Two days passed in a blur, and before Alex knew it, he was already standing in front of a giant bronze gate with the same claw emblem he had seen in the residence of the Hartwell Clan.
Gathered around him were at least thirty Catkins, all of whom were fifteen or sixteen years old.
While some of them looked at Alex with a friendly gaze, there were a handful who didn't find having a human join them inside the domain very amusing.
Cairo had already warned Alex that some Catkins might show hostility to him inside the domain.
For now, they were still reining it in because the Patriarch of the Hartwell Clan was there to keep everyone in check.
But once they were inside the dungeon, there would no longer be any adults to get in their way.
This meant that they could do anything they wanted, and finally teach the human a lesson he wouldn't forget.
Surprisingly, Lavinia was also there. But unlike the rest who were looking at Alex, the young lady didn't even bother to glance in his direction.
For her, whether Alex joined the trial, or not was of no importance to her. She was more interested on how to acquire one of the Hidden Classes that could only be gained inside the Etherion Domain.
The Catkin Swordsman had only sighed and told Alex to do his best to stay away from his sister.
"These guys are giving me second-rate villain vibes," Alex whispered to the Dim Sum God, who was now perched on his shoulder.
"Dim Dim." Dim Dim nodded.
"Remember, this is an opportunity for all of you," Ramza stated. "Entry to the domain will give you an opportunity to test your skills, as well as gain treasures along the way.
"You may compete with each other, but killing and crippling your fellow competitors will not be tolerated. Anyone proven guilty will be subjected to the law, and I will make sure that you regret it for the rest of your lives."
A subtle killing intent wafted from Ramza's body, making the teenagers stiffen from where they stood.
Even those who were thinking of doing bad things to Alex inside the domain started to hesitate.
They knew the young man was the disciple of the scion of the Hartwell Clan.
Would it really be wise to offend such a character?
While they were mulling over these thoughts, Ramza waved his hand and gave an order.
The guards standing by the gate pushed it open, revealing a portal.
"Enter one by one," Ramza said. "You will be teleported to a random spot on the first floor. All of you may go to the second floor, but the third floor is off-limits. Do I make myself clear?"
One by one, the teenage Catkins entered the portal.
Alex stood beside his master, intending to go last.
Ramza approved of Alex's decision because the Elders of the Clawford Tribe had also gathered for this special event.
He could tell at a glance that three of the ten Elders didn't like that a human had been given permission to enter their domain.
However, out of respect for Ramza, they reluctantly agreed to it.
When everyone else had already entered the portal, Cairo gave the young man's back a light push.
"May fortune smile upon you," Cairo said.
"Thank you, Master," Alex replied. "I'm off."
"Dim Dim!" Dim Dim waved goodbye at Cairo before looking at the portal in front of them.
A moment later, both Alex and the Dim Sum God disappeared.
The bronze gate then closed, not to open again until ten days later.
Cairo looked very calm on the surface. But deep inside, he was worried about his disciple.
Fighting monsters was one thing, but fighting Catkins, who had trained in combat from a young age, would not be easy.
Ramza cast the gate one last glance before gesturing for Cairo to follow him.
Knowing that staying wouldn't do anything, the Catkin Swordsman followed his grandfather until they reached the inner keep of their residence.
This was where the treasures, as well as the most guarded secrets of the Hartwell Clan, were kept.
"You're worried about your disciple, right?" Ramza asked.
"Yes," Cairo answered.
The old Catkin no longer said anything and simply took Cairo to a room the latter had never been in before.
Once the two of them were inside, the door behind them—covered by countless layers of magic formations—locked automatically, preventing anyone from getting inside.
The two then entered another door, and behind it was a very spacious room with dozens of mirrors that glowed faintly in the darkness.
One of the mirrors was at least two meters tall. Ramza then waved his hand at it, making its surface ripple.
A moment later, the image of a young man appeared, catching Cairo by surprise.
"This..." Cairo's eyes widened in shock because he didn't expect that his grandfather could actually monitor the things that were happening inside the Etherion Domain.
"How do you think we know whether someone has broken the rule or not?" Ramza asked with a smug look on his face. "Each of these mirrors represents one of the teenagers who has entered the domain. It will record everything they did from start to end.
"Those who show promise, as well as the right mentality, will be invited to become our retainers and will be provided resources matching their abilities. Since you are worried about your disciple, you can watch him here."
"Thank you, Grandfather," Cairo said before shifting his attention to the mirror.
Alex seemed to have appeared somewhere in the forest, and he was busy surveying his surroundings.
But a moment later, the Dim Sum God on top of his head suddenly started shouting.
Soon, twelve Feral Dogs appeared behind the trees and looked at Alex as if they had just found their lunch.
Alex and the dogs stared at each other for nearly half a minute before the teenage boy ran away with all of his might.
And just like Cairo and Ramza expected, the dogs ran after the young man like a pack of wolves going for the kill.
"... It seems that he got sent to the second floor." The corner of Ramza's lips twitched after seeing the unexpected turn of events. "Have you asked someone to do a natal astrology reading for your disciple? It might be a good idea to check whether he was born under an unlucky star."
"I guess it's time for you to look for a new disciple."
The two knew that Alex was in danger, but there was simply no way for them to help him.
But just as the first feral dog lunged at Alex from behind, the young man passed something over to Dim Dim, which it threw at the dog behind them.
"Ei!" Dim Dim shouted as it flung one of the brittle vials that were filled with ground red chili and black pepper.
As soon as the vial broke, the dog yelped in pain. Its eyes and nose were assaulted by the deadly combination. Cairo and Ramza were unable to decide whether they should laugh or cry at the young man's antics.