At the edge of Ishildorin, the treetop city, an old, rotting wooden bridge creaked.
Seldan, the elf mage who’d once killed a Scout Puffshroom with lightning, crossed it to a deserted treehouse.
A wall of woven branches slid open silently, revealing an entrance. Seldan slipped inside, descending a spiral staircase within the giant tree. He pushed open a stone door disguised as rock, stepping into a familiar hidden chamber.
The Grand Mentor and other core members waited, their faces and voices blurred.
Seldan spoke first. “With the rangers watching so closely, calling me here urgently… not good news, is it?”
An elf nearby jerked his chin toward a stone table in the room’s center.
Seldan followed his gaze. A translucent crystal flickered faintly.
He recognized it—a one-way receiver, simpler than a messaging crystal. It only glowed like this when its paired device was crushed, blinking until its magic ran dry.
“What’s this mean?” Seldan asked, frowning.
“The first phase is going smoothly,” another elf replied softly.
But Seldan wasn’t fooled. If things were truly fine, they’d report in person, not use a disposable signal crystal.
“Who went to check?” Seldan pressed, a bad feeling rising.
“Pelagel.”
Seldan’s pupils shrank. Pelagel wasn’t here—the implication was clear.
“Why wasn’t I told?!” he growled, nearly shouting.
“Pelagel insisted we keep it from you,” the elf answered. “Said you’d demand to go with him.”
“So he ditched me and got himself caught?!” Seldan trembled with rage, spinning to storm out.
“Where are you going?” The elf grabbed his arm.
“Where else? To the dungeon to save that cocky idiot!”
“Seldan, don’t be reckless.” The Grand Mentor, silent until now, spoke. His voice was low but cut through clearly. “If it’s not dangerous, Pelagel can handle it. If he can’t… you’d just die for nothing.”
“So we abandon him?!” Seldan’s fists clenched, knuckles whitening. “He did this for the Oath of the Ark!”
“Exactly why!” The Grand Mentor met his gaze, pain flickering in his eyes. “Our mission is to ensure his sacrifice isn’t wasted.”
He summoned an elf, ordering her to monitor the dungeon’s movements and track all recent comings and goings.
Sweeping his gaze across the room, his eyes burned with resolve. “Everyone, understand this: sacrifices are inevitable. The plan comes first, even if it means sacrificing me.”
He patted Seldan’s shoulder, then shifted to discuss the latest monitoring array.
Seldan’s fists stayed clenched, his chest heaving, before he slowly buried his anger and grief, silently praying for Pelagel.
“For the Oath of the Ark!”
In the chamber, shadowed elves shouted the slogan, like a solemn ritual.
Then, in unison, they turned to the one silent figure—Pelagel.
“Why aren’t you speaking?” a voice demanded.
Pelagel didn’t budge. “You… aren’t my allies.”
“What are you babbling about?” The elves parted, revealing the “Grand Mentor” in a veiled hat.
“You’re not the Grand Mentor either.” Pelagel lunged, ripping off the veil!
Beneath wasn’t a face—but a teal mushroom cap.
Lin Jun: “…”
Seriously? The real interrogation hadn’t even started, and he was already busted?!
Since sneaking into a dream and snagging “Oath of the Ark” and “Grand Mentor,” every mental invasion attempt had flopped.
Even now, controlling all the dream’s “NPCs,” Pelagel was a stone wall, giving up nothing.
Was this guy’s heart iron-clad?!
In the dungeon, Pelagel stirred awake. White mycelium coated his body, clearly parasitic.
Glancing at Louisa and the guarding Puffshrooms, he spat in disgust. “Filthy demons! And those useless rangers!”
Mixing lizardmen, half-demons, and a vampire, he’d pegged Lin Jun as a demon force infiltrating the dungeon.
“Pelagel, why are you spreading ‘Madness’?” a Voice Puffshroom asked.
Before he could answer, Piggy nearby flinched instinctively.
Pelagel’s lips stayed sealed. A pale mushroom burst from his chest!
“Ugh!” Pain forced a grunt, but instead of begging, his eyes blazed fiercer. “You demons won’t get a word from me!”
He bit down hard. A faint crack sounded. Piggy rushed forward, prying his jaw open. “Poison in his mouth!”
Damn! Suicide? First time for that!
What’s this? I’m the villain now, and you, spreading Madness, are the noble hero?!
“Pin him to the mycelium!” Lin Jun ordered.
Piggy didn’t hesitate, pressing the black-blood-spitting, limp Pelagel onto the writhing mycelium.
The mycelium linked with his body’s strands, magic surging wildly, converting into a skill!
[Toxin Resistance LV8]
The brutal infusion brought agony beyond normal, wrenching a worse groan from the conscious elf!
Then a Puffshroom rushed in with antidote and healing potions, forcing them down his throat.
Want to die?
Dream on!
As Pelagel’s health stabilized, Lin Jun ensured no second chance.
Hallucination spores flooded the cell. Pelagel soon sank into a deep coma in the thick spore cloud. (Next chapter in 10 minutes)
(End of Chapter)
