If I had to describe what I felt, at that exact moment, it was not happiness.

Or joy.

Or excitement.

Honestly, it wasn't even anger. It was way beyond that.

It was gratitude toward that universe—toward that system—for allowing me this chance. It was the feeling of being able to witness a person you completely loath and despise get screwed over in the most beautiful way. That feeling of when someone who disrespected the shit out of you and believed they were the superior being gets to eat their own words and eat dirt. Because you proved them wrong.

I could count on one hand the number of occasions I felt something like that. And the fact I was able to experience that feeling so soon, as Park Eun-Woo…

Next time I saw the person or being responsible for that system, I would kiss them.

I appeared behind Giorgio as he panicked in front of the panel. It only took me a few seconds to put things together.

The genius had broken the speed lever and the train's time of arrival had increased quite a lot. In fact, we had a bit more than one minute left, yet Jolly Train would only reach its final destination in two.

And oh, had I forgotten about the giant killer mole that was less than three meters away from the train?

Silly me.

Grace was the first to see me, with a purple eye and a broken lip. I clenched my jaw, the blood running hot in my veins. I motioned her not to speak, trying to keep all those emotions in check. The teenager girl nodded once, carrying both Dunya and the soldier close to her, yet the man was in a pretty bad shape. How many times had Giorgio kicked him?

I had to take a deep breath to center myself, get a good grasp of my body. My muscles, my joints, my bones. And before Giorgio could turn around—

I grabbed him by the hair and sunk his face into the panel.

"Missed me?" As I whispered the words close to his ears, the contempt and rage that burned within my soul were almost palpable.

I hit the panel with his face again and again, only stopping when everything was smeared in blood, as it dripping non-stop from his nose.

That was a jolly sight.

"T-thaht ish not possib-le. I ran overth you!" Giorgio had bitten his tongue at some point, yet with his face in such a messed up state it was difficult to tell.

"Guess you were right then—I must be pretty smart."

I never considered myself someone violent.

In my previous life, I had always been a very poor fighter. From memory, I had only exchanged actual blows with someone twice and in none of those cases was I considered the winner.

Yet I was not the 'old me' anymore; I was Park Eun-Woo in this life. A life a man like Giorgio had tried to take away from me. So if I had never found reasons to gather up enough courage to beat the shit out of someone in my previous life, Giorgio had given me plenty to compensate.

[A Benefactor has shown interest in your journey!]

Huh?

[Justice wants to share some of Their power with Self Park Eun-Woo for a short amount of time.]
[Will you accept?]

A Benefactor? I glanced at Giorgio, still recalling his blackened eyes as his insane strength.

Now things make more sense.

In retrospect, I felt even embarrassed for not considering the possibility before. It should be almost obvious that, within an entire system like that, there would be some kind of power mechanics involved.

Just like in a game.

"Yes, I accept."

Giorgio first eyed me with pure confusion, however it didn't take him long to do the math.

Actually, I didn't give him the time.

Golden light poured on me from above, a light and warm sensation spreading within my body. All tiredness left me, any injury I may have had—completely gone. I felt invincible. Knowledge about that new power rushed into my brain, as if the system had uploaded a manual in my mind.

Not that there was any secret behind it; just the old hit and smash.

I clenched my fists, feeling a warmth spread within me as the golden light concentrated on my hands, making them glow like two blinding stars. Indeed, Death had no right to be that beautiful.

[You can use 'Hands of Justness' for one minute.]

And one minute was plenty.

My veins were visible through my entire body, glowing and pulsing with pure light—if that was only some of Justice's power, I was extremely curious to know the rest.

Every time I hit the man, light exploded from my hands. I punched him in the stomach twice, using my knee to hit his nose. If it hadn't broken before, I had fixed that. Giorgio's eye got black again, that darkness now filled with despair. Yet nothing happened.

His face turned as pale as a ghost.

"Wait, hey, let'sh talk! We can be commr—"

My punch sent two of his teeth flying. I was really tired of hearing men like him speak.

Should I just remove his tongue?

"The screen! Look at the screens!"

Grace's shouts stole my attention for a few seconds. From the second cabin I could hear people screaming, despair and fright tearing their throats as the train shook more than it should. The mole was close.

Too close.

Yet wasn’t this something business men loved to say? In every calamity…

There was an opportunity.

I grabbed Giorgio by his collar, dragging him toward the open door as he fought my grasp in a pitiful way.

"C'MON! Whaht do you even thin-k you are doin? Ishn't all of thish abou' bein mora-al? Wher ish your humani'y?!"

Another message popped up in front of me, the purple glow of its words shining in my eyes. Once again, the content of the message made me smile. Perhaps, in the end, I was just too lucky for my own good.

Or perhaps my morals were the problem.

[The Giant Mole is within one meter from Jolly Train!]
[You can send a Self to distract the Mole]
[Will you send Operator Giorgio Ratti to distract the Mole?]

"Park Eun-Woo."

"Huh?" For a second, the man stopped struggling.

"This is the name of the man you tried to kill."

I pushed his body, so it would hang outside, the wind messing and blowing his hair. Giorgio Ratti’s sank into mine, and it was almost as if I could smell his fear.

"Wai', you don't real-ly nee to—"

"Be a good rat and distract the bad mole for us." I opened up a big smile, one that could almost be confused as warm and kind.

My hands were still shining, the golden glow reflecting in the man's eyes. Then I opened my hand—

And Giorgio fell.

If he screamed or said anything else, I did not hear. The system had transported him in a matter of seconds, the white light embracing him like wings.

Within me, I tried searching for something… A feeling. Something to make me more humane. Pity. Sorrow. Sadness. Remorse. Anything that would prove to me I could have forgiven Giorgio in the future, something to show me I felt bad for killing a man with my own two hands, however there was nothing.

In my heart there was only a cold shadow, leaving nothing behind to mourn or lament. I wondered if I would dream with him that night, if I would keep seeing his desperate eyes reflecting the glow of my hands every time I tried to sleep. If his death would haunt my dreams and weight on my soul.

How heavy would his death become.

[Time left to use 'Hands of Justness': 18 seconds]

Shit.

I ran toward the panel, toward the levers—I didn't have time to question my humanity, that was something to put on my to-do list once I was out of that damned train. I glanced at the screens.

[ETA: 01:28]
[Time Limit: 00:42]

Even if the speed lever hadn't been busted, we wouldn't be able to gain enough speed fast enough.

[Time left to use 'Hands of Justness': 15 seconds.]

I saw the second lever—no one had ever pulled it. I didn't even know what it did. Yet at that point, I was willing to try anything.

The moment I touched it, a current passed through my entire arm all the way to my neck. I tried to pull it all the way up, but it was completely stuck.

[All requirements must be met for this lever to be used]
[Operator Park Eun-Woo has not killed more than seventeen passengers with Jolly Train]
[You cannot pull this lev—]
[Innate Skill 'Hands of Justness' allows you to use this lever]
[Do you wish to operate this lever through—]

"YES! I want to use this lever, now!"

My hands shone again, the golden glow transferring to the lever as the light within my veins intensified.

[Time left to use 'Hands of Justness': 10 seconds.]

I pulled the lever all the way up, and the moment I did—

Jolly Train went off with a blast.

There was a 'boom' right before an insane speed pushed the train forward, making me feel as if I was inside a race movie with trains instead of crazy cars and bikes.

I held the lever with both hands, my body levitating from the ground. In the other cabin, screams and shouts echoed as people fell and hit the walls. I could only hope no one would be seriously wounded or fall off the cabin; it's not like any one of us had a choice at that point.

I couldn't see Grace and the others, but I could hear her and deep down I was praying to whatever beings dominated this world that she and the other two were fine.

I had three more seconds with 'Hands of Justness'.

From the window, something appeared on the horizon. It almost looked like a station.

[Your time with 'Hands of Justness' has run out]
[You cannot use this skill any longer]
[WARNING]
[Operator Park Eun-Woo does not meet the requirements to operate this lever]
[Turning off 'Hyper Speed'.]

The lever immediately went down, the Jolly train taking a few seconds to go back to its normal speed. The moment my feet could safely touch the ground again, I turned around, hoping and relieved to see everyone was still inside.

"Are you all right? How are the soldier and Dunya doing?"

A faint smile appeared on Grace’s lips. "They are both breathing—but that…that was insane. How are you even alive?"

"I got lucky. We will arrive at the final destination soon; you think you can help me carry them?"

"Luck is for fools… And I can carry myself, thank you very much."

Dunya opened her eyes with a painful expression, letting out a shaken breath as she spoke.

I could not help but smile. Grace gave her a hug, burying her face in the older woman's neck. Dunya brushed Grace's hair, whispering something to her I could not hear. I wondered how close the two had gotten, in such a brief period.

"You were out for quite some time, think you can stand on your own?" I asked, walking closer to them.

To answer my question, the woman raised herself and took a few steps away from Grace and the soldier. She stumbled and almost fell after a step, however I rushed to her side and grabbed her by the shoulders, supporting her.

"Are you really feeling okay?"

"Yes…just dizzy. You said we are almost arriving, right?"

I nodded, glancing at the middle screen. ETA, less than twenty seconds.

"What about him?" Dunya glanced at the soldier.

"Let me carry him. Grace can help you, in case you feel dizzy again."

The woman agreed, letting Grace pass her arm over her shoulder. Suddenly all three screens started to blink, the same phrase being shown on all of them with bold red letters.

[PRESS THE 'EMERGENCY STOP']

It took one look at the window to know why Jolly Train was so desperate to tell us that.

There were no more tracks after the last station; only the ocean stretching for miles and miles.

I jumped, taking a couple of seconds to identify the right button. I sank my fist on it, hearing the brakes activate beforehand.

There was a powerful impact, as if the train had collided with something, passengers gasping and shrieking as the emergency breaks ceased all motion from the huge vehicle. It took a few seconds before the train went completely still.

And just like that, Jolly Train successfully stopped right in front of the station, only a few centimeters away from the ocean.

Even from inside the cabin I could smell the sea, the scent bringing more memories I was not entirely sure I wished to recall.

At least, not yet.

"Can you help him? He…he really fought for us." Grace's voice weakened as her eyes got darker, her gaze shifting to her feet.

I wondered what she thought of me for killing that man; if it alleviated some of her pain, if it would help make some memories less unpleasant.

"Was planning on doing just that."

As I approached the soldier, he opened his eyes. Something told me he had been awake for quite some time already. I extended him my arm and was glad when he took it, grunting as I helped him stand.

"I'm sorry…" The soldier spoke in one weak breath, his body still quite unsteady.

"What for?"

"…couldn't stop him. From throwing you out of the train."

"Well, I couldn't stop you from getting beaten up either, so we can call it quits."

The soldier chuckled, a grimace spreading through his face as he touched his ribs. Giorgio had really messed him up.

The soldier turned his head to face me, his voice a bit stronger. "Arman. My name."

I smiled in return, shaking his hand. "Eun-Woo."

"I will make sure to remember your name, Eun-Woo. And I hope I will see you again."

Surprisingly, I kinda hoped for the same.

As everyone left the Jolly Train and stepped into the station, huge letters appeared in the sky. Throughout that day, those letters had brought me both my salvation and my demise, multiple times.

[Congratulations on surviving the last stage!]
[You are qualified to enter the island!]
[All surviving Selves are now apt to begin their Journey]
[All surviving Selves are now apt to take the Trials]

Never once did I believe Jolly Train would be the end. Even with the promise of a mysterious place awaiting us beyond the ocean, I knew the following Trials would be bolder. Crueler. Harder.

And above all else, I knew I had to win.

[A Benefactor Selection will take place once you arrive at Île de Bâton]
[The next boat will arrive shortly]

My new life as Park Eun-Woo was, finally, just beginning.

And I would protect it.

No matter what.