Even with the equipment from Kael’s shop, a soldier was at most a "harder piece of meat" on a battlefield.

  The advantages of high-end gear and pills were most evident in duels or small-scale skirmishes. In a true theater of war, personal combat skill and tactical awareness outweighed equipment. The larger the scale of the conflict, the less impact individual gear provided. Unless one was powerful enough to ignore massed physical attacks and barrages of magic, no amount of armor would save them from being crushed under a coordinated volley.

  "No. When it’s time to close, we close," Kael said, shaking his head.

  He had no intention of working the night shift, nor did he want Shier, who had been working all day, to lose sleep.

  "Fine, two hours it is. Consider yourselves lucky today," Blood Wolf grumbled to his squad members behind him.

  "Make sure they leave on time. Don’t give them a single extra minute," Kael reminded Shier, just to be safe.

  "I understand, Manager," Shier replied with a diligent nod.

  "..."

  Blood Wolf opened his mouth to retort, but found himself speechless.

  Deep within the Cloud Mist Forest, at the Orc encampment.

  The flickering campfires burned like beacons against the pitch-black night. Inside the command tent, Naga and the Priest Nalo sat by a bone table, their expressions grim as they pored over intelligence reports from the tribe.

  "The Shadow Squad has failed." It took Naga a long time to force those words out.

  The Shadow Squad took an immense amount of resources to train, and their numbers were few. To lose three of them at once was a blow that even the wealthy Orc tribes felt keenly.

  "Their life-fires were extinguished instantly. They didn't even have time to send back information about the enemy," Priest Nalo said, tapping a finger on a piece of parchment. It held the records of the three assassins who had accepted the mission.

  "To instantly silence peak Class-rank assassins... the enemy must be at least at the peak of the Hero-rank," Naga mused, sucking in a cold breath of air.

  A Peak Hero-rank meant someone at least Level 100. Such beings were top-tier powerhouses even within the entire Orc Empire. No one could have guessed that such a titan would be running a tiny shop in Cloud Mist City.

  "It’s not hard to guess now why the City Guard has such gear. It must be that powerhouse's shop," Priest Nalo sighed.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Naga managed a bitter smile.

  Who would have thought a Peak Hero-rank master would retire to a backwater town like this? One more step, and such a person would enter the ranks of the World-Class Powerhouses—beings who could roam the world as they pleased, answering to no one.

  "Withdraw the troops. Cloud Mist City is not something we can take," Naga sighed deeply. Though arrogant, they knew better than to provoke someone of that caliber.

  "With such a person guarding the city, even the Orc Emperor cannot blame us for retreating," Priest Nalo said, rolling up the parchment.

  A single Peak Hero-rank master was worth ten thousand soldiers. With him there, Cloud Mist City was an impregnable fortress.

  Under the moonlight, the campfires were quietly extinguished. The Orc army stationed in the forest abandoned their camp and vanished into the night.

  Kael knew nothing of this.

  The only thing he knew was that while he was nodding off in his booth, staring at his crystal ball, he was suddenly jolted awake by a system notification.

  [System:] Host, the quest 'Crisis of Cloud Mist City' has been completed. Would you like to claim your rewards now?

  "When did that happen? I feel like I didn't do anything..." Kael muttered, still groggy. As he cleared his head, something felt off. "System, your tone sounds... different."

  The System used to sound like a soulless machine, but that last notification felt like it had a hint of emotion in it. Did completing the quest unlock a personality?

  [System:] You are overthinking. Would you like to claim the rewards now?

  "Is that so?" Kael thought suspiciously. "Claim them."

  [System:] Accessory Gacha Pool is now open. (Friendly Reminder: Accessories do not have a 'Common' grade. Therefore, the Host currently only has access to the 'Excellent' grade pool.)

  [System:] Set-Equipment Templates issued. The Combat Simulation Room is about to upgrade. Estimated completion time: 2 hours.

  The rewards were delivered with typical efficiency.

  "Finally, an upgrade," Kael stood up, planning to return in two hours. The Level 1 Simulation Room was no longer enough to keep him entertained.

  He decided to use this time to figure out what these "Set-Equipment Templates" were.

  "But why is the Accessory pool only Excellent grade? Is the System going for a 'premium-only' strategy?" Kael wandered into the warehouse.

  Three smooth, pitch-black stone slabs were propped against the wall near the entrance. These were the templates. They were carved with several slots representing a full gear set: Helmet, Necklace, Bracers, Ring, Chestpiece, Belt, Leggings, Boots, and Weapon.

  Nine slots in total.

  Kael realized he hadn't even pulled a helmet, belt, or leggings from the regular gacha yet. As for necklaces and rings, those were likely in the new Accessory pool.

  He soon understood how the templates worked. They weren't linked to his current inventory. When activated, a template would randomly generate a nine-piece set and turn it into a fixed supply chain. This meant he wouldn't have to "pull" for them; the System would supply them directly for a cut of the profit. Essentially, it would save him a lot of gold on stock.

  However, Kael didn't plan to use them yet. The shop's foot traffic was still quite low. Even if he displayed a full set, few could afford it. The strength of a set lay in its "Set Bonuses," but individual pieces were often weaker than standalone high-tier gear.

  "Let’s pull some accessories instead."

  Kael summoned the Accessory Gacha in his mind. Sure enough, 'Excellent' was the only option. The price: 60 gold per pull—more expensive than both weapons and armor.

  "I really want to see what makes these so special," Kael grumbled about the cost.

  Each accessory was about the size of a small pill bottle. He decided to do a ten-pull to test the waters.

  Flash!

  [Mirror-Water Necklace (Excellent Accessory):] When the wearer is attacked, summons a water magic projectile and reflects a small portion of damage back at the attacker.