My Charity System made me too OP

The moment they stepped through the next gate, they weren't standing anymore.

They were falling.

No light. No sound. Just endless descent through black space, like being pulled down through an infinite well.

And then—

A snap.

Their feet hit ground.

But the ground wasn't stone, or earth, or metal.

It was made of pure Tower energy—pulsing with every color, every vibration. It was stable only because the Tower allowed it to be. One misstep, and it would vanish like smoke.

Above them, a spiral staircase twisted into the sky—so high it vanished into the clouds, which didn't sit still but moved, slowly circling the spiral as if orbiting it.

[Welcome to Floor 614 – The Ascension Spiral]

Zone Type: Multi-Layer Combat Ascent

Objective: Climb the Spiral to the Apex

Rule: One level cleared per combat round

Condition: Failure resets you to the base

Additional Note: Only one climber may ascend at a time

Observation Status: High

Roselia exhaled slowly. "We take turns?"

"No," Leon said immediately. "I go."

Kael frowned. "Leon—"

"It's a solo trial. You saw the rules." He turned to them. "The Spiral isn't just a floor. It's a test of leadership. The Tower wants to know if I can rise without backup. If I fall… I start again."

Roman gave a small grin. "So you're pulling the Sword Saint routine now?"

Leon smirked faintly. "Something like that."

Without waiting, he stepped forward onto the first stair.

The instant he did, the spiral pulsed.

And a figure materialized halfway up.

Massive.

Armored.

Wielding a hammer the size of a carriage.

[Opponent Manifested – Spiral Level One]

Designation: Brickjaw, the Gate Guardian

Leon didn't hesitate.

He moved with practiced grace—Shell Reverb already humming through his steps. Not fully activated. Just waiting.

The hammer came down.

Leon didn't dodge.

He angled.

He stepped just enough to let the impact crater beside him—then used the rebound of energy through the ground to launch upward, striking Brickjaw across the face with a tightly-coiled blast of Reverb.

The Guardian reeled.

Leon didn't stop.

He planted his foot against the next stair.

And ascended.

[Level One Cleared – Step Two Unlocked]

[Next Opponent Incoming...]

Each level brought a new challenger.

And each one was tougher.

Faster.

More precise.

One was a swordswoman from Floor 442—long thought lost to time. She recognized Leon the moment they clashed.

"You passed me years ago," she whispered. "Let's see if it was earned."

He beat her in eight moves.

The next was a creature made entirely of shifting runes. No body. No language. Just pressure and spell patterns. Leon learned its rhythm in moments—and broke it in one swing.

[Step Five Cleared]

He was panting now. Even with Shell Reverb, the climb burned his lungs and legs.

But he kept going.

Because the Spiral was watching.

The Tower was watching.

And somewhere far above, in the clouds—

He saw them.

Silhouettes.

Others.

Watching.

Waiting.

Not the team.

Not challengers.

Sovereigns.

One leaned forward slightly.

A woman clad in bone-white armor and chains of moonlight.

Another folded his arms—his aura made of floating star-points.

They weren't here to stop him.

They were here to see if he was worth joining them.

[Final Step – Duel Zone Stabilized]

Opponent Manifesting...

This time, the air went still.

And when the final figure appeared, it wasn't a monster.

It wasn't even a warrior.

It was a man with black hair, golden eyes, and a single, unadorned blade.

He stood straight. Calm. Still.

Leon blinked.

Because the face was his own.

[Opponent: Aetheren Prime – Timeline Echo]

[This version of you succeeded before you ever failed.]

The clone didn't move immediately.

Neither did Leon.

Then they both launched at the same time.

It was like fighting a memory sharpened into steel.

Every move he had ever made—every technique, refined to its cleanest edge—was being thrown at him.

There was no room to breathe. No openings. Just blow after blow, perfectly timed, perfectly placed.

Leon took a hit to the jaw. Then another to the ribs. He coughed blood, stumbled—but kept standing.

He couldn't overpower this version.

He had to evolve past it.

So he did.

He used Karmic Loop not as a trap—but as a learning tool.

Each moment that failed, he looped back slightly—not enough to reset, just enough to adjust.

Half a second sooner.

An inch farther left.

A pulse triggered instead of held.

By the time they clashed again, Leon's strikes were no longer echoes.

They were original.

Unique.

Alive.

And in one last heartbeat, his blade slid past the clone's guard—

And stopped just short of its throat.

The clone smiled.

Faded.

And the Spiral pulsed with light.

[Spiral Cleared – Floor 614 Complete]

Title Earned: Echo Beyond the Known

Trait Acquired: Battleflow Ascension – Grants exponential growth in short duels

Spiral Rank: 1st Attempt Completion – Recorded

The clouds parted.

And the gate above shimmered into view.

Leon stood alone at the top of the spiral, breathing hard, blood on his lips.

But smiling.

Because this time—

The Tower had nothing more to say.

It simply opened the next path.

And the Sovereigns watching above?

They didn't speak.

They just nodded.

Leon stepped through the gate alone.

For a moment, it was pitch black.

Then light bloomed—not from above, but from the ground.

Bioluminescent grass, green and violet, stretched beneath his boots as far as the eye could see. Giant trees, bark forged of silver and leaves shaped like crystalline sigils, formed archways and roots too large to be natural.

It wasn't a battlefield.

It was a graveyard.

Not of corpses…

…but of legacies.

Each tree, each stone, each broken banner stuck into the moss—every one of them represented someone who once sought to rule the Tower, and failed.

Some came close. Others were broken early.

But all had left a mark here.

The Garden wasn't cold. It wasn't hostile.

It was… quiet.

Almost respectful.

[Welcome to Floor 615 – Garden of Forgotten Crowns]

Zone Type: Legacy Remnant Archive

Objective: Cross the Garden without losing your name

Threat Level: Psychological Cataclysm Tier

Modifier: Past Will Return

Memory Inversion Active

Leon exhaled as the system whispered the last part.

Memory Inversion.

He knew what that meant.

The Garden wouldn't attack his body.

It would attack his sense of self.