Ats and his elite subordinates focused ily as they revisited the critical choices before them. The opportunity they faced—a Floating Isnd with a dynamiviro—was araordinarily rare discovery. Its existence would iably attract fierpetition from all who knew about it, each determio cim it for themselves.

  This isnd was ranked as a Tier-2 territory, meaning their oppos would range from level 50 to 100. That put Ats and his team at a clear disadvantage in terms of sheer power. Yet, could they truly afford to pass up such a golden opportunity?

  Baldric, the bcksmith, broke the silence. “Ats, even if we ’t cim the isnd itself, we could still pete within it. My suggestion is to use the battle phase to hunt for materials we o craft the Soul Binding Armor. I believe it’s a ce worth taking.”

  Ats nodded, weighing Baldric’s proposal. Dominion Skirmishes were prolonged battles, stretg up to two months. Even if they trated solely on gathering materials, the effort would still prove highly worthwhile.

  Edrik chimed in. “We could adopt a specialized strategy. Deploy scouts and spies to locate our targets, then send more people to hunt or harvest the resources we need.”

  “So, are you saying we shouldn’t engage in direbat with the Rank-2 lords?”

  Ats wasn’t uimating the strength of their potential oppos, but he wao assess whether the risk was truly so great that it pletely ruled out their ces of peting for trol of the isnd.

  Edrik bowed his head slightly in deference. “I offer strategies if you decide to force a frontation at this rank.”

  “What are our ces if we go for it?”

  Edrik bowed again and replied, “We have ways to increase our odds, with careful pnning and tactical execution. Ultimately, though, it’s your call, Ats. In my experience, fighting oppos one rank above is manageable if the troops are well-prepared, especially with an advao set us apart from others in our own rank.”

  Ats nodded firmly, his expression resolute as he began to speak.

  “Alright, based on the reasons you’ve all presented, including this isnd in our options seems like a promising decision. The worst-case sario is that we retreat immediately if the oppos are beyond our reach,” he said, gng at each member of the group.

  He tinued, “We still have the other two isnds as backup targets to fight for. However, if there’s even a det ce for us to tend for the Rank-2 isnd, I believe it’s worth expl further.”

  Edrik nodded in agreement and replied, “I’ll summarize everything again and refihe pn to make it more robust.”

  “I trust all of you,” Ats said.

  Edrik then id out the final three reendations for their approach to the Dominion Skirmish.

  “The first option,” he began, “is the Rank-2 Floating Isnd, the Shattered Ember Isles. This is a high-risk, high-reward choiot only does it provide us the opportunity to gather materials necessary for crafting the Soul Binding Armor, but if we mao take trol of the isnd, its value will be immense.”

  He paused briefly before moving to the option.

  “The sed option is the Emerald Gde. This choice carries moderate risk and offers moderate rewards. However, we have a distinct advantage here due to Mira and Lyrassa’s expertise in forested enviros. Their strengths could tip the scales in our favor.”

  Finally, Edrik addressed the third option.

  “For the st choice, we o sider a moderate-to-high-risk option with high potential rewards. We have two options here: the Crimson Pyre and the Azure Dunes. Both nifit bes, but they also e with their own challenges. We’ll o decide which aliger with our strengths and resources.”

  Ats responded. "What are the key siderations, Edrik?"

  Edrik replied, "Both options are nearly identical in terms of difficulty. However, the Crimson Pyre offers better resources overall. Oher hand, if you aim to give Zefyros more opportuo excel in aquatic terrains, then the Azure Dunes would be the better choice."

  Ats nodded slowly, weighing the options carefully. "I think giving Zefyros the ce to grow further would be a signifit be for us in the long run."

  "I agree with that," Edrik affirmed.

  At st, the decisions were made. The three floating isnds were finalized, and Ats quickly registered their choices with the system. Now, all that remained was to wait for the appoiime to ehe Dominion Skirmish!

  However, the preparations for the Dominion Skirmish were far from plete. Choosing the isnds was only the first step. The team still o thhly discuss the rules of e within the skirmish.

  With that, they moved to the opid Edrik began expining the details.

  “The crucial point in a Dominion Skirmish,” Edrik started, “is that the fa which accumutes the most Dominion Points by the end of the season earns the right to trol the targeted isnd.”

  Ats his down, nodding. “Dominion Points, got it.”

  Edrik tinued, “You earn Dominion Points by killing monsters and colleg materials. However, the most effit method is to take trol of the Key Zones.”

  He paused for a moment before eborating further. “Typically, there are three types of Key Zohe tral Fortress, the Outer Forts, and Supply Depots.”

  [tral Fortress: The primary objective on each isnd, the highest Dominion Points (DP) but demanding signifit itment and resources to maintain trol.]

  [Outer Forts: Sedary objectives that yield sistent DP while granting strategiefits such as buffs or improved access to vital resources.]

  [Supply Depots: Optional zohat do not gee DP but provide essential resources, such as stamina recovery and defensive enhas, crucial for sustaining troops during prolonged battles.]

  Ats nodded again, processing the information. “So, if we decide not to pete directly for trol of the isnd, our strategy would focus solely on monster hunting and resathering, ign the Key Zoirely?”

  “Correct,” Edrik firmed.

  He went on, “DP are awarded hourly for maintaining trol of these zohe tral Fortress yields the highest Dominion Points per hour, which is why the lords vying for the isnds often trate their battles around these strategic areas.”

  “I uand,” Ats replied.

  They delved deeper into the strategy, c every critical detail of the battle.

  Discussions began with resource ma during the skirmish, transitioning to the ideas of f alliances, and the most effective ways to navigate each phase of the Dominion Skirmish.

  Ats meticulously took notes, abs the extensive knowledge shared by Edrik and the others. He fully grasped the depth of their insights and the sheer amount of time and effort they had ied to gain such wisdom.

  It was easy to imagine how a new lord entering a battle of this scale, armed with little more than basiformation and no alliances, would struggle to make sense of everything. For Ats, however, the situation was entirely different. He had the advantage of an exceptional team of elite subordinates.

  Despite their collective experiences, none of his subordinates fidently cimed that the battle would be easier due to their experies viewed this as a refle of their humility and respect for him as their leader.

  Even Kurogasa, Lyrassa, Milo, and Manna—among the most seasoned of the group—offered only minimal input during the discussion. The exception was Kurogasa, who occasionally provided insights when Edrik specifically sought his perspective.

  Perhaps the challenges presented by Rank-1 or even Rank-2 Dominion Skirmishes weren’t yet demanding enough to warraailed tributions from everyoill, he reized one undeniable truth: no amount of knowledge would matter without thh preparation and raw power to back it up. Without those, all their carefully crafted strategies and hard-earned wisdom would ultimately be wasted.

  Their goal was clear: push everyoo grow stronger as quickly as possible and maximize their use of resources through the knowledge they had painstakingly acquired. This was not just a battle—it was a calcuted leap toward their ultimate objectives.