Atlas stepped out of the tent, still adjusting his clothes and shrouded in a whirlwind of questions. Morganna was still asleep inside. Though they had been under a blanket, he had a nagging feeling she was wearing far less than she had before. As for himself? He had been completely naked earlier.
Just what the hell happened last night?
He checked his neck—no new bite marks. His hands? Normal. No paleness indicating he'd turned into a vampire. His skin was still warm, still human. He even checked his throat and body, feeling more energized than ever.
I feel like I could run around this island a hundred times, he thought, surprised at the surge of energy coursing through him.
Then, with a hint of dread, he checked... down there.
It's more... tense than usual—no, it's normal! It's just the morning!
No! What am I even thinking?
He shook his head, trying to dispel the ridiculous thought.
That couldn't have happened!
But still… how had he ended up naked? Who had undressed him? Had anything happened between them? He couldn't remember a thing, and that only made it worse.
His frantic thoughts came to a sudden stop when he looked around. The once barren, sandy ground beneath him was now covered in soft, lush grass.
What...?
He scanned the area and noticed Karian and Edrik in the far end of the island. What are they doing over there? he wondered, but that wasn't the most shocking part.
Grass, even flowers, had sprouted. He turned his attention toward the spot where the Aqua Crystal had been set up the day before and hurried over, unable to believe what he was seeing.
There, where the dry ground had been, a pond had formed, crystal-clear water shimmering in the early morning light.
Edrik and Karian approached with smiles on their faces.
"My Lord, I hope you had a wonderful night's sleep," Edrik was the first to speak, his tone light but with a hint of something else.
Atlas eyed them both suspiciously.
Do they know something about what happened in the tent?
"My Lord, I dug around here and made it into a small pond," Karian chimed in.
"Yes!" Atlas responded quickly, still feeling a bit off balance. He crouched down by the pond, scooped some water into his hands, and splashed it on his face.
Oh my goodness, he thought, this water is so fresh, so clean.
As he enjoyed the refreshing sensation of the water, he noticed Edrik and Karian's attention had shifted. Atlas followed their gaze and saw Morganna emerging from the tent. She was back in her dress, her face unreadable as she glanced in their direction without saying a word.
She held a bottle of drink and a snack, making her way over to a camping chair where she sat down, eating and drinking casually, as if nothing had happened.
Does she not remember what happened last night either? Atlas wondered, trying to make sense of the situation.
Why isn't she acting any differently?
"My Lord, the fortress," Edrik spoke again, breaking Atlas from his thoughts.
Atlas turned his attention to the new structure that he had noticed but hadn't fully processed until now. The Outpost Fortress—it stood behind the tent, towering over the island like a symbol of new beginnings.
He rose to his feet and took in the sight. The Outpost Fortress was modest yet impressive, with tall stone walls made of smooth, dark-gray stone. A watchtower stood proudly at the center, keeping a watchful eye over the island. It had a unique ancient medieval design, which felt out of place in their modern, post-apocalyptic era.
But it wasn't entirely strange—Atlas knew that as the Fortress progressed through stages, its design would evolve as well. Eventually, it would grow from its medieval roots into something futuristic.
Atlas explored the interior of the fortress, stepping into an open space that could serve multiple purposes—perhaps a spot to set up a tent, a training area, or anything else that could be useful, all protected by the fortress's sturdy walls. Off to one side, he noticed a more developed structure with three floors.
He walked into one of the rooms, which was furnished with a few chairs and tables. Another room was mostly empty, except for several large chests stacked in the corners.
"My Lord, we can store items in those Inventory Chests," Edrik explained.
"So, are these connected to the same inventory storage I can access through the system?"
"Correct, My Lord."
Atlas continued his tour of the fortress, moving upstairs to a control room on the second floor, and finally, up to the watchtower at the very top. From there, he had a clear view of the entire island. It was impressive—everything looked smaller, more manageable from this vantage point, and he could easily keep an eye on the whole island from up here.
"Remarkable," he muttered to himself.
But there was one more thing nagging at him. He hadn't yet checked the notifications he received after waking up this morning. With a slight sense of urgency, Atlas opened the system menu, scrolling back to review what he had skipped earlier in the rush of confusion and curiosity.
Atlas scrolled through the notifications.
[Congratulations! The Fortress Stage 1 has been successfully built.]
[You have unlocked a new structure: Basic Barracks.]
[You have unlocked a new structure: Residential Huts.]
[You have unlocked a new structure: Teleportation Pad.]
[You have unlocked a new structure: Lumber Mill.]
[You have unlocked a new structure: Quarry.]
[You have unlocked a new structure: Mana Well.]
[You have unlocked a new structure: Training Grounds.]
[You have unlocked a new structure: Blacksmith Workshop.]
[..]
This is amazing!
[New Task: Assign new name for the island.]
[New Task: Design your attires.]
[New Task: Design your Emblem.]
[..]
[You have received 10 Elemental Stones.]
[You have received 500 Arcane Shards.]
[You have received 500 Gold.]
[..]
[You have unlocked the Island Management Feature.]
[You can further develop your island and expand it by fulfilling certain requirements.]
[You have unlocked the Resource Detection Scanner.]
[The scanner detects nearby resources, including dungeons and unclaimed floating islands.]
Atlas read through the notifications one by one, though it was a lot to take in all at once. Still, he managed to summarize the key points: new structures to build, small tasks like setting up the island's name, attire, and emblem, along with some pretty decent bonuses.
Arcane Shards? He wasn't sure what those were exactly yet, and the 500 Gold—he had no idea how much that would get him.
And then there were features like Island Management, and the Resource Detection Scanner.
I'll have to figure those out later.
But first, the most important task: naming the island.
He summoned the system interface and began brainstorming a name, something that related to the concept of gacha.
After some thought, he found the perfect name.
[Congratulations! You have named your Floating Island: Gacha Haven.]
He smiled as the notification appeared. Edrik and Karian seemed to notice his satisfaction. And he explained the details to them.
"My Lord, that's a unique name. It directly reflects the distinct nature of our floating island. I like the idea," Edrik commented.
Karian, on the other hand, seemed puzzled. "I'm not familiar with this term... gacha?"
Edrik smirked. "Your world must be terribly dull. What kind of place doesn't even know what gacha is?"
Atlas chuckled. "Don't worry, you'll catch on soon enough. But for now, we need to focus. Help me design our attire and the island emblem."