Chapter 174: ThE GrEaT ElDeR.
"I..."
Just as Alyssa was about to speak, the stealth elder perched on Aaron’s other shoulder—previously hidden behind the tinted mirror—suddenly shrieked.
"THEY ONLY LOOTED FOUR!"
Her voice cut through the clearing like a blade.
The accusation landed instantly, and Aaron’s smile twitched before flattening completely.
So much for that.
He had brought her along thinking she valued her life enough not to betray him so openly. But it seemed he had underestimated just how deep that woman’s hatred for him ran.
Life or death meant nothing to her.
What she truly wanted was the damnation of both Aaron and the tribe she believed responsible for all this chaos.
The Venom Tribe.
At the stealth elder’s outburst, the venom elder’s smirk twisted slowly into an amused scowl.
"So," she hissed, her tone dripping with venom thicker than any poison she carried, "you were trying to cheat me out of the antidote, monster?"
Aaron looked down at her, unimpressed.
"Yes."
The blunt answer carried no hesitation.
"The gold shrooms from four tribes are already enough to win you that grand feast or whatever you called it." He scoffed dismissively. "And I need to get moving too. Unless you want me to keep prowling around this horse-shit mushroom forest."
The venom elder shook her head slowly.
"A deal is a deal, monster."
Her voice was cold and unwavering.
"I don’t care if you robbed three tribes or four. I don’t care what amount is enough for me to win. I only care about the amount of tribes we discussed beforehand."
Aaron hummed thoughtfully.
"Alright. So?"
He shrugged lazily.
"I’m not planning to go attack another tribe right now. Take it or leave it."
"Take it or leave it?"
The venom elder’s tone sharpened viciously.
"It seems you’ve forgotten who holds the advantage right now."
Her small body radiated quiet malice as she continued.
"Narcotic resistance or not, I can assure you that you will die from my poison."
Aaron nodded calmly.
"Oh, I don’t doubt that."
He spoke as though they were discussing the weather.
"I might die. Sure."
Then his smile widened slightly.
"But that won’t happen for another couple of days."
His gaze hardened.
"And during that time, I’ll make sure to eradicate your entire tribe."
The venom elder chuckled darkly.
"Heh. Didn’t we go over this already?"
She raised her chin fearlessly.
"Go ahead."
Her confidence was absurd considering the difference in size between them.
Aaron towered over the mushfolk like a titan among rodents.
A single step from him could crush dozens of them.
Yet the venom elder still had the audacity to challenge him openly.
Earlier, Aaron might have ignored it.
But things were different now.
He had fought nightcrawlers—creatures born straight from nightmares.
He had hunted across this cursed forest.
He had terrorized several mushfolk tribes.
His confidence had never been higher.
And suddenly, a thought surfaced in his mind.
What was the skill that scaled with confidence again?
Ah.
Right.
Without hesitation, Aaron activated it.
Dignity of the Weak.
The effect was immediate.
An invisible pressure exploded outward from his body.
His aura surged like a violent tidal wave, crashing into the surrounding mushfolk.
The result was instant.
One by one, they collapsed.
Knees slammed into the ground.
Dozens of mushfolk were forced down as if the air itself had gained crushing weight.
Their tiny bodies trembled.
Their eyes filled with terror as they looked up at the towering monster before them.
Aaron stood unmoving at the center of it all.
Calm.
Dominant.
Untouchable.
"I firmly believe in a saying," he said slowly, his voice carrying across the clearing.
"Kill if you’re going to die."
He clasped his hands behind his back as if lecturing a class.
"It means that if death is inevitable, you should take down as many enemies as possible along the way."
His eyes glinted faintly.
"Even in death... do not bow. Do not surrender."
The venom elder was not spared from the skill’s effect.
Her knees slammed onto the ground along with the others.
An invisible weight crushed down on her small body, forcing her into submission despite her resistance.
Even the stealth elder suffered the same fate.
The only ones spared were Alyssa...
...and the smaller version of Alyssa sitting quietly nearby.
Aaron glanced briefly at the tiny copy.
"Alyssa Jr."
He decided on the name casually.
He didn’t know her actual name.
And frankly, he didn’t care enough to ask.
"T-That’s a bullshit saying!"
The venom elder shouted through clenched teeth.
Her body trembled under the oppressive force.
"Kill if you’re going to die?!"
She glared up at him furiously.
"You fool! The only intelligent decision is to preserve your life at all costs—not throw it away!"
Aaron tilted his head slightly.
"Hm?"
He scratched his chin thoughtfully.
"Preserve my life, huh?"
A faint smile crept onto his face.
"That sounds a little hypocritical coming from a woman who can supposedly revive after death."
The venom elder froze.
For just a moment, the carefully maintained mask of cold indifference cracked.
But she quickly recovered.
"We can," she snapped.
"You can’t."
Her voice regained some of its sharp confidence.
"My words were considering your existence, not ours, you idiot!"
Aaron chuckled lightly.
"I don’t believe your kind can regrow from death so easily, elder."
He leaned forward slightly.
"I’ve been observing your race for quite some time."
His grin widened.
"And I think I figured something out."
He paused.
"Mind if I share?"
The venom elder glared silently.
Aaron didn’t wait for an answer.
"Oh right."
He smirked.
"I forgot your input doesn’t matter right now."
He began pacing slowly.
"While observing your tribes, I noticed something strange."
His voice remained calm, almost conversational.
"The elders from the other tribes... they didn’t panic about me stealing the gold shrooms."
He stopped walking.
"They panicked about how I was plucking them."
His eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"It was as if their entire existence depended on that plantation bed."
Silence filled the clearing.
The venom elder’s mouth opened slightly.
But no words came out.
She swallowed them.
Aaron noticed.
He hummed softly.
"Since you’re not answering, I’ll continue."
He looked down at her.
"So here’s what I’m thinking."
His tone turned colder.
"I’ll destroy that plantation bed."
Then he smiled.
"And while I’m at it, I’ll uproot your entire city."
His eyes gleamed with curiosity.
"I wonder if your people can really grow back anywhere... or not."
The venom elder remained silent.
Her expression had darkened considerably.
Aaron suddenly turned his head toward his shoulder.
Without hesitation, he removed the tinted mirrors.
The stealth elder was exposed instantly.
Her eyes widened when Aaron’s shadow fell over her.
"Tell me," Aaron said with a slow, sinister smile.
"Is my thinking correct... stealth elder?"
To her, that smile looked nothing short of demonic.
Her mind exploded with frantic thoughts.
Revenge.
Survival.
Fear.
Opportunity.
Morality.
Everything clashed violently inside her head.
If she stayed silent, Aaron might destroy everything anyway.
If she spoke, she would betray the venom tribe.
But if she revealed the truth...
Maybe she could save her own tribe.
Maybe she could ensure Aaron and the venom tribe destroyed each other.
Her thoughts battled brutally.
And eventually...
She made her choice.
"Well... of course."
Her voice was steady.
"A plantation bed is necessary for any elder—or their heirs—to grow back after death."
Aaron’s smile widened.
"As for the common population..."
She shrugged slightly.
"They don’t matter."
The venom elder’s eyes widened in disbelief.
"If some die, new narcoshrooms will eventually gain consciousness."
Her tone turned colder.
"It’s a cycle."
The venom elder stared at her in shock.
Then rage exploded.
"You fucking bitch!"
She screamed, veins bulging across her pale surface.
"I WOULD’VE TRIED TO SAVE YOU IF YOU DIDN’T RUIN IT!"
Her voice cracked with fury.
"NOW OUR TRIBES ARE DOOMED!"
The stealth elder shot back immediately.
"Correction."
Her eyes were calm.
"Not our tribes."
She pointed slightly toward the venom elder.
"Only yours."
Then she turned toward Aaron.
Her expression softened into a pleading look.
Aaron glanced sideways at her.
After a brief moment, he nodded.
"You’re still dying today."
He said it casually.
"But I won’t harm your tribe... or any other mushfolk tribe."
Strangely enough, the stealth elder wasn’t particularly upset about that statement.
Aaron had just casually declared her death.
Yet she felt oddly relieved.
If her death meant the destruction of the venom tribe...
...and maybe even Aaron himself...
Then she would gladly accept it.
Who knew?
Perhaps the Empress would revive her later as a reward for her noble sacrifice.
She allowed herself a moment of quiet daydreaming.
Aaron, of course, couldn’t care less about her internal fantasies.
His attention had already shifted back to the venom elder.
His expression turned cold.
Completely devoid of amusement.
He cracked his knuckles slowly.
The veins along his massive arms bulged.
The sound echoed through the clearing.
Then he leaned slightly closer.
"Now..."
His voice dropped into a mocking tone.
"ThE GrEaT ElDeR."
The sarcasm was painfully obvious.
Aaron clenched his fists.
"What will it be?"