Chapter 284: Chapter 284 - We’ll Plant Them Again
[Karmina of Bloodroot Hollow has declared a retreat.]
[You have earned 15 Rank Points.]
[You have been rewarded with 20% of the opposing lord’s remaining resources.]
[30 units from the enemy forces have been transferred to Gacha Haven.]
[3,400 Gold has been acquired from the opposing lord’s treasury.]
[You have obtained 825 Arcane Shards.]
[You have received 5 Standard Tickets.]
[New Feature Unlocked: You can now issue a Direct Challenge using your Attack Token. Your chosen opponent will be unable to evade or refuse the battle.]
One thing was certain from this defensive battle was Atlas had completely crushed the enemy forces. The scale of destruction was immense, and even after all that, he still gained an additional thirty units from their surviving ranks, along with a significant amount of gold... far from a small sum.
Yet, something had changed since Atlas ascended to Rank-2. Every victory he achieved now didn’t just reward him with Arcane Shards, which could be exchanged for Exclusive Tickets. But also with Standard Tickets directly.
Interestingly, the number of Standard Tickets he received remained consistent, whether it came from an all-out confrontation like the one against Selvara or from a successful defense such as this.
That alone made it tempting to use every available battle slot within each Lord Battle season. If he wanted to be greedy, the more battles he fought, the more chances he would have to perform gacha pulls, and potentially strengthen his forces even further.
However, one particular option now presented itself following Karmina’s defeat: the Counterattack Challenge, a feature that would allow him to immediately strike back, with no possibility for the opponent to refuse or retreat.
It was a tempting offer. But Atlas knew better. Even if he won such a rematch, he would gain little beyond the expansion of territory. The opposing lord’s resources were already drained after the defeat; there was no real profit to be made.
More importantly, given how the enemy had fought, with reckless determination and overwhelming beasts, Atlas couldn’t tell if Karmina’s final plea for mercy had been sincere... or a trap meant to draw him into overextending.
No, he would stop here. There was no need to push further.
Atlas leaned back as he watched the system begin its automatic process: dissolving the war zone, reclaiming residual mana, and handling the disposal of fallen enemies along with the repair protocols for battle damage across Gacha Haven.
Atlas caught a hint of tension in the communication link. From those words, he immediately knew something had happened... and it involved one of his elite subordinates.
Without hesitation, he guided his floating throne across the quiet lake. Below, Gacha Haven was slowly coming back to life, workers and soldiers rebuilding, repairing, cleaning up the remnants of the battle. Lights began to glow once more across the residential huts, soft and warm against the night air.
But Atlas didn’t stop to admire it. His destination lay at the far edge of the island, where the farming grounds had once been.
As his throne descended, he saw a crowd gathered there. Team Eclipse. They parted quickly when they saw him, their faces somber, their eyes glancing toward the front.
Atlas stepped down from his throne and walked through the silent line of soldiers until he reached Mira, who stood with her back to him. Beside her was Veylor.
Then Atlas heard it, soft at first, but unmistakable. The sound of someone crying.
Mira stood motionless, staring at what used to be her carrot fields. Now, it was nothing more than ashes and blackened earth. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she whispered between sobs, her voice trembling.
"My carrots... they were all so happy... they were growing so well... I promised them they’d see the sun again tomorrow..."
Her small hands clenched into fists, trembling as if she could hold the life that had already been lost.
Atlas watched her quietly for a moment before exhaling and smiling faintly. Even after all that had happened, after countless battles, blood, and fire. It was this... a ruined patch of soil... that broke her heart.
"We’ll build better defenses for them next time," Atlas said gently. "Or perhaps you can grow them inside the fortress, where they’ll be safe. They can feed everyone in Gacha Haven and still have their sunlight."
Mira turned toward him, tears flooding her eyes, her lower lip trembling. Then she let out a broken sob.
"Huaaa... Huaaa...!"
Her face was streaked with tears... and blood.
Atlas blinked, startled for a moment. Then he noticed that many of the Eclipse members behind her were also crying quietly, their faces a strange mix of grief and... guilt.
Mira stumbled forward and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face against his chest, still crying uncontrollably.
Atlas sighed softly and placed a hand on her head, the other patting her back in slow, comforting motions.
"It’s all right," he murmured. "We’ll plant them again."
Most people would probably think Mira’s sadness was only about the carrots. That her tears were for nothing more than a ruined field.
But Atlas knew better.
He had glimpsed fragments of her past before... and he understood. Those carrots weren’t just crops, they were a part of her life story, tied deeply to her pain and her freedom. After all, back then, her own parents had used that very carrot field as leverage to control her. They had threatened to destroy it whenever she disobeyed, using her love for it as a weapon.
So yes... for Mira, this wasn’t just about losing plants. It was about losing a piece of herself.
War always demanded sacrifices, lands, resources, even lives. But every person had something precious that couldn’t simply be replaced. And for Mira, those carrots were her sanctuary, her pride, her proof that peace could exist amid battle.
Rebuilding could always be done. Recovery would come, with time, effort, and rest, Gacha Haven would heal again.
But Atlas’s mind was already elsewhere. There was still one thing he hadn’t decided yet.
He still had one Attack Token left.
He could use it to challenge another lord, perhaps one that would respond defensively, or risk another all-out confrontation.
The problem was time. The Lord Battle Season only had four days left.
That was both an opportunity and a danger. Because in the closing days of every season, some lords grew desperate, launching last-minute offensives to secure rank points or resources before the timer ended. Those were the moments when even the strongest could fall off guard.
So yes... these last four days would be critical.
[Gacha Haven has entered the Reinforcement Phase. The fallback cooldown will last for 7 days.]
[You may choose to terminate the Reinforcement Phase earlier if necessary. However, doing so will apply a one-time penalty to the current cycle, preventing a new Reinforcement Phase from being activated until the same full duration has elapsed.]
And that dilemma finally presented itself before Atlas.
If he held his position and didn’t use his Attack Token, the system would penalize him for inaction once the season ended. But if he terminated the Reinforcement Phase early, he would lose the safety buffer that protected Gacha Haven, leaving his island vulnerable to another attack before recovery was complete.
It was a classic trade-off. Greed versus caution.
What should he do...? Be greedy... or be smart?