Ats approached the spot where Karian had phe Aqua Crystal. He could already see the dry, barren sand beginning to moisten, the dampness spreading outward in a growing circle.

  Edrik joined him.

  “My Lord, this item is incredible. Normally, something like this would only drop from high-grade monsters, but you’ve obtai so early in the game,” Edrik said.

  "Really?" Ats grinned, croug dowhe emerging water sourbsp;

  Curious, he reached out to touch the soil. It was damp, just as he’d hoped. The water source was f, slowly but surely. After a few more moments of waiting, he saw the first small trickle of water surface, gently bubbling up from the ground.

  Excitement surged through him. Ats dug into the softenih, and as he cleared the soil, water began to gush forth, steady and like a natural spring.

  His face lit up with joy. Laughing softly, he leaned down and brought his mouth to the stream, drinking deeply.

  The water was incredibly refreshing, the ess spreading through his body as it revived his parched throat. The taste—slightly sweet and unbelievably crisp—was unlike anything he'd ever had. He felt instantly rejuvenated, his body buzzing with newfound energy.

  “What kind of water is this?” he muttered to himself, uo stop drinking. It was so satisfying, he felt like he could spend hours here, gulping it down.

  Too exhirated to hold back, Ats spshed some of the water on his face, then doused his hair and body with it. Laughing with pure happiness, he stood up, dripping and grinning.

  He turo Edrik and Karian. "Go ahead, don’t hesitate. Drink as much as you want!"

  Edrik smiled and bowed respectfully. “Thank you, My Lord. I’ll let Sir Karian go first.”

  Karian gave a faint smile and k by the water, drinking deeply just as Ats had. Afterward, Edrik followed suit, each of them taking turns to enjoy the life-giving water.

  Ats smiled, feeling a sense of satisfa. In such a short time, his floating isnd was already showing signs of transformation. The once barren nd was now moist, and soon enough, it would bee fertile. The fortress stru was well underway, just a matter of waiting now.

  But he still had plenty of gacha tickets left to open. His excitemeurned, and with a grin, he headed back to the spot where the remaining floating tickets hovered. It was time to ope Rank-A ticket from his sed round of pulls.

  He grabbed the ticket, and a notification appeared before him.

  [You have received a Rank-A on: (Epic-grade) Dragonfang Cleaver.]

  Ats’s eyes lit up with excitement. Finally, his first on! He eagerly reached for the floating greatsword in front of him. The on was impressive—its bde a deep crimse and broad.

  He quickly checked the description of the greatsword, and after a brief g was clear—this on was meant for Karian.

  [Dragonfang Cleaver]

  [Grade: Epic]

  [Strength +200

  Health +4000

  Defense +200]

  [Skills:]

  [Rending Ssh (Active)

  A powerful ssh that rends the enemy’s armor, dealing 550% physical damage and redug enemy defense by 20% for 10 seds.]

  [Crimson Wrath (ditional Passive)

  Increases damage by 5% for each 10% of health lost, up to a maximum of 30%.

  When Karian's health drops below 30%, the swlows with red energy, increasing his attack speed by 25%.]

  This wasn't the first time Ats had held a on, but this one—Dragonfang Cleaver—was by far the most extraordinary on he had ever id hands on. As he admired it, he noticed Edrik and Karian approag slowly, their eyes seemingly drawn to the greatsword.

  "This is yours, right?" Ats asked, turning to Karian.

  "My Lord, five me for being presumptuous. But yes, that is exactly the same greatsword I wielded in battle before I was summoned here."

  Ats smiled. The stats on the greatsword were a perfect match for Karian, a warrior who thrived on strength. The on boosted Strength signifitly, along with Health and Defense—ideal for a close-bat fighter like him.

  From the skill set, Rending Ssh appeared to be an instant attack that could be spammed easily in battle. The skill, Crimson Wrath, suited Karian’s berserker-style fighting perfectly, likely increasing his power witheach 10% health lost.

  It was, without a doubt, an outstanding greatsword.

  "This on is really good.”

  "Thank you, My Lord.”

  Ats tried lifting the greatsword, and indeed, it was quite heavy. His current stats weren’t high enough to wield it effectively. But then again, he wasn’t a greatsword user—he preferred spears, which better suited his fighting style.

  Still, the fact that this greatsword ic-grade made it the highest-grade item he had ever held. The spear he used before was only on-grade, the lowest tier avaible.

  Rare-grade ons were still fairly accessible for low-talent Awakeners like him, but anything beyond that—such as Elite-grade—was sidered a luxury. Most people didn’t even dream of toug ons of that caliber until they reached level 1her.

  And then there ic-grade. These ons were reserved for those with established family backgrounds or members e, prestigious guilds with access to such rare items. Owning o this stage was a huge advantage.

  If Ats wanted, he could simply sell the greatsword for a massive amount of money—enough to live peacefully in a small vilge for the rest of his life. But that wasn’t his goal. He had a cheat system aeo exploit it to its fullest potential.

  He was determio rise quickly, to reach the highest heights. And for that, he he right ons, especially a spear that he could actually use.

  "I hope I pull a spear soon," Ats muttered to himself.

  Ats hahe greatsword to Karian. "Take it. Use it to serve me."

  "Thank you, My Lord," Karian replied, bowing once more before accepting the greatsword, a faint smile of satisfa appearing on his face.

  "Is this the same greatsword you had before?"

  "My Lord, it’s exactly the same greatsword as mine," Karian firmed, "but it’s missing one skill, and the effects of the current skills are a bit weaker than their optimal value."

  "Really?" Ats thought for a moment, and as if on cue, a string of text appeared before him.

  [Host, you pull a copy of the greatsword from the gacha and refihe current one using the duplicate. The on be refined up to five times, and each refi will either upgrade the current skills or unlock a new skill.]

  Ats nodded slowly as he processed the information. So, if he pulled a duplicate on from the gacha, he could choose to give it to someone else or use it to refine and upgrade the one he already had. Iing.

  If he cked enough ons for his team and someone else could make use of a on, it would certainly be more practical to hand it over. But in this case, Dragonfang Cleaver was clearly meant freatsword user, specifically a berserker. And so far, the only person who fit that role on his team was Karian.

  Alright, he decided. He would hold off on refining the greatsword for now, if he happeo pull a duplicate. He’d think it through more carefully and decide then. For now, the priority was to build up his team and equipment.

  Without wasting any time, Ats threw another 10 exclusive tickets into the air, ready for another round of pulls on the Exclusive on Banner.

  The tickets spun in the air, revealing their colors one by one: brown, brown, brown—then purple! Ats smiled. A Rank-A was guaranteed every 10 pulls, so this was expected. But as the tickets tio reveal themselves, somethiing happened—another purple, then brown, brown, brown. And suddenly, one of the tickets started glowing, taking loo reveal its color.

  Its light shifted and deepened until it turned red!

  A grin spread across his face. He had just pulled another Rank-S item so early in his gacha spree!