When the shimmering veil of the E-Rank portal finally collapsed, the Hunter Association workers stationed at the perimeter blinked in surprise. It had closed far sooner than expected.
The usual lifespan for an E-Rank dungeon was predictable—several hours of farming time before the boss was taken down and the portal's glow began to wane. But this time, it had all ended in less than half the window.
Hunters began spilling out one by one, and it didn't take long before the air outside the portal was thick with irritation.
"Damn it, I was just starting to rake in EXP," one man snapped, tossing his spear over his shoulder.
"All my loot spots were still untouched," another muttered, kicking a loose stone.
They didn't just leave it at complaining. Soon, small clusters of Hunters were roaming the site, eyes narrowed as they searched for the culprits—the people who had dared to end the dungeon early by killing the boss without warning.
