The bus drove out of the academy, entering the main road and joining the other cars.
Inside the bus, Raiven had one thought.
'Cozy.'
The interior of the bus was beautiful, and the seats were soft.
But well, Raiven wasn't fully relaxed because of the person seated beside him at the back of the bus.
Raiven furrowed his brows. 'Why did I have to end up in the same bus as him?'
He glanced at Muriel from the corner of his eyes. His white hair was fluttering lightly.
He had a neutral expression on his face, but a playful smile would pop up every few seconds.
Raiven just looked away and continued staring outside.
Thirty minutes later, the bus got to its destination.
All fifteen students inside exited the bus, and as they stepped foot on the ground, their eyes were fixated on one thing.
Raiven looked awestruck, his eyes widened, as he stared at the sight before him.
"So... That's what a Hole looks like in real life, huh?" He muttered.
The Hole was a swirling brown-colored portal.
It was beautiful. Mesmerizing.
Everyone could feel the intensity and pressure coming from the Hole.
The Hole had barricades around it to prevent anyone from accidentally entering it.
Muriel nudged Raiven's shoulder.
"This Hole appeared in the middle of the road a few months ago, and another road had to be built for cars to pass," he said. "Though, pedestrians are still allowed to pass this road."
'Why is he telling me something so obvious?' Raiven thought.
What Muriel just said was general knowledge, and everyone knew about it.
Raiven just smiled at him. "Yeah, I know that."
Some men dressed in battle-ready clothes and holding guns were standing beside the barricades.
They were the ones in charge of protecting the Hole and preventing any accidents.
One of the men began speaking with the driver.
The driver showed the man something on his tablet, and after a few minutes, the man stood in front of the fifteen students.
He began,
"Everyone! Get ready, and prepare your weapons! You'll be entering the Hole in five minutes!"
Instantly, all the students began preparing their weapons and armors.
Some brought out swords from their inventory, while others brought out other weapons.
Immense concentration was evident on the faces of the students.
They were being careful and properly checking their weapons. They didn't want to miss anything.
Even though they looked confident, they were all just nervous.
Even though they had already heard stories of how the inside of the Hole looked and that it had different terrains, that didn't erase the slight fear still lingering in their hearts.
They were going to enter the Hole by themselves, after all.
Within minutes, parents had already arrived.
They wanted to watch their children enter the Hole successfully.
In another location...
"Three minutes left!" A burly-looking man holding a gun announced.
The fifteen students standing in front of him continued preparing themselves.
Their parents were also present.
Among all of them, Avin was the first to finish getting prepared.
He gripped his Uncommon Rank Sword that he bought with almost half of his savings.
He also wore Common Rank leather armor.
He put the sword inside the sheath that was hanging on his waist, his eyes never leaving the Hole.
"One minute left! Now, everyone, form a line in front of the Hole," the burly man said. "You'll enter one at a time. Make sure not to make any form of physical contact. If you do that, you will be punished once you return from the Hole!"
"Have I made myself clear?!"
"Yes sir!" The students answered.
They began forming a line in front of the Hole.
In a few seconds, they were done and ready to enter the Hole.
The burly man saw that and didn't say anything yet. It was obvious that he was waiting for the time to be up.
And when the time was finally up...
"One after the other, start entering the Hole!"
And that was it.
The boy in front of the line entered the Hole, followed by a girl.
Another boy entered the Hole again, and finally, it was Avin's turn.
At the same time, in another location, it was also Raiven's turn to enter the Hole.
He stared at the swirling brown vortex, the glow reflecting in his eyes.
He inhaled.
He exhaled.
He blinked.
His senses heightened.
He clenched his fists.
His weapons and armor were in his inventory, but he was prepared.
The bracelet Verah gave him was tightly bound to his wrist.
And then, he took a step.
Avin also took a step.
From different locations, the both of them continued taking steps, heading straight for the Hole.
It was the first time entering the Hole for both of them, and they didn't know what to expect.
With every heartbeat, their steps grew faster, and they got closer to the Hole.
They steeled their resolve.
Though, as they were about to enter the Hole, Avin and Raiven had different thoughts.
Avin had one thought: Dominate.
And Raiven had one thought...
'Survive...'