My Charity System made me too OP

As each warrior stood victorious over their mirror self, the realm trembled. The fragments of the echoes began to fade.

Leon looked around, breathing hard. "Everyone alright?"

Each nodded—bloodied, exhausted, but undefeated.

Then came the final test.

A seventh gate opened. A throne emerged—empty, waiting.

A voice echoed:

"One must sit. One must carry the burden of judgment over self. Only then shall you ascend the next floor."

Leon looked to the others.

Roselia shook her head. "You're the Voidbreaker. This was your trial, even if we fought beside you."

Roman clapped him on the shoulder. "You survived yourself. Now prove you can lead yourself."

Leon stepped forward, and as he sat on the throne, the echoes shattered completely.

A golden light enveloped them. They'd passed the Trial of Echoes.

The seal on Leon's second Voidbreaker mark surged to 61%, and a third seal flickered into visibility.

But far away…

In the Council of Cosmos, a cloaked figure stood and wrote again in stardust.

"He resists the mirror. He grows fast. Perhaps… too fast."

The pieces continued to move.

And the war yet to come drew closer.

As the golden light faded and their feet found solid ground again, the seven emerged from the Trial of Echoes into a chamber vastly different from before. Gone were the twisting illusions, the timeless sky, the blinding paradoxes. In its place stood a quiet, obsidian hall lined with floating crystalline shards—each pulsing faintly with memories of the trials they had faced.

Liliana leaned against her sword, her breathing still unsteady. "I've judged hundreds, but never… myself. That was different."

Navala sat cross-legged, attempting to meditate, though the soft flickers of flame still curled from her fingers like echoes of defiance. "We all saw the worst of ourselves... and survived it."

Roman cracked his knuckles, bruised but smiling. "Still didn't land that gravity crush the way I wanted. But I'll admit—it was satisfying watching that echo version of me get crushed under his own fake ideals."

Millim spun playfully, arms raised above her head. "Mmm~ I bit me! Does that count as biting myself? Because that version of me was spicy. Leon! Let me bite you again later, just to compare—"

"No," Leon said, half laughing, half sighing as he stood beside the crystalline wall. The third Voidbreaker seal on his arm now glowed faintly beneath his skin, 3% formed. "Once is enough. You almost drained me last time."

"I was gentle!" she pouted.

Roselia stood silently, hands behind her back, her eyes locked on Leon. "You're changing. Fast. Your power, your aura… it's not just growing stronger—it's shifting. The Leon I met a few months ago wouldn't have endured that mirror."

Leon glanced at her, then looked back to the floating shards. "That Leon didn't carry this many burdens. I've made too many promises since then."

Roselia stepped closer. "Then make one more. Promise me you won't lose yourself in this power."

Leon didn't reply immediately.

Instead, he raised a hand, summoning the faint outline of the Voidbreaker Seal again.

"As long as I can still remember who I fight for… I won't."

Trial of Echoes Complete.

All Participants Gain:

→ +2 Levels

→ Memory Shard (x1) [Used to unlock sealed traits or awaken hidden growth paths]

→ Affinity Boost: [???] (Effect varies per individual)

→ Contribution Score Logged with Tower Association.

As the message blinked away, a shimmering portal opened at the end of the obsidian chamber. Beyond it lay a stairway carved in silver, leading upward, where the mana grew heavier, more refined… and far more dangerous.

But before they could step through—

A ripple of energy spread across the air, and a messenger orb floated down from above. It pulsed once, then projected an image:

A high-ranking officer from the Association.

"Voidbreaker Leon. Naval Captain Navala. Roman the Graviton. Lady Liliana. Millim of Crimson Blood. Roselia the Shadewalker."

"By directive of the High Association, your names have been nominated for inclusion into the Elite Vanguard List."

Everyone froze.

"Your victories over the Harbinger-class invader and completion of the Mirror Trial have placed you within the top percentile of defenders. However, be warned—" "The Harbinger-class you defeated was not alone. We've detected multiple energy signatures rising across other tower floors. And… they're evolving."

A moment passed.

Then Liliana muttered, "…They're coming in waves."

Leon stepped forward, placing his hand on the orb.

"Then let's meet them head-on."

Far away, in the shadowed sanctuary where Council of Chaosn convened, cloaked beings observed Leon's progress. One of them, once a traitor to the champions, now sealed in spectral chains, glared at the light playing across the crystal showing Leon's growth.

"You're too late," the traitor whispered. "You let another monster be born… and this time, no one will be able to bind him."

"Maybe," said another being within the chamber, its voice calm. "But he is not a traitor we need to bind."

"Hahaha," the traitor laughed mockingly. "Do you really think he'll side with you once he learns the truth?" His smile twisted cruelly as the others glanced toward him. "No… he won't."

The chamber fell silent for a breath.

"If not," another Council member said flatly, voice devoid of emotion, "then we'll have just another being ready for harvesting."

The traitor groaned as the spectral chains binding him hummed with renewed power, draining his energy with greater intensity. Still, he smirked through the pain.

"I wonder… if you even can."

The Council paid him no further mind.

Their focus remained firmly on Leon's journey—on the void energy growing within him, and the potential for either salvation… or devastation.

"The first Champion of this reality forged this Tower," one of the beings said, their voice echoing with ancient resonance. "It was made for the ascension of all, and it will remain as such. No one—not even the traitors—can stop this Tower from continuing its purpose."

The others around them nodded in solemn agreement, their gazes still locked on the distant scenes of Leon's trials playing out in real time.

"If anyone tries to halt the Tower's existence," another added, tone sharp as steel, "then they shall be erased. Without hesitation."

Silence followed those words, heavy and final.