*sizzle* *sizzle* *crack*

Fabian who was moving in and ignoring the purification dome has stopped, the sound of sizzling has also gone up and his face was full of consternation, while the ooze on his body began to shrink.

Fabian quickly moved outside of the dome and looked at Noelani’s orb with a face full of fear.

Next, Noelani began to move forward, trying to get Fabian in the range of the dome once more.

But fearing the purification he just experienced, Fabian began to run away deeper into the tunnel towards the dungeon area.

Noelani stepped forward trying to chase after him, but Fabian noticed her movement and turned around to raise his hand towards the ceiling and used his newly acquired skill to cause a small cave in.

Noelani stopped moving forward and avoided the collapsing rubble.

Fabian took this chance and disappeared into the darkness of the tunnel.

Seeing that Fabian is not coming back, the team relaxed a little.

But soon, everyone’s curiosity made them look towards Noelani who was holding a cracked innate orb, it was the one that gave off a powerful light and scared off Fabian.

Noelani turned around and looked at everyone.

“You actually stole one of the camp’s orbs! You fool even followed that dark spawn, you're far beyond help.” Noelani began berating Adam out of all the team.

Adam was a bit confused, why was he being singled out? In this situation, wouldn’t she be berating everyone?

“Noelani, do you know what happened to Fabian?” It was Karen that asked.

Noelani turned to her with an angry face and Karen flinched.

“That thing is no longer Fabian. He has become the dark spawn, which is something akin to the corruption shadows. You fools actually followed something like that, if I had not caught up to you people, you all would have perished once you entered the dungeon.” Noelani said, then looked at Adam.

“And you! Not only did you steal an orb, but also gave a skill orb to the dark spawn and allowed him to escape.”

“Huh? What do you mean? Fabian was going to take it by force, what would you want me to do?” Adam rebutted.

“Anyone here would have not given it up. A coward like you, made a dangerous person, like Fabian, become even more dangerous.” Noelani reprimanded.

Adam noticed his other teams, with who he already had a strained relationship with, look at him with a dark face. Noelani has somehow turned the conversation against him.

“What? And you guys would have done things differently?” Adam rhetorically asked.

“Hmph! Of course, we wouldn’t have given up the skill orb, why would we do so when we came here just to get the skill orbs?” Karen responded.

“Then if your so brave, why don’t you go after Fabian and get the skill orb?” Adam didn’t back down.

“We can’t go after Fabian because of his earth skill, otherwise we would be crushed when he causes a ceiling collapse,” Noelani said then turned towards the exit of the tunnel.

“And another thing, from now on, no one is allowed to be in the camp and still have an independent innate orb. If you have a problem with that you can leave the camp!” she said while walking.

“What? You can’t do that!” Karen yelled out.

“Oh? If you have a problem, you can go join Fabian then.” Noelani stopped and spoke.

Noelani’s words reminded everyone here that Fabian is no longer going to back them up.

***

After Fabian ran away, he started running and reached a passage in the tunnel where all the walls were much darker.

After leaving the camp today, his vision has gradually improved, and the midnight miasma had become as clear as day.

His drunken consciousness could tell that he has reached the dungeon he wanted to reach for a long time, but he also felt something calling for him much deeper inside the dungeon.

He moves forward, following the call, passing by many shadows. But strangely, none of the shadows did anything to stop him, as though he was one of them.

Soon, Fabian reached a large hall, the ground was made of moss-like dark firm ooze, reminiscent of the ooze on Fabian, which has nearly covered all of Fabian’s body except for the right side of his face.

In the center of the hall, was a spherical dark object.

***

Noelani was leading Adam and the others back to the camp.

But unlike last time, the team did not have to fight any of the corruption shadows.

If a shadow tried to attack the team, they would be obliterated once they touch the powerful purification dome coming from the orb that Noelani is holding.

Adam was carrying a bag full of stone crusts that came from the skilled shadow which he killed. Noelani said these things were useless without the skill orb that came from the same creature, so no one wanted it.

However, Adam was adamant about taking it back, he said that it was a souvenir of his first skilled shadow kill.

He could not help but have a wry smile thinking of the unamused faces the others had when he said that.

But, bringing himself back to the current situation, Adam looked at the brighter orb in Noelani’s hands. He did not understand why its dome is comparable to multiple combined orbs’ purification dome.

But also noticed that more cracks had appeared on it over the course of the journey. He was not sure the orb could last until the team reached the camp before the orb shattered.

“Noelani, how is your purification dome so powerful?” Adam asked.

“…”

There was silence, Noelani didn’t even look back.

“Learning how to do that could be helpful for everyone.” Adam tried again.

“Having people learn of this would not be helpful, in fact, it is the opposite since this method causes the innate orb to be damaged,” Noelani replied.

“If that’s the case, shouldn’t you stop damaging it? We don’t need it running to fight off the creatures.” Adam worried, there was no need to sacrifice an innate orb for this problem.

“Really? What would we do if Fabian sneaked attacked us? Is your feeble dome able to stop him?” she said with a sneer.

Adam didn’t think Fabian, who ran away in fear, would come back right now. But he had no way to prove it, so he couldn’t refute what she said.

Adam wanted to continue asking but was interrupted by a loud cracking noise.

Everyone looked to the source of the sound, it was the orb Noelani has been holding.

It has cracked and the dome coming from it has disappeared, luckily though, Adam still had his orb up.

But the cracked orb started to disintegrate and completely vanish to thin air.

“Wait, who’s orb was it?” Karren asked after realizing something, who’s orb would Noelani be willing to risk being destroyed?

Noelani looked at the shattered orb’s dust being scattered in the air; she forced her smile down and answered the question.

“It was Fabian’s.”

***

At the same time that the orb was destroyed.

Fabian was standing beside the black spherical object inside the dungeon.

His body kept on flinching from time to time.

His awareness was also oscillating between lucidity and drunken rage.

His lucid thoughts were about getting out of here and finding a purification dome, in hopes that he could get a grip on himself.

But the moment his innate orb cracked, it was as though he could hear a sharp jolt in his mind.

The next moment, the dark ooze covering his body completely consumed him.

Slowly, his awareness has also gone, and a wave of bestial anger completely took over him.

“ROAAAAR!” His roar no longer could be recognized as human.