Nightfall came like a veil dropped from the heavens. The chirping of insects swelled into a chaotic orchestra, while the leaves rustled in rhythm with something... unseen.
Karl Drakos didn't sleep.
Not with the watcher possibly still out there.
He sat cross-legged by the crackling fire, holding the Rare Gacha Ticket in one hand and an Uncommon in the other, both glowing softly with potential. His system hovered silently in his vision.
[Ticket Inventory]
– Common: 2
– Uncommon: 6
– Rare: 9
[Convert: 5 Uncommon → 1 Rare?]
[Convert: 10 Rare → 1 Legendary?]
He hesitated, thumb brushing over the Rare ticket. One more... just one more and he could trade up for his first Legendary pull. But something about the jungle, about the figure in the shadows, told him to wait.
He closed his palm and looked toward the dark canopy overhead.
A branch snapped.
Karl was on his feet in an instant, hand wreathed in flame.
Another snap. Then a whisper of cloth against bark.
He wasn't alone.
⸻
A flash of movement tore through the darkness. Karl ducked instinctively, just as a black dart embedded itself in the tree behind him with a thunk.
[Alert: Ambush Detected – Hostile Entity Confirmed]
Three figures dropped from the treetops like panthers, faces masked, weapons drawn—curved daggers glinting with poison.
Karl didn't wait.
"Thunder Step!"
He vanished in a crackle of lightning, reappearing behind one attacker and slamming a flaming elbow into their back. The figure grunted and collapsed.
The other two closed in.
[Skill: Ember Shell – Activated]
Defense +30% / Fire retaliation active
Karl blocked the first strike with his forearm, absorbing the hit with the burning shield. The second attacker tried to sweep his legs—Karl leapt over the move and landed with a fiery uppercut.
But the second figure didn't fall. Instead, she twisted midair and flipped backward, landing nimbly on a low branch.
"Impressive," she hissed. "You're the one from the temple."
Karl's eyes narrowed. "You're with whoever's watching me."
She didn't deny it.
[New Mission: Survive the Canopy Assassins]
Reward: 1 Rare Ticket | Bonus: Kill Leader – 2 Rare Tickets
The masked leader whistled sharply, and vines surged from the trees—unnaturally controlled, like tentacles. They coiled toward Karl like striking snakes.
[Enemy Skill Detected: Devil Fruit Power – Vine Vine Fruit (Paramecia)]
"Great," Karl muttered. "A plant bender."
⸻
The jungle erupted into chaos.
Vines lashed out as Karl flipped, dodged, and blasted his way through with controlled bursts of fire and lightning. His system tracked every movement, offering live analysis.
[Agility increased to 26]
[Skill: Thunder Step – Mastery up to 42%]
He focused on the leader, a tall woman with green-tinted skin and glowing eyes, perched in the tree canopy. She raised her hand, and more vines surged toward him, trying to bind his limbs.
Karl activated his newest trick—Ignition Pulse, a short-range fire burst.
[Skill: Ignition Pulse – Rare Tier | Mastery: 4%]
Effect: Repels enemies within 3 meters | Burn chance: 60%
FWOOOM!
A wave of heat blasted outward, vaporizing vines mid-air. The leader staggered on her branch.
Karl didn't waste the opening.
With a Thunder Step, he reappeared in front of her and drove his fist forward, fire blazing around his knuckles. The punch landed clean—and the branch snapped under them both.
They crashed into the dirt.
⸻
The vine-user hissed and rolled back, but Karl was already on her, pressing his boot down on her chest and charging up another fireblast.
"Talk," he growled. "Who sent you?"
She spat blood. "You're a fool. You have no idea what that girl is carrying. The fragment... the knowledge... the government would raze this entire island to keep it buried."
Karl's grip tightened. "And you're working for them?"
"No," she rasped. "We're trying to stop them."
[Bonus Objective Achieved – Defeated Assassins' Leader]
+2 Rare Gacha Tickets Earned
Karl blinked. "You're not government."
She chuckled weakly. "We're worse. Revolutionaries."
⸻
Later, as the fire crackled again and the unconscious attackers were tied up nearby, Karl sat on a tree stump, processing everything.
Revolutionaries. Devil Fruit powers. Ancient knowledge being buried.
Robin had said to follow the truth. He didn't expect it to have so many enemies—or factions fighting for it.
The system chimed softly.
[Mission Complete – Survive the Canopy Assassins]
Reward Claimed: +3 Rare Gacha Tickets | +1500 Beli
Passive Skill Unlocked: Combat Instinct (Rare Tier)
– Grants +10% evasion vs. melee attacks
– Slightly enhances reaction time
[Current Ticket Inventory]
– Common: 2
– Uncommon: 6
– Rare: 12
[Eligible for Ticket Conversion: 10 Rare → 1 Legendary]
Karl stared at the menu. Twelve Rare Tickets.
He stood and pulled them from his inventory—glowing blue shards that hovered in a ring before him.
"Alright," he whispered. "Time to see what's behind the next door."
[Confirm Conversion? 10 Rare Tickets → 1 Legendary Ticket]
[YES / NO]
Karl selected YES.
The ten Rare Tickets pulsed, then fused into a single glowing orb of golden energy.
[You have received: 1 Legendary Gacha Ticket]
⸻
Mission Summary:
✔ Survive jungle ambush
✔ Defeat enemy leader
✔ Discover new faction (Revolutionaries)
Rewards Gained:
– 3x Rare Gacha Tickets
– 1500 Beli
– 1x Legendary Gacha Ticket (via conversion)
– Passive Skill: Combat Instinct (Rare)