[Gacha Haven has ehe Reinfort Phase. The fallback cooldown will st for 7 days.]

  Ats’s first victory in battle was nothing short of remarkable, delivering exceptional results. Not only had he successfully defended his isnd with strategic precision, but he also managed a devastating terattack that culminated in the death of the opposing Lord.

  His isnd had now expahough not dramatically, it was roughly 3er than before. Even so, this was a meaningful development.

  After all, this was only the beginning. So he still had a lot of room for future growth.

  Acc to Edrik, for someone ranked as a Scout, the size of their isnd might typically be five times the standard starting size for someo Ats’s current phase. This meaill had plenty of time and potential to grow.

  He now had 35 Rank Points, keeping him in Seeker Division 1. With 50 points o advao Division 2, one more successful defense would likely be enough to push him over the threshold.

  Ats reviewed his resources and leasantly surprised. Soren had an impressive amount of Gold that Ats had absorbed, leaving him with a total of 2,445 gold s. His mind raced with possibilities for what he could acquire with such wealth, especially the ce to purchase World Shards to build the Gateway Altar.

  He also had 2,120 Are Shards, enough to vert into exclusive gacha tickets. That meant he could do about 13 pulls with the shards.

  For the first time, he truly appreciated the value of every pull, now realizing how difficult Are Shards were to obtain. The 100 exclusive tickets he’d received at the start suddenly felt like an enormous gift.

  With a full week ahead during the reinfort cooldown, he had time to rebuild and prepare more thhly. Strengthening his troops or recruiting new ones priority.

  However, he also o desd to the Lower Lands to secure a few key resources—resources he could now afford thanks to his newly gained wealth.

  Ats took a round of his isnd to che everyone. He felt relieved to find that none of his troops had been killed itle. There were some severe injuries, but with Lyrassa’s healing skills, the wounded assured him they would recover in three to four days.

  He then visited the 10 perso after the successful defense. A group sisting of seven men and three women. Iing their abilities and roles, Ats discovered that all ten were batants, with an average level of 38 her—a endable standard.

  As he approached, the group k before him.

  "My Lord, please spare our lives. We pledge to serve you and fight for you from this day forward," one of them said, speaking for the group.

  Ats nodded and instructed Edrik to assess them individually.

  After a thh evaluation, it was decided that the ten would be divided among the four teams Ats had already established.

  With this adjustment, each team now had a plete set of roles: tankers, melee fighters, magic damage dealers, ratackers, and support units.

  He was satisfied with the oute.

  Now, with 32 batants evenly distributed into four teams of eight, the position was banced and well-optimized—a solid foundation for future battles.

  Mira suddenly came running toward Ats, her cheerful energy impossible to ignore. Before he could react, the girl threw her arms around him and began shaking him excitedly, leaving him momentarily winded.

  "My Lord, thank you! Our home is so much bigger now… I pnt even more carrots!" she excimed, her joy lighting up her fabsp;

  Her radiahusiasm was tagious, and the tension in the air melted away. Eveen former batants, who had looked terrified moments ago, now wore expressions of fusion. A few of them seemed so overwhelmed by the shift in mood that they wobbled and colpsed to the ground.

  "Mira… Mira… please… I ’t breathe," Ats mao say, his voice faint.

  Mira quickly jumped back. "Oops! I’m so sorry, My Lord!"

  Ats took a deep breath, steadying himself. "We don’t just need carrots. Pnt whatever else people might need, alright?"

  "Alright!" she chirped, her mood as bright as ever. She skipped off toward the newly expanded fields, clutg her hoe and humming happily, ready to get to work.

  Ats instructed everyoo rest for the night and begin reanizing tomorrow. They still had ample time to prepare and rebuild everything. This was a moal victory, and he could see the spark of excitement aermination in everyone’s eyes.

  He could only hope to maintain this momentum, ensuring that ail—no matter how small—was overlooked. He reminded himself not to let the euphoria of this success lead to overfidence, which could blind them to potential challenges ahead.

  Everything o be met with hard work and unwavering resolve. Only through sistent effort and a strong will could they truly secure the future they were fighting for.

  It was te at night, and Ats was just about to rest in his hut when he heard a knock at the door.

  He stood up, opehe door, and froze in surprise as a hand gripped the door frame for support.

  A figure emerged, leaning heavily against the doorway, trembling, with her head bowed.

  "Manna?"

  Ats instinctively reached for her shoulders, steadying her. Slowly, she raised her face, and what he saw made his chest tighten.

  Her skin… pale… Yes, she was alale, but now she seemed almost ghostly white. Her usually sharp, pierg gaze was dim, her eyes heavy with exhaustion.

  "What happeo you?"

  Was she in need of blood after today’s battle?

  As he tried to support her, Manna suddenly slumped against him, her weight pressing into him as her face rested on his right shoulder. The door swung shut behind her, closing softly.

  "Ats…" she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Give me… your blood… please…."

  Ats? And… please?

  Wasn’t this the first time the Vampire Queen had addressed him by name? And more than that—she said please?!!!

  The need for blood must have been so critical for her to humble herself like this.

  This wasn’t the first time he’d given his blood to her, and tonight, he didn’t mind doing it again. She had fought for him today, and her tribution had been nothing short of immense.

  “Take it,” he whispered, steadyirembling body.

  Moments ter, he felt the sharp sting of her fangs pierg his neck, followed by the same strange sensation he’d felt before.

  A mix of warmth and something he couldn’t quite describe flooded his senses.

  Her weary body seemed to e alive, as her grip grew stronger.

  Yet, oddly, he didn’t feel weaker. If anything, he felt invigorated. There was a strange… pleasure i. Ohat he couldn’t uand but found himself enjoying.

  Wasn’t Manna supposed taiamina by drinking his blood? So why did it feel like he was the one being empowered?

  The memory of that night… when she had taken his blood ient… pyed vividly in his mind.

  Ats held Manna steady, letting her drink until his body felt weightless, immersed iions he couldn’t fully prehend. Yet, in that moment, ohing was undeniable.

  He liked it.

  And more than that… he wanted more. It was a yearning he couldn’t easily put into words, something he knew he desired but might never express under normal circumstances.

  He wanted her. And it happened!

  M arrived!

  Ats opened his eyes and instinctively checked his body uhe b. Yes… he was pletely naked!

  He go the side but found no ohere—nanna.

  This time, though, he remembered everything clearly, uhe hazy events of that ht. For some reason, a strange mix of emotions bubbled up inside him. Was it happiness? Or maybe awkwardness? The memory of the night repyed vividly in his mind, especially the moment when he had told her he wanted her.

  It was so damn weird. He couldn’t fully expin it.

  It felt like he had been intoxicated, swept away by his desires, and it had all happened without any real trol.

  After some time spent posing himself, he got dressed, prepared his gear, and headed toward the teleportation pad.

  Today, he would desd to the Lower Lands again, but this time with a smaller team.

  Edrik, Manna, and Kurogasa would apany him, while the ma of the isnd would remain in the hands of Karian and Lyrassa.

  As the teleportation pad activated, Ats and his team vanished, leaving the others behind to oversee their growing domain.

  ***

  (Author’s Note:)

  Let me fess something: writing ses like Manna ahem borrowing some of Ats’s blood leaves me awkwardly h between “this is intriguing” and “wow, I’m terrible at this.” ?

  You’ve probably already imagined a way cooler version of what I wrote, and I don’t bme you.

  But hey, the story’s moving forward, the bonds are getting deeper, and things are getting juicier (pun intended). Stick with me, okay? ?