WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ Climbing the Tower with Time-Stop Ability

Chapter 80

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Masked Auction (2)

A heavy silence filled the hall.

These one million... were non-Climbers’ lives?

There were 100 people invited to this auction.

That meant a total of 100 million lives.

I knew this wouldn’t be a normal auction, but I never imagined this.

The Tower’s insane method, handing out human lives as currency, left even me stunned for a moment.

“Any bidders?”

The host spoke again.

I stopped time.

I needed time to think.

‘Special reward, my ass...’

The Tower’s intention was obvious.

This time, it was trying to provoke people’s greed and make us kill humanity with our own hands.

Some people had definitely been tempted.

A high-grade skill stone like that was on the block.

It wasn’t anything special to me, but for other Climbers, Rare+ was more than enough to turn heads.

‘What do I do?’

What do I do, my ass.

I had to stop this.

No matter how good the reward was, if the price was human lives, this auction was madness.

So how could I stop it...

Did I have to persuade everyone not to bid?

They said using or not using those one million lives was each person’s choice.

So in theory, if nobody bid, the auction could fail.

The problem was... even if I persuaded them, would they really listen?

‘...Do I reveal it?’

The only idea that came to mind was revealing that I was Person123.

If I spoke as Person123, maybe my words would carry some weight.

I didn’t want to step in front of people like this again, but this wasn’t the time to worry about how I felt.

If even one person bid, everyone else might follow, and the situation could spiral out of control.

I decided to step in and released time.

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

“Everyone, please listen!”

...Huh?

Someone shouted before I could.

Everyone’s attention turned that way.

No. 89 stood up and looked around.

“We all need to stay out of this auction. The Tower is pulling another vicious trick to bring down the world.”

No. 89 even took off her mask and revealed her face.

...Who was that?

I thought the voice sounded familiar. It was Manager Shin Su-jin. She was here too?

“My name is Shin Su-jin. I am a Climber from South Korea’s Climber Affairs Office, and I am also a member of the Floor 5 Peacekeeping Corps.

Why do you think the Tower put these masks on us?

It wants us to hide behind them and commit mass slaughter with our own hands. One million per person, one hundred million in total. That number is absurd.

We cannot throw away our humanity over mere skill stones. If no one bids until the auction ends, we can just return to the original world. Isn’t that far simpler than the 3-year rule or the sub-towers?”

Manager Shin Su-jin delivered a full speech.

Seeing how urgently she stepped in, she seemed to have come to the same conclusion I did. Either way, she was doing what I was about to do.

I quickly backed her up like a plant in the crowd.

“...She’s right! Don’t let the Tower’s filthy tricks play us!”

With things like this, the opening momentum mattered.

People nodded, and a few others voiced support.

Good, if this kept up, maybe nobody would bid...

That was what I was thinking.

“I disagree. Why shouldn’t we participate in the auction?”

Someone else stood up.

No. 41, a man, looked around and spoke in a relaxed tone.

“That Rare+ skill stone, don’t you want it? That’s the kind of grade only top-floor Climbers barely get. Does it make sense to throw away a chance like this?”

...What was this bastard?

Manager Shin Su-jin fired back at once.

“So you want to kill people now? These are not numbers, they’re real lives. It’s no different from killing one million people with your own hands.”

“So what do you want me to do about it?”

“...What?”

“If you think about it, this is unavoidable sacrifice for the greater good, isn’t it? If Climbers get stronger, the chances of clearing the Tower go up. Then the time limit increases. From a broader perspective, that benefits the world.”

Manager Shin Su-jin glared at him.

“Stop spewing sophistry. Does one hundred million not feel real to you?”

“Why do you keep exaggerating? You think everyone here is going to spend all one million? At least your side won’t, right?”

No. 41 smiled and pointed at the auction item.

“Everyone, look. The first item is already a Rare+ skill stone. What do you think the later items will be like? Won’t even better things appear? If we sweep all of those in this auction, how much stronger will Climbers become?

Every year, tens of millions die worldwide anyway. Even if all one hundred million die, that just means people who would die in the next year or two die a little earlier.

On a global scale, it’s not even a big deal.

Like I said, this is also for the world. If we give up this chance over guilt, that would be the real way to shorten the world’s lifespan, everyone.”

...One lunatic started stirring up the room with twisted logic.

This was bad.

I could feel the mood turning, so I stepped in to support Manager Shin Su-jin.

“Nobody should bid.”

All eyes turned to me.

“I am Person123. I ask all of you. Please do not bid.”

“...!”

People stirred at my words.

Manager Shin Su-jin also stared at me with wide eyes.

I looked at No. 41 and continued.

“The Tower has always wanted humanity destroyed, and it has always tried to divide people. Being manipulated by its intentions can never be a path that helps the world.”

No. 41 looked flustered, then forced a smile again.

“...This is ridiculous. You’re Person123? Got proof?”

Proof, sure...

I tried to open the Communication Window. It didn’t open.

Tch, did this place also count as inside the Tower?

I didn’t know whether she had figured something out, but Manager Shin Su-jin backed me up.

“That person really is Person123.”

“You’re only saying that because you’re on the same side...”

Then someone else cut in.

“No. 15 is Person123.”

No. 3 stood up and removed his mask. Who was that?

“I am Justin, deputy captain of the Floor 5 Peacekeeping Corps. I was also on-site when the Wang Kai incident happened.

I believe quite a few people here know my face, and I can guarantee that this man is Person123. He is the one who saved our Peacekeeping Corps.”

...Really? I felt like I might have seen him once.

But I was still wearing my mask, so how did he recognize me? Just by voice?

Or was he just choosing to stand with this side first?

Justin continued.

“I believe no one here is foolish enough to fall for No. 41’s absurd nonsense.

If someone bids and random civilians die, can you guarantee your family, lover, and friends won’t be among them? One hundred million is over one percent of humanity. Those are not low odds.”

He was right.

My family could be included too, so this auction had to be stopped no matter what.

Justin looked at me and spoke.

“This is the person who gave up Ark and cleared Nightmare Floor 6 not long ago to save all of us. In front of someone like that, surely there isn’t anyone depraved enough to massacre innocent people just to grab a few skill stones. Right?”

Eyes turned to me again, so I said one last thing.

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

Would that be enough?

In the chaotic atmosphere, as if he didn’t care whether people argued or not, the host spoke again.

“Any bidders? I will count ten seconds, and if there are none, the first item will be treated as unsold.”

The host started counting.

No one bid by the time it reached three seconds. Then it happened.

“One thousand here.”

All eyes snapped that way.

...No. 41 had raised his hand.

The host accepted it immediately.

“One thousand received.”

That crazy bastard really...?

I glared at No. 41.

He curled his lips into a sneer.

“Everyone, do you seriously believe that guy is Person123? If the Peacekeeping Corps gets their stories straight, impersonation is easy.”

“...”

“And even if he really is Person123, so what? Say whatever you want, I’m bidding anyway.”

Justin shouted in fury.

“You insane bastard... cancel it right now!”

No. 41 shrugged.

“Who cancels bids at an auction? Mister host, is that possible?”

“Bid cancellation is impossible.”

“You heard him. Not possible.”

No. 41 chuckled, walked down the stairs, and stood in front of the audience seats. Then he looked around and said,

“You’re really all not going to do this? The Tower even covered our faces for us. Let’s be honest, everyone.”

“Well, if nobody does, that works too. I’ll just sweep every item myself.”

Before I could say anything...

“...One thousand one hundred.”

As if that fired the starting gun, someone else raised a hand. It was No. 60.

“One thousand one hundred received.”

“H-here. One thousand two hundred.”

“One thousand two hundred received.”

A few more people raised their hands.

The price quickly passed two thousand.

Watching it, I let out a sigh.

...What were these people doing?

Were they really trying to kill thousands over a single skill stone?

Did they not realize what they were doing right now? Did they feel no guilt?

I had thought from the start this might happen.

But seeing it in person, it was even more outrageous than I expected.

“Five thousand.”

The number that had climbed to 2,500 suddenly doubled in one jump.

No. 41 had called it.

He looked around like he was having the time of his life and egged them on.

“Don’t be stingy, let’s do this properly. No one else? I take it for just five thousand?”

I slowly raised my hand.

Eyes focused on me.

Manager Shin Su-jin and Justin, who had been watching this disaster unfold with devastated faces, looked at me in shock too.

“Please call your price.”

The host spoke to me.

I shook my head.

“It’s not a bid. I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“You said there are two rules. Do not attack the host, and do not touch the auction item. Is everything else allowed?”

The host nodded.

“That is correct.”

“Then attacking or killing anyone besides you is also allowed.”

“That is correct.”

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

“That bid becomes invalid, and bidding restarts from the beginning.”

I turned to No. 41 and asked one last question.

“What happens to the one million that dead bidder had? They don’t die together, right?”

“If a bidder dies, that currency is invalidated. The one million units of currency distributed to each of you do not cause non-Climber deaths unless they are used to purchase an auction item.”

As he listened to this exchange, No. 41’s face gradually stiffened. Then he sneered at me.

“...What? You’re saying you’ll try to kill me now, or-”

I stopped time, focused, and then.

I fired Destruction Beam at No. 41.

A pitch-black beam erased him without leaving a trace.

Psssh...

With thousands of lives on the line, and the only way to cancel a bid being to kill the bidder.

I could do it as many times as needed.

I had to.

“Since the last bidder has died, bidding will restart from the beginning.”

The host spoke calmly, without even blinking.

I walked down the stairs and stood where No. 41 had been.

Did it really have to come to this?

Why did people never listen when spoken to nicely...

I looked around at everyone. Their faces were full of shock.

I spoke.

“Nobody bid.”

“...”

“If you bid, I’ll kill you.”

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