Floating Islands: SSS Gacha Lord

"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.

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

"It's Epic, My Lord," she responded.

"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 her new outfit, 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 innocently. "Maybe it's trying to help me grow?"

Atlas nearly choked but forced himself to remain composed. "Mira? What's the grade?"

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

"Unique-grade?! Are you sure?"

"Yes!" she said, practically bouncing in place. "And this armor lets me move and attack even faster! Oooh, and look. When I jump, it feels so light, like I'm flying! And if I spin around fast enough, the robe part flutters like wings!"

Atlas pinched the bridge of his nose, holding back a sigh as she continued with excitement.

"And it's so comfy, My Lord! It doesn't even feel like armor. It's like wearing pajamas, but stronger!" she added with a bright grin.

"I see… so this armor truly gives you the freedom to fight even more aggressively, huh?" Atlas replied.

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."

But why had Mira received the higher grade compared to the others? Was it pure luck, or was there another factor at play?

If it truly was luck, then Mira's fortune far surpassed the rest. Atlas couldn't help but recall the island she had first obtained. It had already been vast, overflowing with resources, far greater than what most lords were given at the start.

Yet, if luck wasn't the only factor, then perhaps things like their overall talents, combat experience, or even hidden qualities played a role. If that were the case, Atlas needed to test it further by giving the Soulbinding Armor to another elite subordinate.

Someone like Baldric.

As a blacksmith and a fallen lord, Baldric had once ranked higher than Mira herself. If Atlas entrusted the Soulbinding Armor to him, would it yield the same high grade? Perhaps Unique, or even Legendary?

To find out, he would have to wait for the next batch of Soulbinding Armor to be completed.

More than that, 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.

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.