My Life In A Fantasy, Women-Dominated World

Aaron entered the hidden city without hesitation and moved straight toward the massive mushroom building that stood at its center.

Unlike the rest of the structures, this one rose thick and wide, nearly reaching his knee in height. Its stem was broader, the cap polished smooth and vibrant. Even without understanding their architecture, Aaron could tell that this place was meant for someone important.

Kings. Rulers. Leaders.

The building practically screamed authority.

Shrill screams erupted around him as the mushfolks scattered in every direction. Tiny voices shrieked in panic as the residents fled from the approaching giant. Some stumbled over each other while others abandoned their homes entirely.

Aaron ignored them.

He stepped closer to the large mushroom structure and bent down.

With one swift motion, he tore the mushroom cap clean off the building.

The roof ripped away with a wet cracking sound.

Aaron leaned forward and looked inside.

And there it was.

Just like the other tribes.

A courtroom-like interior stood within the hollow stem, complete with a throne carved from hardened fungus. But behind that throne was the familiar fake wall.

Hidden storage.

Aaron smirked.

He lowered the mushfolk that had guided him here back onto the ground before reaching down again.

This time he picked up a much fatter mushfolk from among the fleeing crowd.

Aaron examined the tiny creature in his fingers.

Yes.

This one had to be the elder.

It wasn’t difficult to tell.

The man had a noticeably larger body than the others, his belly bulging out from beneath expensive mushroom-silk robes. His cap was polished, his clothes were decorated with faint golden patterns, and even though fear trembled through him, Aaron could still see the faint traces of arrogance hiding behind it.

A ruler.

Aaron couldn’t help but compare the sight to rulers back on Earth.

The kind that barked orders while quietly stuffing their own pockets full.

Still, Aaron had no intention of judging him.

He simply set the fat elder aside and began searching the building.

He broke through the false wall with his fingers and began collecting the valuables hidden inside. Gold shrooms were stacked in neat rows, their golden caps gleaming under the dim light filtering through the open roof.

Aaron scooped them up by the handful.

While gathering the mushrooms, he also searched the corners of the treasury until he finally spotted what he was looking for.

Blue beads.

Several of them were tucked into a corner, almost carelessly discarded.

Aaron picked them up.

They were the translation beads.

In truth, they weren’t particularly valuable for the mushfolks. Encounters with other races were extremely rare, so there was little need for such items.

But for Aaron?

They were essential.

He picked two beads from the pile.

Without hesitation, he tossed one into his mouth.

The bead cracked between his teeth and dissolved instantly.

For a moment the surrounding voices sounded distorted, like broken radio signals scrambling inside his skull. The mushfolks’ strange language echoed strangely in his ears.

Then—

The noise shifted.

Words began to translate.

Their incomprehensible chatter transformed into English.

Aaron exhaled in relief.

Finally.

Alyssa, who had been sitting on his shoulder, immediately squealed with excitement.

"I’M SO GLAD!" she shouted happily.

"WE CAN FINALLY CONVERSE AGAIN! It was so hard trying to gesture everything I meant!"

Aaron laughed lightly.

"Indeed it was."

He stored the second translation bead for later use before finishing his work inside the treasury.

Once he had gathered all the gold shrooms, Aaron stepped back and glanced at the enormous mushroom castle again.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

Then a crooked grin spread across his face.

"Enjoy, you poor labourers," he muttered under his breath.

Aaron casually walked behind the building and kicked the rear side of the structure.

The impact shattered the weakened fungal walls.

The treasury burst open.

Gold shrooms and glittering valuables spilled outward across the ground like a shining avalanche.

The elder screamed in protest.

"STOP! PLEASE! MY HOME—!"

Aaron didn’t even bother to look at him.

He simply turned around and walked away.

Now he had robbed four tribes.

Four.

The amount of gold shrooms he had gathered was enormous.

Once he had put some distance between himself and the Lingso tribe, Aaron finally opened Alyssa’s small glass cage.

The moment the barrier vanished, Alyssa squealed in delight.

Freedom.

Without hesitation, she scrambled up his arm, climbed over his shoulder, and grabbed his hair.

Within seconds she had settled onto her favorite throne — right on top of his head.

Aaron didn’t even bother stopping her anymore.

"Alyssa," he said calmly while walking.

"I believe robbing four tribes should already be enough for your elder to win the Grand Feast, no?"

"Do I really need to raid another one?"

Alyssa hummed thoughtfully while swinging her tiny legs back and forth.

"I’m not really sure, sir Aaron," she admitted.

"I think it should be enough... but I really don’t understand how the elder thinks."

From the other shoulder, the stealth elder finally spoke again.

Her voice was cold.

"It should be enough," she said.

"And if it isn’t, you could always slaughter their tribe and torture the information out of her."

Aaron snorted.

"You think that idea never crossed my mind?"

"But I was told that mushfolks are reborn from the ground when they die."

The stealth elder nodded.

"That is true... but only partially."

"If an elder dies, they lose their eldership. The position transfers to the eldest heir."

She paused.

"In the venom tribe’s case... that would be the lovely lady sitting on your head."

Aaron blinked.

He slowly looked upward.

Alyssa was happily humming to herself, completely unaware of the conversation happening beneath her.

Her legs dangled over his forehead as she casually swung them back and forth.

Aaron tried to imagine this cheerful little creature as a cold tribal leader.

He failed instantly.

For a tribe named Venom, Alyssa seemed absurdly sweet.

Aaron sighed quietly.

That must be why there are two heirs, he thought.

The elder probably wants a backup in case Alyssa turns out unfit for leadership.

Still.

That wasn’t his concern.

Four tribes’ worth of gold shrooms should already be enough.

And if the venom elder still tried to play greedy...

Aaron smiled slightly.

He doubted she would want to die so soon.

With his decision made, Aaron bent his knees and launched forward.

The ground exploded beneath his feet as he sprinted toward the venom tribe at full speed.

Once again, Alyssa was forced to abandon her favorite throne.

She slid down from his head to his shoulder, pouting slightly while pointing directions every now and then.

***

Three Hours Later

Aaron slowed to a stop.

Even with his enhanced body, sprinting nonstop for three hours was impossible.

He had taken several short breaks along the way, but the journey had still pushed his stamina to its limits.

Still.

The time had been worth it.

The venom tribe finally appeared in the distance.

Aaron glanced at the sun.

Based on its position, he estimated the time to be around two in the afternoon.

Perfect.

He definitely didn’t want to fight nightcrawlers again.

Surviving that nightmare once had already been enough.

Especially considering the condition of his weapon.

Aaron glanced at the swordstaff in his hand.

The blade was badly damaged.

The once-sharp edge had dulled significantly, and several chips had formed along the metal from exposure to the nightcrawler’s acid.

It was barely usable now.

As Aaron approached the tribe, the mushfolks began gathering near the entrance of their city.

Unlike the other tribes, these ones didn’t panic.

Instead they watched cautiously.

Moments later, the venom elder emerged from her mushroom building.

She walked forward slowly with calm, elegant steps.

The golden mushroom cap atop her head gleamed under the sunlight, making her appear almost regal.

She stopped before Aaron and looked up at him.

"That..." she said calmly.

"You returned much sooner than I anticipated."

Aaron didn’t waste time.

"Indeed."

He reached into his pockets and pulled out the gold shrooms.

One after another, he dumped them in a massive pile at the entrance of the city.

Golden caps scattered across the ground.

"Five tribes’ worth of gold shrooms," Aaron said flatly.

"Give me my antidote."

The elder turned to her people.

"Collect them."

Immediately, dozens of mushfolks rushed forward and began kicking the gold shrooms into the city.

Unlike the other tribes, these mushfolks showed far less fear toward Aaron.

Which made sense.

When Aaron had first arrived here, he had been bound and powerless.

They had never witnessed the brutality he had unleashed on the other tribes.

Once the collection began, the elder looked back at Aaron.

Her eyes slowly traveled upward.

Then she paused.

"Alyssa," she said.

Her tone held faint surprise.

"You truly looted five tribes?"

Alyssa froze.

Her lips parted slightly.

But no words came out.

She had reached a crossroads.

One path led to the truth.

But that truth might bring destruction to both Aaron and her own tribe.

Mutual annihilation.

The other path led to lies.

Lying to the one who had raised her.

The one who owned her future.

Yet...

The choice was obvious.

"I..."