Chapter 81: The Masked Auction (3)

“Are there no bidders?”

The bidding had restarted from the beginning.

I remained standing before the stage, staring out at the audience—particularly at those who had placed bids only moments earlier.

This time, no one raised a hand.

No one spoke.

“I will count down from ten. If no bid is placed, the item will be declared unsold.”

When no one came forward, the Auctioneer began the ten-second countdown, just as before.

In the oppressive silence, only his measured voice echoed through the hall.

Threatening people with death like this did not sit well with me either...

But whatever else could be said about it, the threat worked.

Not a single person placed a bid before the countdown ended.

“The first item has gone unsold. We shall now proceed to the next item.”

The Skill Stone on the platform vanished.

A second item appeared in its place.

[Item: Dalpara’s Golden Mirror]

A ritual implement once used by Dalpara, priestess of the Dyakaropine Tribe, during ceremonies dedicated to her tribal god.

When activated, it creates a reflective barrier before the user that can return an opponent’s attacks. Attacks whose power exceeds the mirror’s remaining durability cannot be reflected. Once the mirror’s durability is fully depleted, the ability becomes unusable.

Durability recovers at a rate of 1% per hour.

Durability: 100/100

The item’s description appeared before my eyes.

An attack-reflection ability.

It looked useful.

Naturally, however, it was beyond my reach.

“The opening price for the second item is one thousand five hundred lives. Anyone wishing to bid should raise their hand and state their price.”

Again, no one bid.

The Auctioneer counted down ten seconds, and the second item was also declared unsold.

The auction moved swiftly on to the next offering.

[Rare+ Skill Enhancement Stone]

When used, enhances one Rare+ skill.

[Item: Sippi’s Broom]

The broom of Sippi, a mischievous witch.

When used, it allows the rider to fly. The broom occasionally acts of its own accord.

Consumes 30 Willpower per second.

[Skill: Ice Armor (Rare+)]

Compresses cold into a suit of armor that envelops the caster’s entire body.

Increases the caster’s defense. Any opponent who touches the armor is afflicted with a freezing effect.

Requires one minute of Mental Concentration before activation.

Category: Magic Type

Willpower Cost: 20 per second

Cooldown: 3 minutes

.

.

.

Skill Stones.

Enhancement Stones.

Items.

One valuable object after another appeared on the stage.

Every Skill Stone and Enhancement Stone was Rare+ grade, while the items possessed effects equal to that grade or even greater.

Had the price been anything other than human lives, I would have wanted to claim every last one of them.

But each and every item went unsold.

“Are there no bidders?”

“The item has gone unsold.”

“We shall now proceed to the next item.”

The same phrases continued to echo through the hall.

While everyone else remained silent, the Auctioneer conducted the proceedings alone, his mechanical efficiency never faltering.

Item after item passed before us.

Then, at last...

“...This is the final item of the Masked Auction.”

The word final left the Auctioneer’s mouth.

A Skill Stone appeared on the platform.

This one was not green.

It was purple.

[Skill: Lion’s Roar (Epic)]

Unleashes a roar that incapacitates all enemies within a minimum radius of thirty meters.

Opponents whose strength is significantly inferior to the caster’s may be killed outright. The closer the target is to the caster, the more powerful the effect becomes.

The skill’s range and power increase according to the amount of Willpower consumed.

After activation, all mental-category debuffs affecting the caster are dispelled, and the caster’s physical attributes are increased by 20% for five minutes.

Category: Physical Type

Willpower Cost: 300–900

Cooldown: 10 minutes

An Epic-grade skill.

A murmur spread through the audience.

“...Epic grade?”

“Is that the grade above Rare...?”

The existence of a grade beyond Rare had not yet been disclosed to the public.

There had been no particular reason for anyone to know, and I had never revealed the information myself.

I read the skill description again.

‘That’s fucking good...’

A wide-area incapacitation effect with a minimum range of thirty meters.

It could also dispel mental debuffs and increase physical attributes.

It was an exceptional ability, fully worthy of the Epic grade.

“The opening price is ten thousand lives.”

The starting price was far higher than that of the previous items.

It doesn’t matter.

It’ll go unsold anyway.

The atmosphere in the hall shifted slightly, but no one raised a hand.

This insane auction was finally about to end.

“Are there no bidders?”

The Auctioneer surveyed the crowd.

At that moment, someone rose from his seat.

“L-look, even so... shouldn’t you take this one, Person123?”

...What?

Number 99 was staring at me, choosing his words carefully.

“You are the only person capable of saving this world. Compared to all the lives you will save in the future, ten thousand is... honestly, an incredibly small price, isn’t it? You becoming stronger is the very thing that ensures humanity’s survival.”

“...”

“So please, take at least this one. I’m begging you.”

At his words, people began nodding one after another.

A few voiced their agreement aloud.

I said nothing.

I merely sighed and shook my head.

“I-it’s an Epic-grade skill. A skill above Rare grade...!”

Number 99 sounded almost desperate.

I know.

I know his reasoning is not entirely wrong.

Of course I wanted the skill.

But no still meant no.

“If there are no bidders, I will count down from ten and declare the final item unsold.”

The Auctioneer began counting.

Ten seconds passed.

“...The final item has gone unsold.”

And so the last item, too, remained unclaimed.

“With this, the Masked Auction is concluded.”

The Auctioneer announced the end of the proceedings.

Then he clapped his hands once.

The entire space transformed.

The theater vanished, replaced by a vast hall filled with countless tables.

An extravagant feast had been laid out across them.

It looked like a grand banquet hall.

“A modest closing banquet has been prepared for those who participated in the auction. Please enjoy the food and drink at your leisure. When the appointed time arrives, you will be returned to the locations from which you were brought.”

[Time Remaining: 59 minutes, 41 seconds]

With those final words, the Auctioneer disappeared.

What the hell is this supposed to be now...?

Why not just send us back?

What is the point of holding a banquet?

Everyone, myself included, remained standing in awkward silence.

I could feel people glancing in my direction.

Whenever I looked around, they flinched and either lowered their eyes or quickly turned away.

...Given what had just happened, the atmosphere was inevitably uncomfortable.

I had killed someone, after all.

I considered turning invisible, but decided against it.

It appeared I would have to remain here for the full hour regardless, and I could hardly spend the entire time hiding.

I walked over to a table in the corner and sat down.

Once I had taken a seat, the others gradually began to disperse and settle at the surrounding tables.

‘Hah...’

I looked over the food arranged before me.

There were meat dishes, salads, slices of cake, and all manner of other delicacies.

Naturally, I had no appetite.

I intended to sit quietly by myself until the time came to leave.

Then—

“Excuse me...”

Several people were approaching my table.

Section Chief Shin Su-jin and...

Justin.

The two people who had supported me earlier.

Justin gave me a slightly awkward smile.

“Would you mind if we joined you?”

...So they wanted to speak with me.

I nodded.

I was still wearing a mask, anyway.

There was no reason to turn them away.

Justin sat across from me. Section Chief Shin Su-jin offered a small nod of greeting before taking the seat beside him.

Justin glanced at me several times before finally speaking.

“It is truly an honor. If it would not be too much trouble, might I ask for a single handshake...?”

“...Sure.”

I shook Justin’s hand, then Shin Su-jin’s as well.

A mixture of amazement and emotion crossed Justin’s face.

“Allow me to introduce myself properly. My name is Justin, and I serve as deputy commander of the Floor 5 Security Corps.

“The reason I came over is that I have always wanted the opportunity to thank you in person. Do you happen to remember my face? I was present during the Wang Kai incident as well...”

“I think I remember you.”

“Oh, you do remember!”

His expression brightened.

“Thank you. Truly. Chief Alex, myself, and every other member of the corps—we all owe our lives to you. Every one of us is deeply grateful.”

Justin thanked me several more times before shifting the conversation back to the auction.

“In any case, I’m relieved the auction ended without a greater disaster. I apologize. We were unable to offer you any real assistance.”

I gave him a faint, wry smile and shook my head.

“It’s fine. More importantly, I’m sorry for handling things so harshly. That wasn’t how I wanted it to go.”

That wasn’t how I wanted it to go...

Was that even the right thing to say?

I would have killed anyone who placed another bid, so the apology sounded rather strange.

Justin immediately waved both hands.

“How could you possibly apologize? Your response was flawless. If you had not killed that bastard, Number 41, there is no telling how horrific the outcome might have been.”

Section Chief Shin Su-jin, who had been listening in silence, spoke softly.

“All one hundred million people could truly have died. Please do not torment yourself over what you did.”

Justin turned toward her.

“By the way, Su-jin... do you actually know Person123? Earlier, you said that he really was Person123.”

Section Chief Shin Su-jin denied it at once.

“How could I? I only said that because he supported my argument.”

“Ah, of course. When I saw you step forward, I backed you up without thinking as well. I had no idea he would actually turn out to be Person123. Haha.”

It seemed Section Chief Shin Su-jin had no intention of admitting that she knew me.

That was probably for the best.

If others learned that we were acquainted, it could place her in an uncomfortable position.

She was a public official, after all.

The three of us continued making small talk.

They were clearly making a deliberate effort not to ask personal questions or raise uncomfortable subjects, which made the conversation easy enough.

The remaining time was nearly over.

Seeing me speaking calmly with the two of them, the others must have decided that it was safe to approach.

I noticed several people cautiously making their way toward our table.

“I would like to greet you... A-a handshake, perhaps, if you wouldn’t mind?”

One man had even removed his mask.

He asked for a handshake in a trembling voice.

He was a Western man with a striking beard.

When I rose and accepted his hand, his face tightened as though he were on the verge of tears.

“...My mother is a Nightmare Climber. Because you chose to accept the Penalty on Floor 4, she survived. I have always wanted the chance to thank you in person.”

So that was his story.

After I shook his hand, others began lining up to do the same.

An endless stream of people came forward, asking for handshakes.

“Thank you for protecting the world! I’m always rooting for you.”

“Savior, please continue protecting humanity.”

“I-I really shook hands with Person123... Whoa...”

By the end, I had shaken hands with almost all one hundred participants.

Only the handful who had placed bids earlier hesitated to approach, presumably out of guilt.

Receiving so much gratitude from so many people...

It did not feel bad.

Not at all.

And just like that, the hour came to an end.

“I wish we could have spoken for longer. It is a shame. I sincerely hope we will have another opportunity to meet...”

The moment Justin spoke those genuinely regretful words—

[Time Remaining: 1 second]

Everyone vanished at once.

“...?”

Huh?

I looked around.

What?

Why am I the only one still here?

While I stood there in confusion, the Auctioneer suddenly appeared in the center of the banquet hall.

“Pardon me. Might I request a little more of your time?”

“...What?”

“My master wishes to make a special offer to you, Person123.”

What is it now?

I asked,

“Who is your master? The Tower?”

Obviously, it had to be the Tower.

The Auctioneer merely repeated himself in the same mechanical tone.

“Might I request a little more of your time?”

I considered the question briefly.

“No, thank you. Just send me back.”

“My master—”

“I said no.”

I had no idea what sort of offer it intended to make, but there was no chance it would be anything other than another trick.

The Auctioneer fell silent.

Then he nodded.

“Understood. I shall return you to your original location.”

“...Wait.”

I changed my mind.

Fuck...

Maybe I should at least hear the offer.

“What is it? Say it.”

The Auctioneer clapped his hands.

A table appeared before me, with a box resting on top.

The Auctioneer slowly opened the lid.

Inside was—

“...!”

An orange Skill Stone.

I could not hide my surprise.

It was a color I had never seen before.

Which meant the stone belonged to a grade above Epic.

[Legendary-Grade Skill Stone]

When used, grants one Legendary-grade skill.

The stone’s information appeared before my eyes.

...Legendary grade.

I narrowed my eyes as I studied it, then looked back at the Auctioneer.

“My master wishes to present this Skill Stone to you, Person123, as a special gift. Naturally, you will be required to pay a minimal price.”

“...What price?”

I stared at him.

“Don’t tell me it’s more human lives.”

“That is correct.”

I did not need to hear another word.

I scoffed and began raising my middle finger.

Then—

“One person.”

The Auctioneer spoke again.

“You need only spend one of the one million units of currency granted to you.

“That is the price of this Skill Stone.”