through Dialogue

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‘Today makes a week.’

The sight of Suwon Station, where I now went to work instead of an office, had become strangely familiar. Late in the evening, I sat on a bench amid the unchanging scenery and waited for the Anomaly I wanted to appear.

‘The Line 0 Express Train to Hell.’

While waiting, I reviewed the information about the Anomaly I would soon face.

‘A Danger Grade Anomaly that randomly abducts train passengers from around the world and takes them to Hell. The abduction cycle ranges from one week to one month, and it takes anywhere from ten to fifty victims at a time.’

More precisely, that was information I had learned through the game and the wiki.

‘Its abduction hours are fixed. In Korea, it appears between 11 p.m. and midnight, when the final subway trains are usually running.’

Ever since the game became reality, I had encountered new aspects I had never known about, but I couldn’t deny that the information was still useful.

‘The abducted victims must pass through six train cars.’

I took out my notebook and wrote down the information on the cars the victims had to pass through.

[The Crusher]

[The Talker]

[The Violator]

[The Whisperer]

[The Greedy One]

[The Judge]

According to the wiki, each car represented a human sin.

‘The Crusher represents physical violence, the Talker verbal abuse, the Violator sex, the Whisperer lies and fraud, and the Greedy One greed.’

Then the Judge thoroughly analyzed the lives of those who passed through every previous car and found even the smallest sins.

‘Though the things it calls sins are practically nitpicking.’

It considered simply being alive a sin, so anyone who met the Judge would inevitably become a sinner, even a newborn baby.

‘If it judged people fairly, it wouldn’t be called an Anomaly in the first place.’

The way to overcome the Line 0 Express Train to Hell was to make the right choices as I passed through the cars, then escape.

‘Up to the Whisperer, I avoid the judges with the right choices and move on to the next car.’

Then I would bribe the Greedy One, escape the train, and survive the Anomaly.

‘If I go past the Greedy One and reach the Judge, I’ll definitely be branded a sinner, judged, and meet the bad ending of burning in hellfire as fuel for the train for all eternity. So I mustn’t proceed that far.’

Given that the bad ending was called 「Avici Hell」, this was undoubtedly an Anomaly based on Buddhist hell.

‘I’ve prepared everything. Will it show up today?’

While waiting, I checked my preparations once more.

‘Twelve dried 「Friendship」 apples, an enhanced Polaroid camera, and a twenty-four-carat diamond to bribe the Greedy One on the spot.’

A realization during the Homun incident had made me want to preserve my deeds and experiences in photographs, so I had brought the camera.

‘I haven’t checked whether it can capture ghosts or special Anomalies yet, but I can test it this time.’

Then I took bottles of Weakening Potion, Purification Potion, and Enhancement Potion from my pocket.

‘The Forgotten Alchemist’s Potion Set, in case I run into object-type Anomalies.’

Next, I took out my phone. It was a Safety Anomaly I had obtained by trading the 「Otherworld Challenge Coupon for You」, a weakened Derived Anomaly version of the Otherworld Transfer Book, to the Mysterious Merchant.

‘The 「Karma Call Center」.’

I slid open the black, old-fashioned feature phone with my thumb.

[You are currently being connected to a counselor. Hell is extremely busy, so the connection may be delayed. Please wait, and you will be connected someday.]

I gave a bitter smile at the message on the screen.

‘As a Safety Anomaly that connects you to Hell’s call center, once you’re connected to a counselor, it tells you all the karma you’ve accumulated, whether good or bad. It also tells you what judgment you’ll receive after death based on the combined result.’

According to the experiment results written on the wiki, this Anomaly was also based on Buddhist hell. That was why I specifically requested it when trading with the Mysterious Merchant, and fortunately, it had one.

‘The express train to Hell is based on Buddhist hell, and the Karma Call Center is based on Buddhist hell.’

I had prepared it because I thought I might be able to do something with the connection between the two Anomalies...

‘The problem is when it’ll connect.’

Lastly, I took out one more item that seemed related to this matter.

‘This one too.’

A small rectangular piece of paper had the following written on it.

[Lucifer Company Research and Development General Manager Beelzebub]

I checked the back as well.

[H.P. 666-666-666-666-666-666 Feel free to contact me if you need anything.]

“I’m really curious.”

Lucifer Company was Christian hell.

The Line 0 Express Train to Hell was Buddhist hell.

‘Who has the authority to decide where someone goes after death?’

There were also many other Anomalies one could encounter after dying, so I wondered how a human soul’s afterlife was decided.

‘There are even ghosts like Shin Yeong-mun, who remain in this world after death.’

Were their territories divided? Or, judging from Baal’s case, did they make sales calls? Or was it determined from birth?

‘Does it depend on one’s faith?’

Maybe it was pointless to think about. Perhaps it was simply decided by chance.

‘It’s here.’

Along with the train’s lights, an announcement played across the platform.

[The train bound for Seryu, Seryu, is now arriving. Passengers, please take one step back.]

《The train bound for Hell, Hell, is now arriving. Passengers, please take one step forward.》

‘It came today. I definitely heard it.’

I boarded the train and took a seat.

‘The express train to Hell.’

The instant I blinked, every seat in the car was occupied.

“W-what is this!”

“Where are we!?”

Confused people erupted into commotion.

“We’re speaking different languages, but we can understand each other?”

“This is just like a horror movie! We’re going to die now!”

Panic followed.

『Ah, ah, this is an announcement from the engine room. First, we would like to sincerely thank all passengers for boarding the Line 0 Express Train to Hell. Our train is currently bound for Hell, Hell...』

It was exactly the announcement I had seen in the game.

“Car 1?”

“It’s telling us to go there?”

“But I don’t want to follow the words of something I don’t even know...”

“More importantly, didn’t it just say Hell?”

Before it was too late, I stood up to calm the passengers caught at a crossroads.

“Everyone, calm down. I’m Lee Seung-hoon, a Fixer!”

I shouted and held up my business card, but the passengers’ reactions were cold.

“A Fixer? Like a detective?”

“Shut up! Don’t act like you’re somebody!”

There were a lot of foreigners, but this was their reaction even after I showed them my business card.

‘The Great Novelist’s Pen doesn’t work here?’

That was an irregularity not mentioned on the wiki.

『Kikikikikiki!』

Unfortunately, the Crusher appeared before I could think of another way to earn the passengers’ trust.

“Argh!”

“An Asian ghost!”

“Run!”

Everyone except me fled into the next car. I wanted to save them, but with the Great Novelist’s Pen ineffective, I had no other way.

‘Please survive.’

As the passengers ran away, I stepped in front of the Crusher.

“Hello?”

My opponent was a humanoid Anomaly. It had an ego and intelligence, so the possibility of resolving the matter through conversation was always open.

“My name is Lee Seung-hoon.”

Greetings and introductions were surely the most polite and suitable way to begin.

『Kikikikikiki!』

So I thought, but perhaps it had no desire to talk, as it suddenly reached out and attacked me.

“Could we have a conversation?”

『Kikikikikiki!』

“I heard that the express train to Hell judges sinners. A judgment should hear the sinner’s rebuttal, so I think conversation is essential.”

『Kikikikikiki!』

“Instead of this, how about we talk first?”

It wouldn’t listen at all.

‘It’ll catch up soon.’

Its speed had been increasing for a while now. It would catch me before long.

“It can’t be helped. I don’t like violence very much, but I’m not innocent enough to believe every problem in the world can be solved through conversation alone.”

First, I avoided its grasp and threw a light jab. My Physical Ability was already exceptional, but it took no damage at all. Instead, my hand hurt.

“From this point on, it’s self-defense.”

I put a dried 「Friendship」 apple in my mouth.

“If you ever feel like talking, please bring it up at any time.”

I dodged the Crusher’s grasp to the left and drove a liver blow into it.

“Let’s begin.”

The sensation against my fist was incomparably clearer than before.

『Kikikikikikyak!?』

The Crusher stopped moving. Through its swaying hair, its black pupils met my eyes.

“I’ll say it once more.”

Ah, it had been a while since I fought. Adrenaline was already starting to surge.

“If you’re willing to have a conversation, please let me know at any time.”

＊＊＊

‘The effect of 「Friendship」 is incredible.’

The Crusher, which had not budged at first, twisted in pain as it began taking physical damage.

‘My original body was already strong, so this isn’t a matter of greater force. It must be the effect of 「Friendship」.’

Perhaps it allowed me to damage Anomalies that normally couldn’t be physically harmed.

‘No wonder I felt like I could beat any physical Anomaly just by hitting it the instant I took it.’

『Ki, kikikikiki!』

I grabbed the Crusher’s right arm as it charged at me with stubborn determination and slammed it down with a throw.

『Kyak!』

The physical impact had come from the ground, yet it was in pain. This seemed to be a conceptual effect in which I, as the attacker, was hurting it.

“Do you still have no desire to talk?”

I took the mount. Pinning both its arms with my knees, I repeatedly struck the Crusher in the face.

“I’m always waiting. Resolving things through violence only creates conflict, and that becomes the spark for new problems. So please, I want to resolve this through dialogue.”

『Kyak! Kyak! Kyak!』

“Please, let’s talk! I’m begging you!”

A powerful force suddenly sent me flying. Still, with superhuman reflexes, I grabbed one of the Crusher’s arms in midair, locked in an armbar, landed on the floor, and broke its arm.

『Kyaaaak!』

The door to conversation still hadn’t opened.

‘This won’t be easy.’

The Crusher backed away and flailed its arm.

“Why won’t you talk?”

I moved quickly with footwork and struck its leg with a low kick. The Crusher lost its balance and fell to the floor. I mounted it once more and punched it in the face.

‘Could it be refusing to talk because it has mental problems?’

Perhaps the beings called judges were sinners and victims of the train, just like us.

‘Maybe the first sinner caught by the train became a Derived Anomaly through the train’s power.’

If so, I needed to resolve its mental problems, but I had no means to do that.

‘Let’s at least recite a Buddhist scripture.’

This train was related to Buddhist hell, after all.

“Maha Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra. Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, while practicing deep Prajna Paramita, saw that the five aggregates were all empty and thereby overcame all suffering and distress.”

The Crusher continued twisting its body. To stop its resistance, I struck its shoulder and dislocated it.

“Shariputra, form is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form. Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. The same is true of sensation, perception, formation, and consciousness. Shariputra, all dharmas are marked by emptiness. They neither arise nor cease, are neither defiled nor pure, neither increase nor decrease. Therefore, in emptiness there is no form, no sensation, perception, formation, or consciousness.”

By the way, my strength in this state was measured in tons, yet the floor of the train wasn’t even dented or pierced.

“There is no eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind. No form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharma. No realm of sight, up to no realm of consciousness. No ignorance, nor extinction of ignorance, up to no old age and death, nor extinction of old age and death.”

The Crusher, which had struggled desperately to escape, gradually stopped moving. It was difficult to tell whether that was because of the violence or whether the Buddhist scripture was working.

“Are you willing to talk now?”

There was no answer. I released the mount and stood up to check. The Crusher was in terrible shape.

“Oh dear.”

Black blood was pooled across the floor. Its arm was broken, its face swollen as if it would burst, and its body trembled intermittently.

“Hmm.”

The moment I saw it, I felt pity.

‘It’s a violent Anomaly that has crushed countless people to death. The number of humans killed by the Crusher must be in the hundreds.’

If I didn’t know that fact, I might feel this way.

Yet I felt compassion despite knowing it.

‘That means the human heart sometimes relies heavily on visual information.’

At times, unseen information had a greater influence than outward appearances.

At other times, outward appearances had a greater influence than unseen information.

‘That lies in the realm of instinct, which cannot be chosen.’

The artistic sense within me awakened. Wanting to preserve this moment, I took out my smartphone and took a picture.

“As expected of an Anomaly.”

Neither the Crusher nor the bloodstains appeared in the photo taken with my phone.

“Then...”

I took a picture with the enhanced Polaroid camera. The enhancement effects confirmed so far were that it developed photographs instantly without film, and the development time was only a fraction of a second.

“Oh.”

Now, one more fact had been added. It could photograph Anomalies.

“Nice.”

The pitiful Crusher trembling on the floor in the developed photograph was the art I had wanted to capture.

“I’ve decided.”

I wrote the name of the work on the back of the photograph.

[Objects Are Much More Dangerous Than They Appear.]

A title invoking the warning on car side mirrors, with the implied meaning of criticizing human perception and truth.

『You...』

At that moment, the Crusher finally spoke human words.

『You didn’t... even give me... time... to talk...』

“That’s quite a human reaction. Were you perhaps once human?”

『...』

The Crusher, which had barely finished speaking through its swollen, twisted mouth, stopped trembling.

“I don’t know if it died or fainted.”

I checked its pulse, but there was none. There had been none when I applied the armbar either, so it seemed it had no pulse to begin with. That made it even harder to tell whether it was alive.

“It’s probably alive. It’s an Anomaly.”

Thanks to the Crusher, I learned one problem.

“It’s hard to determine the appropriate upper limit for physical violence against Anomalies.”

If I was too weak, I would be harmed. If I was too strong, something like this happened. The variation between Anomalies was too great to establish an average.

‘Still, the judges that appear on this train should all be similar, so I can use the Crusher as a reference.’

I moved into the next car. After landing in a forest and walking for a while, I came upon a temple.

『Ho ho.』

A smiling, portly monk resembling Budai stood amid dead passengers scattered across the ground.

『Another sinful being has arrived.』

The artist within me decided on the title in advance.

“Physiognomy Is Not Science.”

『Practice asceticism.』

“Hello?”

Still, I had to try talking first.

“My name is Lee Seung-hoon.”

『Practice asceticism, and practice it again.』