Sihere were three target isnds to scout during the first week of the battle phase, Ats decided to delegate the Mission ander role for the other two isnds to Lyrassa and Karian. He himself would take the Mission ander role for the third isnd, which was the rank-2 isnd—the most dangerous of the three.

  The Mission ander is a critical position, granting the assigned leader access to special features and skills. These include summoning reinforts, retreating troops when necessary, and utilizing strategic abilities uo each Lord.

  It wasn’t a role to be taken lightly. The Mission ander’s decisions could mean the differeween victory and disaster.

  [The Dominion Skirmish Battle Phase Has Begun]

  [Objective: Secure and Domiarget Isnds]

  [Duration: 60 Days]

  In the end, each Lord would only be able to cim one isnd from the three they quered by the end of the phase. The remaining isnds would be awarded to those in sed or third positions.

  Because of this, the distribution of resources and forces would py a crucial role. How each team divided their strength and executed their strategies would determine whether they could secure the best isnd possible by the end of the battle phase.

  Ats stood at the head of the gathered forces, watg as eaander and crew took their positions in perfectly formed lines.

  For the initial summoning, each rank-1 Lord could summon up to 50 personnel, with a cap of 100 personnel on the isnd. Rank-2 Lords, meanwhile, could summon up to 75 personnel, with a cap of 150.

  This meant they couldn’t deploy their entire forces at ohey would o summon more troops gradually as the battle progressed.

  At the front of her squad, Lyrassa stood with Mira at her side.

  Lyrassa took a step forward and bowed respectfully toward Ats.

  “My Lord,” she said. “I will depart now and carry out our mission as pnned.”

  Ats gave her a sloroving nod.

  As soon as Lyrassa straightehe gathered troops shouted in unison:

  “FIRE!”

  The sound echoed across the camp.

  The magic circles beh Lyrassa’s team ignited. In a fsh, Lyrassa, Mira, Team Bze and Team Dusk disappeared.

  Their mission had begun.

  , it was Karian and Milo’s turn to depart.

  Karian stepped forward with a bright, enthusiastic grin.

  “My Lord, we’re heading out!” he announced boldly. “We will sughter our enemies, just as we pnned.”

  Beside him, Milo gave a firm nod.

  Ats watched them for a moment before a simple, steady response. “Good lud take care of each other.”

  Without missing a beat, the gathered troops shouted once more, “FIRE!”

  In an instant, magic circles ignited beh Karian, Milo, Team Aether, and Team Eclipse. The symbols spun faster and faster until, with a blinding fsh of light, they vanished into thin air.

  The seission was now underway.

  Now, it was Ats’s turn to head toward the final isnd—the rank-2 isnd, Shattered Ember Isles.

  But before starting it, he took a moment to double-check his status.

  [s Bckthorn]

  [Level: 51]

  [Strength: 239 | Agility: 135 | Intelligence: 92 | stitution: 136 | Stamina: 152]

  [Avaible Stat Points: 10]

  [Job: The Lord]

  [Css: Tempest Warden]

  [Ironcd Will (S) - Tactical Awareness (A) - Instinctual and (A) - Elemental Spear Mastery (S) - Elemental Dominion (S) - anding Presence (S) - Bloodbound Vigor (S)]

  Opening his personal interface, he quickly sed through his stats. He had 10 unassigat points. Without hesitation, he allocated all of them to Intelligence—his lowest stat.

  He also took one final moment to review the list of skills he possessed and their current levels. He o ensure he was fully prepared for what y ahead.

  [Elite - Flurry of Spears (Active) Lv. 4]

  Flurry of Spears, a skill he had obtained from the Skill Scroll, had now reached level 4. It was an excellent siarget offensive ability.

  [Epic - Bloodlink and (Active) Lv. 2]

  [Elite - Duskbound Presence (ditional Passive) Lv. 3]

  [Epic - Bloodrush (Active) Lv. 2]

  Bloodlink and was one of the three skills he had gained from his bond with Manna. It provided a team-wide buff that granted mineion and lifesteal, useful for prolonged battles.

  Duskbound Presence, weakehe attack power of enemies in range while boosting the critical rate of himself.

  Bloodrush was a direct buff to speed and agility, giving him a burst of speed when needed.

  [Epic - Inferno Fortitude (Passive) Lv. 3]

  Inferno Fortitude, a passive skill he had acquired through his interaining in voliviros, boosted both his endurand speed when fighting in such ditions.

  [Epic - Instinctive Elemental Sense (Passive)]

  Instinctive Elemental Sense assive skill that sharpened his awareness of elemental shifts in the enviro—a result of his training without relying on any of his senses.

  [Epic - Elemental vergence (Active, Versatile)]

  [Epic - Lifebound Shield (Passive, Defensive)]

  [Epic - Elemental Markings (Verdant Shadow)]

  From his bond with Lyrassa, he had gaihree more skills.

  Elemental vergence allowed him to temporarily fuse two elements to create powerful, versatile attacks.

  Lifebound Shield, a passive defensive skill, formed a protective elemental shield around his body, abs damage.

  Finally, Elemental Markings was a unique mark on his back that boosted his elemental damage output and enhanced his bat performan shadowy areas.

  were the three skills he had gained after his interaining with the spear, fighting without senses and learning to rely solely oal particles in the enviro.

  [Epic - Resonant Spear Field (Passive Skill) Lv. 2]

  [Epic - Elemental Spear Resonance (Passive Skill) Lv. 2]

  [Epic - Crystalline Spear Flow (Passive Skill) Lv. 2]

  Resonant Spear Field assive skill that created a resonant energy field during bat, amplifying elemental effects in the area. Depending on the dominant element in the enviro, it would provide subtle enhas to his abilities.

  Elemental Spear Resonance assive skill that allowed him to el elemental energy more effitly through his spear. It enhanced critical damage and geed area damage whenever he successfully performed a parry. Additionally, it provided a bonus to stamina regeion.

  Crystalline Spear Flow owerful enha skill that infused his spear with water and ice elements. It boosted his damage output signifitly and geed a protective shield around him, capable of abs a portion of ining attacks.

  [Elite - Thunderpierce Thrust (Active Skill) Lv. 7]

  [Elite - Tempest Guard (ditional Passive Skill) Lv. 8]

  [Elite - Tempest Arc (Active Skill) Lv. 4]

  The hree skills came from merging abilities after Ats unlocked the Tempest Warden css.

  Thunderpiece Thrust focused on siarget damage, Tempest Guard was a defensive skill, and Tempest Arc was an area-of-effect attack.

  [Epic - Spiral Tide (Active Skill) Lv. 1]

  [Epic - Lightning Step (Active Skill) Lv. 1]

  [Epic - Tidecaller’s Flow (Passive Skill) Lv. 1]

  The hree were his new skills from the Tempest Warden css.

  Alright all set.

  With him stood his elite team: Manna, Edrik, Kurogasa, Baldrid the troops of Team der.

  Their arrival point would be random, scattered across unknown locations oargeted isnd. There was no telling what they might enter upon arrival—monsters, enemy forces, or the brutal enviro itself. Whatever awaited them, they had to be ready.

  Ats addressed the entire group.

  “Cast all buffs and ready your ons,” he anded. “This isnd is most likely volic, so we should be familiar with the harsh ditions. But no matter what we face—t.”

  “FIRE!”

  The troops gave a unified shout, steeling themselves for what y ahead.

  The magic circles expanded, and one by ohe eeam was ed by the blinding light.

  The sensation was instant.

  The familiar pull of summoning magic tugged at their bodies, dist time and space. The transition was quick, but the moment they felt the ge in the air, something was off.

  The temperature wasn’t what they had expected.

  It wasn’t scorg hot.

  It was freezing cold!

  Ats opened his eyes, and his vision blurred for a moment before a blinding light pierced through the fog. His skin prickled from the frigid air, and when he adjusted to the brightness, his surroundings came into focus.

  What y before them wasn’t a sea of molten va.

  It was a volidscape pletely frozen over—bed rod jagged peaks covered in yers of glittering ice, with cracks of blue frost veins running through the ground. Steam hissed from the frozeh, rising into the sky like ghostly tendrils.

  “This… isn’t what we expected.”

  “Stay alert,” Edrik warned.

  Kurogasa stepped forward from the front of the formation, his bde already in hand.

  "My Lord, we have guests," he said, his tone calm but with a hint of warning.