"Dim Dim... Can you please stop poking my nose?"
As Alex slowly opened his eyes, he was half expecting to see the Dim Sum God’s usual smile.
However, the Dim Sum God had a rare solemn expression on its face, which made Alex believe that something was wrong.
Glancing at his surroundings, he noticed that he wasn’t at the camp where he had slept for the night.
"Did we get separated after the first floor changed its surroundings?"Alex asked.
"Dim!" Dim Dim nodded.
Despite the situation, the young man didn’t panic and simply stood up and looked around his new environment.
He seemed to be inside some sort of cave, and the exit was only a few meters away from him.
"Let’s go, Dim Dim," Alex said as he picked up the Dim Sum God and placed it on top of his head.
He then walked toward the exit so he could regroup with the others.
However, what he saw outside the cave wasn’t the familiar forest area, which was the main feature of the first and second floors.
"This is..." Alex was suddenly hit with a bad premonition, so he hastily opened his map to check his current location.
< Third Floor of the Etherion Domain - Scorched Barrens >
These barrens had once been a green plain until a fire god’s rage had scorched the land.
The ruins had belonged to the Sulari Flamecallers, a vanished tribe which had tried to harness the fire deity’s power but had been consumed by it.
Monsters: Ash Hounds (Peak Rank 1), Flame Scarabs (Peak Rank 1), Cinder Wing Vulture (Peak Rank 1), Flame Salamanders (Rank 2).
’Sh*t,’ Alex cursed internally after he confirmed that his hunch was correct.
Now he understood why Dim Dim looked worried earlier. It wasn’t because they had gotten separated from their group.
It was worried because they had gotten separated from the Catkins by two freaking floors!
"Dim Dim, this is bad," Alex said with a grim expression on his face.
"Dim." Dim Dim nodded.
The young man believed he still stood a chance against the Rank 1 Monsters. After all, he had battled a fair share of them by now.
But the flame salamanders were bad news.
These lizards were as big as komodo dragons and could unleash Fire Bullets from twenty meters away.
But that wasn’t all. These salamanders were also very agile and could run fast for a long period of time, making them an absolute menace.
’I think this is what it means to be stuck between a rock and a hard place.’ Alex sighed.
In front of him was a domain where a few fire salamanders lived.
But if he tried to return to the second floor, he would be facing the mutant jumping spider that had made the Rank 3 dire bear look harmless in comparison.
Most importantly, the path leading to the first floor had been sealed shut and wouldn’t open until two days later.
In other words, it wasn’t impossible for Alex to regroup with the Catkins. However, he would have to wait for a day and a half and, most importantly, miraculously get past the Boss Monster.
While the young man was wondering what his next move should be, he heard a voice inside his head.
"Disciple, what are you doing on the third floor?"
Everyone in the secret room had been paying close attention to the teenagers stuck inside the domain.
But Ramza had been drained from the effort of protecting kids a few hours ago, so he had retired for the night to recover his strength.
In his place, Cairo stood watch and monitored Alex and the other Catkins.
When he realized that his disciple was now on the third floor, he didn’t hesitate to use the artifact left by his grandfather to make contact with the young man.
"Master, I don’t know how I got here," Alex replied. "I assumed I would remain on the first floor even after it changed at midnight. I only realised I was wrong after I woke up and found myself here."
"I don’t know if you were really born under an unlucky star, but this is the first time such an incident has happened," Cairo commented.
Alex smiled bitterly as his master’s words hit him where it hurt.
It wasn’t that he had bad luck.
His life simply had its difficulty setting literally set to Hell Mode!
"Listen, I will tell you more about the Scorched Barrens," Cairo continued. "First off, the fire salamanders usually wander around the center of the domain. If you avoid that area, the chances of encountering one are very low.
"Of course, if you have bad luck, then expect to encounter one wherever you go."
"Master, didn’t I tell you not to raise any flags?" Alex facepalmed. He didn’t know if his master intended to calm him down, but whatever the intention, the latter’s words only made him more anxious.
"Don’t be a pessimist," Cairo consoled. "In fact, I will tell you some good news. The third floor’s exit is fixed, so all you need to do is head east, and you will find it.
"Also, we have two guardian golems that safeguard that place. They are meant to stop any Catkins from trying to challenge the third floor. So, if ever you face any of those salamanders, you can run towards the golems, and they will protect you from them."
The moment he heard the words "guardian golems," Alex finally let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding.
He was familiar with these golems because they were Rank 3 Monsters that were often seen in dungeons that had owners.
"Master, can you order those golems to go to the second floor and fight that jumping spider?" Alex asked.
"I can’t," Cairo replied. "My grandfather has to enter the domain himself to give them new orders. The last thing he told them was to not harm the trial participants and to make sure no Catkins wandered to the third floor.
"The bracelets given to you and the others let the golems know that you are trial takers. As such, they will not hurt you.
"But since you’re not a Catkin, they are also not obligated to forcibly send you back to the second floor. Also, those golems are just slightly stronger than a dire bear. With that giant spider’s speed, even two of them won’t be able to land a hit."
"Even if they can’t land a hit, they can at least act as tanks, right?" Alex asked. "That will give us an opportunity to land a blow on the Boss Monster’s body."
"True. But like I said, only the owner of the domain, my grandfather, can order the golems," Cairo stated. "They won’t move from their spot unless their master commands them to."
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration appeared inside Alex’s mind.
"Master, you said that the golems and the path that leads to the second floor are in the east, right?" Alex inquired.
"That’s right," Cairo confirmed.
A plan was starting to form inside Alex’s mind, making his current situation seem more like an opportunity rather than a disaster.
With a destination in mind, the young man headed east.
However, he hadn’t wandered off for long before he encountered one of the monsters that commonly appeared inside the Scorched Barrens.
Monster Rank: Rank 1 Monster (Peak)
Monster Grade: Common
Note: They say each ash hound carries the soul of a fallen soldier, its bark a war cry lost in flame. The battlefield has never ended for them; it just burns forever.
The red hound didn’t hesitate to lunge in the direction of Alex, who had already summoned his sword and shield.
He knew that his journey would not be an easy one.
But as long as he didn’t meet any flame salamanders on the way, he was confident that he could turn any adversary he met along the way into experience points that would only strengthen him.