After killing the boss and obtaining a rare drop from him, Martin and his teammates disappeared from the dungeon and appeared at the Light Tree's Hub.
It glowed with countless lanterns hanging from its branches, their warm light spilling over wooden walkways, vendor stalls, and the steady stream of players moving beneath the towering tree. Even this late, the place was still alive. Parties hurried toward portals, others returned bruised and laughing, and bits of dungeon talk drifted through the night air from every direction.
Today, Martin and his friends were one of those happy, excited groups whose mood made it obvious their run had gone really well.
Only a few steps in, Martin caught people glancing at them, and then the whispers started landing clearly.
"Someone cleared the Level One Hidden Dungeon."
"Yeah, I saw it in the categories... the guys who made new characters just to get into this Monster Hunter Academy must be pissed as hell."
"True! Haha!"
