Chapter 176: The Twisted Auction

The auction began quickly.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Pain Auction. I see you are all rubbing your hands together, surely prepared to expose your most private parts."

"We also look forward to this session's pain testers providing new values! This time, the mysterious Pain Auction has updated with several new items."

"It is a pity that the initial pain value requirements are all very high."

The auctioneer was wearing a suit, though there was really no need for him to do so; his current appearance was like Shishio Makoto from Rurouni Kenshin, or perhaps a mummy.

His entire body was wrapped in bandages. The reason was that he had recently experienced a large-scale burn, which had earned him a massive amount of pain value.

"I won't waste any more breath. Everyone, let us first look at the first auction item. A bottle of Pain Wine produced by the auction house."

"It is said that every drop of this wine can make a person experience agonizing memories, living in a drunken stupor, yet wishing they were dead."

A bottle of Japanese sake was placed on the auction pedestal, drawing cheers from the entire room.

"It's actually wine that can manufacture mental pain; isn't this just an energy booster?" a man covered in tattoos exclaimed.

"If I drink this wine, I won't have to torture myself for a short while!" said an old man. The old man's ten fingers were all gone, but he had steel needles stuck into his palms, as if to replace the ten fingers.

"Starting off with such explosive stuff, this auction might have some incredible treasures!" said a one-eyed youth.

The bandage-covered auctioneer was very satisfied with the crowd's reaction:

"Although I would love to give this bottle of wine to some warrior so they could go destroy the Human Hole and restore peace to Hujiang, unfortunately, the rule of the Pain Auction is: he who has the highest pain wins!"

"The starting bid for this wine is twelve pain points!"

After the auctioneer finished speaking, there was a silence in the audience.

Twelve pain points...

That was equivalent to the pain of having a tooth pulled without anesthesia while in perfect physical health and with no tolerance for pain.

"Why is the starting price so high?"

"Who could possibly manage that?"

"Is it too high... my whole body is already as hard as iron, only that place is left..."

People began to whisper among themselves.

Just at this moment, a youth had a determined look in his eyes. He didn't speak, but Wen Wen Xishu saw the scrolling text.

【My superpower is the ability to sense surrounding organisms; I can overlook the low-dimensional world like a high-dimensional being... I have a mini-map in my mind, and I can clearly sense everyone's position, so I don't need eyes...】

【I came carrying the hopes of the entire village! I cannot fall here!】

Wen Wen Xishu thought to himself, this scrolling text is really long; these Hujiang people have too much inner drama.

【Watch closely, everyone! This is a once-in-a-lifetime realization that belongs to a man!】

The youth suddenly raised his hand:

"This item! It's mine!"

After everyone looked at him, he thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention:

"I, Tanaka Shotai, will become the hero who destroys the Human Hole!"

Once finished, Tanaka Shotai's hands plunged toward his own eyes.

The eyeballs burst, blood and flesh splattered, and the gurgling sound of flesh being stirred came through, making Wen Wen Xishu feel a dual phantom pain of sight and sound.

"So ruthless... with this pain setting, if you filmed a movie, it would definitely satisfy quite a few gore-lovers. Kashima is still too conservative. Hujiang is the real place for big bangs."

The handsome youth from a moment ago had, in the next instant, become an ugly person who had lost his eyes, as if there were only two bloody whirlpools on his face.

And with the power brought by the immense pain, the youth's body immediately began to recover...

Soon, the bloody whirlpools began to fill in; the two bloody holes where the flesh had been gouged out began to heal rapidly, and that face actually started to become smooth...

Before long, a face with no eyes, only a nose, mouth, and ears, appeared.

【No... impossible, why can't I see! My hyper-dimensional perception was clearly in my mind, why did it suddenly disappear!】

The youth was panicked, but without eyes, no one could tell what kind of expression he was making.

The auctioneer exclaimed at this moment:

"Thirty pain points! My god, thirty pain points! That includes thirteen points of physical pain and seventeen points of mental pain! Oh! Shotai! Your heart was very afraid of losing those eyes, wasn't it!"

Wen Wen Xishu didn't know whether to sympathize or watch the joke.

For this Tanaka Shotai, the pain of gouging out his eyes was actually only thirteen points...

The remaining seventeen points were the mental pain of discovering that after gouging out his eyes, he had lost his superpower.

How ironic.

The creator of this pain rule always feels like someone full of malice toward the world.

Wen Wen Xishu looked around... there wasn't a single healthy, sound person.

A truly deformed world.

"Is there anyone who will bid higher! Thirty points!"

"Thirty points, going once!"

"Thirty points, going twice!"

"Thirty points..."

Just at the moment the hammer was about to fall, a person with only half a head appeared.

"This old man would also like to try; as a drunkard, I must of course sample such fine wine."

The burly old man had a white beard, but his head had actually been sliced away by half; it was said he got it from fighting someone with the ability to control magma.

The old man punched his own chest, and the terrifying brute force punched a hole through his chest.

That beating heart was actually taken out by the old man.

"My superpower is to cancel certain death associations, such as dying without a heart or dying without a head."

"But the sensation of pain is still there!"

"In that Human Hole, there are also my relatives; my child also turned into a Human Hole inside. Don't fight with me; you only feel pain a few times a month, why are you risking your lives!"

A steel needle pierced the beating heart, and the half-headed old man screamed in pain, but soon there was a kind of pleasure that made him feel exceptionally comfortable.

"Hahahaha! So good! So painful!"

"My pain is above yours!"

The half-headed old man let out a wild laugh.

At this moment, he looked like the richest person in the entire auction; he looked at everyone as if mocking the poverty of each person.

The auctioneer exclaimed:

"What a terrifying pain value! The pain value is actually as high as... 39 points! I have actually witnessed the physical manifestation of the pain of a gouged heart!"

"39 points, going once!"

"39 points, going twice!"

"39 points, going three times!"

"Sold! This peerless vintage that can bring painful memories is yours! Congratulations!"

The half-headed old man happily took the wine. Afterward, the pain values on his body seemed to materialize into a certain energy, turning into eerie white mist... which dispersed inside the auction house.

This was a scene everyone had seen before, but it was the first time Wen Wen Xishu had witnessed such a sight.

Wen Wen Xishu was thinking...

"In the Tower of Obsession, is there some guy collecting pain?"

"His obsession makes everyone start chasing pain; pain can bring powerful self-healing abilities and superpowers... thus pain becomes currency, and the auction house is the place to trade that currency."

"Those white mists are the power exchanged for the half-headed old man's pain, or rather, currency. If not used for auction, it would turn into some kind of power, but when used for auction, it turns into currency."

Unlike the others, Wen Wen Xishu knew that this place was a Ghost Tower. He also knew this was a world of obsession and that there were many rules here.

He noticed that when Xu 04 committed seppuku at the beginning, the pain produced no white mist. It is evident that outside the auction house, pain only brings energy for superpowers.

And inside the auction house... pain transforms into currency.

"Now it seems that the Pain Auction is likely a separate dungeon quest, but the resources obtained from this dungeon quest are used to deal with another dungeon quest—the Human Hole."

"It looks like one obsession world trying to destroy another obsession world."

"Whether it's the Human Hole or the Pain Auction, they are both full of mysteries now."

Wen Wen Xishu's thinking was quickly interrupted.

Because Xu 04 said:

"Sir, you... don't intend to bid? You were just watching the whole time. You should know that you are a novice, never having been polluted by the copper smell of pain."

"As long as you take off your clothes and reveal your flawless, white body, quite a few people will give up competing with you. After all, competition has a price."

Competition indeed has a price.

For example, that Tanaka Shotai who gouged out his eyes.

Although the physical and mental pain of gouging out his eyes gave him thirty units of currency... it was obvious that he had lost his superpower; one could say the loss outweighed the gain.

Even so, his pain was surpassed by a later arrival, to the point that he didn't even get the auction item.

Wen Wen Xishu said:

"I am still waiting for a prop that suits me."

The auctioneer soon took the stage:

"The second prop is not simple. This prop is one of the most suitable props for exploration produced within the current Pain Auction!"

"Everyone, look! This is a Pain Crystal Gem Necklace! The effect of the necklace is very simple and crude: every ten seconds, it negates one instance of fatal damage you receive, but it will bring you a massive amount of pain!"

"Death immunity! Constant pain!"

The auctioneer was already shouting excitedly.

At this moment, everyone was shouting:

"Death exemption! Pain permanent!"

In everyone's eyes, a scorching light flickered; it was clear that under the settings of this world, this necklace was heaven-defying.

The more painful, the more powerful, but the Pain Necklace would convert fatal damage into an experience of pain, thereby exempting one from death.

This concept was too strong.

Not only could one not die, but one could also gain a massive amount of pain; would the person wearing this necklace not constantly try to court death?

Wen Wen Xishu also became interested in this necklace.

Once this necklace was obtained, combined with invincibility frames, he could exempt himself from death twice in a short period...

Then there would be too much room for maneuver, and he would have the confidence to enter the interior of the Human Cave.

Moreover, this thing was a prop; currently, his sequence slots were insufficient, but his prop slots were enough.

He decided to compete for it.

But at this moment, everyone in the venue also wanted to compete.

Even Tanaka Shoten, who had lost his superpowers, made up his mind once again.

【As long as I have this necklace... I will go and constantly court death, letting the pain break through the limit, I will definitely be able to obtain new power!】

The whole venue was boiling.

At this time, the auctioneer said very satisfied:

"Starting bid, 45 Pain Points!"

In this instant, the whole venue was silent.

45 Pain Points meant the pain of a layman experiencing a severed finger.

For these people with extremely high pain tolerance, it would take dozens or even hundreds of times more pain to reach 45.

The Half-Headed Old Man laughed:

"It seems that I, an old man with an immortal body, will accept this with a smile once again!"

The Half-Headed Old Man first opened the bottle of wine obtained from the first auction, and then, he took a small sip of the wine.

Memories of the past struck instantly.

The memory of relatives dying, being affected by the curse, and falling into the Human Cave made turbid tears flow from the corners of the old man's eyes.

"Truly terrifying! Everyone, the item from the first round of the auction, the power of the Wine of Pain is truly astonishing! This participant's inner heart is experiencing the pain of life and death! The pain of being etched into the bones!"

"His Pain Points have reached 42! Too astonishing, too astonishing!"

Everyone was very envious; this Half-Headed Old Ghost used 39 Pain Points to exchange for wine that only required a small sip to obtain 42 points of pain.

At this time, it was still 3 points away from 45.

The Half-Headed Old Man performed his heart-gouging stunt again.

But a bizarre scene appeared...

"Eh... Pain Points, no change at all!"

Yes, no matter how the Half-Headed Old Man tortured himself, from then on, his Pain Points were stuck at 42 and could not go up.

Of course, it was not because his pain tolerance was too high, causing it to be unable to go up.

In the first round it was 39 points; no matter how high the pain tolerance, the second round could still produce a dozen or so points.

After all, that was heart-gouging in the true sense.

But at this time, Shoten, who had lost his eyes, said:

"Stupid... when a person is in extreme sorrow, torturing oneself can actually alleviate the pain. This old man, does he think that mental pain can be added to physical pain for no reason?"

"Physical pain first, then mental pain will stack, but often, if one feels mental pain first, then physical pain, it does not necessarily stack."

It really was so.

Wen Wen Xishu suddenly felt that it made a lot of sense; this auction really opened his eyes.

Sometimes, when a person is in extreme mental pain, they will hit their head against a wall, because passing out is actually more comfortable.

Sometimes, when a person is blaming themselves, they will slap their own face. Because physical pain can briefly pull them out of mental pain.

The Half-Headed Old Man clearly hadn't thought of this point.

At this time, another man with a Japanese-style gentle appearance raised his hand:

"It's my turn. Children."

Children?

Wen Wen Xishu was puzzled.

But he always felt that a more perverted and abstract contestant was about to appear.

"Half-Headed Old Ghost, although you are strong, your pain is too superficial."

"Please watch carefully, this is my gorgeous performance!"

"From the moment the Pain Rules descended, I began to brew this moment. My daughter, I love you, Daddy will always protect you. As long as I have this necklace... you will be able to survive in this chaotic world!"

Beside the man was a little daughter.

The little daughter looked at her daddy with teary eyes, her head subconsciously shaking, begging her daddy not to do anything stupid.

But the man said:

"I will always love you! I will always watch over you in another world!"

【I have already given all my love to you without reservation, Reina, hang in there, live on!】

Wen Wen Xishu roughly guessed it.

The man loved his daughter without reservation, all for the sake of letting his daughter feel extreme pain one day, and this pain... was letting her lose her most beloved daddy.

Accompanying her warmly for several years, and then suddenly dying at a certain moment...

That kind of pain would probably make the little girl collapse, right?

Wen Wen Xishu thought to himself, how perverted, this is so damn Hujiang style, isn't it?

Next, the man indeed at this instant... slit his own throat.

But a dramatic scene came.

The daughter's reluctant expression instantly became cold:

"Annoying guy, finally dead."

【Giving birth to me in such a poor family, letting me experience such an apocalypse, are you even worthy of being my father? You are just a prop I used to survive. Do you know how many times I have self-harmed over these years... to make a living? I don't want to come to this world! I don't want a biological father like you!】

The evil girl Reina, at this moment, revealed a cold smile:

"According to the rules, I should be able to inherit my daddy's pain assets, right?"

The auctioneer was shocked; he didn't expect someone to use their life to create pain, but even more so, he didn't expect the other person to not feel pain.

However, the man's reluctance and heartache before death were also mental pain, allowing Reina to possess 46 Pain Points.

Reina let out a smile:

"Hehe, it seems I can just happen to buy this necklace. Dead daddy, you died really well."

Wen Wen Xishu thought to himself...

If it were a case of a loving father and a filial daughter, he would have reluctantly given up his love.

But he didn't expect that in a place like Hujiang, one could actually see a father resigning and a daughter laughing.

"It's a pity, you can't buy this thing." Wen Wen Xishu stood up.

Reina knew very well that among the people present, many had sacrificed their parents, and their beloved ones had also been sacrificed; there was not much room for mental pain, and as for physical pain, their pain tolerance had reached the peak.

Logically speaking, no one should be able to compete with her.

But this time, everyone widened their eyes:

"A... a layman!"

"My god, a body that has never been polluted by pain!"

Wen Wen Xishu, as Xu Kequan had said, revealed his intact upper body.

This body was like the armband of a special-grade chef in *Chuuka Ichiban! * being revealed; it seemed to emit golden light, making people afraid to look directly at it.

Reina never expected that in this auction, there would actually be a layman! A layman who only needed to sever a finger to be more effective than this group of people gouging their hearts!

"This necklace, I'll take it."

(End of this chapter)