The next day arrived swiftly, with the sunlight casting it’s rays across the land.

As usual, Ivy woke up early and got straight to work. She prepared breakfast for her children while simultaneously taking care of Little Hope. After breastfeeding the baby, she gently placed her back in her cot and covered her with a soft blanket.

Only then did Ivy step outside.

The morning air was cool and refreshing. Not far away, Darren was busy tending to the plants and feeding the animals as usual. The moment he noticed Ivy’s arrival, he immediately stopped what he was doing and turned his attention toward her.

A warm smile spread across his face.

"Good morning," Darren greeted. "Did you rest well?"

"Good morning. Yes, I did," Ivy replied with a smile. "What about you?"

"I rested well too," Darren answered.

Ivy nodded in response before folding her arms across her chest. Her attention shifted to the familiar holographic screen floating before her.

Darren remained silent.

He knew exactly what was happening.

She was communicating with her system.

Ever since learning about the mysterious system, Darren had grown accustomed to moments like this. Although he couldn’t see the screen itself, he could tell from Ivy’s expression that she was browsing through its functions. There was nothing he could do except wait patiently for the results.

I’ve processed enough crystal cores to earn plenty of points, Ivy thought inwardly.

Without wasting any time, she opened the System Shop.

Ding!

{Displaying available categories.}

A vast list of items instantly appeared before her eyes.

Ivy calmly scanned through the countless options. She ignored most of them until her gaze landed on the exact item she had been looking for.

Integrated Reconnaissance-Strike Drone System.

The corners of her lips curled upward.

There it is.

Without hesitation, she issued the command.

"System, purchase it."

Ding!

{Integrated Reconnaissance-Strike Drone System detected.}

{Price confirmed.}

{Purchase successful.}

{Congratulations, Host.}

{Remaining balance: 100 points.}

A satisfied smile appeared on Ivy’s face.

"Nice," she murmured under her breath.

The purchase had consumed almost all of her points, but she wasn’t worried. The drone system was worth every single point.

With it, she would be able to establish a surveillance network around the base, monitor nearby areas, scout for threats, and even launch precision strikes when necessary.

The benefits far outweighed the cost.

Just as she was appreciating her new acquisition, another notification suddenly appeared.

Ding!

{Congratulations, Host.}

Ivy blinked.

"What now?" she asked with a light chuckle. "Is this because of what I purchased? Well, thank you."

However, the system’s next message left her momentarily stunned.

Ding!

{You have unlocked the Crystal Core Exchange Gift Package.}

"What?"

Ivy’s eyes widened slightly.

A gift package?

Before she could process the information, another notification quickly appeared.

Ding!

{Because the Host has exchanged more than 1,000 crystal cores, a special achievement reward has been triggered.}

{Achievement condition completed.}

{Reward: Twenty-Four Military Reconnaissance-Strike Integrated Drones.}

For a brief moment, Ivy simply stared at the notification.

Then her eyes widened even further.

Twenty-four drones?!

Twenty-four military-grade reconnaissance-strike drones.

A wave of excitement surged through her chest.

The drone system she had just purchased was already incredibly valuable, but receiving twenty-four additional military drones as a bonus reward was beyond her expectations.

Even Darren noticed the sudden change in her expression.

"What happened?" he asked curiously.

Ivy slowly lowered her hand and looked toward him. The excitement on her face was impossible to hide.

"Well....," she said with a grin, "we just received an unexpected gift."

Ding!

{Reward has been distributed.}

The system showcased the drones and for several moment, Ivy was completely stunned.

She couldn’t help but cover her mouth with one hand to stop herself from shouting out loud. Her heart raced wildly as she stared at the notification hovering before her.

This reward was simply too unbelievable.

Before she could fully recover from the shock, another notification appeared.

Ding!

{All drones are equipped with different attributes.}

{Would the Host like me to list them?} 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"Yes! Absolutely!" Ivy replied immediately, her eyes widening with curiosity and anticipation. "Please go ahead."

Ding!

{The drones are equipped with advanced night-vision systems, thermal detection capabilities, long-range reconnaissance cameras, automatic target-locking functions, missile attack systems, machine-gun suppression functions, terrain mapping technology, and numerous additional features that the Host will gradually discover during usage.}

A bright smile instantly appeared on Ivy’s face.

"I love this! I really love this!"

There was no hiding the excitement in her voice.

She was genuinely satisfied.

No.

She was beyond satisfied.

Ding!

{With these drones, the defensive capabilities of the base will increase dramatically.}

{Even if a monster horde approaches, the Host will receive advance warning long before it arrives.}