John's friends lapsed into a respectful silence, letting him work through the mountain of loot.
The sheer volume of items he had brought back was staggering, thousands of scales and demonic storage devices piled in heaps. However, as the hacking process continued, a more surprising and slightly terrifying phenomenon began to occur.
The rocks that covered the ridge and formed the base of the hill began to change. The vibrant, pulsating blue, green, and white lights that had characterised the Mana mine started to dim.
Slowly, the glowing rocks flickered and faded, turning into dull, grey, ordinary-looking stones. The sight gave everyone a scare, including John himself. It looked as though he was literally devouring the soul of the Mana vein.
At some point, the transformation became so terrifying that John had to stop and send for Goven. The Kroger's leader arrived quickly, examined the fading luminescence. He muttered to himself, poking at the now-inert rock.
