My Charity System made me too OP

Leon stood still for a moment as the lights of the Core Room faded behind him. The large terminal had gone quiet, and Archivist Theta had disappeared.

In front of him stood a single gate. It wasn't glowing or dramatic. It was plain—made of stone and metal—but the pressure it gave off was heavier than anything he had ever felt before.

It didn't feel like an ending.

It was just another gate.

And somehow, that meant everything.

[You have unlocked Floor 534 – Origin Gate]

This is the threshold beyond the Tower's known trials.

From this point on, all floors are part of the Upper Tower Tier.

Warning: The power scale increases sharply.

From Floor 534 onward, you enter the realm of true powerhouses—climbers who stopped going higher because they didn't need to.

Access granted due to full Chain Protocol completion.

There are no prophecies here. No guided stories.

Only strength, skill, and survival.

Leon took a deep breath and turned to look at the others—Roselia, Roman, Kael, Naval, and Milim.

They felt the difference too.

Roselia was already gripping her shield tighter. "It feels like... we've stepped into a whole new world."

Leon nodded. "That's because we have. From here, it's not just about climbing. It's about standing with those who already rule these heights."

Floor 534 – The Origin Gate Opens

As the group stepped through the gate, a heavy pressure hit them all at once.

They weren't in a dungeon or arena.

They stood on a wide plateau, surrounded by floating islands. The land below them cracked with veins of glowing mana. Above, the sky was red, filled with slow-moving clouds and occasional bursts of lightning.

In the far distance, they could see it—a city floating in the sky. Tall towers rose into the air, and within their shadows moved people—or beings—with such dense auras that Naval couldn't even read their energy with his sigil senses.

Leon narrowed his eyes at one of the cliffs nearby.

A person sat there cross-legged on a floating rock. Chains of starlight wrapped around their body, and they weren't moving. But their presence was enough to make the entire area feel heavy.

Roman winced. "That guy isn't doing anything, and I can barely breathe…"

Kael said softly, "That's what a real powerhouse feels like."

Then the system voice echoed one more time.

[Welcome to Floor 534 – Origin Plateau]

Zone Type: Sovereign-Class Region

Population: Retired Sovereigns, Abandoned Prodigies, Eternal Duelists

Main Hub: Arkhe City

Goal: Integrate into the Upper Tower Tier

This floor offers no help.

No guidance.

No protection.

Survive, prove yourself, or be forgotten.

Leon stepped forward.

The ground beneath his foot cracked just slightly—but it didn't stop him.

He looked ahead and smiled.

"Let's go meet the real climbers."

The group moved across the plateau, silent but alert.

Every step closer to Arkhe City, the pressure around them grew. The air was thicker, almost humming. Their instincts sharpened naturally, like their bodies knew they were entering territory where the weak didn't last long.

There were no enemies attacking them, no monsters jumping out.

But that made it worse.

The silence felt like a test.

Milim looked around. "This floor isn't quiet because it's safe. It's quiet because everything here chooses to ignore us."

Naval agreed. "It's like we're too small to matter right now."

Leon kept moving forward. "Good. That means no one will see us coming."

Approaching Arkhe City

The floating city was larger up close than they had imagined. Huge towers spiraled upward, built from dark stone and glowing metal. Bridges hung in the air without support, and massive statues watched silently from each corner—none of them bearing names or titles.

At the city's entrance, there was no gate.

Only a wide arch carved into black stone, glowing faintly with runes none of them recognized.

As they stepped through, a notification appeared in Leon's view.

[You have entered Arkhe City]

Status: Open City – Observation Tier

Rank Requirement: Tier VIII or higher

Restrictions: No duels within neutral zones

Warning: Provoking Ranked Sovereigns may result in erasure

Rule 1: All power is recognized. No titles respected.

Rule 2: Fight only when ready. Regret is not a defense.

Inside the city, they saw all kinds of beings—humans, elves, beastkin, and others even stranger. Some looked no older than twenty. Others looked like they'd been alive for centuries. Most ignored them. A few gave them curious glances.

But none looked surprised.

As if new arrivals were nothing special.

Or maybe… no one expected newcomers to last.

They reached the first central plaza—a huge space surrounded by tall walls and open market-like platforms. A glowing board listed dozens of names—most faded, a few still active.

Near the top, bold and unmistakable:

Current Sovereign Ranks – Floor 534

Ka'Reneth, Voice of Falling Stars

Ashveil, the Iron Warden

Rema Sol, Flameborn Immortal

…

Irn Valek – Blade of the Quiet

— Unknown Challenger — [New Entry]

Leon narrowed his eyes.

"They already added us."

Kael leaned in. "Unknown Challenger?"

Roselia raised an eyebrow. "So someone's watching."

Just then, a man appeared near the board. Tall. Lean. Silver eyes. No aura leaked from him, but something about him felt sharp—like a blade hidden in silk.

He glanced at Leon.

"Newcomers don't usually walk all the way to the plaza without breaking. Interesting."

Leon replied simply. "We're not most climbers."

The man chuckled. "You'll learn. Everyone who survives up here thinks the same—until someone teaches them otherwise."

He tossed something toward Leon—a thin black token.

"Name's Irn Valek. I'm Rank 99. You'll be hearing from me soon."

And just like that, he was gone.

No sound. No step. Just gone.

Leon looked at the token in his hand.

On one side: a sword etched in silence.

On the other: a blank space where a name could be carved.

Roman asked, "Are we seriously going to fight people like that?"

Leon didn't look up. "We'll fight who we need to."

Milim grinned. "Then we'd better get stronger."

The real Tower had begun.

Here, there were no tests. No systems walking them through.

Just the strongest of the strong—and Leon's team, trying to rise.

But Leon wasn't afraid.

Because deep down, he knew—

Climbers don't stop.