Chapter 82
...One person?
I furrowed my brow.
They would give me this if I just killed one person? A Legendary Grade Skill Stone?
"If you wish to accept the offer, you may use the skill stone immediately. Then, one person will be removed."
"..."
I fell silent.
Various thoughts surfaced in my mind.
The first thought that came to me upon hearing that the price of the skill stone was one person's life was...
'...Only?'
Honestly, it was.
I wasn't as noble and altruistic a person as others thought.
People called me a Savior, but I wasn't really a saint or a holy man.
Not ten thousand people, not a thousand people... just one person.
Someone might say, how dare you measure the value of a human life?
That's right. Human life is precious.
But by my standards, its value wasn't quite absolute.
If necessary, it could be compared and weighed against other things as much as I wanted.
It wasn't just anything; it was a Legendary Grade Skill.
It's a whopping Legendary, even higher than Epic.
Even the Epic+ Line of Destruction Skill was that incredible.
...Just how amazing would a Legendary Grade be?
How much of a help would it be in the future Nightmare Strategy?
By sacrificing just one person out of a population of 8 billion, I could obtain such incredible combat power.
It just meant someone, somewhere on this Earth, would die. It would merely add one more to the hundreds of thousands of people who die worldwide every day.
...I couldn't help but think it was an acceptable trade.
I remembered the person who shouted during the auction earlier, telling me to take the skill stone.
Honestly, wouldn't 99 out of 100 people in the world tell me to choose the Legendary Skill?
It was tempting, a sweet temptation.
But on the other hand...
My mind remained calmly settled.
Because the one making this offer was none other than the Tower.
“What are you trying to do?”
What was the Tower's intention in making me an offer? What was its purpose?
Did it want to break my conscience?
Did it want to toy with me, seeing if I could really give it up even when it went this far?
...Somehow, that didn't resonate.
Would the Tower, which so desperately wanted my Conquest Failure and wanted to kill me, try to boost my combat power this much for such a trivial reason?
It felt different from the penalty on the 4th Floor or the Ark offer on the 6th Floor.
No matter how I looked at it, this was an overwhelmingly good offer just for me. All I had to do was give up a little bit of my conscience.
"What is the reason for making such an offer?"
I asked the Host directly.
"It looks suspicious as hell, do you really think I'm just going to swallow this whole?"
The Host did not open his mouth.
He didn't seem to have any intention of answering.
I used Time Stop.
After thinking for a long time, I came to a conclusion.
I used Time Release.
"I have two conditions as well."
"..."
"If you accept my conditions, I'll accept the offer. Otherwise, let's just call it off."
"What are they?"
I thought he might ignore me again, but surprisingly, the Host responded.
I stated my first condition.
"Let me choose the Non-Climber who dies, rather than it being random."
I couldn't know the Tower's intentions.
But I believed in the Tower's malice.
I even wondered if it wasn't going to be random at all, but rigged, perhaps targeting the lives of my family.
So my mind was almost set on not accepting the offer.
I threw out a completely unreasonable condition, thinking it'd be fine if they accepted, and fine if they didn't.
But, even though I thought they obviously wouldn't accept it...
The Host paused for a moment before answering.
"My Master says he will accept the condition you have stated."
"..."
They were accepting this?
Were they not targeting my family's lives?
With the Tower meekly accepting the condition... my misgivings only grew larger.
[Legendary Grade Skill Stone]
Upon use, you can acquire one Legendary Grade Skill.
"Please state your remaining condition."
I stared down at the Legendary Grade Skill Stone before stating my second condition.
"Not this one, give me a Legendary Skill Stone that shows the Skill Name and Skill Description. Like the skill stones given when you do a Floor Clear."
"..."
"Whether I use this to acquire a skill or you bring me a random one, it's random to me either way, isn't it? So give me one that shows the Skill Description."
Compared to the first condition, it wasn't particularly unreasonable.
But the Host did not answer.
"...No answer, huh."
I quietly stared at the Host.
An answer came only after a long while.
"He says that condition cannot be accepted."
"...Why? Is this such a difficult request?"
"He says that condition cannot be accepted."
The Host repeated his answer.
Ha...
This bastard, really.
I looked back and forth between the Host and the skill stone, letting out a laugh.
"This isn't random, is it?"
"..."
"What skill were you trying to give me?"
Among the Rare Grade skills, there is a skill called 'Heaviness'.
It's a skill that has the effect of greatly increasing physical durability at the cost of slowing down movement speed.
The problem was that since it was a Passive Skill, the effect was constantly applied even if you didn't want it, because once a skill was acquired, it was impossible to delete it.
It was something that had suddenly come to mind while I was deliberating earlier.
What if the Legendary Skill obtained from this skill stone wasn't random, but predetermined by the Tower?
And what if it was a Passive Skill like the Heaviness skill, the kind where you gain both a merit and a demerit simultaneously?
...What if that demerit was something fatal to me?
I was half-certain.
They accepted the completely unreasonable condition of letting me choose the person who dies, but wouldn't grant the condition of showing the Skill Description?
It reeked of foul play.
The stench of them having pulled some dirty trick with the skill stone.
I closed the lid of the box again.
"If you can't accept the condition, take it away. I wouldn't take it even if you gave it to me."
The Host still stood blankly without answering.
He just stared intently at me.
I glared back at him in turn.
Suddenly, the skill stone box disappeared.
Following that, the Host collapsed with a thud like a puppet with its strings cut.
"..."
What's with this bastard.
I looked down at the fallen Host.
The Host, who wasn't moving like a machine that had stopped working, simply turned into smoke and smoothly scattered away.
I stood blankly before muttering into the Void.
"...Excuse me?"
What was I supposed to do now?
If it were all over, shouldn't they send me back...
"Uh."
The scenery changed back to my room before my eyes.
I was back.
The mask on my face was gone too.
I let out a sigh.
"Phew..."
I sat in my chair and carefully thought about what had just happened.
Would it really have been a weird skill?
There was definitely a very high probability of that.
They even accepted the condition of letting me decide who to kill, and no matter how I looked at it, it was strange.
...Come to think of it, wasn't setting the price for one person also a designed trap?
Because if they said they were giving a Legendary Grade Skill for free, I would doubt it a hundred times out of a hundred.
Perhaps they deliberately set the price for one person to induce my focus to be solely on that.
It was as if to make me think, “My only goal is to make you give up your conscience,” while hiding the real trap elsewhere.
...If that was really the case, the Tower was quite a dirty bastard.
I realized it even more clearly through this incident.
I shouldn't let my guard down even a little when the Tower tried to offer something.
Well, anyway...
This ordeal ended safely without anyone dying, except for Number 41.
I was tired in more ways than one.
I threw myself onto the bed and closed my eyes for a moment.
* * *
The Climbers who had been invited to the Masked Auction returned safely.
First of all, the communication window went wild.
[Receipt: Do you know what happened there? It's really unbelievable]
[Hecty: Why? Hurry up and tell us. What happened?]
[Receipt: First, when we moved to the Auction House, everyone was wearing masks...]
Unable to keep their mouths shut, they eagerly started spilling the story.
The auction was none other than an auction using the lives of Non-Climbers; all the auction items were Rare+ or higher skills; and even an Epic grade, the Next Grade after Rare, had appeared...
And above all, it was about Person123.
What had happened at the auction, and how the terrible auction with the lives of countless civilians on the line had ended.
The people who heard the story fell into complete shock.
[Guard Dog: Is this real? To think Person123 was invited too...]
[Viper: Person123 killed a bidder to invalidate the auction? Really?]
[Daybin: No, what do you mean you shook hands with Person123! Hurry up and explain properly!]
While all sorts of stories circulated, the communication window was ablaze all day long.
The Real World was also bustling.
Eyewitness accounts of seeing Person123 in person.
At least in the 21st century, there was no material in the world that could be more provocative than this.
During the Wang Kai Incident, the Security Officers and Black Star Society Members involved only released official statements and never gossiped carelessly about what happened at the time.
This time was different.
Broadcasting stations and media outlets were all frantically trying to recruit the Climbers who had been dragged to the Masked Auction...
And soon, a broadcast aired.
"There are currently all sorts of stories circulating in the public about the Masked Auction. Isn't that right, Mr. Brooks?"
"That's right. Isn't that exactly why I came here, to tell you everything accurately?"
The famous podcast show, The Jude Noise.
Brooks, a Climber of the Easy Difficulty 7th Floor and the one invited to the Masked Auction as Number 27, appeared as a guest.
After finishing some brief small talk and getting into the main topic, the Host, Jude, asked a question.
"Then shall we hear the story slowly? What on earth happened at the Masked Auction?"
Brooks began his story with a serious face, as if recalling that time.
"First, when the time came and we were moved, the location was a dark auction house. There were audience seats and a stage. All one hundred invited people, including myself, were wearing masks and had number tags on our chests. Then on the Stage..."
The one hundred invited people. The unidentified non-Human Host. Even the skill stone that appeared as the first auction item.
He briefly explained the situation at the start, and his words continued.
"...I doubted my ears when I heard the Host's words. The number one million given to each of the one hundred invited people was one million lives of Non-Climbers! The Host gave them to us to use as currency to bid on auction items."
"My goodness, that's terrible. Isn't that a total of 100 million lives?"
"Anyway, the auction started like that, but someone immediately stepped forward and shouted. It was a Climber from the Republic of Korea named Shin Sujin, a somewhat famous figure as an Officer of the Public Order Squad on the 5th Floor."
The Climber named Shin Sujin was taking off her mask and stepping forward to tell everyone not to bid.
And then the problematic Number 41 who appeared after that.
"...That Number 41 guy was a complete lunatic. He incited people, spouting nonsense like how we needed to get the auction items to strengthen the Climbers' combat power to be more helpful to the World regardless of whether people died, and that since tens of millions of people die every year anyway, this much was fine."
"Huh..."
"...But right then, Person123 appeared."
The excited Brooks's tone rose.
"Person123 spoke. He said that we shouldn't play into the Tower's intentions, that no one should bid, and that he believed in us."
Jude asked.
"Person123 revealing his identity and stepping forward like that must have been because he was worried people would be incited by Number 41's words, right, because if someone bid, others would follow suit."
"Exactly. But even so, Number 41 didn't stop his disruption. And eventually, he bid one thousand people."
"Oh my...!"
"And the nonsense that lunatic spouted was truly a spectacle. He was saying things like, “Is no one going to do this fun thing?” or that he would sweep up all the auction items by himself.
Eventually, a few people started bidding. What was one thousand people quickly went up to five thousand. If it had stayed like that, there would have been no telling how high it would have gone. But..."
Jude tensed up slightly. He also knew roughly what story was coming next.
Brooks raised his hand.
"In the midst of that chaos, Person123 slowly raised his hand."
"..."
"It wasn't a bid. He just asked the Host a question in a calm voice. What happens to the auction if the Last Bidder dies?
The Host answered. The bid became invalid, and they started from the beginning. And as soon as he heard that answer..."
Pew-
Brooks changed his raised hand into the shape of a gun and pretended to shoot into the Void.
"Number 41 evaporated. It was that very ability we had only heard rumors about."
"...The Jet-black Ray."
"Really... there was no noise at all, to a chilling degree. Number 41 just disappeared as if he had never been there from the start. It was only after hearing the Host say that the Last Bidder had died that we barely realized he was dead."
Brooks let out a small sigh and continued.
"And Person123 came to the front of the stage. While no one could utter a single word, he declared that no one should bid and that he would kill anyone who bid."
Jude swallowed hard without realizing it.
"Even though he told them not to bid to that extent, people wouldn't listen, so he eventually made a decision, because if left alone, at least 5,000 civilians would have died.
After that, of course, no one bid. With Number 41 dying like that, who would dare try to bid?"
"No one could."
"Like that, all the auction items failed to sell one after another, and that appeared as the Last Auction Item. It was the Epic grade, the next grade after Rare."
After briefly explaining the skill called Lion's Roar that came out as an Epic grade, Brooks talked about the final situation of the auction.
"We were waiting for the Last Auction Item to also fail to sell without anyone bidding, but then someone suddenly stood up and shouted. Person123 should at least take that one. Even if ten thousand people were sacrificed, it was right for him, who had to save Humanity, to take it."
"I see. Since it was an Epic grade..."
"But Person123 firmly shook his head. It must have been a matter not even worth a moment's hesitation for him. Like that, even the last Epic grade skill stone failed to sell..., and the auction ended."
Only after Brooks's long story ended did Jude also take a breather.
Although it was a predetermined fact even before they started, Jude was certain again. This episode would far surpass the podcast show's all-time highest view count.
"...And there are many rumors that the participants even shook hands directly with Person123 afterward. What on earth is the truth of that?"
Brooks grinned as if he were proud and said:
"Ah, about that... it's true. Person123 accepted my handshake as well. I held Person123's hand directly. With this very right hand."
"...! Could you tell us in more detail?"
"Haha, of course I have to tell you everything."
The short banquet after the auction ended. And Person123 was shaking hands with everyone.
That was the end of the Masked Auction Incident.
After the podcast broadcast featuring Brooks aired, the news media and communities worldwide, including the communication window, exploded.
- Person123 saves 100 million Non-Climbers at the Masked Auction...
- Person123's resolute decision to save people...
100 million people could have died? How Person123 saved people once again...
[Chris: Again, again, again, again, again! Is it you again?]
[Cheese: The great Person123, just how far will you go to protect Humanity...]
[Trimidibi: Wow, but killing to invalidate the bid is truly amazing]
[Sobo: I'll kill you if you bid OMG If I had seen it in person, I would've really wet myself]
[Ssaumkkun: Has that Number 41 bastard's identity been revealed?]
[Goblin: Well. He's already dead anyway]
[Hoejeon: Ah fuck, I prayed not to get picked, and my prayers are only answered at times like this]
[Vodka: I didn't even pray, so why wasn't I picked!]
[Jullneomgi: Hah, I'm so fucking jealous of the guys who saw it in person]
[Youth: Getting to shake hands is what's really enviable. When else would you get a chance to shake hands with the Savior of Humanity?]
[Hambaknun: It was breathtakingly brutal when he killed Number 41, but he treated the others gently after the auction ended. He was truly like a Savior]
Not long after the 6th Floor was cleared, the world once again fiercely praised the name Person123.