Adam only spared the new viewers a brief glance before returning his full attention to the battle.

He had no intention of testing [Temporary Copy] on them. For now, it was far more efficient to copy abilities from viewers whose powers he already understood.

[Temporary Copy] : Watcher of Iron Rings

[Iron Boundary] (D-rank) : Creates a simple iron ring on the ground that acts as a barrier. Those inside find it difficult to leave, while those outside find it difficult to enter.

It seemed that after his existence evolved to the [Gold] rank, the abilities copied through [Temporary Copy] would now be reduced to D-rank instead of E-rank.

More importantly, another change had occurred.

He no longer needed to blindly choose between random skills.

The moment he focused on a viewer, he could vaguely sense the nature of their abilities. It was difficult to explain.

He could not see names, descriptions, or exact effects, but he could roughly tell what type of power they possessed.

It felt as though a new sense had awakened within him—one that allowed him to observe the concepts surrounding a person’s abilities.

Behind him, Seo-Jun pulled a talisman from his sleeve.

The paper ignited without flame as a strange pale light spread across the room.

The darkness immediately recoiled.

For a brief moment, Adam’s vision pierced through the shadows.

Two moving patches of darkness far deeper than the shadows moved around them.

One belonged to Kurou while the other was the Reflection.

Understanding Seo-Jun’s intention immediately, Adam shot forward.

After predicting where the two shadows would move next, he appeared beside the larger and more oppressive one.

[Iron Boundary].

A dull metallic ring materialized across the floor.

The Reflection and Adam were instantly trapped inside.

The surrounding shadows were severed from it as the Reflection’s movements visibly slowed.

The dark figure twisted violently as it attempted to escape the boundary.

When that failed, it immediately changed targets.

Its body melted down as it tried to "enter" Adam’s shadow.

A sense of danger exploded through Adam’s instincts.

He felt that if that thing entered his shadow, something terrible would happen.

Without hesitation, Adam activated [Authority of Disconnection].

Invisible cuts spread throughout the enclosed space.

The Reflection let out a distorted shriek.

Its shadow-like body writhed violently as pieces of darkness were forcibly severed from one another.

Half of its form emerged from the floor as a humanoid silhouette appeared.

Its long black hair floated unnaturally as both hands formed a strange seal.

The next instant—

The shadow beneath them expanded.

The shadows beneath the floors and the walls darkened and began to spread out.

Darkness surged outward like a rising tide, swallowing every source of light it touched.

Even the iron circle was consumed.

From across the room, Kurou’s expression immediately changed as he recognized the skill.

"Don’t let the darkness swallow the entire room!!"

At the same time, he pushed against the spreading shadows with his own power over darkness.

The team reacted immediately towards the situation.

Guin raised both hands as she activated her skill.

[Absolute Stasis].

The shadows advancing toward her side instantly froze.

The darkness continued to exist, but its movement had completely halted.

Meanwhile, Mallory stepped forward.

A quiet melody escaped her lips, one that no one could hear.

Since the song was directed solely at the Reflection, it was the only one that could hear the "malicious" song that Mallory had begun singing.

The moment it reached its target, the Reflection staggered.

Its body trembled as both of its hands immediately grabbed its own head.

An indescribable pain seemed to strike it.

"It’s not as effective because it’s only a reflection..."

Mallory frowned upon this understanding.

Unfortunately, that brief distraction was not enough.

The expanding darkness momentarily blocked Adam’s vision.

And that single moment allowed the Reflection to escape once more.

Adam clicked his tongue.

[CrispyDeath has sent 6 Soul Cores]

[CrispyDeath] : Try using [Surreal Creation] to provide light.

Hearing his viewer’s suggestion, Adam had a vague feeling what he was trying to convey.

Without hesitation, he activated [Surreal Creation].

Dozens.

Hundreds.

Thousands.

Light bulbs suddenly appeared throughout the massive room.

They hung from the ceiling.

Floated in the air.

Rested atop furniture.

Some even appeared directly beside the walls.

At first glance, they looked completely real.

That was because [Surreal Creation] was not an ordinary illusion.

It did not merely deceive sight.

It deceived hearing.

Touch.

Perception.

Even a person’s understanding of reality itself.

For a brief period, the illusions were convincing enough that the world struggled to distinguish them from what was real.

And light, at its core, was simply information interpreted by the senses.

If every sense insisted that light existed...

Then for a short while, reality would accept that conclusion.

The bulbs illuminated.

Golden light flooded the room.

The advancing darkness immediately weakened.

Shadows retreated from corners.

The Reflection’s influence shrank.

As the battle continued, Adam gradually noticed something strange.

The shadows seemed hesitant to attack him.

Several times, darkness surged toward him from impossible angles. By all accounts, those attacks should have landed. Yet every single time, the shadows would pause for the briefest moment before reaching him.

That tiny hesitation was enough.

Adam slipped through the darkness again and again without receiving a single injury.

His eyes narrowed.

A thought immediately formed in his mind.

’Could it be because of [Nawh]?’

Among his sponsors, [Nawh] possessed authority over shadows.

Although Adam only carried a tiny fraction of that authority through sponsorship, perhaps the shadows recognized that connection.

Perhaps, on some instinctive level, they viewed him as something they should not harm.

Realizing the advantage he possessed, Adam no longer held back.

[Temporary Copy] : 5th Style Sword Master

[Inevitable Severance] (D-tier) : All attacks intended to cut or sever gain a significantly increased chance of striking their target. Minor deviations in trajectory are automatically corrected, allowing slashes to find openings that would otherwise be missed. Targets attempting to evade may still be struck if a valid cutting path exists. The effect applies to all attacks whose primary purpose is to cut, split, sever, or slice.

"...What a ridiculously long description."

Adam could not help but mutter.

Still, he immediately recognized it.

This was likely a weaker variation of [Flow Piercing], one of the skills he frequently copied from the [5th Style Sword Master].

Without hesitation, he combined it with [Authority of Disconnection].

The air itself seemed to split apart.

Invisible severing lines spread throughout the battlefield.

To everyone watching, it looked as though countless giant blades were swinging through the room.

The Reflection immediately tried to retreat into the shadows.

But every time it moved, the slashes followed.

They curved.

Adjusted.

Corrected themselves.

Finding openings that should not have existed.

A sharp scream echoed throughout the chamber.

Both of the Reflection’s arms were severed at once.

The dark figure was forcibly thrown out from the shadows, stumbling into the light.

The moment Mallory saw that expression of pain appear on its face, she reacted immediately.

"Oh? So you can feel pain after all."

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

She opened her mouth once more.

The song returned.

Invisible.

Silent.

Directed only at the Reflection.

The creature’s body immediately froze.

The pain it was experiencing multiplied several times over.

Its severed arms.

Its damaged body.

Every injury became magnified.

The Reflection clutched its head as if its mind was being torn apart.

Adam did not waste the opportunity.

His figure blurred forward.

One clean swing.

A silver line flashed across the room.

The Reflection’s head separated from its body.

For a brief moment, everything became still.

Then cracks spread across the Reflection’s body.

Hundreds.

Thousands.

The dark figure shattered like broken glass.

Fragments of mirrors scattered across the floor, reflecting distorted images before dissolving into particles of light. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

[Reflection : Chaser of Obscurity has been defeated]

[Rewards and Experience Points will be distributed after all reflections have been defeated]

[Preparing Next Reflection...]

[Time Remaining : 20 Minutes]

The room gradually returned to silence.

After defeating the first Reflection, Kurou let out a long sigh.

"Haha... well, that was terrifying."

He briefly thanked everyone for their assistance before walking toward the shattered mirror fragments.

For a while, he simply stared at them.

Then he looked at Adam.

"Was that really... the strongest version of me?"

There was obvious disappointment in his voice.

The Reflection had been powerful.

Yet it had still been defeated by five Stream Hunters who had not even reached the higher floors.

Of course, Adam was absurdly strong for their current level.

Still.

Kurou could not help feeling that the title of "strongest version" sounded a little exaggerated.

Adam immediately shook his head.

"No."

"The floor’s description is intentionally misleading."

Kurou blinked.

"Huh?"

Adam looked at the shattered mirror fragments scattered across the ground.

"The [Mother of Reflections] does not simply create the strongest version of who you are right now."

"She creates the strongest version of who you could have become."

The room fell silent.

Seeing their confused expressions, Adam continued.

"Think about every choice you’ve made since entering the Tower."

"What skills did you prioritize?"

"What monsters did you hunt?"

"What items did you buy?"

"What opportunities did you ignore?"

"What risks did you avoid?"

Kurou’s expression slowly became thoughtful.

Adam pointed at the shattered remains of the Reflection.

"That wasn’t a random version of you."

"That was a version created by altering countless choices throughout your past."

"A version that always chose the most optimal path."

"If there was a better skill available, it obtained it."

"If there was a better way to use its resources, it used it."

"If there was a more efficient training method, it found it."

Adam paused briefly.

"In other words, that Reflection is what Kurou Utsurogi might have become if every important decision throughout his climb had perfectly benefited him."