Climbing the Tower with Time-Stop Ability Chapter 80: The Masked Auction (2)

A drawn-out silence.

These one million… are Non-Climber lives?

A hundred people had been invited to the auction.

Which ant, all together, a total of one hundred million lives.

I had figured it wouldn’t be an ordinary auction, but I never imagined it would be sothing like this.

At the Tower’s deranged way of handing out human lives as currency, even I was montarily stunned.

“Is there no one who would like to bid?”

The Auctioneer spoke again.

For now, I stopped ti.

I needed ti to think.

‘Special reward, my ass…’

The Tower’s intent was blatant.

This ti, it was trying to stir up people’s desires and make us slaughter humanity with our own hands.

There would surely be people tempted by it.

After all, a high-grade Skill Stone like that had been put up.

To , it wasn’t anything particularly special, but for other Climbers, Rare grade was more than enough to make their eyes light up.

‘What do I do?’

What kind of question.

I have to stop it.

No matter how good a reward they offered, as long as the price to be paid was human lives, this auction was a complete farce.

Then how do I stop it…

Should I persuade everyone not to participate in the auction together?

Whether to use the one million lives or not had been said to be each person’s free choice.

So it should be possible to end the auction with no one bidding.

The problem was… even if I tried to persuade them, would people actually listen?

‘…Should I reveal who I am?’

The thod that ca to mind was revealing that I was Person123.

If I ca forward as Person123, my words might carry a little more weight.

I wasn’t keen on stepping out in front of people like this again either… but this wasn’t the ti to worry about my feelings.

If even one person bid, then everyone might start bidding too, and the situation could spiral out of control.

Deciding I had to step up, I released ti.

I was about to stand up and shout, “Everyone, please listen!” when.

“Everyone, please listen!”

…Huh?

Soone shouted before I could.

People’s attention swung that way.

Number 89. The woman who had risen from her seat looked around and spoke.

“None of us should participate in this auction. The Tower is once again pulling vicious tricks to bring the world to ruin.”

Number 89 even removed her mask, revealing her face.

…Wait, who is this.

I’d thought the voice sounded familiar, and it was Section Chief Shin Su-jin. She was here too?

“My na is Shin Su-jin. I’m a Climber affiliated with the Republic of Korea’s Tower Climbing Special Agency, and I’m also part of the Floor 5 Security Corps.

What do you think the Tower’s reason was for putting these masks on us? It’s egging us on to commit mass slaughter with our own hands while hiding behind masks. One million per person, one hundred million in total. It’s an absurd number.

We must not throw away our humanity for the sake of re Skill Stones. All we need to do is have no one bid until the auction ends, and simply return to our original world. Isn’t this far simpler than the 3-Year Rule or the Sub-Towers?”

Section Chief Shin Su-jin’s impassioned speech.

Judging by how urgently she’d stepped up, she seed to be thinking the sa thing as , and either way, she was doing what I’d been about to do in my place.

Like a hype man, I quickly chid in.

“…She’s right! Let’s not be played by the Tower’s filthy sches!”

For sothing like this, the initial atmosphere was crucial.

People nodded, and a few more voiced their agreent.

Good, with this kind of flow, maybe no one would bid…?

That was the mont I had that thought.

“My opinion differs. Is there any reason we shouldn’t participate in the auction?”

Soone else stood up.

The man at number 41 looked around, his voice leisurely as he spoke.

“That Rare grade Skill Stone, doesn’t it look tempting? It’s a grade of skill that even top-floor Climbers can barely obtain. Does it really make sense to just throw away an opportunity like this?”

…Who the hell is this guy now?

Section Chief Shin Su-jin imdiately fired back at number 41.

“So you’re saying you’ll kill people for it? These aren’t numbers, they’re real lives. It’s no different from killing one million people with your own hands.”

“And so what?”

“…What did you say?”

“If you really think about it, isn’t this just an unavoidable sacrifice for the greater good? If Climbers boost their combat power, the chances of clearing the Tower go up, which ans the Ti Limit gets extended. In the bigger picture, it’s a benefit to the world.”

Section Chief Shin Su-jin glared at him.

“Don’t spout sophistry. Does the number one hundred million really an nothing to you?”

“Why do you keep exaggerating? Surely not everyone here is going to use up all one million. At the very least, you won’t, right?”

Number 41 smiled and pointed at the auction item.

“Look, everyone. The very first auction item is a Rare grade Skill Stone. What about the items coming after? Won’t sothing even more incredible show up? If we secure all of them in this auction, just imagine how much stronger Climbers will beco.

Tens of millions of people die worldwide every year. Even if all one hundred million die, it just ans people who were going to die in the next year or two die a little earlier. From a global perspective, it’s not really that big a deal.

Like I said, this is all for the world. If we give up an opportunity like this over re guilt, that would be the path that actually shortens the world’s lifespan, wouldn’t it, everyone?”

…So lunatic had started spewing sophistry and stirring up chaos.

This isn’t going to work.

Sensing the atmosphere starting to turn, I stepped forward to help Section Chief Shin Su-jin.

“No one should bid.”

Eyes converged on .

“I am Person123. I have a request to make of all of you. Please, no one bid.”

“…!”

At my announcent, people stirred.

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

I looked at number 41 and continued.

“The Tower is an entity that always desires humanity’s destruction and seeks to drive us against each other. Being swayed by its intentions can never be a path that benefits the world.”

The man at number 41, looking flustered, raised the corners of his mouth again as he spoke.

“…This is ridiculous. You’re Person123? Do you have proof?”

Proof, well…

I tried to open the Communication Channel. But it wouldn’t open.

Tch, is this place also classified as inside the Tower?

I don’t know if she’d figured it out, but Section Chief Shin Su-jin took my side and spoke.

“That gentleman is indeed Person123.”

“Of course you’d say that, you’re on his side…”

Then yet another person cut in.

“That gentleman at number 15 is indeed Person123.”

The man at number 3 stood up and removed his mask. Who’s this?

“I’m Justin, deputy commander of the Floor 5 Security Corps. I was also personally on site when the Wang Kai incident occurred.

I believe quite a few of you here would recognize my face, and I can vouch that this gentleman is Person123. He’s the one who saved the lives of our Security Corps.”

…Did he? I think I might have seen his face once.

But I’m wearing a mask, so how did he recognize ? Just from my voice?

Or is he just throwing his support behind regardless?

Justin continued.

“I trust no one here would fall for that nonsense from number 41.

If soone bids and ordinary people are killed at random, can you guarantee that none of them will be your family, lover, or friends? One hundred million is over one percent of humanity. That’s not such a low probability.”

He was right.

Of course, since my own family could end up among them, I had to stop the auction no matter what.

Justin looked at as he spoke.

“This is the man who, in order to save us all, recently gave up even the Ark to take on Nightmare Floor 6. In front of a man like that, surely there can’t be any scumbags low enough to slaughter innocent people just for a few Skill Stones, can there?”

Eyes turned back to , so I spoke one last ti.

“I trust all of you. Please, do not participate in the auction.”

That should be enough, shouldn’t it?

In the unsettled atmosphere, as if it didn’t matter to him whether the people chattered amongst themselves, the Auctioneer spoke again.

“Is there no one who would like to bid? I will count down ten seconds, after which the first auction item will be considered unsold.”

The Auctioneer began counting down.

Until the count was down to three, no one had bid. But then.

“One thousand here.”

Every gaze swung that way.

…The man at number 41 had his hand raised.

The Auctioneer imdiately picked it up.

“One thousand has been called.”

That crazy bastard, seriously…?

I glared at number 41.

Number 41 wore a sneer at the corner of his mouth.

“Everyone, do you really believe that man is Person123? Security Corps mbers can pull off impersonation just by getting their stories straight, can’t they?”

“…”

“And even if he really is Person123, so what? I don’t care what you guys say, I’m bidding~.”

Justin shouted out.

“You crazy bastard… cancel that right now!”

Number 41 shrugged.

“Where in any auction is there such a thing as cancelling a bid? Mr. Auctioneer, is it possible?”

“Cancellation of bids is not possible.”

“Hear that? Says it can’t be done.”

Number 41 chuckled as he walked down the steps and stood at the front of the audience seats. Then he looked around at everyone and spoke.

“Is no one really going to do this fun thing? When the Tower even went to the trouble of covering our faces? Let’s all be a little honest here.”

“…”

“Well, if no one’s really going to, that’s fine too. ans I’ll have to sweep up all the auction items myself.”

Before I could say anything…

“…Eleven hundred.”

As if that had opened the floodgates, soone else raised their hand. The man at number 60.

“Eleven hundred has been called.”

“H-here. Twelve hundred.”

“Twelve hundred has been called.”

Several more raised their hands.

The price quickly passed two thousand.

I watched the scene and let out a sigh.

…What on earth are these people doing?

They really an to kill thousands of people over a Skill Stone like that?

Do they have no awareness of what they’re doing? No sense of guilt?

I had thought from the start that it might co to this, but.

Seeing it firsthand, the spectacle was even more breathtakingly absurd than I’d imagined.

“Five thousand.”

What had been climbing to twenty-five hundred suddenly doubled in a single jump.

It was the number called out by number 41.

He looked around as if he were having the ti of his life, egging them on.

“Don’t be stingy, let’s go big. Anyone else? Just five thousand and I’m walking away with it?”

I slowly raised my hand.

Eyes converged on .

Section Chief Shin Su-jin and Justin, who had been watching the runaway situation with stricken faces, also looked at in surprise.

“Please call your price.”

The Auctioneer addressed .

I shook my head.

“It’s not a bid. I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“You said there were two rules. Not attacking the Auctioneer, and not touching the auction items. Beyond that, anything is permitted?”

The Auctioneer nodded.

“That is correct.”

“Then attacking or killing soone other than yourself would also be permitted.”

“That is correct.”

“If a bidder dies, what happens to the auction?”

“That bid is invalidated, and bidding restarts from the beginning.”

I turned to face the man at number 41 and asked one last question.

“What happens to the one million people held by a deceased bidder? They don’t die along with him, do they?”

“In the event a bidder dies, the currency is treated as void. The one million Non-Climbers’ worth of currency distributed to each of you, unless used to purchase auction items, will not result in any Non-Climber deaths.”

The man at number 41 grew increasingly stiff-faced as he listened to the exchange, then spat out a derisive laugh as he addressed .

“…What is this? Don’t tell you’re actually going to try to ki-”

I stopped ti, perford ntal Concentration, and then.

Fired Destruction Ray at number 41.

A pitch-black beam erased number 41 without leaving a trace.

A faint hiss…

If thousands of lives were at stake, and the only way to cancel the bid was to kill the bidder.

I could do it without hesitation. I had to.

“As the most recent bidder has died, bidding will restart from the beginning.”

The Auctioneer spoke calmly, without so much as a blink.

I walked down the steps and stood where number 41 had existed just monts before.

Did I really have to do this.

Why won’t they just listen when spoken to nicely…

I looked around at the people. Their faces were stunned.

I opened my mouth.

“No one bid.”

“…”

“If you bid, I’ll kill you.”

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