“You know, in Tide, calling a girl a golden flower is a compliment. You can say ‘doktong,’ or the more famous equivalent , ‘e-dok,’” Wyn says, noticing how chatty Yu and Christine have become.

“You can call me ‘e-dok’ anytime you want, Oppa,” Mira chimes in.

“No, you don’t deserve it.”

“WHAT? WHY?”

“I smell something foul,” Yu interrupts.

Their seventeen-hour ride has finally come to an end. The sheer size of the shalmali tree immediately grabs their attention. Even from a distance, the tree is remarkable, enclosed within a glass dome. The crimson-colored flowers clustered together create a majestic contrast against the spiky, light brown bark. Wyn, Yu, and Mira are transfixed by the sight until Anish redirects their focus to the junkyard.

The automobile junkyard, or graveyard as it’s labeled on the map, is set against a stone wall, surrounded by a thick green mesh fence topped with barbed wire. The designated entry points are through one of the gates scattered along the fence. After entering, the group finds themselves in an open-plan container room that connects to all the gates on one side. On the other side lies the junkyard itself.

“Why is it nighttime here?” Wyn wonders.

“Maybe that’s why it’s called the graveyard on the map,” Anish replies.

Despite the darkness, the area seems to be illuminated by the glow of a non-existent moon. The dead silence hanging over the place gives off an eerie sense of anxiety.

“Maybe we’ll run into an earie here. Fitting by name,” Wyn jokes.

The junkyard is filled with piles of cars of various types and ages. Wyn eagerly creates cyclone steps for the team, allowing them to climb up onto one of the piles. From their vantage point, they see wide circles below, where a few old cars are positioned side by side, as if they’re moonbathing. At the heart of the junkyard stands a tunnel, blocking the view of whatever lies beyond.

“There’s a school bus,” Wyn points out.

“It’s by itself. Should we fight it?” Yu asks.

“How can you tell it’s not just a regular bus?” Mira asks.

“It’s yellow with black, and it literally says ‘School Bus’. Jeez, Ajumma. Pay attention,” Yu responds.

“‘Jugeullae?’” Mira says.

“Chocolate?” Yu asks, confused.

“Look at the wheel arches,” Wyn says.

Instead of the usual circular wheels, coiled appendages resembling twisted legs appear in their place. At the current angle, these appendages are tucked within the arches as the bus rests directly on the ground, their leg-like forms visible yet partially concealed.

“Let’s see how cool its transformation is,” Wyn suggests.

For this fight, Anish will serve as the only support, remaining on the car pile while the rest of the team steps into the circle. Immediately, the coiled appendages begin lifting the bus, revealing their full size. They rotate until clawed feet emerge, gripping the ground firmly. As the legs extend, the bus gradually rises, growing taller. However, due to their small size compared to the bus’s weight, the legs tremble. Then, they pulsate several times, thickening to better support the bus. The headlights switch on, and the bus honks loudly at the team, standing on two hind legs with a shove from the front.

"Okay...not that cool," Wyn comments.

"Where does it piss from?" Mira suddenly asks.

"Are you seriously, like, looking for that right now?" Christine asks.

"Hmmm…She’s picking up Wyn’s curiosity habit, except for the logic," Yu quips.

While they're distracted, the bus extends its front legs toward the group. Anish quickly blows them backward, saving them from the attack. Wyn, the only one not distracted, misses his cyclone strike due to the sudden pull.

"Oops!" Anish exclaims.

Out of reach, the bus awkwardly walks forward. Seizing the moment, the team splits up, surrounding the bus and taking turns launching projectiles at it. The bus easily falls for the trick, turning toward the current attacker each time. While the creature is facing him, Wyn unleashes a powerful rocky cyclone, accidentally knocking the bus backward. Christine, positioned behind it, is saved just in time by Anish’s gust.

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"Woah! Are you, like, crazy?" Christine shouts.

"Sorry!" Wyn apologizes.

Overturned, the bus relies on its powerful legs, bending them to push against the ground, flipping itself back upright.

The team has been targeting the legs, but the attacks aren’t having much effect. Growing frustrated, Wyn charges up a horizontal rocky cyclone and fires it at the bus’s rear while it’s overturned. The cyclone cracks the backdoor windows, leading to an accidental discovery – although the windows are opaque, a closer look reveals pulsating red masses inside. Wyn calls everyone over to where he is.

As the bus struggles to get back up, Wyn immediately sends it back down with another cyclone. This time, he spams descending cyclones in tandem with Anish’s downward gusts, keeping the bus pinned. The rest of the team attacks the cracked windows with everything they’ve got. Though the cracks deepen, they can’t break through.

The team switches tactics. Wyn, Anish, and Christine float above the bus’s windshield, while Yu takes position in front and Mira covers the rear. Yu’s new ability allows him to distract the enemy all by himself by manipulating his water jumps. When the bus attempts a direct smash, he skillfully shifts the stream to the side. When it performs a sweeping motion, he adjusts the height of his jumps and dashes away, all while throwing projectiles with ease.

"He’s already mastered his jumps?" Wyn claps silently, watching Yu in awe.

At full charge, Wyn releases a rocky, snowy cyclone, causing some cracks on the window. The towering bus tries to swat at the airborne trio, but they’re out of reach. Another cyclone strikes down, accompanied by Anish’s javelin and Christine’s frosted pickaxe. The weapons pierce through the cracks, causing the red masses to ooze out like blood. The bus struggles to stay upright, honking in distress. Other creatures in the area respond with eerie honks of their own. As Wyn delivers a third strike, the bus’s honking ceases, and the surrounding honks fade. The bus collapses flat onto the ground as the red masses pour from the front, nearly flooding the circular area. The pulsating slows before coming to a complete stop, and within minutes, the once-red masses turn brown and disintegrate into essence.

"Carmit? One hundred essence? Is that a lot or not?" Mira asks.

"What did you expect? They’re easy once you figure out their weakness," says an unfamiliar voice.

The team turns toward the source of the voice. Above another pile in a different circle, ten souls stand, making their way over to Wyn’s circle.

"Hey! You’re that guy who fought with Crowd’s team during the event!" Wyn exclaims.

"How did you…Oh, you must be that fanboy Crowd was talking about."

"‘Fanboy’? He called me a fanboy?"

"Not literally."

"What are you doing here anyway?"

David, the leader of the group, steps forward. He’s a muscular man with a round face, light skin, and short brown hair with subtle shades of color woven through. His piercing blue eyes stand out against his olive green tank top, dark green cargo pants, and sturdy black military boots. Standing at one hundred and eighty centimeters, he towers over everyone on Wyn’s team.

"We’re here to check out a new creature."

From time to time, new species or mutations are reported by demons or discovered by the elites themselves. It’s the elites’ duty to survey the first floor for abnormalities as part of their ongoing effort to properly allocate creatures.

"That means I might get to see Crowd again on this floor?" Wyn asks.

"No, he’s not part of the survey crew. Plus, the guy’s busy game launches," David replies.

"Well, that sucks. So, where’s this new creature you mentioned, by the way?"

"Apparently, not here."

"That means...?" Wyn prompts.

"Either in the tunnel or on the other side of it. How about you join us? You’ve got us, so you should be safe."

"'Should,' huh?" Yu remarks.

"Good choice, boss. Might as well let them fight and collect their essence afterward," says Charlotte, a female member of David's team.

Charlotte, a long-haired brunette with pale skin, has tattoos covering much of her body. Her nose, ear tip, and lower lip are pierced, and while she adamantly claims she’s not goth, her all-black attire suggests otherwise.

"You have a cyclone soul on your team?" Wyn asks, deliberately ignoring Charlotte’s remark.

"None. Only air," David answers.

"How about water, fire, snow, or earth?" Mira asks.

"Yeah, we’ve got those. Our team prides itself on dual-typing, but that means our specializations overlap a bit."

"And yet, no cyclone…," Wyn trails off.

They navigate the junkyard by sticking to the car piles, Wyn's team excited at the prospect of observing an elite group fight firsthand.

"David, do you have five hundred catnips you don’t need?" Yu suddenly asks.

"I’ve got way more than that, but why? I can’t transfer them to you."

"I want to rename the carmits."

"Why not name the new creature instead?"

"Noice!" Yu grins mischievously.

As they enter the dark tunnel, fire souls light the way by continuously emitting flames from their hands, casting an impressive glow. Mira watches, intrigued by their control.

The tunnel itself is devoid of creatures, and soon, at David’s command, the crew exits. On the other side, the junkyard isn’t just filled with cars but also aircraft, vessels, and trains scattered throughout.

"Let’s spread out," David says. "If you find anything unusual, report back to me. Don’t engage on your own."

Wyn and his team follow David while the rest of his group splits into teams of three. It doesn’t take long before one of the teams reports back. Near the fence that borders both the junkyard and the shalmali tree, they find a new large circle. In the center, stretching across the middle, rests a three-car train. The vibrant blue steam tank engine, trimmed with red lining, radiates a cheerful energy.

"Choo choo, motherf…," Yu starts.

"Boy, where’s a traineater when you need one?" Wyn says, interrupting Yu.