Once they all alighted from the shuttle, there were greeted by a few soldiers who stood guard at the teleport station, a huge building on the outskirts of the dome which served as the only point of entry and exit within the dome. This was created to maximize security within the dome and minimize the probability of an attack. It wasn't foolproof but there were measures put in place to avoid that.
The soldiers saluted the second they saw Anvil and immediately led them inside with no words said between them.
Ian couldn't stop looking around inside the station. It was filled with state-of-the-art technology, high vaulted ceilings, a smooth floor, high and long spiral stairs and numerous floors, and busy men and women walking around with serious expressions on their while some were simply expressionless. Some even looked frustrated.
It was the perfect depiction of a workplace like Ian had in mind.
"For such beautiful architecture, the atmosphere sure is gloomy," Ian thought.
They soon arrived at their destination which was a huge room but fairly empty room which had just one object inside it; the teleporter.
It was a huge, circular, see-through contraption of thick violet metal, held upright by thick metallic pillars with the same violet shine to them. The pillars were just two feet tall and they held the circular part barely a foot off the ground. The circular part itself was massive, about 100 inches in diameter, and a short stair was built in front of it.
"Listen, everyone!" Anvil yelled standing in front of the students. "I want everyone in a single file! Make this nice and orderly! Follow behind your group members and obey the officials here! I will await you on the other side!"
He nodded to the soldier who stood behind the wall behind the teleporter at end of his speech. The soldier pulled the lever behind him in response and the lights in the room dimmed a little bit as energy gathered at the centre of the circle, accompanied by a humming sound. The energy continued to condense and increase in intensity, with the humming becoming shrill.
Everyone shielded their eyes from the blinding energy, except Anvil and a few other soldiers.
Suddenly, with a reverberating booming sound, the energy spread around the circle, covering every corner of it until the other side could no longer be seen. Instead, it was covered with a new humming energy of multiple which seemed to be swirling continuously.
"Don't forget my instructions!" Anvil warned as he stepped into the teleporter.
The soldiers left in charge made quick work of arranging the students into an orderly single file and slowly led them into the portal, standing on the side of the short stair as they watched them enter.
Ian could feel his stomach churning at the thought of going through a portal again. His first experience didn't leave a good impression on portal travel for him and now he has to do it in a bigger one. Looking around, he realized he wasn't the only one. A lot of the guys here didn't seem to like it either, but surprisingly only Jake seemed bothered about it in his group. The rest kept an indifferent expression, except Bria who was smiling.
Ian grimaced once it was his turn to go through. He was the last in his group and his group was the last group which left only him in the room with the soldiers.
"Hurry inside, baggage," one of the guards hissed. "The last thing we need is some weak brat delaying us."
Ian smirked as he walked closer to the teleporter. "Isn't that too petty for weaklings who couldn't even get a high rank in the military?" He walked into the teleporter immediately after, not waiting to see their angered faces.
★★★★★★★★★
Ian soon found himself in a barren land, devoid of any civilization as it laid bare and empty, save for a cave-like structure in front of them.
He wobbled for a little bit before regaining his balance and swallowing the bile in his throat. It would be embarrassing to hurl in front of so many people, and he's had his fair share of embarrassment throughout his life. He immediately regrouped with the rest of his group just in time to listen to the rest of the instructions.
"Now, the vanguard forces would be advancing," Anvil commanded. "The first-year teams would follow behind! The staff would remain at the entrance to deter any outside interference, and there's an added function on your watches to call for our help when you are in danger. Do you understand?!"
"Yes, sir!"
"One last thing," he said in a soft voice this time. "As you can see, we would be out here until you need our help. You only have yourself and your teammates. Follow all of the safety rules, protect each other and stay together. This might be an E-rank dungeon but no dungeon is predictable. Don't expose yourselves to avoidable danger."
"Yes, sir!" Everyone saluted.
"Advance!" he ordered and the second-year groups went in, with the first-year groups behind them.
"I'm nervous," Jake said to no one in particular as they followed behind their leader.
"If you're gonna be a crybaby then you should have stayed back," Alia hissed.
"It's okay to be scared, Jake," Bria consoled him. "But considering our team though, I doubt you need to worry about anything."
She glanced at Ian with a smile as she said that and he noticed it but decided to ignore it since he couldn't think of a reason why she did that, and they were now completely inside the dungeon. They needed to be alert and focused.
††††††††
Meanwhile, at an undisclosed location within the dungeon, three robed figures stood with their backs leaning on the wall.
"They finally came in, huh?" the tallest among them said.
"Yeah," the second one replied. "It took them long enough."
"Those bastards would never suspect that we got through their security," the third one snickered. "These military fools overestimate themselves too much."
"That's to our advantage though," the tallest one smiled. "You've already confirmed its evolution, right?"
"Yes," the third one replied. "It evolved yesterday and it's already working as we speak."
"The stage is set," the tallest one sneered. "Let the carnage begin."