Eleven hours had passed since we managed to defeat seven Hobgoblins. We had taken shelter on the other side using talismans. Initially, we stayed in the portal's main corridor, but Dimas suddenly sensed the arrival of a group of monsters in front of us, forcing us to hide beyond the talisman for nearly ten hours.
"How much longer do we have to hide? The condition of the Vice Principal and Fajar is quite severe, isn't it?" Dimas asked anxiously, observing our situation.
"Don't worry about me; I'm doing better than the Vice Principal. I only got hit by an arrow, while he suffered much more severe injuries," Adji replied, glancing at his watch with a serious expression.
"How long will the portal remain open after we enter?"
"If it's an anomaly, it should last about 8 to 12 hours."
Upon hearing the Vice Principal's answer, Adji quickly counted the time.
"That gives us about 20 minutes left."
* Kruuuukkkkk *
The sound of the three people's stomachs growled loudly in the quiet surroundings.
"Damn, I'm really hungry. It's been more than 12 hours since our last meal!"
"To make matters worse, the ready-to-eat sausages I brought rotted as soon as we entered the portal. Even the other canned foods spoiled," Adji said, looking perplexed.
"Of course it will! This has all been explained in class. This is why the counseling teacher is so annoyed with you guys. You can fight monsters but don't know the basic knowledge that everyone should know. The portal is a location where mana gathers, so it's clear that any food not protected by mana will rot as soon as it enters the portal."
The Vice Principal took out one of the talismans he had stored in a different location and activated it.
In front of us appeared ten ready-to-eat food options.
"Eat! You all need to eat. Since this is your first fight, it's only natural to feel hungry inside the portal. I'm used to this condition, so I'm not too hungry."
Looking at the food before us, I found myself saying something I probably shouldn't have.
"Can we take two servings?"
Hearing that, the Deputy Chief laughed and permitted it. I knew my two friends wanted more as well, but they hesitated to ask, so I spoke up for them. With that agreement, we enjoyed our meal while the Deputy Chief continued to treat the wounds on his arm and stomach from the arrows he had taken.
***
Back to 30 minutes before the portal reopened:
A luxury car pulled up in front of the academy. A man and a woman stepped out— the man clad in expensive armor and the woman dressed in a wizard's robe adorned with magical accessories. They entered the academy and made their way to the backyard without needing direction from anyone.
Upon arriving in the backfield, the two met their grandfather, father, and mother. They greeted their family by kissing the hands of their grandfather, father, and mother politely. The man then asked,
"How is the youngest?"
"There are still fewer than 30 minutes before the portal opens, but it appears they are hiding in the talisman belonging to Bald Surya."
"Hiding? From what?"
Hearing his son's question, the father massaged his forehead and replied.
"Great Hobgoblin, with classes: Berserker, Hunter, Magician, and Knight."
"Hooo, then how many big goblins did the youngest kill?"
The father closed his mouth, and the mother answered his question.
"He killed all the Great Hobgoblins at the starting gate—there were seven of them. He managed a one-shot kill on the Knight and defeated the rest in a 1 vs. 5."
"1 vs. 5? Didn't they say there were seven? Where's the other one?"
"He faced them in a 1 vs. 1 condition inside Surya's talisman," the grandfather replied.
"Hoo, that brat is quite impressive, as expected of my youngest brother."
"But he was injured when a group of Hobgoblin Hunters appeared to protect his friend. That was the information we received 9 hours ago; we haven't received any further updates."
Upon hearing the news, it was not the eldest brother who became angry, but rather the second sister, who suddenly unleashed a terrifying amount of mana.
"DID YOU SAY FAJAR WAS INJURED?"
The eldest brother, noticing his younger sister's rising fury, tried to calm him down.
"Oy, calm down! He's a super kid; he won't die easily. His training was tougher than ours when we were younger, so just relax."
After a conversation that made some Awakeners hesitate to enter when they heard the name of the monster, the Brother and Sister returned to their car to retrieve their weapons, determined to go in and save their younger brother.
Thirty minutes passed, and the color of the portal shifted from red to blue. Upon seeing this, Grandfather, Father, the First Brother, and the Second Brother immediately jumped into the portal, followed closely by the other troops to secure the students.
As they entered, they were greeted by the Hobgoblin Knight. The Grandfather, who led the charge, immediately struck the Hobgoblin's head with his bare hands, causing it to explode. Following him, the Father cut down two Hobgoblin bodies in front of him with a wooden sword he had taken from the supply warehouse.
The two brothers needed about five seconds to dispatch their own goblins. The Second Brother incinerated one Goblin, while the troops focused on holding back the others and searching for the Vice Principal's talisman.
"Accept my call, O wind spirit! Help me find the Vice Principal's talisman—Spirit Detection!"
The Second Brother's magic spread throughout the hallway, easily locating the Deputy Head's talisman and making the rescue operation simpler.
When the talisman was activated, four individuals fell from the wall. Three of them were enjoying their food while the fourth was tending to his wounds.
Seeing the youngest feasting with his friends, the Eldest Brother laughed.
"Hahaha! I told you he wouldn't care about his wounds. Look at him, eating heartily!"
...
**Portal Rules:**
1. When the first group enters the portal after it has opened, the portal will be locked for 6 to 10 hours.
2. Once the time limit expires or the dungeon is completed, the portal will open for 30 minutes to 1 hour. During this time, it will be possible to collect corpses, rescue people trapped inside, or retrieve any items found within the portal.
3. If the first group successfully exits without completing the dungeon, the second group will be allowed to enter, but the portal will be locked again. If multiple attempts are made without completing the dungeon, the portal may evolve; this rule applies only to B-level portals and above.
Further rules will be disclosed in another chapter.