[You have received 20 Units of Iron Ingots]

  [You have received 5 Elite Exp Orbs]

  [You have received 10 Small Healing Potion]

  [You have received 5 Elite Exp Orbs]

  [You have received 100 Units of Wood]

  [You have received 1 Fsk of Mighty Brew]

  [A hearty drink that temporarily increases the drinker's physical strength, making them more effective in bat or when lifting heavy objects.]

  [You have received 10 Mana Fruits]

  [A rare fruit that restores a portion of the user’s mana when ed.]

  [You have received Endless Water Fsk]

  [A fsk that refills itself with fresh, water every hour, ensuring that the user always has access to drinkable water in any enviro.]

  Ats quickly opehe 8 Rank-B tickets and leasantly surprised to receive 10 more Elite Exp Orbs. Exp Orbs were always wele additions.

  But there were also three new, intriguing items: a strength booster, a maoration fruit, and, perhaps most valuable of all, an Endless Water Fsk. The st item would be particurly useful, given how quickly the desert enviro draihem of energy ahem parched.

  It wasn’t that they hadn’t brought water, but in this intense heat, their supply was dwindling fast. So, Ats immediately tried out his new, handy Fsk. He ope and spshed the water over his face, it was refreshingly cool.

  He shared the fsk with the others and enced them to be more rexed around him, even suggesting they call him by his name. Being called “Ats” by these loyal fallen Lords still carried plenty of respect, and he found it oddly reassuring.

  Even though some of them still preferred calling him something other than his name, like Lyrassa, who kept calling him "Lord," and Manna, who had called him whatever she wanted from the very beginning.

  Ats went ahead and opehe Rank-A ticket.

  [You have received 1 Rank-A Item: Soulbinding Armor Set]

  Another Soulbinding Armor Set, huh?

  Well, this could definitely e in handy if he decided to give it to someone else. He hoped he’d be able to acquire more of these, too, sifitting all his subordinates with this type of armor would signifitly increase their survival rate.

  Ats decided to offer the armor to the others. His first choice was Karian, as the only true frontliner among them, someone who relied on close-bat skills and physical strength.

  But before he could say anything, he noticed Manna’s gaze fixed on him.

  “Do you want this item?”

  “Give it to me.”

  “Sure if you want it, take it.”

  Ats ha over, and she took it without so much as a thank-you.

  Moments ter, she unlocked the armor. Now, she stood before them dressed in sleek, elegant gear, a mostly bck, form-fitting light armor with deep red ats and a flowing bck cloak lined in crimson color.

  “That looks good on you,” Ats said, smiling.

  She gave no response, simply sat down on the armrest, and activated the armor’s Veil Mode without so much as a gn his dire.

  [Bloodshadalia Armor Set]

  [Grade: Epic]

  [Skills:]

  [Dark Assion (Active)

  Allows the User to briefly take on a shadowy, spectral form, being intangible and immuo physical damage for a short period. Ideal for repositioning or esg.]

  [Eternal Dusk (Passive)

  Boosts the User's spellcasting and agility slightly in dark enviros, refleg its mastery of shadows and blood magic.]

  [Shadowstep Cloak (Active)

  With a burst of speed, the User instantly teleport a short distance, leaving a trail of crimson mist.]

  Not bad. With this armor, at least Manna had a bit more prote.

  He moved on to the st Rank-A Ticket.

  [You have received Rank-A Reward: 500 Gold s]

  Oh? Whoa! 500 Gold?! Damn!

  This was the st thing he expected to get from the gacha, but 500 Gold s? That had to be a big deal, right?

  He still o find more information about the value, but… wait.

  “Jackpot, tell me, what’s the value of 1 Gold pared to the UGD?”

  The UGD, or Unified Global Dolr, was the standard currenow used worldwide. Though eaion had its own currency, the UGD was more practical flobal transas, with a value still equivalent to the former USD.

  [1 Gold is equivalent to 1,000 UGD, Host.]

  “Oh, damn! 1 Gold equals 1,000 UGD? So that means I have a million UGD in my pocket now?”

  Ats grinned just hearing this.

  Sure, in the world of high-level Awakeners, this amount might not be much. Still, he hoped it’d be enough to buy some useful items along the way.

  His attention shifted as he noticed his subordinates all turning to look in the same dire behind them, as if something iing had caught their eye. He turned as well, carefully maintaining the speed of his Floating Throne.

  And there it was, off in the distance, a sight he’d only ever seen in videos until now. The Dune Serpent.

  It wasn’t a monster but an advaransportation device owned by the Saharan Empire. The Dune Serpent was a sleek, high-tech train gliding over the vast desert, its streamlined metallic bodywork refleg the sun. Along its exterior were mounted offensive ons, including ons and turret-like guns.

  This Dune Serpent was the primary means of transport for the people of the Saharan Empire to travel between states and cities. Among the Unions of h, the Saharan Empire was known for its advaeology. They had truly mastered the use of Monster Cores to create powerful energy sources, stantly pushing their teology to new heights.

  “Does your world have anything advanced like that, Edrik?”

  “In the past, yes. But as the powers of the people in my world evolved, the raw strength of Mana Awakeook over, making this kind of tech obsolete, just scrap, no longer a primary option.”

  “Think that might be the future of this world too?” Ats muttered, sidering the possibility.

  “So, where exactly are we?” Edrik asked, looking around.

  “This is the Saharasia ti,” Ats replied. “A vast nd dominated by the Saharan Empire. Most of it is desert, like what you see here, but the Empire has advanced quickly, especially with the kind of teology we’re seeing now.”

  “Looks like they know how to harheir intelligeo manage global ges,” Edrik remarked.

  “Exactly. Awakeners from other tis are always looking for ways to migrate here, despite the harsh ditions. The cities here are incredibly advanced, a plete trast to the surroundi.”

  “I’m curious to see how humans have built their cities in this world.”

  “We’ll be there in just a few minutes.”

  A few mier, a colossal city wall loomed on the horizon, the legendary Dune Bastion. Seeing it up close was even more impressive than Ats had imagihe t wall stretched across the desert, lined with turrets and mounted ons, all ready to defend the city.

  “There it is, the Dune Bastion, Veymar’s great city wall,” Ats announced. “Magnifit, don’t you think?”

  “It certainly looks strong,” Edrik replied, “though against a High-grade beast, anything Legendary and above, those defenses would be practically useless.”

  “Sounds like your wot that brutal, huh?” Ats replied, raising an eyebrow.

  As Ats and his group drew closer, they spotted several…flying vehicles. These were called Dune Phantoms.

  These h bikes had a rugged, streamlined design, with glowing blue engines beh their frames and reinforced armor along their exteriors. Built with dual modes for both hover and nd, they were a signature vehicle of the Saharan Army.

  Two Dune Phantoms desded to meet them, prompting Ats t the Floating Throo a halt.

  From the drivers’ seats, soldiers of the Saharan Army stared back at them, their attire unmistakable: flowing white robes and head aired with sleek, modern armor.

  “Uified personnel! Present your identification and raise your hands immediately!”

  ***

  (Author's Note:)

  Oh, seriously, I’ve got five illustrations for this chapter: the Bloodshadalia, the Dune Serpent, the Dune Bastion, the Dune Phantom, and the Saharan Army.

  Join the Discord server to check them out!

  https://tinyurl./ganteodiscord