026 Rebellious Disciple!

At this moment, Roland was overcome with profound doubt. Everyone around him was more powerful than he was; even the two freshmen possessed a decade more of magical education than he did. They were all scions of noble and powerful wizarding families, while he was nothing more than a self-taught hedge wizard, a bumpkin lacking in experience.

Everyone insisted that this was a beautiful Tree of Life guarded by elves. Yet, all Roland could see was a twisted abomination, crawling with fleshy horrors, oozing brownish pus, and covered in repulsive tumors.

Who was right, and who was wrong? Was truth truly held only by the few?

"Am I the one who's mad, or are they?" Roland had never wished more fervently to be insane. Because if he were sane, it meant the entire party had already been wiped out before they had even stepped through the entrance of this dungeon. If his mentor forced him to follow them into the ruins, then no matter what the mission was, there was no point in proceeding. The expedition was already a failure; Roland had no intention of playing along.

He quietly retreated a few steps, preparing to turn and leave. The moment he turned, however, he accidentally bumped into someone. It was his mentor, Catherine. She had appeared behind him, her eyes burning with a strange red light.

"Won't you share some of the Tree of Life's sap?" Catherine held up a bottle filled with the liquid, urging him with a facade of kindness. "Drink it. Once you do, you will become a god."

Looking at the bubbling, nauseating substance thrust before him, Roland’s expression turned grim. He quickly pushed it away, waving his hand in refusal. "No thank you, Mentor Catherine. You should drink it yourself."

Just then, Wallace approached with a sycophantic grin. "Countess, you should have some too. Once you drink it, you will become a god!"

Looking at that same bubbling, disgusting liquid held before her, Catherine’s face turned ghastly. She recoiled, waving him off. "No thank you, Mr. Wallace. You drink it yourself."

Catherine’s reaction was identical to Roland’s. She clearly hadn't gone mad! Roland stared at his mentor in a daze. Catherine avoided his gaze, dismissed Wallace, and tucked the vial into her space ring.

"Senior," Roland said, "what are you doing? This joke isn't funny... wait, did you intentionally have everyone drink the sap of this flesh-tree?!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Catherine replied. "That is the Tree of Life, and what they drank is the sap of the Tree of Life." She paused and looked at him. "I will ask you one last time—are you going to drink, or..."

Before she finished, Catherine saw Roland’s black pupils dilate rapidly until his eyes were entirely ink-black. A doll’s cry echoed from her robes. She pulled out a porcelain figurine in astonishment; a small black spot had appeared on it—a substitution doll.

"It was a Mind Blast... you dare use such magic on me?!" Catherine remained entirely unaffected, but Roland’s face changed dramatically.

At that moment, applause rang out from behind them. *Clap, clap, clap, clap...*

Both turned, startled, to see Baron Hall. He had been watching the spectacle for a long time, his face wore a constant, smug smile, bearing no resemblance to the madness he had exhibited earlier.

"Not bad, not bad," the Baron said, applauding. "It seems Roland has indeed learned quite a lot from you—Catherine, I didn't send him to you in vain." He turned his gaze to Roland. "But remember for next time: if someone can force you to use a move like that, you are no match for them. Once you strike, do not hesitate—run immediately."

Catherine gritted her teeth. "Hall!"

The Baron bowed respectfully. "My esteemed Lady Catherine, what are your orders? Do you need me to help you instruct your student?"

This man was even more infuriating than Roland. Catherine closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She glanced at Roland, and with a wave of her hand, the world spun for him, and he collapsed into unconsciousness.

In his final moment of consciousness, he thought, *It was my Mind Blast! I never told her about that spell... when did she learn it from me?*

With a dull thud, Roland hit the ground. His coin purse flew up from his waist and swallowed him whole. Catherine, her face darkened, picked up the purse and tied it back onto her own waist.

Baron Hall remarked, "Catherine, to prevent accidents, Roland should indeed drink the Sap of Suffering. But his mental state is quite normal, so it is no matter... but since he is so resistant, couldn't you have explained things clearly? Instead, you toy with him and play the role of the haughty teacher... sigh, you haven't been as composed since your rebirth. You look like a big child. Are you his mentor or his senior?"

"Victor!" Catherine glared at him, her face flushed. "You talk too much today!"

Roland had pranked Catherine several times over the past few days, and the mermaid incident had nearly driven her to a breakdown. Today, she had finally found a chance to retaliate, only to fail again and lose face. What made her feel even more aggrieved was the Baron lecturing her. She was so angry she was on the verge of tears, yet she couldn't tell him, *He bullied me! I want to bully him back!* as that would be even more humiliating.

The Baron chuckled and changed the subject. "Fine, fine, I’ll say no more... just one last thing—call me Hall. Julie calls me that all day long; I’ve gotten used to the name."

By now, everyone in the party—except for the Baron, Catherine, Nall, and Anna—lay unconscious on the ground. This was the effect of the Sap of Suffering. It caused madness, followed by unconsciousness. It looked like a foul poison, but in reality, it was a potion capable of healing wounds of the soul and elevating one's sanity. Thus, it was indeed a Holy Tree—a holy tree of flesh and soul.

Once unconscious, these people would not wake for ten hours. Furthermore, the sap was toxic and had side effects, so Catherine would need to brew an antidote.

Nall was setting up the tents; it seemed the party would be camping there for the night. Anna was running aimlessly around the camp, unable to help.

The Baron said, "Catherine, where a Flesh Pilgrim exists, no other anomalies will approach. It is safe here. The party can rest. Besides, there are many herbs to be gathered nearby."

"Yes," Catherine agreed. "I will brew some potions shortly to alleviate the side effects of the Sap of Suffering... once they are ready, we should drink some of the sap ourselves."

To ensure their own mental stability, both of them consumed a small amount of the sap. Upon finishing, they both furrowed their brows, their expressions turning heavy. They realized their own perceptions had been compromised.

"Catherine," the Baron said, "we seem to have overlooked one thing... why is it that for such a massive undertaking, there are only eight of us?"

After consuming the sap, Catherine realized this as well. She remained silent for a long time. Moments later, she looked at the surrounding air and said with a complex expression, "Hall, our party should never have been just the eight of us. We have simply forgotten the others. Do you remember the 'Dice of Suffering Fate'?"

The 'Dice of Suffering Fate.' It was a terrifying, mysterious phenomenon in the Brown Fern Forest. Whoever the dice chose would be forgotten by the world. Their past, present, and future would all vanish. When a person’s past ceased to exist, no one would remember them. It would be as if they had never existed at all.

The Dice of Suffering were dice of the Abyss, derived from the laws of the Abyss. Before the law, all beings were equal.