Down With The Gods

While everything remains very much the same as the city campsites, Wyn is torn between asking about the tabby’s unique fur colors or the timer embedded in front of the counter. Before he can say a word, Yu seizes the opportunity and asks Catotu about her distinctive color scheme and small ears.

“I wanted to distance myself from the other cats, so I painted myself black and white.”

Although her ears are unusually small, she can hear just fine. As for the timer, it’s a countdown to the next party. According to Catotu, campsite number five is the only one that throws parties for visiting souls. This strategy was originally implemented to attract more visitors, with all four forest campsites rotating as party hosts. However, unable to compete with the increasing popularity of the revamped Abandoned City, the other three cats opted out.

“We hold a party once every thirty human days. So, in twenty days, come back to enjoy the music and snacks!”

Despite its name, the Dark Forest isn’t entirely dark. Much like the Abandoned City, the area has undergone several changes. Navigating the forest is made easier with the All-Terrain Multipurpose Mega Machine III Mk LXIX, or the A3M for short. These mechanized vehicles operate similarly to the smart vehicles in the city. It’s wise for Wyn and team to keep in mind that no creatures in the forest are capable of damaging the vehicle, aside from the wandering champions. With their emergency exit set to campsite number five, the team is ready to embark on a new journey. However, their eagerness is halted by Catotu.

“There is a champion nearby. For your safety, you cannot exit. You are free to wait or leave from another campsite.”

Consulting the map, Wyn finds a red exclamation point appearing close to the campsite. When he asks if he can peek at the champion, Catotu firmly denies his request. Instead of visiting another campsite, the team decides to pitch their tents. They set up in two rows facing each other, with Yu’s tent next to Christine’s and Wyn’s in the middle between Mira’s and Anish’s. Seeing this as a prime opportunity to rest properly, they each purchase a countdown timer for two catnips – except for Yu, who has been giving all of his share to Wyn. Jokingly, Mira tells Yu to “share” the timer with Christine in her tent. Flushed, Christine quickly rejects the idea at lightning speed, causing an unintentional frown on Yu’s face. As a temporary solution, Wyn lets Yu sleep in his tent, making use of the extra sleeping bag he had purchased. The timer is set for eight hours, and they’re to meet in front of Wyn’s tent shortly after the alarm sounds. The cushy sleeping bag grants Wyn the deep sleep he has been deprived of. The moment he shuts his eyes, the tent goes dark. For the first time in a while, in both realms, he doesn’t dream.

Per Catotu’s recommendation, any part of the forest near a campsite is newbie-friendly, but the team grabs an A3M regardless to familiarize themselves with the new vehicle. Soon after one catnip is deducted from Wyn’s wallet, the virtual control screen displays transformation options between a standard land vehicle or a walking robot. Confused as to why there would be a need for two land transformations, he selects the latter. Before, the vehicle contained three rows of seats spanning its length. Now, as it transforms into a mechanized robot, the second and third rows gradually lower to form the second and third decks. Their slightly slanted arrangement maximizes space efficiency and allows all passengers to look outside through the unaltered large front window – that’s when it hits Wyn. While he can’t make the robot fight, the sheer height allows Wyn and his team to observe what’s ahead through the front window. However, not only is the robot form slow, it can’t traverse effectively through dense areas as it’s not capable of mowing down trees nor stepping on creatures.

Wanting to fulfill his childhood dream, and also to look cool, Wyn attempts to manually control the robot himself. The machine’s build is nothing short of excellent as it refuses to fall despite Wyn’s clumsy controls. At times, he gets stuck by trees, seemingly walking in place, reminiscent of trying to explore an impassable area in a video game. During his struggle, the rest of the team barks instructions at him. Annoyed, he lets each team member pilot the robot. To their chagrin, they all fail in the same fashion as Wyn. While Wyn’s daunting “I-told-you-so” face puts the whole team in silence, he switches back to the land vehicle mode.

“We shall continue the normal way,” he says, attempting to break the silence.

After paying one more catnip, Wyn resumes control of the vehicle, this time putting it on autopilot. Their first destination is the Twilight Forest. To reach the area, the vehicle zooms over the river surface. Silhouettes of creatures scatter away in reaction to the team's arrival.

“A forest within a forest? A forest-ception?” Wyn remarks.

The forest, bathed in a soft, dim light, with shadows stretching and intertwining between the trees, is accessible from both campsites five and six. Colors here seem muted, with greens appearing deeper and richer, and hints of gold and amber flickering in the fading light. Mira changes into a forest explorer outfit to fit the theme.

“Cat…catnip trees! Catnip trees everywhere!” Yu exclaims.

Yu starts to collect catnips, skipping joyfully while doing so. Though he no longer needs to share them with Wyn, he doesn’t know what else to purchase. Catnip pouches in his arms, he returns to Wyn, who’s admiring the beauty of the forest.

“Now that we have more members, let’s add another floor to your tent!” Yu suggests.

“My tent is for meetings, not for some of you guys to seclude yourselves upstairs.”

“Seclude? That sounds sexy!” Mira adds.

“Sexy? Yes! But I mean, we could all have a sleepover!” Yu says.

“Just why?” Wyn asks.

Regardless of Wyn’s response, Yu continuously deposits the collected catnips into Wyn’s band. The rest of the team, aside from Wyn, joins Yu in collecting the surrounding catnips. As Yu approaches a seemingly normal catnip tree, though the most fruitful of them all, bathed in golden light, the ground begins to shake. Suddenly, a large creature emerges from the ground, attempting to snap Yu into its mouth. Reacting quickly, Wyn blows Yu up into the air with a cyclone.

“WAHHHhhhhhhhhh,” Yu cries.

“Find a way to land yourself, okay?” Wyn yells, then quietly but guiltily adds, “sorry…”

The creature, resembling an angry anglerfish, sports a catnip tree fin ray that it uses to lure its prey. The blood-orange fish has four fin-like feet and teeth as sharp as those of a regular anglerfish. The creature quickly lunges at the remaining party on the ground. After commanding Mira and Christine to get out of the way, Wyn launches a rocky cyclone directly at the fish. Blown backward, the fish swings its fin ray, releasing eight hard solid pouches in random directions. Fortunately, they all miss their targets, though a couple land too close to Mira and Anish. The solid rock pouches regrow quickly.

With its fin feet, the fish leaps toward Wyn in an arch, mouth open. Wyn lodges both chakrams in the ground, then summons a rock pillar before dodging backward with a little help from Anish. The chakrams pierce the fish in the palate, allowing the pillar to push the fish upward. While the creature flops in an attempt to break Wyn’s pillar, Christine summons a snow wall to stabilize the fish from the rear. Yu descends from the air, jetting himself downward, and thrusts his watery blade into the creature’s back. The crack of the fish's backbone echoes through the water with a resounding force.

“You should have aimed for the head,” Wyn comments.

“You should not, like, have shot him up like that!” Christine interrupts.

“He kind of saved me,” Yu says.

“When that thing came up with its mouth, my heart dropped. I thought you were done for!” Mira says, giving Yu a hug. Christine reacts by giving Mira an unfriendly stare, so Mira swiftly releases him.

“But yeah, great job by the way,” Wyn says, patting Yu on the back.

Yu blushes, though Christine still appears upset at Wyn. The creature, plainly and incorrectly named "catfish," with the description "If you think it’s a catnip tree, you’ve been catfished," yields one hundred and fifty essence and no real catnips to be claimed. At this point, Anish’s essence balance is catching up to Wyn's, whose balance is just under three thousand. He too vows to stop collecting essence to allow the rest to catch up.

Since the Twilight Forest spreads wide, the team decides to explore it on foot until they reach campsite number six. Wyn’s ultimate goal for this expedition is to acquire the bestiary, and he might as well add another floor to his tent to accommodate Yu’s wish. Mira and Anish, following David’s suggestion, also aim to obtain the bestiary as the next item. This leaves Christine, who has remained quiet about her shopping plans the whole time. More than ready, the team marches on, heightening their sense of alertness.