There was only one person left. It was Isabella. She was much more ferocious than Mary, so hopefully she'll be fine.

  Isabella stepped forward, summoning a small glass vial into her hand. The liquid inside wasn’t one I recognized. It wasn’t green like her healing potions, or blue like her mana ones, or red like the stamina type. This one glowed faintly purple under the arena lights.

  “What’s that?” I muttered under my breath.

  No one answered. Even Desmond leaned forward, trying to get a better look. It seemed he recognized it after a few seconds.

  The air shimmered, and Isabella was teleported into the arena. Her clone appeared on the other side, wearing the same calm expression. The two of them stood in silence for a moment, as if sizing each other up. Isabella’s hand tightened around the potion.

  Then she moved first. She hurled the vial with perfect aim. It spun through the air and smashed against her clone’s shoulder. Tiny shards stuck into the clone’s skin, glinting under the light.

  Then came the real effect.

  The purple liquid spread fast, running down the clone’s arm and chest. Steam began to rise. The clone’s flesh started to sizzle. It wasn’t a fire—more like something corrosive, eating away at the surface and leaving blackened, cracked skin behind.

  The clone let out a broken gasp and fell to one knee. Its skin blistered and peeled, and the smell that followed made even the spectators cover their mouths. Whatever was in that potion, it wasn’t meant for healing. It tore through muscle and tissue like it was dissolving paper.

  Isabella took a shaky step forward, her hand still raised, as if she couldn’t believe what she had just done.

  “I’m sorry.” she said quietly.

  Her voice barely carried over the crackling sound of the potion still working through the clone’s body.

  The clone reached toward her weakly, its hand trembling, before collapsing face-first into the ground. The purple liquid continued to spread until it finally lost its glow. What was left behind wasn’t even a body anymore—just a messy heap of skin, bone, and half-melted muscle.

  I looked around. Mary had a hand over her mouth, pale. Malik looked away entirely. No one cheered.

  The sight was even worse than Mei's.

  Even Mary, who had cried at the thought of fighting her own reflection, hadn’t shown pity, just fear. But Isabella... she was different. Her voice had carried guilt. Regret, even.

  The light on the arena floor dimmed, signaling the end of the match. Isabella didn’t raise her hands or smile. She just stood there, staring at the spot where her clone used to be. When the teleport light took her back to the stands, she kept her head down.

  No one said anything for a long time.

  When Isabella sat back down, she didn’t look at any of us. Her hands were clasped tightly together, knuckles white. Her breathing was quiet and measured, but her eyes gave her away.

  She wasn’t proud of what she’d done. She wasn’t relieved.

  She just looked tired.

  She was teleported back into the arena. That was it. The Mirror Deathmatch was now over. We all survived. Thank God.

  That means there were others who climbed this Tower before us. Did the government cover it up? Or were those people simply recorded as missing—just another statistic buried under reports of “unexplained disappearances”? I can't wrap my head around it.

  Before I could think further, the world around us dissolved into light, and we were transported back to the Intermediary Floor.

  I need to upgrade to maintain my sanity...

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  As I upgraded my class stat, a system notification popped up.

  Yes.

  “I’m going to the gym.” I said.

  No one replied. They were busy adjusting stats, allocating points, and studying new skills. The gym was quiet when I entered. A faint echo from the ventilation fans hummed above. The metallic scent of iron and oil mixed with something sterile, like the Tower itself refused to let the place feel human. On the right side were rows of weights, punching bags, and treadmills, all pristine and untouched. The rest of the floor was an open stretch—exactly one hundred meters from wall to wall.

  Perfect.

  I brought up the system menu, navigating to spells.

  I whispered, “Great Mana Enhancement.”

  Immediately, a dense blue aura ignited around me, heavier and brighter than ever before. My muscles tightened. My heartbeat quickened. The air around me rippled like heat haze.

  I took a single breath—then dashed forward. In the blink of an eye, I was already at the far wall. The echo of my movement came half a second late, a soft sonic crack bouncing behind me.

  I turned back, chest heaving. “That’s insane..."

  If I hadn’t replaced Mana Enhancement with this upgraded version, could I have stacked them? Maybe I could’ve amplified the effect even further. Or maybe the weaker spell would have canceled out the stronger one. Either way, it didn’t matter. The other spells are too useful to get rid of.

  What mattered was that I was alive, and stronger than before.

  Now, everything felt like it was finally going right.