LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 194
Chapter: 194. Magic Train (3)
Just before crossing the door, that damn thing was still unresolved, leaving me somewhat disappointed.
Suddenly, Al’sel murmured into the air, spilling out sentences I couldn’t comprehend.
“What is it?”
“Please wait a moment.”
How much time passed like that?
Zzap.
About ten seconds later, sparks flickered here and there in the dark room, and blue light filled the space.
“Seriously, what are you doing?”
“It’s just a simple cleanup. I’m just finishing what Haram didn’t manage to do.”
“I just dealt with the smoke a moment ago. No more regeneration or revival or anything.”
“What kind of whim is this?”
You couldn’t possibly be like that.
“It’s simply a service. Since Haram listened to me…”
Al’sel trailed off, gazing at the invisible ceiling, staring into the darkness beyond.
“I didn’t like it.”
Surprisingly, immersed in emotion.
When I asked him about it, he gave an answer in an oddly pure tone.
It was probably a reward for me listening to him.
So, without caring about him, I threw another question.
“What’s going on here?”
“There are so many doors! Poyo!”
Al’sel looked flustered, intertwining his tentacles and glancing around, probably struggling with where to start explaining.
Nothing I saw in front of me seemed normal, and even the atmosphere was bizarre.
Not like any chaos from otherworldly rules—it was more of a meticulously organized oddity.
Endlessly stretched red carpets.
A never-ending long corridor.
Countless identical doors lined up in every direction.
Glancing at the door on my right, I noticed some characters I’d never seen before, but I could understand their meaning.
Doll residence -32-58-3453-6744-1
Just to be sure, I looked at the door beneath my feet.
It was inscribed in the same manner.
The only difference was that the last digit was a 4 instead of a 1.
Then the one above is a 2, and the one to the left is a 3, I guess.
Curiosity piqued, I looked up and down, and indeed, those were the labels.
I thought about knocking but felt that touching it might cause something unpleasant to happen. So I mused at it quietly, trying to calm my tired mind from the chaos of the otherworld.
“Do you recall that we were told about this being a magic train?”
Finally, Al’sel spoke up.
“Right.”
“And that bizarre bug monster said it was an artificial world called Demiurge.”
“Please wake me up when it’s over. Poyo.”
“Really… was it?”
Honestly, I don’t remember, and I didn’t care.
For now, I just shoved that damned Unho into my pocket while he was sleeping.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. What I want to talk about now is simply the past.”
Said Al’sel while he walked down the endless corridor, continuing to speak.
“Let’s talk while we walk. We can’t just stand here, can we?”
Perhaps because Al’sel surrounded himself with an oddly pitiful atmosphere, I nodded in agreement and quietly walked down the corridor.
“Though it was named Demiurge, it was translated that way because Haram is an existence from Earth. The translation of otherworldly terms is quite mysterious. Do you know the meaning of that word?”
It sounded like a rather dark name.
“It’s not a great name. It’s a bit complicated to explain, but to summarize, it can be called a false evil god.”
A false evil god. Quite an interesting topic, but…
“What does that have to do with anything? It’s just a name; you can stick any label onto anything.”
Just look at the Thunder God, who’s a god of lightning but far from being a true god.
“It’s an important element. The reason this vehicle we call the magic train has such a name is that it all has a purpose.”
As Al’sel said this, his skin took on a mix of pink gradients.
He slowly stretched out his arm and caressed the green wallpaper, tenderly, as if petting a beloved animal.
“The false evil god. That was the name given to slander them.”
There was a hint of anger in his voice, yet his skin still remained pale and pink.
Once Al’sel finished speaking, he pulled his hand from the wall and started walking again, and I followed suit.
As soon as I took a step—
There was an incredible acceleration.
The door was pushed behind me, and the corridor turned gray due to the speed.
But we were just walking. It felt like the entire corridor was shifting backward, like using warp speed.
“Those who have lost their worlds created this massive artificial world by escaping, gathering their powers and skills.”
In the world that accelerated into a gray hue, Al’sel continued to narrate.
“A dwelling place for those who have lost their worlds, a place of rules wandering endlessly in other realms.”
Gradually, Al’sel’s voice began to lose emotion.
“A training ground for those who would stab the existence beyond.”
In accordance with that, the speed of the accelerated corridor gradually slowed down, allowing me to read the names on the signs hanging from various doors.
Doll residence -05-02-2289-9543-3
“Once, it was a place where countless beings trained themselves.”
Doll residence -02-01-100-34-1
“An emergency shelter made of pure skills, unrelated to the otherworld.”
Human-shaped residence -01-01-23-11-1
“And now, it has become a monster that exists solely for self-preservation and the weariness of its passengers.”
Human-shaped residence -00-00-9-2-3
Snap.
Al’sel turned the handle on the door marked with a plaque.
Holding the opened door, he bent over like a doorman and said, “Welcome aboard our race’s last legacy, Haram.”
Politely. Really politely.
That was unlike him.
The room he opened was eerily similar to another room.
Specifically, it resembled a room from Korea’s guild.
To be more precise, it was Al’sel’s office.
It wasn’t just a simple shape resemblance.
As soon as Al’sel entered the room, he moved to brew coffee.
Additionally, the sofa I immediately settled into was just as fluffy as the one I wanted to take home.
“Are there snacks too?”
Whir, whir.
Crunch, crunch.
The sound of coffee beans grinding.
The sound of Unho, seated at the dining table, munching on biscuits.
Next, the sound of water boiling or pouring could also be heard.
“Ahh, yum, yum.”
In the room, the only one making noise was Unho, who had filled his belly and snuggled peacefully asleep.
I wish I could be so carefree.
Crossing my legs, I waited for the coffee to arrive, wondering how much time had passed.
Clink.
Finally, two coffee cups were set on the table, and before Al’sel could even sit down…
Clink.
I swiftly lifted one coffee cup and took a sip.
Having stayed briefly in the otherworld, was I overly sensitive to all sensations?
The bitter and slightly sweet taste lingered faintly on my tongue.
It had truly been a long time since I tasted coffee.
Feeling a bit energized, I didn’t finish it all and put the cup down instead.
Al’sel, sitting across from me, observed me keenly and, as soon as the cup was set down, spoke up.
“Don’t you have something to ask?”
“Like what?”
“Why this room looks exactly like my office on Earth. The identity of Demiurge. Why we’re here. You know, several things.”
Seeing Al’sel’s train of thought elongate, I realized that he seemed to want to talk more.
However, I had no interest in hearing someone else’s complaints. If it wasn’t about me, it was just irrelevant confessions.
So, instead of listening, I decided to engage in dialogue.
“I roughly get the idea. This lodging mimics the place you live in, or something like that, right? And Demiurge is, as you’ve said, a kind of ark to protect people in the otherworld, no? It’s probably safe to be here, right? Difficult to enter but easy to exit.”
In stark contrast to that mosaic woman’s place.
“That’s mostly correct. Then, before we discuss the detailed story and future plans, could you wake Unho for a moment?”
“Why not just leave him be?”
He looks tired too.
“I’m going to need to check coordinates and calculate when to disembark from the magic train. No matter how safe it is, I can’t just stay here forever.”
That made sense.
Convinced by Al’sel’s words, I decided to wake Unho while holding the coffee cup.
“Moooo!”
Just then, Unho was sprawled out, mumbling to the ceiling.
“Get up.”
Slurp.
I poured a little coffee into his small mouth.
Gag, cough, cough! Huh? What?! Is it a case of otherworldly invasion?!
Unho woke up with an unexpectedly intense reaction, of course, he coughed and spit the coffee everywhere.
What a waste.
I thought about how I had done that.
During my time inhabiting the otherworld, was I so starved for stimulation without even realizing it? I ended up feeling sorry for Al’sel’s coffee.
Well, whatever.
“Did you sleep well?”
“I’m still sleepy. What just happened?”
Hmm. Still sleepy, huh? But he can’t sleep until he finishes his assignments.
“Unho.”
“You said you can use coordinate magic, right?”
“Of course!”
“Then you can keep casting it until you succeed, and you can sleep after that.”
“…until I succeed? The success rate is only 1%.”
“Then just try it about a hundred times.”
“Ahhh, about that… As it’s an independent cast, it actually is 100 times.”
I silenced the whining octopus, trying to block its mouth as it jumped in.
Damn, that intelligent octopus should just go die.
“Well… I’ll give it a shot… but can I sleep when I’m done?”
“Sure, just let Al’sel know the outcome.”
“I understand.”
As soon as that was said, Unho raised his arms and began to draw a magic circle.
Sparkle! Zap!
Sparkle! Zap!
Sparkle, sparkle, boom!
Not only did the magic circle fall apart, but it also exploded.
I hadn’t known it could do that with magic, but I couldn’t bring myself to criticize Unho for diligently following through on what was asked. I shifted my gaze back to Al’sel.
“Well then, did you want to say something?”
“Um. First of all, regarding this Demiurge… it’s quite a long and useless name, so I’ll just refer to it as the magic train. The magic train has some peculiar functions.”
“What kind of functions?”
“Earlier, Haram briefly mentioned it as an ark, but the magic train serves more than just that. It’s also a training ground to prepare those who will defeat the enemies.”
“And how do you prepare them?”
“It’s simple. Currency.”
At that, a long string of numbers appeared over Al’sel’s head.
The numbers appeared as unreadable characters but were understandable in meaning.
It looked like it contained so many digits it was almost indecipherable—about 40 to 50 digits long.
“Those who don’t work, don’t eat. It’s something you have on Earth as well. Just like that, to live and eat in the magic train, you need currency. And you can earn that currency through four different actions.”
As Al’sel said this, he spread out four of his fingers.
He bent the first finger.
“First. Trade. It can be violence or actual trading, anything is fine. It means exchanging currency with the other party.”
Tap.
Another sound resonated, and as Al’sel’s numbers decreased, there was a spark, spark!
“Wow! Already successful… Huh? What’s that number?”
Unexpectedly, while Unho was performing magic at the corner of the table, he exploded.
His head left with a little number remaining.
…how unfortunate.
I briefly entertained that thought, turning my head away to ignore the catastrophe that occurred next to me, and directed my attention back to Al’sel.
Though Al’sel looked momentarily bewildered by Unho’s unfortunate mishap, he soon composed his expression and bent his finger.
“Second. Training. Outside the living area of the magic train, there are numerous monsters. You’ll need to defeat them.”
“Where do these monsters come from?”
…Do you remember the trials you faced when you first came here?
“If I couldn’t remember that, I wouldn’t be human, right?”
I felt a flare of irritation rising.
“Originally, those tests weren’t meant to be like what you experienced. However, it doesn’t matter at this point. The magic train doesn’t merely carry intelligent beings that are taking tests; it also has to gather the material resources necessary to sustain this place, mindless cargo, and… unspeakable monsters.”
…So basically, it’s about feasting on all those monsters while using passengers for disposal.
“Okay, I understand. Let’s move on to the next.”
With my words, Al’sel showed a wry smile and bent his finger again.
“Third. Contribution. Helping sustain the magic train’s operations. I suppose you remember the black smoke we encountered in the first room. Of course, there’s also resource production, but this overlaps with the first action. Even if it’s not combat-related, you’ll need to ensure there are ways to live.”
On this point, I had no reply, just nodded along.
Al’sel seemed uninterested, bending his last finger.
“And lastly, the fourth one.”
For the first time, Al’sel hesitated to speak.
He seemed reluctant to bring this up.
A brief moment.
It was only about three seconds, but it felt much longer due to the tense atmosphere around Al’sel.
Violence and robbery.
Finally, he opened his mouth.
“You can obtain part of a target’s currency by killing them. This is different from the second method; it can only occur among the passengers.”
Honestly, I wasn’t particularly moved by this.
Of course, I didn’t lack thoughts about it.
Isn’t it a well-structured system?
It’s not just for gathering people under the guise of an ark, but if you want to stay in the ark, you need to earn currency.
Much like how in Earth society, if you want to make a living, you have to work.
The difference is that it’s often associated with hunting seen in games or fantasy.
In an ordinary society, there would be support for the marginalized, but Al’sel pointed out that this is a legacy created by those found in…
Then, the consequence for those who don’t achieve is clear.
It’d be a miracle if they weren’t killed, and no doubt, those who fail would find themselves tossed into the otherworld. Or rather, if they didn’t turn a profit within a designated time, their resident costs might exponentially increase.
But for us, would that become a problem?
“So, what’s the intention behind explaining all this? It’s not like you want us to go out and earn money, right?”
I mean, staring at all those countless numbers right in front of me from Al’sel, who seemed like dead weight.
“That’s right. If it’s currency, there’s plenty lying around. So I’m hoping to ask you for something more.”
I could hear the wind blow.
I was left speechless by what was unfolding right before my eyes.
That Al’sel, bowing his head to me voluntarily. Not in a sarcastic manner, but genuinely sincere.
… For the time until we leave here, I was hoping you could help me.
Al’sel’s skin turned pale.
“Originally, I abandoned this legacy. And for a long time, I couldn’t find it again.”
His voice continued.
The first time I met him, it was filled with genuine emotion.
Without a hint of deceit.
Without any madness.
Without any excitement.
Just his pure, unfiltered voice.
“I regret that. I’ve tried to find it time and again. But I couldn’t find it again. Of course, the otherworld is such a place.”
He didn’t raise his head and kept speaking.
“In such circumstances, I’ve come to find this place again. I was able to see just how much the little twist that existed when I left has grown.”
That reminded me of something Al’sel had mentioned earlier.
The original tests weren’t supposed to be like that.
Considering it was made by an octopus race, it must have been harsh, but it wasn’t going to be that messed up at the beginning.
“I want to turn this back around. So…”
Al’sel’s voice stretched out.
“Once more, I beg you. Just until we depart, would you please cooperate with me? If it isn’t resolved before we leave, I will abandon the mission neatly.”