But suddenly, as soon as this creature was close to Saigida, it hit right into the emerging systems sign.
[Sponsor's gift coins: 5,000]
The creature fell as if it had crashed into a wall. It began to split into small rays of light and abruptly headed in the direction of Saigid.
[Exp: 115. Coins: 20]
Saigid stared, uncomprehending, as the small rays of light enveloped him. His eyes darted to his floating stat panel.
[Sponsor's Gift Coins: 5,000]
He'd gained over five thousand coins? How was that possible?
The golden beams faded and Saigid felt a strange sensation like power, only... colder.
The train suddenly moved forward at an acceptable speed. But despite this, Saigid fell off balance.
Saigid stumbled, caught off guard as the train jerked into motion. He grabbed a nearby seat to steady himself.
"ouch," he muttered, his jaw tight. "That's one of a boost..."
The survivors, too, were regaining their footing, relief mixing with awe as the vehicle gained speed. But Saigid didn't join their whispers and smiles. There was still one thought he couldn't shake.
"Who is sponsoring me...?"
"Just a second. And who restored the train? Whose sponsor is so generous?" flashed through Saigid's mind.
He's heading to the buffet car to get some news.
Saigid pushed the door to the buffet car open.
He stopped.
Everything was… perfect.
Clean tables. No shattering glass. Steady, flicker-free light. Not a single sign of the chaos that had been there a few seconds ago.
Wrong.
People were talking in the car, but they weren't panicking. In fact, they had grouped around a table in the middle.
Saigid instantly understood who the focus was on.
He walked a step forward.
"Allow me to go through. Step aside."
And suddenly the throng parted without a word, clearing his way.
Saigid stopped in front of him.
The man looked confident, too confident considering what had just happened. Until their eyes locked. In the other man's face, Saigid saw something replacing the confidence. Not fear. Respect.
"You are the one who was speaking on the intercom," Saigid said cautiously.
The man nodded.
"Yes."
"Explain."
A brief pause.
"I killed one of the monsters, a small one, acquired some experience and some coins, until I got the option of taking a sponsor."
The man spoke evenly, trying not to exaggerate the event.
"My sponsor gives me the skill to restore objects… for coins."
Saigid had nothing to say.
"But that wouldn't be enough," the man proceeded. "I found a second person. He possesses… a duplicating ability."
"Coins?"
"Yes."
He leaned forward a little.
"And we duplicated several times, again and again."
Saigid's mind was already working.
"And you used all you got to restore the train."
"Yes."
You could see the proof in the car. Not a single crack, let alone blood. Nothing.
"And that's the reason why you are all still alive," the man said softly.
Saigid focused his eyes on the gathered people.
Some were suspiring, with their breath held.
Others were already setting something into their interfaces.
"Not all," he said.
The man stayed silent.
Saigid understood.
The ones who ran.
The ones who fell.
The ones who followed Yushai.
They weren't here.
"We've restored everything," the man repeated, and there was a genuine, almost childlike pride in his voice. The people around exhaled in relief; some even smiled for the first time during this endless nightmare.
Saigid said nothing. He lowered his gaze to his boots, standing on the impeccably clean carpet. Something was off. Too perfect a white. Too fresh a scent… violets?
He slowly crouched, pretending to tie his shoelace. His fingers brushed the carpet's pile, then slid slightly deeper, toward the joint with the table leg. The man, the train's "savior," continued speaking to the crowd with enthusiasm, unaware of Saigid's actions.
Saigid felt a barely noticeable bump beneath the soft fabric and sharply lifted the edge of the carpet.
His heart skipped a beat.
Beneath the new layer of metal and fabric, pressed directly into the train car's frame, was a human hand. The skin was pale, almost translucent, and the fingers still clutched a scrap of someone's scarf. The system hadn't discarded the remains. It had used the "extra" matter the bodies of the fallen as raw material, simply rearranging the molecules into neat table legs and gleaming handrails.
The entire cozy car had been built from those who hadn't made it out.
[Warning! Restoration complete: 99.9%. Full structural stabilization requires: 0.1% organic binding.]
Saigid lifted his eyes. The sponsor-man continued smiling, radiating happiness, completely unaware he was standing on the bones of his companions.
"Hey, what are you stuck on?" he asked cheerfully, extending a hand to Saigid. "Get up, we made it through!"
Saigid looked at the outstretched hand, then at the interface, which suddenly flashed a frantic yellow:
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Select an object to complete stabilization… or the structure will revert to its original state (Chaos) in 60 seconds.]