Floating Islands: SSS Gacha System

"My Lord, I'll start with the weaknesses and disadvantages of choosing Tempest Warden," Kurogasa began.

Atlas nodded with a smile, "Please, Kurogasa," giving him the floor to explain.

"First: Neglect of Dark and Shadow Elements," Kurogasa stated. "Tempest Warden focuses heavily on water and lightning, which leaves shadow and dark elements underutilized."

He elaborated further, "The strengths of shadow—like stealth, critical amplification, and debuffs—aren't fully realized in the Tempest Warden's play style. Additionally, it reduces utility in environments or battles where shadow-based abilities are most effective, such as dimly lit or underground settings. There's also the potential loss of synergy with skills like Elemental Markings (Verdant Shadow)."

Atlas nodded thoughtfully, summarizing Kurogasa's points for clarity. "So, the main issue is that the shadow element would be underused in this class?"

"Exactly," Kurogasa affirmed.

"Do we have a solution for this?" Atlas asked.

"Yes," Kurogasa replied. "Even if shadow is initially sidelined, we can focus on training you to integrate shadow abilities later, either in your training regimen or directly in battle. This approach could potentially unlock hybrid shadow-water or shadow-lightning skills—or even unique classes—in the future."

"So, we could train to develop synergy between shadow, water, and lightning over time?" Atlas clarified.

"Correct, My Lord," Kurogasa confirmed with a nod.

Atlas nodded slowly. "I got it. Please continue, Kurogasa."

Kurogasa inclined his head slightly and proceeded. "The second disadvantage is Environmental Dependency."

He elaborated, "Tempest Warden thrives in aquatic, humid, or stormy terrains but struggles in arid, underground, or neutral environments. Key elemental boosts from its skills are weakened without access to water or lightning sources. You may also experience reduced effectiveness in fire-dominated areas or magical zones where other elements take precedence."

Atlas nodded again. "I see. That does seem like a significant problem. But is it one without a solution?"

Kurogasa shook his head calmly and explained, "No, there is a solution. Your connection with Zefyros, who will consistently stay by your side in battle, will help maintain elemental synergy even in less favorable environments."

He continued, "Additionally, we can train you to develop adaptability-focused skills. For example, something like Steam Burst could allow you to use heat in dry terrains to create an AoE distraction. This would expand your flexibility in challenging environments."

"Okay," Atlas said, his tone thoughtful. "So you're suggesting that the problem can be mitigated if I master combining elements to adapt to different terrains and environments? By integrating them more effectively with water, I can gain an advantage?"

"Exactly," Kurogasa confirmed. "You'll need to deepen your understanding of elemental combinations, learning to balance strengths and weaknesses for each terrain. This will also push you to improve your affinity with other basic elements, making you more versatile."

"I got it. So, the solution boils down to training and more battle experience," Atlas concluded.

Kurogasa nodded. "Indeed, My Lord. That is the most reliable path forward."

"Well," Atlas said with a small smile, "I suppose that's the only real solution anyway."

Kurogasa continued. "Alright, My Lord, the third concern is Cooldown Management."

He elaborated, "Both Tempest Warden and your Wavebreaker Spear rely heavily on high-impact skills like Tempest Requiem, Ocean's Wrath, and Sea of Storms. These abilities come with long cooldowns and high mana usage. Without a solution for this, you won't be able to fully utilize the AoE potential of the class or your weapon."

He paused briefly before adding, "Downtime between major skills forces you to rely on basic attacks or minor abilities, which reduces your overall DPS in prolonged engagements."

"And the solution?" Atlas asked.

"The simplest approach," Kurogasa explained, "would be to invest in cooldown-reduction artifacts or talents to shorten the recovery periods of these skills."

Atlas nodded. "That makes sense. Perhaps we can discuss this with Baldric, or hope the Gacha grants me an appropriate item. Are there other solutions, Kurogasa?"

Kurogasa continued, "Yes. You could adopt an alternate playstyle by using buffs and defensive skills to fill the gaps during cooldown periods. This way, you stay active while waiting for your primary skills to recharge."

Atlas fell silent for a moment, reflecting on the suggestion. He realized this would also mean focusing more on developing his Intelligence stat to enhance his mana efficiency. This, in turn, would optimize the full potential of whatever class he ultimately chose.

Kurogasa spoke again, "I'll continue with the remaining points as clearly and concisely as possible, My Lord."

"Thank you, Kurogasa. Please go ahead," Atlas replied.

"The fourth problem is Overwhelming AoE Focus," Kurogasa continued.

"Tempest Warden excels at AoE damage and crowd control, but its single-target options may feel underpowered by comparison," he explained.

"This creates issues like struggling against bosses or high-priority enemies that require precision-focused damage. Additionally, over-reliance on AoE skills can lead to inefficiencies in battles with scattered or smaller enemy groups."

"But we have solutions," he added. "For instance, strengthening single-target skills to complement the AoE dominance or equipping items and weapons specifically designed for single-target burst damage."

"Okay," Atlas nodded. "So, the solution also lies in items and weapons."

"Exactly, My Lord. Who knows—someday you may obtain another weapon with single-target-focused skills. That would greatly enhance your versatility, as the Wavebreaker Spear is heavily specialized in AoE damage."

"Understood," Atlas replied. "So I'll need a weapon tailored for single-target combat. But for now, it's out of our hands."

"Indeed," Kurogasa confirmed. "And now, the last point, My Lord."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Please, go ahead," Atlas prompted.

"The fifth and final concern is Lack of Debuffs," Kurogasa continued.

"While Tempest Warden excels in buffs and AoE damage, it offers limited debuffs to directly weaken enemies. This creates issues such as missed opportunities to amplify damage through the enemy's weaknesses. Additionally, it overlaps with team support roles, leaving you reliant on allies for debuffing."

"Debuffing…" Atlas murmured thoughtfully. "So, you mean, it's about boosting damage output by weakening the enemies?"

"Yes, My Lord. A simple solution would be to train with a debuff-focused ally to learn complementary techniques."

Atlas nodded. "Alright, I feel like this concern is the easiest to set aside for now. Correct?"

"Correct, My Lord," Kurogasa confirmed.

Atlas took a moment to review all the points Kurogasa had presented:

First, Neglect of Dark and Shadow Elements: The solution is to integrate more Shadow techniques into battles, creating potential synergy between Water, Lightning, and Shadow.

Second, Environmental Dependency: The key is to deepen his understanding of elemental combinations, utilizing them to adapt effectively to any environment or condition.

Third, Cooldown Management: Investing in Intelligence and training to increase mana efficiency will reduce the downtime of major skills.

Fourth, Overwhelming AoE Focus: Enhancing single-target skills and acquiring a weapon focused on single-target damage would balance the class's offensive versatility.

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Fifth, Lack of Debuffs: Working with a debuff-specialized ally would mitigate this issue, though it's not an immediate priority.

He weighed all the concerns, disadvantages, and potential solutions, carefully considering whether Tempest Warden was still the best choice.

This decision wasn't just about the present—it would shape how he developed himself in the future and how he could maximize the benefits of his chosen path.

Lifting his gaze to the three people in the room, Atlas asked, "Now, tell me—Edrik, Kurogasa, Karian—is there any option better than Tempest Warden?"