Chapter 101: Draws and Foundations

The six holographic cards hovered before Raphael, floating in a neat horizontal arc against the backdrop of the room. The five bronze-bordered Common cards shimmered with a soft, steady white luminescence, while the single High Grade card pulsed with a deep, golden-and-silver radiance that cast long, majestic shadows across the floor.

Raphael leaned back on his bed, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. His silver eyes fixed on the floating array with calm, calculated interest.

"Let’s begin with the Common Grade," Raphael said smoothly. "System."

The five bronze cards swirled into the center of the room, spinning rapidly in a whirlpool of white light. The air filled with a sharp, crisp chiming sound as the cards shattered one by one, dissolving into five brilliant, emerald-green spheres of liquid elemental energy.

[COMMON GRADE GACHA DRAWS EXECUTED!]

[Item Acquired: Plant Elemental Core (B-Tier) x5]

[Classification: Natural Origin, Botanical Mana Core]

[Properties: Contains high-density, pure botanical mana capable of terraforming environments, enriching soil matrices, and accelerating the growth of rare celestial flora]

The five emerald spheres drifted gently downward, hovering inches above the floor. Each core was the size of a fist, translucent as polished jade, and swirled internally with vibrant, living green light. The moment they manifested, a fresh, sweet fragrance, like wild rain washing over a sunlit forest, swept through the room.

Vanessa leaned closer to the floating cores, her violet eyes examining the dense botanical mana radiating from within them.

"Pure Plant Elemental Cores," Vanessa noted, a soft, appreciative smile touching her lips. "And of B-Tier purity, no less. While common in utility, cores of this quality are exceptionally rare in urban sectors like Jiston. Most guilds dilute them to manufacture low-grade healing potions."

"We won’t be brewing potions with them," Raphael said calmly, his gaze shifting toward the alabaster windows overlooking the outer drift islands. "Our domain’s third island is rich in natural soil, but its native mana density is far behind the central keep. Integrate these five cores directly into that island’s Ley-line node."

Vanessa nodded her head, her dress sweeping gently over the floor. "A wise allocation, My Lord. With these five cores anchored to the island’s node, the botanical sanctuary will experience a total terraforming surge. It will become a self-sustaining greenhouse for high-grade celestial herbs and spatial flora."

She grabbed her staff, gently tapping the base against the floor. A soft, royal purple gravitational wave wrapped around the five emerald spheres, lifting them into the air and guiding them, floating out through the open windows toward the green, lush island hovering below.

As the cores descended into the island’s core, a visible wave of brilliant, emerald-green light rippled across the floating landmass. Ancient trees thickened, glowing moss spread rapidly over the cliffside, and rare, luminous flowers bloomed in vast, vibrant carpets across the soil, saturating the air of El’Rock with rich, life-giving botanical mana.

Raphael watched the green pulse fade into the landscape with quiet satisfaction before turning his attention back to the remaining card floating in front of his dais: the High Grade Gacha Card. Unlike the common cards, this single golden-and-silver card radiated a heavy, tangible spatial pressure that made the surrounding air hum with dense energy.

"Now... the High Grade," Raphael murmured.

The golden-and-silver card shot into the air, expanding to three times its original size. Intricate, glowing silver runes burst across its surface, spinning in intricate, counter-rotating rings before the card shattered in a silent, blinding flash of royal light.

THUM.

A heavy, metallic thud echoed through the throne room as a magnificent set of armor materialized in mid-air, hovering four feet above the starry floor.

[HIGH GRADE GACHA DRAW EXECUTED!]

- Item Acquired: Eclipsed Vanguard Plate (Set)

- Equipment Tier: B+ Tier (High-Density Sovereign Artifact)

- Attributes: +45 Endurance, +30 Physical Resistance, +25 Mana Absorption

- Passive Skill: Void-Iron Anchor: Reduces knockback, spatial displacement, and gravitational suppression by 60%.

- Active Skill: Sovereign’s Ward: Once per long rest, generates a localized kinetic shockwave that repels all physical and elemental attacks below A-Tier for 5 seconds.

The armor was a masterwork of protective craftsmanship.

Forged from thick, overlapping plates of dark midnight-steel accented with subtle gold filigree and silver spatial runes, it included a high-collared chestpiece, reinforced pauldrons, heavy gauntlets, greaves, and an intricate, face-concealing helm styled after a roaring dragon motif. The plates pulsed with a low, steady dark-blue light, emanating a dense, unyielding aura of absolute defensive stability.

"B+ Tier heavy armor," Raphael evaluated smoothly, his voice carrying a tone of genuine approval. "High endurance scaling with a built-in spatial anchor and kinetic repulsor. Excellent defense."

"A formidable piece of equipment, My Lord," Vanessa agreed, walking around the hovering plate to inspect the craftsmanship. "While you possess the Sovereign’s Aegis and your dual adamantine blades, this plate would serve impeccably well on our forward vanguard. If bestowed upon our lead Heavy Vanguard Knight, its defensive capability would comfortably rival standard A-Tier armor sets found in Sector 1."

Raphael nodded. "Precisely what I had in mind. Our lead Heavy Knight held the front line against Vance’s heavy mech suit and kinetic strikes in Sector 4. Equipping him with this B+ Tier set will raise our phalanx’s defensive threshold even further."

He raised his hand, channeling a thin thread of domain mana into the armor.

With a soft, metallic chime, the Eclipsed Vanguard Plate folded inward, compressing into a compact, dark midnight-steel core orb. Raphael guided the core orb into his spatial inventory, storing it for the lead knight’s upcoming upgrade.

With the cards drawn and the rewards fully processed, Raphael sighed in exhaustion. He needed rest and to work on Vanessa. The ten Authority points he had integrated earlier continued to settle smoothly into his core, expanding his control over El’Rock to an unprecedented level of harmony.

The botanical island was now overflowing with high-grade plant mana, his vanguard had gained a high-grade B+ Tier armor set, and his domain’s sub-spatial grid was anchored directly into the automated refinery in Sector 4.

The foundation of The Crowned Monarch was growing stronger by the hour.

Raphael looked out through the soaring alabaster window at the peaceful, thriving kingdom hovering above the void sea, a cool, unshakeable confidence burning bright within his silver eyes.