Apelop Grove

Kit woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. The faint light of dawn had just begun to seep through the trees. Mars was already awake, admiring the colours of sunrise.

"Can we practice sword forms this morning?" Kit asked, "I was too tired last night." Kit had wrangled a promise from Mars yesterday for him to teach him sword techniques each day.

"Of course," replied Mars, "We can start with the basics. Let's go over your grip first; I noticed yesterday that you weren't always using a two-handed hold. Your current sword is designed for that."

Mars proceeded to teach Kit the proper way to hold the sword and then they moved on to practicing a downward strike. As Kit swung the sword, Mars corrected his form. Before long, Kit was covered in a thin layer of sweat, after an hour Kit felt like he needed a shower.

"Alright, that's enough for today. Go take a shower - you stink," said Mars jokingly.

"I can't help it if there's no deodorant here," grumbled Kit, "Who knew this simulation would be so realistic that we could actually smell sweat? And you only notice because you already took a shower this morning." Complained Kit.

"Haha, fair point. But don't worry - the soap bar is a combination of deodorant and soap so it should help with our smell problem."

After his refreshing shower, Kit wondered how Iris didn't complain about their odour. He also remembered that Snowball had gone missing last night but he later found him curled up asleep in one of the camp chairs. Kit made a mental note to give Snowball a bath later.

While Kit was in the shower, Mars had already packed up the camp except for the chairs and shower. It took no time at all to pack up the rest, then they were ready to leave.

"Mars, can we add ingredients we need as destinations on our map? That way we can find them more easily," suggested Kit.

Mars thought it was an excellent idea and they added monkey brain nuts and pink crunchy loaf to their map. Kit was pleasantly surprised when the locations of golden trees and a large patch of nut trees appeared on the map.

"Great job, Mars! We can gather both ingredients on our way," said Kit with excitement, "I should also look for an alternative to buying pears in town, so we don't spend too much money."

Kit had fashioned a makeshift sling from a large piece of material Mars brought along, using it to carry the sleeping Snowball on their journey. When Kit asked why Mars had acquired this random piece of material, he simply replied, "You never know when it might come in handy." As it turned out, Mars was right.

After strolling leisurely for a while, they reached the edge of a grove.

Ding!

[CAL]

[Map Found: Apelop Grove.]

Rewards: 50 EXP

Kit and Mars looked ahead at the dense grove of trees, noticing multiple Apelops perched among the branches. The atmosphere felt ominous, with minimal light and chatter from birds and insects adding to the menacing aura.

"Looks like this might be tough," Kit said, disappointed that they wouldn't be able to harvest in this area.

"We can handle it. We'll lure them out one by one," Mars replied confidently. "Plus, it'll give you a chance to practice your new grip and downward strike."

"But where should we leave Pint and Snowball?" Kit asked.

"Pint can stay at the edge of the grove, and we can hang Snowball off his neck," Mars answered.

"You really think Pint will let us do that?" Kit gave Mars a sceptical look.

"We won't know until we try," Mars shrugged.

Kit handed over his sling to Mars, who proceeded to sling Snowball over Pint's neck without any resistance from the creature. Kit had assumed they would need some beer bribery, but apparently not.

"Alright, let's go get an Apelop for you," Mars grinned maniacally as he pulled out his throwing knives and charged towards the first target. His movements were fast and fluid, graceful even, showcasing an impressive level of skill. Kit couldn't help but be surprised each time he witnessed Mars' prowess in battle. He moved like a dancer, if dancers wielded weapons instead of performing on stage.

Mars quickly caught the attention of two Apelops and dispatched one effortlessly before bringing the other to Kit. As he prepared for the fight, Kit felt nervous about living up to Mars' expectations. He had managed to kill Apelops before, but there was usually a break in between fights for him to recover. Today was different; there were more enemies and less time for rest.

Kit could feel his nerves and adrenaline mixing together, causing his hands to tremble slightly and sweat to form. He glanced over at Mars, who seemed to be enjoying himself immensely. Kit hoped that one day he could look at fights the same way.

Mars was definitely an adrenaline junkie, and he loved fighting. If Kit wasn't here, he probably would have charged into the grove without a second thought.

Once Kit took the attention of the Apelop, Mars stepped back to give him some advice. "Don't just dodge, attack!" he shouted.

"It's easier said than done when he has six arms!" Kit replied, struggling to land hits while evading the creature's attacks.

-40 damage

-42 damage

-53 damage

"You're doing good, but try to increase your hit rate. Don't dodge as much or you'll lose too much stamina," Mars encouraged.

Listening carefully to Mars' advice, Kit increased the speed and frequency of his strikes. He could feel a noticeable difference in his agility and flexibility, making it easier for him to dodge attacks without feeling weighed down. The cooking skills he had acquired had definitely improved his fighting abilities and control over his sword.

Together, they continued to take down Apelops in the grove. Kit was starting to sweat from the intense effort, but Mars had already taken down three Apelops by the time Kit had finished one. There was a clear gap in their skills, with Mars being able to observe Kit's movements between killing multiple Apelops.

Realising he needed to work on his skills if he wanted to keep up with Mars in the future, Kit was more determined than ever to practice every day.

As they moved deeper into the grove, they discovered an assortment of mushrooms and herbs along the way. While Mars would clear the Apelop, Kit would collect any fallen monkey brain nuts. By the end of their journey through the grove, Kit had levelled up twice and was now a level 8.

He noticed that the further they went into the grove, the stronger and more intelligent the Apelops became.

"Hey Mars, do you think there will be a boss in this grove? The Apelops are getting higher levels and seem more advanced," Kit asked.

Mars' eyes shone as he flashed Kit a mischievous smile. "I hope so. These guys are getting a little boring."

"I have a feeling you'll get us into some sticky situations just for entertainment," Kit remarked.

Looking at their map, they realised they were almost in the centre of the grove. "We should slow down now that we're close to the centre," Kit suggested.

"I'll sneak ahead and see if there are any different-looking Apelops," Mars said, disappearing into the trees.

He returned shortly with an excited look on his face. "Yep, there's definitely a boss up ahead. It's three times the size of a normal one!"

Kit couldn't help but feel nervous about facing such a formidable opponent. But Mars seemed confident they could take it down.

"Can we defeat it?" Kit asked.

"Of course, it'll be a piece of cake," Mars replied with a smirk.

But Kit had a feeling this boss battle would be anything but easy. They finished off the remaining Apelops in the area before heading towards the massive creature, keeping a safe distance as Mars observed the area.