Atlas had secured one Rank-S item from each exclusive banner, though he still hadn’t gotten exactly what he was after—a spear that would be truly useful for him.
Even so, he restrained himself from spending all his remaining tickets. He knew he needed to save resources and focus on preparing for the upcoming casual expedition, which would begin as soon as the teleportation pad was complete.
Deciding to join the others, Atlas pitched in with the terrain work. He watched as Mira guided everyone, helping to water the land and plant seeds. Parts of the island were now covered with patches of grass and flowers, a noticeable improvement from the barren landscape it had been just the day before.
He noticed that everyone was holding hoes and spades.
Wait, where did those come from? he wondered.
After checking, he realized Mira had pulled these tools from her inventory. It was amusing—she had been carrying gardening tools with her all this time.
"Are you fighting with that hoe too, Mira?" he asked as he walked over to the bunny girl, who was cheerfully working the soil.
"My Lord!" she responded instantly, flashing him her bright smile. "I have a lovely hoe that’s better suited for combat, but… I can’t seem to find it in my inventory. Uhm… hehe."
"I’ll see if I can get it for you from my Gacha System. Just need a bit of luck with the pulls. I’ll let you know when it shows up."
"Thanks, My Lord!"
"Do you have any gardening tools for me? I want to join everyone and help with the land.”
Mira blinked and tapped her cheek, surprised. "Are you sure about that, My Lord?"
"Yes, this is our island. We work on it together."
Her grin widened, and she nodded enthusiastically. "Alright!"
She summoned another spade, and Atlas took it, joining the others as they worked on shaping their island together.
Time passed, and the teleportation pad was finally completed. Atlas approached the low, circular structure, its surface marked with glowing runes. Edrik and Karian followed closely behind as he inspected the pad.
"Tell me, Jackpot, can I build two structures at the same time?"
[Host, currently you can only build one structure at a time, but you can set a queue. Once one structure is finished, the next will automatically begin as long as the materials are sufficient.]
"Good," Atlas nodded.
He had already considered what they should build next—Basic Hut Residential.
With the island's population growing, they desperately needed proper shelters. There was no way they could sleep outside any longer; it wouldn’t be good for their health or morale.
Still, he felt the need to build at least three huts. While Edrik and Karian could easily share a space, he wasn’t so sure about putting all three women together. The thought of the Vampire Queen being unhappy about sharing her quarters with others lingered uneasily in his mind.
"Alright, Jackpot, queue up three Basic Huts for me."
[Understood, Host. Task initiated.]
[You have spent 80 units of wood, 50 units of stone, 10 units of iron, and 5 units of mana crystals to build Basic Residential Huts.]
After finishing the construction setting, he summoned the interface for the teleportation pad. To his surprise, the structure unlocked quite a useful feature. He could now see exactly where his floating island was located on the map of New Earth.
His island, The Gacha Haven, was hovering above a vast desert region on the Saharasia Continent. This continent was mostly covered in deserts, with only a small portion being inhabited.
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Despite the barren landscape below, the floating island moved steadily across the sky. Interestingly, the island’s unique gravity made the movement almost unnoticeable to those on board. They felt only a strong breeze, but not the island’s actual movement. Likely because it wasn’t moving too quickly.
"Tell me, Jackpot, can I control the movement of this island?"
[Host, at your current stage, you are unable to control the island’s movement.]
"Okay, fair enough.”
He then scanned the surrounding area, and several items appeared on his screen: unoccupied islands, and—oh—occupied islands too. A few islands nearby were uninhabited, while others had varying development stages, ranging from rank 1 to rank 3.
Islands of the same rank as his could easily become his rivals. Most were probably keeping a close watch on his island, waiting for the moment his protective barrier would fall—likely planning an attack as soon as they spotted an opening.
I’ll have to be prepared when that time comes.
Atlas checked out the nearby floating islands, noticing a variety of sizes—some small, others large enough to house an entire city, and a few even big enough to hold multiple cities. However, the interface didn’t provide any information about who might be inhabiting these islands; it only showed the terrain. There were islands covered in dense jungle, barren icy landscapes, and even volcanic mountain regions.
That’s exactly what I need!
It could offer valuable resources for the island upgrades and also potentially found the materials needed to build the Flame Beacon.
He also considered the likelihood of encountering other floating island inhabitants who might be hunting in the same areas. It was only a matter of time before they crossed paths with potential rivals.
Turning his attention to his team, he reviewed their readiness. Morganna had her signature weapon, and while she was his strongest subordinate at the moment, he wasn’t entirely sure if she was ready to cooperate.
Karian had also secured his signature weapon, making him a solid fighter, and Lyrassa could provide excellent support with her healing abilities. Together, they gave the team a much better chance of surviving any dangerous encounters.
Edrik, while more of an escape artist, was clever enough to keep himself alive in most situations.
As for Mira... No, she’s better off staying on the island. Her level was still the lowest among them, and bringing her along on such a dangerous expedition would be too risky. It was best to let her continue working on the island while they prepared for the next phase.
Atlas thought through his decision once more. In this early phase, he had no choice but to leave the island for exploration and resource gathering. Staying put wasn’t an option—there was nothing to harvest or collect on this island, and without expanding his reach, he couldn’t develop further.
However, venturing outside also posed a real threat. The lords of other floating islands could easily attack him, which presented a significant danger.
"Tell me, Jackpot, is there an easy way to return to the island, say, if we get ambushed during the expedition?"
[Host, you will receive a token that can be used once to open a portal back to the island. Everyone in your party must stand on the circular portal to be transported back.]
[The challenge is ensuring only your party members are on the portal, because if anyone else steps in, there’s a high chance they’ll be brought along as well.]
That could be a problem.
Atlas’s attention was suddenly pulled away by Morganna, who was walking toward him. She made her way to the teleportation pad, giving him a bored look as she stood there.
"Activate this thing. I want to go out. Your stupid island is boring," she said in her usual flat tone.
Atlas couldn’t help but smile. He glanced over at Edrik, Karian, and Lyrassa, who were already ready to go.
Atlas summoned his floating throne, and instantly, a platform appeared beneath it, hovering in the air. He jumped onto the platform, quickly followed by Edrik and Karian.
Lyrassa, to his surprise, floated effortlessly as well, settling onto the platform with her legs dangling over the edge.
Atlas settled into the throne, and the Vampire Queen, Morganna, floated up as well, gracefully landing beside him. She sat casually on the armrest of the throne, leaning slightly against his shoulder.
Mira, who had been watching, waved them off enthusiastically.
"My Lord, everyone, safe travels! Take care and come back soon—I’ll miss you all!" she said with her innocent, cheerful smile.
"Bye, Mira. Take care of the island while we’re gone.”
He then activated the teleportation pad, selecting their destination island. A glowing magic circle formed beneath them.
[Transporting you to the destination Floating Island—Flare Peak.]
A burst of light shot upward, engulfing them as their bodies were quickly pulled into the swirling energy. In an instant, they were on their way to the new island.
Their vision cleared just as a loud crash echoed around them, followed by a deafening roar that seemed to pierce their ears. The intense heat hit them immediately, the air scorching their skin with a sudden, drastic rise in temperature.
Atlas quickly registered his surroundings, scanning the environment to get a sense of where they had landed. The ground beneath them was cracked and scorched, with streams of molten lava snaking through jagged rocks. The sky above was filled with thick clouds, tinged with red from the volcanic glow below.
They were on a hostile, volcanic island—Flare Peak. And who knows what they might encounter there.