Floating Islands: SSS Gacha Lord-Chapter 350 - Spoils of Fire

Without much expectation, Atlas opened the chest. A burst of golden light flared out, forcing him to narrow his eyes against the sudden glow. When the radiance dimmed, he tilted his head slightly in confusion.

Inside lay five items, stacked haphazardly atop one another. A longsword, a longbow, a halberd, a great hammer, and a great shield.

Each weapon shared a striking design: their surfaces shimmered with faint veins of ember-red energy, and the metal itself seemed to pulse with residual heat. Scales from the slain Leviathan were visibly embedded into their crafting.

But one thing instantly caught Atlas’s attention.

He reached down and lifted the long sword, nearly as tall as he was. The weapon felt alive in his hands, warm to the touch, as though fire still burned within it. When he inspected its status, his eyes widened in disbelief.

[Vulkaris Spineblade (Legendary)]

"What? Legendary grade?" he breathed, feeling his heartbeat quicken.

Driven by curiosity, Atlas immediately checked the remaining four weapons.

[Emberfury Longbow (Legendary)]

[Pyrestorm Halberd (Legendary)]

[Moltenheart Greatshield (Legendary)]

[Blazeforge Hammer (Legendary)]

He stood there in stunned silence for a moment before letting out a short, astonished laugh. All five of them. Legendary-grade weapons.

Atlas turned toward Edrik. "Five Legendary-grade weapons," he repeated quietly, almost as if saying it aloud would make it feel more real.

"That’s an incredibly generous reward, my lord," Edrik replied. "All five are Legendary-grade. Honestly, that’s almost too extravagant. But perhaps it’s because we defeated the monster after its level increased. Now at level 167, while it was only level 136 when we first discovered it."

Atlas nodded, a faint smile tugging at his lips. He gently set the longsword back into the chest, shaking his head.

"The longsword isn’t too different from a spear. They share the same fighting range," he said. "But I have no intention of learning another melee weapon. The halberd and hammer are the same, and the shield... that’s just not for me."

Edrik studied the remaining weapons, then spoke thoughtfully. "You could take the longbow, my lord. It carries a fire element. It might help you trigger your own affinity with fire as well."

Atlas lifted the Emberfury Longbow from the chest and stepped back, giving himself enough space to test it properly. He drew the string carefully, feeling the heavy resistance immediately.

Despite his high Strength stat, the tension in the bowstring demanded real power. It was a weapon that refused to be handled lightly.

"Every arrow fired becomes a streak of molten ember." He paused briefly, then continued, "Arrows explode in a cone behind the target. Splash damage. Burn effect." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

From the skill description alone, it didn’t seem overly impressive. At least, not without the proper archery specialization. Its true potential would only reveal itself in the hands of someone with mastery over bow techniques and fire-element synergy.

Another ability caught his eye:

[Flame Serpent Volley: Arrows transform into serpentine fire trails that track multiple enemies.]

Now that was interesting. Auto-tracking arrows that could pursue several targets at once. Combined with a skilled archer’s precision and damage output, this bow could devastate enemy formations from a safe distance.

Atlas couldn’t deny that the weapon intrigued him, especially given its Legendary grade. He could keep it for now. Maybe trade it for another Legendary item that fits his build better. Yet finding a fair trade would be difficult, unless he auctioned it and used the funds to bid for something more compatible.

Among his forces, it shouldn’t be hard to find an archer with fire affinity. Out of the 721 combatants under his command, several were known for their ranged prowess.

He exhaled softly, lowering the bow. Should I pass this to someone else?

For now, Atlas decided to keep the longbow with him until he found the right candidate. He turned toward Edrik.

"Store this one under my name for now," he said. "Make sure the rest of the weapons go to the right hands. I want every piece used to its fullest potential."

**

That night, Atlas received a visit from Luna and Ember, something that had become a routine lately. Especially now that the deadline for the Dominion Convergence was drawing near.

Luna projected a floating screen before them, displaying live updates from the other lords within their alliance.

Since Atlas’s massive assault on the Bolin Alliance days ago, where his forces wiped out over a thousand enemy troops from multiple opposing lords, and Atlas himself personally eliminated 179 of Bolin’s men.. The political landscape had shifted dramatically.

"Just as you predicted, Atlas," Luna began. "They’re deploying their troops to scan every floating island in the surrounding sectors, especially those near our domain."

Atlas nodded slowly. "That was expected. They trust too much in their own strength. Our ambush may have hit them hard, but they’ll treat it as a minor setback. Since they see us as ambushers, they’ll try to counter that by relying on brute force and overwhelming numbers."

Luna nodded in agreement. "Even though we managed to wipe out a large portion of their troops, their remaining forces are still enormous. At least twice, maybe even three times our current numbers."

Atlas’s gaze hardened slightly, but his voice remained composed. "We still have time. We’ll keep tracking their movements and strike them through guerrilla tactics again. The more we chip away at their armies before the Convergence, the better our odds will be."

He folded his arms, thinking aloud. "And I’m certain they’ll spend the next few days leveling up their forces. Their pride won’t allow them to show weakness during the official war. That arrogance will keep them predictable, and that’s exactly what we’ll use against them."

Atlas fell silent for a moment, focusing his thoughts before speaking again.

"We can go all out to crush them in these remaining days. Even after the Dominion Convergence begins, we’ll still have chances to strike from the shadows and eliminate their forces one by one. That way, their strength will continue to crumble before the official battle even starts."

"The question is," Ember said then, her tone noticeably more serious than usual, "have you decided for sure whether you’ll challenge them in the next event, Atlas?"

Atlas nodded slowly, his expression firm. "Whether we issue the challenge or not, my decision is final. Their alliance will fall."

His gaze hardened. "The conflict between our alliances can no longer be softened. They’ll keep coming at us with their numbers, and they won’t stop until they’ve completely destroyed us. So we’ll do the same, and end it before they can."

Luna nodded in agreement. "In terms of rank, we still don’t have any Rank-3 Lords on our side, but several of us are already close. Many are nearing level 150."

Atlas nodded again. He himself was already level 139. Reaching level 150 was no simple task, it required time and enormous effort. Fortunately, he possessed a set of abilities and tools that made large-scale battles far more efficient for him. With each successful hunt or raid, his progress soared faster than most could manage.

"There’s no class advancement at level 150," Luna continued. "That’s why the gap between Rank-2 Lords and Rank-3 Lords is mostly just about level differences. The real transformation comes at the next advancement tier. But for now, we can still compete with them on nearly equal ground."

Atlas offered a faint smile, knowing what she meant. Luna herself was already just a few battles away from that milestone. Once she reached it, she would officially ascend to Pathfinder Lord Rank-3, strengthening their alliance’s overall power even further.

They continued discussing their current position carefully. If the Bolin Alliance needed to level up their forces, then so did Atlas and his own alliance. Both sides were racing against time to strengthen their armies before the Dominion Convergence began.

The problem was, the monsters on Shattered Ember were no longer enough to sustain the leveling needs of thousands of soldiers from the thirteen lords under Atlas’s alliance. The island’s creature population had already been reduced drastically.

"We can level up faster by ambushing enemy troops," Atlas said. "That method is far more efficient. Hunting monsters would only expose our movements, and once they notice that, they’ll come straight for us."

He paused briefly, then a small smile appeared on his face. "But... I have a few strategies in mind. We’ll start implementing them tomorrow. If they’re so eager to hunt us, then let’s make our position look like easy prey, and use that to strike back. Let’s see just how stubborn they really are. How long they’ll keep thinking brute force alone can win against us."

The truth was, Atlas’s alliance was far from weak. Their numbers were smaller, yes, but every single lord remaining was a survivor. Their systems were higher rank.

They were few, the last of those who survived. And for that very reason, they would keep fighting, and win every battle that dared to stand in their way!