Chapter 80: The Masked Auction (2)

A long silence followed.

Those one million units...

They represented the lives of Non-Climbers?

One hundred people had been invited to the auction.

That meant there were one hundred million lives in total.

I had known from the beginning that this would not be an ordinary auction, but I had never imagined anything like this.

Even I was left momentarily speechless by the Tower’s deranged decision to distribute human lives as currency.

“Would anyone care to place a bid?”

The Auctioneer repeated the question.

For the moment, I stopped time.

I needed a chance to think.

‘Special reward, my ass...’

The Tower’s intentions could not have been more obvious.

This time, it wanted to exploit people’s greed and make us slaughter humanity with our own hands.

There were bound to be people who found the offer tempting.

After all, the first item was a high-grade Skill Stone.

It was nothing particularly remarkable to me, but to most Climbers, a Rare+ skill was more than enough to make their eyes light up.

‘What should I do?’

What kind of question was that?

I had to stop this.

No matter what rewards the Tower offered, an auction paid for with human lives was nothing more than a sick farce.

The question was how to stop it.

Should I persuade everyone to refuse to participate?

The Auctioneer had said that each person was free to decide whether or not to spend the one million lives assigned to them.

In that case, the auction could theoretically end without a single bid being placed.

The problem was...

Even if I tried to persuade them, would anyone actually listen?

‘...Should I reveal who I am?’

The first solution that came to mind was to identify myself as Person123.

If I told them who I was, my words might carry more weight.

I had no desire to step into the spotlight again, but this was hardly the time to worry about my own discomfort.

If even one person placed a bid, others might follow, and the whole situation could spiral out of control.

Having decided that I needed to step forward, I released the flow of time.

I was just about to rise and shout, “Everyone, please listen!” when—

“Everyone, please listen!”

...Huh?

Someone spoke before I could.

Every head turned toward the voice.

Number 89 had risen from her seat.

The woman looked around the hall and addressed the crowd.

“None of us should participate in this auction. The Tower is once again resorting to vicious tricks in an attempt to bring about the destruction of the world.”

Number 89 removed her mask, revealing her face.

...Wait.

Who is that?

Her voice had sounded familiar.

It was Section Chief Shin Su-jin.

She had been invited here too?

“My name is Shin Su-jin. I am a Climber affiliated with the Republic of Korea’s Tower Climbing Special Agency, as well as a member of the Floor 5 Security Corps.

“Why do you think the Tower placed these masks on us? It wants us to hide behind anonymity while committing mass slaughter with our own hands. One million lives for each person. One hundred million in total. The scale is inconceivable.

“We must not abandon our humanity for the sake of a few Skill Stones. All we have to do is refuse to bid until the auction ends, and then return safely to our world. Is that not far simpler than overcoming the Three-Year Rule or dealing with the Sub-Towers?”

Section Chief Shin Su-jin delivered her appeal with fierce conviction.

Judging from the urgency with which she had stepped forward, she had reached the same conclusion as I had.

In any case, she was doing exactly what I had intended to do.

I quickly added my voice to hers.

“...She’s right! We cannot allow ourselves to be manipulated by the Tower’s filthy schemes!”

With something like this, establishing the right atmosphere from the beginning was crucial.

Several people nodded, and a few more openly voiced their agreement.

Good.

At this rate, perhaps no one would bid after all.

That was the moment someone else spoke.

“I disagree. Is there truly any reason why we should not participate in the auction?”

Another man rose from his seat.

Number 41 looked around the hall, speaking in an unhurried, almost casual voice.

“Doesn’t that Rare+ Skill Stone look tempting? Even Climbers who have reached the highest floors rarely obtain skills of that grade. Does it really make sense to simply discard an opportunity like this?”

...Who the hell is this guy?

Section Chief Shin Su-jin immediately turned on him.

“Are you saying that you would kill people for it? Those are not merely numbers. They represent real human lives. Spending one million of them would be no different from murdering one million people with your own hands.”

“And?”

“...What did you say?”

“When you think about it rationally, isn’t this simply an unavoidable sacrifice for the greater good? If Climbers become stronger, our chances of clearing the Tower increase. That, in turn, extends the Time Limit. From a broader perspective, the entire world benefits.”

Section Chief Shin Su-jin glared at him.

“Enough sophistry. Does the number one hundred million truly mean nothing to you?”

“Why do you keep exaggerating? Surely not everyone here intends to spend all one million lives. You certainly won’t, will you?”

Number 41 smiled and gestured toward the auction item.

“Look at it, everyone. The very first item is already a Rare+ Skill Stone. What do you think will appear later? Won’t the following items be even more extraordinary?

“Imagine how much stronger Climbers could become if we secured every item offered here.

“Tens of millions of people die around the world every year. Even if all one hundred million lives were spent, it would merely mean that people destined to die within the next year or two died slightly sooner. On a global scale, it is not truly such a significant difference.

“As I said, this would all be for the sake of the world. If we throw away an opportunity like this simply because we feel guilty, wouldn’t that be the choice that actually shortens the world’s remaining lifespan?”

...Some lunatic had begun spewing twisted logic and throwing the entire room into chaos.

This was bad.

Sensing the atmosphere beginning to shift, I stepped forward to support Section Chief Shin Su-jin.

“No one should place a bid.”

Every eye in the hall turned toward me.

“I am Person123. I have one request for all of you. Please do not bid.”

“...!”

The crowd stirred at my declaration.

Even Section Chief Shin Su-jin stared at me with wide eyes.

I looked directly at Number 41 and continued.

“The Tower has always sought humanity’s destruction. It constantly attempts to divide us and turn us against one another. Following its intentions can never lead to anything that benefits the world.”

For a moment, Number 41 looked unsettled.

Then he forced the corners of his mouth upward again.

“...This is ridiculous. You expect us to believe that you are Person123? Do you have any proof?”

Proof...

I attempted to open the Communication Channel.

It would not respond.

Tch.

Was this place considered part of the Tower as well?

Perhaps she had understood the problem, because Section Chief Shin Su-jin immediately spoke in my support.

“That gentleman is indeed Person123.”

“Of course you would say that. You’re already on his side...”

Then another voice cut in.

“The gentleman wearing Number 15 is indeed Person123.”

The man seated at Number 3 stood and removed his mask.

Who is that?

“My name is Justin. I am the deputy commander of the Floor 5 Security Corps. I was also personally present during the incident involving Wang Kai.

“I believe many of you will recognize my face. I can confirm that this gentleman is Person123. He is the man who saved the lives of our Security Corps.”

...Was he?

I thought I might have seen his face once before.

But I was still wearing a mask.

How had he recognized me?

By my voice alone?

Or had he simply decided to support me regardless?

Justin continued.

“I trust that no one here will be deceived by Number 41’s nonsense.

“If someone places a bid and ordinary people are killed at random, can any of you guarantee that your family, your partner, or your friends will not be among the victims? One hundred million people amount to more than one percent of humanity. Those are not negligible odds.”

He was right.

My own family could be chosen as easily as anyone else’s.

I had to stop this auction, no matter what it took.

Justin looked toward me as he continued.

“This is the man who recently rejected even the Ark and challenged Nightmare Floor 6 in order to save all of us.

“Surely no one here could be vile enough to slaughter innocent people for a handful of Skill Stones while standing before a man like him.”

The crowd’s attention returned to me.

I spoke one final time.

“I trust every one of you. Please do not participate in this auction.”

That should be enough.

Shouldn’t it?

The hall remained restless, but the Auctioneer appeared entirely unconcerned by the murmuring crowd.

“Would anyone care to place a bid? I will now count down from ten. If no bid is placed before the count concludes, the first item will be declared unsold.”

The Auctioneer began to count.

Ten.

Nine.

Eight.

No one spoke.

Seven.

Six.

Five.

Still nothing.

Four.

Three.

“One thousand.”

Every head turned at once.

...Number 41 had raised his hand.

The Auctioneer immediately acknowledged him.

“A bid of one thousand has been placed.”

That insane bastard...

I glared at Number 41.

A sneer curled at the corner of his mouth.

“Do all of you truly believe that man is Person123? Members of the Security Corps could easily impersonate him if they agreed on their story beforehand.”

“...”

“And even if he really is Person123, what difference does that make? I don’t care what any of you have to say. I’m bidding.”

Justin shouted at him.

“You mad bastard! Withdraw the bid immediately!”

Number 41 merely shrugged.

“Since when can a bid be withdrawn at an auction? Mr. Auctioneer, is cancellation possible?”

“Bids cannot be withdrawn.”

“You heard him. It cannot be done.”

Number 41 chuckled as he descended the steps and came to stand before the audience.

He turned slowly, looking around at everyone.

“Is no one else going to join in? The Tower went to all the trouble of hiding our faces for us. Why not be a little honest with yourselves?”

“...”

“Well, if no one else wants to participate, that suits me just fine. I suppose I’ll simply have to take every item for myself.”

Before I could respond—

“...Eleven hundred.”

As though his words had opened a floodgate, another hand rose.

It belonged to Number 60.

“A bid of eleven hundred has been placed.”

“H-here. Twelve hundred.”

“A bid of twelve hundred has been placed.”

Several more people raised their hands.

The price quickly climbed beyond two thousand.

I watched the spectacle unfold and let out a slow breath.

...What in the world were these people doing?

Were they truly prepared to kill thousands of innocent people for a Skill Stone like that?

Did they have no understanding of what their bids meant?

No sense of guilt at all?

I had suspected from the beginning that something like this might happen.

But witnessing it firsthand was even more grotesquely absurd than I had imagined.

“Five thousand.”

The bidding, which had been hovering around twenty-five hundred, doubled in a single leap.

Number 41 had called out the price.

He looked around as though he were enjoying himself more than anyone else in the room, deliberately provoking the others.

“Don’t be so timid. Let’s make this interesting. Anyone else? Am I really going to take it for only five thousand?”

I slowly raised my hand.

Every gaze turned toward me.

Section Chief Shin Su-jin and Justin, who had been watching the situation deteriorate with stricken expressions, looked at me in surprise.

“Please state your bid.”

The Auctioneer addressed me.

I shook my head.

“It isn’t a bid. I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“You said there were only two rules. We cannot attack the Auctioneer, and we cannot damage or steal the auction items. Aside from those restrictions, anything else is permitted?”

The Auctioneer nodded.

“That is correct.”

“Then attacking or killing another participant is also permitted.”

“That is correct.”

“What happens to the auction if the current highest bidder dies?”

“The bid is invalidated, and the bidding begins again from the starting price.”

I turned toward Number 41, then asked one final question.

“What happens to the one million lives assigned to a participant who dies? Those people do not die along with the bidder, do they?”

“If a participant dies, their currency becomes void. Any Non-Climber lives assigned as currency that have not been spent on auction items will not be taken.”

As the exchange continued, Number 41’s expression steadily stiffened.

Then he forced out a scornful laugh and looked at me.

“...What is this? Don’t tell me you’re actually planning to ki—”

I stopped time.

I activated Mental Concentration.

Then I fired Destruction Ray at Number 41.

A pitch-black beam struck him.

Number 41 vanished without leaving so much as a trace.

Only a faint hiss lingered in the air.

Thousands of lives had been placed at risk.

And if killing the bidder was the only way to invalidate the bid...

Then I could do it without hesitation.

I had to.

“As the highest bidder has died, the bidding will now restart from the beginning.”

The Auctioneer spoke calmly, without even blinking.

I descended the steps and stopped in the exact place where Number 41 had been standing only moments earlier.

Did things truly have to come to this?

Why couldn’t they simply listen when someone tried to reason with them?

I looked around the hall.

Every face had gone rigid with shock.

Then I opened my mouth.

“No one bid.”

“...”

“If you place a bid, I will kill you.”