Ats returo Gacha Haven just as the evening began to settle over the isnd. The Floating Lantern drifted gracefully, glowing light casting soft shadows around him as he guided a group of newers.

  He turo face the group. “Wele to Gacha Haven.”

  “Yes! Finally, my new advearts!” one of them excimed.

  “Thank you, my Lord! My girlfriend is here… I’m finally with her again,” another man added.

  Ats raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.

  “Don’t worry, My Lord. I’ll remain professional,” the man quickly added. “And please, separate us into different teams.”

  “Alright,” Ats replied with a nod.

  The ten newers were met with heartfelt weles from the current residents.

  Earlier, Ats had gone over team arras with Edrik, and together they cluded that the four existing teams would be suffit for the time being. The pn was to seamlessly ie the new batants into these well-established groups.

  “Please take some time to get to know your teammates and adjust,” Ats said, addressing the group. “In a few minutes, we’ll have a review session about our st battle, which Edrik will lead.”

  “Yes, My Lord!” the group replied in unison.

  Ats took some time to review the structures on his isnd. Finally, he had enough resources to build the Gateway Altar, and he wasted no time getting it done.

  [You have spent 50 Units of Wood, 80 Units of Stone, 15 Units of Iron Ingots, 5 Mana Crystals, and 5 World Shards to build Gateway Altar.]

  A wave of relief washed over him as the notification blinked into view. This ructure would make summoning troops and workers easier, sparing him the hassle of traveling to nearby cities for recruitment.

  Still, there was something undeniably captivating about venturing into the Lower Lands. Those trips always seemed to offer ued adventures. Like today, when he had withe chaos of Veymar City’s Dungeon Break attafht before his eyes.

  Turning his focus back to the isnd, Ats queued up the stru of four more Fme Beas.

  Excitement buzzed through him; after two weeks of relentless material gathering and strategic purchases in the Lower Lands, he finally had enough resources to take a big step forward. These additional Fme Beas would vastly enhahe isnd’s defenses.

  Following that, Ats turned his attention to the growing popution of the Floating Isnd. With more inhabitants now living on the isnd, he also queued the upgrade of the Basic Hut to its upgraded version.

  This was the highest tier of housing he could build at Fortress Stage 1, his current development level.

  For now, this was as far as he could push his isnd’s progress. But once he ranked up to Scout Rank 2, new options would unlock, allowing him to expand and fortify the isnd even further.

  With the preparations plete, everyohered in the heart of the isnd. Wooden log benches encircled several fire pits.

  At the ter of the gathering, a small stage had bee up, where Edrik stood ready. Behind him, a s dispyed tactical diagrams and clips of the previous day’s battles.

  Edrik began his debrief with precision, disseg the events of the st defehe positioning of the teams, the timing of their attacks, and the critical decisions to advance or fall babsp;

  “We must adhere strictly to the roles assigned within each team,” he stated. His gaze swept over the crowd, ensuring his words strue.

  “The only ones permitted to take initiative in the heat of battle are the Elite Subordinates. However, in emergency situations, our Lord will take full and of the operation.”

  He paused briefly, “Discipline is noiable. It is a standard we must meet without exception.”

  Edrik’s expnation was meticulous, deliberate, and deeply engaging. His carefully chosen words, paired with his steady yet anding tone, seemed to captivate the entire audienbsp;

  Ats sat quietly in his seat, his gaze drifting as his thoughts strayed to the challenges ahead. With six days remaining before the battle, he calcuted that five of those days would o be dedicated torous training, leveling up, ahodical preparation.

  Still, an idea him. Perhaps he should use the remaining Standard Tickets in his possession. If fortune favored him, he might summon additional support units tthen their odds of success.

  New characters were always an asset, especially given the current position of his team. Most of his subordinates were melee-focused, with only orue support unit among them.

  Lyrassa was remarkable, of course—her ability to heal, trol crowds, and provide buffs made her indispensable. But the absenagic users left a clear gap in their strategy, ohat could bee a critical weakness itles to e.

  Ats needed mages—or perhaps even a formidable on for himself. A high-grade spear would be ideal, and he could only hope to secure one soon. Until then, he resolved to refine his teique, dedig himself to being more skilled and fident in spear bat.

  At Level 45, he khe climb to Level 50 would be a slow grind. Still, his immediate goal was clear: releraining and sharpening his abilities.

  Each sessiht him closer to his Css Adva, and if he could push his limits during this crucial phase, he might unlock a remarkable—or perhaps everaordinary—Css.

  The memory of Kareem and his team’s battle earlier that day lingered in his thoughts. Their strength and cohesion were a stark trast to his own progress, a vivid reminder of how far he had to go. pared to a Rank 4 Sentinel Lord and his elite team, he felt weak, insignifit even.

  But that only fueled his resolve. Weakness was a temporary state, one he was determio overe.

  The day dawned, bringing with it a relentless and demanding training routine. While the troops muttered pints about anrueling session, Ats was already immersed in his own intense and unorthodimen.

  Blindfolded, he stood with his chest heaving, struggling to steady his breath. Today’s challenge was Heat Seraining—a test desigo sharpen his reflexes and spatial awareness under extreme ditions.

  The objective was simple in theory but daunting iion: sprint bad forth across a treacherous course that wove through ses of molten va streams.

  The catch? He couldn’t rely on his sight.

  Ats wouldn’t be allowed to remove the blindfold until he successfully pleted 20 ps.

  Ats ched his fists, steeling himself against the memory of pain. His skin still bore the marks from previous sessions—blisters and burns that told the story of his grueling training. But he g to the hope that this insane regimen might lead to somethiraordinary.

  What if I could shoot va from my hands? he joked to himself.

  He visualized the course in his mind, restrug every detail from memory. The seari of the molten streams, the texture of the rocky ground—he itted it all to mental crity.

  With a sharp, steadying breath, he took off.

  The first few steps went smoothly. Oep, two, three—safe. Gaining fidence, he picked up his pace.

  Theumbled.

  Damn!

  The fall drew the attention of the troops watg nearby, but before their murmurs could grow, Kurogasa quickly barked at them to focus on their own training.

  Ats pushed himself up, brushing off the pain, and ran again.

  He kept running. He kept falling. And every time, he forced himself back to his feet. More than once, he found himself turned pletely around, veering dangerously close to the molten streams.

  Each time, Kurogasa’s voice cut through, guiding him ba course.

  Ats gritted his teeth. His burns stung, his legs ached, but he refused to stop. Failure wasn’t an option!

  Damn it.

  He couldn’t keep doing the same thing, making the same mistakes, expeg something to ge. With the blindfold on, sight was no longer an asset.

  He o rely on something else!

  But what? How did Kurogasa move with such precision, so effortlessly, without seeing?

  Heat!

  Yes, the heat. His skin could feel the ges in temperature.

  What about sound? Smell?

  Yes!

  He could use them all. Only by engaging all his senses could he finally realize how much his body—his instincts—had already surpassed those of a normal human.

  Determined, he ran again. This time, he was attuo the enviro around him. The heat on his skin warned him of danger, and the sounds of bubbling va and shifting air guided his steps.

  But just as his fidence grew, his foot came down—too close to the edge.

  Lyrassa gasped, ready to leap in, but Kurogasa held her back, his eyes closed.

  Ats’s foot spshed into the molten stream.

  OH DAMN IT! MY FOOT’S MELTING, MOTHERF—

  ***

  (Author’s Note:)

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