Seeing her own Reflection struggle alone and eventually shatter into countless pieces, Mallory could not help but stare at the broken glass scattered across the stage.

She quietly looked down at the fragments deep in thought.

The reflection had died weakly despite being her "strongest possible self."

It barely even lasted against the six of them in contrast to Kurou’s reflection.

It died so pathetically... and it was not because it lacked strength. But because it had been left behind.

Mallory, the usually sharp-tongued girl was completely silent.

She remained where she stood, silently looking at the shattered remains of her Reflection.

Adam happened to glance at the fragments as he walked past.

"Are you angry at yourself?"

Mallory, hearing his words, slowly looked up at him.

Adam looked at the broken pieces scattered across the floor.

"The strongest version of yourself that the Mother of Reflections could imagine... and that’s what it became."

His gaze lingered on the shards for a moment.

"A life spent suffering for someone else’s sake."

Mallory lowered her eyes.

After a brief pause, Adam added,

"The meaning of one’s existence can always be changed."

Then he simply continued walking.

He did not elaborate further. Yet somehow, she understood what he was trying to say.

The Reflection was not her, it was merely a possibility that the [Mother of Reflections] had deduced for her.

It was one path among countless others. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

A future that could have existed, but not one that was destined to happen.

Mallory quietly lowered her head.

"...I know."

She nodded once, but Adam did not reply.

Soon, he passed by her and headed toward the others.

Nearby, Salvia was treating the injuries Kurou had sustained during the battle. The shadow user looked far healthier now compared to earlier, though his face still looked somewhat exhausted.

Meanwhile, Seo-Jun was sitting cross-legged on the floor, calmly replenishing his talismans and preparing materials for the next fight.

With everyone occupied, Adam eventually sat down beside Guin in one of the empty theater seats.

The young girl immediately straightened her posture out of nervousness.

She had always been shy around strangers.

But when Adam was nearby, she became even quieter.

It was almost as if she was afraid of bothering him.

Neither of them spoke as both gazes were directed towards the large theater.

Then Adam suddenly looked at her.

"You know I’m not actually your father, right?"

Guin froze and her eyes widened slightly at Adam’s sudden words.

Adam expected her to have some sort of disappointment or maybe sadness towards his remark... possibly even embarrassment.

Instead—

Guin simply tilted her head.

"...?"

The expression on her face was pure confusion.

Adam raised an eyebrow.

That was not the reaction he had expected at all.

She looked as though she had just heard something completely ridiculous.

It was almost as if her expression was saying: "What are you talking about?" Or perhaps, "But you are my dad."

The longer Adam stared at her, the more confused he became.

At the same time, the Stream Chat immediately exploded.

[Hip10t has donated 1 Soul Core]

[Hip10t] : Adam, are you absolutely sure you haven’t slept around before...?

[Prankster of Kingdoms is eyeing the Streamer suspiciously.]

[Lover of Good Things is shocked by the Streamer’s prowess.]

[Caretaker of Yellows] : UWAHHH WHO IS THIS HANDSOME STREAMER!—

[Bird Hunter] : Hold on, you’re not even a strange viewer. Why are you acting like one of them?

Adam ignored every single notification as his attention remained on Guin.

What was with that reaction?

He had genuinely expected her to become sad after hearing those words...

Instead, it felt as though he was the one missing an important piece of information.

Could he really have had a child somehow?

No... that made no sense.

Guin was nearly a teenager.

The timeline simply did not add up.

Unless—

Adam narrowed his eyes.

’Magic?’

’Or perhaps it’s some kind of temporal phenomenon involving my time travel?’

After all, Adam had heard and seen many complex theories about what would happen if one were to travel back in time...

Yet that explanation did not make much sense either...

Guin had existed in his previous life.

Back then, the two of them were hardly close.

They had only met at government functions and official gatherings.

At most, they knew each other’s names and achievements, nothing more.

The mystery only became deeper the more Adam thought about it.

Not wanting to accidentally say something foolish, he ultimately chose to remain silent.

Guin also stayed quiet.

She simply sat beside him and focused on slowly restoring her mana.

The two remained seated together in silence.

Looking at them from afar, however, one could not help but think of a certain phrase....

Like father, like daughter.

Even the viewers seemed to think so as they continued to tease Adam.

[AngelyDarky has sent an F-Tier Gift.]

[You have received: Mana Restoring Creampuff Pack]

[Mana Restoring Creampuff Pack] : A box of soft and delicious cream-filled pastries infused with mana-rich ingredients. Consuming them significantly improves mana recovery while also reducing mental fatigue.

[AngelyDarky’s eyes are sparkling as though trying to tell the Streamer something.]

"..."

Adam stared at the notification.

Then he stared at Guin.

Then he looked back at the notification.

He felt genuinely dumbfounded... had his viewers also truly begun to view Guin as his supposed daughter...?

After a few seconds, he quietly summoned the gift.

A small box appeared in his hands.

Without saying anything, he handed it over to Guin.

Guin looked up at him as she looked at the box.

Then at Adam.... Then back at the box again...

Truly, like father and daughter.

Slowly, her eyes began to sparkle.

The shy girl carefully accepted it as though she had just received a priceless treasure.

"T-thank you..."

Her voice was barely audible due to how low it was.

She immediately hugged the box to her chest.

The corners of her lips even lifted slightly.

Seeing her reaction, Adam suddenly felt that perhaps the viewers were not entirely unreasonable...

At least the gift had achieved its intended purpose.

Before anyone could say anything else, a familiar notification spread throughout the theater.

[Preparation Time Has Ended.]

[The Next Reflection Is Being Selected...]

[Chosen Reflection : Shaman of Borrowed Lives]

Adam was not surprised.

If anything, he had expected Seo-Jun’s Reflection to appear sooner or later.

In Adam’s opinion, Guin’s future potential was greater than Seo-Jun’s.

She was a natural-born A-Rank ability user. Thus, even the Mother of Reflections would likely acknowledge that.

Still, Seo-Jun’s Reflection would not be easy to deal with.

Fortunately, the team had learned from the previous battles.

After watching Kurou nearly collapse during the fight against the twins’ Reflections, everyone had become far more open about their weaknesses.

This time, Seo-Jun had willingly shared his.

"I am very weak against continuous attacks."

That was all he had said.

Adam had already suspected as much.

After all, shamans and spellcasters required preparation.

Many of their strongest abilities demanded time.

If one were to continuously interrupt that process, then their effectiveness would drop dramatically.

Now that Seo-Jun had confirmed it himself, Adam felt much more confident in planning around it.

Just then, the system notification rang out once more.

The gigantic theater around them slowly began to change.

The rows of seats began distorting as the stage stretched and changed.

The cardboard audience dissolved into fragments of light while the walls melted away like wax.

The entire environment was transforming yet again.

Another battlefield was about to be born.