Floating Islands: SSS Gacha Lord

Atlas opened the system interface for emblem design, half-expecting a complex process, but to his surprise, the system made it incredibly intuitive. With just a few verbal commands or simple gestures, it generated templates, patterns, and visual elements that he could edit in real time.

He took his time with it.

He wanted the emblem to capture the essence of gacha, but translating that into a visual concept wasn't easy. What did chance and randomness look like?

After a few iterations, he found it.

In the center, he placed the silhouette of a die, unmistakably symbolic of luck and chance. Around it, he built a glowing, futuristic portal.

Once satisfied, he tapped the "Complete" button.

Then he moved on to attire design.

Starting with his own, he created a formal Lord's outfit, streamlined but regal, dark with silver trim, and a long, flowing cape bearing the new emblem on the back. He added tailored variations for workers and soldiers.

When everything was finished, he confirmed the setup.

[Task: Design your Emblem – Complete.]

[Task: Set up the attires for the island's inhabitants – Complete.]

[You have received a full set of Lord's attire.]

[You have received a Lord's Cape.]

[Every subordinate, current and future, will receive attire customized to match their role and personality.]

Atlas smiled as the wave of confirmations scrolled past his vision.

Then, as if summoned by the system itself, several neatly folded pieces of fabric materialized in front of him. He reached out and touched the material. It was impossibly soft, smooth yet sturdy, and carried the unmistakable feel of luxury.

Edrik and Karian received their attire moments later.

Edrik's outfit bore a close resemblance to his usual sharp executive suit, though with cleaner lines, upgraded materials, and a distinct emblem stitched onto the lapel. Karian also received his designated attire, similar to Edrik's though Atlas still felt Karian looked more suited to his current armor.

Surprisingly, the system included an automatic equip feature. With a simple command, their current outfits were replaced in an instant. 

Atlas glanced down at himself. His new attire was primarily dark, trimmed with bold, deep gold lines that formed elegant geometric patterns across the chest and sleeves. It fit him perfectly.

He turned his gaze toward his companions. Edrik looked just as poised and polished as ever, though his new outfit added a touch of authority. Karian, on the other hand, his transformation was the most dramatic. The outfit gave him an almost noble edge, something more refined layered over his usual combat-readiness.

But then Atlas paused.

Where had their old outfits gone?

"My Lord, we really like the emblem's design, and these new outfits too," Edrik said with a satisfied nod. "They're sharp and quite eye-catching."

Atlas tilted his head. "Actually, I was just wondering. Where did your previous outfits go? And Karian… What about your greatsword?"

"We were summoned with our Storage Spaces still intact, My Lord," Karian explained. "Though… the capacity is smaller now than it was just before I was summoned."

"Ah," Atlas said thoughtfully. "So that's why Morganna's scythe disappeared after I gave it to her."

It made sense now. Items tied to them simply returned to their own inventory spaces unless actively equipped. 

Atlas scanned through the various new structures that could be built and checked which ones already had enough materials. One structure could be built immediately: the Teleportation Pad. However, he needed to be certain this was the right choice before proceeding.

Luckily, he had experienced people by his side, people who had already built their own Floating Islands. He definitely intended to use their knowledge to avoid any early mistakes.

"Now tell me, what's the best thing to build after the Fortress?" Atlas asked. "I want to hear from you first, Karian."

"My Lord," Karian bowed respectfully. "Resources are crucial for developing the land, and there are different types. Some can be gathered directly using structures like a Lumber Mill and others, but we also need the resources dropped by monsters, which are just as important."

Atlas nodded as he laid out the structures that were currently available for building.

"My Lord," Edrik spoke up, "I believe the Teleportation Pad should be our next structure. It will allow us to travel to the lower lands and also explore nearby floating islands, which is vital for gathering resources, and monster hunting."

[Teleportation Pad: Enables travel between nearby floating islands and the lower lands.]

[Materials Needed:]

[20 Mana Crystals]

[50 Iron]

[5 Elemental Stones]

"Agreed," Atlas said with a grin. "Jackpot. Let's build the Teleportation Pad."

[You have spent 20 Mana Crystals, 50 Units of Iron, 5 Elemental Stones to build Teleportation Pad.]

[The building process will take 4 hours.]

Four hours, plenty of time for Atlas to regroup and prepare. He already had a plan.

Pull more gacha. Collect more weapons, tools, even potential allies. Anything to strengthen Gacha Haven during this critical early stage. But more than that, he'd gained something far more valuable after summoning Morganna. 

Refocusing on the gacha banners, he considered his next move. The first banner had already landed him Morganna as an exclusive character. What could he pull next to bolster his team further?

Wait!

"Jackpot, tell me. What happens if I pull from the Exclusive Character banner and get Morganna again? Are we about to have two of her walking around?"

[Host, duplicate characters don't just sit around. They enhance the original. When you pull a character for the first time, you get them at their base level, Zero Upgrade. Every duplicate you pull afterwards boosts their abilities.]

"And if I've already maxed her out? What then? What do I get if I keep pulling her?"

[In that case, you'll receive Arcane Shards instead.]

"Arcane Shards? I picked up some of those while building my Fortress. What exactly are they?"

[They're a special currency. You can trade them for Gacha Tickets. One ticket costs 160 Arcane Shards, same price whether it's for the standard or exclusive banner. You'll earn more by completing quests, winning battles, hunting rare creatures, and hitting milestones in the Floating Islands.]

[Basically, as long as you stay active and keep progressing, you'll keep earning Arcane Shards, and that means more tickets, more pulls, more chances to power up.]

"160 per ticket, huh? Noted."

Atlas found himself growing restless. He decided to run another round of pulls, but hesitation crept in. Which banner should he go for?

Luck had already smiled on him once. He'd snagged Morganna in just ten pulls. Then, with only twenty more, he landed her signature weapon. That left him with twenty exclusive tickets in hand, plus fifty more still waiting to be delivered by the system. 

Morganna, in her current form, was already a force. He now found himself wondering whether he should use the rest of his tickets to further upgrade her, or hold out for the next exclusive character banner.

On the weapon front, he was all set. Morganna's weapon, the Vampire Queen's legendary scythe, was already his. No point wasting tickets there.

His thoughts drifted to the standard banner. There, five featured characters and their signature weapons were all up for grabs in a single pool. With a hundred pulls lined up, it was a real shot at expanding his team, or landing one of those powerful weapons. What caught his eye most was the spear. As a spear-wielder himself, Atlas found that particular prize hard to ignore.

"Tell me something, Jackpot. Is it better to use all the tickets at once, or…?"

[Pulling all 100 in one go can give you a massive boost all at once. However… there's something important you should consider.]

"And what's that?"

[The gacha system evolves depending on your current state. For example, if you pull an S-tier character at level 50, their stats and abilities will be noticeably weaker than if you pulled the same character at level 200.]

"But hitting higher levels isn't that hard," Atlas pointed out.

[True. But there's also a 10% chance the gacha adapts to your most immediate needs. That includes your team composition, weaknesses, and even recent battle performance.]

"So, it's better to use the standard tickets bit by bit?"

[It won't make a dramatic difference. But yes, gradual pulls are slightly more beneficial in the long run.]

"Appreciate the clarity," Atlas said with a nod.

He pulled out ten standard tickets, smirking as he tossed them into the air.

The first ticket shimmered as it floated down, brown. The second? Brown again. Then another. Still brown. And another. Brown. Brown.

Seven brown in a row.

Then, just as it seemed the streak would never break, the eighth ticket flashed purple. A second purple followed right after. Then a third!

[You have obtained 7 Rank-B items, and 3 Rank-A items!]