Atlas approached the spot where Karian had planted the 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 obtained it so early in the game," Edrik said.
"Really?" Atlas grinned, crouching down near the emerging water source.
Curious, he reached out to touch the soil. It was damp, just as he'd hoped. The water source was forming, 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. Atlas dug into the softening earth, and as he cleared the soil, water began to gush forth, steady and clean 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 coolness 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, unable to stop drinking. It was so satisfying, he felt like he could spend hours here, gulping it down.
Too exhilarated to hold back, Atlas splashed 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 turned to 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 knelt by the water, drinking deeply just as Atlas had. Afterward, Edrik followed suit, each of them taking turns to enjoy the life-giving water.
Atlas smiled, feeling a sense of satisfaction. In such a short time, his floating island was already showing signs of transformation. The once barren land was now moist, and soon enough, it would become fertile. The fortress construction was well underway, just a matter of waiting now.
But he still had plenty of gacha tickets left to open. His excitement returned, and with a grin, he headed back to the spot where the remaining floating tickets hovered. It was time to open the last Rank-A ticket from his second round of pulls.
He grabbed the ticket, and a notification appeared before him.
[You have received a Rank-A weapon: (Epic-grade) Dragonfang Cleaver.]
Atlas's eyes lit up with excitement. Finally, his first weapon! He eagerly reached for the floating greatsword in front of him. The weapon was impressive—its blade a deep crimson, large and broad.
He quickly checked the description of the greatsword, and after a brief glance, it was clear—this weapon was meant for Karian.
[Dragonfang Cleaver]
[Grade: Epic]
[Strength +200
Health +4000
Defense +200]
[Skills:]
[Rending Slash (Active)
A powerful slash that rends the enemy's armor, dealing 550% physical damage and reducing enemy defense by 20% for 10 seconds.]
[Crimson Wrath (Conditional 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 sword glows with red energy, increasing his attack speed by 25%.]
This wasn't the first time Atlas had held a weapon, but this one—Dragonfang Cleaver—was by far the most extraordinary weapon he had ever laid hands on. As he admired it, he noticed Edrik and Karian approaching slowly, their eyes seemingly drawn to the greatsword.
"This is yours, right?" Atlas asked, turning to Karian.
"My Lord, forgive me for being presumptuous. But yes, that is exactly the same greatsword I wielded in battle before I was summoned here."
Atlas smiled. The stats on the greatsword were a perfect match for Karian, a warrior who thrived on strength. The weapon boosted Strength significantly, along with Health and Defense—ideal for a close-combat fighter like him.
From the skill set, Rending Slash appeared to be an instant attack that could be spammed easily in battle. The next 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 weapon is really good."
"Thank you, My Lord."
Atlas 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 was Epic-grade made it the highest-grade item he had ever held. The spear he used before was only Common-grade, the lowest tier available.
Rare-grade weapons were still fairly accessible for low-talent Awakeners like him, but anything beyond that—such as Elite-grade—was considered a luxury. Most people didn't even dream of touching weapons of that caliber until they reached level 100 or higher.
And then there was Epic-grade. These weapons were reserved for those with established family backgrounds or members of large, prestigious guilds with access to such rare items. Owning one at this stage was a huge advantage.
If Atlas wanted, he could simply sell the greatsword for a massive amount of money—enough to live peacefully in a small village for the rest of his life. But that wasn't his goal. He had a cheat system and he intended to exploit it to its fullest potential.
He was determined to rise quickly, to reach the highest heights. And for that, he needed the right weapons, especially a spear that he could actually use.
"I hope I pull a spear soon," Atlas muttered to himself.
Atlas handed the 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 satisfaction appearing on his face.
"Is this the same greatsword you had before?"
"My Lord, it's exactly the same greatsword as mine," Karian confirmed, "but it's missing one skill, and the effects of the current skills are a bit weaker than their optimal value."
"Really?" Atlas thought for a moment, and as if on cue, a string of text appeared before him.
[Host, you can pull a copy of the greatsword from the gacha and refine the current one using the duplicate. The weapon can be refined up to five times, and each refinement will either upgrade the current skills or unlock a new skill.]
Atlas nodded slowly as he processed the information. So, if he pulled a duplicate weapon from the gacha, he could choose to give it to someone else or use it to refine and upgrade the one he already had. Interesting.
If he lacked enough weapons for his team and someone else could make use of a weapon, it would certainly be more practical to hand it over. But in this case, Dragonfang Cleaver was clearly meant for a greatsword 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 happened to 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, Atlas threw another 10 exclusive tickets into the air, ready for another round of pulls on the Exclusive Weapon Banner.
The tickets spun in the air, revealing their colors one by one: brown, brown, brown—then purple! Atlas smiled. A Rank-A was guaranteed every 10 pulls, so this was expected. But as the tickets continued to reveal themselves, something exciting happened—another purple, then brown, brown, brown. And suddenly, one of the tickets started glowing, taking longer to 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!