As the Etherion Domain descended into the darkness of the night, more Catkins arrived on the second floor.
To their surprise, they saw that a camp had been set up just a few meters away from the entrance.
Seeing Lavinia leading the other Catkins, the newcomers didn't think twice before joining her side. In any case, they were also curious why their princess was gathering people.
"Does she perhaps want to challenge the third floor and is looking for people to follow her?" one of the Catkins asked her friend.
"I don't know. But if that is what the Young Miss wants, I don't think there'll be many who will refuse to join her," the friend answered.
Out of curiosity, they asked the Catkins who had arrived earlier about it. Apparently, according to the only human in their entourage, there was a Rank 2 Boss Monster at the north of the domain.
Unfortunately, the temple was also located in the north, which made the Catkins anxious.
"Don't worry. All of us will help the Young Miss defeat it," declared Lioren, whom many recognized as one of the strongest Catkins of their generation. "For now, it's best that we all rest. Tomorrow, we will see if the human is just spouting a bunch of lies."
The young Catkin threw the young man a sidelong glance before telling the newcomers to eat and rest for the time being.
"Dim Dim, you look cute when you're pouting."
"Don't worry. I'll ask that Lioren guy to apologize to you tomorrow after they see the Boss with their own eyes," Alex said in an attempt to pacify the pouting Dim Sum God after Lioren once again implied that they were liars.
The young man lightly patted Dim Dim's head before glancing at the Catkin camp, which now had nearly thirty members.
'With this many Catkins, we can definitely defeat that Boss Monster,' Alex thought.
The way they gathered reminded him of the early days of Endless Leveling Online. At that time, a Rank 4 Boss Monster had blocked access to the forest. It had possessed both speed and power, and had been cutting players down with a single blow.
The players had been forced to camp outside, forming massive parties to take it down. They even reached thousands in number, unintentionally conducting the first-ever Boss Raid. But even with their numbers, they were forced to retreat.
Then someone suggested throwing stones, reasoning that even minimal damage could add up. The players rallied behind the idea, and although many died, they finally brought the predator mantis down.
As a reward, the Game Master had praised their teamwork and gifted everyone a special item.
But in the end, that had just been a game. Alex was now clear that this world and the people around him were real and no longer just made of data, so he uncontrollably felt a little anxious about the battle that would happen tomorrow.
He didn't want any of the Catkins to die. That was why he had gone to the entrance of the second floor to warn them about the Boss Monster lurking in the north of the domain.
Now that almost everyone had gathered, he hoped they could work together to defeat the boss without losing anyone from their group.
"Dim Dim, I will be relying on your help tomorrow, okay?" Alex said softly to the Dim Sum God perched on the palms of his hands. "You will be my trump card."
"Dim" Dim Dim nodded with determination. "Dim Dim."
"Thank you," Alex replied. "I will do my best to be careful."
After that, the young man was prepared to rest when Dim Dim suddenly looked to the north with a frown.
A minute later, Dim Dim's face turned grim before warning the young man to prepare himself for battle.
"Dim Dim!" the Dim Sum God shouted before jumping on top of Alex's head.
Without any hesitation, the young man summoned his sword and shield and ran toward the Catkin Camp.
"Everyone, monsters are heading our way!" Alex yelled with all of his might. "Prepare for battle!"
Lavinia, who was just about to rest, immediately responded to Alex's shout.
She sprinted to the front of their camp and unsheathed her sword whip, ready to strike.
Lioren and the other Catkins gathered beside the second princess of the Hartwell Clan, ready to defend her if need be.
Unlike earlier, when Lioren had downplayed Alex's words and called him a liar, the Catkin now remained silent and simply held his sword at the ready.
Catkins had a strong sense of hearing, so they were able to hear the muffled movements within the forest.
Soon, the growls, howls, and roars of the monsters headed in their direction reverberated in the surroundings.
Cairo and Ramza, who were monitoring everything from the start, both had solemn expressions on their faces.
Although they hadn't seen the Boss Monster that Alex was talking about, Cairo believed that his disciple was telling the truth.
Ramza even wanted to stop the trial. Unfortunately, that was impossible at this point in time.
The Domain couldn't be opened by brute fOrce, and they would have to wait before the ten-day trial was over.
Feeling helpless, the two could only watch as Alex, Lavinia, and the other Catkins stanced themselves in preparation for the monster stampede heading their way.