The elevator doors opened into a room of pure gold.
No, not gold—gilded delusion.
A grand ballroom stretched endlessly, glowing with soft light. Massive chandeliers hung above polished marble. Velvet curtains rippled on walls that had no windows. Masked mannequins stood at every corner, watching. The air was thick with the scent of wax and old perfume, and every step echoed like a secret.
Ayato stepped out first, his eyes scanning the room. 'This place reeks of lies. It's too perfect. Too fake. I hate it already.' He felt the others behind him, their uncertainty as sharp as his own. Every breath he took tasted like anticipation and dread.
"This place reeks of lies," Ayato muttered.
Mio's lips curled in a bitter smile. "Good. We're getting better at those." She looked around, her gaze lingering on the mannequins. 'We have to be. The Tower rewards liars now. Truth is just another currency.'
A system notification shimmered in the air, the letters twisting like gold leaf.
[Floor 16: The Masked Auction]
"Everything has a price. Including you."
– Each player receives 3 Karma Tokens
– Bidding is anonymous
– Items up for auction: memories, favors, roles, secrets, immunity
"Selling your truth may grant survival—but will cost your self."
A black podium stood in the center. Behind it, a mannequin with a judge's gavel. Above it, a floating display lit up:
[Lot 1: Memory Fragment – "Your First Real Friend"]
Current Bid: 2 Tokens
Seller: Anonymous
Ayato stared at the display. 'Who would sell that? And who would buy it? What's a friend worth in this place?'
Everyone was given a mask—plain, gray, featureless. Once worn, voice and identity were distorted. A circle of chairs appeared, facing the auction floor.
Ayato slid the mask over his face.
'I hate this. But I need it. I need to know what they'll do when no one's watching. I need to know what I'll do.'
He didn't know who sat where. Voices were filtered through a glassy echo, every word strange and distant.
"Lot 1," a robotic voice said, "Sold. To Mask #3."
A shimmer passed through the buyer.
They forgot something. But gained a tool.
Ayato watched, heart pounding. 'Is this what we're reduced to? Trading pieces of ourselves for power? For survival?'
The auction continued.
Lot 4: System Override Token (One Use)
Bid starts at 3 Tokens
Seller: Unknown
Ayato's heart jumped. 'That could allow someone to bypass the next rule. Or save a dying ally. Or kill one.'
He didn't bid. Not yet. 'Let's see who's desperate enough.'
Mask #6 bid all 3 tokens.
"Sold."
Someone just gave up all their currency—for a single rule break.
Ayato sat back, watching the others. 'Desperation makes people stupid. Or dangerous. Or both.'
He waited. Let others bleed themselves dry. Then he submitted a listing:
Lot 6: "Karma Cleanse – Erase one recent sin from system memory."
Seller: Mask #4 (Ayato)
He watched as the price climbed.
3 tokens.
'They don't know what they're buying… but they want forgiveness. Everyone here is desperate for a clean slate.'
He sold it.
But the cost was steep.
His own sin—the moment he let Yui die in Cycle 1—was now locked again. He would no longer remember the full scene. Only that he let her go.
'Necessary,' he told himself. 'I can't afford sentiment now. Not when the Tower is watching. Not when everyone else is willing to sell their soul for a chance at survival.'
Mio's mask turned toward the display. She bid on:
Lot 8: "Memory – Ayato's real name in Cycle 1."
She didn't win.
But she tried.
So she suspects. She's not asking. She's searching.
Mio's heart pounded in her chest. 'If I could just remember who he was before all this… Maybe I could save him. Or maybe I'd just lose myself, too.'
Kenta submitted a horrifying item:
Lot 10: "Vote to eliminate a classmate on next floor — cast secretly, untraceable."
Seller: Mask #7 (Kenta)
Everyone froze.
The bid went silent.
Then—
Mask #2 placed 3 tokens.
Someone bought it.
Someone now had a death vote. And no one would know who.
Ayato's breath caught. 'This is it. This is where we start turning on each other. The Tower doesn't have to kill us. We'll do it ourselves.'
He had two tokens left. He bid on:
Lot 12: "Fragmented System Log – Origin of Tower"
He won.
The log burned into his mind.
"Tower Origin: Artificial Karma Construct. Experiment 001 failed. Cycle reset authorized. Observer designated: Ayato Kurobane."
He nearly collapsed.
He was part of the first version. Not just a player. A component.
Ayato's thoughts spun. 'I'm not just trapped here. I'm part of the trap. I made this. Or I was made for this. What am I supposed to do with that?'
The auction ended. Masks melted.
No one could meet each other's eyes.
Saki looked hollow, her hands shaking in her lap. Kenta was smiling, his eyes bright with something that looked like hunger. Mio… wouldn't speak. She stared at her hands, the mask's residue still clinging to her skin.
Ayato walked ahead alone, his mind a storm of guilt and confusion. 'I sold her again. I keep selling her. Every time I choose survival over memory, I lose her a little more. Who am I if I can't even remember what I've lost?'
A system update flashed in the air.
[Floor 16 Cleared – Masked Auction Concluded]
New System Variables Introduced
Death Vote Active
Cycle Identity Leak Imminent
Karma Shard trades reshuffled
Next Floor: Floor 17 – The Ghost Classroom
As they walked toward the next elevator, Ayato whispered to no one:
"I sold her again."
And the Tower said nothing.
He felt the weight of every trade, every secret, every sin pressing down on him. 'How many more pieces of myself do I have to give away before there's nothing left? How many more times will I choose survival over truth?'
Mio walked beside him, her heart heavy, her mind a storm of confusion and pain. 'He doesn't remember. He doesn't know what he's lost. But I do. I remember for both of us. Even if it kills me.'
Kenta trailed behind, his smile never fading. 'Let them play their games. Let them trade their souls. I know what I want. And I know what I'm willing to do to get it.'
The three of them moved forward, their hearts heavy, their minds a storm of confusion and pain. They were all breaking. And there was nothing they could do to stop it.
Ayato looked at Mio, his voice barely a whisper. "Do you think we can ever get out of this? Or are we just trading one prison for another?"
Mio squeezed his hand, her grip fierce. "We'll get out. Even if we have to burn the Tower down to do it."
Ayato nodded, but he didn't believe her. Not really. Not anymore.
Ren caught up, his face pale, his eyes haunted. "Someone bought the death vote. You know what that means, right?"
Ayato nodded. "It means none of us are safe. Not even from each other."
They stepped into the elevator, the doors closing behind them. The Tower whispered, its voice cold and empty.
'Everything has a price. Even you.'
(Chapter 23 End)