Floating Islands: SSS Gacha System-Chapter 152 - An Unseen Enemy

"My armor is Elite-grade, My Lord," Garen was the first to respond.

"Elite-grade?"

Atlas murmured, not particularly surprised. He hadn't set his expectations too high, especially since this was their first batch. Still, the Soulbinding Armor was already far superior to any armor they had previously owned.

"What about the armor itself, Garen?"

"My Lord... the armor amplifies fire elements, functioning as both offense and defense at the same time."

"That's good." Atlas nodded in approval before turning to Kaida.

"It's Epic, My Lord," she responded. "And this armor can convert a portion of the damage I take into Mana and amplify my fire magic."

"Epic? Nice!" Atlas grinned. "Congratulations, Kaida! We've got our first Epic-grade armor. And I must say, the skills from this armor are perfectly suited for you as a mage."

He then shifted his gaze to Veylor.

"My Lord, my armor is also Elite-grade," Veylor said. "Though, it does enhance my mobility, which complements my fighting style."

"That's fine... I suppose we really need to manage our expectations," Atlas replied. "At the very least, the armor itself is already incredible. Okay, two Elite-grade and one Epic-grade—good results so far..."

He tried to keep his expectations in check. Deep down, he had hoped for at least Epic-grade, but now, seeing these results, he couldn't help but wonder—could the armor actually produce something beyond Epic-grade?

Maybe even Unique-grade... or better yet, Legendary-grade.

His eyes finally landed on Mira, who was still admiring herself in the armor, running her hands over its design. At one point, she even pressed her hands against the chest plate, tilting her head curiously.

"This armor makes my chest look bigger," she giggled.

Atlas forced himself to stay composed at Mira's reaction. "Mira? What's the grade?"

"Unique-grade, My Lord!" she said enthusiastically.

"Unique-grade?! Are you sure?"

"Yes! And this armor lets me move and attack even faster... I really love it, My Lord!"

"I see... so this armor truly gives you the freedom to fight even more aggressively, huh?" Atlas responded with a smirk.

He whistled in amazement, and even Baldric, who had been quietly observing from the side, looked genuinely impressed.

"That's spectacular! Unique-grade on the first batch, hahaha! That means Legendary-grade is still within reach."

"Indeed!" Atlas nodded. "If we manage to get Unique-grade this early, then there's a real chance we can achieve even higher grades in the future."

However... even after ensuring that everyone on the island received a Soulbinding Armor, a greater ambition burned within him.

He didn't just want them to have armor—he wanted all of them to be equipped with at least Epic-grade armor.

If they could achieve a minimum of Epic-grade, it would put them on par with the quality granted by the System's gacha—and that would be a true game-changer.

"Tell me, Baldric. How do we upgrade the armor's grade? Is it even possible? I mean, once we've managed to equip everyone with their first Soulbinding Armor."

"Yes," Baldric replied casually. "A person can apply the item again, meaning they can overwrite a previously bound armor with a new one. However... there's no guarantee that the grade will increase. So yeah, if we want a higher grade for everyone, we just need to mass-produce as many armors as possible, let the unlucky ones bind a new item, and then pray for better luck next time, hahaha."

Atlas slowly nodded, processing the information.

They still needed more armor—and fast. If possible, he wanted Baldric to craft as many as he could, as quickly as possible.

However... the material gathering rate on the island was painfully slow.

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

How long had they been here? Over two weeks, and yet Baldric had only managed to produce four Soulbinding Armors. At this pace, it would take weeks, months, or even years to craft enough armor for every inhabitant of the island. In fact, the harvesting process might have to continue indefinitely if they truly wanted to equip everyone.

Still, Atlas remained optimistic that production could speed up once they had full control over the island. At the very least, they wouldn't have to hide while gathering materials, and they could deploy more people to the task.

That was his ultimate goal.

"The ore collection rate is much faster than the thread collection," Baldric added. "I mean, for the ore, at least, we can safely say I can craft another ten armors from it."

"That sounds good." Atlas nodded slowly.

"In that case, focus on crafting the ten armors first, Baldric," Atlas instructed. "I think it's time we move on to the next phase of the plan."

The great war was now looming on the horizon.

Atlas and his troops had gathered enough resources to strengthen themselves, and several of them had also leveled up. It was an incredible step forward.

The question now was—how would they execute their overall strategy to compensate for the raw power gap between Gacha Haven and their enemies?

On this island, where the Lords and their forces had far higher average levels, sheer raw power alone wouldn't decide victory.

Victory would come through strategy, through exploiting every possible advantage, and through executing their plans without hesitation.

***

Inside a dimly lit tent, a man sat atop a table, analyzing the data spread out before him. The flickering light cast long shadows across his heavy dark armor, and his long blonde hair draped over his shoulders as he focused.

A voice called from outside.

"My Lord, we've found where they're hiding."

"Enter," the man responded, his tone calm yet commanding.

The soldier stepped inside without hesitation.

"Is it something important?" the Lord asked, his gaze still fixed on the documents in front of him.

The man gave a slight bow before speaking.

"Our scouting efforts have pinpointed the location where this Lord and his forces are hiding. There's a cave near one of our controlled key zones—its entrance faces outward toward the island's outer edge, making it difficult to spot, even for those passing nearby. However, it seems they've devised a method to conceal the entrance, preventing outsiders from discovering it."

The Lord listened carefully before responding. "What about their strength?"

"They are not that strong, My Lord—most of them seem to be below level 100."

"That will be easy..." the Lord remarked, a hint of amusement in his tone.

"However, My Lord, there is one more crucial detail we discovered."

"And what is that?"

"I believe the Lord we're dealing with is the same one you once offered a place in our alliance—before the Dominion Skirmish."

The Lord fell silent for a moment.

"Are you saying it's... Atlas of Gacha Haven?"

The soldier gave another slight bow. "I saw that dwarf blacksmith among them, along with several familiar faces. I am certain of it."

At that, Kaelzar—the very same Lord who had once extended an offer to Atlas—let out a small chuckle, his expression shifting to one of clear interest.

"So that guy actually came here?"

A grin spread across his face—one that was both amused and intrigued.

"That's how arrogant he is, huh?" he muttered to himself.

Kaelzar paused for a moment, deep in thought, before turning slightly, as if savoring how he could twist this situation into something entertaining for himself.

"They've been hiding all this time without being detected?" Kaelzar mused with interest. "I have to admit, he has some skill if he managed to evade our surveillance for this long. And now, we've finally found him."

"What exactly are they doing inside that cave? Cowering like starving rats? Did they come to this island just to hide? How much strength do they actually have?"

"My Lord," the soldier bowed slightly before responding. "We have yet to assess the full extent of their power. They appear to be hunting inside the cave—though we're not sure what for. However, some of us suspect that there is a valuable resource hidden within, something they deliberately don't want anyone else to find."

Kaelzar nodded slowly, considering the explanation.

"That does seem logical. If they weren't harvesting something, they wouldn't have stayed inside for this long. But... I'm also curious—what exactly are they hiding in there?"

Kaelzar fell silent for a moment, deep in thought. Then, after some time, he finally spoke again.

"Deploy twenty men to raid the cave. Capture whoever you find. If they resist—kill them. Leave only the Lord alive... and—"

Kaelzar paused, licking his chilled lips, his expression darkening.

"Leave the women alive as well."

Another pause.

"Especially if you find the black-haired woman..." His lips curled into a wicked grin. "Yes, I want her."

"As you command, My Lord."