Chapter 73: 73 | First Dungeon
Following the instructor, the group walked deeper into the Hero Association headquarters.
They finally reached a large elevator at the end of a heavily guarded corridor.
Two massive guards stood on either side.The instructor nodded at them and pressed a button on the wall, and the elevator doors slid open.
The instructor stepped inside first. The six candidates followed behind him.
As soon as everyone entered, the instructor pressed a button. -15.
’-15?’
Dexter raised his eyes in surprise.
Only now did he truly notice the enormous list of floors beside the elevator panel.
There were thirty floors above ground, but beneath them, another thirty floors went deep into the earth, from 0 to -30.
It felt like the Hero Association was not just a building but was was practically an underground city. Thirty floors of secrets buried beneath the soil, Dexter couldn’t help but image what was hidden down there.
The elevator doors closed with a soft thud, and immediately the platform began descending.
-3.
-10.
-15.
The whole elevator stayed silent during the fall, nobody speaking.
Perhaps it was because six strangers were trapped together inside a small metallic box. Perhaps it was the knowledge of what waited below. Perhaps it was the simple fact that the earth was pressing in around them and the only direction was down.
Dexter could even hear the breathing of everyone around him.
Behind him, the tall young man crossed his arms impatiently while tapping his fingers against his arm.
The dagger woman leaned lazily against the wall. While the muscular giant remained expressionless.
The quiet girl in the corner lowered her head and said nothing
Meanwhile, Dexter’s thoughts had already drifted elsewhere. Specifically How exactly was he going to find two necklaces similar to the one he had given Mira?
Giving one wife a gift without giving the other two the same gift.
That was simply asking for trouble.
He had already seen the look in Lyra’s eyes when she noticed the necklace on Mira and knew and didn’t know what to think of it. He could only purchase two more similar necklaces for them.
And Selene.
She probably hadn’t noticed the necklace yet. But when she did...
He shook his head and chuckled silently. He had become one of those people scared of their wives. And not only did he have just one. He has three of them.
Forty-five seconds later.
"Ding."
The elevator stopped and the doors slid open.
The six of them stepped outside. Instantly, Dexter’s eyes narrowed slightly as he saw two people staring outside the elevator.
They were guards and their energy wave was extraordinary. They were both
Superhuman Realm heroes!
Dexter couldn’t help wondering exactly how many Superhuman experts existed inside Stargate City.
Because ever since arriving at the Hero Association, they seemed to be everywhere. Guards, receptionists, instructors and even the Maintenance workers.
The instructor stepped forward and showed his identification.
The two guards nodded immediately.
One of them pressed his hand against a scanner. A blue light swept across his palm, reading mana signatures and comparing them against stored data.
The other pressed a massive red button mounted beside the wall.
Rumble.
A gigantic metallic gate, nearly three meters tall, slowly split apart from the middle. The thick steel doors ground open with a heavy mechanical groan.
Behind the gate was a portal floated in midair, a glowing violet portal swirling like a whirlpool made of light.
Dexter’s eyes widened, for this was his first time seeing one. And he was not the only one stunned.
The lady with the dagger stared with sharp interest, her lips parting slightly, her natural curiosity pushing aside her attempt to look professional. The muscular man raised his eyebrows a tiny bit, even the quiet girl could not hide her curiosity,
Only the tall young man and the instructor appeared unaffected.
Clearly, they had seen portals before.
The portal resembled a gigantic glowing amoeba suspended in space, its surface constantly rippling like water touched by a gentle breeze.
Colors shifted endlessly within it: purple, blue, black, silver, all swirling and blending. It looked as though an entire universe had been compressed into a single doorway, stars and darkness and light dancing together in an endless, silent song.
Beautiful and terrifying, the sight was strangely mesmerizing and very hypnotic.
It made Dexter want to reach out and touch it to feel what the portal felt like against his fingertips.
The instructor suddenly spoke "This is a modified F-Rank Dungeon. We have changed parts of it for this licensing examination to match your strength." He turned toward the group. "You will enter as a team. You may cooperate if you wish, or you may act independently. That decision is yours alone."
The instructor reached into a metal case and removed several black wristbands. One by one, he handed them out. The moment Dexter put his on, the band automatically adjusted itself around his wrist. A soft beep confirmed activation, and a tiny light on its surface blinked green once before going dark.
"This is your emergency extraction device. If you wish to leave the dungeon, press the button on the side, and you will immediately be pulled out." His expression became serious, his eyes hard. "However, if you voluntarily withdraw from today’s examination, you will need to wait three months before applying for another Hero License examination."
The candidates’ expressions shifted slightly. Three months was a long time.
The instructor nodded. "Do not throw away your life for pride, but do not surrender too easily either." He stepped aside. "Good luck. Now enter the dungeon."
The candidates looked at one another, nobody moving right away.
Everyone seemed to be waiting for someone else to take the first step.
Just as Dexter was considering entering, Marcus suddenly snorted.
"Cowards."
A confident smirk appeared on his face and without hesitation, he stepped forward.
The moment his body touched the portal, he suddenly disappeared like he had never been there at all.
Fiona clicked her tongue.
"Show off."
She stepped forward next, her figure melting into the violet light.
The muscular giant entered third, walking forward with heavy steps and vanishing without a sound.
The quiet girl followed shortly after, her small form swallowed by the portal.
Only Dexter remained.
He stared at the swirling portal for a few seconds. This was his first dungeon and also his first step into the world of heroes.
Taking a deep breath, Dexter stepped forward. The moment his body touched the violet light, his vision exploded into countless colors, and the world around him disappeared completely.
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